I've only seen up to the first few episodes of Supernatural season three, I'm sorry about any inaccuracies. The essence/existence of Lea won't exactly follow the usual rules. Takes place pre-series.

•••

John Winchester was not the best father and he was somewhat aware that. He didn't take his sons to the park or teach them to ride bicycles like most fathers. Instead he taught them to shoot guns and hunt ghosts. It would keep them safe, it was good for them. Yet it wasn't normal and his boys couldn't have the life he imagined for them before… Before Mary's death.

Point is, John was not the perfect father. Sam and Dean were five and nine respectively and they had moved more times than John remembered. How many times had they left behind friends from school and nice towns where his boys had felt home? All so John could continue this hunting career of his. Really, he felt bad. Sam had made a good friend in the last town and since their recent move, the boy had been down. Not even Dean could cheer him up and that said a lot.

This is what led to the current situation. John swallowed tightly, looking down at the clean teddy bear in his grasp. He'd just purchased it from a local goodwill store, he was sure his youngest would love it. It wasn't stained and it didn't show obvious, disgusting signs of use. It practically looked new, just a few small stains that were faded. Nothing major.

With a deep breath, John got out of the impala and walked up to the motel door. The door was locked but he had the key, he'd locked the door when he left. He slipped inside quietly and locked the door again behind him. Both of his sons were sitting in front of the TV, watching some show John couldn't care to name. Sam was tucked up against his brother's side, Dean's arm around his shoulders. Both boys looked over when John stepped inside, curious yet guarded.

"You're back early," Dean stated in slight confusion.

"Yeah," John replied. "Just for a minute though." He trailed off before he decided to just get it over with. "Sam, I uh… I got this for you."

John held up the bear and he felt a blossom of warmth in his chest as his younger son's expression brightened in happiness. Sam nearly tripped over his own feet as he got up and ran over, eagerly reaching for the teddy bear. A small chuckle passed John's lips and he handed the toy over. He watched as Sam hugged it tightly with a wide grin and a small giggle.

"He's so soft!" Sam exclaimed happily. "Look, Dean!"

Dean smiled and placed a hand on the bear's arm, squeezing lightly. "Yeah, soft. And squishy."

Sam grinned and looked up at his father. "Thank you, Daddy!"

"Of course, Sam," John replied. He tensed as Sam hugged his waist tightly before awkwardly hugging back. How exactly did you hug again? It wasn't five seconds before John pulled away and moved back towards the door, "I have to go. There's still a werewolf out there. Dean, watch your brother."

"Yes, sir."

And then John Winchester was gone. The boys watched the lock turn as John locked the door again and the purr of the impala's engine soon followed, only to fade away as John drove off. Dean returned to the couch nearby, Sam following him.

"Why would Dad get a bear for me?" Sam asked. "He never gives us toys."

Dean shrugged. "No idea, but it's special. What should we name him?"

Sam grinned at the tired yet happy voice of his brother and thought for a few seconds before giggling, "Bean!"

"Bean?" Dean repeated with a slight, disbelieving scoff. "That better not be after me."

"He's Bean!" Sam insisted.

Dean gave a long sigh, one that was only somewhat fake. "Fine. Bean it is."

•••

It was late into the night when Dean woke up to soft whispering. Curled up on his side, his hand automatically went to the knife under his pillow, fingers tight around the handle. Dean didn't recognize the voice but it was coming from Sam's side of the bed behind him.

"It's alright," came a soft murmur, a woman. Fairly young by the sound of her voice. "You're safe, darling. I won't let the nightmares hurt you. Do you want Dean to comfort you as well? He's already awake."

Dean tensed at that and bolted up, swinging the knife at the figure. He quickly pulled back as he saw Sam was cradled tightly in the young woman's arms, he couldn't strike without the possibility of her movement and hitting Sam as a result.

"Dean," Sam whispered, reaching for his brother.

Dean was hesitant and scared. There was a stranger in their motel room, touching his brother. Yet Sam seemed completely alright with it, he was tucked up to the woman's chest and squeezing that teddy bear, tears in his eyes and Dean melted. His brother had been crying, he had a nightmare, and whoever this stranger was had comforted him. Dean supposed he could place the tiniest amount of trust possible in the stranger then… maybe.

"Dean, come comfort your brother," the woman whispered.

