Chapter 2

Hazel came bounding down the stairs, leaping from the third step from the bottom. She landed on her hands and feet, before dashing through her dad's study and into the kitchen, where Bobby was just now starting the coffee. Riot was eating his morning dog food. When Hazel saw her dog was already eating, her lip stuck out.

"Daddy, I feed Riot. Remember?"

Bobby turned from the coffee maker. "I know, sweetpea. Riot kept whining and sitting there by his bowl. I caved."

"Why didn't you wake me up, then?"

He sighed, under his breath. "You sleep in on Saturdays. You never liked it when I tried to wake you."

"Well, if it's about Riot, it's okay to wake me. Okay, Daddy?" she nodded, giving her dad, permission.

Bobby nodded, once. "Okay, sweetpea. Next time, I'll remember to wake ya."

Hazel smiled at that. "Does Riot need water?" She walked over to check the dog's water dish. It was pretty low. So, the little girl picked it up, which Riot stopped eating, to lift his head at his human pup, curious, before returning to his focus to his food, again. Taking it over to the sink, Hazel set it on the counter and stood up on her toes, to turn on the cold water. Bobby tried to help her, but his daughter always wanted to be independent and do everything herself.

She filled the dish up, with water, setting it back on the counter, to shut off the water. Hazel, then, took the water dish, back to where it belonged. Once she set it down, Riot shifted over to lap up some water. Hazel rubbed the dog's fur as she watched him.

"What would you like for breakfast, sweetpea?" Bobby asked.

Hazel turned around, to blurt out, "Can I have your super, amazing, delicious blueberry pancakes?"

He chuckled. "Of course." Bobby half expected his daughter to choose that, which was why he always kept blueberries in the fridge.

"Yay!" she cheered.

"But, I'm gonna need my assistant, though."

"Chef Hazel, at your service," Hazel saluted her dad, being silly.

The two of them, worked hard to make the pancakes, together. Even as she grew, Hazel still continued to use a chair, even though she was getting to the point, she didn't need one. Though, Hazel was a bit short, for her age.

Once the pancakes were done, the two of them sat down to eat.

Hazel tried to sneak Riot, a bite.

Bobby caught her. "Don't feed Riot, people food, sweetpea. It isn't good for him."

"But, Daddy, he was whining and I caved." She smirked, afterwards.

"Oh, ha funny. " Bobby told her, lightly, before getting serious. "Now, eat. I mean it. No feeding the dog, people food.

Hazel looked down at Riot, giving the dog, a mournful look. "Sorry, Riot. I can't give you, anymore." When she thought her dad wasn't looking, Hazel tried to sneak him, another bite.

"Hazel Ann," he scolded, firmly. "What did I just get done, telling you?"

She pouted, pitifully. "Not to feed Riot, people food."

"You do it, again, you're going to your room. You understand me, Hazel Ann Singer?"

Hazel nodded, at her food. When her dad said, her complete, full name, she knew he meant business. She had come to learn her dad wasn't anything like her stepfather, that he would never, seriously, hurt her. But, Hazel knew, to not cross him, either.

Bobby told Riot, to go lay down, so they could finish eating. He ate a few bites, letting there be some silent, before he finally wanted to ask the big question. "I saw ya hug Sam while he and Amelia were here."

She, merely, shrugged, and placed a bite of syrup-soaked pancake into her mouth. Hazel shifted it into her cheek like a chipmunk, after chewing it. "So?"

"So…. The million dollar question I have, is, does that mean yer finally letting him out of the dog house?"

Hazel shrugged, again, swallowing it. "I was thanking Sam. You said, I'm always supposed to say, thank you when someone does something nice for me, or gives me, something." She finally looked up.

"Well, yeah, but, I wasn't expecting ya to hug him. That was a pretty big leap for you, Haze."

"Nah, I had been thinking, the past month," she admitted.

"About?"

Hazel took another bite of her pancakes, swallowing before she answered. "How it must have sucked for him, losing his friend and brother. I was very sad when I lost Mom."

"So, you don't hate yer mom, after all." Bobby knew she really didn't. The kid had too big of a heart to hate anyone. That's why he knew, she didn't actually hate Sam and Dean, either. Hazel wanted to be mad, but, hating them, there was no way.

She shook her head. Bobby noticed tears were starting to appear in her eyes. "I wanted to tell him when he was here, I was sorry. But, I chickened out."

"How come?"

