Another chapter as promised! I hope everyone has survived the holiday weekend and got some relaxing in :) I didn't really, but that's okay. Hope you all continue to enjoy this story!
This chapter was written by: AnastaziaDanielle
Chapter Nine
Sam was emotionally and physically exhausted by the time they returned to Karen's house. He dreaded the conversation they would be having with Addy tonight. He didn't have the faintest idea of how to approach the subject of her father with the child.
"Uncle Dean! Uncle Sammy!" Addy's anxious face appeared at Karen's side when the woman opened the door. She darted out, ran down the walk, and threw herself into Sam's arms. He swung her up and kissed her cheek. "Have you had fun with Sarah?" he asked.
Addy nodded, but reached for Dean. "I missed you. I wanted you to come back."
Dean took her from Sam and settled her on his hip. "Remember that I told you Uncle Sammy and I would be back to take you to the motel?" he asked.
Addy nodded and then buried her face in his shoulder.
"She was very worried," Karen informed them softly. "She wasn't really in the mood to play, so Sarah put in a movie for them to watch. Addy sat on the couch and looked for you out of the window."
Dean hugged the child close and ran a tender hand over her hair. "It's going to take time," he murmured.
"So, how did things go?" Karen asked, her eyes moving from Dean to Sam.
"I think they went okay," Sam admitted. "He didn't know about her." He nodded toward his niece. "We have a meeting scheduled for tomorrow."
"I wanna go back to the motel," Addy whimpered tiredly against Dean's neck.
"Okay, kiddo," he assured her.
"Will you sit in the back with me?" she asked him with a sniffle.
"Sure, Ads; we'll let Uncle Sammy drive." Dean handed his brother the keys and turned toward the door.
"We'll talk to you tomorrow afternoon, Karen," Sam promised her. "Thank you so much for everything." He gave his sister's friend a quick hug.
"Thank you, Karen," Dean echoed he clasped Karen's hand in his own.
"You just take care of Mel's little girl, and I'll talk to you tomorrow."
They left Karen's house and got settled in the car. The drive back to the motel was quiet. Addy curled against Dean in the backseat. He absently stroked her blonde hair, and she dozed off against him.
Dean carried her inside once Sam parked the car in front of their room. She woke when he settled her on the bed. "Where's my doll?" she mumbled.
Sam handed it to her and she cuddled it close, her fingers absently twirling in the doll's blonde hair.
Dean settled on the bed against the headboard and turned on the television. Addy stayed next to him for a while before she got up and began to play with her doll in the floor.
Sam caught his brother's gaze, but neither of them really knew how to start a conversation about Aidan Richards with the child.
Addy herself provided the opening. "Uncle Dean, will you read me a story?" Addy asked as she clambered up onto the bed beside her uncle.
Dean leaned back against the headboard and put the magazine he was flipping through to the side. "I'll read it in a bit, but first Uncle Sammy and I have something we want to talk to you about."
Addy crawled into his lap and curled against him so that she could look up into his face.
Dean tightened his arms around her and felt the bed dip as Sam sat down beside him. He pressed a kiss to Addy's forehead before he continued. "Tomorrow we are going to take you to meet someone."
"Who?" Addy asked curiously. "Is it someone for me to play with?"
Sam smiled at her and tickled her tummy. "No, princess, it's someone very special."
Addy giggled and squirmed in Dean's lap making the eldest Winchester brother wince. "Who is it?" she asked.
"Well," Dean hesitated briefly as his eyes flicked up to his brother's before they returned to Addy, "We are taking you to meet your daddy."
Addy's eyes widened and she looked back and forth between Sam and Dean as if she wasn't sure they were telling her the truth. A frown tugged at her lips and her brow furrowed. "But Mommy said I didn't have a daddy," she said softly as her fingers moved to clutch Dean's t-shirt. All of the uncertainty of the past few weeks came flooding back to her and she began to tremble.
Dean was ready to tell Sam to call Richards and cancel the meeting at the park, but he knew Sam would refuse. He pulled Addy into a tight hug and waited until she stopped shaking. His hand rubbed her back in soothing circles. Dean pulled back in alarm when he suddenly felt her entire body stiffen. "Addy, what's wrong, kiddo?"
Sam reached out to brush the blonde hair back from Addy's face when he heard the alarm in his brother's voice. "Addy?" he questioned.
Huge tears welled in the child's eyes. "Are you gonna make me go away with him? Don't you want me anymore?"
