A/N: You guys, I kid you not. I started working on this chapter two hours after posting the previous one yesterday, and I could not sleep until I finished it. It is 3:49am right now, and I have worked on this thing steadily since yesterday morning, with only a couple of real breaks. Dang it, I got school tomorrow. I'm screwed x(.

In this chapter, Missy confronts John about his actions in the last chapter.

"Get up, you son of a bitch. Time for us to talk."

John was making and flexing a fist, anger coursing through him. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Missy was not the least bit intimidated. "What? Did I make you mad? You want to hit me? Do it, John, I dare you."

"No."

"Why not?" Missy asked. "Come on, I'm right here. Do it."
"Why are you trying to provoke me?"

"What? You don't want to hit me, someone who can put your ass into the ground with no trouble, but you have no problem hurting your twelve-year-old that's less than half your size? Explain that to me." Missy said.

"I spanked her, I didn't hurt her."

"You humiliated her." Missy said through clenched teeth. "Her damn hair looks like you went at it with a weed whacker. What the hell were you doing?"

"Teaching her a lesson. If she would've stayed still it wouldn't have looked as bad."

"Christo." Missy said.

"I'm not possessed."

"Then this is a thousand times worse. Are you listening to yourself? Your daughter, who has been growing her hair since she was four, gets upset and struggles when you drag her to the bathroom to force a haircut on her, so you leave it looking like a rat's nest. She's a twelve-year-old girl, John. What is the matter with you?" Missy asked. "It didn't occur to you when Sugar, who only attacks people that are hurting Evy, jumped on you and tried to bite you that you might be crossing the line?"

"He can't jump in when I'm dealing with Evy. He has to learn the difference between her being spanked and her being hurt." John said indignantly.

"My God, you're going for the gold here, aren't you?" Missy asked. "While we're on the subject, where is Sugar?"

"What?" John asked. "I don't know."
"Evy said you threw him off you and he was unconscious. You wouldn't let her help him or call me or Sam. Where's the damn dog, John?" Missy asked again.

"I swear. I don't know." John answered, finally showing the first signs of guilt.

"Dean's out looking for Sugar now. You better pray that Sugar's okay. Because if he's hurt, or, God forbid, he's dead, I will beat you until you're flat as a pancake." Missy said.

John ran a hand through his hair. He had a vague memory of pushing Sugar away from him, and of Evy begging him to leave Sugar alone, but he didn't remember Sugar being unconscious. He also remembered cutting Evy's hair, but had he hurt her more than he realized?
"I'll go help Dean…"
"You're not going anywhere near Evy or Sugar right now." Missy said. "And Dean is just as pissed at you as I was, so I wouldn't cross him either."

John faltered when he realized the magnitude of what he'd done. "I didn't mean to hurt her."

"You didn't mean to hurt her?" Missy asked, slowly repeating the phrase in sheer disbelief. "What were you thinking, John? What made you think that what you did was even remotely okay?"

"I thought she did it without permission…"
"Newsflash, John. She did have permission. And even if she hadn't? It's hair, John! It's hair! As long as she keeps it clean and brushed, I don't give a damn what she does with it!" Missy said.

"I'm her father, I should have some say in how she looks."

"What? Why?" Missy asked. "What do you care how she looks?"

"The pink just looks ridiculous." John said, trying desperately to cling to some kind of defense for his actions.

"I can't…" Missy sputtered, unable to believe the depth of John's denial. "John, do you remember what you said to me when I was pregnant and told you I was having a girl?"

"Yeah."

"What did you say?" Missy asked.

"I don't want to…"
"I don't give a damn what you want right now. Answer the question." Missy said. "What did you say to me when I told you I was having a little girl?"

"That I was scared."
"Scared of what?" Missy asked.

"That she'd grow up to be scared of me."
"Yep. You were worried she'd be scared of you. And I said what?" Missy asked.

"That you'd help me figure out how to not make her scared of me."
"And I'm sorry. I'm sorry I broke that promise, John." Missy said.

"What are you talking about?" John asked.

"I'm sorry I broke that promise. I must have, because your daughter is terrified of you now."
"This isn't on you." John said. "I'm the one that screwed up."

