It took us almost an hour to get to the town where the attacks had been. John and Uncle Bobby had gone to the campsites to look around and were going to meet us at the library.

Dean had taken me to the kid's area of the library to pick out some books, and then he had joined Uncle Sam at the computers to do some research. I was sitting in an armchair a few feet away from them reading The Red Fairy Book by Andrew Lang, which was a collection of fairy tales.

John and Uncle Bobby came walking over to the computers. Dean sat up straight and stretched. "I'm so glad you're here, I do not like doing research." he said.

Uncle Sam turned towards them, and the four of them talked for several minutes. Dean stood up and came over to me.

"I'm going to go downstairs to the documents room with Dad and Bobby for a little while, you stay here with Uncle Sam, all right?"

"Yes, Dean." I said.

"You enjoying your book?" he asked, smiling at me.

"Yeah." I said. "Mom had some of these books too, it's a series."

"Good. We'll be back in a while."

I read a couple more stories in my book and then realized that I needed to pee. I got up and walked over to Uncle Sam.

"Uncle Sam, I need to go to the restroom." I said.

He glanced at me. "Okay, just give me a minute, and I'll take you."

I sighed. "I don't need you to take me, I'm not a little kid!" I snapped.

"Charlie..." he said, as he looked at the computer and then wrote something in his notebook. He flipped the notebook shut and then looked at me. "I don't want you getting lost or anything."

"I won't get lost!"

He gave me a look. "I'm not going to argue with you." He stood up and picked up his notebook. "Come on." He held out his hand, and I took it. It took us a few minutes to find the bathrooms, and Uncle Sam waited for me in the hallway.

When I came out he asked, "Did you wash your hands?"

"Yes!" I said with annoyance, rolling my eyes.

Uncle Sam stopped walking and turned to me. "You need to curtail that attitude, young lady." he said. "You know I have no problem putting you in time out here."

"Yes, Uncle Sam." I muttered, taking his hand again. We walked back to the computers and he started to work again. I had just started to read my book when Dean came back over to us with John and Uncle Bobby.

"Let's go to the station, Sam, we don't want these suits to go to waste." Dean said. He and Uncle Sam had dressed in their suits because they were acting like they were FBI agents again.

I took Dean's hand as we walked out of the building, and he looked down at me and said, "You're going to stay with my Dad and Uncle Bobby for a little bit."

I looked up at him, getting anxious. "What? No, I want to go with you!"

"Charlie, you can't. We can't be dragging a kid around with us, it'll look suspicious."

Tears came to my eyes. "But- but I don't want you to go!"

He stopped walked and squatted down in front of me. "There's a big park across the street, with a playground. That's where you're going to be. We're not going to be that long, okay?"

I nodded. "Okay, Dean."

He hugged me and then stood up. We walked across the street to the playground, and John and Uncle Bobby walked over to a bench.

"Dean, did you put sunscreen on her?" John asked.

"Yes sir." Dean said, "Before we left this morning, and she's got the bottle in her purse."

"Good." John nodded. He and Uncle Bobby sat down on the bench and opened a folder they had. I still felt nervous, and now I was getting teary-eyed.

"We'll be back soon." Dean said, and Uncle Sam gave me a quick hug.

"I'm gonna go play." I said to John, and he glanced over at me and nodded. I ran away, blinking the tears in my eyes back.

There were a lot of kids on the the playground, and I started playing with them. We played tag for a while, then stopped because we were all breathing hard.

"Let's play hide and seek." One of the girls said.

So everyone got up and started to run around and hide. I looked around and most of the good hiding spots were taken.

"Come on, we can go in the bushes! He'll never find us there!" A little girl tugged on my hand, and I followed her to the edge of the playground. There were big fluffy bushes lining the edge of a low fence, and we stepped over the fence and crouched down behind the bushes. We sat for a couple minutes, listening as other kids got found. She looked at me and grinned. "This is the best hiding place ever!"

"Charlie?" I heard a voice call. "Charlie!" I didn't recognize it, but then I remembered I was here with John and Uncle Bobby.

"Charlie, where are you!" The voice came closer, and it was a little deeper now.

I stood up and started to walk forward. John was standing nearby with his back to me.

"Right here." I said timidly. As I was stepping over the fence, he turned around, and walked quickly over to me. He bent down to me and said, "What are you doing?"

"Uh, we were, we were hiding in there for hide and seek." I pointed at the bushes.