She moved away, letting Dean crawl across the bed to take Sam into his arms. A small whimper passed Sam's lips as he clung to Dean. One arm wrapped tightly around his brother's shoulders, Dean pointed the knife towards the stranger.

"Wait, don't," Sam was quick to stop him, pulling Dean's arm down. "She's nice."

"She broke in here," Dean argued.

"She didn't hurt us," Sam returned. He pointed to the woman, who had her hands raised in surrender, "Look, she's a teenager—"

"I'm twenty-one—"

"And she's nice," Sam continued as if the woman hadn't spoken. "She could've killed both of us or just stole something but she didn't."

Dean only scowled before demanding, "Who are you? What do you want?"

The woman let out a long sigh and turned away, but that didn't stop the brothers from seeing her scowl. "You're the sons of a hunter… But you're also young and you don't deserve the negligence and harshness you've been put through."

"You're a spirit," Dean guessed. "You're somehow bound to the teddy bear, not your remains."

It made sense, now that he thought about it. There were no open windows and this woman didn't look prepared to be breaking and entering. In fact she looked like a normal woman, dressed casually and appearing ready for the day ahead. Her dark auburn hair was cut in a short bob, a white t-shirt covered by a dull green denim jacket and a pair of straight blue jeans dressing her form. A gold—was it gold? It was too dark to be sure—locket rested around her neck and a pair of black glasses sat on her nose. The woman was just… normal.

But she didn't seem alarmed with the fact Dean kept a knife under his pillow.

"I am," the woman confirmed slowly. "Lea Prince. I like to think of myself as a caretaker."

"You're meant to be a vengeful spirit or something," Dean argued.

Both boys startled at the sharp laugh that passed the woman's lips. "Hard to get vengeance on people that will always exist. Besides, why choose vengeance when I can choose to take care of the victims?"

"We're not victims of anything!" Sam said but he sounded rather unsure.

"Aren't you?" Lea raised a brow. "Left alone for days on end. Moving constantly from across the country. All because Daddy can't let go of Mommy. Just the kind of person I despise." A sneer fell across the spirit's expression. "Parents like your father are exactly the type of person I would love to see with their insides on their outside."

"You're not killing our dad!" Dean growled, raising the knife again.

Lea scowled. "I won't if it's what you want. However you can't get rid of me, Dean. You wouldn't give up the chance to have a real caretaker looking after you and Sam. Your father doesn't even have to know."

"Until you murder us in our sleep!"

"Why would I lie?" Lea asked. A soft sigh passed her lips and she ran a hand through her hair, pushing her glasses up. "I died from poisoning. A couple I babysat for, they had a lovely child. He was only six and those parents of his were getting drunk every evening and abusing him when he did something wrong. He told me eventually. You can imagine his parents weren't very happy with that. They poisoned me and labelled it an accident. Threw away the new teddy bear I'd gotten for the poor boy too..."

"Bean," Sam whispered, getting a nod from the spirit.

Neither Winchester boy said anything for a long moment. Dean bit his lip, conflicted. This was a spirit, a dangerous spirit. He should be calling his dad and protecting Sam, yet a part of him really wanted to believe the spirit. He wanted someone older to actually rely on to be there not just for Sam but for him as well.

If he was being honest, Dean was tired. He was really really tired of being Sam's caretaker. He loved his brother, of course he did, but he was only nine years old; he wasn't meant to be in the parent role he was forced into. Dean wasn't even sure he really wanted this revenge his father was after; he was only four when his mother died and while he remembered her and loved her, was she really such a part of his life that he would risk it for something that had happened five years ago? What if it killed him and Sam was left alone? What if it killed Sam?

"Dean!"

The boy blinked and frowned as he registered the pain in his lip and the taste of blood on his tongue. Sam was tugging at his sleeve in worry while the spirit was just returning from the bathroom with the first aid kit.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked, a small tremor in his voice.

Dean nodded, quick to reassure his brother, "Yeah, yeah I'm fine, Sammy, it's alright."

"Let me see," Lea said softly, sitting on the edge of the bed. Dean frowned and moved back a bit, getting a frown from the spirit, "You've bitten your lip hard enough to bleed, Dean, let me see. If I wanted to kill either of you, I would have done it already."

