Title: Futures Past (working title)
Author AtticusFinchFan
Rating: K+
Summary: Deanna Winchester, Sam's daughter, carrying on the family business…with Sam and Dean's help, of course. One case they come in contact with hits close too home for Dean and Sam, and help's them realize that the more things change, the more things stay the same.
A/N: Un beta-ed (for now)

-Rock a bye, baby, on the tree top, when the wind blows the cradle will rock, when the bough breaks the cradle will fall, and down will come baby cradle and all- Deanna looked down at the bundle in her arms and smiled. The soft breeze ruffled the down like hair on the top of the baby's head, but other than did nothing to disturb the sleeping child. The smell of freshly cut grass surrounded her like a blanket, but she blocked it as best she could. For all she wanted to smell was the intoxicating smell of the little being in her arms.

She gently laid the child on her legs and brought her knees up. Then tucked her right hand gently under the baby's head and lifted it slightly so it was closer to her lips and then pressed a soft kiss on the baby's forehead.

She violently drew her face back when the child drew in a sharp breath. -Oh god!- her face contorted in horror as the child's lips turned blue before her very eyes. "Baby, wake-" Deanna violently snapped her mouth shut when she noticed a transparent red cloud had begun to waft from her mouth and engulf the child like a cacoon. She watched in stunned silence for a couple seconds before a violent flash of dispair and pain hit her. The cloud had quickly dispated and left her craddling a cold, blue skinned baby in her arms.

Deanna dropped the child to the ground and proceeded by clawing and kicking backwards as far and as fast as she could. All the while keeping her wide eyes on the unmoving baby laying with limbs bent in ways and shapes that should have been physically impossible, but weren't because the child was dead and broken.

What had she done?

"Oh, man...c'mon Deanna...c'mon sweetheart, open your eyes." a hand gave her cheek several little smacks in a row as another one drew the hair away from her face. "C'mon sweetheart. I know you can hear me, just open your eyes." -What?- Deanna's eyes shot open so quick both her uncle and dad jumped in surprise. Recognition hit her eyes as relief flooded theirs. "Oh god." her dad sighed in relief as he bent foward and gathered her head in a hug and pressed it against his chest. "Don't you ever scare me like that again."

As soon as her dad pulled away, she sat forward and wiped her eyes. "What happened?"

"You were having a nightmare." She turned her groggy head towards her uncle. He was behind a steering wheel, evidently they were still in the car.

"What? I was sleeping? Why did you let me fall asleep?"

Her uncle repostioned his arm by placing on the steering wheel, with his hand hanging off the edge. "Because I'm an awesome Uncle. Now what was that about?"

Deanna shook her head. "I don't know. I've never had that dream before."

"Dreams?" she heard the incredulous tone in her dad's voice and looked up. He was staring at her with the same wide eyes she had woken up to. "You mean, you've had dreams like this before?"

She nodded. "For years. They've never really bothered me before 3 weeks ago."

"Years?" she rolled her eyes. Why didn't it surprise her that that had been the only thing he had heard?

"Yes, dad, years. But so did you, you still do." She shrugged. "So it may just be a genetic thing."

"Do you still have dreams, Sam?"

Suddenly all the attention in the car shifted from her to her dad. Where had she been? Her dad sighed in annoyance and waved his head to dismiss her uncles question. "Nevermind that-"

"No nevermind, Sammy, answer me." When her uncle wanted to know something he never gave up. Well...most of the time.

Deanna's dad snapped his attention to her uncle and glared at him. "It's Sam, and yes, I do, ok? It isn't about me right now, Dean. It's about my daughter." he poked her on the shoulder and she turned back to him. "What happened in your dream?"

Deanna involuntarily shuddered at the all too fresh memory in her mind. "I killed a baby." She shifted in her seat and bowed her head. "I kissed its forehead and..." she bit her lips closed to keep her emotions at bay and swallowed hard. "killed it."

The car was silent for about 15 minutes, which gave Deanna ample time to wallow in her own misery. "You know that dream's not true, right De?" Her uncle's voice shook a bit, but it still held the authoritative tone she was used to. "That could never happen."

She turned her bowed head towards him and cast him a sideways smile. "I know." She nodded slightly. "But it doesn't make it hurt any less, does it?"

"Awe..." her dad gathered the back of her head in his hand once more and pushed it against his chest. In any other situation Deanna would have been screaming bloody murder at the embarassing habit he had of still hugging her whenever he felt like it, but right now she needed to feel close to someone. She needed to feel protected. Even if it was from herself. "That's never going to happen, sweetheart." He kissed her forehead.

"I think we all need a good nights rest." Her uncle interjected his opinion. "We're at the hotel, so let's go in. We'll come out and get our clothes in the morning."

