A/N: So, it skipped my mind to say this in the last chapter, but some of these little selections will come from other Evy stories and either be expanded or rewritten a little. So if a passage looks familiar, and you are a regular reader of my Evy stories, that might be why.

Also, this chapter is sadder than the last one. Fair warning.

Six Years Old

Evy grabbed the top of the monkey bars, determined to make it across this time no matter what. Very carefully, Evy grabbed the first bar and hung on. She remembered what Sammy had told her. Hang on tight and look straight ahead. Whatever you do, don't look down. Finally, Evy gathered her courage and moved to the second bar. There were nine of them total, and Evy took a breath and grabbed the third one.

Before she could grab the fourth bar, Evy felt a pair of hands on her foot. She kicked as well as she could hanging in the air, but it was no use. Suddenly, Evy found herself being snatched off the bars and tumbling to the ground.

"Ow!"

Looking up from her spot on the ground, Evy saw the class bully, Tyler, and his two friends, Simon and Jessie, laughing at her. Evy didn't feel like she'd been hurt, at least not on her body, but her feelings were definitely hurt. Evy was the smallest kid in her class, and Tyler and his friends liked to make sure she knew it.

"Why'd you do that, Tyler? That was mean."

"But funny." Tyler said, doubling over in laughter.

Evy finally couldn't take it anymore. Tyler had been teasing her ever since she had started at the school two weeks earlier. Daddy had always told her not to fight at school, but she couldn't just let this mean kid push her around either. While they were still laughing, Evy got up, walked over, and pushed Tyler down as hard as she could.

"Hey!" Tyler yelled. "What'd you do that for? I'm tellin'!"

"Go ahead and tell. You do, and I'll tell everybody you got beat up by a girl." Evy said, throwing her hands on her hips to make herself look bigger than she was.

John hung up the phone with Evy's teacher, snorting back laughter. Sam and Dean were in the backyard, running with Evy trying to tire her down for bed in a couple of hours. Bobby, who was staying with them for a couple days, commented,

"She's growing up. So what are you gonna do about it?"

John shook his head. "Not a damn thing. Like you said, she's growing up. I hate it, but she's growing up. It's good to know she can take care of herself."

John pulled out his wallet, looking for the phone number of a hunting contact he'd written down. The first thing he came across stopped him in his tracks. It was a photo, one Sam and Dean had given him for Christmas years earlier. Evy had been a baby, not even two years old yet, grinning so large and so hard that her eyes were partially shut. Sam was holding her and Dean stood several inches over the two of them.

"That's my girl."

Seven Years Old

"Hey, kiddo."

"Hey, Deanie." Evy said quietly.

"What's going on?" Dean asked as he pulled off his jacket and laid it on the chair.

"Nothing."

Dean, who had been headed to the stove to start dinner, immediately stopped and turned back to Evy. "There's a whole lot of something behind that nothing. What's wrong?"

Evy swallowed hard. Daddy and Sammy didn't care what was going on with her, why would Dean? "Nothing, really. I'm fine."

"You don't sound fine. Talk to me. What's wrong?"

Evy took a ragged breath, still trying to hold back the tears. But it didn't work, and her voice finally broke. "I just had a really bad day."

"Oh, kiddo." Dean said, taking the kitchen chair and pulling it around to face her. "You want to tell me about it?"

"No." Evy said, embarrassed to be crying in front of her big brother.

"You need a hug?"

Evy didn't answer that, just climbed into Dean's lap and let him hold her. It took a few minutes, but she eventually opened up.

"I got in trouble because you didn't come in with me to the office."

"I'm sorry, kiddo. But I had to go to work." Dean said.

"I know. But after that, I went to class and I answered a couple of questions wrong. Everybody laughed at me. Then somebody tripped me in the cafeteria and I almost didn't get to eat lunch."

"Why?" Dean asked. "If someone tripped you, why did you get in trouble?"

"Because the teacher in the cafeteria didn't see me fall. She just thought I had dropped my tray. She made me clean it up and sent me to the nurse's office when one of the other kids told her I'd tripped."

"They didn't let you eat lunch?" Dean asked, his anger steadily rising.

"Yeah, I did eat. The lunch lady saw me leaving and she gave me another sandwich."

