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[agj1990]

25 posts!

[agj1990]

Not All Cute Smiles and Hugs

Summary: Dean makes a bet with Sammy that he can take care of their little sister for one night. Sammy leaves something important out. 

10:00PM        

It was ten o’clock at night, and Sam had finally gotten seven month old Evy down to sleep. As he prepared to go to bed himself, Dean came in the room. Much to Sam’s dismay, he immediately flipped on the light and loudly threw his boots next to the bed.

“Dean!” Sam whispered loudly.

           But it was too late. Evy was awake again. Thankfully, she wasn’t crying, just staring at Sam with a trembling lip. Sam shot death glares at Dean.

“I’m gonna kill you.” Sam said.

           He said it in such a matter of fact tone that for a moment Dean was startled. Sam was normally pretty laid back and gently, but lately he seemed to be on edge. Dean looked at Evy, who was now sitting up and looking between the both of them.

“What? She’s not crying.” Dean said. He walked over and scratched underneath her chin. “Yeah, you’re not crying, are you, sweetheart?”

“She’s also not sleeping, Dean.” Sam pointed out. “And she might not be crying, but she is tired.”

“So she’ll go back to sleep in a few minutes. Stop whining about it, Sam. She’s the easiest baby ever.” Dean said, turning around to start getting into his pajamas.

This gave Sam an idea. “You really think that?”

Dean turned around and looked back at Evy, then at Sam. “Yeah.” He said, shrugging. “She hardly ever cries.”

Sam grinned. “Alright. You think that, you take her for tonight.”

“What?” Dean asked.

“You take her.” Sam said. “I go sleep in the other room. You take care of Evy tonight.”

Dean laughed. “Are you making a bet?”

“Yeah.” Sam said. “I am.”

“Alright. You’re on.” Dean said.

“Fine.” Sam checked the clock. It was 10:15. “You take care of her for eight hours starting at 10:30. 6:30 tomorrow morning. If it’s really as easy as you say, I’ll do all your chores for a month. But if it isn’t, you do all of mine. Starting tomorrow.”

“Okay. Any rules?” Dean asked.

“Yeah.” Sam said. “You can’t wake me, Dad, or Bobby up for help unless it’s an emergency. An actual life or death emergency. She starts crying, you handle it on your own. And you can’t give her anything to make her sleep.”

“Deal. This’ll be a piece of cake.” Dean said, looking down towards Evy. “We’ll have a good night, won’t we, kiddo?”

           Evy gurgled at him, and Sam noticed that her bottom lip was trembling. Perfect, he thought. This’ll be a piece of cake, alright. Sam picked up Evy, who cuddled close to his chest.

“Come on. Let’s go tell Dad about this.” Sam said.

“Come on, Sam. I won’t welch.” Dean protested.

“Nope. No way. If you’re so sure you’re gonna win this, what are you afraid of?” Sam said.

Dean sighed. “Fine.” He said.

           Sam carried Evy downstairs, followed close by Dean. They found John and Bobby in the study, going over details of the next hunt. Sam asked if he could talk to them both for a few minutes. When he told Dad and Bobby the details of their bet, John looked curiously at Dean.

“You sure about this, Dean?” he asked.

“Come on, Dad. I took care of Sammy, didn’t I?” Dean asked.

John nodded in agreement. “Yeah. That you did.” John regarded both the boys for a moment. “Okay. If you’re both sure. I’m okay with it.”

Sam cuddled Evy a moment before handing her over to Dean. “It’s 10:30, Dean. Have fun.” He said. “Good night, Cricket. Sammy loves you.”

Dean took Evy and cradled her in his arms, who just continued to stare at him, bottom lip trembling. “Come on, kiddo. Let’s go.”

           Dean headed up the stairs, and when they heard the bedroom door shut, Sam started laughing. Slowly at first, then more and more.

“Sam?” Bobby asked. “What are you laughing at?”

“You two, um…might need these.” Sam said. He reached in his pockets and pulled out two sets of earplugs, placing them on the desk.

“For what?” John asked, curious.

“I, um, might have forgotten to mention something to Dean about keeping Evy asleep at night.” He said.

           Bobby looked lost, but John picked up on Sam’s meaning, laughing almost as hard as Sam had a few seconds earlier. Rarely did John and Sam agree on anything, but John just nodded and winked at Sam, impressed with his youngest’s cleverness. Normally, he wouldn’t have liked Sam deceiving his brother, but he let it go this time. He knew that Sam did almost everything for Evy, including staying up all night with her most nights so that John and Dean could get some sleep. He had never admitted it to his father, but John knew Dean resented the fact that he now allowed Sammy to sleep in most mornings. Dean would now find out why. John wished Sam a good night, then turned back to help Bobby plan for the hunt.

12:00AM

           Dean changed into his PJs and started to climb into bed. He was grinning, feeling sure that he’d just suckered Sam into an easy bet. He had placed Evy into her playpen, and she’d laid down and closed her eyes. Dean had stayed up and read a comic book for the last hour, then started to get ready for bed himself. Just as Dean was about to go to sleep, a small whine woke him up. Dean looked over towards the playpen, and saw Evy sitting up staring at him.

“What’s wrong, kiddo?” Dean asked. Her whine steadily increased in speed and tempo, and Dean walked over to pick her up. “Come on. You wanna sleep with me?”

           When Dean picked Evy up, she stopped whining, so he carried her over to the recliner in the room. He laid down on the chair, putting Evy up close to his chest, like he’d done with Sam when Sam was a baby. It worked, and Dean smiled. He closed his eyes again.....only to be woken up exactly two minutes later. Not by a small whine this time, but instead a high pitched, shrill cry.

“What the…?”

           Dean stood up and flipped on the light. Evy was in full blown tantrum mode. Dean had never, ever seen her like this. And it seemed to come from out of nowhere. Dean checked the clock. It was 11:23. It was going to be a long night.

3:20AM

“Kiddo, please. I’m begging you. Stop crying!”

           Dean bit his bottom lip when he realized that he was whining now too. Evy had kept him up now for three and a half hours, screaming over seemingly nothing. Dean had held her, rocked her, sang to her, fed her, bathed her, changed her, sang to her again, and tried anything else he could think of. But Evy still cried, still wailed as if she was being murdered. Dean wondered briefly how the rest of the house was still asleep.

           Dean was man enough to admit that he’d lost this bet. He thought briefly about waking up Sammy and begging him to help. But, he thought, if Dean was having this hard of a time keeping Evy for one night, what did Sam go through with her? Dean realized that he admired Sam now. And he also realized why his dad let Sam sleep in most mornings. Damn it. The kid deserved it. So Dean turned back to Evy, and kept trying to comfort her. Evy was still crying, but there were no tears coming; she just wailed until her face seemed to turn an alarming shade of red.

6:10AM

           Sam rolled over in bed, feeling better than he had in weeks. He smiled; it was the first night since Evy had developed colic last month he’d slept longer than two hours without being woken up by her. Sam had gone to bed feeling slightly guilty. He didn’t want Evy feeling miserable for the whole night, crying and looking for him to comfort her. But he had decided after a few minutes that she would live. It was more important right now that he get some sleep. If Dad and Dean suddenly had to leave on a job, as had happened twice already in the seven months since Evy had been born, and he ended up being the one to take care of her, he needed his sleep. And it wouldn’t hurt Dean to remember that taking care of a tiny baby wasn’t all cute smiles and hugs.

           Sam stood up and took his earplugs out, only to be immediately assaulted by the sound of Evy whining in the next room. He laughed when he realized that not only was Evy whining, Dean was too. Sam quickly got dressed and headed down to the kitchen, where Bobby had made them all pancakes and eggs for breakfast. Both John and Bobby greeted him with a high five, and all of them waited with barely suppressed chuckles to see what Dean looked like when he came downstairs.

           Dean came dragging in a few minutes later. His eyelids drooped, and he carried a still tired and distraught Evy in his arms. She wasn’t outright crying, but was sniffling and whining, squirming in Dean’s arms. Dean walked over to the table and sat down, keeping one arm around Evy and using his other to hold his head up.

“Sam, you win.” He said. “You win, just please make it stop.”

Sam, who was sitting across the table from Dean with a big goofy smile on his face, “Do you give up?”

“Yes. Yes, I give, just please make her stop crying!” Dean begged.

“Alright.” Sam said, walking around the table towards Dean. “Give her here.”

           Dean gladly handed Evy off to Sam, who immediately cuddled up into his chest. Dean, Bobby, and John watched in fascination as Sam worked to calm her down. Sam reached one hand under the back of her shirt and gently started to scratch her back. Her sniffles and whines lessened, and she started to breathe more normally. Sam kept scratching her back, rocking her gently back and forth as he started to sing to her. “Don't you feel it growin', day by day, people gettin' ready for the news, some are happy, some are sad. Oh, we got to let the music play…”

           Evy continued to get less and less fussy as Sam sang to her. Her eyes got heavier and heavier, though she seemed to be hanging on for Sam to finish his song. “What the people need, is a way to make 'em smile. Ain't so hard to do if you know how. Gotta get a message, get it on through. Oh, now Sammy’s going to after a while…”

           At his improvised lyric, Sam smiled and Evy cooed. As Sam continued his song, John felt his heart twinge a bit. That had been Missy’s favorite song. She’d sung it to Evy all the time when she was pregnant. Over the course of the next two minutes, Evy’s eyes kept opening and closing, but Sam continued to sing. No one said a word, just watched Sam work his magic. “Like a lazy flowing river, surrounding castles in the sky. And the crowd is growing bigger Listening for the happy sounds, and I got to let them fly.”

