Howdy, you gorgeous SPN fan, you. You're looking good!

I had the inspiration to write this story right after Thanksgiving last year, but I had to wait a year for it to come back, ha ha. This is a bit of a departure for me for three reasons. One, it's only a two-part , it fulfills a need for something I've desperately needed to see on Supernatural, and I don't think I'll ever get. But we'll see. I'm not giving away any more than that right now, you'll have to stay tuned. And three, it's my first attempt at two characters that are beloved in the SPN universe, but new to me as a writer. Be kind.

Special thanks to Jenmm31- she really helped me craft this and see the pitfalls here, and helped me to navigate around them. I owe her so much- I'm thankful for HER. :)

Thanks also to all of you who don't give up on me. You are incredible. Happy Thanksgiving- may you always be happy to be a part of this family.

A/N- in this story, Natalie is 6. This is part one of a two part story. Please see profile page for disclaimer.

Thud thud thud thud thud thud thud thud thud thud…

"Natalie, quit runnin'!" Bobby bellowed from the kitchen. The pounding of her little feet in the next room instantly stopped. He shook his head. "Why I can't get that through that child's head is beyond me," he growled quietly.

"Oh, Bobby, leave her alone," Jody said, pulling the pan of stuffing out of her oven and placing it quickly on the overcrowded stove top. "She's not hurting anything. Besides, she'll run out her energy soon enough."

Bobby snorted in disbelief. "Well, unless the kid's been possessed by something and you ain't told me about it, there is no 'running out of energy' with her. She don't got no off switch. And believe me, I've looked."

Jody laughed softly. "I will admit, she's got more go-go-go than most kids her age." She pulled the boiling pot of potatoes off the burner, using both hands. Bobby hauled himself off his stool where he had been keeping watch to help her by turning the dial off. "Thank you," she said, carrying the large pot over to the sink. She carefully poured the hot water into the sink, draining the pot. "Are you still doing okay without her being there all the time?" Jody asked, keeping her eyes on her task.

Bobby shrugged. "It's a hell of a lot quieter without her around."

"That can be a huge change. I get it."

"I didn't say it was a problem."

Jody rolled her eyes and chuckled again. "C'mon. You know what I mean."

He finally acquiesced. "Yeah, I'm fine. Now that I'm out of that damn chair, I can take care of a lot of crap now that I couldn't before. It's great not having to rely on a six year old," he commented dryly.

Jody suppressed her smile. "Sam says she's doing well on the road with them. Apparently, she's testing at a third grade level in reading."

"No surprise there. Kid reads anything she can get her dirty little hands on."

Just then, Sam walked into the kitchen. "Well, the parade's over," he commented with a relaxed grin- a look not usually found on Sam Winchester's face.

Bobby rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and sounds like Natalie started her own up and down the hallways." Sam's grin widened. Just then, Natalie herself came tearing into the kitchen, screeching to a halt before plowing into Sam's legs. Bobby raised an eyebrow at her, which she pretended not to notice.

"It's Christmas Time!" she shrieked in joy, throwing her arms up in the air.

"Bug, take it down a few notches," Sam said gently. "And what do you mean? Today's Thanksgiving. We haven't even had Thanksgiving dinner yet."

Natalie shook her head vigorously. "No, I mean that Santa came down that big road in New York after all the balloons, so that means it's Christmas!" She clapped her hands with overenthusiastic glee. She absolutely lived for holidays, Christmas being her personal favorite.

"Well, if you're already on to Christmas, I guess that means more turkey for me," Bobby said gruffly, trying to conceal the smile her excitement brought to his wrinkled old heart. She suddenly dropped the clapping and put her hands on her hips very dramatically.

"If you think I'm missing out on turkey, you've got another thing coming, Pops," she said sassily. All three adults snorted under their breath at her response. She instantly recovered her goodwill and went bouncing over to Jody. "Can I help you?" she asked, pointing to the pot. "Pretty please? I know how to do some kitchen stuff!"

"Oh, kitchen stuff, huh?" Jody said, gently teasing the little girl. "Well, okay then."

"Uh-" Sam said, holding his hand out towards Jody. "Let's not get too carried away here…"

Jody smiled her motherly smile at Sam- basically a combination of 'everything's going to be alright, dear' and 'slow your roll, nervous'. She turned to Natalie. "Go pull up a chair next to me, okay?" she instructed.

"Okay!" Natalie squealed delightedly, before going to do as bidden.