"Addy," Dean choked out past the lump that formed in his throat, "Uncle Sammy and I will always want you and love you, but your daddy wants to meet you." He thumbed her tears from her cheeks and reluctantly let Sam take the child from his arms.
Sam held Addy close and buried his face in her blonde tresses when she wrapped her small arms tightly around his neck. He finally pulled back and managed a smile for the frightened little girl. "Uncle Dean is right, Addy. We love you so very much, and we are happy you are here with us. We are just going to meet your daddy at the park. Maybe he will push you on the swing."
"Don't wanna meet him," Addy pouted sullenly as her fingers twisted at the buttons on Sam's shirt. She began to sob, her small shoulders heaving. "I don't wanna go live with someone else. I like being with you." Days of being passed around amongst strangers had left their mark on the young child.
"Addy, you aren't going to live with him tomorrow." Sam felt tears prick at his eyes and reached up with one hand to wipe them away before Addy noticed. He was startled when Dean reached over and plucked Addy out of his lap.
"Ads, we aren't going to send you away to live with any strangers," he told her firmly as he held her chin so that he could look into her face. "Uncle Sammy and I are going to be with you tomorrow when you meet your daddy. He is very excited to see you."
"But I'm coming back to the motel with you?" she whimpered.
"I promise," Dean told her.
She flung her arms around him and held on tight as sobs shook her small body. Dean held her for a long time until the sobs turned into hiccups and sniffles. Finally, her body relaxed against him and she fell into an exhausted slumber. Instead of putting her down, Dean leaned back against the headboard once more and situated Addy against him. He leaned his cheek against her golden hair and vowed silently to himself that Aidan Richards would never hurt this child.
Sam grabbed a blanket off of his bed and draped it over Addy. "She looked cold," he murmured, his eyes full of worry.
"He's not going to hurt her, Sam," Dean informed his brother.
"We won't let him," Sam assured him.
Dean dozed off with Addy in his arms only to be awakened in the middle of the night by her screaming and rolling out of his arms onto the empty side of the bed. Dean blinked owlishly when Sam turned on the light and reached for the terrified little girl. "Addy, Addy, you're okay; come here, kiddo."
Addy's small fists pummeled against Dean's chest. "Don't take me away! I want to stay with Uncle Dean. No, no! Uncle Sammy, don't let my daddy take me away!"
"Addy!" Dean shook her gently and the child's eyes popped open. She began to sob hysterically as she looked wildly around the motel room to orient herself.
Dean held her tightly against his chest. He smoothed her hair and rocked back and forth until her tears slowed.
Sam went into the bathroom and returned with a cool washcloth. He sat next to Dean and gently wiped Addy's face. She hiccupped and sniffled before she reached for him. Sam tossed the cloth onto the bedside table and cuddled Addy close. "You're worried about tomorrow, huh, princess?" he asked quietly.
She nodded against him. "I'm afraid he will make me go away. I don't want to go away. I want to stay with you and Uncle Dean."
"Addy," Sam told her solemnly, "I promise you that you will be coming back here with me and Uncle Dean tomorrow."
"Will you stay with me when I see my daddy?" she whimpered.
"You bet, kiddo," Dean promised at the same time as Sam said, "Yes, princess."
Addy settled back against Sam. "Do I havta go back to sleep now? I don't wanna have another bad dream."
"Let's watch some TV," Dean suggested as he reached for the remote. They settled for watching old cartoon reruns while Addy dozed off and on against Sam.
None of them felt rested when the alarm went off the next morning. Addy was fitful and her uncles were both bleary-eyed and grumpy.
Dean caught Addy looking at him with huge eyes when he snapped viciously at Sam over something simple, so he decided he needed a few minutes to himself. "I'm going to make sure we have the room for one more night and then pick up some breakfast," he grumbled to his brother and shrugged into his coat before he hurried out of the door.
Dean found himself walking in circles around the sprawling motel to get out his frustration. His mind wandered to places he didn't want it to go. What if Richards hired a lawyer and got custody of Addy? What if Addy met the man and instantly hated him? Dean's stomach twisted and he felt bile rise in the back of his throat. He spat into the grass and quickened his pace. All he wanted to do was hold Addy in his arms before they had to take her to meet Richards.
When he returned to their room a bit later with a box of donuts and two cups of coffee, Addy's small face was scrunched against the dirty window. She waved wildly at him as he approached and used the key to get into the room. As soon as the door was open, she attached herself to his leg.
"She was worried about you," Sam pointed out. "I think we may be dealing with some separation anxiety."