Hazel just shrugged, picking at her food. "I don't know. I just did. And, because of me, Dean died, thinking I hated him."

"I'm sure Dean never thought that. He knew how much you were hurting over losing Ben. He understood. Remember what I told ya? About needing to do it, because he thought it would protect them?"

She nodded. "I know." She leaned one hand, beside her, on the chair. "I always knew since he told me. I was just mad and wanted to only be mad." Hazel glanced up at her dad, with just her eyes. "Did Dean ever tell you, I hit him?"

Bobby looked surprised. "No, he didn't."

Hazel looked back at her food. "I hit him in the heart," she pointed to her chest with the hand she was leaning on, then leaned on it, some more. "Dean didn't say anything about it. Just, that he was sorry and left the room." Now, that he thought about it, Bobby did remember Dean coming downstairs, quiet. He hadn't said anything about talking with Hazel, other than how pissed she was. He knew the kid wasn't allowed to hit others, unless she was being, seriously threatened or hurt. Even though Bobby kept his kid away from hunting, Dean had still taught her, some self defense, in case it was ever needed. With permission from her dad, of course. "I felt bad about it, afterwards. I thought Dean hated me because of it."

"Dean could never hate you, sweetpea. He loved you like a little sister," Bobby assured her.

Hazel stared at her food, in silence, for a long time. When Bobby thought she wasn't going to say anything more, he continued eating. A few minutes later, she finally asked, "When's Sam coming to visit, again?"

He shrugged, this time. "I don't know. You'd have to ask him that."

"Can I call him?" She looked up at her dad, giving him, a puppydog look.

"Yes, you can. But, can you finish eating, first?"

She nodded and, continued eating.

After breakfast, and after Hazel helped her dad, clean up, Bobby dialed Sam's number and handed her, the phone.

Sam picked up on the third ring. "What's up, Bobby?"

"It's Hazel," she replied, into the phone.

"Hey, Haze," Sam smiled into the phone. "What's up? How's Riot doing?"

"He's okay. I'm taking good care of him."

"That's great to hear, Haze. Listen, I have to head out, soon, to run some errands. Did you need something or were you calling, to say, hi?" Sam wasn't trying to sound mean, or anything. He had a date, to prepare for, when Amelia got off work and was running low on time.

"Um...I was just wondering when you were coming to visit? Don't you want to see how Riot is doing?"

"Uh," Sam had to think about that. "I'm not sure when I would visit, next." It did make him wonder why she was asking. He knew it wasn't just about the dog. "Would you like me, to come and visit?"

"Um. If you want," she shrugged.

Sam smiled at that. "Well, how about I stop by before school starts, in August. How's that sound?"

"Uh, okay. Sounds great. Bye, Sam." With that, Hazel handed the phone, back to her dad and sprinted from the kitchen, going outside. She called for Riot. Hazel had tried whistling, like she heard Sam do, when he called Riot. But, the little girl could not get whistling down.

It was a few weeks before Sam managed to get back to Bobby's. He had to come alone that time, since things were hectic, at the animal clinic. When Hazel came downstairs, that morning, she found him, in the study, talking to her dad.

"Hey. Good morning, sweetpea," Bobby greeted his daughter, as she, slowly, made her way into the room. The little girl dragged her feet, as she stared at the floor.

"Good morning, Daddy," she said, as Hazel lifted her gaze towards him.

"Ain't ya gonna say hello to Sam?" he asked of her. "He came, just like you asked him, to."

Hazel held her hands behind her back, digging her big toe into the wooden floor. "Hi, Sam," she finally greeted him, softly.

Sam still heard it. "Hey, Haze. How are ya? You sleep good, last night?"

She nodded. "I had a dream where a bunch of Oreo cookies were chasing me. But, then this glass of milk got spilled and the oreos became mush."

Sam had to smile. "That was some dream you had, last."

"I told her to stop eating cookies before bed." Bobby let out a chuckle.

Hazel stared at the floor, now touching each of her elbows, in each hand. She continued to press her toe to the floor. "Sam," she finally said.

"Yeah?"

"Um...I have, um...something to say."

"What's that?" he asked.

Hazel bit her lip, sucking it, in.

Sam went over and squatted to the little girl's level. "What is it, Haze?"

"Um…" Hazel tried to meet Sam's gaze, but, couldn't. Instead, she kept it at the floor. "I, um, I'm...sorry about being mean to you and Dean, for two years. I don't hate you."