Sam prodded him forward and deciding it was alright and that he couldn't say no, Dean shuffled forwards, knife still in his grasp just in case. Dean's eyes met slate grey ones before Lea turned her attention to carefully examining the bloody lip with a frown. A soft hum passed her lips and she pulled out a small tube of antiseptic cream. She smiled slightly as Dean flinched when she applied it, a smile that made the boy scowl.

Lea then turned to the small refrigerator in the room and pulled open the ice box, picked out a relatively small ice cube and gave it to Dean for him to suck on.

"Cold against the wound will help with the bleeding and the swelling," she said. She returned the first aid kit to the bathroom and sat at the end of the bed. "Well, trust me now?"

Slowly, Dean nodded, "A bit."

Lea smiled. "Good. Now the sun hasn't risen yet, back to sleep, both of you."

•••

John wasn't sure about the change in his boys. They were happier, much happier. Sam laughed and grinned more often, Dean was more easy going. They played games and while they still listened and did as ordered, they didn't look so depressed at John's constant departure and absence. They looked more like normal kids. John was happy with the change, but he was also a little suspicious.

What changed? Certainly not his treatment of his sons. All that really had changed was that he'd given Sam the teddy bear four months ago. It was one of the only toys he'd ever given his sons and Sam never let the thing out of his sight.

"Lock the door when you leave," Dean said, trailing after the man as he grabbed his bag and made for the motel door. "If you call, you'll ring once then call back. Keep the shades shut, windows locked. And most importantly, watch out for Sammy."

John nodded. "Good. I'll be back by Thursday night, if not—"

"Call Pastor Jim," Dean finished, looking rather bored.

Another nod and John quickly said goodbye and left with one last glance at where Sam was watching TV with that teddy bear hugged against his chest. With a long sigh, Dean locked the door and turned to his brother.

Both brothers smiled and Sam bounded up, "What're we playing today?"

"Isn't it hide and seek day?" Dean replied. He glanced around the motel room, "There's enough good places to hide here, you think?"

Sam nodded eagerly. "I call hiding first!"

"Aw, you always hide first!" Dean faked a disappointed sigh that made Sam laugh. "Fine, you little nugget, go hide. One… Two… Three…"

Hearing nothing wrong, John moved away from pressing his ear against the motel door. While suspicious, John supposed children really did need toys and left it at that. For now.

"He's left now."

"Lea!" Sam wormed out from hiding under the bed to rush over to the spirit now in the center of the room. "Was Dad listening to us?"

Lea nodded, pulling Dean in for a hug as well, "He's growing suspicious of your change in behaviour. He can do nothing so we're alright though. We just need to be careful."

"What if he finds out?" Dean asked nervously. "He'll take you away from us."

"All I can say is that we don't let him find out," Lea replied after a moment. She sighed softly, "That, or I remove him from our way."

There was a long silence after that. Dean didn't know what to say to that. Would he let the spirit he had come to see as a mother killed his actual father? What would they do if he did? Lea was a spirit, she didn't age, and she was legally dead. In the eyes of society, Dean and Sam would be orphans and be put into an orphanage and possibly separated. No, he couldn't let Lea kill his dad, at least not until Dean was older.

"Can we play hide and seek now?" Sam asked, wanting to get out of the silence that had fallen.

Lea grinned. "I'll count!"

•••

"And if the sky begins to fall, I'll be with you and we will stand tall. Until the end and into what awaits, I won't leave your side, not even for fate." Lea smiled softly, placing a soft kiss to the sleeping boy's forehead and tucking Bean up to his chest. "Sleep well, Sam. I'm watching over you."

Two and a half years since she first met the Winchester boys, Lea Prince felt at home. Strange, she felt more comfortable in death than she ever did in life. She never felt the need for children of her own when she lived but she loved the two young boys in her care. Sam, the bright, intelligent, rather-energetic child and Dean, the goofy, protective, hopeful older brother.

Lea was happy with the way the older boy had warmed up to her. While he was initially very hesitant, he had opened up and now trusted her completely and she would never betray that trust. Dean confided in her, told her things he had never otherwise spoken out loud. Sam did too, Lea was their secret diary, an outlet for their fears, desires and questions.

