Ellen was about to go out for groceries when Bobby called with bad news. The second she heard what was going on, she immediately sent Signum to get Hayate and Vita out of class.
"What's going on?" asked Signum.
"There's been an attack. Dean is in critical condition at the hospital and Sam said that the doctors aren't very optimistic about his condition. Bobby said that Hayate should go in case we need to say goodbye," said Ellen.
"I'll get Hayate and Vita. Maybe Shamal can do something to improve his condition," said Signum, grabbing a coat.
Signum had been allowed to drive a car, which made getting around much easier and didn't need an explanation. So long as she never got pulled over no one would need to know she didn't have a license.
She was a better driver than Jo was, to the girl's annoyance.
"Signum? What's happening?" asked Hayate, moving her crutches with practiced ease. The doctors were hopeful she could lose those in another month, if she didn't take things too fast. As it was, she was already walking without them for short periods.
"There's been an accident. Your father's in the hospital and it doesn't look good. Hopefully Shamal might be able to help out but I wouldn't get my hopes up," said Signum.
Hayate slowly got into the car, having to rely on Signum for help. Vita was already waiting next to a smaller Zafira. Shamal had already teleported straight to the hospital.
John Winchester was heading towards his son Dean's room, mostly to see how bad his condition was for himself. He wasn't expecting his other son to freeze upon seeing someone down the hall.
Sam walked past his father and went to a woman with long rose-colored hair with a girl about eight or nine with crutches.
"What are you doing here?"
"We got a call about what happened from grandpa. Where's dad?" asked the girl with crutches.
"He's in that room over there. Hayate, I don't think you should see him like that," said Sam.
The girl, Hayate, ignored him and headed straight for Dean's room.
It was around then that Sam realized his father overheard the entire thing.
"Sam, who is that?"
Sam flinched at the sound of Hayate's shocked gasp and muffled sob, before he turned to John.
"Hayate. Dean's daughter."
John's eyebrows shot up. Dean had a daughter and didn't think to tell his own father?
"We didn't want her to be dragged into our work, so we kept our mouth shut about her. Dean didn't want you to know about her," said Sam guiltily.
"And her 'grandfather'?" asked John. He couldn't believe his sons thought so little of him that they would go to great lengths to keep his grandchild away from him.
"Bobby Singer," said the woman flatly.
"Who are you?"
"Signum. Sam, has Shamal said anything?"
"Only that his condition is a bit more severe than she's used to, and that something seems to be keeping him unconscious despite what she's been able to do," said Sam.
Shamal had already healed Sam's arm, but it was easier to keep it on rather than explain how it healed so fast. Some of Dean's injuries were beyond what she could do in a civilian hospital with people watching, but she had been able to alleviate some of the more severe injuries discreetly.
However she also said that Dean's mind seemed to be showing unusual activity, like it was highly active.
Considering what he saw when he went to visit John a few hours ago, Sam was betting his brother was having an out of body experience.
A young red haired girl with pig tailed and a bunny-themed bag around her shoulder (Hayate had stitched the rabbits on the plain looking bag for her) walked up to Sam.
"Uncle Sam, there's something weird in this hospital."
"Weird how?"
"It looks almost human, but it's kinda see-through and the last room it went in someone died," said the girl flatly.
"Are you absolutely sure about that?"
The girl nodded.
"A reaper. Just what we didn't need," sighed Sam.
"Vita, guard Hayate. I'll see if I can't convince it to leave Dean alone," said Signum.
"Right. Zafira's with Grandpa," said Vita.
Hayate was very upset to see her father laid out on the hospital bed. Shamal had done what she could, but unless they could sneak in when the place was empty or find where Dean's spirit had vanished off to, things were looking grim.
A man with an unshaven beard and a broken arm walked in. He somewhat resembled her father Dean.
However she was betting this was 'Uncle' John, the one her father wanted her to avoid if at all possible.
"So you're Dean's daughter. I'm surprised he never thought to mention you," said John.
He definitely would have answered a call from his son about him having an illegitimate child. That was quite possibly one of the few reasons he would have called Dean back before now.
"And you are?"
"John Winchester. His father," he said flatly.
Hayate was a good judge of character, and from what she saw of him she knew there was a reason why her father had kept her far, far from him.
This John Winchester reminded her of the Vampire hunter Gordon, and not in a good way. He was obsessed, so much so that he might try to use the Wolkenritter if he knew about what they could do.
If Signum hadn't beaten Gordon up the one time he tried to trick her into going on a hunt with him, she might have been used as bait for the crazed man.
She might not have been turned if bitten by vampires, but there was no way any of them would go on a hunt with him. Ellen had pretty much banned him for life after that time.
"Hayate, why don't you and Vita go get something to eat. I know you must have missed lunch getting here so fast, and going hungry isn't going to help your dad any," said Sam coming in.
"Okay uncle Sammy," she said. Sam gave her enough for the machines or if she wanted to order something from the cafe.
Sam turned to John.