"Well, don't do that again! You went off the playground...and I don't want you hiding like that, you need to stay where I can see you." His brown eyes looked at me seriously.

"But we're playing hide and seek!" I protested.

"Not anymore." he said, and his voice almost sounded like the growl that Dean's voice got when he was angry.

"But-"

"Are you really going to keep mouthing off to me? I said no! Understand?" He said sternly.

I gulped. "Yes- uh, yes, sir." I said. I wasn't sure what to call him, and I had noticed that Dean and Uncle Sam said yes sir and no sir to him a lot and he seemed to like that.

"Good." he straightened up and then ruffled my hair. "And make sure you stay where I can see you." he said again, as he turned to walk back to the bench.

I turned to the little girl. "I can't play anymore." I said. The boy who was being 'It" ran up to me. "Found you!" he said.

"I'm not playing any more." I told him. I walked over to the swings and sat down on one. I swung for a while, and some of the kids came over and joined me.

"Charlie," John called to me. "Charlie, come here, please."

I walked over to him, feeling a little anxious again. Was he going to scold me for something?

He looked at me. "Your face is getting a little red, I want to put some more sunscreen on you."

"Okay." I said. I got the bottle out of my purse and handed it to him. He rubbed some into my skin, and then handed it back. "Maybe we should see about getting you a hat too, to keep the sun off your face." He smiled at me. "Do you wear hats?"

I shrugged. "I dunno." I said. "Can I go play now?"

He nodded, and I went back over to the swings.

A short time later, Uncle Sam and Dean came into the playground. I ran up to them and hugged them both.

"Go and play for a little bit longer, I need to talk to Dad and Bobby." Dean told me.

After a while, he called me back over, and told me we were going to get lunch. I went to the car with Dean and Uncle Sam.

Before Dean started the car, he turned around to look at me. "Dad told me you went off the playground." he said. "You want to tell me what that's about?"

"I was playing hide and seek, this little girl said we should hide in the bushes." I told him. "It was just on the edge, I wasn't trying to be bad!"

"What's the rule?" Dean asked sternly.

"Uh-" I wasn't sure what he was referring to.

"No going off on your own."

"But I wasn't! I was just playing hide and seek! I wasn't trying to run away or anything!" I protested.

Dean sighed. "Fine, I'll let it go-"

"No, Dean." Uncle Sam said seriously. "She broke a rule." He turned to look at me. "You need be thinking about what the rules are, and not about what you want to do."

"Not fair!" I kicked the back of the seat and folded my arms. "You guys are being mean!"

"Hey!" Dean's voice was raised. "Do not kick the seat, little girl!"

"We want you to be safe, Charlie." Uncle Sam said.

"No, you just don't want me to have any fun!" I frowned at him.

Uncle Sam looked at Dean with his eyebrows raised. "You gonna let all this go too?"

Dean sighed again. "One more thing, Charlie, and you're going to get a consequence."

As Uncle Sam turned back around and started to buckle his seatbelt, I stuck my tongue out at him. He looked at Dean again. "I can't believe- she just stuck her tongue out at me!" he said, aghast. He spun in his seat to face me fully.

"Time out, young lady! And you will apologize to me for being disrespectful!" Uncle Sam's face was angry, and his jaw twitched.

I sank back in my seat, feeling guilty, and tears came to my eyes.

Dean turned in his seat again to look at me, and he was frowning angrily.

"Early bedtime tonight." he said.

"Noooo!" I whined. "Not faaaiir!"

Dean snapped his fingers and pointed at me. "Enough with the sass and the disrespect, little girl. You want to lose your 3DS today too?"

"No!" I yelled, getting angry now. "You're not taking it!" I stomped my foot on the floor.

"How about I drive back to the hotel and give you a spanking?" Dean said.

"I wouldn't bother going back to the hotel, just do it in the back of the car. God knows Dad spanked us in the back seat plenty of times." Uncle Sam said.

"Is that what needs to happen? A spanking?" Dean looked at me. "Because you are pushing and pushing, and that's where its going to end up."

"I don't want a spanking!" I hit the seat with my fists.

"Then settle down!" Dean's voice was raised. "What are the rules?"

"Uh, always do what I'm told, don't go off on my own, always stay with a grown-up, no sassing, no lying."

"You think about the rules while we're going to the diner." he said, turning on the ignition.

"Your time out starts now." Uncle Sam said.

The drive to the diner was silent. When Dean pulled into a parking space, Uncle Sam turned to me and said, "Two more minutes."

