It was getting cold, more so than late July called for. The trees were changing colors too, not in the extreme reds or oranges, but yellow was speckled with the green. I pulled my jean jacket closer to myself, warding off the wind chill. I took a few deep breaths, inhaling the crisp air as I tried to steel my nerves. It had been so long, and I wouldn't lie, I was a little ashamed of myself. It wasn't like I was crawling back on my hands and knees, begging for forgiveness, but I still felt odd returning here.

But he needs me now, I can't just leave him by himself. I should have been here sooner, I should have been there for him when he really needed me, not just cleaning up the aftermath. I just couldn't take it anymore. It was hard, leaving, but I needed some space; Sam did it too and he never felt guilty about it. I left to get an education, what was wrong with that? He would understand, right? He never wanted the hunter life for me, or anyone for that matter, but I still felt like I betrayed him in the worst way possible.

God, at this rate I'll never get over there.

I took another deep breath, forcing my legs to move into the lot. Dead plants and huge weeds popped up from under old and rusty cars. Gravel crunched under foot and a few pieces of garbage rolled across the driveway. It was quiet, as usual, but it was still a bit unsettling. I remembered years ago when this place was clean and lively, when my mother would chase me around the broken down cars and my father would laugh as he fixed one of them up. Ever since the incident though, things around here turned much more somber.

After my mother was possessed I spent a lot more time indoors, in rooms that were closed off from the rest of the world. When it came time for me to start my education, I was homeschooled. No need to take the chance that something would happen to me while I was outside of the house. You could say I was sheltered, very sheltered. The only people near my age I ever spent time with was Sam, Dean, and Jo. Sam and Dean weren't around often, but even when they were neither of them would give me the time of day. They always thought they were so cool, that I was too little to play with. Sam is only a year and a half older than me, but I guess that year and a half really mattered to a seven year old.

Jo was different though, she was a little younger than me but we got along just fine. Whenever Ellen was here, Jo and I were inseparable. I hadn't seen here in a while, at least not since before I left. We kept in touch though, through thick and thin, and sent letters back in forth along with text messages' keeping up with each other. I remember when she told me about her first hunt, when she met Dean and fell head over heels for the jerk. I still haven't let her live that one down, and I swore I would get them two together.

Well, I would have.

And that brought me back to the reason why I was here in the first place. Dean is in Hell, and Bobby practically lost his son. Not that I was jealous or anything, I love Sam and Dean as my brothers. I can't believe they never called on me though, for backup or for moral support; I was never even told that John went missing. They were practically family, and they never even called on me in such a tough time. Maybe I should have never left, then I could have helped, and maybe Dean wouldn't be damned.

I felt sad that he was gone, but I won't lie, I also felt disconnected, like it wasn't true. When I heard, I decided that it was time to come home, to be there for Bobby and to realize that my life before was just a trick of the lighting. It was so peaceful, and nothing ever went wrong, but I never stopped looking over my shoulder and I knew that white picket fences and golden retrievers were not the life for me.

Besides, I am more of a cat person anyway.

I was roused from my thoughts when I realized where I was. I found myself at the off-white and dingy front door. I couldn't remember going up the creaky steps or even getting close to the old house. I was here now though, and I hesitated for a moment before I knocked on the door. At first there wasn't any noise from inside the house, so I knocked again. I listened hard, turning around to make sure that at least one working vehicle was in front of the house. A blue pick-up truck and an old and mismatched camaro sat in front of the house. I hoped that meant he was home, but I was also a bit relieved he didn't answer. I knocked again, a bit louder this time, and eventually heard something on the other side of the door. It sounded like grumbling, a few curses could be made out, and heavy footsteps neared. I held my breath, and as the door opened I smiled like a little girl who knew she was in trouble. As soon as I saw his gruff and round face and usual baseball cap, my smile turned a bit more sincere.

"Hi Daddy."

It was strange, standing there in silence as Bobby stared at me. The way he was scrutinizing me you would think I was an alien. Or a demon, the depressing side of my head added in. I knew I haven't been home in a long while, but was my arrival really that surprising? Its not like I never called or anything, I even sent cards and photos for the holidays! I knew that it wasn't good enough, but at least I didn't cut all ties. I didn't leave because I don't love him, as lame as it sounds, I just needed to get away for a while.

I didn't notice him reach for something behind him until he dumped it on my head. I blinked in surprise then shivered, holy water is cold.

"Is silver next, or salt?"

