This takes place before and after "Don't You Forget About Me" Season 11 episode 12.

Broken Promises

Sam's daughter. The words still sounded strange to Jody, even though she had been watching over Gwen more than three months now. She hadn't known Sam when he was young, but if he had a temper anything like Gwen's in those days, she had deep sympathy for Sam's father.

Temper, tears, and laughter. Gwen switched between them as quickly as flipping a light switch. Jody had learned to be most troubled when Gwen was quiet, and Gwen had been quiet for the past three weeks. The doctors assured them that only Gwen's shoulder was injured, but Gwen's mouth had been set in a severe line ever since the Impala pulled out of the drive on Christmas day.

Jody had grown accustomed to seeing the Winchesters every week or so over the past months. Their visits had become more frequent. Three weeks after Christmas, and she hadn't seen them once.

But Gwen hadn't thrown a fit yet. Jody almost wished she would, just to get it out of the way. Something was going to break, and soon.

Jody knew the moment had come when she looked up to see Gwen standing at the doorway to her study. Her hand rested on the sling that held her injured arm tight to her chest. Her face was set, but not in pain. No, this look was deliberate, determined.

"We need to talk about hunting."

Jody raised both eyebrows. It was not the opener she had expected. "What about it?"

"Dad thinks its not safe for me." Gwen shifted her sling. "I kind of proved him right. So. I need to learn. I need to learn what I need to do to keep myself safe no matter what happens."

Jody opened her mouth, but Gwen slapped a folder down on her desk. "Just hear me out." She pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it to Jody, then took a second copy for herself. It was a list titled Why I Need to Hunt, with detailed bullet points numbered one through ten.

"I'll go off on my own and get myself into trouble." Jody read the first line, and raised her eyes to meet Gwen's. "That's exactly what we don't want to happen."

"Yes." Gwen tapped the next line, sub-point A. "Claire got arrested just last week because she was trying to hunt something in the YMCA's swimming pool that turned out to be a kid with special floatation device for his missing leg." Gwen pointed to sub-point B. "I'm stubborn enough to do it no matter what you say, and I turn eighteen soon. Better to teach me than let me get into trouble on my own, right?"

Jody drew in a deep breath, but could not argue the point. She moved down the list. "Number two, I'm a Winchester."

Gwen nodded. "Exactly. Sam is my dad. That means no matter how hard he tries to keep me away from it, even if I try to stay away from it, trouble might find me. I need to be prepared."

Jody scanned the rest of the list. "I think I'm getting the picture."

"Do I need to go on?"

Jody shook her head and set the list aside. "What do you propose? Hunting is dangerous, and right now you're injured."

Gwen pulled a different list from her folder and slid it into Jody's hands. "This is a list of martial arts studios around town. Uncle Dean showed me a few moves, but I need more. I like sports. I know how to practice to get my muscles strong, to learn train my reflexes to act without me needing to think about it. I can learn. I can even start now, with footwork and balance and stuff while my shoulder heals."

Already she had shown more awareness than Claire of what hunting would involve. Jody folded her hands in front of her. "Ok. What else?"

"I need to go on a hunt with you. Something easy. I need to learn what to look for, and not just a list of top ten tips. I need to see it and feel it. Practice."

"I didn't think you wanted to be a hunter." Claire resisted the mere mention of school, but Gwen turned in straight As and refused to let anyone interrupt her homework. She wanted to go to college.

"I don't."

"You don't want to be a hunter but you want to go on a hunt." It had to be said, just to be clear. Gwen nodded.

"Several. Yes. So that I can prove to Dad that I can handle it." So he can stop being scared of me hung unspoken between them. The girl wasn't looking for a life-change, she just wanted a visit from her father.

If she called, Jody wondered, would they come? She might try to get to Dean first, and get him to work on his brother.

"Gwen, I know you miss Sam's visits, but hunting is dangerous."

Gwen tapped her finger on point number 2. Jody sighed. She wasn't wrong. "You have to promise to obey every word I say without question."

Gwen nodded. "Yes, ma'am!"

"Ok. After the sling comes off and the doctor clears you."

"Of course! I mean, I don't want my shoulder to get more-hurt." She held out her hand across the desk. "Deal."

o0o

"How are you doing?"

It was the same question every time Dad called or texted, in that same soft tone, as if he were expecting the worst.

Gwen rolled her eyes and wriggled her shoulder. A sharp pain shot through her arm, and she winced. Right. The sling was off, but she still wasn't supposed to do too much with that arm. "I'm fine, Dad. Completely fine. In one piece and always have been. What about you?"

"Fine. Busy. There's been a lot of work lately."

