Heeeeeeey Gorgeous SPN Family! Yes! I'm talking to YOU! How are you? You look great today! :)

This story was a request from angieggjb. She asked for Dean to teach Natalie something, so here you go!

I love hearing from you fabulous people- thank you to all those who have taken time to read and review. It brightens my world. I try to respond to all of them, and if I missed one, please accept my sincerest apologies. To all my guest reviewers to whom I can't respond to- I have all of your requests as well. I will write each and every request as long as it's true to Natalie's character. I adore you all, please know that.

Speaking of people I adore- Jenmm31- y'all, she's the best ever. She's been an amazing muse and beta for me, as well as a kick ass friend. Go show her some love by checking out her stories- you will love them. She's brilliant.

Love you people!

A/N- in this story, Natalie is 13. Please see profile page for disclaimer.

It was a typical June day- a Wednesday, to be precise. A gentle summer breeze danced through the lofty foliage of the giant redwoods, but only provided a moment of coolness in the otherwise warm day to the two Winchesters standing underneath its elevated shade. They were in Crescent City, California- home of the Redwood National Park. Sam and Dean were tracking an Arachne who had already succeeded in trapping and killing three campers. Since Natalie had just turned thirteen back in April, they had let her tag along on this hunt, but at a distance. She didn't protest much about not being hands on- she was so excited to be in the field period, playing with the big boys, that she had followed Dean's instructions to the letter- observing, tracking, and even initially identifying the spider-like creature.

In the meantime, the boys had taken advantage of the landscape to further Natalie's education as well. She and Sam were currently studying Botany, both on a natural and supernatural level. The Redwoods were glorious, and they were enjoying forays into the forest together, studying all the plant life in the area. As much as she was enjoying the lessons with Sam however, when it came time for Dean's lessons, that was truly her favorite part of the day. Dean had recently been teaching her to fight more with her fists than the weapons. Since she was getting older, he was slowly starting to accept that she would be in the field full time very soon, and had finally started training her in hand to hand combat. She knew how to use just about every single weapon in their arsenal, so he really couldn't delay it much longer. She had been taught basics from day one, just in case, but for Dean to really start teaching her in one on one combat meant he had to think about her locked in a fight with a supernatural creature up close, which made him feel like his guts were turning inside out. After much hemming and hawing, he had finally gritted his teeth, bucked up, and started really getting into the martial arts with her, knowing that it was better to do this sooner rather than later.

Natalie loved every second of the training. She knew that this step was one step closer to getting into the field, which thrilled her to no end. She loved thinking on her feet, assessing her next move right in the moment, and the knowledge that came with it all. Besides, the Redwoods were what George Lucas used to model the Forest Moon of Endor, so every time Dean took her into the forest to practice, she felt like a freaking Jedi. Today, they were warming up with the basics. She was standing about three feet apart from Dean, her arms raised in a classic blocking guard position. Her bright green tee shirt was dotted with patches of sweat, as the heat began to rise in the forest. They were both wearing workout clothing- Dean had even donned shorts owing to the temperature. Natalie had pulled her long black hair back into a ponytail, and the heat of the day was making it stick to the back of her neck. She tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling as she watched Dean, waiting for his attack.

He stepped suddenly to his left, and she countered quickly. "Good," he muttered, before darting to his left again. She once again matched his footing, countering him to keep herself at the optimum striking distance. "Alright," he said, looking down on her. She was still incredibly short for being thirteen, only just barely being five feet tall. Dean found himself once again wondering why she hadn't inherited his height- just his incredibly good looks. "Block what I'm about to throw at you. Ready?"

"Born ready," she said, her blood racing in excitement, her feet dancing back and forth a bit in anticipation. Whereas it was cute watching her prance, it also caused her to lose the power in her blocking stance. Dean pinched his lips at her.

