Aydan wasn't merely the descendant of the guardian of fire they'd learn after breakfast.
She was the guardian of fire.
John swung his startled gaze to where she stood, hands folded neatly in front of her, eyes downcast, and shoulders hunched. Nerves, a little anxiety, and a big dose of uncertainty. As if she feared her secret would change their thoughts about her. As if we can see her as anything more than a little girl with a demon after her.
Dean edged closer to her, offering much-needed support, but also offering silent protection. I put that responsibility on him, he realized, gut twisting with a familiar mix of guilt and regret. When I told him to watch out for her like he does Sammy, I made him responsible for her safety and well-being, too.
Dean took him at his word. The glint in his eye, the set of his jaw, and the straightening of his shoulders all said he'd fight whatever came after her with everything he had. John couldn't help the tingle of pride that shot through him. No more than he could fight the swirls of guilt that accompanied it.
Boys are soldiers, he thought as he ran a hand over his face. That's what they gotta be in this world. There was no other choice. Not for them. The only way they'd survive was by being stronger and smarter than the things that might come after them. For now, though, Dean needed to let him and Bobby worry about protecting them from the yellow-eyed son of a bitch.
"Dean," he said. "You take Sammy and go upstairs. We want to talk with Aydan for a few minutes."
"But..."
"Now, Dean."
He went, not happily, tugging a protesting Sammy behind him. Once they were gone he turned back to Aydan. She twisted her fingers and pointedly avoided his gaze. Bobby cleared his throat and nudged a chair towards her.
"Take a seat," he told her gruffly. "We ain't gonna bite you or anything."
"You're hunters." She slid into the seat, keeping her hands in her lap, and her gaze on the table. "You hunt things like me."
"We hunt things that hurt people," John said. "Monsters."
"Like the yellow-eyed man."
He nodded. "Like the yellow-eyed man." And like the thing that killed Mary. He didn't say that. No, he kept to the matter at hand. "We need to call your mom and dad. They need to know where you are and what's going on."
"My mother's dead." Somber eyes briefly lifted to his. "She sacrificed herself to stop my father from using her to open the cage containing the one who can upset the balance and bring about the end."
Well, that confirmed his suspicions about her parents. John swallowed a few choice words and tried to think of what to say. Thankfully, Bobby stepped in to ask the other question that needed asking.
"Who is this fella that nobody wants freed from his cage?"
Aydan hesitated for a second. Finally she said, her voice barely a whisper, "Abel."
"Abel?" John's eyebrows shot straight up to his hairline. "As in Cain's brother, Abel?"
"Yes."
The fear on her face, in her voice tore at him. He wanted to reach out to her. To comfort her. He wasn't any good at this nurturing shit. The most he managed with the boys was either pulling Sammy into his lap or placing a hand on Dean's shoulder, and telling them everything was gonna be okay.
I gotta do something here, he thought as Bobby muttered a few choice things beneath his breath. It didn't matter if she wasthe key to starting an apocalypse. She was still a kid in need of some sort of parental figure to let her know she was safe.
"It's gonna be okay." The words sounded as flimsy as they felt. "Nobody's gonna use you to open a cage and start whatever hell."
A long howl came from outside. A reminder that something else was out there that wasn't gonna let Aydan be used.
"Thinking that demonic pit bull agrees with you."
"Long as she keeps that yellow-eyed son of a bitch away," John said as brimstone wafted beneath the door. "She can do whatever the hell she wants."
"Right." Bobby set a phone on the table. "Let's see what her family's gotta say so we can figure out what'n hell we're gonna do."
John already knew what he was gonna do. He was gonna hunt down this yellow-eyed son of a bitch and put a bullet in him.
End of story.
A/N: Hello, all! Hope this finds you well!
Want to send thanks to Sharzdah and umbrella0326 for their lovely reviews!