He paused, as if still not believing I was standing right in front of him. "I'll be damned," he muttered, and I was pulled into a tight hug. I wrapped my arms around him, sighing in relief that I was welcomed home with open arms. After the holy water, of course. He pulled away and held me at arms length, looking me up and down. Once he was finished he looked me in the eyes, confusion written all over him. "Why?"

"What? I can't just drop by and say hey?" I asked, stalling the inevitable. I wasn't sure if he was wondering why I was there or why I left. He never asked, and I never knew if he just didn't want to know the answer or if he already did.

"Never have before, don't know why you'd start now."

I laughed, I couldn't help it. I still felt like I was in for a world of trouble, but I was happy that he wasn't showing anger yet. "Alright, alright. Let's just get this check-up over with."

I pushed passed him and walked in, absorbing the familiar surroundings of the entry hall. The area hadn't changed a bit, well, except for being dirtier than I remember. There were books lying everywhere, and I swore I saw a rodent scurry behind a stack of them. I held in a sound of disgust, wondering how it got this bad in the short while I was away.

I walked into the kitchen, plopping down on one of the rickety wooden chairs and took my jacket off. I rolled up my sleeves, exposing my pale arm. "Let's do this quickly, I hate this part."

He tossed me a small blade, and I deftly caught it. I cut myself lightly on my biceps, hissing in pain as it cut through my skin. There was no sizzle or puff of smoke that revealed me to be anything more or less than human. A small line of blood dribbled from the cut but I ignored it and pulled my sleeve back down. Next I reached to the center of the table and pulled the salt shaker to me. The cap made a sharp squeak of protest as I opened it and I dumped a little of it on my hand. Again, nothing out of the ordinary happened, just as I knew it would-or wouldn't. I dumped the salt back into its container and put it back where I found it, dreading looking back at Bobby. I kept my gaze on the walls, the floor, the massive amounts of clutter everywhere, basically anywhere but his indubitably upset face.

I wasn't sure if he'd be angry or disappointed or even sad, I had no idea what to expect. I twiddled my thumbs, leaning back in the old wooden chair with faux ease of mind. He pulled out the chair across from me and sat down, crossing his arms over his chest and stared at me. This new angle made it hard to avoid his gaze, but the second button down on his flannel shirt was surprisingly interesting. The mix of browns and reds blended together like marble really pulled out the colors already present in the box patterns of the fabric. If you looked really closely you could even see that it was chipped a bit, knowing him it was probably in some fight against a supernatural foe and he never even noticed. The twine used to secure it to his shirt was black, which wasn't odd, seeing as the dark color was hardly noticed in the stitching and faded into the shirt fairly well. In fact, if it was any other-

"Ya just gonna sit there and stare all day, or are ya gonna say somethin'?" Bobby asked, breaking me from my thoughts. I shifted in my seat and raised my eye to his. There was no anger or disappointment, but there was a little sadness in his blue eyes. It hurt me to see it there, but I didn't know if I was totally to blame for its presence.

"Uh, I really like what you've done with the place?" I meant it as a joke to break the ice, but it came out as more of a question. My voice sounded weak to me, and I thought it made me look like an unsure little girl about to be punished.

Bobby snorted and rolled his eyes. "Everything is in place, I know how to find it all."

"Oh."

We lapsed into silence again, and I didn't know how to break it. Usually I didn't mind not speaking, but I felt like there was so much I wanted to tell him, about the people I met and the things I did, but I also wanted to ask about Sam and Dean. I looked back at the bookshelves in the living room. I could see all the different books on lore and mythology. That could be a safe subject.

I cleared my throat and looked back at Bobby. He looked like he was waiting, as if he was expecting something. I almost lost my nerve but I couldn't back down now. "I got a bachelors degree."

He raised an eyebrow. "In what?"

"Divinity."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, and I took several language classes including latin, ancient greek, and even a few more common ones like japanese."

"Did vos aliquid addiscere?"

I smiled before I responded, "Quidem, did you ever doubt me?"

"Never," he smiled. Relief flooded my system, maybe he wasn't that upset. He unfolded his arms and laid them out on the table. "Now, when you gonna make us some chow?"

Did vos aliquid addiscere?-Did you learn anything?

Quidem-Indeed

Still a trial basis! I want to keep writing this, but I get distracted SOOOO easily... I always wanna start a new story with my good ideas, then I never update anything... But! My new years resolution is to complete every story I have on here within the year! Good luck to me... I'll need it.