"Shame Alex can't be here today," Bobby commented offhandedly. Jody shrugged in response.

"She's working on some big project in one of her classes that's due right before the semester ends and she wanted to stay focused. It's okay- she'll be home for Christmas," Jody responded about her foster daughter.

"Where's Claire?" Sam asked, still wondering if it was wise to give a hyper active child cooking utensils as he kept one eye on the six year old dragging a chair in from the hallway.

"Sulking in her room," Jody said, turning to Sam with an air of frustration. Sam was taken aback.

"Sulking?" he asked, confused. "Why?" But Jody just shook her head and looked significantly at the child now pushing a chair over towards her. Sam understood that Jody didn't want to talk about it in front of Natalie, but that only furthered his curiosity. Before he could pursue it, though, Castiel walked into the kitchen, his usual confusion planted firmly on his face.

"Natalie, I still fail to see why that television program caused you such excitement," he said in his frank way, without so much as an intro. Natalie ceased her chair pushing to look up at the angel in her exasperated, six year old way.

"First off, Cas, it wasn't a TV show. It was a parade on TV."

"I fail to see the difference."

"Second off, didn't you like the balloons and the floats and stuff? Weren't they cool?"

"I still do not understand why humans celebrate surviving the plague and starvation of their first year in America by inflating large cartoon creatures and sending them down a street with department store employees tied to them."

"They're not tied. They're holding the strings so the balloons don't float away."

"That still does not explain the need for helium filled fictional characters."

Natalie finally achieved her goal in pushing the chair next to Jody, and climbed up with a certain aplomb. "What can I tell you. We're weird like that in America," she responded with a shrug of her tiny shoulders.

"That much is obvious. But-"

Sam clapped a hand on Castiel's shoulder. "Let it go, man. It's just one of those strange human rituals."

Cas shook his head and turned on his heel, heading out the door. "I am beginning to doubt that I will ever truly understand humanity," he muttered, heading back into the living room.

"And that's my cue as well," Bobby said, slapping his thighs and standing up. "Let's see what the angel makes of football," he said, giving an uncharacteristic devilish grin to Sam before heading out himself. Sam chuckled, and sat down in Bobby's vacated stool to keep an eye on his rambunctious niece.

"So what kind of 'kitchen stuff' do you know?" Jody asked Natalie, getting back down to brass tacks.

Looking very self-important, Natalie answered. "I know how to use knives and stuff."

Jody's eyebrows shot up to her hairline. "Really?" she stammered, with a glance at Sam. Sam shrugged apologetically. Natalie patted Jody's arm to get her full attention back.

"Yup. Dad's been teaching me to throw them, so Pops said I can use them, but only if a grown up is watching and I can't touch them without permission," she said seriously.

"So, you listen when Bobby tells you not to play with knives, but not when he tells you not to run in the house?" Sam said in a teasing tone. Natalie suddenly looked abashed.

"I stopped running when he told me too," she mumbled, avoiding Sam's gaze.

"Well, I don't think I need anything done with a knife, so you're off the hook there," Jody said, mentally making a note to have a word with Dean about what he was teaching his daughter. "How about you mash some potatoes?"

Natalie's eyes got wide as saucers. "That sounds AWESOME. How do I do it?"

Jody quickly withdrew an already skinned potato from the pot, rinsed it quickly in cool water, then placed it down on the cutting board and chopped it up. Natalie's eyes narrowed.

"You said you didn't need anything cut with a knife," she said accusingly- with just enough attitude to rub Sam the wrong way.

"Natalie," he said, quietly but firmly. The rebuke caused her to drop her attitude quickly, knowing that she had stepped in it.

"M'sorry, Jody," she said in a small voice.

"That's okay, Natalie," Jody said cheerily, pleased that at least Sam was trying to raise the kid right. "I should have been more clear. These potatoes are really hot, and they might burn your fingers, so I don't want you to touch them. Does that make sense?"

Natalie nodded, but looked concerned. "What if you get burned by the potatoes?" she asked anxiously.

Jody looked at her with a smile. "I'm a pretty fast chopper. I'll be okay."

Natalie nodded again, satisfied with that answer. "Okay. And if you get burned, I know how to fix it. I'm really good at helping Dad and Uncle Sam if they get burned or cut up when they're hunting."

"I bet they're glad to have you, then."

"Oh, yeah. I'm pretty much the best thing ever."

