It took until around noon for Dean to reach Cape Girardeau, Missouri but when he did the nostalgia almost brought up the three cups of coffee and two doughnuts that he gulfed down during his trip into his mouth. His stomach was completely unsettled, somehow he still hoped that this was all a dream and he would wake up in the morning next to Lisa where he belonged; the pounding in his head, however, was a constant reminder that this situation was very real. He had a daughter? Impossible. Cassie would have told him about it the moment she found out. Wouldn't she? "You know what? I'm a realist. I don't see much hope for us, Dean". That's what she had told him, those were her last words to him before their last goodbye. What did being a realist have to do with picking up the phone as a heads up? "Hi Dean, just calling to say hey, oh and by the way I have a freaking person growing inside of me that's half yours". Dean's phone began to ring in the middle of his mind rant. It was Lisa. Again. He picked up the phone this time.
"Hello?"
"Dean, where are you? I've been worried sick"
"I told you Leese, I have something to take care of in Missouri"
"And it's not a case"
"Its unfinished business"
"Yeah I caught that when you sprinted out this morning at 2am. So are you going to tell me what's going on?"
"I'll tell you as soon as I know"
"Is this about Sam?"
He felt a small pang in his gut at the mention of his brother's name. His brother who he had thought was dead for a year but who was actually alive and well, carrying on fine without him. Or at least pretending to be fine, there was something off about him as well.
"No, this isn't about Sam"
"Fine, just be careful okay? Are you going to be back in time for Ben's soccer game?"
Crap. That was today wasn't it?
"I'm about nine hours away"
"So no" Her voice dropped in disappointment "He was really looking forward to you being there"
"Yeah I know" Dean sighed. The poor kid. "Tell him I'll make it up to him okay?"
Dean pulled up on the sidewalk outside of Cassie's house. There was a car in the driveway.
"Do you want to tell him yourself? I could call him over"
"Can you tell him for me sweetheart? I have to go"
"Sure. Don't worry about it, I'll tell him." She said trying her best to sound alright but he could hear the disappointment in her voice and it broke his heart
"Thanks Lisa"
"Bye Dean"
He flipped his phone closed and pressed the doorbell. He heard the sound of footsteps, hard and heavy as they approached the door. It was Cassie's mother who opened the door and she froze when she saw him.
"Hello Mrs. Robinson" Dean squinted at her guilty face
"Uh, Hello. May I help you?" She said shaking her head at him as though she didn't recognize his face
"Well I was just in the neighborhood, though I should pop in and say hello. Is Cassie home?" He raised an eyebrow
"No. Cassie, she went out and may not be back in a while but I'll tell her that you stopped by" Mrs. Robinson said quickly and began closing the door again. Dean stuck his foot into the doorway and pushed the door open again.
"Well if it's all the same to you I'll just wait for her here"
"I already told you, she wouldn't be back for a while-"
"I don't mind waiting" Dean smiled a brief one-second smile and slipped past her. The front room had changed, Cassie's small desk and work area in the back of the room had been transformed into a play area, complete with toys and pink costumes. Penny's toys and costumes. He blinked hard and turned back to Cassie's mother who was staring at him, her face ashen with guilt and fear.
"This place has changed a lot since I've seen it last" He cocked his head at her
"Yes, it has" She nodded back at him as she played with her fingers nervously. He turned his attention to a mantle lined with pictures above a television. Dean strode towards it slowly. In the first few that his eyes glazed over Cassie smiled at him widely holding either a slice of birthday cake or an award most likely for journalism or whatever she had been into, but then one picture caught his eye. It wasn't Cassie or her mother or a group of friends. It was a baby, a little girl with light tan creamy skin and light brown hair spiraling down to her shoulders in soft curls. Her eyes were hazel and shaped just like his. Penny.
"What a beautiful little girl" He glared at the woman in the room over his shoulder
"Yes she is"
"Looks a lot like Cassie"
"That's her daughter"
"That must be why she looks so familiar" He smiled
"Yes, well, I'm sorry but you're going to have to leave, you see I have some errands to run. I'll have her call you." Mrs. Robinson said moving swiftly, taking the picture from his hands and placing it gently back on the mantle.
"Look Mrs. Robinson-" Dean began, he was growing tired of their charade
"Grandma" He heard a little girl call excitedly as she descended the stairs that lead to the front room.
"Oh dear" Mrs. Robinson sighed softly and then he saw her. The little girl from the picture, only a bit older, her hair a bit longer with very visible streaks of blonde in her hair, just like his mom. She had been waving a crayon drawn picture in her hands but when she entered the room her hands dropped to her sides and her enthusiasm evaporated along with her pretty little smile. Dean just stood there, staring in awe at the little girl. There was no doubt about it; she was his.
"Penny?" He breathed; she looked from him to her grandmother in terror
"How do you know her?" Mrs. Robinson let out a shrill gasp
"She called me last night. Told me everything" Dean answered with his eyes still on his little girl, deciding to drop all of the pretenses.