           When he said fly, Sam spun around gently, making Evy giggle a bit. She yawned, and finally closed her eyes and kept them closed. As Sam sung the final chorus, his voice got lower and lower, and he laid Evy into her carseat gently. He buckled her in, and reached under the seat to flip a button. The carseat started vibrating gently. Sam wrapped her up and kissed her forehead.

“Good night, Cricket.” He whispered.

           Sam turned back towards his family. John was smiling appreciatively, Bobby was looking impressed, and Dean was standing at the stove with his mouth hanging open. Sam put a finger to his mouth and pointed to the library. Sam set the baby monitor next to the carseat, then walked out towards the library. The three older men followed behind, virtually silent. When they reached the library, Dean was the first to speak.

“That’s all it took?” he asked. “I was up all night!”

“Usually, yeah. It doesn’t work all night though, just makes her sleep for two or three hours.” Sam said. He couldn’t resist adding, “It also helps when you don’t make noise to wake her up.”

“How do you get any sleep?” Dean asked.

“I sleep when she does.” Sam said simply.

           For almost a full minute, no one in the room said anything. Dean was amazed that his little baby brother had become so nurturing. John was amazed, and more than a little guilty, when he realized that his ten-year-old son was a better father to his daughter than he was. Bobby was grinning looking at the dumbfounded faces of both John and Dean. He was not surprised at all. John and Dean routinely took advantage of Sam, and maybe now they would do it a little less.

“Sam, I think me and your brother both owe you an apology.” John said. “We wouldn’t be able to do what we do without you taking care of your sister like you do. Thank you, buddy.”

“Yeah. Thank you, Sammy.” Dean said.

           Sam moved his mouth up and down, but was unable to say anything. He was stunned. He loved Evy, loved her more than anything else in the world, but he resented never being told he was doing a good job. He often wondered if his dad or Dean noticed how he took care of her. Maybe now they did. Before he could respond, though, Dean couldn’t resist breaking the tension with a joke.

“So, now that I’ve thanked you, do I still have to do your chores?”

“Absolutely.” Sam said. “And since Evy’s sleeping, I think I’m going to…” Sam looked to his father for direction.

John shrugged. “You don’t have any chores and your sister’s asleep. It’s summer break, so school’s out. Go have fun, Sammy.”

           Sam immediately went upstairs to get dressed. John allowed Dean to sleep for a couple of hours before waking him up to finish the chores of the day. Evy slept peacefully until lunchtime, when Sam gladly took over again. He’d missed her, and when she opened her eyes and gave him a smile, Sam picked her up.

“Did you miss me, Cricket?” he asked. “Don’t worry, Sammy’s here.”

[agj1990]

it’s the 21st day of the 21st year of the 21st century.

you can only reblog this today.

[agj1990]

Josephine Campbell

Summary: I’ve seen a ton of stories about a Winchester daughter/sister/wife etc. But I had another idea. In this story, after her parents die, Mary and John have to work together and take care of Mary’s much younger sister (Mary is 19 and Josephine, called ‘Joey’ or ‘Jojo’, is 3 at the start of the story). 

1973

Mary was completely lost.

John was at work, and three-year-old Joey had been crying all day. She'd cried at breakfast time because she didn't like her pancakes. She'd cried at naptime because she didn't want to go to sleep. She'd cried when waking up because she was hungry. She'd cried when Mary had lost her patience, and then cried when Mary apologized.

Had Joey been able to tell Mary what was really wrong with her, it would've just made her big sister feel worse. Joey was confused. Where was Mommy? Mommy made her breakfast just the way she liked it. Mommy always rocked her at naptime and was there when she woke up to give her a hug. Mommy always had a snack ready when she woke up. Joey knew that Mary was trying, that she didn't mean to be mean and impatient with her, but it had been long enough. Mommy and Daddy both had been gone for days and days, and no one would tell her when they were coming back.

John knew something was wrong the second he walked inside. Mary's parents had been gone for two weeks, and he'd very reluctantly gone back to work that morning. John was grateful for his mother, allowing Mary and little Josephine to come and stay with them 'until they're back on their feet'. Joey had wrapped Millie around her little finger from day one, and John hoped it wouldn't break his mother's heart when the three of them eventually moved out. But his mother was out of town this weekend helping a friend that had just had surgery, so he and Mary were all alone.

Joey was sitting on the couch, holding her teddy bear and rubbing her red eyes, looking generally miserable. The TV was running on low, playing a Loony Toons rerun, but instead of laughing hysterically at Bugs Bunny as she generally did, Joey appeared to not even acknowledge it. John set his keys down on the end table next to the couch and took his seat next to Joey. Joey, who loved John and took every opportunity she could to climb him like a jungle gym, still sat silently.

"Hey, kiddo."

"Hey." Joey said quietly.

"You good? What's going on?"

"Nuffin."

"Yeah? It looks like something. Come on. Maybe I can help."

Joey, ever trying to be brave, looked up with tear-filled eyes and hitching breath. "I not good girl today."

"What are you talking about? You're the best kid in the whole world."

"Nuh uh. Not today."

"What'd you do today?"

"Cried a lot." Joey said. "Made Mawy mad at me."

"I bet she's not mad." John said. "It's okay to cry."

"Not it's not. I's big baby."

Mary had appeared in the doorway separating the kitchen from the living room. John could see the guilt etched on her face, but she shook his head. Let me take a stab at this.

"Is there a reason you were crying so much?"

"Yeah."

"Can you tell me what it is?"

"Want my mommy." Joey said quietly.

"What was that?" John asked.

"I wants my mommy." Joey said again. "Miss her."

John could see Mary visibly flinch at that. John hadn't said anything, and he didn't agree with it, but Mary had not been very clear with Joey about what had happened to Samuel and Deanna. She'd told the little girl that her mommy and daddy had 'gone up to heaven', but for a little kid whose mommy and daddy were gone on trips all the time, John knew it was a matter of time before she started asking questions.

"When she come back?" Joey asked.

"Jo…" Mary started to say, but John shook her off with a wave of his hand. Mary nodded again. Let me handle this for you.

"John? When Mommy and Daddy come back?"

"Listen, kiddo. I have to tell you something, and it's gonna be really hard to hear. But you trust me, right?"

"What trust mean?"

"I won't lie to you. You believe me, right?"

"Yeah."

"Kiddo, I'm sorry. Mommy and Daddy aren't gonna be coming back."

"How come?" Joey asked. "They not want me no more?"

"That is not it." John assured her, picking Joey up and putting her into his lap. "Mommy and Daddy couldn't help it, Joey. They didn't want to leave you, but it couldn't be stopped."

"They miss me too?"

"They sure do, kiddo. But here's the thing. You'll see them again one day."

"I will?"

"Sure."

"They's in heaven? They watch over me?"

"They will. Every single day." John promised. "But from now on, you gotta stay with me and Mary. Okay?"

"Okay. Joey be good girl."

"You are a good girl, kiddo. You just had a bad day today. Both of us forgive you."

Joey looked over to her sister, still standing in the doorway watching them. "I sorry I was bad today, Sissy."

"It's okay, Jojo." Mary said. "I guess I had a bad day too."

"I stay wif you and John?"

"Yeah, kiddo." John said. "You'll stay with me and Mary."

1979

John hadn't seen Joey so somber since the day six years earlier when he'd found her crying over her parents. The now third grader was sitting on the couch, picking at her nails as she waited out the twenty minutes until bedtime.

"Hey kiddo. You ready for bed?"

"Yeah."

"Uh oh. I know that look." John said. He took his seat next to her and asked, "What's on your mind?"

"Nothing."

"We really gonna go through that routine?" John asked.

Joey sighed. If she didn't answer John, he'd just hound her until she did. "I'm scared of the baby coming."

"Scared of what?"

"You guys are just gonna forget about me." Joey said.

"We're not gonna forget about you." John promised.

"Yeah, you will. I'm not even your kid."

"Hey! Don't say that."

"What? It's true."

"We couldn't forget about you even if we wanted to." John assured her. "And you are our kid. And if you want me to prove it, we can be having a different kind of talk if I catch you saying something like that again. Catch my drift?"

Joey flinched. John and Mary had both spanked her before, but not often and not enough that she feared admitting her mistakes to them. The unspoken house rule had become that if you told the truth, you didn't generally get in trouble. But when Joey looked at John, she saw nothing but love and concern there.

"Got it."

"Hey." John said, a little gentler. "I won't lie and say it won't be different with the baby here. But we're still here for you. You still gotta go to school, follow the house rules, we'll still do game nights, all that. Okay?"

"Okay." Joey said, finally relaxing. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, kiddo." John leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Want me to tuck you in?"

"You promise you won't stop that either? After the baby gets here?"

"As long as you want me too, I'll tuck you in at night. As long as you promise you won't forget what we talked about. Deal?"

"Deal."

"Go on up to bed. Tell your sister good night."

"Jojo?" Mary said, appearing from the kitchen and breathing deeply. "Go grab my bag from under the bed."

"Is it time?"

"It's time."

1983

Once again, her family had fallen completely apart.

Mary had been dead for six weeks. Christmas was coming, but Joey knew that John had done almost nothing to prepare for it. He left the house every night and came back smelling bad and talking funny. Taking care of four-year-old Dean and baby Sammy was now completely on her.

She'd tried to confront John about it one night, telling him that he had three kids who needed him now, he wasn't the only one hurting, and he needed to help her. The only thing she'd been left with as a result of her efforts was a red handprint on her cheek. The next morning, a regretful John had sat her down. He frowned when she flinched as he examined her cheek.

"Does it still hurt?"

"No." Joey lied.

John could tell she was lying, but he didn't call her on it. He handed her the ice pack he'd made. "Hold this to it."