With a grin that was very unlikely to go away for the rest of the day, Jody set about showing Natalie how to mash the pieces of potato that she was dropping into the large bowl in front of the child. With all the enthusiasm of a six year old who loved to destroy things, Natalie began mashing away as if her life depended on it. Jody and Sam traded catching-up stories as they worked together to finish dinner. Jody kept chopping potatoes and dropping them into Natalie's bowl, where they would get demolished without abandon. Sam helped out by making the gravy and pulling the huge turkey out of the oven so Jody could baste it again. The banter and the talk was comfortable- Sam and Jody had always had a friendly shorthand that felt more like family.

After about ten minutes, Dean came sauntering into the kitchen, a bowl of candy corn in one hand and his mouth full. "You should see Cas trying to figure out the Cowboys game- it's freaking hilarious," he commented with a chuckle. Sam's smile widened as he imagined the confusion on the angel's face. He could almost hear Cas asking why it was called a "pigskin" when it looked nothing like a pig, when Dean suddenly pointed in between him and Jody. "So who's responsible for that?" he said, one eyebrow raised.

Confused, Sam answered him. "Responsible for what?"

Dean just pointed again. Sam and Jody turned around just in time to see a glob of white fluffy potato go sailing up in the air. Natalie was still hammering away at the bowl, completely content in the job she was doing. "OH!" Jody said loudly, scurrying over to the little girl. "Wow- Natalie- you did such a good job at this-" she commented, trying to keep her tone light as she observed the countertop and tiles around the bowl, covered in potato.

"I know!" Natalie shrieked delightedly. "I am so awesome at this. Hey Dad! Look!" she said, turning towards Dean and proudly showing off her accomplishment. Dean just nodded and chuckled.

"You definitely are the best at destroying potatoes, squirt."

"I know!"

"Natalie, hold still," Jody said, reaching a towel out towards her. "You've got mashed potato on your face." She gently wiped it off her. Natalie knew she was supposed to stand still when this happened, but it didn't stop her from rolling her eyes.

"Why are grown ups always wiping my face off?" she grumbled as she held still for Jody.

"Probably because you're a dirty little monkey," Dean said in a teasing tone. That made her giggle. The second Jody removed the last of the potato, she hopped down off her chair and ran over to Dean.

"I am not a dirty little monkey!" she said, laughing. Dean abandoned his bowl of candy corn on the counter and swung her up high in the air.

"Are too. Now let's see if we can use that dirty monkey nose to sniff out where Jody's hiding the pie, huh? What do you say?"

"Okay!" she shrieked excitedly, glad to be hanging out with her daddy. Jody shook her head.

"You're never going to find it."

"Challenge accepted."

"C'mon Dean. You really think I'm going to leave the pie anywhere that you can easily get to it? I wasn't born yesterday."

'That's why I had a kid. To sniff out hidden pie. She's earned her keep so far." He turned his attention to his daughter. "But if you fail on this one, I'm putting you out in the yard for the night."

Natalie laughed uproariously. "No you won't!"

Dean was just about to respond with yes he would, when something brushed against his shoulder. He turned as Claire pushed past him through the doorway. "Well, hey there," he said. Claire didn't answer him. "Good to see you too, kid," Dean commented sarcastically. She snatched an apple from the bowl on the counter and was about to make her way back towards the door.

"Claire," Jody said reproachingly. With a heavy, dramatic sigh, Claire turned back around. She planted an obviously fake smile on her face.

"Hello, Dean. Hello, Sam," she said in a monotone voice. She looked at Jody as if to say 'Good enough?' and was about to walk out of the kitchen again.

"Hi Claire!" Natalie said, waving at the teenage girl. At the sound of her voice, Claire's attitude shifted. She positively glared at the little girl in Dean's arms. Natalie, however, took absolutely no notice of this whatsoever. "We're gonna go find the pie! You wanna come with us?" she asked.

"No, I don't," came the dry reply.

Natalie looked surprised. She couldn't imagine anything more fun than hanging out with Dean while on the hunt for desserts. "Oh, okay," she said. "Well, you and I can play later if you want to."

"I really can't think of anything I'd rather do less," Claire snapped back at the six year old.

"Claire!" Jody scolded. Before Claire could give her a withering scowl too, Dean spoke up in a loud voice.

"That's okay, kiddo. I don't think Claire would be very good at playing right now, as she's being a grade-A…"

"Dean!" Sam scolded.

"…grumpy pants," Dean quickly amended his statement. He gave Natalie a peck on the temple. "Come on. Pie's waiting."