And so far, John Winchester hadn't found out. Every time he was away, Lea was in the motel room with his sons, mothering them and all three loved it. Dean didn't have to be the adult he wasn't, Sam could see his brother happy and they could both have fun, and Lea could deliver the care and love she had to those who needed it.

She just had to find one of those people. Lea quietly closed the door to the bedroom and, making sure there was no one around outside, she phased through the motel room door and out into the darkness. She saw a small figure exit the main building and start towards her and she crossed her arms. The figure slowed before hurrying over, a sheepish blush on his cheeks.

"I thought I told you to be back before closing time, mister," Lea said sternly.

Dean smiled nervously, "I lost track of time. I'm sorry, Lea."

"You better be," the spirit grumbled. She phased back through the door and unlocked it, letting Dean inside before locking the door again. "You need sleep, Dean, it's good for—"

"Lea."

At the boy's whisper, Lea stopped. She followed his gaze to the bedroom where Sam was asleep. The spirit could feel something was wrong and it made her stomach twist in fear. Signalling for Dean to stay close behind her, Lea silently crossed the room and pushed the door open. When she laid eyes on the shtriga feeding on Sam, Lea flew into a protective rage.

She lunged forward, not even noticing the drop in temperature or the lights beginning to flicker wildly. The shtriga jerked back and tried to flee only for one angry spirit to grab onto its arm and fling it into the wall opposite to the window the creature was attempting to reach.

"Dean, check on Sam," Lea hissed, stalking closer to the shtriga.

Dean nodded hurriedly and raced towards the bed. He cradled Sam close, the younger boy confused and a little scared.

"Dean, what's going on?" Sam asked, his eyes wide as colour began to overtake the paleness in his cheeks.

"You're safe now," Dean whispered in reply, tucking Sam's head under his chin. "You're safe and that's all that matters."

Both boys winced and squeezed their eyes closed as a horrible shriek filled the room. A few seconds later, the shtriga collapsed dead to the floor.

"Vulnerable only when feeding my ass," Lea hissed. "To humans, maybe."

The only sound was Lea's panting and Sam's quiet whimpers. That was, until the motel room door banged open and startled all three. Lea was instantly in front of the boys, not moving even as she saw it was John rushing in, a gun now aimed at her.

"Get away from my sons," the man growled. "Now, or I'll blow your brains out."

"Good luck with that," Lea snarled in return. "You still have the nerve to call them your sons when you abandon them for days on end!"

John paled slightly at the realization that it was a spirit standing so close to his sons. He dropped the gun in his hand in favour of one at this hip that contained rock salt. With a shouted 'get down!' to Sam and Dean, John fired.

"Lea!" Sam screamed, Bean hugged tight in his arms.

Dean shielded his brother as rock salt blasted them, Lea disappearing before the trigger was pulled. She reappeared behind the man, ripping the gun from his grasp and throwing him against the far wall. Lea kept John pinned there as she went to check on the brothers.

"A few bruises but it'll be fine," Dean said quietly, glancing at his father. "Don't hurt him."

"I won't," Lea murmured, gently cupping Dean's cheek.

John snarled, "Get away from my sons! Dean, shoot her!"

Dean tensed, looking between John and Lea before whispering, "No. No, I won't."

"Dean, do it!"

"Sam's favourite colour," Lea hissed, rising from her position on the bed before stalking closer to John. "What is it?"

"Get away from me!"

"What is Sam's favourite colour, John?"

"Go to hell!"

"Answer!"

John tensed at the fist planted next to his head, Lea now standing directly in front of him. Expecting his spit at her, Lea flickered away for a second then reappeared in her place, looking thoroughly bored.

"Are you finished?" she asked. "I'm still waiting for an answer."

"Green," John growled, "Like Dean's eyes."

Lea let out a small huff. "Wrong. That was a couple years ago. I believe he recently said it was slate grey."

"Like your eyes!" Sam piped up.

"What's Dean want more than anything?" Lea continued with a small smile at the boys.

"To avenge Mary," John's reply was almost instant.

The sharp laugh that passed Lea's lips startled the man, but not Sam or Dean. They were both huddled together on the bed, Sam pressed against Dean's side. Dean knew what the spirit was doing and he whispered it to Sam, watching his brother's jaw drop slightly in realization.

"That's your wish," Lea said. "And it's one you can't force on my boys."

