Disclaimer: The characters of Supernatural do not belong to me. The original character of Evelyn Winchester does.

A/N: So, this idea's been rattling around in my head for a little while, but I was afraid to write it. I finally decided to take the plunge and just do it. I'm planning to update it every few days like I did with New Life, New Family, but the school semester just started, and my workload seems pretty intense, so it may be updated a little more sporadically than that story was. I hope everyone's doing well, and I look forward to giving you more Evy stories in the upcoming year.

The Stranger

Friday Afternoon

What should have been a trip of only a few hours at most had turned into the better part of a day. Evy had gotten stuck behind not one, but two accidents on her way to Jody's, and she was more than ready to get out of the car. She got her things together, made sure she had her spare keys to Jody's house, then walked inside. No one was home, so she put her bag on the bed and went to lay down on the couch and watch some TV. She quickly shot a text to Sam and Dean that she was at Jody's, then put the phone on vibrate and laid it down on the floor next to her.

Before long, TV got boring, so Evy went into the kitchen to figure out what to make for dinner. Jody sent a text that she was getting off in thirty minutes and would be home in forty-five. Evy told her to take her time and not worry about dinner. Evy was already feeling more relaxed. She was on a girl's weekend with Jody, Alex, and Claire, and was ready for it to start. A knock at the door a few minutes later took her attention away from the pasta on the stove. Evy ignored it. It wasn't her house, and if whoever it was wanted Jody, they could just wait for her. Evy drained the pasta and started on the sauce.

The man on the front steps waited. He was a stranger to the people passing by on the street, but he didn't look dangerous to them, so no one gave him a second thought. His heart was slamming inside his chest. No matter who answered the door, he was in for a confrontation. It had been years since he'd seen Evy, and he wasn't sure how she was going to react. He had one week to spend with her, with Sam, and with Dean. But he couldn't tell them that. If he did, he would die. Right away. For the second time. The stranger finally grabbed Jody's doorknob, prepared to go inside, when he felt the barrel of a gun at the back of his head.

"One more step and you're dead."

The stranger held up his hands in surrender. "I'm not here to hurt anyone."
"Well, considering you're about to break into my house, I'd say you're either here to do exactly that, or you're stupid enough to think that you actually think you'd get away with it."

"I'm here to see Evy." The stranger said.
"Walk around to the side of the house. We'll talk about whether or not you can see her." Jody said. When he didn't move, Jody said, "I can tell you don't really know Evy, so you might want to move."

"What makes you say that?" The stranger asked.

"Because if you had broken into my house with her here, I'd be picking pieces of you up off the floor." Jody said. "Start walking."

As Jody was questioning the stranger around the side of the house, Evy was finishing up the pot of spaghetti she'd made. She'd started some garlic bread, and was planning to make some salad. She heard some chatting around the side of the house, and had seen Jody's truck in the driveway. She figured Jody was handling some Sheriff's Office business, so she waited a few more minutes. Once the salad was made and on the table, Evy started to head outside, only to be met before getting to the front door by Jody.

"Hey." Evy said. "Right on time. I just finished dinner."

"Hey." Jody said.

Evy stopped dead. "What's wrong?"

Jody ran a hand over her mouth. "I, um, have something to tell you. And I'm not quite sure how to say it."

"Look, if you or Alex have to work or something this weekend, it's not a big deal. I can hang out with Claire…" Evy said.

"No. No, it's not that." Jody said. "Listen, there's a guy outside that wants to see you."
"A guy? Who is it?"

"Before I let him in, I want you to know, I already did all the checks." Jody said. "He's not a zombie, a ghost, a vampire, none of that. Okay?"

"Jody, you're scaring me. And that's saying a lot. What's going on?" Evy said.

"He says his name is John Winchester."

Evy shook her head. "No. There's no way."

"I know. I told him the same thing. But like I said, I checked everything. He's human. And he looks just like the photos you've showed me." Jody said. "Honey, I think it's him."

"Jody, I have had some messed up crap happen to me before. But this…" Evy couldn't keep talking because it was suddenly hard to breathe.

Jody grabbed Evy's shoulders to try and calm her down. "Listen to me. Okay? Just listen. I know. I know you're worried, and I know you're wondering what the hell is going on right now. I am too. I already called your brothers…"
"You didn't tell them, did you?" Evy asked.

"All I told them was to get their asses in gear and get here yesterday." Jody assured her. "But it's still going to be a few hours before they get here. Right now, you and I are going to let this guy in and talk to him. Okay?"

"Jody…" Evy could barely do more than whisper; she was close to a panic attack.

"Honey, listen to me. You have to stay calm. I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere. Sam and Dean will be here soon. Let's bring this guy in, and we'll try to figure out what's going on." Jody said.

Even though she was shaking, Evy nodded. "Okay. Let him in."

Jody patted Evy's cheek and assured her, "It'll be okay."

Evy nodded and watched Jody go to the door. The seconds seemed to stretch into hours as she watched the door open. In the doorway, looking almost exactly as Evy remembered him, was an alive and well John Winchester. He was still taller than she was, although now by only a few inches instead of almost an entire foot as he had been the last time they'd been together. Evy's eyes filled with tears, both of joy and pain.

"Daddy?" she asked, voice barely above a whisper.

John smiled, something that Evy noticed seemed to take five years off his face instantly. "Hey, little one. Yeah, it's me. I'm back."