AN: My first story update of the new year! Enjoy, and please let me know your thoughts! Thank you!
Brinley climbed into the truck beside John, buckled her seatbelt, and propped her pillow against the window. "I think I want to be called Brynne now," she announced as she rested her head on the pillow.
"Hmmmm…..Brynne? Why's that?" John questioned, amused by her attempts at sounding like a grown-up.
"Because I'm not a little girl and Brynne sounds more grown up," she replied with a yawn. "I'm so tired," she mumbled.
"I see," John replied with a smile. "Well….I think I prefer to call you Brinley since you are still a "little girl." He turned to glance at her, and her eyes were already closed. John smiled and started the truck. He felt better about where their relationship was headed and could see Brinley was becoming more comfortable around him. They drove for a few hours when John noticed Brinley rustling next to him.
"No…no…no," she whined. "Mmmmomm? Mom? I want my mom!" she cried out. John gently grabbed her little arm and gave her a little squeeze.
"Hey kiddo, wake up, you're dreaming," he said gently.
"No!" she cried. "Mom! I need you!" John quickly pulled the truck over to the side of the road with a confused Sam and Dean pulling in behind him.
"Brinley!" John said in a louder tone. He watched as the child started flailing and quickly unhooked her seatbelt, so she didn't get hurt. He scooted closer to her and attempted to put his arms around her, but Brinley pushed him off frantically, hitting him in the face during the chaos.
"No! Stay away!" she cried as she opened the truck door and darted across the dark, deserted highway. John was shocked and unprepared, and quickly tried to go after her. However, Sam was already on it and chasing Brinley across the highway and into the forest that ran alongside the road. Dean followed after him, while John grabbed a flashlight from the back of the truck. The boys were worried and confused and had no idea what was going on.
"Brinley, stop!" called Sam. The sound of her feet rustling through the leaves was getting closer to him and he could hear her panting heavily in the darkness.
"Sam!" her little voice called back.
"Brinley, stop where you are, I'm almost there," Sam said. Brinley obeyed and within moments Sam found her. She frantically wrapped her arms around him, and he quickly lifted her off of the ground and into his arms. He could feel her heart pounding against him. "Brinley, what happened?" Sam asked worriedly.
"Did he follow us?" she asked with panic to her voice as she clenched him tightly. "We need to hide Sam!"
"Sam!" called Dean's voice in the distance.
"Dean, over here! I have her!" Sam called back. "Brinley, did "who" follow us?" Sam questioned.
"The vampire, I think he was a vampire….the one with the yellow eyes," she replied as Dean and John caught up just in time to hear her response. The boys exchanged worried glances with John.
"You had a bad dream," John replied as he took her from Sam's arms. "Let's get you back to the truck. It's cold out here."
"I'm sorry Dad. I thought you were HIM. Please do not let him get me," she yawned as she rested her head on John's shoulder.
"It's ok kiddo, I'm not mad," John replied reassuringly. John set Brinley inside the truck and the child buckled up and settled in with her pillow and blanket. John closed the door and turned to find the boys hovering behind him. "I know what you're both thinking, but this isn't the time to talk about this. I don't want her to hear us. I'm going to see if I can get any more information out of her. We should probably stop soon and get some rest." John stepped away from the boys and headed to the driver's side of his truck. "Do you want to talk about it?" John asked as he pulled back out onto the highway.
"Not really," Brinley replied quietly, fighting the urge to want to harm herself. She glanced around the truck to see if there was anything sharp she could sneak under the blanket but saw nothing.
"Do you remember anything about your dream?" John questioned.
"A little," she replied with a sigh. "I saw my mom again and she told that man with the yellow eyes to stay away from me." Brinley paused for a moment and then looked over at John. "He said that you needed to stop looking for him or he would get revenge. Do you know who he is?"
"It was just a dream kiddo," John replied reassuringly. John felt unsettled and contemplated telling her about his wife and Sam's girlfriend, and how their mission was to kill the yellow eyed demon, but he didn't want to take away what innocence she had left, nor did he want her to be afraid. "Sometimes dreams can feel very real," he commented. Brinley nodded her head in agreement. She couldn't help but feel that John was hiding something from her which made her all the more curious to uncover the truth. "We're going to stop at the next motel and get some rest."