His words were hasty, as if he already knew what she was going to ask next. He wasn't wrong. She had been asking ever since Christmas.

Ever since he had vanished from the hospital and refused to visit again.

"Busy, huh?"

"Yeah." His response was not convincing.

"Well I've been busy, too."

Busy healing. Busy thinking.

"Yeah? What have you been up to?" Dad's voice sounded relieved. Finally, a safe topic of conversation.

Ha!

Gwen sucked in a deep breath. "I'm going on a hunt with Jody."

"What?" Panic wasn't the right word for the tone in his voice, but it was close.

"A hunt. You know, what you do."

"I know. I heard. But-why?" His tone was bewildered.

Why? "When are you going to come visit again?"

"Visit?" She had him trapped now, and he knew it. "I'm not sure that's a good idea, Gwen-" I broke you last time. As if she was a china plate instead of a person. As if he had hit her on purpose, instead of an accident that was halfway her fault anyway.

Her part she could fix. By learning to hunt.

"It was an accident, Dad! And it only happened because I didn't know what to do. That's why I'm going with Jody." She could feel the conversation slipping the wrong way, and reached for the list she had given Jody. It was all easier to see when it was laid out in black and white.

"Gwen, you can't hunt."

"You said I have a choice. You said you won't tell me how to live my life."

There was a moment of silence. "Yes, yes I did."

"Did you mean it?" She thought he had.

"I just don't want to see you hurt again. I can't take that." His tone was choked, his voice cracking.

"I don't want to lose another parent. I can't take that." Gwen bit out the words, and there were tears on her cheeks. "I miss you."

Dad's tone was soft again. "Gwen-I-Look, we are in the middle of a case right now, but we will visit soon. I promise."

Promise.

"Ok."

"We'll talk about hunting then."

At least we'll talk. Gwen frowned at the phone. It didn't matter what Dad said. She was pretty sure she had Jody convinced. And if Jody changed her mind, it still didn't matter. Gwen didn't like things she couldn't understand.

Hunting had shaped her life, even if she hadn't know it until recently. Hunting had brought her parents together. Hunting had taken her dad away again.

Starting over once again, this is where it all begins, it's right in front of me. Down is not where I belong, This aching heart won't turn to stone. There's a fire inside these bones, it was meant to be. The soundtrack in her head was determined. Time to mix a playlist for this fight.

She wouldn't let hunting steal him a second time She was going to show Dad that she could handle it.

o0o

"Hunt's over," Dean declared. He nodded toward the road. "Sioux Falls?"

Sam's eyebrows drew together, and he shook his head.

"You promised. Sam, we have to go back. It was an accident, and it's not going to happen again."

"I know, Dean. Look, it's late and we're not that far from home. Let's spend the night at the bunker. Shower. Change. Pack fresh clothes and then go to Sioux Falls. Ok?"

It made sense. It was a good plan. But as Dean turned away from South Dakota and back towards Kansas, he couldn't shake the bad feeling growing in the pit of his stomach. Somehow, something was going to go wrong.

Something came the next morning in the form of a phone call from Claire. They were going to Sioux Falls for sure. Dean found his brother in the library.

"Hey, Sam, I've got a hunt for us."

Sam looked up from his book with mild curiosity. "Oh? Where?"

Dean grimaced. "Sioux Falls. I just got a call from Claire."

All of the blood drained from Sam's face, leaving his skin paler than Dean had ever seen it before. "Claire?" He repeated. "What about-"

"Everyone is fine," Dean said quickly. "Claire just thought they could use our help. I told her we'd be there tomorrow."

Sam was already out of his chair, book tossed aside without a second glance. "Tomorrow? We can be there tonight, don't you think?"

"I'm sure Jody is keeping the girls safe, Sam." Dean had to follow to talk to his brother; Sam was already halfway down the hall to the garage where the Impala was parked.

"Why didn't Jody call?" Sam's voice was tense. He opened the Impala's trunk and started doing the pre-hunt weapons check that usually fell to Dean.

Dean shrugged. "I don't know. We can go tonight, though. Not a problem." He watched in fascination as Sam moved through their routine packing drill at double-speed. Top off salt and gas reserves. Check all guns are loaded with a combination of salt, iron, and silver rounds. He even tested the jug of holy oil to make sure it was full.

Dean couldn't help but give an approving nod. "We'll be ready for anything."

A muscle in Sam's jaw twitched, and he gave a slight shake of his head. "Gwen wants to hunt."

"Yeah, you said." Dean had rarely seen his brother so panicked. "It's a good thing that we'll be there, then. We can make sure she's safe when she starts out-"

Sam shook his head. "Dean, everyone we've ever hunted with has died."