Joey held the ice loosely to her cheek, looking in any direction but John's face. He was a stranger to her now, and she'd never felt lonelier than she did just then.

"Kiddo, please look at me."

Joey looked at him after taking a look at the sleeping Sam and Dean. Dean was keeping a tight hold on baby Sam, who was tightly sucking his thumb. For the first time in weeks, she saw a glimpse of the John she'd grown up with. He wasn't the angry, vengeful man that had been coming home every night since November third. He was the caring, loving man who'd been there nearly every night since she was two and a half years old. The same John who'd built a swing set for her, who taught her how to ride a bike, who'd taught her how to stand up to bullies in school but told her that she'd never have to do it on her own.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Joey said quietly.

"No. It's not. I'm sorry, and that won't happen again. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Look, I need to talk to you about something." John said. "I'm going after what killed Mary."

"Going after…What do you mean? Mary died in a house fire."

"No. She didn't, kiddo. That was more than a fire."

"What do you mean?" Joey asked. "Did you see something?"

"I can't really tell you."

"What do you mean you can't tell me?" Joey asked angrily. "She's my sister, I deserve to know."

"Please just trust me. I promise that one day I will tell you. But not now. I have to sort it out in my own head first. But I need your help."

"Help with what?"

"I'm gonna need a lot of help with Sam and Dean. Can you do that?" John asked.

"Sure. What about while I'm at school?"

"I'll figure that out." John promised. "But there's probably gonna be some afternoons after you get out of school that I'll be gone. I'll need you to make sure the boys get dinner, get a bath, and get to bed."

"I can do that."

"Good." John said, relieved. "Thank you, kiddo."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

Joey took a deep breath. She'd been thinking about this since long before Mary died, but now it felt right. John was the only family she had left.

"Can I call you Dad?"

A shocked John's mouth failed to work, refusing to do anything but go up and down.

"I've been thinking about it for a while. If you'd rather I didn't, it's okay, I won't, but…"

"I'd love that, kiddo. But only if you're sure."

"I'm sure." Joey said. "I love you…Dad."

"I love you too, kiddo."

[agj1990]

Nummy

Summary: Dean feeds his baby sister dinner. 

Dean finished the rice and poured it into three bowls. It was a pitiful meal, but the best of what they had left. Dean walked down to Sam’s room to tell him it was time for dinner, only to find him already asleep. Concerned, Dean placed a hand on Sam’s forehead. Sam had been sluggish all day, and Dean’s worst fear was realized. He was sick.

Babbling from the floor below him broke Dean out of his dread. Evy was playing on a blanket, focused intently on Squish and a plastic Lego train that she was pushing back and forth. Deciding to leave Sam alone and let him sleep, since he probably wouldn’t later that night, Dean turned to Evy and crouched down a little, immediately catching her attention.

“Ready for dinner?”  

Evy giggled and held out her hands towards Dean. “Deanie!”

“Let’s go, kiddo.”

There was one benefit to only having a baby for company, Dean decided. It was easy to convince her that the rice was a gourmet meal. The second Dean put the bowl in front of her, Evy dug her hands into it, and in no time, her face was a sticky mess of cheese and broccoli bits.

“Nummy.”

“It’s good?”

“Nummy.” Evy confirmed as she dug a hand into her bowl again. When she looked over and saw Dean’s already empty bowl, she offered him what was left in her little fist. “Deanie.”

“I’m full. You finish it.”

“Deanie.” Evy insisted.

Dean smiled and pretended to eat a bite out of Evy’s hand. “Mmmm.”

“Nummy?”

“Nummy.” Dean chuckled and kissed Evy’s cheek. “Love you, baby girl.”

[agj1990]

sam winchester + the hero’s journey (myth and the movies, by stuart voytilla) // pt. 1

[agj1990]

10 posts!

[agj1990]

Monsters are Scared Of Us

Summary: Three-year-old Evy learns the truth about monsters. 

Evy clung to Dean, crying and holding onto him so tightly that it was nearly impossible to tell where Evy ended and Dean began. He tried his hardest to comfort her, to make her stop crying, because the thought of her still crying when Sam got back made Dean cringe. There was no way to really hide from Sam what had happened that day, but Dean was hoping that having Evy calm and happy when Sam got back would make him less likely to explode.

“It’s okay, kiddo. Calm down and we can talk about this.” Dean said kindly, bouncing Evy up and down slightly.

“Want. Sammy!” Evy said.

           Evy banged her little fist against Dean’s back to punctuate what she was saying. Dean sighed. Evy was crying so hard she couldn’t even get a word out before crying again. And Sam was only a few minutes away. There was no way that Dean would get her calmed down enough before Sam got home. The only person who could really do that was, unfortunately, Sam. So Dean wrapped his protective arms around his little sister, bracing himself for the inevitable fight that night. A few minutes of close cuddling later, the front door of the small house opened, and Dean took a deep breath.

“Hey, guys.” Sammy’s familiar voice said. “Cricket, are you okay? What are you still doing up?”

“Sammy!”

Evy finally realized that Sam was home. She jumped off of Dean’s lap and ran to Sam, still crying. Concerned, Sam picked her up and carried her to the bed. He tried to examine Evy for signs of an injury, but she held to him even more tightly than she had Dean.

“Cricket, what’s wrong?” Sam asked. Evy just squeezed him tighter, so Sam looked to Dean. “What happened?”

Dean sighed, closed his eyes, and told Sam. “Dad told her where you were this last week.”

Sam looked confused. “Told her…”

“The truth.” Dean said. “Dad told her the truth. About everything.”            Sam’s eyes practically popped out of his head. Evy was still crying and holding on to him, so Sam held her a bit tighter. He shushed her gently before turning back to Dean.

“Dad did what?” Sam asked, his eyes narrowing.

Crap. Dean thought. Sam’s voice was low. Low and dangerous. Just like their father’s when he was really pissed off. Before Dean had a chance to answer Sam, though, Sam turned his attention to Evy.

“Cricket. Honey, come on. Listen to me.”

Evy sat back slightly. Her breath was still coming in hitches, and tears were still falling, but Evy was basically silent. Dean was amazed. He’d been trying to get Evy to be calm for the last hour, and Sam had gotten her to listen in under ten seconds. Dean watched them closely. Sam brushed her hair back from her face, smiling at her; Evy relaxed a little more, and Sam waited almost sixty full, agonizing seconds, until her breathing evened out a little more, before speaking.

“What exactly did daddy tell you?” Sam asked.

“That you were gone fighting monsters.” Evy explained sadly. “That that’s what he and Dean do when they’re gone.”

Sam closed his eyes for a second, holding his anger back to avoid scaring Evy further. When he opened them, Evy was still watching him, waiting on him to explain. Sam smiled again, and Dean was amazed when Evy smiled back.

“Cricket, listen to me. I know what daddy told you was scary. And it is true.” Evy’s eyes immediately filled with more tears. “Shh. Don’t cry,  baby. I’m okay. Daddy’s okay. Dean’s okay. I promise we’ll talk about this. But not right now. It’s way past your bedtime, and you’re exhausted. We’ll talk about it in the morning. Okay?”

Evy yawned. “Will you stay with me till I go to sleep?” she asked.

“Yes.” Sam said. “I’ll hold you until you go to sleep. And I’ll be right here when you wake up tomorrow.”

“Promise?” Evy asked.

“Promise.” Sam said. “I’ve got you, honey. Always.”

           Dean walked out into the living room, relieved that Sam had finally calmed Evy down. He was surprised to find that John had come back home at some point in the last two hours. He had left right after telling Evy about the supernatural, as always leaving his boys to deal with the fear and her tears. He didn’t say anything to John about Evy. The truth was that he was afraid to, and he knew Sam would have plenty to say for the both of them. He asked John a couple of questions about the hunt, before there was a knock at the door. John, not expecting anyone to come, drew his gun and went to the door cautiously. He was so concerned with the unexpected visitor that he didn’t notice Dean smiling. Dean waited a moment and listened. The house was so small that he could hear Sam’s voice drifting out through the bedroom. He was singing to Evy. The next sounds were the ones he was looking for. The front door opened, John started to say something. Then, the one sound that Dean had been waiting for. A loud crack and a familiar gruff, angry voice, followed by John hitting the floor.

“You selfish son of a bitch!”

           Dean pumped his fist in the air before John came back in the kitchen. The complete, honest truth, which would never, ever come out to John, was that Dean had called Bobby hoping for the exact reaction he had just gotten. He had wanted to do it himself when Evy had come to him crying earlier that night, but his own sense of duty towards his father kept him from doing so. He didn’t care if he got in trouble for calling Bobby, he just wanted to make sure John felt it. John and Bobby walked back inside, John rubbing the side of his face.

“Dean, did you….” John started to ask.

“Don’t even think about it.” Bobby said. “Dean isn’t to blame for this. You are.”

John sighed. He honestly didn’t know what he’d been thinking when he told Evy the truth. She had been pestering him all afternoon about Sam. She’d asked him over and over when he was coming home. The point of sending Sam on the hunt and staying home with Evy had been to spend some time with her. But Evy had spent three days being sad and moping, wanting “my Sammy” to come back.

But if he was completely, totally honest with himself, John realized he had told her out of jealousy. He was jealous of Sam’s close relationship with Evy, even though it was his fault it had happened in the first place. So, after being asked for the fiftieth time when Sam was coming home, John had picked up Evy, sat her on his knee, and told her the truth about what it was he and Dean, and now Sam, were doing. He had rationalized it at the time by saying that she needed to know the truth. But he knew that wasn’t it. He felt like a crap father attempting to sabotage his daughter’s relationship with his son. But in the end, that hadn’t happened. As soon as he’d told Evy the truth, she had burst into tears and run to her room. She’d spent the rest of the afternoon crying and begging for Sammy.