"What else happened, kiddo?" Dean asked, reminding himself to go handle the teacher that tried to deny lunch to his little sister.

"Nobody wanted to let me play with them or play with anything on the playground at recess. I ended up just sitting by myself watching everyone else play."

"Why didn't you stick up for yourself, kiddo? I know you know how." Dean asked.

"Daddy told me not to bring attention to us, so I didn't want get in a fight." Evy said.

Dean nodded. He made another reminder to talk to Dad about making it clear to Evy that she could stand up for herself. "Is that everything?"

"No. I forgot my spelling homework and my teacher yelled at me for it and gave me a zero. Then I got home and Daddy and Sammy were both mad at me."

"Why?"

"I asked Daddy if he would take me to dinner like he promised since he didn't leave yet. He told me 'cause I asked him again he was taking it away."

"Oh, kiddo. I'm sorry." Dean said, pushing some of Evy's hair out of her face. "Dad didn't mean that, I promise. He'll do something with you soon. Now what happened with Sam?"

"I told him I was sorry 'cause I was mean to him last night."

"I find that hard to believe." Dean said. Evy didn't have a mean bone anywhere in her body.

"He tried to make me feel better when Daddy yelled at me and I told him to go away." Evy explained.

"That's not mean, kiddo." Dean explained, wiping her eyes of the tears that were still spilling. "It's okay if you wanna be alone."

Evy sniffed. "I wanted to talk to him about school but he said no."

"Oh, kiddo. I'm sorry. You have had a rough couple of days. Can I do anything? Make you feel better?"

Evy sniffed again and shook her head. "No. I just wanted someone to listen to me." Evy accepted the napkin Dean offered and blew her nose. "Can I help you make dinner?"

Dean suddenly got an idea. He had been saving up money to buy himself a new Walkman lately, and nearly had just enough for it. But he couldn't stand the lonely, sad, desperate look on Evy's face. With John constantly hunting, Sam and John constantly fighting, and Dean constantly working, Evy was quickly slipping through the cracks.

"Hey, kiddo, I've got an idea. What do you think about us going on a brother sister date?"

"A date?" Evy asked, intrigued. "What do you mean?"

"I mean you and me go get something to eat, maybe go to a movie or something after that."

"Just you and me?" Evy asked.

"Just you and me."

"But I have school tomorrow." Evy said sadly.

Dean frowned. "Actually, Dad said we were leaving the day after tomorrow." Dean explained.

"So tomorrow would have been your last day anyway. Why don't we go out tonight, and you can stay and help me clean up and pack tomorrow instead of going to school?"

"What about Daddy and Sammy?"

"They can take care of themselves for one night. What do you say?"

Evy finally smiled, the first time she'd done so all week. "Okay."

"There we go. Atta girl." Dean said. He lifted her off his lap and set her back onto the floor. "Go to the bathroom and wash your face and get cleaned up. Then meet me at the car. Okay?"

"Okay. Thanks, Deanie."

"Go on." Dean said, gently patting her back to hurry her along.

Evy quickly washed her face and, with Dean's blessing, changed into the only dress she owned. It was almost too big for her now. Sam had given it to her for her sixth birthday. It was white and covered in pink roses, and Evy loved it as much now as she had when Sam had gotten it for her. She put on a sweater and her nice pair of shoes, then went outside to wait for Dean. Several hours later, when Dean was tucking her into bed, he felt a strange sense of time slipping away from him. She was no longer a baby, and it saddened him.

"Sleep tight, baby girl. Deanie loves you."

Eight Years Old

It was time.

Sam was about to take Evy's heart, stomp on it, and grind it to dust. But he had made his mind up. If he was ever going to take care of Evy, give her a proper life, he had to start by getting one for himself. It would kill him to do it, but he had to.

But he didn't have to right this very second.

So Sam took the Stanford letter, folded it into his pocket, and went to find Evy. She was sitting at the kitchen table, focused on a puzzle. Her tongue stuck out in intense concentration, and she placed another piece.

"Hey, Cricket."

"Hey, Sammy." Evy answered without looking up from her puzzle.

"Can I help?"

"I got it." Evy said. She hated it when her brothers offered to help her with things. She could do it herself, and would ask for help if she needed it.

"I know, but I'm bored. Can I do it with you?"

Evy turned to him and smiled. "Okay. Will you do those pieces?"