Dean nodded and swung his niece up into his arms once he'd placed the food on the table. "Let's brush your hair, Ads. Do you want one ponytail or two?" He was getting slightly better at doing hair although it was still a bit lopsided.
Addy held up one finger and buried her face against his neck.
"One it is!" Dean replied, trying to sound cheerful for the frightened little girl. He settled her before him on the bed and ran the brush through her silky blonde hair before fashioning a ponytail.
"You're getting better at that," Sam smirked. "It's not quite as crooked this time, just a little to the left."
"Bite me," Dean growled at his brother.
Addy looked at him worriedly before her hands reached up to feel her hair.
Sam saw the look on her face and immediately felt badly for joking. "You look fine, princess. I was just teasing Uncle Dean. Let's go look in the mirror." He settled her on his hip and the frown on her face faded once she looked into the mirror and saw that her hair did not actually look too bad.
Addy refused to leave Sam's lap as they ate their donuts. She didn't eat much, only broke her donut into small pieces on her napkin.
"You ready?" Dean finally asked Sam reluctantly with a glance at the motel room's digital clock.
Sam stood with Addy in his arms, nodded, and blew out a nervous breath. "Addy, do you want to take your doll?"
Instead of answering, she wrapped her arms around his neck and hid her face against his shoulder. Sam shared a glance with his brother. "Uncle Dean will get her for you."
Dean picked up the doll and then grabbed the keys. "Let's go to the park. We'll grab some lunch afterwards."
"Uncle Sammy, will you sit with me?" Addy asked hopefully as her fingers threaded nervously through his longish brown hair.
"You betcha, princess," he assured her with a tickle to her tummy. Instead of giggling, she just burrowed into him with a shivery sigh.
They were all quiet on the drive to the park. Addy sat nestled beneath Sam's arm, her little body tense and trembling.
Dean parked the Impala and glanced over his shoulder into the back seat. His eyes met those of his brother and they made an unspoken agreement. If Aidan Richards so much as even blinked wrong at Addy, his backside was toast.
"Come on, kiddo." Dean forced a smile for Addy's benefit even though his stomach was churning. "Let's go see your daddy."
Dean looked out across the small park and realized that Richards had beaten them there. He was sitting on the park's lone bench huddled in a black leather jacket. A bag sat on the bench beside him. Dean allowed his eyes to scan the park looking for any sign of the vamp. For right now, all seemed safe.
Sam exited the car and helped Addy out before taking her small hand in his much larger one. "It's going to be fine," he spoke softly. "Remember, you are going back to the motel with me and Uncle Dean, so there's no need to worry."
Addy craned her neck back to look up at him and nodded. Her eyes were wide with fright and she clutched her doll in her arms like a lifeline.
"Come on," Dean murmured as he flanked Addy on her other side.
Aidan Richards stood as they approached and his eyes focused on the small child walking between the Winchester brothers, her hand clutched tightly in Sam's.
"Richards," Dean greeted with a nod, trying hard to hide his distrust of the man before him for Addy's sake.
Aidan didn't answer. His eyes were locked on the blonde little girl with his nose and Melissa's eyes. "Hi, Addy," he greeted nervously. "I'm your dad." The longing look Aidan gave her told Sam that the man was instantly besotted with his daughter.
Addy pressed against Sam's long legs and looked down at the ground.
Sam knelt next to her and tugged her into a one-armed hug. "Addy, when someone speaks to you it's polite to say hello in return," he prompted gently.
"Hi," the child whispered, still not lifting her eyes.
"Give her some time," Sam told Richards quietly. "She's really nervous."
Aidan nodded and plucked his bag from the bench before bending down in front of his daughter and Sam. "I got you something, Addy. I hope you like it," he told her hopefully. He reached into the plastic bag from the superstore and pulled out a brown-haired doll in a violet-colored dress. "Looks like your doll under your arm there can have a new friend."
Addy held her doll from Sam and Dean more tightly against her chest.
"What do you say, Addy?" Sam prompted.
"Thank you," the child whispered almost begrudgingly. Aidan tried to mask his disappointment at the child's reaction.
Dean could stand it no longer. He sat down on bench and tugged Addy into the safety of his lap. She leaned stiffly back against him, stress evident in her posture.
Sam stood and shoved his hands in his pockets as he studied Richards. The guy was going to have to figure out how to win Addy over, and he knew it wasn't going to be easy. He almost felt sorry for him.
"Here," Aidan told his daughter as he sat on the bench beside Dean and handed her the doll.
Addy took it reluctantly and gazed down at it as if waiting for it to bite her.
