Well, don't all try to review at once, now, you'll jam up the system :)

Seriously, though, I promise that this chapter will answer questions and be a lot lonnger than the last one, making it that much easier to review :)

I'll shut up now and get on with the story...

It didn't take long for Ellen to recognize the girl at the bar, and her heart almost stopped when she did. She searched the room, looking for the man that should have been with her, should have been watching her, but couldn't find him. That could only mean one thing, and it wasn't good.

She set her grocery bag down on the bar, leaving it for Jo to put away, and walked toward the girl. She had no idea what to say, how much the teenager had been told. They were strangers. The only things Ellen knew about her were the few snippets Dean sent every few months, school pictures and progress reports and the like.

The girl turned on the stool, noticing her, assessing her with all-too-familiar eyes. "Ellen Harvelle?"

Gulping back fear and uncertainty, Ellen nodded. The girl closed her eyes, nodding back, and slid off the stool. She walked closer to the older woman, stood right in front of her, and looked up.

"You don't know me," she said softly, glancing back at the bar, eyes falling on Jo, "but I'm your daughter."

Again, the hunter nodded. "Let's go into the back and talk, huh?" She started to walk away, but the girl hung back.

"Will I be coming back?"

Ellen sighed, turning slightly to find the girl smirking. "Just like your father," she mused.

o0o0o0o0o

The back room, really a spare bedroom that nobody ever used, was small and cramped and made uncomfortable by the awkwardness of the entire situation. The door was closed and mother and daughter stared at each other for what seemed to be hours before either one dared speak.

"Your father doesn't know you're here, does he?" Ellen finally asked, breaking the silence that had hung around them for so long.

"Well, he's probably figured it out by now."

"You ran away from home?"

"I didn't run away from home. Home is where your family is. You're my family, therefore, this is my home. I didn't run away, I ran to. There's a big difference."

"Jaydin Mary Winchester-"

"How'd you know my name?"

Ellen sighed. "Your father told me."

"You two talk a lot?"

"He writes."

"You write back?"

She looked at the girl, her daughter, and couldn't lie. "No. Not really."

Jaydin nodded. "That's cool. E-mail's easier, anyway."

"I don't… look, I can't do this right now, ok? Just tell me why you're here and how you got here and I'll call your dad and-"

"He probably already left."

"Fine, then. I won't call your dad. Just tell me-"

Jaye sighed and plopped down on the old, dusty bed. "I've been asking about my mother since I was a little kid," she explained, "he always told me that he'd tell me when I was older. Today was the day."

"What did he tell you?"

She smiled. "You two had a thing once, it was called off, and then you found out about me. You were scared that something would go wrong with the pregnancy, and dad, being the totally awesome guy he is, offered to take me off your hands. You knew a witch, and it all worked out for the best."

"You know about…?"

"Dad almost having to push a grapefruit through a straw? Yeah."

"No. The witch."

"That? Well, yeah, I mean, I've known about that stuff forever. Dad didn't think it was safe to keep me in the dark, so I just kind of grew up knowing about it."

"He told you?"

Jaydin nodded. "Yep. What he used to do, what you do here, all of it. I think it's awesome."

"And you weren't scared?"

"Dad's not gonna let anything happen to me. Come on, you know that."

Ellen sighed and sat down beside her daughter. "How'd you get here?"

"Hitchhiked."

"You what?"

"Yeah," the girl nodded, smiling, "don't tell dad, though. He's really against it. Says that the last time anyone in our family ever hitchhiked, uncle Sammy almost fell for a demon."

"So you ran away from your father, hitchhiked, and spent some quality time in a bar. Yeah, he's gonna love that."

Jaye shrugged. "I had to meet you. I mean, my whole life I've wanted a mom. Dad never really talked about you, though, and he never dated. I just wanted to see what I've been missing."

"Well, you've seen it. Happy?" she snapped.

The girl looked up at her with bright eyes, eyes that were so much like Dean's that it was scary, eyes that suddenly held that same hurt, that same sad shine. "Yeah, all right."

"Look," Ellen began, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder and watching her brighten instantly, another sign that she really was who she claimed to be, "your dad isn't gonna like this. He's gonna be pissed. I really don't want to be on the receiving end of that rage. Understand?"

Jaydin nodded. "Yeah, totally."

