"Are you sure you don't wanna go to Stacy's?" Dean asked his daughter when they walked through the front door and inside the house. After they had gotten rid of Sherry and her daughter, they had lunch at a diner before going home. They weren't in a hurry; it was Friday and his little girl would finally stay with him over the weekend again.
"Yeah." Deanna mumbled and flopped down onto the couch in the living room.
"Why?" Her father asked again.
"Because she's stupid." Deanna replied and Dean frowned, not having expected that answer. "Well..." He eventually said and sat down next to her. "If your mom were here she would tell you not to call someone stupid. But she's not and I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."
Dean knew his daughter would never insult someone or call them names without a reason. He and Margo were so damn lucky. She was such a good kid, even too good sometimes.
"I thought Stacy was your best friend." He said and his heart broke when Deanna shook her head sadly.
"No. I don't like her anymore." She whispered and quickly glanced at her father to see his reaction.
"Wanna tell me what's going on?" Dean asked softly, wondering what the hell it was that could possibly have happened between two six-year-olds.
"No." She said quietly and hesitantly met his eye. She looked at him intently for a few seconds as if trying to read his mind before looking away.
Dean scratched his head, wishing he could somehow get the truth out of her. But if she didn't want to, he wasn't going to force her to talk. He, too, hated it to be pressured. Maybe this was about some girl thing and Deanna needed her mother. When Margo got home she could talk to her.
He wrapped an arm around Deanna's tiny frame and kissed her head."You can always talk to me, you know that, right?" He said, needing her to know that he was there for her. Maybe this was some stupid childish fight, but maybe this was really serious.
Dean smiled when she nodded her head and hugged him back. "I know, daddy. I love you."
"I love you, too, apple pie." He pulled her even closer to him and closed his eyes as he relished the few seconds of having his daughter in his arms before she wriggled out of his hold and jumped off the couch.
"When is mommy going to be home?" Deanna asked, all sadness suddenly gone replaced by a heartwarming smile.
"I'm not sure. Mommy's got a lot of work today, it'll probably be late." Dean replied, getting up. "I'll make dinner tonight."
"Okay." Deanna looked up at him with a very serious expression on her face. "But daddy...don't order pizza again, you know it's not healthy and mommy will be mad at you." She instructed her father, knowing what kind of food he prefered. She had often overheard her mom telling her dad to start eating healthier and since she wasn't here at the moment, Deanna knew it was her job to look after her dad.
Dean chuckled and ruffled her hair. "I won't, promise."
With the energy that only six year olds have, Deanna grabbed her backpack that she had dropped onto the floor by the couch earlier and rushed out of the living room and sped up the stairs to her room before Dean could even blink with an eye.
"Where are you going? Deanna...?" He called after her, surprised that their talk had ended so abruptly. When he didn't get a response, he laughed and shook his head, making his way to the kitchen. His daughter was a whirlwind, a bundle of energy and he barely had the power to keep up with her, so he decided not to run after her.
He couldn't remember the last time he had made anything that didn't require more than just a microwave, so it took him a few minutes to find his pots and pans in the depths of the barely used cupboard. He put a pot filled with water on the stove and waited for it to boil before he added the spaghetti. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, thinking about Deanna's words. His daughter was right, he really needed more veggies in his life and with an annoyed groan he started to make a salad.
Deanna came flying into the kitchen with her coloring book and a bunch of pencils, dumping it all on the kitchen table. She grinned at Dean and he smiled back at her, watching her move to sit at the table. Instinctively Dean took a step forward, wanting to help her move the heavy chair, but forced himself to stop because he knew she didn't really need his help. Deanna managed to pull the chair out herself easily and take a seat at the table. Dean leaned against the counter, lost in thought as his daughter opened her book and started coloring.