"Focus, Natalie," he said firmly. She could get overexcited easily and let the adrenaline of the fight carry her away, instead of staying in the moment. That was the greatest challenge he had in working with her. She was a fantastic student- bright, quick, and always wanting- usually demanding- to know more. But her exuberance could and often did stand in her way. Dean found himself telling her to focus several times in their lessons. She would always shake herself a bit, and he would see the determination replace the delight in her eyes. Dean knew firsthand how easy it was to get caught up or distracted on a hunt- he was terrified that her enthusiasm would bring her to harm, so he was vigilant and incredibly strict with her when it came to her ability to focus.

At hearing the familiar rebuke, Natalie inhaled deeply. Dean saw the shift in her focus as she obeyed, and he knew she was ready now. Without warning, he threw a right hook at her. She brought her left arm up to block the punch, and delivered a fake blow to his stomach. They never actually threw punches to hit when they were training- they just pulled them. The purpose of their sparring sessions wasn't about actually knocking the stuffing out of each other. It was about the technique. Knocking the stuffing out of each other came later.

"Nice, kid," Dean said, stepping back and adopting the fighting stance again. "This time, pick a different target." Natalie nodded once to show she understood, making her long ponytail swing. Dean threw the right hook again, and she deftly blocked it with her left, but instead of a punch to the stomach, she gave him an uppercut to the chin.

"Excellent. In your case, you were right to go for the stomach first. You're probably going to have a hard time landing a solid uppercut on the chin, unless you're fighting a Smurf," he teased, making her smirk right back at his joke. "Alright. Again." This time, Dean threw a left hook at her. She wasn't expecting it and wasn't able to bring her guard up in time, so she ducked under his fist and planted her own right hook into the lower part of his back.

"Almost. You almost got the kidney," Dean said, grabbing her wrist and guiding it towards his back. "Think more towards the spine, right- there." He tapped her fist against his back, showing her where the kidney was located. He then brought her hand back around to the front quickly to look at it. She realized a split second too late what was wrong. Dean pinched his lips together disapprovingly upon seeing her thumb tucked into her fist. He smacked her tucked-in thumb with his hand and dropped her wrist. "I told you to focus," he scolded.

Natalie ground her back teeth together. She hated making mistakes, especially when Dean called her out on them. "Yes, sir," she said in a low voice. "Sorry."

"Why don't you tuck your thumb in when you throw a punch?" he asked persistently, knowing that she already knew the answer.

"Because you can break your thumb if it's tucked into your fist," she answered immediately, angry at herself for failing. "Won't happen again, Dad." She readjusted her stance, making sure her thumbs were pressed up against her knuckles, like she knew they should be. She pressed her lips together in anger. Dean knew she was internally raking herself over the coals for her mistake, so he didn't say anything else about it. Instead, he threw the left hook again. Without missing a beat, she dodged the blow, planting her right hook right into his kidney.

"Much better," he said, hoping that she'd stop mentally punishing herself over her mistake with her thumbs. She just straightened up and nodded. Dean knew that was about the best response he'd get out of her right now. He threw a couple more punches, changing them up and making her dodge and block. Every punch he threw, she countered perfectly, alternating her own counter strikes based off of his initial attacks. He suddenly threw a one-two punch at her, but she reacted so well it was like she was expecting it. She leaned and swerved, then turned into him suddenly with an elbow to the ribs, and a back fist that would have broken his nose if it had had any weight behind it. Dean took advantage of the fist near his face and grabbed her wrist once again. He checked her thumbs, and they were in the proper position. He released her, grinning.

"That's my girl," he said proudly. Natalie was thrilled at his praise, but ducked her head, not wanting to show her smile. That made Dean's heart ache, just a bit. Ever since her encounter with the Candy Man back in Utah, she was hesitant to show her smile, since it was what had gotten her captured in the first place. Dean and Sam had had several at length discussions with each other while she was sleeping, both of them worried that her encounter was taking a larger psychological toll on her than she was letting on. However when they talked to her about it, other than not wanting to smile, she assured them she was fine. And she truly seemed to be. She never really realized how close Sam and Dean watched her for months after the attack. She really was fine, but Dean longed for the day when he would see her smile for real again.