"Okay!" she said, not really realizing what was going on- still just happy to be on a mission with Dad. Dean carried Natalie out of the room. Not really knowing how to break the tension without setting Claire off, Jody spoke gently.

"Don't fill up, dinner's in a half hour," she said, pointing to the apple in Claire's hand. In defiance, Claire took a bite and stood there, chewing deliberately, waiting for Jody to make the next move.

"You're still joining us at the table, like it or not," Jody said quietly but firmly. Claire just rolled her eyes and stomped out of the kitchen. Once she was out of earshot, Jody sighed heavily herself, putting her hands on the kitchen island and her head down.

"What was that all about?" Sam asked, looking at the doorway where Claire had just exited.

"That's about a lot more than a couple therapy sessions could successfully cover," Jody muttered before looking back up at Sam. "She hasn't come right out and told me what's bothering her, but I have my theories."

Sam's eyebrows raised. "You think it's more than just crappy teenage attitude?" he asked bluntly.

"Who knows with her anymore. But this one seems pretty textbook," Jody replied. "It's the holidays. A time for family and loved ones- and she's spending it with a handful of hunters and someone who looks like her father…" Jody trailed off, her throat closing at the thought.

"But isn't," Sam finished softly. He shook his head in sympathy. "Yeah, I can see how that would be rough for her. I mean, her mom's only been gone- what- two years?"

"Yeah, about that long."

"But she hasn't really had a problem with Cas before, has she?"

Jody shrugged. "Not that I've noticed. He's not around that much- I get the sense that he knows that it hurts her when he's around."

"You think it hurts her?"

"How could it not? He's literally the shell of the man she used to call "dad". She's really good at hiding how she's truly feeling, but it doesn't take a genius to figure that that's gotta do a number on a kid, supernatural reasons or not."

Sam leaned back and looked at the doorway where Claire had just exited. "I guess I never really stopped to think about that. We didn't know Jimmy, just Cas. But she…"

"She has baby pictures with someone holding her that is now currently housing a member of Heaven's Army."

"Don't know that you can rightly call Cas that anymore, but I see what you're getting at."

Jody pressed the fingers of her right hand into her eyes, trying to rub away some of the tension. "When I told her that Cas was coming for Thanksgiving, she didn't believe me. I think she was honestly shocked that he showed up today."

"Natalie made him promise. They have some unspoken bond between the two of them- it's even stronger than his and Dean's."

"Well, it makes sense. Cas is Dean's self-appointed 'guardian angel'. And with Natalie being one of the two most important things in his life, it only seems logical."

"I guess," Sam said, shrugging. "Do you- do you want me to talk to Claire? See if I can shake her out of this funk?"

Jody shook her head. "I've been trying for the last three days. She's just shutting down, and I'm worried about pushing her further." Sam opened his mouth to reply, but Jody abruptly turned towards the oven. "Come on- I think the turkey's done. Help me lift it out, would you?"

*SPN SPN SPN*

About two hours later, when the clan of hunters had reduced the entirety of Jody's feast to bones and crumbs, they were all sitting around the table, unable to move.

"You know if something attacked the house right now, we'd be screwed," Dean said, unable to even open his eyes, lest food fall out of them. Jody was one of the best damn cooks he'd ever met- second only to his mother. He had crammed himself so full that it just wasn't physically possible for him to get another bite in unless he wanted to sacrifice his lungs and the ability to breath.

"So let's not go there, shall we?" Jody said firmly, but with a smile. "I think we've all earned a day to sit around and stuff ourselves stupid."

"Well, we did do that," Sam said, casually stretching his long arms and trying not to belch.

"Of course, some of us were already stupid to begin with."

"Shut up, you jerk."

"Make me, you bitch."

"I'd threaten both of you with no dessert if we had anything left," Jody broke into the squabble with a chuckle. She stole a glance at Claire, who had pulled out her phone and was roundly ignoring the rest of the clan. Jody took a deep breath and reminded herself that Claire had come to the table when called the first time, had actually eaten, and hadn't picked a fight at all. She tried to think of a fun activity that would engage her adopted ward in the spirit of the holiday. "Who's up for a game of touch football?" she asked brightly. In response, every man around the table let out a loud and obnoxious groan. Hopeful that that would at least elicit a smile from Claire, Jody looked at her. Claire simply rolled her eyes and pushed herself away from the table. She walked out, once again, completely absorbed in her phone. Trying not to the let the disappointment get the best of her, Jody tried a different tactic.