His baby wasn't really a baby anymore. She was only six years old, but growing up so fast and didn't need his help with a lot of things anymore. He remembered the day they brought her home from the hospital and how tiny she looked sleeping in her crib. All he had wanted to do was to protect her. For the first few weeks of her life he used to be so scared every minute of every day, fearing something could happen to his little girl.
The thought made him sad and he shook his head to ban it from his mind. He didn't know what was going on with him, but suddenly he found himself wanting to relive those moments again. Even though it had been a very stressful and frightening time, he had never been happier. He wished he could experience the joy of having a baby again.
Dean froze in shock at his train of thoughts. He wanted another child. Was he out of his mind?
He swallowed hard and ran a hand down his face, turning back to the stove to stir the cooking spaghetti. Come to think of it, the thought wasn't that ridiculous. He had a little brother and he was more than grateful for that. He didn't want Deanna to grow up as an only child, he wanted her to have siblings. And she was already six, so he and Margo really needed to have a talk soon...
"Hold your horses, Winchester." He mumbled under his breath as his own thoughts started to scare him. This would never happen; he had to accept that and quit daydreaming. After all, they needed to solve their issues first before thinking about procreating. What if Margo wouldn't want to have children with him?
Dean sighed and fished his phone from his jeans' pocket. He had tried to call Margo earlier, but only reached the voicemail.
"Crap!" He cursed quietly when he took a look at the display and saw that he had a missed call from her.
"What's wrong?" Deanna looked up at him curiously.
"Nothing's wrong, princess. I missed a call from mommy." Dean said and pressed the button to listen to the message she had left, which he took as a bad sign.
Hey, it's me. Missed you again.
But I know you're busy with Deanna, she's a handful.
Anyways, I just called to let you know that I'm working late and don't know when I'll be home, but I'm afraid I won't make it to dinner.
Please, don't be mad. Tell our daughter I love her and...uh, don't wait up.
Okay, that's it...I think, so...bye!
Dean couldn't help but chuckle at the awkward message; she sounded so nervous and uncomfortable. He couldn't wait for her to come home, so he could make her even more nervous. He grinned devilishly at the thought. Even though he really wanted to be pissed at her for missing out on dinner since she always bitched and critizied him whenever he had to work late, he couldn't. He could tell she was feeling guilty and didn't intend on making her feel worse. And strangely, he found himself missing her.
He walked over to Deanna and sat down at the table next to her. "That was mommy."
"She can't come home?" Deanna asked and when Dean said no she hung her head, pouting. "I hate it when you and mommy have to work so long."
"We hate it, too. But mommy's very sorry and she told me to tell you she loves you very much." Dean said and dialed Margo's number, hoping to get through this time. But again no luck. "Hey, you know what, let's leave her a message, okay?"
"Okay!" Deanna's face lit up and Dean scooted a little closer to her, putting his phone on the table in front of them.
"Hi mommy, it's me and daddy." She said cheerfully, but then looked at Dean when she didn't know what else to say. Dean smiled and took over. "We just wanted you to know that we're fine. But we miss you and we promise to behave and go to bed early, right?" He added, glancing at Deanna and she rolled her eyes at the statement. "Promise. We love you, mommy."
Dean hung up and put the phone back in his pocket.
"Can I stay up until mommy gets home?" Deanna suddenly asked and he hesitated for a second before nodding. So what, it was Friday after all and she could stay up a little longer, Dean thought.
He got up and walked over to the counter to finish making dinner.
Margo returned way after dinner, when Dean was tucking their daughter in and reading a bedtime story to her.
She opened the front door to Dean's house with the key he had given her and made her way through the darkness and up the stairs, wondering whether they were both already asleep. As she walked down the hallway, she spotted the faint light that was seeping through the crack of the half-open door to Deanna's room and she smiled when she heard Dean's rough voice as he read the story. She remained in the hallway for a few minutes and closed her eyes, listening to Dean doing all the voices and Deanna's happy giggling in response.