"No. A screw up is when you yell at her for something minor, or you don't show up for a birthday or when you promised you'd be here. I need to be very clear with you what you did here. You didn't just punish her unfairly. You assaulted her. You hurt her more than you've ever hurt her before, and I don't know if she'll ever trust you again. She grew her hair long because it made her feel like she was pretty. Like she was special in a family where she's the only little girl. You took that from her because you thought that she defied some stupid rule that we didn't have in the first place." Missy was no longer shouting; she saw she was getting through to him, but she had to drive it home. "Did you really listen to her?"
"When?"
"Before you put the clippers, or the scissors, or whatever you used on her, to her hair, did you listen to her like I taught you?" Missy asked. "Did you calmly ask her why she did what she did?"

"She told me you said it was okay." John said.

"I did. But if you had listened to her, had an ounce of goddamn empathy for your own kid, she would have been able to tell you that the dye, the black and the pink, wasn't permanent."

"What?" John asked.

"It's not permanent." Missy said. "It washes out in under a week. She was curious what her hair would look like if it was a different color. This time next week, it'll be back to the normal color."

"Why didn't she tell me that?"

"Because she's still a little girl, John." Missy said. "And you are more than twice her size, stronger than her, drunk, screaming at her, and making her feel like shit for being a kid. It's the equivalent of me, Dean, Sam, and Bobby stripping you naked, tying you to a chair, and beating you up."
"I didn't scream…"

"You may not feel like you're screaming, but you might as well be." Missy explained. "When you make it clear that nothing she can say is going to make a difference, she's not going to talk. I've told you all of this before."

"I know." John said. "I know."
"So why are we back here?" Missy asked. A thought occurred to her. "Did you drink again after I went to work?" John nodded, and Missy exploded. "It wasn't even noon when I left! What the hell did you do, have a bottle under the bed and start drinking the second I walked out?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, my God!" Missy said.

"I know I shouldn't." John said. "But I keep getting closer and closer to this thing."

"John, I get it. When I was close to the thing that killed Mark and Ruthie, I couldn't see straight either. But I told you a long time ago, Evy has nothing to do with it. If you want to keep her in your life, you have to put everything behind you when you come back to this house." Missy said.

"I know…"
"If you know, then get your head out of your ass and change it." Missy said. "While you still have a chance."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, I was ready to tell you to get your stuff together and get out and not come back. But Evy begged me not to. She was afraid if I told you to leave you'd never come back." Missy said.

"She asked you not to kick me out?"

"Yep. So you're going to listen to me now, and if you so much as go off this by one step, you're done. You pack your stuff and go to Bobby's, Pastor Jim's, sleep in your truck, I don't care. But you'll be done here." Missy said.

John nodded. "What do I need to do?"

"First thing is this. If Sugar is hurt, or worse, you will be the one to tell Evy. I'm done being the only one who sits here and listens to her crying because of you. You will not take another hunt until she forgives you." Missy started.

"Done."
"Second, you will apologize. The same way you apologized the day you told her about monsters. You'll tell her you were wrong, that you never should have done it. You won't make excuses, and if she decides not to forgive you yet, you won't make her feel guilty for it." Missy said.

"Done."
"I mean it, John. This is up to her. I'm not going to make her talk to you." Missy warned.

"I understand." John said.

"You are not allowed a drop of alcohol in this house anymore." Missy said. "If you have so much as had one beer on a hunt, you go to Bobby's and stay there until you're sober. I will call Bobby and tell him about this."

Missy's phone beeped before John could answer, and she quickly checked it. It was a text from Dean. Sugar was alive and seemed to be unhurt. Dean had found him near a tree in the park where Evy normally took him to run. He had been shaking, and was, at first, afraid to come with Dean. But Dean now had him in the Impala and was ready to come home. Missy suddenly got an idea, and told Dean to give her a half hour first. She put her phone away and told John,

"You got very, very lucky today. Sugar's fine. It looks like he regained consciousness and ran out the dog door."

John breathed a sigh of relief.

"Don't get too happy yet. Because I haven't told you the last condition." Missy said.

"What is it?" John asked.

"You're going to shave your head. Once a week, every single week, until Evy's hair is back to the length it was before." Missy said.