“What were you thinking, John?” Bobby asked.

John realized he’d screwed up. “I wasn’t.” he said.

“Why?” Bobby asked. “Why would you tell her, John?”

“Because she needed to know…” John started.

“Tell him the truth, dad.” Dean cut in.

           John looked at Dean, quite annoyed. Dean swallowed hard, wanting to wither under his father’s gaze, but he held his ground. Bobby watched the two of them closely. He knew perfectly well why Dean had called him. The only thing that really scared Dean was standing up to John. So Bobby did what Dean was wanting him too.

“Tell me the truth about what?”

John bit his bottom lip and said nothing.

Bobby turned to Dean. “Tell me the truth about what?”

Dean looked away from his dad, unable to talk if he looked at him. “Dad sent Sam on a hunt last week.”

If possible, Bobby’s eyes grew even wider. “By himself?”

Dean nodded. “By himself.” “He’s fourteen!” Bobby said, turning to John. “What the hell are you trying to do, make all your kids grow up before they grow up?” “Evy got sick.” Dean continued, not giving his dad a chance to respond. “Right before Sam left. Sam offered to stay with her, but Dad said no. After Sam left, Dad and me tried to take care of her, but…”

“But she wanted Sam.” Bobby guessed. Dean nodded, and Bobby continued his verbal tirade against John. “So you send Sam away when Baitfish isn’t not feeling good, she cries for him, and you lose your patience.” When John said nothing, Bobby knew he was on the right track. Shaking his head in disbelief, Bobby turned to Dean. “Where is she now?”

“Sam’s trying to put her to sleep.” Dean said.

Bobby nodded. “So once again, Sam’s trying to clean up your mess. But this time you created a hell of a one for him to clean up.”

John finally tried to defend himself. “I thought she needed to know. I thought she’d be able to handle it…”

“You thought a three-year-old would be able to handle you telling her that monsters were real?” Bobby replied. “How stupid are you?”

           John said nothing. He couldn’t. Bobby was right. He hadn’t told Evy the truth out of some selfless motivation to help her understand the world better. He’d done it to try and loosen her intense connection to Sammy. But that had blown up in his face. Evy was now closer to Sam than ever, and he didn’t know if he’d ever get to have a close relationship with her. No one said anything for at least a couple minutes. There really wasn’t anything to say. Finally, almost an hour after getting home, Sam walked into the kitchen, in a daze.

“She all right?” Bobby asked immediately.

“She’s asleep.” Sam said, walking over next to Bobby. “Finally.”

           Sam ran his hands through his hair and looked down towards the floor. He didn’t want to look at his father, because he was afraid if he did he’d do or say something that he was at least supposed to regret. John made the first attempt to break the thick ice.

“Sam, I’m sorry.” He said.

Sam could tell his father was sincere, but right now that didn’t matter. “Dad…” Sam said, trying to keep his tone under control. If he got a lecture right about his attitude, he was afraid he really would snap. “I’m not mad.” He said calmly. He finally looked up into his father’s face.

John was surprised, to say the least. “You’re not?”

Sam shook his head. “Nope. I’m hurt.” John looked to Dean and Bobby, but neither betrayed any surprise at Sam’s confession. Sam continued. “Dad, every time you and Dean are gone, I do everything I can to make Evy feel safe. I make sure she knows that you love her, and that you care about her, and that you, me, and Dean will always be there to protect her.”

“Sam, I appreciate what you do for her…” John started to say.

Sam cut him off. “It doesn’t feel like you do, Dad. Because you couldn’t do it for me for a few days.” John wanted to respond, but couldn’t. Sam took advantage of his father’s guilt. “She cried herself to sleep, Dad. Mostly because she’s scared to death that something’s going to happen to one of us.”

Before John could respond, a small voice came from the doorway. “Sammy.”

           Everyone jumped; no one had heard Evy get up or come in. But there she stood, red puffy eyes looking out at all them, Squish clutched tight to her chest. Sam sighed and crouched down, placing his elbows on his knees and opening his arms. Evy walked over to him. Sam put his arms around her middle but didn’t pick her up yet.

“What’s wrong?” he asked gently, and just loud enough for everyone to hear.

“I can’t seep.” Evy said, leaning against him heavily and rubbing her eyes. “’M scared.”

“Gee, I wonder why.” Bobby muttered.

John chose to ignore the comment. “Little one…”

A tired and hurt Sam finally snapped at his father. “I’ve got her, dad.” Turning back to Evy, he faked a smile and asked her quietly, “You want to go look at the stars?”

“Yes, please.” She answered sweetly.

“Okay. Let’s go, Cricket.”

           Sam picked up Evy and carried her out of the kitchen towards the living room. On the way, he grabbed a small box of Kleenex sitting on the kitchen table. Dean followed them, leaving John and Bobby in the kitchen, arguing quietly. Sam sat at the end of the couch, pulling one of the large removable cushions over so he could prop himself up. He pulled Evy up onto the couch with him. She sat in the space between his legs and the back of the couch, looking out the window. Tears started falling again. Sam reached a hand over and scratched her back, and Evy clutched Squish tightly to her chest.

“Talk to me.” Sam said gently, wiping tears away from her eyes with one of the Kleenex he had brought over.

           There was a snapping sound behind them, but both Sam and Evy ignored it. Evy laid down against the same cushion Sam was propping himself up on. Sam waited patiently for Evy to say something. He felt her still shaking a little, and stroked her hair to try and calm her. Eventually Evy turned around to face Sam.

“I’m scared.” She repeated pitifully.

“Scared of what?” Sam asked patiently.

Evy sniffed. “I don’t want anything to happen to any of you.”

Sam nodded. “I know, sweetie. I don’t want that to happen, either. But listen to me, okay? Daddy knows what he’s doing. Dean knows what he’s doing. So do I.” Evy curled up closer to Sam, who hugged her before continuing.

“But…” Evy said, and Sam could see the wheels turning in her little brain. She looked up at him before continuing, searching his face for answers. “If monsters are real, they can get you. They can get me.”

           Sam was instantly transported back to having this same conversation with Dean years earlier. He’d been much older, but Sam had had the exact same question. Sam decided to tell Evy the same thing that Dean had told him.

“No. As long as I’m around, you’ll be okay.” Sam said.

“Promise?” Evy asked.

“Yes, my sweet girl.” Sam said, smiling. Moments like this, when he had to comfort Evy, made him realize exactly how much he loved her. “I promise.”

“I promise too.”

           Evy and Sam jumped, but it was just Dean. He had brought a blanket to them, and wrapped it over Sam. Sam made sure Evy was covered and warm, then turned to thank Dean. Dean leaned over to talk to Evy.

“I promise too, baby girl.” Dean assured her. “Sam and I, Dad too, love you more than anything else in the world. Bobby loves you just as much. All of us are gonna protect you. I know you’re scared of the monsters we fight, but I have a secret for you. Want to hear it?”

“Yeah.” Evy whispered. “What is it?”

Dean whispered too, and was relieved when Evy smiled back at him. “The monsters are scared of us.”

“Really?” Evy said, amazed.

“Really, kiddo.” Dean said. “Feel better?”

Sam was relieved when Evy nodded. He rubbed her head and kissed her again.

“Good night, kiddo. I love you.” Dean said.

“Love you too, Deanie.”

           Dean kissed Evy’s forehead, and left to head to bed. Evy snuggled back against Sam, and laid her head on his chest. Sam wished her goodnight. He thought about picking her up and taking her back to bed. When she didn’t answer him after telling her goodnight, he looked down and smiled again. Evy was already asleep. Sam sighed; he knew he’d be sleeping tonight right where he was. Sam kissed her again, and turned slightly to get a bit more comfortable.

“I’ve got you, Cricket. I’ve got you. Sleep tight, sweetie pie.”

           Sam turned over and went to sleep himself, holding on to Evy tightly. A few minutes later, John walked in. He had wanted to talk to Evy before she went to sleep, but now she was fast asleep in Sam’s arms. Waking her up right now would only make her grumpy. John watched Evy and Sammy for a minute. It hurt his heart that Sam and Evy had that kind of a close relationship, and they didn’t. And he had entirely screwed up any chances he had now to develop one. John walked over and tucked Evy in again, watching her for a moment before going to bed.

“I’m sorry, little one. I’m so sorry.”

[agj1990]

Sammy the Chicken

Summary: Just a super cute day in the Winchester-Singer household with two-year-old Evy. 