"Sure will." Sam then noticed the box for the puzzle. "Is this a five hundred piece puzzle?"

"Yeah! The biggest one I ever did!"

"Well, let's get to it then." Sam said. He walked over and kissed her cheek, then wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. "I love you, my baby. Always remember that, okay?"

"Sammy? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, baby. Just promise me you'll always remember that, okay?"

"Okay. But I'm not a baby."

"Oh. Right. Sorry." Sam said, fighting back tears as he thought of what tomorrow would bring for the both of them. "Let's get this puzzle done."

Nine Years Old

Evy always told her brothers she wasn't a baby anymore.

But if she'd known that proving that would leave her this lonely, she'd gladly go back to being a baby right now.

Daddy and Dean had been gone for a day, and already she wanted them back. Sammy was in California, and even though she knew she could call him, she also knew he'd be able to tell that she was sad and she didn't want to answer all those questions he'd ask her. What's wrong? Where's Daddy? Where's Dean? How long have you been alone? Answering all those would make Sammy mad at Daddy, and she didn't want to do that. If she wanted the two of them to be together again, making one of them mad at the other wouldn't help.

But at bedtime, Evy wanted to hear someone's voice. Daddy and Dean didn't pick up the phone, so with somewhat shaky hands, she called Sammy. The phone rang a few times before someone picked up.

Someone that definitely wasn't Sammy.

"Hello?"

"Um, hi. Is Sammy there?"

"Can I tell him who it is?"

"It's his sister."

"Sure, sweetie. One second. Sam! Phone!"

Evy heard a rustling sound and Sam finally picked up. "Hello?"

"Hi, Sammy."

"Hey, Cricket! You okay?"

"Yeah. Just wanted to talk to you."

"Oh, um, okay. I was just about to go out. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Going out where?" Evy asked.

"Out with some friends. Are you sure you're okay?"

Evy suddenly felt like her heart was squeezing tightly in her chest. It had been almost a whole two days since she talked to Sammy. She heard him laugh at something and she finally let a tear fall. She was happy that he was having a good time, but at the same time she felt…mad. It took a minute for her to admit that, but she was mad. She was sitting there, all alone, missing him, and he was joking and laughing with his friends. Didn't he miss her?

She felt jealous too. Jealous that other people were getting to have her Sammy with them, while she was all by herself. It wasn't fair. None of it was fair.

"Cricket, you still there?"

But no matter how mad it made her, Evy wouldn't take his good time from him by crying over the phone to him. He had taken good care of her, and now she would return the favor.

"Yeah, I'm here. I just called to say goodnight."

"Goodnight?" Sam said curiously. "Oh, right. I forgot about the time change. I'm sorry, Cricket. You want a lullaby or something."

"No. Just wanted to say goodnight. I love you, Sammy."

"I love you too, baby."

"I'm not a baby." Evy said, somewhat harsher than she intended too.

"Right. Sorry. Love you, Cricket. Sleep well."

"Bye, Sammy."

Evy hung up fast so Sammy wouldn't hear the hitch in her voice. The one that signaled that more tears were about to come. It didn't take long for Evy to decide to just let them fall.

After all, no one was there to see them. And, she suspected, even grownups cried sometimes when they were all alone in the dark.

Ten Years Old

Evy was stunned. She wasn't used to things being pushed around for her. John had never done it. If her birthday fell at a time when John was on a hunt, which was almost every year, she'd get a quick "happy birthday" and that was the end of it. Sometimes not even that. Evy looked down, unsure how to answer Sam and Jess. She'd been living with them for six weeks now, and she was still getting used to being treated with so much care and attention again. She saw Sam put a pancake on her plate, then felt him take her hand. She looked up at him, eyes shining with unshed tears.

"You okay, Cricket?" he asked.

Evy smiled and nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine."

Sam was about to refute her when the phone rang. He got up and answered it quickly. "Hello?...Yeah. Hang on, she's right here…" Sam walked over and handed the phone to Evy. "It's Dean."

Evy smiled and took the phone from him. "Hi, Deanie."