"Oh no" Mrs. Robinson whispered and closed her eyes
"Are you my-?" Penny directed at him as she clutched the bottom of her grandmother's pants tightly in her free hand
"I think we need to have a talk" Dean growled trying to bite back the sudden feelings of anger and utter betrayal
Mrs. Robinson could have denied it. She could have asked him to leave and called the cops on him if he refused. She could have told him any assortment of lies that he was sure that she had prepared just in case this situation were to arise, but she didn't. Her face was wrinkled, worn out, and exhausted to the core. She told him everything. Cassie had found out that she was pregnant two weeks after he left but decided that it was in everyone's best interest to keep it a secret from him considering his line of work.
"How could she?" Dean muttered bitterly, pushing the cup of coffee that Mrs. Robinson had just provided him with his fingers a few inches away from himself in a frustrated fidget.
"It was the hardest decision that she ever had to face"
"It wasn't her decision to make." He snapped
"Please try to understand, she never meant to hurt you"
"She never does"
"She only wanted to do what was best for her child" Mrs. Robinson pleaded
"Keeping her from her father was the best thing to do? Apparently not because I got a phone call at 2am from a little girl who was desperate to speak to her father."
"Please try to understand" Mrs. Robinson leaned her face into her hands "This was supposed to make things easier, less complicated"
Dean looked over his shoulder at the little girl sitting in the other room pretending to play with dolls while she eavesdropped on their conversation.
"How did she die?" He asked Mrs. Robinson without taking his eyes off of Penny
"Car accident last June. I almost contacted you then but I didn't know what to say. By then it was too late"
"I'm sorry about Cassie, if I'd have known-" He trailed off
"So now what do we do?" She asked after a few moments of silence "I suppose that you want to take her from me"
"I don't know. I don't know what to do right now" He closed his eyes and rubbed his brow
"I think you should take her." Mrs. Robinson said with a sudden urgency "Please just take her"
"What?"
"You're her father and you should take her" She nodded rising from her seat. "I'll go pack her things"
"Wait, hold on a minute" He said as he stood as well "For six years you've kept her hidden from me, you didn't allow her to talk to me at all, twenty minutes ago you were trying to rush me out of here and now you want me to take her? Just like that?"
"Don't you want her?" Her voice was thick and shaky, her eyes avoided his, and she bit her nail nervously. What the hell is going on here?
"You want me to just take her and go? She hasn't known me for more than five minutes"
"Penny honey come here" She called to the girl and reached out her hand. Penny took it.
"Penny, this is your daddy and you'll be living with him from now on"
"Wait a second" Dean's eyes were wide with confusion
"Go upstairs and pack your things"
"But grandma" Penny whimpered
"Go now. Hurry" She ordered and gave her granddaughter a gentle pat on the head. Penny ran out of the room and thumped up the stairs
"Wait a minute" Dean demanded, "Now are you going to tell me what the hell is going on?"
"She's your daughter, take her right now or leave"
"Oh you got to be kidding me" He grumbled, "This isn't happening"
"Well?" Mrs. Robinson looked at him with firm but pleading eyes. Desperate eyes.
Penny joined them again with a pink Cinderella rolling backpack in one hand and a stuffed pink elephant in her other.
"All packed?" Mrs. Robinson asked as she guided the little girl gently to the door
"Yes grandma"
"Your daddy is going to take care of you okay?"
"Will I see you again?" Penny asked sadly
"Yes of course"
"Lady-" Dean started as she gave him a less than gentle shove out of the door
"You take care now." She said closing the door abruptly in his face. He heard her bolt the locks on the other side of the door.
Dean knocked "Mrs. Robinson"
"Go away now please"
He knocked again
No answer
After three of four minutes of silence passed Dean gave up on knocking. He looked down at Penny who was looking up at him; her eyes were big and expectant, but mostly helpless. Dean heaved a sigh and took the keys out of his pocket as he walked towards the car. Her rolling backpack hit every bump on the sidewalk loudly as she followed. He opened the backseat and put her bag inside before turning back to the house.
"Can I at least have a freaking car seat?" He yelled
The door opened briefly and a small car seat was placed outside before it slammed shut again.
"Un-freaking-believable" He seethed as he walked back to retrieve it. Penny followed him.
"You can go wait by the car." He told her. She stopped in her tracks but didn't make a move back to the car. Dean grabbed the seat, inside of it was a folder with all of Penny's documentations in it, he grabbed that too and made his way back down the sidewalk, passing her on his way, she followed.
"Do you know how to use this thing?" He asked her after he strapped the chair into the backseat. She nodded and climbed inside of the car. Dean walked to the driver's side and opened it, taking one last glance at Cassie's house before he got inside. Mrs. Robinson watched from the window, her face red from crying. She was holding a tissue. He closed the door and turned the key in the ignition.
"Are you strapped?" He asked over his shoulder. Penny nodded and held her pink elephant close. Dean took a deep breath and closed his eyes. What the hell has he gotten himself into?