They both got out of the car, and I saw Uncle Sam walk around to Dean's side. They talked for a moment. Then Dean opened the back door. He and Uncle Sam looked down at me.

"You ready to follow the rules, or does something else need to happen?" Dean asked sternly.

"Uh- I'll follow the rules." I said. I wasn't angry any more, just feeling embarrassed.

"What do you have to say to Uncle Sam?"

I looked up at Uncle Sam, who still looked mad.

"Um- I'm sorry, Uncle Sam. Sorry I was dis- disree- disrespecful. I can't say it!" I said frustratedly.

"I know what you meant, Charlie," Uncle Sam said. I unbuckled my seatbelt and got out of the car, then I threw my arms around Uncle Sam's waist and hugged him. He bent down and picked me up, and carried me into the diner behind Dean.

John and Uncle Bobby were already sitting at a table when we walked in.

"Can I get pancakes?" I asked Dean.

He and Uncle Sam chuckled. "You sure do love your pancakes." Dean said.

"They have lots of different toppings here." Uncle Sam said, pointing to the photos in his menu.

"I want blueberry today." I said.

"She knows her own mind, don't she?" Uncle Bobby asked with a grin.

"Always." Dean said. "Charlie knows what she wants."

Running around for so long had made me thirsty and hungry. I ate all my pancakes and even drank a big glass of water as well as a tall glass of apple juice. The men talked about the terrain of the different parks they had looked at today.

After we ate, I sat in the car and waited while the 4 of them talked by John's giant truck. Then Dean and Uncle Sam came over to the car.

"I'm going to go with my Dad for a while." Dean leaned down into the car. "Give me a hug."

"Can I go too?" I asked, putting my arms around him.

"Nope." Dean said. "I'll see you later. Be good for Uncle Sam."

I fell asleep on the way back to the hotel, since the car ride was a little over an hour. I woke up when Uncle Sam was laying me in my bed.

"Shh." he said as he took my shoes off.

I sat up. "Where's Dad?"

"He'll be back later. Lay down and rest some more."

"I don't want to!" I whined.

"Give it a try, Charlie."

I sighed and allowed him to guide me down onto the bed. He pulled the covers up, and then walked over to the other side of the room.

I heard him open his laptop and then the sounds of it booting up. I didn't feel sleepy any more, so after a couple of minutes I sat up and got out of bed. I walked over to where Uncle Sam was sitting at the table, and leaned on his arm.

"Whatcha doing-" I glanced at the computer screen and froze. There was a photograph onscreen- I saw green grass and dark red blood and part of a person's bloodied chest, and I gasped.

Uncle Sam closed his laptop abruptly.

He turned to me. "Are you okay?" he asked.

I swallowed uneasily and looked up at him. "What- was that- was that a picture from one of the campsites?"

He shook his head. "Charlie-"

"It was, wasn't it!"

"That's another reason why I don't want you on my computer, because there are things on here that little girls shouldn't see."

"I—I-" Tears filled my eyes, and then I sobbed.

"Come here." he said gently, and he pulled me into a hug.

I rested my head on his chest and took deep breaths, trying to get my tears under control. I was tired of crying all the time!

When I was calm I lifted my head and looked at him. "I'm okay." I said.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" he asked.

He helped me find the first Harry Potter movie- it's my favorite- and I curled up on the sofa and watched that while he worked on his laptop.

The movie was almost over when the door opened, and Dean came in followed by John and Uncle Bobby. They had brought subs for dinner and a Greek salad for Uncle Sam.

I sat at the table with Dean and Uncle Sam and John and Uncle Bobby sat on the end of Dean's bed.

"I want you to have some of my salad." Uncle Sam said to me.

"Okay. What's that white stuff?"

"It's feta cheese. Do you like cheese?" He speared a small piece with his fork and held it out to me.

I put it in my mouth and chewed it, and then spit it out in my hand. "Eww, YUCK!" I said loudly. "That is gross!"

Uncle Sam laughed. "It's an acquired taste, I think."

I grabbed my drink and took a huge swallow to get the taste out of my mouth.

"I still want you to eat salad." Uncle Sam told me.

"Just none of that stuff!" I exclaimed.

"I'll try to pick it out." he said.

Dean set his sub down and looked at me. "So, uh, Charlie, I got a call from your aunt, the one we met at the memorial service. She wants to see you."

I looked at him and then at Uncle Sam. "What do you mean? I thought she went back to where ever she lives!"

Dean looked uncomfortable. "No, not yet...she wants to spend some time and visit with you."