Sam watched her for a minute. He knew if something was really bothering her, she would eventually tell him. It finally occurred to him after a minute of thinking what might really be bothering Evy. She wanted to hear from John. Sam thought about asking her if that was the case, but decided instead to try and distract her. It worked for a little while. After she hung up with Dean, Sam started a food fight with Jess, which Evy eventually joined. They took her out to play in the Quad, something she'd grown fond of in the last few weeks. After around forty-five minutes outside, Evy went back inside to use the bathroom.

As Evy washed up and headed back outside, she spotted Sam's cell phone on the kitchen counter. A thought occurred to her. She picked it up and dialed John's number. She waited a moment before pressing 'SEND', deciding whether or not to go through with it. She had tried to call John several times in the last six weeks, and he had not answered any of her calls. Sam had tried to tell her that everything was okay, that Dad was just sleeping or was on a hunt and couldn't get away. Evy had pretended to buy what Sam was telling her, but it still hurt. She knew that she'd hurt Daddy by leaving, but she just couldn't understand why he wouldn't talk to her. Evy took a breath, deciding that if John wouldn't talk to her this time, that would be it. She pressed 'SEND' and waited.

The phone rang seven long, agonizing times. The whole time Evy was thinking to herself please, Daddy, please talk to me. Her heart dropped with each ring, and just as she was about to give up, she heard a click. Her heart leapt for one brief second; until she realized that it wasn't her father, but Dean.

"Hey, kiddo. You okay?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, um…" Evy was scrambling, unsure what to say. "I was looking for Daddy."

"Oh…" Dean seemed to be scrambling now. "Hang on, honey, I'll go find him."

"Okay!" Evy said brightly.

Maybe this was it. Maybe she really would get to talk to him now. Evy waited as patiently as she could, but it was hard to keep the smile off her face. She knew that Sam was probably looking for her now, but there was no way she was going to stop the call now that she had him close. She was grinning when she heard another voice on the line. Her heart jumped in excitement. It was daddy's voice. He was there. He couldn't avoid her now. Right?

"Hey, kiddo, you still there?" Dean asked when he came back.

"Yeah." Evy answered.

"Dad's not here." Dean told her.

The excitement of the last few seconds were replaced with utter devastation. Dean was lying, but Evy could tell he didn't want to. She fought to keep from crying, and didn't answer Dean for a second.

"You still there, sweetie?" Dean asked again.

"Yeah." Evy said, her voice starting to break.

"I'm sorry, kiddo." Dean said. "I really am."

"I know, Dean." Evy replied, wiping away the first falling tear. "It's okay."

"No." Dean responded. "It isn't. I love you, sweetheart. Dad does too."

"Love you." Evy said, hanging up quickly.

Evy placed the phone on the counter and the dam broke. She slid down to the kitchen floor and hugged her knees, the tears coming now too fast to stop them. She didn't know how long she'd been crying when she heard the front door open.

"Hey, Cricket, are you…" Sam flew to Evy's side when he saw that she was crying. "Are you okay?" he asked. "Cricket, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"No." Evy said, looking back up at Sam. "I tried to call Daddy."

Sam's concern was immediately replaced with dread. "What happened?"

Evy sniffed and told him sadly. "Dean picked up. Said Daddy wasn't there."

Fat chance, Sam thought. "Maybe he wasn't." He said, trying to comfort her, as he wiped her tears away from her face.

"I heard him." Evy said. "I heard his voice in the background. He was there. He made Dean tell me he wasn't."

Sam sighed. He had gotten used to John's rejection, feeling as if he wasn't good enough for him, but to see Evy so hurt and heartbroken by it made him feel like a failure. He was desperate to make her feel better, show her that no matter what John decided to do, she still meant the world to him. Sam ran his hand up and down her arm to try and comfort her.

"I'm sorry, baby." He said quietly. "Maybe we can try again next week."

"No." Evy said quickly.

"No what?" Sam asked.

"I'm done." Evy said. "If he doesn't want to talk to me, then I'm done trying to get him to."

Sam felt his heart shatter. Evy had done absolutely nothing to deserve this, and she was the one suffering the most. Sam, for the first time ever, was completely lost in finding what to say to make her feel better.

"Are you sure?" Sam asked.

Evy nodded and more tears spilled out. For once, she didn't care about being seen as a baby. She wasn't her daddy's baby anymore, so why shouldn't she cry? The little crack in her heart that had formed when she and Sam left a few weeks earlier grew a little more that day, never to be completely filled in again.