“Balls!” Bobby drew his hand back from the car hood which had just slammed very hard on top of it. He had a small cut on the top of his hand, but otherwise seemed unhurt. Bobby headed inside and applied a bandage to his hand, then started to head back outside to keep working. A small voice from the other side of the kitchen stopped him. “Unca Baby?” Bobby looked over and saw two-year-old Evy standing in the doorway. He chuckled; he could tell Sam was still sleeping and she’d come downstairs without him. Her hair was a mess, and she was still in her pajamas. She was rubbing sleep out of her eyes and holding her stuffed cat Squish in her arm. “Hey, Baitfish? All better, huh?” “Yeah.” Evy said, grinning. “I not feel yucky no more.” Bobby chuckled. Evy had been sick a cold and fever for close to a week. She had caught it from Sam, who had spoiled her even more than usual that week out of guilt. Evy toddled up to Bobby, who picked her up and felt her forehead, and was relieved to find it felt normal. “Where’s Sam?” Bobby asked. Evy suddenly appeared guilty. “I keeped Sammy up last night. He still seeping. I not want to wake him up.” “Why’d you keep him up?” Bobby asked. “I not mean to. I had a bad dream. I was scared to go back to seep.” Evy explained. Bobby smiled. “You’re sweet as a cupcake, you know that?” Evy grinned and Bobby kissed her cheek. “Unca Baby?” she asked. “Yes?” “My tummy yelling at me.” she said, laying a hand on her stomach to emphasize her point. Bobby chuckled. “Well, I guess we better feed it, huh?” “Yes, pease.” Bobby quickly made her some eggs, which he was happy to see she practically inhaled. She hadn’t eaten more than a few bites at a time the entire week, a big change from her appetite that usually rivaled that of her big brother Dean. He sent her upstairs and helped her get dressed and brush her teeth. When she was ready, Bobby checked the clock and realized he had a problem. It was 8:30, and Sam was still sleeping. John and Dean were on a hunt, and someone had to watch Evy. Bobby looked down when he felt something tugging on his leg. “Unca Baby? What we do now?” Evy asked. “That’s what I’m trying to figure out, Baitfish.” “Will you teach me?” Evy asked. Bobby, puzzled, bent down to ask her, “Teach you? Teach you what?” “Bout cars.” Evy asked. Bobby could have sworn he felt his heart swell in his chest. “You want me to?” Evy grinned and nodded. Oh, what the hell? Bobby thought. “Alright, Baitfish. Come on.” Bobby picked her up and carried her back out to the garage, where he gave her very strict instructions. Do not touch anything without permission. Be careful. Do not go back to the house alone. Evy swore she wouldn’t, and Bobby got to work. He pointed out parts of the car to her, and very patiently explained what they did. Evy handed him things he asked for, and cheered when Bobby finally figured out the problem and the car started. “You did it!” Evy cheered, arms up in the air. Bobby quickly wiped his greasy hands and took a drink from the bottled water. Evy was grinning, a crooked, lopsided grin of accomplishment. Bobby walked over to her and ruffled her hair, then kissed her cheek. He reached into a bowl that he kept on a table by the wall, and handed Evy a lollipop that was almost the same size as her mouth. He opened it and handed it to her. “We did it.” he said, holding his hand up for a high five. “We did it.” Evy corrected herself, smacking Bobby’s hand as hard as she could. Bobby lifted her off the stool she was sitting on and set her on his hip. He closed the hood of the car and started to walk back inside with her. Evy wrapped her arms around Bobby’s neck as they walked. “Tank you, unca Baby. That was fun.” Bobby smiled and patted her back. “That was fun, Baitfish.” he agreed. “What do you say we go check on Sammy?” “Okay.” But when they made it to the living room, another surprise was waiting for them. Bobby was turned and putting his hat on the coat rack beside the door when he heard Evy gasp. She started squirming hard in his arms and trying to get down. What in the world? Bobby thought to himself, before Evy’s excited squeal answered the question for him. He set her down and she ran to the living room couch as fast as she could. “Daddy! Deanie!” Evy jumped onto the couch into her father’s lap, who, despite clearly being exhausted, picked her up and embraced her. Sixteen-year-old Dean hugged her too, and Bobby watched her with them without saying anything. John was genuinely smiling, which was a rare sight. Evy clung to John’s neck tightly. “I glad you back, Daddy. I missed you.” “I missed you too, little one.” John said. “Dean has something for you.” Evy finally let go of John’s neck and looked at Dean with wide, expectant eyes. “What is it? What you bring me?” Dean laughed and pulled out of his bag a toy for Evy. They had found it in a side of the road thrift shop that they’d stopped in because Sam had told them she needed some clothes. There, in the corner, Dean had found it. The toy was a plastic wheel, with an arrow in the middle. Around the edges were animals. Pointing the arrow at the animal and pulling the large lever on the side produced the sound that particular animal was making. Dean demonstrated it to her and Evy’s eyes got even bigger. “Wow!” she said, taking it from Dean and planting it in her lap. “Tank you, Deanie. Tank you, daddy.” “You’re welcome, kiddo.” Dean said. “Hey, where’s Sammy?” “Right here.” Sam came paddling into the room, looking very much like Evy had that morning. His hair was a mess, and he’d clearly just woken up. Evy got off the couch, carefully placing her new toy between John and Dean. She ran to Sam, who picked her up and hugged her, kissing her forehead before she did so. “Hey, Cricket.” he said. “You feel better?” “Yeah.” she said. “I sorry I keeped you up.” “It’s okay, baby.” Sam said. “What’d you get from Dean?” Sam moved over to the couch and sat between his father and brother, with Evy in his lap. Sam said hi to John and Dean, and Evy demonstrated her new toy for him. Sam quizzed her on the animals and their sounds before allowing her to pull the lever and check her answers. Evy suddenly stopped, took a long look at her toy and then back at Sam. She started to giggle. “Cricket, what are you laughing at?” Sam asked. Evy was laughing so hard she couldn’t answer him. “Come on, kiddo. What is it?” Dean asked. “Sammy….” Evy said, as every other word elicited a giggle, “Sammy look like chicken.” All four men in the room stopped what they were doing and stared at her. Evy sat in Sam’s lap, her entire body practically vibrating with giggles that threatened to escape. Sam didn’t know what to say, and every time Evy looked at him she nearly doubled over with laughter. “Kiddo, what are you talking about?” Dean finally asked. “Look, Deanie!” Evy insisted. Evy handed Dean her new toy, pointing out the picture of the chicken. Dean looked from it to Sam. He hadn’t seen it, but he partially agreed with Evy. Sam was in a solid white tshirt and red shorts. His bare feet did resemble the feet on the chicken in the picture, and his scruffy hair did remind Dean of chicken feathers. Dean smiled and nodded his head. “I think you’re right, kiddo.” “Very funny, you two.” Sam said, feigning annoyance but hiding a smile at the same time. “It’s almost naptime for this little chicken.” “I not chicken. You chicken.” Evy said. Even John had snorted at that. “Alright, Cricket. Come on. Naptime for you.” Sam insisted. “Okay.” Evy said. “Daddy, you and Deanie still be here when I wake up, right?” “Yeah, little one. We’ll still be here.” John promised. “We’ll all be here for a couple more days.” “’Kay.” Evy said, jumping off the couch. She jumped off the couch, holding her new toy in her hand, which Sam promptly pulled away from her. “Sammy!” “You will never get to sleep if you have this with you.” Sam said. “You can play with it when you wake up.” Evy scrunched her face in displeasure, and Sam was afraid that she might throw a tantrum, even though that was a rare occurrence. Sam held his ground, and eventually pointed to the couch, where Squish was sitting there, waiting. Sam pointed his finger at Squish. “You can take Squish, but nothing else.” Evy sighed. “Deanie, will you keep it safe for me?” Dean took it from her, amused at how stubborn Evy was and how much she reminded him of Sam. “Sure thing, kiddo.” “Tank you.” she said, handing it to Dean with both hands. She picked up Squish and turned back to Sam. “I ready, Sammy.” “Okay. Let’s go.” Sam took her upstairs and laid her back down in the bed they’d been sleeping in the night before. He was amazed she wasn’t crankier than she was, as she’d only slept about three hours. Not surprisingly, she fell asleep quickly. Sam tucked her in, kissed her, and headed back downstairs to the rest of the family. “Sleep well, Cricket. Sammy loves you.”

[agj1990]

Big Girl

Summary: Evy loses her first tooth. 

Sam finished making Evy’s sandwich, then started to open the refrigerator to pour her a glass of milk. He’d sent Evy to wash her hands in the upstairs bathroom, and it was taking a little longer than he’d anticipated. Sam wasn’t worried; he figured she had taken the opportunity to go to the bathroom. Sam poured her milk and put the carton back in the fridge. Just as he was about to call Evy to check on her, a loud crash brought him running. Sam’s heart stopped when he found Evy. She was lying on the floor, pushing herself up. There was blood on the floor. Sam expected her to burst out in tears any second. He finally broke himself out of his shock and helped her off the floor. “Cricket? What happened, honey?” “I fell.” Evy said flatly. Sam noticed she was looking at something in her hand. “Cricket, look at me. I need to see if you’re hurt.” When Evy finally looked up at Sam, Sam didn’t know what to make of the expression on her face. She was smiling. She had her hand wrapped in a very tight fist. Despite the fact that blood was still trickling down her chin, Sam had to know what had her so happy after taking such a nasty fall. “Cricket, why are you smiling?” “Look, Sammy!” Evy said. “I lost my first teef!” Sam looked down and in Evy’s hand was, indeed, two of her baby teeth. Sam gently pushed open her mouth and saw that her bottom two teeth directly in the front were missing. Sam was again jolted into action when he noticed that the small trickle of blood was coming from the missing teeth. Sam pulled Evy gently into the kitchen and sat her on the counter, placing a washcloth soaked in cold water into her mouth. “Does that hurt?” Sam asked. He was trying not to cringe. “Just a wittle.” Evy said, around the washcloth that was still in her mouth. Sam shook his head, genuinely impressed. “You’re a tough kid, you know that?” Sam pulled the washcloth away. Evy was still grinning, and Sam was relieved to see that the bleeding had stopped. Evy took a look at the teeth in her hand. “What we do with my teef, Sammy?” “Well,” Sam said, taking her teeth carefully from her, “we’ll put them under your pillow tonight when you go to sleep.” “Under my pillow? Why?” Evy asked. “The tooth fairy’ll pick them up and leave you a surprise for them.” Sam explained. “What kind of surprise?” Evy asked. “You’ll have to find out when you wake up in the morning.” Sam answered. “Wait.” Evy said, reaching over and grabbing Sam’s shoulder, a sudden look of worry on her face. Sam tried to hold back a snicker; he could see whatever what was worrying her, she was serious about it. “What, Cricket? What’s wrong?” “Are dey gone forever?” Evy asked. Sam knew it was mean, but he couldn’t help messing with her. She was just too cute. “Is what gone forever?” “My teef!” An exasperated Evy said, pointing to Sam’s hand. “Will dey grow back?” “No.” Sam explained, and Evy looked panicked. “Don’t worry though, Cricket. These are your baby teeth. Your big girl teeth will come in now.” Evy smiled, and all worry melted away from her face. “I’m big girl now.” She said happily. Sam’s humor at the situation was suddenly dampened by a hint of sadness. She was indeed “a big girl now”. She was no longer the teeny tiny infant who would crawl to him as soon as he’d walk into the room. She’d be starting school in a few days. Sam brushed some hair out of her face that was falling next to her eye. “Yeah, Cricket. You are a big girl now.” Sam said. “Sammy?” “Yes?” Sam asked, still looking at her. “I’m hungry. Can I eat lunch now?” Sam smiled. “Can I have a hug first?” Evy grinned and stretched her arms out towards him. She wrapped her arms around his waist, and she held onto him for a minute while Sam put aside the washcloth he’d used to stop the bleeding. He squeezed her and kissed the top of her head, then pulled her off the counter and set her back down gently. “Here.” Sam carefully placed the teeth she’d lost into her small hand. “Take these and go put them under your pillow.” “Okay.” Evy said, and ran back upstairs to her bedroom to do just that. Sam thought back to her very serious worry that her teeth wouldn’t grow back, and let out the snicker that he’d been holding in. Evy came back downstairs, sat at the table and ate her lunch. Sam watched her carefully in case her mouth started bleeding again. They talked about her starting school the next week, how she felt about it and whether she would like it. Sam snuck into her room later that night to play tooth fairy. He pulled the teeth out from under her pillow and carefully replaced them with two one dollar bills. Once he was sure he’d gotten away with it, and that Evy wasn’t going to wake up and discover him there, he kissed her and whispered, “Good night, my big girl. Sammy loves you.”