Dean stepped back, indicating to her that they were done with this part of the training. "Get your water- stay hydrated," he ordered. She immediately went to retrieve the water bottles they left under a nearby tree. She twisted her own open, and as she was drinking, she walked back, holding his bottle out to him. He just brushed her off with a scoff. She lowered her own bottle from her lips, and gave him a resounding bitch face. Damn Sam for teaching her that, Dean thought wryly.

"You need to hydrate, too," she said, scolding him right back. With a shake of his head, he snatched the water bottle out of her hands. Just as he was about to lift the bottle to his lips, he turned and stuck his tongue out at her. She was in the middle of taking another drink, and the immature gesture made her laugh, spitting her water out down her chin. He bobbed his eyebrows and grinned.

"Ha, ha, made you laugh," he playfully mocked before taking a swig of water. She wiped her chin with the back of her hand, giving him her own lopsided grin.

"I thought I was supposed to be the immature one around here," she joked, twisting her cap back on.

"Oh, no. You've always been more mature than me," Dean said off handedly. "That's never gonna change."

"Fair enough," she said, a ghost of a grin dancing across her face. Dean handed her his bottle back, and she trotted back over to the tree, depositing them in the shade.

"You up for something new?" Dean asked as she walked back towards him. The sparkle in her eye upon hearing that she would be learning a new skill was enough of a yes for him. "Alright. I'm going to teach you how to throw your opponent." He saw the flash of excitement on her face, but she quickly reined it in, determined not to make him have to tell her to focus again. "The trick is to make your attacker use his own momentum against him," Dean instructed. Natalie nodded once to show she understood. "When they throw a punch-" he demonstrated with his right hand, "-their weight is already going in the direction their fist is. What you're going to want to do is channel that."

"Okay. How do I do that?" she asked, looking more than up for the challenge.

"Like this," he said. "Throw a right punch at me." She did. Dean blocked her with his left arm, but turned into her, grabbing her right wrist with his left, and planting his right arm under her bicep. He leaned over, which forced her body onto his hip and back. Natalie felt herself hoisted into the air. Had he been going at full speed, he would have flipped her right over his shoulder and onto the forest floor. However, since they were going in slow motion, and he wasn't using his strength or her momentum, she just remained on his bent back. "You see?" he asked, looking over his shoulder.

"I think so," she said. Dean gently lowered her, making sure not to strain her arm as her feet hit the pine needle-covered ground. "Can you do it slowly one more time please?" she asked. Dean obliged, and after throwing another fake punch, Natalie found herself dangling in the air on his back again.

"Alright. You ready to try?" he asked, looking her square in the eye.

"Let's do it," she said.

"Slow motion."

"I think I can do it."

"Slow. Motion."

"Yes, Sir."

Dean threw a right punch at her. Natalie blocked it, and then turned into him. She got her hands in the right place, but when she bent to essentially "hoist" him, the placement of her feet prevented her from using her hip properly as the point where she needed to make the contact to toss him. Dean looked at her patronizingly.

"Now aren't you glad I made you go in slow motion?" he said. She just rolled her eyes and tried to hide her grin. He chuckled. "Alright. Here. We're going to break it down." He took it slow, showing her exactly how to step into him; where to put her feet for the best leverage to plant the attacker on her hip. He made her do the maneuver five times in slow motion before letting her try it at normal speed. When she did it, she was actually able to pick him up for about two seconds before having to drop him back to the ground on his feet. When he was no longer airborne, he looked at her directly.

"Did that hurt at all?" he asked bluntly. Upon hearing that tone, Natalie knew he meant business and she better answer truthfully.

"Not until I was holding you on my back," she answered. To her delight, Dean nodded his approval.

"Good. You were using my momentum, then. If you'd carried through, you would have flipped me with no damage to yourself at all. Great job, kid," he said, pulling on her long ponytail. She just scoffed and smoothed her hair back, her grin twisting off to the side at hearing that she'd done it correctly. "Alright. You ready to do this thing, for real now?" he asked, gauging her reaction carefully. She shrugged in her cocky way, looking exactly like him.