Deanna's dad nodded, but she shook her head. "I don't think I'll sleep tonight." she raised her big hazel eyes to his and smirked. "I think I'll just take my car and go get a whole load of coffee or something to keep my mind off of things."

"No." They objected in unison.

"What!" She jumped. "Why?"

"Because you're not." Her dad snipped. "Now, c'mon, out of the car."

"I won't sleep though." -God.- She thought -Men.-

"I don't care." her uncle stated. "I want you out of my car now and you're not getting back in until tomorrow morning. I'm hiding the keys." Deanna's attention shifted to her dad. "Of both cars." And shot back to her uncles. Dean just smirked. "Go. Now."

Deanna growled in frustration and slid out of the seat. She pulled her sweater down in the back with her left hand and slammed the door with her right. Her dad stood just off to her side watching her, it was almost like he didn't trust her. But then, she couldn't really blame him. He had been the unfortunate victim of many of her uncle's tricks for more years than she had been around, he had just gotten smarter with her, he knew the signs now. Lucky her.

"This a complete waste of time." She waited until her dad move to start towards the door.

"Trust me, kid." Her uncle threw open the door and stepped through, then her dad, and then her. "It won't be." He turned slightly before he got to the front desk. "If you're anything like your dad you'll be out like a light 5 minutes after your head hits the pillow."

She was just about to voice her objections when her dad turned to look over his shoulder and cast her a sharp glare. She quickly settled again. Evidently he hadn't told him about his current 3 month bout with insomnia. Did it really surprise her? No.

It took a couple minutes, but they did eventually got a room. Deanna had wanted her own but her uncle had quickly objected, he wanted to keep an eye on her, evidently he didn't trust her either. Most likely because she was just too much like him for his comfort. So they just got a room with two beds. Deanna and her dad in one and her uncle in the other.

As soon as Dean got to the room he collasped on the bed closest to the door, face down. He hadn't even stopped to take his jacket or shoes off. Deanna looked down at him like he was crazy, which was a complete and total plausible possibility, but her dad just laughed and ushered her the rest of the way inside. "Dean won't be moving tonight. So it looks like we've got the bed by the window." He was slipping his shoes off as he moved towards it.

She had just laid down and closed her eyes after taking her shoes and jacket off, when she felt a large hand wipe the bangs out of her face and shot her eyes open. "What are you doing?"

"Close your eyes, Dean." her dad sighed in exasperation as he settled on his side with his arm bent under him support his weight and placed his open hand on her cheek. "I know what I'm doing." Deanna didn't budge. "I'm going to try to help you sleep, Dean, so just close your eyes."

"Fine!" she hissed and closed her eyes again. She had just begun to settle when she felt a hand touch her face again and jumped. "Shhh..." He started gently tracing the side of her face. She sighed in contentment as the warmth of his hand started seeping into her skin and envelope her like a blanket.

"See?" Her dad chuckled. He shifted slightly and exhaled. "You loved it when I did this to you when you were little."

Deanna smiled at the memory. "I remember."

"Do ya remember the song I would hum...and sing?"

She opened her eyes and flashed her dad a grin. "G&R Sweet Child..."

"Yup." he nodded then smiled. "Now close your eyes again."

Deanna obeyed. "I bet I was the only kid being sernaded by a song almost as old as her father."

"Um hm." he agreed. "I bet you were the only kid ever to be sernaded nightly by two of the most off key guys on the earth singing a hair metal rock ballad."

"You weren't that bad." she smirked. "Axl would have been proud."

"Oh shut up." she could hear the smirk in his voice.

"I'm telling the truth, man! Sing it again."

"Ah...no, just go to sleep, Dean."

She moaned. "Oh fine, just go to sleep soon yourself or I will tell him about your insomnia."

"Yes ma'am." he pressed his palm down over her eyes and ordered her. "Now sleep."

As soon as Sam was certain Deanna was asleep, he settled down and closed his eyes.

As soon as Dean was certain Sam was sleeping, he opened his eyes and looked across the dark room at the father and daughter on the other bed. Sam had his arm draped over Deanna's hip and the most content look on his face that he had seen on his face in months. He had heard every word the two had whispered, but paid special attention to Deanna's word as soon as he heard him threaten her dad to tell him about his insomnia. But maybe he no longer had to worry about Sam not getting any sleep because his daughter with him now. This trip was going to be tough. No hunt had ever been easy. But for some reason he was sure that it was just what they all needed.

A smile came to his lips as he realized, it was like a family vacation. A very weird, screwed up family vacation, but a family vacation nonetheless.

Maybe Sam was right. Maybe he was getting soft in his old age.