Brinley woke up several hours later tucked in a bed. She glanced over to find John sound asleep in the bed beside her. The motel room was small and dingy and had a damp smell to it. The blue paisley wallpaper was pulling away from the walls in the corners of the room. Brinley climbed out of bed and headed for the bathroom. As she headed out, she could hear Dean and Sam's voices next door and gently pulled open the connecting door on her side. Their side was unlocked so she quietly pushed it open so she wouldn't wake her dad. "This yellow eyed demon is bad news Dean," she heard Sam say as she was about to walk in, but instead she stopped to listen.
"I trust that dad knows what he's doing," Dean responded.
"What if he doesn't Dean? Then what?" Sam questioned. Brinley jumped when she felt a strong grip on her shoulder and spun around to find John. Sam and Dean immediately went to see what was happening.
"Were you eavesdropping on your brothers?" John demanded. Sam and Dean exchanged worried glances.
"No, you were asleep, and I was just going to say hi," Brinley replied worriedly. John eyed her suspiciously.
"Don't lie to me Brinley," he stated firmly.
"Uhhhhh, why does it matter?" she sassed back.
"I asked you a question and I want an honest answer," John ordered.
"Uhhhhh! YES, I was eavesdropping! And you're all liars!" she yelled back. John immediately grabbed her arm, tucked her under his arm, and landed five quick smacks to her bottom. He set her on her feet and turned her to face him. Tears filled her eyes, and she bit her lower lip in an attempt to stop herself from crying. "I was supposed to be given two warnings first," she mumbled.
"Don't you ever use that tone with me again. Do you understand?" he demanded. Brinley nodded her head. "How about a 'yes, sir'," John ordered.
"Dad," Sam intervened. John glared over at his son. "Remember our talk about you trying not to be a drill sergeant anymore?" John sighed. He wanted to be angry at Sam for calling him out, but he also knew his son was right.
"You're right son," John sighed. He looked back at Brinley. "What's this nonsense about two warnings?"
"Sam and Dean said I would be given two warnings before I'd be given a punishment," Brinley replied.
'Well, that's their rule, not mine, and if you cross the line with me, I will decide when and how I punish you," John replied firmly. "Understood?" Brinley nodded her head. "Now, why are you calling us liars?"
"You said that the yellow eyed man was just a dream….and I heard Sam and Dean talking about him," Brinley replied. John glanced at the boys and sighed.
"I didn't want to scare you," John replied as he ruffled the hair on top of her head. "Let's take a seat and I'll tell you everything we know." The four of them sat at the small table and chairs in the corner of the room. John told her everything from what happened to Mary and Sam's girlfriend. "I don't know why you're dreaming about him, but I'm going to find out." John paused and took a deep breath. "Listen, I know I said we should fight this together, but I think it would be best if we separate. Sam, Dean, I want you to take Brinley to Bobby's, get her settled in, and then we'll meet."
"Wait, no….who is Bobby?" Brinley protested. "I want to stay with you. Please Dad!" The boys were in agreement with their Dad. It was too dangerous for their sister, and they knew she would be safer with Bobby. She looked toward her brothers. "Tell him he should take me too," she pleaded.
"He's right Brinley," Dean replied. "We can't risk you getting hurt too."
"This is bullshit!" she shouted as she slammed her little fists on the table.
"Hey!" John's voice boomed. "I know you're upset, but I don't want to hear that language out of your mouth." Brinley got up from the table and headed for her bed. She pulled the covers over her completely and buried her face in the pillow. "We'll head out tomorrow morning. I will give Bobby a call," John said to the boys. "I'm going to continue to track this thing."
"We should do something fun today," Sam suggested.
"I was thinking the same thing," John replied. "I saw a go cart and laser tag place up the road."
