Hello again! I'm here with a shortie but a cutie for everyone to enjoy. We're also now only 5 chapters away from the end of this installment! I'll try my best to get the next one out soon, which should hopefully happen because I already have part of it written.


Chapter 15: No One Can Hurt You Now

Haven Winchester

Bear Creek, Alabama, USA

February of 1989

Alexandria was so hungry. She'd woken up from such a nice dream. A dream where she had a new name, brothers, and didn't go hungry anymore. It just made it worse when she woke up, locked up in her dark cupboard. She tried the door, but it was locked. The light wasn't working. It was just dark, and small, and she was so hungry.

Had she been asleep so long, locked up in here, that the Dursleys had forgotten her entirely? Had they left her behind while they went on a trip? Did they just not care that she was starving?

She knew better than to make noise to remind them she was there. Uncle Vernon would get the belt. When he was done, she'd be locked up that much longer.

Alexandria had nothing to do but hide her crying in the mattress, hoping that would stifle the sound enough that Dudley wouldn't make fun of her and Uncle Vernon wouldn't be angry.

"Girl! Stop that racket!" Uncle Vernon's voice made her whimper despite herself, burying her face into the corner between the mattress and wall and curling up into a small little ball.

Don't open the door. Don't open the door. Don't open the door.

She flinched as the door flung open–


"No, I'm sorry!" Haven wailed as she flung herself bolt upright.

"Haven?"

It was Dean's voice. Dean, her older brother Dean.

"What's going on?"

That was Sammy.

Haven's heart was beating so fast, like she'd been running laps. She was ashamed to realize she was crying. She hadn't dreamed about the Dursleys in a long time. She wasn't a baby. She shouldn't cry over a stupid dream.

"It's fine," she said, trying to pretend she didn't sound like a crying baby. "Nothing. Go back to sleep."

There wasn't a response from Sammy. He was probably already asleep again. She slowly, carefully, slid off the bed. Then, just as quietly, she tip-toed out of the bedroom area over to the tiny space with couches and the kitchen.

She flinched when the light flicked on, closing her eyes and then squinting to adjust to the light. Dean was grabbing two cups.

"Go back to sleep," she grumbled, rubbing her eyes. Dean, the idiot, just ignored her and poured two cups of milk, as he always did when he caught her waking from a nightmare.

When he put a cup into her hands, she protested, "I'm not a baby anymore. You don't need to treat me like a baby."

Dean sat down with his own glass of milk. There was enough space to sit with him. Part of her really wanted to sit there with him, but the rest of her thought that she shouldn't need to sit with Dean after a nightmare anymore. It had been so long. Why would she dream about the Dursleys, much less cry and get scared because of them? She'd seen monsters. They were way scarier than some boring Dursleys.

"Just come sit down," Dean huffed at her, patting the space next to him.

She sat down.

"Wanna talk about it?" Dean asked as she began to sip her milk.

Haven considered the question. She didn't think she'd ever actually told Dean about the Dursleys. She knew she'd told him about her parents dying and about the dreams with the fae. She'd dreamed of the other monsters she'd seen a few times, too. He knew about all of those, but not the Dursleys.

"... Promise you won't… you won't hate me," Haven whispered into her milk.

"Why would I hate you?" Dean asked. It made her feel… something, that he said as if the idea was stupid. "You're a bit annoying sometimes, but that's what sisters are supposed to be, I think."

"Well…" Now that she was here, she wasn't sure how to explain the Dursleys. "I dreamed about before I was with you guys."

Dean straightened his back and looked at her. He didn't look at all sleepy anymore.

Haven stared at her lap. "I… I lived with my aunt, uncle, and cousin. Before. I… Don't tell John anything I say, either. He doesn't know. He might…" Want her to go back. Maybe that was silly. She'd been here a long time now. The Dursleys wouldn't take her back, either, she didn't think. "Anyway. I dreamed that I was locked up in my cupboard and being with you guys was just a dream."

"Cupboard?" Dean repeated.

"Under the stairs. I slept in there," Haven explained.

Dean was quiet for a few moments. "It was real bad there, wasn't it?"

"Yeah."

Haven jumped when he scooted closer and held an arm up. So she could hug him, if she wanted. When she did nothing at first, he raised an eyebrow.

"Well? Come on."

Her face was red, but she awkwardly leaned into him. He didn't really hug her much. Sammy was the one she hugged, not Dean.

"You're with us, now. Just 'cause they were too stupid to know how cool of a sister you are doesn't mean we are. We aren't gonna lock you anywhere, either," Dean said, awkwardly patting her back. Still, it was kind of nice.

"I know. It was just a stupid dream," Haven replied. She wouldn't tell him, but it did make her a bit happy for him to say that. "You're kind of cool, too. I guess."

Dean sighed and let go of her. She leaned away and went back to her milk.

"I guess I can teach you to pick locks, if you say I'm really cool," Dean said.

Haven stuck her tongue out at him. But she did think it would be nice to learn, so she said, "Whatever, you're really cool."

"Damn right."

"Damn's a bad word. If a teacher hears you they'll wash your mouth," Haven replied, having heard that threat a few times now. After all, if you weren't supposed to say the word, why did other people say it? Why did it even exist if it was bad?

"You're not gonna tell on me, so it doesn't matter," Dean said. She shrugged, because he was right. She wasn't a snitch, and Dean was way better than any stupid teacher.

After a few moments of quiet, Dean added, "You know I won't let anyone hurt you, right? If they try I'll beat them up. People or monsters."

"I'll beat them up. I don't need you to do it," Haven argued. She wasn't going to admit that it made her happy for him to say that, like he cared. Like a brother would say to a sister. She remembered that kid she met that gave her all that candy that said it wasn't so bad to be babied. He was a little right. Just a little. She wouldn't tell that to Dean, either, because she was Haven Winchester and she was going to be a strong Hunter. Stronger than anybody, ever.

"Yeah, yeah, we can both beat them up," Dean said.

"... Fine. I guess." She hid her smile in her mug of milk. "I'll beat on anyone who messes with you, too. Or Sammy."

Haven squeaked when Dean ruffled her hair. She swatted at his hand and ducked while he just laughed at her. It was bad enough her hair was always a mess, he didn't need to make it worse. Or laugh at her.

As she tried to flatten her hair (unsuccessfully), Dean said, "Thanks for telling me about it. Told you I wouldn't hate you."

"You wouldn't have stopped bothering me if I didn't," she grumbled, even if that wasn't exactly true. "You're welcome, I guess. And… thanks for not making fun of me for any of it."

"Nothing to make fun of you for."

Having a big brother was one of the best things ever, even if he was annoying and treated her like a baby sometimes. If she was anyone else, she might even say something mushy like, 'I love you', but they didn't need to say icky stuff like that.

"We should get back to sleep. There's school tomorrow," Dean said, taking his now empty cup to the sink. She got up to do the same.

Haven slept peacefully for the rest of the night. And if she curled up into her big brother, with Dean's arm around her, then that was just for them to know about and no one else.


Thank you all for reading! I'll see you next time.