"Okay, she can come here tomorrow and we can go on the playground."

Dean cleared his throat. "No... she wants to take you out with her."

I looked at him again, suddenly feeling scared. "I have to go somewhere with her? Why? Mommy didn't like her, she said she didn't trust her, one time she got drunk and she said that her sister was a lying-ass bit- I mean, a bad word." I stopped talking and gulped, realizing I had just said one bad word and was about to say another.

Uncle Sam made a choking noise, and the corners of Dean's mouth twitched a couple times.

"Why does she want me?" I asked Dean, feeling more scared. "Is that why you've been on the phone so much? Is she—is she going to take me away from you?" Tears filled my eyes. "Can she do that?"

"No, sweetheart, she's not going to." Dean said, but his voice sounded funny when he said it.

"We ain't gonna let that happen, kiddo." Uncle Bobby said. "Don't you worry about it."

"I don't want to go with her!" I wailed. "She's a big fake!" Tears started to pour down my cheeks.

"Come here." Dean said, and I got off my chair and climbed onto his lap. He hugged me and rubbed my back. "Charlie, you belong with me." he said quietly. "You're not going anywhere, I'm going to make sure of that. She won't take you, all right? It's okay, you don't have to worry about it."

He held me until I had calmed down. "Are you finished eating?" he asked me.

"Yeah." I said. He handed me a napkin and I wiped my face off with it.

"I want you to go take a bath. Early bedtime, remember?"

"Awww..." I grumped, sliding off of his lap. "Not fair!"

"Yes fair. That was the consequence for all that sass." Dean wrapped up the rest of my sub. "I'm going to go start the water for you."

I got my nightgown to change into and then went into the bathroom with Dean.

I heard the four of them talking a lot while I was in the tub, but I couldn't hear what they were saying. When I came out of the bathroom, Uncle Sam and Dean were standing by my bed, talking in low voices.

I walked over to the bed and gave Uncle Sam my hairbrush.

Dean sat down on the bed and looked at me. "You're still due a bedime spanking." he told me quietly.

I had forgotten all about this morning. "Nooo!" I whined, and then I glanced over at John and Uncle Bobby. They were looking at a map that was spread out on the table.

Uncle Sam started to brush my damp hair.

"I'm inclined to go easy on you this time because you already got two spankings earlier today." Dean said.

"I learned my lesson this morning!" I said quickly, looking at him and then at Uncle Sam. "I promise, I won't do it again!"

"It's still going to happen, Charlie. This morning was for the computer." Dean said. "I told you that you were going to get a spanking for lying, didn't I?"

Uncle Sam handed me the brush and then he walked over to John and Uncle Bobby and said something to them in a low voice.

John glanced over at me and said something, and Uncle Sam said something back. John shook his head, and then he and Uncle Bobby stood up, and they all left the room.

"Where are they going?"

"I didn't think you'd want them in the room when you're getting your spanking." Dean said.

"What, now? I don't want-" I started to back away from him, but he pulled me towards him.

"Nooo!" I whined again.

"Yes. Come here." he pulled me over to his side. "I will not tolerate lying in any way, shape, or form, Charlotte." Dean said sternly. "And every time you lie, you're going to get punished." Then he tipped me forward over his knees. Tears were already in my eyes.

He landed four quick swats, and my bottom was stinging all over again. I yelped when the first swat fell and burst into tears.

He pulled me up onto his lap and hugged me close to him. "No more lying. No more doing something naughty and then not telling us about it. If it happens again, you'll get a regular spanking instead of me going easy on you."

"Yes D-dean." I sniffled, hugging him.

"I love you, Charlie, and I know you can be a good girl." he murmured.

I tightened my arms around him, feeling happy that he said that. "I love you too, Dean. Dad." I said.

He let go of me and I laid down on my side. He got up, pulling out his phone, and texted someone.

In a couple of minutes, Uncle Sam came into the room and walked over to my bed.

I sat up as he sat down on the edge of the bed and put his arms around me.

"Let's try to have a better day tomorrow, okay?" he said. "I love you, honey. Good night. " He kissed the top of my head and then I looked up at him.

"I love you too, Uncle Sam." I said softly. He looked down at me and we smiled at each other. I laid down again and he pulled the covers up and tucked me in.

"Charlie, we're going to be talking outside with my Dad and Bobby." Dean told me quietly. "So if you wake up and we're not in here, it's because we're just outside the room, okay?"

" 'Kay, Dean." I murmured, half- asleep already.