[agj1990]

Freaky Winchester Weekend

Summary: When Dean is a jerk to his thirteen-year-old daughter about how she looks, his wife decides on a creative solution to show him the error of his ways. 

“Here, let’s try this.” Natalie took a little eyeshadow and applied it to Andrea’s eyes. Andrea giggled, and looked in the mirror beside them. She looked two years older, and turned to her mother with a huge smile. “What do you think, mom?” she asked. “You’re beautiful.” Natalie said. “But remember the rule.” “I know, I know.” Andrea said. “Fifteen.” Natalie nodded, kissing Andrea’s forehead. The thirteen-year-old was, from her head to her feet, a daddy’s girl, but she was growing closer to her mother lately too. Her mom was better at helping her understand what was going on with her growing body, and was more patient and understanding about it than her father was. Andrea had become more and more interested in makeup and styling her hair differently lately. While her mother was pretty lenient about her hair, allowing Andrea to do pretty much whatever she wanted as long as it was clean and brushed, the makeup rule was firm. She was allowed to experiment at home, with her mother present, but she was not allowed to wear any makeup out of the house until she was fifteen. Unfortunately, Natalie had not discussed this with her husband and Andrea’s father, Dean, who walked in at just that moment. “Hey, my girls. What are you up to?” he asked. “Hi, daddy.” Andrea said, turning to her father. Andrea got up and walked over to hug her father. Dean, who hadn’t been looking at them when he walked in, placed his jacket on the bed and hugged Andrea back. Andrea, nicknamed ‘Andy’ by her dad, kept her arms around Dean’s waist as she looked up. She had a smile on her face, which immediately melted away when Dean frowned. “What is this?” Dean asked. “What do you mean?” Andrea asked, letting Dean go. Dean’s tone turned more stern. “What’s all over your face?” he asked. “Mommy and I were giving each other makeovers.” Andrea said, looking to her mother to see if she was in trouble; her mom looked just as surprised as she was. “You’re way too young to be messing with makeup.” Dean said. “You look ridiculous. Go wash your face.” “Dean!” Natalie finally said. “Andy, you don’t have to go anywhere. Dean, stop being a jerk. We were in here having a good time and you’re not going to ruin it. Go away.” Dean looked shocked at being sent away, but the look on his wife’s face was enough to make the seasoned supernatural hunter know better than to say anything else. He took another displeased look at Andrea, then turned around and left. Andrea looked down to the floor, trying to keep from crying. It was hard for her to think that she had disappointed her dad for any reason. She walked back over to her mom and sat down beside her again. Natalie noticed that Andrea was upset now. “Are you okay?” she asked. “Yeah.” Andrea said quietly. “You don’t sound okay.” Natalie said. “Does it bother you when your dad says stuff about the way you look?” “Yeah.” Andrea said. Her voice broke and a single tear fell down her face. “Hey.” Natalie said, grabbing Andrea’s chin. “I’ll talk to your dad. He had no right to talk to you like that. But you know that he’s wrong, right? You’re a beautiful kid. Alright?” Andrea nodded and smiled. “Thanks, mommy.” Natalie gave her a hug. She loved the fact that Andrea still called her mommy, despite the fact that she was thirteen. After making Andrea feel better, they went back to their night. Dean was sleeping on the couch when Andrea went to bed, but that didn’t stop Natalie from waking him up and yelling at him for what he had said to Andrea. Natalie ended the conversation by telling Dean, “You are not allowed to be mean to her, Dean. For any reason. You have to think about the way you talk to her.” The next morning, Natalie received a call from school saying that school was cancelled due to a water line in the school breaking. Andrea quickly decided what she wanted to do for the day. “Mommy, can I go to the mall with Candy?” Candy was Candace Burrell, Andrea’s best friend from the age of two on. Natalie quickly agreed. Natalie was a teacher at Andrea’s school, and was behind on some grading, so she was thankful for the opportunity to do her work uninterrupted. After making sure Andrea had her birthday money, her cell phone, her jacket, and her house key, Natalie gave her strict instructions to be back home by dinnertime. “Have fun, sweetie.” Dean, who worked in town as a mechanic, came home around lunchtime and was surprised to find Natalie home. Things were still a little tense from the night before. Dean thought he had done the right thing, and that Natalie was wrong in undermining him in front of Andrea. Natalie had explained that Andrea knew she wasn’t allowed to wear makeup outside the house, but that she was still a teenage girl, and it was fun for her to experiment in a safe place. She’d explained to Dean that Andrea was very sensitive about the way she looked, and Dean needed to leave her alone and not say anything about it. Only when Natalie explained that he’d made Andrea cry did Dean realize exactly what he’d done. Once Natalie explained why she wasn’t at school, Dean sat down beside her. “I’m sorry.” he said simply. “I thought a lot about last night.” “It’s not just me you have to apologize to.” Natalie said. “You really hurt her feelings, Dean.” “I know.” Dean said. “What should I do?” “Just tell her you’re sorry.” Natalie explained. “When she gets home, just pull her aside and tell her that you’re an idiot who wasn’t thinking. And from now on, if you have a problem with anything having to do with how she looks, you talk to me first.” “Deal.” Dean said. “Dean, she loves you.” Natalie assured him. “You make the sun come up for her in the morning. And what you say to her sticks in her head. When you talk to her, you have to think to yourself, is this what I want her to think about herself? If the answer’s no, keep your damn mouth shut.” Dean laughed. “Yes, mam.” He looked at her for a long, hard moment before asking, “Your dad didn’t think about what he said to you, did he?” Natalie looked down, much the way that Andrea had done the night before. Her father had never once, the entire time she’d lived at home, hit her. But he had never said a kind word to her either. He offered her only insults and criticisms, about the way she looked, the way she talked, what she thought, and anything else he could think of to insult her about. Natalie looked at Dean and said seriously, “No. He didn’t. Which is why you will. Or you’ll have to deal with me. Got it?” “Got it.” Dean said. “I love you.” “Love you too, babe.” Natalie said, offering him a kiss. Dean checked the clock. “I got to go back to work. See you tonight.” “Okay.” Dean got up and started for the door when he remembered something. “Hey, babe?” “Yes, dear?” Natalie said without looking up from the table. “Sam wants to come for dinner. Is that okay?” Dean asked. Natalie looked up with a smile. “Have I ever said no?” “Thanks, babe. You’re the best.” Dean said, blowing her another kiss. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Get out of here.” Natalie said. Dean walked out and headed back to work. Natalie worked a little longer on her grading. She was almost caught up with her work, and was about to make herself a large bowl of ice cream as a treat. Her cell phone dinged once. It was a text from Andrea. Mommy I need to tell you something. Please don’t be mad. Andrea, alarmed, answered back right away. Are you okay? What’s going on? I spent my birthday money on something, and I’m not sure if you’re going to like it. Andrea said. Honey, it’s your money. What did you get? Natalie said. Almost a full minute passed, and Natalie was getting worried. Another text came through, and it was a picture. Natalie opened it and gasped. Andrea had left that morning with long, wavy hair that went almost to her hips. Her hair was now shoulder length and more curly, which Natalie guessed happened when it was cut. The haircut was gorgeous, and Natalie was so surprised that she forgot to reply. Mommy? a worried Andrea texted back. Baby, you look so cute!!! Natalie answered. I absolutely love it!! Really? Andrea asked. Yes. Natalie said. You did good, baby. Thanks, mommy. Candy and I are going to get some ice cream and then I’m coming home. Andrea said. Okay, sweetie. Have fun. Natalie said. Natalie put her phone away and smiled. She then realized the real reason Andrea may have texted her about the haircut. She was worried about Dean’s reaction. Natalie picked up her phone and texted Dean to call her before he came home. She then got another idea. She texted Sam. Andy got a haircut today and she’s worried about how it looks. Can you make a big deal about it for me? Tell her how good she looks? Sam answered back within a minute. Sure thing. Want me to bring anything for dinner tonight? Some beer and stuff for salad would be amazing. Natalie requested. You got it. See you tonight. Sam said. Natalie’s answer was You’re the awesomest brother in the entire world :) Natalie started working on preparing dinner, deciding on tacos, Andrea’s favorite. Sam got there a couple hours later, and started helping her with dinner. Andrea had asked for and been given permission to go to Candy’s house for a while, so she walked in a few minutes behind Sam. Sam kept his promise to Natalie, lighting up in a huge smile when he saw her. “Hi, kitten.” Sam said. “You look great! I love the haircut.” “Thanks, uncle Sammy.” Andrea said, as she walked over to give him a hug. “So, I heard you had a day off school today.” Sam said. Andrea sat at the counter and told her mother and uncle about her day at the mall with Candy. Natalie was getting worried, as she hadn’t heard from Dean yet. She didn’t want him to react badly to Andrea’s haircut and make her feel bad like he had the night before. Natalie had told Sam about what happened, and Sam agreed with her that Dean had way overreacted. As Andrea finished telling her story, Natalie heard the front door open. “Lucy, I’m home!” “We’re in here, daddy!” Andrea said from the kitchen. Dean walked in and stopped short at the sight of Andrea. “Daddy?” Andrea asked, worried. “What do you think?” “Honey.” Dean said, walking over towards her slowly. He ran his hands through her hair slowly. “Why’d you cut it? It looked so beautiful before.” “DEAN!” a horrified Sam and Natalie shouted. Andrea jumped off the chair at the counter and ran out of the kitchen, clearly crying. The three adults heard her bedroom door slam, and both Sam and Natalie rounded on Dean. Natalie walked up to Dean and slapped him hard in the back of the head. She said nothing else, just headed down to Andrea’s room to try and comfort her. She heard Sam yelling at Dean from down the hall. Natalie reached Andrea’s door, knocked once, and opened it. Andrea was lying on the bed on her stomach, crying into a pillow. Natalie walked in and sat on the edge of the bed. She placed a hand on Andrea’s back and started to rub it in small circles. Andrea didn’t move, just continued to cry into the pillow. “Talk to me, baby.” Natalie said. Andrea finally sat up and looked at her mother. “Were you just being nice to me?” “No, baby.” Natalie said. “Your hair does look beautiful.” “Then why’s daddy being so mean to me?” Andrea said, crying again. “I don’t know, sweetie.” Natalie said, wiping her face as she cried. “But listen to me. You are gorgeous. Don’t ever let anyone tell you different. Okay?” “Okay, mommy.” Andrea said, laying down and placing her head in her mother’s lap. Natalie held Andrea for a few minutes, not talking, just stroking her hair and trying to calm her. Andrea’s tears soon halted under her mother’s tender touch, and her mother made her laugh by tickling her feet. There was a knock at the door, and it opened again. Dean was standing there this time. “Can I come in?” he asked. Andrea warily looked at her mother, who answered for her. “Are you going to be nice?” Natalie said. “I swear I will.” Dean said. Natalie looked at Andrea. “It’s up to you.” Andrea nodded, and Dean walked in. “Hey, honey.” Andrea said nothing, still hurt by Dean’s comments earlier. Dean sat on the edge of the bed. “Honey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings earlier. I was just surprised. You’ve had your long hair forever. I’m just not ready for you to grow up.” “So you’re not mad I cut my hair?” Andrea asked. “No.” Dean said. “No, honey. And it looks beautiful. And I’m sorry I’ve been such a jerk lately.” Andrea thought about her father’s apology before saying anything. He did seem sorry. And she knew he wouldn’t hurt her on purpose. Andrea looked at her mother, who still looked angry, but who nodded at Andrea. Andrea wrapped her arms around her father’s neck, and forgave him. “I love you daddy.” “I love you too, baby.” Dean said. All seemed normal the rest of the night. The family had dinner together, and Andrea felt better about herself. She kissed her father good night, and went to bed thinking about the sleepover she was planning the next day with Candy. Dean was off work that Saturday, so they spent the day together watching movies. At around four that afternoon, Andy left for Candy’s house. “Do we have the house to ourselves?” Dean asked Natalie a couple of hours later. “I believe we do.” Natalie said, smiling. But before the two of them could really have any time together, the phone rang. Natalie reluctantly went to answer it, while Dean complained from the bed. Natalie waved him off, and talked briefly to Candy’s mother, Jackie. “Okay, Jackie. Thanks for calling. I’ll come get her right now.” Dean groaned. “Why do you have to go get her? We haven’t had any alone time together in forever!” “Dean, stop complaining.” Natalie said as she got dressed. “Andy needs me.” “Is she okay?” Dean asked. It wasn’t like Andrea to want to leave Candy’s. “Do you want me to come too?” “No.” Natalie said. “Trust me. She’s okay, and I’ll tell you later tonight. But I need to go pick her