Not entirely true. "Garth is-"

"A werewolf. Tell me that's better."

Dean's mouth snapped closed. He took a breath and tried again. "We can keep her away from the fight, Sam."

"We can't guarantee she'll be safe, Dean. We never know where a monster will strike. She's in danger as long as she's in town."

"She's not going to go away for the weekend, Sam. She's been calling us both begging for a visit. Which you promised, by the way."

"I did, and I will. Visit. But not today." Sam's phone was already pressed to his ear. "Roxy? Hi, this is Sam. Gwen's dad." He frowned. "Yes, from the books-" Sam held the phone away from his ear, and Dean could hear the squeal. After a moment Sam tried again.

"Yes. No. No-Look. I need your help. Yes, you. I need Gwen to be somewhere safe for a few days. Do you think you could get her to go out of town for a while?" After a moment, he smiled. "Great. That sounds perfect. Just don't tell Gwen. It needs to be a secret for now."

Secret. Dean winced at the word. Secrets always went sour.

But he didn't say anything.

Sam wasn't wrong. They needed Gwen to be safe, just for a few days.

He'd rather deal with her anger than burn her corpse.

o0o

"I'm home!" Gwen sang out as she stepped over the threshold. A chorus of hellos greeted her, but they weren't very enthusiastic. Gwen frowned and stepped around the door to be able to see her house-mates assembled in the living room. Watching TV.

TV? Jody never had the TV on in the middle of the day. But there she was, sprawled on the couch with a bowl of popcorn on her belly. Her face was black-and-blue, and her leg stretched out in front of her encased in a bulky white cast.

Gwen let her duffel fall to the floor. "Oh my gosh what happened?"

"Vampires." Alex's face also bore a fine set of bruises, with more crawling down her neck in the shape of fingerprints. Her voice was tight. "Don't worry, they're taken care of."

"Damn straight." Claire had a proud gleam in her eye.

"There was a hunt here in town?" Gwen frowned. She had lost something. Something important, even if she didn't know what yet.

She was supposed to be on Jody's next hunt. They had a deal.

"It's a good thing you were gone," Alex said. She would. She hated hunting.

"But I wanted to see a hunt! Why didn't you call me?" Gwen turned back to Jody, and snapped her mouth shut again. "Are you ok?"

"I'll be fine. But this wasn't the kind of hunt for a beginner."

A rumble sounded outside. Gwen spun to face the door. She knew that sound. "Bad enough you thought you had to call for help?" Winchester help, arriving just after the problem was taken care of.

Which was fine. Now, she could finally talk to Dad. Show him she was fine.

Except that she hadn't been here for the hunt. She hadn't had a chance to prove herself. She hadn't had a chance to figure out if she wanted to be involved in any of this.

All because Roxy had called to invite her on a last-minute trip to the city. Senior skip day. Preparations for prom. Live-in-the-moment, now-or-never trip of a lifetime. Conveniently timed so that she would be gone exactly when vampires appeared in Sioux Falls.

Coincidence?

Dad didn't even knock, just walked through the door saying, "Sorry, Jody! We forgot the barbeque sauce-" He stopped at the sight of Gwen, and the look on his face said everything she needed to know.

No coincidence here.

Could he feel the heat pouring from her eyes? She hoped so. "Gwen! Uh-hi. You're back early."

"You forgot the sauce?" Gwen repeated the words slowly. "Like, you were here before? You were here while I was gone?" She turned back to look at Jody, Claire, and Alex with their bruises. "Roxy called to invite me to spend a few days in the city on the same day you realized there were vampires in town."

Jody's eyes narrowed and flicked toward Sam. Dad was already trying to explain. "Yes. It was dang-"

Dangerous? That wasn't the point. "I wanted to hunt."

Sam rolled his eyes. "You think you want to hunt-"

"I think?" Her anger was a hot fire, and she did nothing to tame it. "You think I don't know what I want?"

"I didn't mean-"

"I want to hunt! I want to see what the hunt is like. I want to know what it's like. There was a hunt here. I could have-"

"You could have been hurt!" Sam gestured toward Jody and her giant cast. "This was not a normal hunt, Gwen. They targeted Alex. You needed to be someplace safe."

"Safe? Dad! You lied to me. You asked my best friend to lie to me!"

Sam closed his eyes briefly. "No. Gwen, I wanted to protect you. That's my job. Keep you safe. Make sure you don't get hurt." His eyes flicked to her shoulder. "That's why I kept you out of this, and I'm not sorry I did. I'm your father. I have to keep you safe."

