"Hey Dad," Alex said looking her father over.
"Alex? You're here."
"Of course I am." She grabbed his hand and held it in both her hands. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be." She gave him a small smile. "I rush over as soon as they called to say you were awake."
"Where's Dean?" He looked at her with scared eyes, as though seeing Dean was dire.
She knew exactly why he looked that way, "Dad, we need to talk about something." She looked away from him for a second. "I know that the demons that came to your house were looking for me." His eyes widened and his eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "Yes, I know demons were what attacked you."
"How do you know?" He looked more confused than ever.
"Dean told me…there was sulfur on the window ledge." She looked at him, trying to imagine his reaction at what she had to say next. "Dad…we found out why they were looking for me."
"Really…why were they looking for you?" She could tell he was trying to be calm and collected, but his eyes gave away the fear he felt.
Alex went into all the details, everything Dean had told her. When she was finished, they both sat in silence staring at each other. No words were spoken, but so much was said. Her father's look said we'll get through this together while hers said I know…it's not anyone's fault.
Alex broke the silence, by going over and turning on the radio on her father's bedside table. He looked over and smiled at her. "I didn't know hospital rooms have radios in them."
"They don't! I snuck this in." She smiled down at him. "Music has just always been so comforting." She chuckled obviously reminiscing about something.
"What?" Bobby asked.
"Remember when I was younger; every time I'd get sick and was confined to my bed, you use to move the radio to my bedside table. It used to play all day, and then at night when you would come to tuck me in, you would sing along with the radio until I fell asleep." She smiled at him and laughed a bit. "You have no idea how comforting that was, Dad."
"For both of us. It felt good to know I could make you feel better, even if just for a bit, and even though my voice isn't great."
Alex walked around the bed and sat down next to her father. She took of her shoes and lay down curled next to him, her head lightly resting on his chest. She looked up at him, tears in her eyes, "I love you Dad…you know that, right?" He nodded. "Don't ever scare me like this. I need you, okay?"
He chuckled. "You got it honey, and I love you too." He smiled down at her as he hugged his daughter closer to him.
The radio playing softly in the background, Alex began to sing along with Led Zeppelin's Bring It On Home. Soon, her father fell back into what she hoped was a peaceful sleep. She lay there in her father's arms feeling safer than she had in years. She was back home where she belonged. Smiling and thinking of the joy being with her father brought her; she too drifted into a peaceful sleep. She would worry about everything else tomorrow.
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She didn't quite know how long she'd been asleep but when she woke up Dean was sitting in the chair by the bed looking down at her and her father. She looked up to see her father was still sleeping. She shifted slowly out of his grasp, and sat up on the bed.
"How long have you been here?"
"A couple of hours. You'd think you got no sleep last night." He gave her his signature smirk.
"No I didn't." She got up and walked over to the window. "Maybe you could refresh my memory as to why?" She smiled at him before turning back to look out the window.
He chuckled at her response, then grabbed her hand and pulled her onto his lap. "Sugar, I'm sure you remember last night." He smirked at her again.
She laughed, "You can be so cheesy, Dean." Before she could continue, he was grabbing her face and kissing her. He was smiling widely at her as he pulled back.
"Umm….could you not grope my daughter in front of me please."
Alex jumped off Dean's lap at that sound of her father's voice. Dean looked as though he's just crapped his pants. Bobby sat up on the bed and looked at them sternly. Then he burst out laughing.
Alex and Dean stared at each other in confusion. Bobby laughed harder upon seeing their faces. "Oh please, as if I didn't know all along that you two had a thing for each other. I am a hunter…we're known for being observant, you know?"
Alex chuckled and went to sit next to her father. She kissed his forehead and smiled at him. "You think you're cute don't know?"
"Damn straight!" He smiled back warmly. "Well, now that we've uncovered that I'm not a complete idjit, I need to talk to Dean in private honey."
"Oh…okay. Um where's Sam?" She looked from Dean to her Dad and back to Dean.
"He's in the cafeteria with his laptop and some books doing research." His look indicated that he wasn't sure what Bobby wanted to talk about either.
"Okay, well you know where I'll be if you need me." She turns to give her father one last (warning) look before she walked out.
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Bobby and Dean watched Alex walk out of the room before they turned to each other.
"So, you gonna tell me to stay away from you daughter again. That I should know better, we Winchesters only cause trouble."
Dean let out a deep breath as he prepared himself for Bobby's resonating yes. He stared at the floor, refusing to look up. He waited for Bobby to speak, yet Bobby said nothing. They sat in silence for a while longer until Dean could feel Bobby's eyes beckoning him to look up.
When he did, he saw that Bobby's look was a mixture of anger and shame. He gave Bobby a confused look in return.
"Don't you get it boy. It doesn't matter if I want you to stay away. I…You…you two stayed away from each other for 10 years…and," he sighed, "fate brought you back together."
"Yea, I guess when you say it aloud it make sense."
"I need you to promise me something Dean. I need you to promise me that you will always watch out for her, like I've done for you and your brother. Her happiness is all I want for her; I need you to protect her."
The fear and sadness in his voice was evident. "Bobby, why are asking me this, now? For one, you should know that I have and will always protect and watch over her. Secondly, why are you talking like you won't be around much longer. You were beat up bad, yes, but you're not dying."
"I didn't say I was dying, you idijt. I just wanted to make sure someone would be looking out for my little girl, whenever I'm not around." If Bobby had been a kid, Dean was sure he would have followed with a resounding DUH!
"Oh," Dean said looking down. "That makes sense."
"So, you love her huh?" Bobby looked away from Dean as he asked the question. It seemed to Dean that Bobby didn't much want to discuss this topic yet he felt he had to.
"Um…what? Alex?" Dean too looked away, feeling somewhat embarrassed and nervous. When he didn't say anything he felt Bobby's eyes back on him. He looked up to meet Bobby's green eyes, so much like his Alex's. "You know I do Bobby."
Dean looked around uncomfortably. He chuckled, "Bobby, this is as big a chick moment as any! I feel like I'm talking to Sam."
"Boy, mind your tongue at me!"
Dean could tell that Bobby was holding back a chuckle. Both men were aware that this talking about their feelings thing was not common practice for either of them. That was more of a Sam thing.
"So," Dean began uncomfortably, "does this mean I have your blessing?" He gave Bobby his famous grin.
"Kid, your family already. This just makes it more legit." Bobby smile too. He'd always had a soft spot for Dean. The way that boy put his family before himself. He knew that Alex would hold top priority too. Hell he knew she'd be important to Sam too for sheer respect of Bobby and love of his brother.
"Thanks, Bobby. That means a lot. You know you've been like a father to me. I appreciate it more than you can imagine."
"I know kid."
Both men sat silence letting the words they spoken sink in to comfort them even if just for a moment. The silence stretch for a long time, it seemed they were both lost in their thoughts. They were interrupted by the door being opened suddenly. Sam and Alex burst in.