A.N - Quite a short chapter but they should get longer. :)
Prologue – Part 2
6 months later, Jefferson City, Missouri
Life had been hard for the four Winchesters. John had resorted to drinking Whiskey as a way to drown his sorrows. Sam had stopped talking. Dean always seemed to be angry. But poor, little Aria didn't really understand what was happening.
It had been six gruelling months since the death of the beautiful Mary Winchester. The police and fire department said that a gas leak caused the terrible blaze, but John knew what he saw that night. A man, only for a split second, but something was in that room with Mary and Aria. He saw a flash of yellow eyes and that's it.
John stared at his leather journal that he bought a few days ago. He thought that maybe, just maybe, it could help him somehow, writing his feelings down. He put the pen to the off-white parchment and began writing…
January 20th, 1991
Aria has finally started sleeping through the night, and now that Sam shares a bed with her, she's out like a light as well. Dean insists to have his bed right next to theirs. He's begun to get very protective of his younger siblings. He's only eleven, and yet I see a maturity in him, just like Sammy. But me… I close my eyes and she's there. It always starts the same, I'm seeing her as she was before that night, beautiful and happy and alive. And I'm not seeing it, I'm living it, it's like I'm there… it's so real, I know I can reach out and touch her. And so I do… I reach out… and suddenly I'm back to that night, to the blood and the fire and Mary, Mary is on the ceiling, and how did she get on the ceiling… she can't be on the ceiling…
Here's the weird part. When I wake up, sweating and panting, I swear there is something there. I can feel it, hovering over me, over my kids. It's watching, it's waiting, I think it's even mocking me… You couldn't stop this. You couldn't keep her safe. You can't keep them safe….
John sighed and closed the journal. 'That's enough for today.' He thought, glancing over at his sleeping children. All three of them are sharing a bed tonight, Dean in the middle with an even small Aria resting comfortably on his chest and Sam snuggling up to Dean's shoulder.
He sighed again, swigging his second glass of whiskey. He had never drunk enough to get drunk, but enough to feel like everything was all good and happy. He looked at the articles in front of him, all about Mary's horrific death. He knew he shouldn't be looking at them but he couldn't help it. He needed closure. He stood and marched to the other large bed, laid down and closed his eyes. He always slept better when he'd had a drink.
Aria stirred on Dean's chest, to see a man standing there. She didn't cry, just stared at him with the same amount of curiosity that he stared at her with. He had bright blue eyes and wore a long coat that skimmed the floor. The man picked her up off Dean's chest and promptly disappeared without a trace.
The next morning Dean woke up to see just his dad and Sam sleeping peacefully. He jumped up, 'Dad!'
John jolted up, 'What Dean?'
The commotion woke Sam also.
Dean's tearful eyes met John's hazel, 'Aria's gone!'
'What?' John looked around. Dean was right. There was no sign of the toddler anywhere. The door was locked and no windows were open. They couldn't even hear her.
'Where is she?' John shouted to himself frantically. He couldn't lose her as well. He'd just lost Mary not his only daughter as well.
With that, John packed all of their belongings, ushered the boys to the Impala, and began searching. They searched for two whole years, with nothing, no sign of Aria Winchester to be found. John gave up hope, but still deep down, he knew she wasn't dead.