John's mouth gaped open. "That could take months!"

"Exactly. She's gonna have to live with the consequences of what you did to her for months. It's only fair you do too."

"Just shave it?" John asked, hopeful.

"Bald." Missy clarified. "Hair, beard, mustache."

"You said it yourself. It's just hair. It will grow back."

"It's hair on a twelve-year-old little girl in the seventh grade." Missy said. "She's in middle school. Kids are cruel. You embarrassed her needlessly, I'm gonna do the same to you. Or you can do what we said. Pack your stuff and go to Bobby's. What your choice?"
"Fine." John said, moving towards the bathroom.

"Where do you think you're going?" Missy asked.

Confused, John turned back around. "To the bathroom…"
"Nope. Go get your clippers and go to the kitchen. Evy didn't get to do her own hair, neither do you." Missy said.

"Can't I at least look at what you're doing?"

"No." Missy said. "And John? As far as I go? You just lost the ability to make any choice in her life. School, health decisions, whether or not she can go on sleepovers, all that's up to me now. You're gonna have to earn my trust back too."

John swallowed. "I understand."

"Go on. Get the clippers."

Evy walked in the house early the next afternoon, hand clasped tightly in Sam's. Missy had called before she went to bed the night before. All she would tell Evy was that everything would change and that 'mommy would make it okay'. When Evy walked in the house, she had barely made it in the door before Sugar knocked her down, jumping into her lap and kissing her hands, neck, face, and any other part of her she could reach.

"Sugar! You're okay!" Evy said, hugging him tight around the waist. Sugar whimpered a bit and Evy immediately examined him. "What's wrong?"
"Just be careful, Kitten." Missy said, bending down on her knees to the two of them. "I took him to the vet this morning. Sugar's okay, he's just got a little bit of a bruise on his side right here." Missy pointed to Squish's left side. "You can hug him, just be super gentle."

"Okay, mommy." Evy said, grabbing Sugar's neck the second time.

Missy smiled and took Evy's chin. "Your haircut is beautiful. So is your new dress."

Evy smiled. Her hair was cut to her shoulders and wavier than it had been before. She wore a hairbow in it, something she didn't normally like to do, as it made her feel 'like a baby'. She could also tell what Sam, or most likely Jess, had done with her for fun the night before. Evy was wearing a new summer dress. It was perfect for her. It was denim, with a white belt, white buttons, and a white collar. She was also wearing white dress shoes with a buckle. Missy wrapped her in a hug and held her tight, then asked her and Sam to come into the living room. Evy gasped when she saw John's shaved head and face.

"Daddy?"
"We'll talk about that, Kitten. Come on, sit down." Missy said.

Evy took her seat on the couch, next to Sam. Dean sat in the recliner in the middle of the room, and Missy sat on the other side of Evy. Evy leaned against Sam and took his arm, looking cautiously between her mom and dad.

"What's going on?" Evy asked.

"John. You're up." Missy said.

John leaned forward and said, "Little one, I'm so sorry about yesterday. I had no reason to hurt you like I did."
"Then why did you?" Evy asked. "I didn't do anything."

"I know." John said. "There's no excuse for yesterday, little one."

"You hurt me, Daddy." Evy said tearfully, as Sam rubbed her back and Missy took her hand. "And you hurt Sugar. Sugar was just trying to help me."

"I know." John said.

"Why don't you want me anymore?" Evy asked. "Why are you so mean to me all the time now? I don't get it. What did I do?"

John's heart shattered. "Little one, I know I haven't made you feel like it, but I do love you. I love you even more today than I did when you were born. I'll do the best I can to convince you of that."

As Evy wiped some tears away, she asked, "Why did you shave your head?"

"I did that." Missy told her. "And it's going to keep happening until your hair grows back the way you want it."

"Really?" Evy asked. "Daddy, you agreed to that?"

"Yes." John said.

"Kitten, listen. There's one big change. From now on, it's not me and your Daddy making decisions and Sam and Dean backing us up. Now it goes me, Sammy, Deanie, uncle Bobby, then your Daddy. You can forgive your dad right now if you want. That's up to you. But he's going to have to work to earn back your trust. And until you tell me he has, that's the way things operate around here. Does that make sense?"