"Good."

"So, that blonde chick out there… that's my sister?"

"Half-sister."

The girl nodded again, slowly this time, as if she were thinking something through. "She's as old as dad."

Ellen sighed, ducking her head. "Six years younger, actually."

"That's cool. Always kind of wanted an older sibling to scare."

o0o0o0o0o

"Who is that?" Jo whispered as she walked down the hall, only stopping to ask her mother about the teenage girl now sleeping in the spare room.

"That would be Dean's little girl."

"Why was she looking for you?"

Ellen shrugged, keeping up the charade she'd acted out for almost fourteen years, lying to her daughter. "No idea."

"Well, is he ok?"

"He's fine."

Jo nodded. "Fine as a traitor can be."

"Joanna Beth!"

"What? He gave up the only life he'd ever known to settle down and raise some random hooker's kid. He's gone soft, and the other side is getting stronger every day. He needs to get back on that horse, load up that trunk, and do what he does best."

"Some people outgrow the game, Jo. His priorities changed. She came first."

Jo shook her head. "That's a lousy excuse. The world needs hunters, mom, and he's one of the best. I don't see how he can just sit back and watch things get worse and worse."

"You wouldn't understand, honey. Go home."

"Aren't you coming?"

"I'm gonna stay here to watch out for her, make sure nothing tries to get her."

"Whatever, I'll leave the lights on for you."

Ellen nodded her thanks and went back to watching the sleeping girl. It had been a long day, a day of worrying about saying the wrong thing, of waiting for Dean to show up and break down the door trying to find his daughter, of lying to Jo.

Well, that last part wasn't exactly new. She'd been lying to Jo since the blonde had come running back home. It wasn't something she enjoyed doing, but it just seemed right.

Sighing, she left the open bedroom door and headed into the bar to finish cleaning up. She was scrubbing the scratched countertop when the pounding began.

Loud banging shook the door in its frame as Ellen hurried to unlock it. Dean ran in, was actually halfway across the room before he bothered to stop and look at her. "Please tell me she's here," he breathed, voice breaking, every word dripping with desperation.

"Calm down," Ellen said softly, closing the door, "she's here." She turned in time to see his body relax, to watch him run his hands through graying hair, to hear the sigh of relief escape his lips.

"Where exactly?" he asked, gazing around the empty bar.

"Back room. She's asleep."

"How-?"

"Hitchhiked."

He shook his head. "I'm gonna kill her."

"I'm sure you are," Ellen grinned, pointing down the hallway to the open bedroom door. Dean barely waited for her to finish the sentence before setting off to see if she was telling the truth.

He returned to the bar in record time and slid onto a stool, burying his head in his arms and sighing. "She tell you why?"

Ellen sat down next to him. "Something about always wanting a mom."

"Great," he snorted, "just freakin' perfect. I knew…" he looked up at her and trailed off.

"Go ahead. You can say it. You knew you shouldn't have told her about me."

"I didn't mean-"

"Of course you did. It's understandable. Look, you can take her back home right now if you want to, or you can leave in the morning. I'm not gonna stop you."

"She might."

"Stubborn?"

He smiled. "She gets it from you."

Ellen nodded, glancing around the empty room, looking at anything and everything but the man sitting beside her. "So, how's Sam?"

Dean shrugged. "Dunno. Ok, I guess. He's been pretty busy lately, or something."

"I thought he lived with you?"

"Not since Jaye was five. Soon as I got a good job, he was gone."

"Back to school?"

Dean shook his head, grinning. "No, surprisingly. He said someone's gotta keep the world safe. He bought a car and left. I get e-mails, phone calls every once in a while. He's doing all right. Jo?"

It was Ellen's turn to grin. "She came back home a couple of years after Jaye was born. She kept asking about you."

"What did you tell her?"

The grin turned into a full-on ear-to-ear smile. "I told her you got a hooker knocked up a couple of towns over and decided to play dad. Then I told her your baby's momma left you."

"If it makes you feel any better," he chuckled, "you're one of the prettiest hookers I've ever slept with."

Her smile died instantly. "Dean…"

"I know, I know. Don't tell Jo and don't get the wrong idea. We made a mistake. Best mistake I've ever made, but a mistake nonetheless."

She nodded. "So, you want to stay here tonight, or you gonna find a motel?"