up.” “She’s five doors down!” Dean said. “Why can’t she walk back?” “Dean, I mean it.” Natalie said impatiently, picking up her keys. “I’m going to get Andy, and we have to go to the grocery store. When she gets home, be nice to her. Or else.” “Fine.” Dean said grumpily. Natalie quickly kissed him, then ran out the door. She returned with Andy around a half hour later. Dean was sitting on the couch when the two of them got home, flipping through channels on the TV. He was still upset at his night with Natalie being interrupted, but figured that if Andrea was upset enough to leave Candy’s, something really was wrong. Dean turned towards Andrea, who was still standing behind the couch, waiting on Natalie to return. “Hey, kiddo, you….?” Dean cut his question off when he saw Andrea. Her face was heavy laden with makeup, and she was wearing a skirt that was much too short for Dean’s liking. Dean jumped up from the couch and immediately forgot his promise to be patient with Andrea. “Andrea Mary Winchester! What the hell are you wearing?” he asked. “Daddy, please…” Andrea said, tears welling up in her eyes. “Please nothing!” Dean said. “I don’t care what your mom says, you are not allowed to be out of this house looking like you’re asking for the wrong kind of attention. You’re thirteen years old…” Dean immediately stopped yelling when a glass flew by his ear and crashed against the wall. He looked into the kitchen to see a very angry looking Natalie standing there. Dean stood there, mouth gaping in utter shock at what had just happened. Natalie took advantage of his shock and turned to Andrea. “Andy, baby, go to the kitchen and get me one of your father’s beers please.” Andrea knew she wasn’t in trouble with her mom, but did not want to chance making her even slightly annoyed in her current state. She walked to the kitchen and pulled out one of Dean’s beers and handed it to Natalie. It was Andrea’s turn to be shocked when, without breaking a sweat, Natalie opened the beer and poured it all over Dean. Dean sputtered and tried to regain his composure as Natalie walked back over to Andrea. “If anyone ever talks to you again the way your father just did, you kick their ass. And if your father does it, you do exactly what I just did and you come find me and I’ll kick his ass. You got it?” Andrea nodded. “Yes, mommy.” Natalie got an idea. “Did you bring your bag inside?” Andrea shook her head no. “Okay. Go back out to the car and wait for me. We’ll get a motel room and do our own sleepover. How’s that sound?” Natalie asked kindly. Instead of answering Natalie, Andrea gratefully wrapped her arms around her mother’s waist and squeezed. She walked back out to the car to wait for her mom, who rounded on Dean with a fury that Dean had never seen before. “I’m sorry…” Dean started to say. “Shut up.” Natalie said. “Shut the hell up Dean. You really crossed the line this time. For your information, your little girl started her period tonight. She was scared and wanted her mom. That’s why I left to go get her. The last thing she needed right now was you jumping on top of her for petty shit.” Dean stammered, unable to defend himself. He really had been a jerk. “And furthermore, what you said about ‘attracting the wrong kind of attention’? That’s exactly what my father said to me when that son of a bitch attacked me in high school.” Dean looked as if she’d slapped him in the face. “So if, God forbid, that ever does happen to her, it’ll be the fault of whoever is stupid enough to lay a finger on her. Not her because of what she’s wearing. And if she ever does think that it’s her fault because of something you’ve said to her, then after I am done castrating that son of a bitch, I will move on to you. Got it?” Dean swallowed. “Yeah.” he said. “Yeah, I got it. I’m so…” “Don’t you dare say you’re sorry.” Natalie said. “You’re not getting out of this so easy. I’m taking Andy to get a room and we’re going to hang out together tonight. Then if we come back tomorrow, you’d better be ready with one hell of an apology.” Natalie turned and stalked out to the car, where Andrea was waiting. Natalie started the car, then got an idea. She pulled out her cell phone and quickly texted Sam. Your stupid brother upset Andy again. I’m taking her to get a room in town. Will you come kick his ass for me tonight please? Sam answered back quickly again. You got it. Tell kitten I love her and she’s beautiful. Thanks. Natalie said simply, then started the car and headed towards the motel. Two hours later, Natalie and Andrea were lying on a bed in the only motel in town. Natalie had talked with Andrea about her period, what it meant and what to expect now. Andrea had asked a few questions, and seemed to understand what was going on in general. Andrea had slipped into silence again, and was staring ahead out the window. “Talk to me.” Natalie said. “What are you thinking about?” “I feel bad because you and daddy fought because of me.” Andrea said. “No we didn’t.” Natalie said. “Listen to me. Your daddy and I fought because he was mean to you and I’m not going to let him do that. No one can talk to you like your daddy did today. And I expect you to stand up for yourself if it happens again, or come and find me and I’ll stand up for you. Nothing that happened tonight was your fault. Okay?” “Okay, mommy.” Andrea said. “I wish daddy could be a girl for a little while and see what it felt like.” Natalie smiled and started to dismiss the idea as funny, until she got an idea. She picked up her cell phone and sent another text, not telling Andrea what she was doing in case it didn’t work. Five minutes later, there was a knock at the door. “Come in!” Natalie said. In came one of Natalie’s dearest friends, much to Dean’s dismay. “Hi, Rowena.” “Auntie Ro!” Andrea jumped off the bed and ran to Rowena. “Hello, love.” Rowena said warmly. Though she very rarely cared about anyone, she truly loved Andrea. She ran her hand through Andrea’s hair. “I love your new hairdo!” “Thanks.” Andrea said, smiling. As Andrea led Rowena over to the other bed in the room, Rowena asked, “What in the world is going on?” Natalie told Rowena a bit about what had been going on in the previous few days. Rowena listened patiently, running her fingers through Andrea’s hair as she did. When Natalie finished, a sympathetic Rowena grabbed her for a hug. “I’m so sorry, love.” she said. “Your father’s a moron.” The overwhelming support from the rest of her family finally made Andrea blush. “Guys…” “See?” Natalie asked. “I told you.” “You said you had an idea.” Rowena said, turning to Natalie. “What was it?” “Actually, it was Andy’s idea.” Natalie said. She explained to Rowena what Andrea had said, and a shocked Andrea protested. “Mommy, I wasn’t serious!” “Why not?” Rowena asked. “I think it’s a brilliant idea!” “You do?” Andrea asked. “You mean we can do it?” “Easy-peasy.” Rowena said. She turned back to Natalie. “Where is Dean now?” “At home.” Natalie answered. “Sam should be ripping into him right about now.” “You might want to get Sam down here.” Rowena said. “Dean’s going to get rather sleepy when we’re done.” Rowena explained that she could turn Dean into a teen girl, but she needed some of Dean’s hair. Natalie asked Rowena to get the spell started, and she texted Sam telling him where they were and what she needed. She promised to give him the details of what was going on when he got there. Sam arrived close to an hour later, and the plan was set. The next morning, when Dean woke up, he felt…strange. It was Sunday, and he reached over to stroke Natalie’s hair. When he realized she wasn’t there, and remembered why, he felt guilty all over again. He sat up and was immediately assaulted by a headache. He assumed he had a hangover, until he remembered that he hadn’t had a drink the night before. Dean realized something else too. He looked down towards his chest and saw it. “What the…?” Dean went to the mirror and stared in confusion. His hair had grown to his shoulders, he was over twenty years younger, and he had boobs. That was the part that caught his attention the most. The boobs. They were uncomfortable, they were mismatched, more importantly, they were there in the first place. Dean was close to panic. He didn’t know what to do. To make matters worse, the front door opened just then. “Dean, we’re home!” Shit. Dean thought. How was he going to get out of this one? “Dean? We know what’s going on. Get down here in the living room.” What the hell do you mean you know what’s going on? Dean thought as he walked into the living room. When Dean saw that not only was Natalie home, but Andrea, Sam, and Rowena were there too. Dean got another surprise when he realized that all the people in the living room looking at him made him want to cry. Dean could not remember ever feeling this self-conscious. The feeling got worse when everyone burst out into fits of laughter. “Shut up, guys.” Dean said. “It’s not funny. What’s wrong with me?” Natalie was coughing from laughing so hard. “Sit down, Dean.” Dean sat on the couch, grateful that he was wearing a shirt. He crossed his arms over his chest, trying to cover his flapping boobs, hoping that no one was looking at them. Sam was still laughing, and Dean still felt the urge to cry. He wanted to snap at Sam to shut up, but before he got the chance, Natalie started to explain. “Nothing’s wrong with you, Dean.” she said. “We’ve simply…made you this way.” “Excuse me?” Dean asked. “We’ve made you this way.” Natalie said. “You’ve become a teenage girl.” “What?” “You’ve become a teenage girl.” Natalie said. “You’re going to be a girl for two days. Today and tomorrow. To help you realize why you have to be careful in what you say to Andy.” “Look, I’m sorry. But this…” Dean started to say. “This is going to happen, Dean.” Natalie said firmly. “You’ll stay around the house today, and you’re going to school with me and Andy tomorrow.” “But I have to work…” Dean said lamely. “Yeah, I already took care of that.” Natalie said. “I told Mike you needed a personal day because we had a fight and you needed some time to make it up to me. He didn’t need much convincing.” When Dean stuttered from pure shock, Natalie said, “Yeah, you should probably put on a bra, Dean.” Dean finally found his voice; his stomach cramped uncomfortably. “What is wrong with my stomach?” Natalie seemed confused, then looked to Rowena. “You didn’t.” Rowena smiled and shrugged her shoulders. “I figured he needed the entire experience.” Natalie laughed again. “Congratulations, Dean. You’re having your first period.” Sam, who had remained mostly silent on the sidelines, snorted. “Wow, Dean.” “Shut up, Sam!” Dean said. “You can go home now.” “Nat?” Sam asked. “You don’t have to go anywhere if you don’t want to.” Natalie said. “You either, Ro.” Dean groaned. “Come on, Dean.” Natalie said. “We’ve got a lot to talk about.” “There’s one more thing you should know.” Rowena said. Everyone turned to her. “While you’re at school tomorrow, you’ll be able to hear whatever anyone thinks about you.” “What does that mean?” Dean asked. “It means that if anyone, and I mean anyone, boys, girls, whoever, thinks anything about you, or talks about you behind your back, you’ll be able to hear them.” Rowena said. Natalie nodded her approval, and dragged Dean back into the bedroom to talk to him. The first day consisted mostly of Dean complaining, Sam laughing at him, and Natalie and Rowena taking their own turns to do so. By the time he went to bed that night, he was begging Natalie to change her mind. “No, Dean.” Natalie said. “You’re finishing this.” So the next morning, Natalie woke up both Andrea and Dean for school. Andrea woke easily, like usual, but Dean dragged and complained. He claimed he was too tired, but Natalie refused to let him “stay home to rest” like he wanted. Only when they were in the car did Dean realize something. “How are you going to explain me only being around for a day?” “You’re a homeschool student friend of mine. Your mom wants you to experience public school for a day.” Natalie said. Dean thought that the day would be a piece of cake. Spend some time in a boring classroom, get through the day, go home. How wrong he was. The entire day consisted of Dean hearing, both in his head and around him, things like look at her big ears. Her hair looks ridiculous. Look at her big boobs. Her nose is gigantic. By the end of the day, Dean found that he was doubting himself, wondering if everything everyone seemed to be thinking was true. He also realized what Natalie had been trying to tell him. The rest of the world would be hard enough on Andrea for the way she looked. Dean needed to shut his mouth and focus on what was actually important-the kind of person Andrea was growing into. And, thinking about it, he realized that she was an amazing kid. One who loved her family and friends unconditionally, did her best to help them, and, Dean hoped, forgave easily. When the family arrived home that night, Dean, who was still in the body of a teenage girl, asked Andrea to sit down. Andrea did it, her stomach clenching in nervousness. Had Dean learned anything that day? Natalie seemed as nervous as Andrea. Once all three of them were seated, Dean grabbed Andrea in a hug. “Baby girl, I’m so, so sorry.” Andrea, surprised to say the least, hugged Dean back and breathed a sigh of relief. “Sorry for what, daddy?” “I’m sorry I was so mean to you.” Dean said. “You’ve got enough people paying attention to your looks. Baby, you’re so beautiful. Inside and out. And I promise I’ll never do that again.” Andrea looked to her mom, who was smiling. Dean apparently had learned his lesson. Andrea decided to try and make her father feel better, too. “You’re pretty too, daddy.” she said, somewhat awkwardly. “Thanks.” Dean said. “I guess. But can I ask a favor?” “What’s that?” Andrea asked. “Can we never, ever, ever talk about this again?” Dean asked. Andrea laughed. “Deal.” Andrea hugged her dad again, not caring about how weird it was. “I love you, daddy.” “I love you too, sweetheart.” Dean said. “I love you too.”