"Look who's finally home." Dean said with a smile when she eventually stepped into the room. Deanna looked up from the pictures in the book and smiled brightly when she saw her mother. Margo hurried over to her and sat down on the bed next to her, hugging her tightly and kissing her head.
"Hey baby." She said softly and breathed in her daughter's familiar scent, sighing contentedly.
"Everything alright?" Dean asked and she looked over at him. As soon as they made eye contact and he saw her face more clearly in the dim light his eyes widened a little in surprise. "God, you look awful, sweetheart."
"Thanks." She shot him a dirty look and Dean realized what he had just said."Sorry, I didn't mean...you look tired is all I'm saying."
He leaned up, wanting to kiss her, but hesitated for a moment. Deanna was there with them, so instead of placing a kiss to her mouth he settled for brushing her cheek quickly with his lips. Margo was a little disappointed; after the long exhausting day she could really use a few breathtaking kisses, but she understood. If he had kissed her in front of their daughter, Deanna would have bombarded them with questions that neither of them was ready to answer. So far, they had successfully avoided kissing in front of her and they wanted to keep it that way to not confuse their daughter.
But this didn't change the fact that she wished she could cuddle up to him right now and let him hold her for a little while. Instead, she moved to lean against the headboard and smiled."I didn't mean to interrupt the story, daddy. Go on."
Dean grinned and resumed reading the story aloud when Deanna had settled back in the pillows, both parents on either side of her. Margo started to run her fingers gently through her soft hair and soon her eyes fluttered close and she drifted off to sleep. Dean continued reading though, to make sure that she was really asleep and soon his voice rocked Margo to sleep as well.
He put the book on the nightstand and chuckled softly, realizing both his girls were out cold. He quietly got up and walked over to the other side of the bed, leaning over Margo and gently trying to wake her. She let out a sigh and mumbled something incoherent, but didn't wake up. Dean knew it was no use, so he gently picked her up and carried her out of Deanna's room, trying not to make too much noise. As soon as they were in the hall, Margo stirred and opened her eyes, looking up at Dean in confusion.
"Hey there, sleepyhead." He stopped walking and smirked down at her.
Margo licked her dry lips as her head slowly cleared and she could think again."I fell asleep." She stated, registering that she was in Dean's arms and blushing terribly. Dean chuckled and put her down, fearing she might start protesting about him carrying her all the way downstairs. Although he liked having her in his arms and wished he could hold her just a little longer.
The minute she was not in Dean's embrace anymore, Margo felt cold and wrapped her arms around herself, trying to get warm again. She wanted to lean into him so badly and feel his body, his warmth surround her for a few more minutes. It made her a little sad that he had let go of her so quickly, but she didn't let it show and covered it up with a smile."Your voice has always that effect on me. It's been a long day and listening to you is really soothing."
Dean chuckled at her words and headed downstairs, Margo following him quietly. When they had reached the living room, he suddenly stopped halfway to the kitchen and Margo didn't even have the time to wonder what had gotten into him, because in the next moment he spun around and pulled her to him, pressing his lips to hers. Her body reacted automatically and heat washed over her at Dean's unexpected actions. Too surprised to protest, she gave in and relaxed in his arms. Letting out a sigh that might as well have been a sign of her surrender, she opened up to him willingly and wound her arms around his neck to hold him close.
Reluctantly, Dean pulled away after a few minutes and looked down at her flushed face, grinning."Hi."
"Hi." Margo whispered, taking in a deep breath as she looked up at him, baffled."What the hell was that?"
"The minute you walked into the room, I'd wanted to do this. I wanted to pull you onto the bed and kiss you until you'd ask me to stop. And I know you wanted it, too, sweetheart. I saw the way you looked at me." Dean said barely above a whisper; his voice was unbearably husky and it turned her into a helpless mess of countless emotions."Since you left this morning I couldn't stop thinking about you. You feel the same way, don't you?"
Margo closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against his, trying her best to think straight. But she couldn't find the right words to say. "What are you doing, Dean?"