"They're my sons!" John practically roared in anger, trying to move and strangle the spirit. "You're nothing but a monster and I will not let you around them!"

"I'm more of a parent to them than you've ever been!" Lea shouted back. "You left them alone for days on end and never even bothered to be anything more than a commander. If you don't want them, you should've dropped them off with a real family a long time ago, John Winchester. You may be blood, but you are no father to these boys."

John froze at that, his struggles weakening. Lea gave a final, displeased scoff and turned away, releasing her hold on the hunter. She made her way towards Dean and Sam only to stop as she saw their eyes widening at some sort of scene behind her.

"Look out!" Dean shouted.

Sam screamed, "Lea!"

A sharp pain in her back then Lea was gone. John didn't let the spirit's disappearance slow him down though. He dropped the iron fire poker—the one he'd stashed near the bed just in case the need arose—and stormed forwards to wretch the teddy bear from Sam's grasp.

"No, what're you doing?!" Sam yelped, trying to grab the bear back as John turned away.

"What I should have done a long time ago," John replied coldly, pushing Sam back into Dean's arms. "Lock the door when I leave, Dean."

"Dad, you can't destroy Bean!"

"Well I won't have a spirit around my sons!" Sam fell silent at that, a small whimper passing his lips. John ignored it and grabbed the match box from his bag. "Thanks for confirming the bitch is stuck to the bear."

Dean reached out to grab John's arm. "Dad, don't."

John only gave the boy a glare and stormed out of the motel room, leaving his sons to cry together.

•••

"Sammy, you're back early."

"Yeah, Jess had a family emergency," Sam said with a sigh, wiping a hand down his face. "Her mom was in a car crash, hit by a drunk driver. She's been rushed to the hospital, not sure if she'll make it."

Dean frowned. "Ouch… Hope she will and has a speedy recovery."

Sam nodded. "Yeah…"

"Just remember, dates don't get you out of doing your share of chores around here," Dean said, a smile breaking out on his lips.

"Yeah, I know."

"Good, cause those dishes need washing."

"Dean, he just got home. Let him get his jacket off."

"Yeah Dean, let me get my jacket off. Hey, Lea." Sam ducked his head down to place a quick kiss to the spirit's cheek.

"Hey, do I get a kiss too?" Dean asked, puckering his lips teasingly.

Sam chuckled, "Do you want one?"

"Maybe I do," Dean replied with a grin. "On the cheek, I'm not into the other thing."

Lea smiled, returning to her chore of cleaning the apartment. Dean was flipping through the newspaper and some magazines at the dining table, a mug of coffee near his hand.

"Dad called earlier," Dean said rather absently as Sam hung his jacket by the door and made his way towards the kitchen.

"Oh yeah?" Sam replied with a frown. He turned back to his brother and leaned against the doorway. "What'd he say? His usual 'reconsider abandoning revenge' spiel?"

Dean nodded, taking a sip of his coffee, "Yep. Only this time he thinks he's onto something. Wouldn't say any more than that."

A small huff passed Sam's lips, "That sounds like Dad… Lea, burning again."

Lea hummed and blinked, forcing her anger away. A small sigh passed Sam's lips as the burning feeling in the spirit's mark on him faded.

Dean rubbed at the mentioned mark on his chest, "Damn, are we sure there's no way to turn off the anger manifestation? I don't mind being a spirit's anchor to earth or anything but I could do without the burning."

"I looked through every source I could find," Sam replied as Lea gave a sheepish, apologetic smile. "Lea's not like other spirits though, there was nothing useful."

"Maybe I could move the mark?" the spirit suggested. "Somewhere easier to deal with?"

"And more visible and therefore more questionable," Dean argued. "I don't need questions about why I have a scar-slash-tattoo of a circle with a line through it from the guys at the shop. It'd get boring real fast.

Lea shrugged helplessly. "Then I don't know what to say."

"It's alright," Sam said. "You're here, that's enough for us."

"It is?"

"Yeah, of course it is," Dean replied.

And it was. The brothers had abandoned hunting. They didn't need it. They could live their lives like normal people and settle down, go to school, find a spouse. It wasn't nearly as hard as they thought it would be. Plus, they had their guardian with them everywhere they went.

Their family was together. John was never really there, so it was just the three of them.

Sam, Dean, and the spirit they'd accidentally been given as a gift.