"Let's get one thing straight dad. Hayate is not going to be a hunter unless she wants to be, and everyone at the Roadhouse knows to keep their traps shut about their hunts around her. We don't want her to have nightmares of something about to eat her."
"So you're just going to leave her unprotected from what's out there?" said John.
"Who said anything about leaving her unprotected? She's surrounded by hunters and people capable of keeping her safe at all times. Hayate knows that there are things out there most people wouldn't believe and that we hunt those that hurt humans. But she also knows we're not taking her on a hunt until she hits puberty at least," said Sam.
Signum came in looking grim.
"There is definitely a reaper here. And she's already trying to convince Dean to give up so she can have his soul. Though I have the feeling he followed me back to the room."
"How can you tell?" asked Sam.
"I overheard her talking to someone extremely stubborn. The only one stubborn enough to argue with someone who reaps souls is a certain pie-eating moron," said Signum dryly.
Behind her Dean's spirit looked extremely offended.
"Well unfortunately it seems dear old Dad here is determined to bond with his grandchild," said Sam annoyed.
Dean's spirit reacted to that news by breaking the vase on the table in the room.
"He definitely followed you here," said Sam.
Sam took a wild stab to where Dean's soul was and informed him "I'm not letting her spend any time with him alone Dean. You can relax."
"Do you really think that little of me?" asked John angrily.
"You forced us into becoming hunters and forced Dean into growing up before he was ready for it. I had nightmares the day I found out what you did for a living," said Sam flatly.
John left the room furious. He couldn't believe his own sons thought that he was a danger that they needed to protect Dean's daughter from.
It was Bobby who ran into John after he left the room.
"Finally found out about Hayate?"
"I can't believe they think I'm as bad as the things we go after," John ground out.
"I can. One of Dean's rules when it comes to his kid is that she's not forced into our lifestyle. All the hunters at the bar know to keep quite about their hunts around her, because they don't want to be responsible for giving an innocent girl like her nightmares about the monsters in the dark. And let's face it Winchester, if you had known about Hayate you would have dragged her into our world and ruined her innocence about what's really out there," said Bobby.
"No I wouldn't! I would have kept an eye on her and not dragged her into this mess! Even Adam doesn't know about what I do for a living!" said John, before he suddenly clammed up, realizing what he had just let slip.
"Adam? Who's Adam?" said Bobby.
John kept his mouth shut, but it was too late.
"Winchester, who is Adam? And don't lie," growled Bobby.
"Adam... is my son. My other son."
Bobby pinched the bridge of his nose.
"You mean to tell me Sam and Dean have a half-brother out there that they didn't know about?" he said.
John didn't say a word, but his expression spoke volumes.
"Like father, like son," muttered Bobby.
"What do you mean by that?"
"The minute Dean learned about his daughter in Japan, he almost moved heaven and earth just to bring her to America when he found out she was all alone. She had been living alone for two months when she found a letter from her mother explaining about her birth father not being the man she was told he was. Then she called me and I helped arranged to bring her here," said Bobby.
"And the red heads?"
"They showed up later."
John sighed. It was a hard blow learning he had a granddaughter all this time and that his sons felt that they had to keep her from him for her safety. It spoke volumes about how they felt about their own father. The fact he was so upset that he let slip about his third son to Bobby... it was a hard thing to take.
However Dean's condition wasn't improving, and there was no way he was going to deprive his granddaughter of her father, not after realizing it was his fault that his sons had kept her from him.
"Bobby, can you get a few things for me?"
Bobby saw what was on the list, and knew what John was planning. He was going to make a deal.
"You're a damn idjit, but I'll get them. If I were you I would write a letter to the boys explaining about their half brother before you try it," said Bobby.
He wasn't going to stop John from making a deal. That was his problem, not Bobby's.
Dean made a 'miraculous' recovery after John vanished for a few hours. He did hand Sam a letter hastily written before he left the room and collapsed.
Hayate was so relieved her father was alright that she refused to leave Bobby's house for a full week and insisted on helping him repair the Impala.
Considering how rarely they got to do anything that qualified as father-daughter bonding, Dean didn't mind calling the school and excusing his daughter for a few days.
Gil Graham was having a bad year. It started out when he ceased getting the bills for Hayate's treatment for the unexplained paralysis in her legs, and it only got worse when a few discreet inquiries proved that she wasn't even in Japan anymore.
It had taken him months to finally locate her, and when he brought her back to the house the girl slipped through the extensive wards around the area in less than a week!
He knew the book had awakened too early, far too early for any of his plans. The strangest thing of all was that when he finally did get a copy of her medical records (which had taken more favors than he was comfortable with), he found out that somehow the girl was starting to make a full recovery from whatever kept her from walking.
Which as far as he was aware was impossible.
But the clincher was the fact that somehow Hayate had found herself in a home that was full of people who were all too willing to shoot his beloved familiars without hesitation. And that they knew a fake ID when they saw it.
It made him wonder how she had managed to find such good protectors...and how he was supposed to stop the Book of Darkness from hurting anyone else every again now.