"I don't want to be safe. Life's not safe! My mom died and then you almost-and now-No!" Gwen stamped her foot.

"Gwen, you can't hunt. I can't let you hunt."

"Let me? Let me?! You don't get to decide anything. This is my life!" Gwen's hands were balled into fists and tears were streaming down her face. She let out a sound between a scream and a growl, turned on her heel, and stomped to her room to slam the door as hard as possible. Jumping on the bed, she attacked the pillows until they were nothing but bits of fluff. She stared at the white stuffing as it flew through the air.

This was a mistake. It was all wrong. She had been wrong to ever come here. She had been wrong to ever try. Emotions bombarded her, too many to sort out and name. Only one thought was clear.

I have to get out of here.

o0o

Sam and Dean had never stayed at a motel in Sioux Falls before. They had never had the need. Sioux Falls was a second home. It was the only place, before the bunker, that they didn't have to pay for the use of a bed and indoor plumbing.

Until today.

Dean's duffle thumped onto the bed with more force then was necessary. His feet were heavy as he stomped around the room. His voice was gruff if he asked if Sam wanted a burger. He was angry with his little brother.

Sam was angry with himself. It was stupid. Stupid. Stupid and he knew it.

"And then you told her she's not allowed to hunt?" Sam didn't have to see his brother's face to know he was getting the Look. Really? You of all people should know better.

I'm not Dad. "Why would she want to hunt? I never-"

"I remember a kid barely ten years old who couldn't wait to join me and Dad on a job." Now Dean did catch his eye, waiting until Sam turned to do so. "You always wanted to do exactly what Dad said you shouldn't. Didn't matter what it was."

"When I was eighteen I knew what I wanted. Gwen is old enough to know better."

"Yeah, but she won't until she tries it out for herself. Come on, Sam. You know that."

"I know." Sam's voice was soft. He slumped onto his bed, shoulders sagging. "What was I supposed to do? She couldn't stay in town. She wouldn't have left if I told her the truth."

Dean landed on his own bed with a sigh. "I know." After all, his big brother hadn't argued the point when he heard Sam call Gwen's friend. Whom they now owed a visit and a ride in the Impala. "Give her some time. Let her cool off. We'll check in tomorrow and see how things are. Apologize. Explain. Take her on a hunt."

Sam's head jerked up. "What?"

"She's going to go, Sam. She's going to hunt one way or the other. You want her trying it out by herself? You saw the list Jody showed us. That was point number one."

"This vamp nest was not a beginner hunt."

"No," Dean agreed. "We we'll find a nice somewhat quiet ghost and start with that. There should be something close by." He pulled out his computer. Sam continued to stare at his toes. The angry exchange replayed in his head, just like his fights with Dad so many years ago.

Could he have said something different? Could he have stopped it from coming to this?

Dean kicked his foot. "Give it time. We'll fix this."

Sam pressed his lips together, but said nothing. His phone was buzzing, and a look at the caller ID showed Jody was on the other end of the line.

"Sam." There was a hesitation in her voice. As if she didn't know how to say what had to come next. Jody had never been afraid to tell him anything before. "She's gone."

Sam felt the world stop. He was locked in this moment of pure fear as a thousand gruesome images flashed through his head. "Gone?"

The world was a blur. Motion, color, sound, they all bled together. Somehow, Dean had the phone. Then they were in the car, then in Jody's living room.

"I tried to get her to take your credit card," Alex said.

"Smart girl! We can track that." Dean sounded proud,

Alex shook her head. "She said she had cash. Then she took my phone."

"I was getting Jody's prescription filled. I was gone an hour. We needed groceries, too." Claire's face was, for once, filled with earnest regret.

Gwen's room was wrecked. Drawers spilled open, pillow torn apart. But no blood. No signs of struggle.

Dean's hand was on Sam's arm. "She did this herself. Threw a tantrum before she took off."

They were outside again, surrounded by deputies in khaki uniforms. Jody distributed a picture and gave orders. Sam didn't hear a word.

"The GPS. Dean. Gwen's shoes."

Dean's eyebrows drew together in frown that filled his entire face. "Sam, she left her old shoes behind. She went on a shopping trip. She's got new ones."

Sam ran his hands over his face and through his hair. His feet moved, pacing a circle but going nowhere. He didn't even know which direction to start. "We have to-Dean she can't-"

Sam was sitting on the ground, his brother's hand on his back. "We'll get her back, Sam. But you've got to pull it together. We've got a small army looking for her. The buses, the trains, the airport, they all know not to let her board. She'll be ok."

Sam shook his head. "This is all my fault. I did this."