He smiled at that, joy filling up, inside of him. "Does this mean you forgive us?"

Hesitant, at first, Hazel nodded at the floor. "I shouldn't have been mean when you didn't have a soul and no feelings," she finally admitted. "I was just really, really, really mad."

"I know you were, Haze."

Hazel finally was able to lift her gaze and moved closer, to hug the young man around the neck. When she pushed away, Hazel looked between her dad and Sam. "I'm still mad about everything, though," she admitted.

"About what?" Sam asked, shaking his head.

"Losing my mom and my stepdad, and losing Ben and Miss Lisa. And, now, I'm mad at myself."

Bobby was over, leaning against the front of his desk,with his arms folded. "Why's that, sweetpea?"

She looked over at her dad. A tear drifted down her cheek. "Because, now, Dean's gone and I can't say I'm sorry to him. I spent his last year, being mad and not talking to him." Bobby could tell the waterworks were starting. Her face scrunched up and her bottom lip quivered. Sam tried to offer another hug, but, Hazel pushed his offer away. "David was right. I do mess things up." She dashed around Sam and threw herself, onto the couch, crying into one of the cushions.

Bobby stole a look with Sam, before standing up and heading over to his daughter. He knelt in front of the couch, placing a comforting hand on her back. "No, he wasn't Hazel. Don't ever think that."

It is true!" Her voice was muffled by the cushion, but, it was still loud. The brim of her cap had collided with the couch, so it laid, upside down, by her head.

Bobby reached the same hand, over, to stroke her hair. "He wasn't, sweetpea. None of it was your fault. You were just a part of it and loved everyone. That's why it hurt, so much and why you were...still mad. It's time to forgive yerself."

But, Hazel shook her head. "No!" she screamed out.

"Why not?" he asked.

Hazel refused to answer.

Bobby patted her bottom, gently, a few times. "Come on, sweetpea. Talk to us," he encouraged her.

Still nothing.

"Don't make me call the Tickle Monster."

No response.

"Okay," Bobby shrugged. "I guess I have no choice." He, slowly, rose and hovered over his little girl, holding his hands up, like claws. "Here he comes. You'd better watch out."

Sam couldn't help smile at the memories the Tickle Monster brought back, for him. He used to be the Tickle Monster's victim when he was Hazel's age. It had seemed so long ago, too. But, he could still imagine it and hear his own laughs as the Tickle Monster chased him around and caught him, pinning Sam, down. Now, he watched as Bobby pinned his own kid, down and tickle her.

Hazel tried to fight it, trying not to, at least, smile. She pushed his hands away, but Bobby only pushed back and resumed the tickling, grabbing at her torso and waist. He kept it up, until she couldn't hold out any longer and saw a smile crack. Bobby continued for a minute, before ending it, with a couple playful swats to her bottom.

"You're no fair, Daddy," she told him, crossly, on her back, now.

Bobby leaned over his little girl, his hands on either side of her. He smiled down at Hazel. "Got ya to smile, didn't I?"

Hazel pushed on his stomach, with her bare feet.

Sam walked over to join in, leaning on the arm of the couch, at her head. "How about we give your dad, a break and take Riot to the park. Maybe we can, even get some ice cream, if you want."

Hazel looked over at the young man. "Dean used to take me and Ben, for ice cream," she frowned.

"Okay. Well, we don't have to get ice cream. We could get a soda, instead? Or, lemonade?" he suggested.

"Okay," she gave in.

So, Sam told her to go grab her shoes. They were by the door and were just a pair of kids' flip flops, from Old Navy.

"Hey, where's my hug, goodbye?" Bobby questioned of his daughter, following after her, along with Sam. With her shoes on, Hazel hurried back to him, where Bobby lifted his little girl, up, into a hug and kissed her cheek. "Be good for Sam, you hear?" he warned Hazel, when he put her, back down on her feet.

"Yes, Daddy," she replied.

Bobby let Sam know, she hadn't eaten breakfast, yet as they headed outside. Hazel was already sprinting towards the Impala, stopping at the driver's side door, Riot, in tow. Sam said his goodbye, before making his way over. Opening the car door, he let Hazel climb into the front seat and Riot, jump into the back seat, before sliding in, under the wheel. Making sure Hazel was buckled, first, Sam checked his mirrors and drove from the salvage yard.

Even though the kid was still holding things in, the men was just glad she was starting to forgive. Baby steps, that was for sure.