"Sounds fun, I think we need it," Dean commented as he got up from the table. He headed over to Brinley's bed and dove in beside her. "Where's Brinley?" he teased as he pulled the covers from her face. He could see that she was crying. "Hey…enough of that, we're going to have a no crying day," he said jokingly as he tickled her ribs. A smile appeared on her face. "You're going to be all right kid," he said gently. "I promise." John looked on and it was comforting for him to see how good they were with Brinley. "Now come on, get up and get ready," he urged as he pulled the blankets all the way off of her.
John, the boys, and Brinley enjoyed their day together. It was the most fun Brinley and the boys had in a while. After go carts they headed out to dinner. "I have to go to the bathroom," Brinley announced before they sat down.
"Let's go," John said as he headed for the restroom. He knocked and then opened the women's room to make sure there was no one inside, and then allowed her to go in alone. He never could be too cautious. "Lock the door. We'll be at the table," he said as he closed the door behind her. Several minutes passed and she still hadn't come out yet. "Think she's ok?" John questioned the boys.
"I'll go check," Sam replied, slightly concerned since she had a history of harming herself in bathrooms. "Brinley," he called as he knocked on the door.
"I'm coming," she said as he heard the hand dryer. Sam waited and watched as she emerged from the bathroom. Her cheeks were flushed, and she didn't seem right to him.
"Everything ok?" he asked as he stopped her. He saw some blood on the sleeve of her long-sleeved t-shirt.
"Yeah," she replied. She saw him glance at her arm again which made her look too. "Please Sam, please don't tell Dad," she pleaded.
"Don't tell Dad what?" John's voice questioned from behind her. Brinley spun around to face him. "What's going on?" he asked her. Brinley did not respond so he looked toward Sam.
"I think she may have cut herself," Sam replied disappointedly. John glared down at his daughter.
"We're not going to do this here," he replied with annoyance. "Sam, you and brother get the food to go, we'll be in the car." He took Brinley's other arm and started to lead her away.
"Dad, please don't be mad that she hurt herself," Sam urged.
"I'm not mad about that," John replied, "Sam, don't worry, I can handle this. We'll be outside." "Let's go," he said to Brinley as he led her out to the impala. He picked her up and sat her on the trunk. "Listen kiddo, I know you can't help it and I'm not mad that you cut yourself." He took her arm and pushed up her sleeve to see three new wounds. "These will need to be cleaned up." He looked at Brinley to find that she was crying. "How did you do it?" he asked.
"A pocketknife," she sobbed.
"And where did you get a pocketknife?" he questioned sternly.
"I found it at the go carts," she replied. John sighed.
"Why did you do it Brinley?" he questioned.
"Cause I just found you and now you're leaving," she sobbed, "Everyone keeps leaving me." John put his arms around her and lifted her into a hug. Brinley sobbed into his shoulder. "I don't want anything bad to happen to any of you."
"I know kiddo," he said reassuringly. "I get it." He held her tightly for a minute and placed her back down on the trunk of the car. "Listen, I want you with us, I do, but this isn't a journey for a kid. I just can't knowingly put you in danger. I need to do what's right for YOU. You'll be safe at Bobby's. He's a hunter too and he won't let anything happen to you. I talked to him today and he's looking forward to meeting you." John paused for a moment. "Can you be brave and do this for me?"
"Ok," Brinley replied with a nod of her head. "What if you don't come back?"
"I'm not going to lie….that's always a possibility," John replied, "But I'm going to try my hardest to make sure I get back to you. AND…if I don't….you have your brothers. They'll take care of you. It's ok to be scared and sad and upset, but it's not ok to hurt yourself, it needs to stop…understood?" His voice was still calm and gentle. Brinley shook her head. "Where's the pocketknife?" he asked. The child reached into her pocket and pulled it out. Her hand shook as she handed it to John. He felt bad as he took it from her. "I should give you a spanking for having this," he said as he closed his hand around it. "But I'm not going to…..this time….I trust that it won't happen again, right kiddo?"
"It won't," she replied with a sigh of relief. The boys came out with the bags of take out.
"Let's go eat, I'm starving," Dean announced. They headed back to the motel as if nothing had happened. John cleaned up Brinley's cuts after dinner and then they headed to bed. The next morning, they said their goodbyes to John and were on the road to Sioux Falls, South Dakota.