"Yes, mommy." Evy said.

"Little one, I meant it. I am sorry for last night."

Evy looked down towards the floor. She wanted to forgive John, but she was scared. She knew better than to think him shaving his head was something he automatically agreed with. She knew Missy had forced him into it, and that Missy had probably told him if he didn't agree she would throw him out. Evy didn't want to stay mad at her father. He had hurt her, but she could see he was trying to make it better. She made her decision about what to do. She looked to Dean and Sam, both of whom were glaring angrily at John, and Missy, who squeezed her hand for reassurance. Evy took a deep breath and told him,

"I love you, daddy. And I do forgive you. But mommy's right. I can't trust you. I'm afraid if I were alone with you it'd just happen again. So until you prove to me it won't happen again, I can't be alone with you." She felt bad when she saw John wipe a tear away, but she kept going. "Daddy, I love seeing you when you get back. But you used to grab me and hug me and hold me when you got home. Now you barely look at me. And when you do it's to make me feel bad for doing stuff with my friends. Just because I have friends doesn't mean I don't love you too." Sugar noticed Evy was crying again and started to growl at John. Evy rubbed his fur gently and commanded, "Sugar, stop. I'm fine." Sugar stopped growling but kept his eye towards John, ready and willing to leap up and defend her if he needed to. "I'm sorry if this hurts your feelings, but if you keep doing stuff like yesterday, mommy's gonna make you leave. And I don't want you to go, daddy. I love you and miss you too much. I know you're having a hard time lately, but that's not my fault. Please, I don't want a whole lot from you, daddy. I just want you to be nicer to me. Can you do that?"

John Winchester does not cry. Ever. At least, not in front of his children. To him, crying means weakness, and weak people don't make it in the world. But as he sat on that living room couch, listening to his baby beg him not to leave after hurting her so badly, and pleading with him to just be nice to her, it occurs to him what a royal damn screw up he truly has become, and the tears won't stop. Even if he were to get up from the couch that very second and kill the thing that had killed Mary, Evy would still be feeling horrible about herself because of him. He realized that if Mary were to come back to life just then, she would want nothing to do with him, and that breaks him. John buried his face in his hands and weeps.

Which is why he jumped when he felt two hands on the side of his cheeks. He looked up and saw Evy staring at him. The sight of her now short hair made him cry again. He wanted so badly to tell her so many things. I love you. You're beautiful, inside and out. You and your mother are the best thing to ever happen to me and I couldn't bear to lose you. I'm sorry. Please forgive me. I'll change, I swear. But before he could say anything, Evy stunned him when she said,

"Don't be sad, daddy. I still love you."

John smiled and kissed Evy's hand gratefully. "I love you too, little one. And I'm sorry. I'll try to do better."

"Can I have a hug?"

For the first time in months, John drew her in for a rib crushing 'Daddy bear hug', as Evy had called them when she was much younger. She had always complained when he did that, something along the lines of 'Daddy, you squishing me!', but now all she felt suffocated by was the idea that things could go back to the way they'd been before. After several reassurances from Evy that she'd be fine, Sam went back to his apartment. When it got close to Evy's bedtime, she grabbed John's hand and asked him to tuck her in, nearly making him weep all over again. Once she was asleep, John came out into the living room, where an exhausted Missy sat with a cup of coffee.

"Are we over?" he asked, dreading the answer.

Missy sighed. "We should be. But we're not. I don't know why, but I love you too damn much, despite everything you've done. Not just over the last twenty-four hours, but the last few months too."

"I understand."
"Do you? Do you really? Do you understand that if you screw up like this again there will not be another chance? With me or with Evy?" Missy asked.
"Yes. I do get it, I swear."
Missy nodded, drained her coffee, and stood up. "Okay. Since she gave you another chance, I will too. Don't mess it up."

"I won't." John swore.

"Alright. Let me put this in the sink and we'll go to bed." A few minutes later, as she turned off the light, Missy said into the darkness, "Good night, John."
"Goodnight." John replied. He leaned over to kiss her, but for the first time in a very long time, Missy turned her back to him. "I'm sorry."

A/N: Has John really turned a corner? Stay tuned and find out!