"Question is- are you?" she said tauntingly. Dean just chuckled and put his fists up. She immediately dropped her cavalier attitude and did the same. A flash of pride shot through Dean as he watched his baby girl focus and prepare. Without warning, he stepped forward, closing the distance between the two of them quickly, with a punch aimed straight at her face. He pulled the punch slightly so if he accidentally did make contact, it wouldn't hurt her terribly. However, she was too quick for that. She blocked with her left and darted away. Good. She was assessing for herself the severity of the attack without tiring herself out on the first punch. When he came at her again quickly, he watched as she realized he was simulating a persistent attacker with a base knowledge of street fighting. That was when she began going for the pain points. Shots to the nose, floating ribs, groin, and kidneys were thrown between the both of them. He suddenly stepped towards her with a strong right hook, and without a moment's hesitation, she turned into him, latched onto his arm, and threw him right over her right shoulder onto the hard, crunchy surface of the forest floor. The sudden impact with the ground knocked the wind out of his lungs, and he gasped for a second, surprised as all hell that she had actually managed to heave his gigantic form over her tiny one.

"Oh my god, Dad! I'm so sorry!" she gasped, kneeling right down next to him. "Shit! I was caught up in the moment. I was so stupid, I'm sorry," she babbled. He could see the fear in her eyes, and he knew he only had a second before it turned into self-loathing. He started chuckling. Her face briefly registered surprise before becoming relieved at realizing that he was okay. She gave a small laugh herself, still eyeing him speculatively, waiting for him to start talking.

"That was great, squirt," he said breathlessly, not quite recovered enough yet to take a deep breath. He sat up carefully. Natalie quickly grabbed his shoulders to try to help steady him, but he was fine, not really needing any help. He shook his arms a bit, and then brushed the dirt off his triceps. Natalie immediately starting brushing the pine needles off his back as he continued to chuckle. "You did it perfectly. I'd hate to see the asshole who'd mess with you," he said, the pride ringing in his voice.

"Yeah, like anyone's ever gonna get through you first," she said back with a genuine grin. Dean's heart stopped for a moment, but her grin quickly twisted off to the side. He felt a fleeting stab of disappointment, but pride in her fine work soon took its place.

"Damn straight," he said, glad that she reaffirmed that she knew what was what. Anyone who wanted to get to the Baby Girl had to go through the Papa Bear first. "Well, as much as I hate to admit this- it's official."

"What's official?" Natalie asked, not having a clue what he meant. He smirked at her.

"You're ready to date."

"I'm...what?"

"You heard me."

"I threw you on the forest floor, and because of that, I'm ready to date?"

"Yup."

"I don't follow."

"I told myself that I wasn't going to let you date until you could take down a man the size of me. Now that you've done it, you've passed the first test."

That made her laugh out loud. The sound rang off the trees, bouncing all around the glen. She sat back, pulling her knees into her chest. Once she stopped giggling, she asked. "So what's the other test?"

"Age test."

"What does that mean?"

"Well- you're not getting married till you're thirty five." Natalie rolled her eyes, but before she could retort, Dean spoke up again. "And you're not really allowed to date until you're thirty six." That made her laugh out again, and this time he joined her. When they both stopped laughing, he jumped up, fully recovered, and offered her a hand. She took it, and he pulled her to her feet. After a few more sparring rounds, he declared that they were done for the day. They collected their water bottles and started to make their way back towards the parking lot where the Impala was waiting.

In between sips of water, Natalie looked up at him. "Dad? Are you going to wig out for real when I start dating?" Dean cocked one eyebrow at her playfully, which earned him a shrug. "I mean, I just want to know how much sneaking around behind your back I'm going to have to do so you're not waiting at the door with a shot gun," she teased. Dean snorted a laugh.

"Don't worry. I won't go nuts."

"THANK you."

"Besides, I've still got a good twenty years before that's going to happen. I'm bound to be just a little slower then than I am now. Maybe."

"Daaaaaaaaaad."