"Well, these dishes aren't going to wash themselves." The groan she got in response to that was even louder than the first one. In the midst of all the noise and gargantuan efforts to keep the delicious meal inside of their bodies, no one noticed the six year old quietly slip out of her chair and go trailing after the sulking blonde teenager.

Natalie caught up to Claire in the hallway. Claire was still too absorbed in her phone to notice, until she felt a small hand pull on the bottom of her long sweater. She whipped around in alarm, her instincts always causing her to react violently, but when she saw it was Natalie, her panicked look was instantly replaced by a scowl.

"Oh. It's just you," she said in a withering tone.

"Do you wanna play now, Claire?" Natalie asked, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. Claire turned away and kept walking, but that didn't deter the little girl. Natalie simply skipped up next to her and tried to take her hand.

"Oh my god, Natalie, stop it," Claire snapped, lowering the phone to glare at the child again. Natalie looked hurt at the rebuff. Instantly, Claire felt bad, but she shoved it down the same way she did with all her other feeling. "Why don't you go play with your dad or your uncle?" she said in an fleeting attempt to be nice and get rid of the kid all in the same stroke.

Natalie shook her head. "No way," she said. "Dad and Uncle Sam are way too full. They don't like to play right after they've eaten a lot," she continued, appearing to know. "But I never get to see you anymore! I wanna play with you!" she enthused, the sparkle returning to her bright green eyes. Claire rolled her eyes again. She had babysat a handful of times last year when Natalie had been in Bobby's care, and the little girl couldn't seem to get enough of her. It was annoying.

"Okay, you are seriously going to have to get away from me."

"Come on! We can play…um….Disney princesses!"

"Sure. Bippity boppity back the hell up."

"That's not how you play."

"Well, that's how I play. Now go away. Go annoy someone else."

"Pops won't play, and neither will Cas."

"And how do you know that, huh?"

"Because Cas still finds eating weird. He takes a long time after he eats to get going again."

Suddenly Claire stopped in her tracks, causing Natalie to almost bump into her. She appeared to be thinking very hard. After a moment of silence, Claire spoke in a strained voice. "You….you eat with… Cas often?"

Natalie shrugged. "Sometimes. When I ask him to stay for dinner he does." That made the teenager turn around and finally pay attention to the little girl.

"How often does he see you?" she asked in a slightly tighter voice.

"When I ask him to."

Claire froze. Her mind whirled at top speed as it processed the information she had just received. The information that made her angry. Really angry. But before the child could catch on to the sudden change in the atmosphere, Claire's face suddenly transformed. She smiled at the hyper little girl, and leaned down towards her.

"Say, you know what, Natalie?" Claire said in a falsely bright and cheery voice. "I just thought of a game we could play." It had the effect she was hoping for. Natalie's face lit up and she clapped her hands together.

"Yes!" she squealed loudly. Claire instantly put a finger to her lips.

"No- shhh- you need to be quiet. This isn't for the grown ups, okay? It's just for us." Natalie clamped her mouth together and nodded vigorously. Claire smiled again at Natalie's obedience. She crooked her finger and turned, and Natalie eagerly followed her down the hallway. However, she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw where Claire was leading her.

She stood in the doorway to Jody's room as Claire waltzed in and began examining the pictures on the wall. "Um, Claire?" Natalie said in a hushed voice.

Paying no attention to the child's distress, Claire answered without looking at her. "Yes?" she said, gazing at the framed pictures on Jody's wall.

"Um…I don't think I'm supposed to go in here."

Claire turned to her. "Why not?"

"Cause this is Jody's room, and Dad and Uncle Sam told me that I'm not supposed to go into a grown up's room without asking."

Claire shook her head. "That's only for grown ups that aren't family." Natalie's brow wrinkled in confusion, but before she could say anything, Claire continued. "This is my house too, and I say that you can be in here."

"But- but what if Jody gets mad?"

"She won't because we're all family. See how that works?" Without waiting for a response, Claire wandered around the room again, examining Jody's personal items. "You know what the great thing about having so much family is?" she asked Natalie in a light, cajoling voice as she made her way towards Jody's dresser. When Natalie didn't answer right away, Claire turned to see her still hovering nervously in the doorway. "Oh, come on, you big chicken," she said in a taunting voice. "Get in here."