Dean's eyes looked to the sky, and his answer was slow in coming. Stalling for a way to say something that was true without confirming Sam's words. "You did this to me three times, Sam. It's barely been two hours. She hitchhiked across half the country to find us. She can take care of herself."

"What if there was a vampire left? What if we missed one?"

"We didn't."

"I should know where to find her. I should have some idea where to start. You always knew where to find me." Sam shivered. "I should have spent more time with her."

"We will from now on."

Sam's phone buzzed again, the vibration a sharp jolt inside his pocket. He stared at the screen. Aggie.

"Sam. How's Gwen?"

Sam rose to his feet in one swift motion. That tone was too smug. The words too calm. Suddenly, everything was clear. "Something tells me you know the answer to that question. She can't be with you. It's too far."

"No." The smug edge dropped from Aggie's tone. "No, she's at the bus stop. She made me promise not to tell you."

"So why did you?"

"Because in Sioux Falls she was doing better after one month than she ever did when she was here." The tone was matter-of-fact, no trace of defeat or regret. "Because I care about my granddaughter, Sam Winchester, and I think you do to. So I'm giving you a chance. Go fix this."

"Yes, ma'am."

o0o

The world was back in focus now. Every second an aching eternity. For once, Dean couldn't drive fast enough. And he insisted on talking the whole way there.

"So Aggie thinks Gwen is doing better here? Huh. Well, we're doing something right."

"Jody's doing something right." Sam had done everything wrong. He had tried to be everything John Winchester wasn't, and still ended up in exactly the same place. Yelling until his child ran out the door.

Gwen was sitting outside of the bus stop, hoodie pulled up over her face, the new shoes she'd bought this weekend already scuffed from her trek across town. Her chin jerked up when she heard the Impala pull up. Her eyes narrowed, but she didn't run, didn't move, just looked back down at her toes.

A tear landed on the tip of her shoes, tracing a path through the grime down to the ground.

Sam wanted to run to her, to pull her into his arms, wrap her up in a tight hug and never let her go. But her shoulders were tense, and he didn't think a hug would be welcome. Not right now. He sat down next to her. Dean hung back, watching from a distance.

Gwen pulled an earbud out and let it dangle down her neck. Angry music spilled from the speaker. I want to heal, I want to feel what I thought was never real. I want to let go of the pain I've felt so long. I want to heal, I want to feel, like I'm close to something real. I want to find something I've wanted all along. Somewhere I belong.

"Nana doesn't want me." The words were muttered at her toes.

"Gwen-"

"I don't want to talk to you." Her shoulders hunched and the black hood turned away from him.

"I'm sorry." Sam drew in a breath to say more, but let it out again. He didn't know what else to say. She knew why he had done it. That wasn't the problem. "It was wrong and I'm sorry."

"Now you pinky-swear that you'll never ever do it again and things to back to being just like they were before?" Gwen looked up to give him the full force of her glare.

Yes please!

"What do you want to happen?"

She looked away again with a shrug. "I guess I'll finish school here. Sometimes Nana has a good point." She looked up at the approaching crowd; deputies, Jody, Claire and Alex. Dean had broken a few speed limits coming here, but the rest weren't far behind.

"This wasn't Jody's idea."

"I know." Gwen lifted her duffle bag over her shoulder. "I like it here." She looked up at Sam again, and her face was calm. The fire of her anger replaced by a deadly chill. "But I'm mad at you, and I don't want to talk to you for a while." She held his gaze for a moment, then turned away. Dean stepped toward her, but she dodged to one side, and he drew his hand back.

Sam watched Jody wrap her arms around his daughter. She would be safe. She would be happy.

Without him.

It felt like someone had scooped a hole out of his chest. He had lost something important today. Something he didn't know he could ever get back.

Dean's hand landed on his shoulder. "Remember that time you went a full month without saying a word to Dad?"

Sam turned to stare at his brother. Dean continued. "You made up, eventually. It didn't matter how mad you two got, or how bad the fight got. You always figure out how to make up just you could fight it all out again."

Sam snorted. "It wasn't quite like that."

Dean shrugged. "Give it time, Sammy. Give it time."

o0o

Lyrics are from Footsteps by Pop Evil and Somewhere I Belong by Linkin Park

Never fear, there is more to come! Gwen has some thinking to do, and Sam has learned his lesson. Will Gwen learn to hunt? How will she patch things up with Sam? We'll see in the next chapter. Just two or three chapters left in this story I think. I hope you won't be disappointed by the end I've planned.

Thank you so much for reading! Please, please, please post a review if you enjoyed this story at all. Reviews are what keep me writing. Even if you don't know what to say, a simple 'good job' is always nice to receive.