"This has to stop, Margo. I can't take this shit any longer." Dean said sternly, but his touch was gentle when he cupped her face and forced her to meet his gaze. He saw the confusion written all over her face and it made him smile. He had to tell her; the tension between them was getting ridiculously painful and he needed to put an end to it.
"I still want you, you know I still want you. So much." Margo's eyes widened in astonishment and fear, but she didn't make a move to distance herself from him, which only encouraged Dean to go on. "I can't stand seeing you every day and not being able to take what's rightfully mine."
"Dean...don't, please...don't." Margo begged, knowing if he kept on talking, she wouldn't be able to fight it any longer. She swallowed hard and blinked a few tears away, but Dean was stubborn as hell and didn't listen.
"This is driving me crazy. I'm losing my freakin' mind just because I wanna fuck you so bad, baby girl." He let out a bitter laugh and Margo bit her bottom lip. She pushed his hands away and took a step back, escaping from his embrace. She needed the space to breathe. Dean's jaw tightened; he fixed his gaze on her, staring at her relentlessly as he waited for her to speak up.
"It doesn't matter what I want. We can't...we just can't." Margo's voice cracked; she could barely get the words out. Because she wanted him just as much and it hurt her to reject him. However, Dean was able to see the truth in her eyes; longing, desire and lust were evident in the depth of her gaze.
"Why? Give me one good reason. Just one." He whispered, smiling softly.
"Our daughter."
Dean's smile vanished in less than a second and his eyes turned dark, a furious expression appeared on his face. He clenched his hands into fists to prevent himself from snapping. How dare she? How could she bring their daughter up as a lame excuse?
"How does you and me sleeping together affect Deanna in any way, huh?"
"You don't get it, do you? I don't wanna give her the illusion of a happy family. Because we're not perfect. We're far from being a perfect little family."
Dean gritted his teeth, hiding his true emotions behind a smirk."You serious? I thought we were doing quite good. Deanna has both her parents, she's healthy and content. You and I, we've been fighting a lot lately, but it could be worse. And now you're telling me how miserable we all are? Really?"
Dean wasn't yelling, he seemed pretty calm. But he sounded so cold that Margo almost wished he would have raised his voice.
"I think we actually are a family, but according to you I'm wrong. Well, my bad. Thank you for clarifying though." He added, the razor sharp sarcasm cutting through the air violently.
"That's not what I meant..." Margo started weakly. "All I'm saying is...it's not that easy. We're not in college anymore and we can't fuck around like we used to."
"Sweetheart, I agree." Dean countered and stepped closer. "But us fighting and keeping our distance affects our daughter more than anything else, don't you think? She notices these kinds of things."
They glared at each other, both trying to bridle their temperament.
"We can't get involved again. Sex will destroy everything between us!" Margo spat eventually. Dean chuckled. "Look at you, you're scared. It's okay, baby."
She quickly averted her gaze, not wanting to see him gloating. He was right. She was scared. Of all the things he could do to her. She wasn't willing to take a risk.
"Stop pretending, I'm not buying any of this crap. You want me as much as I want you, we both know that."
That infuriating cocky smile of his and the glint in his eye made her realize what he was hinting at.
That fucking night in his fucking car.
"And you'd stop being such a bitch once I fucked you properly." Dean added smugly, knowing it would piss her off even more. Hell, he was beyond pissed at her; Margo's whole attitude fueled his anger even more. Every word that left her mouth only intensified the hot burning rage he felt at the moment.
"Well, this is the cue for me to leave then." Margo huffed.
"Great. There's the door." Dean replied nonchalantly, not impressed by her behaviour. She turned around and headed for the door. "You know what, you're still a jackass!"
"And you're still an obnoxious bitch!"
A/N: Thank you everyone for reading and for the continued support, I'm glad you all are still liking this story!
Unfortunately, I'm really busy at the moment and it might take me a while to update again, so please be patient.