Natalie was torn. She knew that her father and uncle had been pretty clear on the whole going-into-other-people's-rooms thing, but on the other hand, Claire was finally talking to her and wanting to play with her. What if she didn't go into the room, and Claire didn't want to play anymore? And she could NOT let Claire think she was a chicken. She took a tentative step into the room, anxiously watching Claire's reaction. When Claire rewarded her with a smile, Natalie felt a bit braver, and took another step into the room.

Claire nodded her approval, then continued her examination of the room. "So like I was saying, the great thing about having so much family is that you've always got each other's backs. Like- for example- you."

"Me?" Natalie said, her eyes wide with wonder.

"Oh yeah," Claire said casually. "You're like the little sister I never had."

"I am?"

"Um hm. I always wanted a sister. Someone who could help me out- be there for me- and help me when I was in trouble, you know?"

"Kind of like Dad and Uncle Sam!"

"Exactly." Claire let out a dramatic sigh before turning back to the little girl. "It sure would be nice to have a sister. Especially with Jody, sometimes."

"What do you mean?"

"She's always getting on my case about everything. 'Do your homework', 'do your chores', 'stop eating up all the data on your phone', you know, all that crap. And if I do something, even if it was an accident, she gets really nasty about it."

"But- but Claire, Jody's nice."

"She's nice to you. You should see what happens when I get in trouble." Upon hearing Claire's lies, all manners of horrible things instantly flooded Natalie's six year old mind. She couldn't quite believe that Jody was as mean as all that. "Once- just once, I wish I had a sister who could help me out when stuff like that happened. You know?" Claire said in the most brilliantly pathetic way she could.

Natalie's big heart got the best of her. "Maybe we could be sisters like that, Claire!" she said in a quiet voice laced with excitement, like she was confiding a great secret. That was exactly what Claire had been waiting to hear. In a very dramatic, overly excited move, she turned towards Natalie.

"Maybe we could! Why, that would just be-" she flung her arms out to the side in supposed ecstasy, where her hand collided with a small porcelain figurine that had been sitting on top of the dresser. It crashed to the floor, smashing into several pieces. Natalie gasped and jumped back.

"Claire! Are you hurt?" she asked, her eyes full of concern. Claire's heart momentarily twisted as the little girl's obvious care for her well-being hit her. But she once again stuffed it down. She knew she had only a matter of moments to set the rest of her plan in place. She had to act quickly.

"Oh my gosh, Jody's going to KILL me," she whispered in a heavy, scared voice. Natalie shook her little head.

"No, no she won't- it was an accident!" she said desperately.

"Weren't you listening before?" Claire said, turning her wide eyes to Natalie. "She doesn't care if I make mistakes- I just get in so much trouble…" she broke off. She waited to see if the kid would take the bait, which of course she did.

"Well- maybe…maybe I can help you since we're kind of sisters?" Natalie asked desperately, as if all of humanity hung in the balance. Claire whipped back around towards her, just as she heard the telltale thump of adult feet pounding their way. She leaned down and put her hands on Natalie's shoulders.

"Natalie- that would just be the best. But remember- sisters help each other, no matter what. They help each other out of trouble. Right?"

Natalie nodded back, her eyes wide but determined. "Right," she answered back. Just then, Dean, Jody and Sam all came running into the room.

"What happened? What broke?" Dean said forcefully, apparently recovered from his recent food coma. His eyes immediately scanned his daughter for any signs of distress. Other than her wringing her tiny hands, she seemed fine. He quickly performed the same scan on Claire. Before he could really ascertain that there was no blood or anything of the like, Jody gasped.

"My figurine!" she said, making her way to the pile of crushed ceramic on the floor. She knelt down and gently picked up one of the pieces. Her anguished eyes found Sam's. "My husband gave this to me- for Mother's Day," she said in a tight voice. Both Sam and Dean knew instantly the connection that the piece had meant to her.

"Jody, I'm so sorry. We can try to fix it," Sam said gently, making his way over to the broken figurine and picking up a few pieces. Jody just nodded, but then turned to the girls.

"How did this happen?" she asked in quiet, even tones. Neither girl answered, but she saw Claire's eyes meet Natalie's. Dean's eyes caught the whole thing. They narrowed a bit as he spoke.

"Alright you two. Time to start talking. What happened? Who did this?" he asked in his no-nonsense voice. His eyes rested on the teenager who wasn't moving. He felt his blood pressure rising and was about to let loose on Claire, when suddenly, Natalie stepped forward.

"I did it," she said in a tiny, frightened voice.

To Be Continued…..