"So, what are you going to name her?" Aidan asked a bit nervously as he rubbed his sweaty palms back and forth on his jeans.
Addy thought for a moment and fingered the doll's brown hair. Sam and Dean waited to see what she would come up with, maybe Karen or Sarah perhaps.
"Sammy," the child murmured, gazing up at Richards with an almost defiant gaze.
"But…but….he's your Uncle Sammy. You're naming your doll after a boy." The man looked startled and a bit flummoxed.
Dean snorted a laugh. "I always knew you were a Samantha," he sniggered at his brother.
Sam groaned inwardly. Dean would never let him live this down.
"She has brown hair like Uncle Sammy," Addy stated with a hint of the Winchester fire in her voice as if she sensed Aidan was unhappy with her.
"Then Sammy it is," the man backpedaled.
This meeting was going downhill quickly. "Here, let me hold your dolls while you go swing." Sam plucked the Melissa and Sammy dolls from his niece's lap and nodded at Dean to take the little girl to the swings.
Dean did so reluctantly and Aidan followed, seeming uncertain. Addy drug her feet in the sand although she allowed her uncle to help her into the swing's blue seat.
"Why don't you push her, Aidan?" Sam encouraged, ignoring Dean's scowl.
"Me?" the nervous father looked a bit startled. "What if she falls off?"
"She knows how to hold on," Sam told him calmly. "Just don't go too high."
Anxiously, the man stepped behind the swing and gave Addy a tiny push. The small girl held herself rigid in the seat. Aidan pushed her a little bit harder until her blonde hair was blowing behind her. Addy never smiled, but she did eventually relax a bit.
"Um, what else does she like to do?" Aidan finally gathered up the courage to ask Sam as Dean was currently frowning at him with quite the threatening look.
"Ask her," Sam encouraged. "She will eventually warm up to you." He had to admit that Aidan didn't seem that bad; he just wasn't quite sure what to do with his daughter. Sam himself realized he had been like that at first with the child, but with Dean it had been different. Dean took to her immediately, and Sam understood it was probably because of all of the experience he'd had helping their father to raise him many years ago. The protective set to Dean's shoulders was not unlike it used to be when Sam was a boy being bullied on the playground after school.
"Can Uncle Dean push me now?" Addy asked hopefully.
Aidan nodded and backed off so that Dean could take over.
"Higher, Uncle Dean!" the child called out happily as a smile bloomed on her face.
Aidan tried to ignore the pain that blossomed in his chest. His own child was terrified of him; he was a complete stranger to her. Despite his best efforts, anger at Melissa formed a solid knot in his gut. She'd kept his child from him, his precious little girl with his nose and her mother's blonde hair. "I wish Mel had told me about her," he sighed. "I've missed so much."
"So have we," Sam told him. "I keep looking at her and wondering what traits she gets from Melissa. The only way Dean and I will get to know our sister is through her."
"She has her mom's laugh," Aidan admitted softly as the little girl shrieked with laughter when Dean grabbed the chains to stop the swing. "And the way she brushes her hair back from her face with her hand, Mel did that all the time." His voice was laced with pain.
"And her smile?" Sam asked in a choked voice.
"All Mel," Aidan answered quietly.
Dean approached with Addy on his hip, and Sam could tell that his brother seemed on edge. "I think it's time we get Addy some lunch," he said with a meaningful glance at his brother.
Sam glanced around nervously, realizing that something had put Dean on edge. "I'm sure she's starving." He looked at Aidan. Maybe we can meet for lunch tomorrow so you can see Addy again."
The man nodded eagerly. "I'd like that. Maybe Addy can tell me more about what she likes to do."
Addy stared at her father from her perch on Dean's hip, but her face showed no hint of pleasure at his words.
"Remember, it's going to take time," Sam informed the man kindly.
"We need to go," Dean said a bit insistently. He carried Addy toward the car. "Bye, Richards."
Sam followed his brother. "See you at noon tomorrow? Maybe at the diner down the street from the funeral home?"
"Sounds good," Aidan answered before he waved in Addy's direction and strode to the SUV parked across the lot.
Sam climbed into the passenger seat of the Impala and glanced into the backseat at Addy. She had her Melissa doll cuddled in her lap, but the Sammy doll lay discarded on the seat beside her. "What was the hurry back there?" he asked his brother quietly.
"I thought I saw something in the trees," Dean told him. "I didn't want to take any chances. We haven't seen it in a few days."
Sam understood his brother's words. The vamp had been watching them. A shiver trailed down his spine as her turned once more to look at the precious little girl in the backseat.