[agj1990]

Squishy

Summary: Baby Evy loses her only friend. 

Dean and Sam were officially going crazy. Twenty-two month old Evy had been crying for two solid hours. Her cries had started off as whimpers, sitting up in the playpen she now slept in most nights. Sam had held her, sung to her, and cuddled her, but he couldn’t figure out what was making her stay up. She hated going to sleep, but would normally lie down without much complaint if she had a bath, full belly, and a fair share of attention.  Not tonight. And Sam had no idea why. Evy, who had begun speaking in nearly complete sentences for weeks, was crying too hard to talk when asked why she was so upset. Sam had finally figured out why she was so upset when he made out one word.

“Squishy.”

Holding Evy on his hip, Sam checked the playpen and saw it. Evy’s stuffed cat, Squish, that she had slept with every night since she was a few days old, was missing. Sam realized he was in for a long night. There was no way Evy was going to sleep willingly now. Sam had called Dean, who at first had done a cursory search of the house, thinking that Squish had just been placed in the wrong bag when they’d moved. But after a half hour of not finding Squish, Dean was starting to get panicked too.

“What are we gonna do?”

The brothers did the only thing they could think to do. They took half hour shifts comforting Evy while the other one checked the bags and the rest of the house. Sam knew that the cat wasn’t in the house, and prayed that John’s hunt would be over soon so he could check the Impala. While Sam checked the house for the fourth time, Dean held a distraught Evy on the rickety couch in the living room. She had stopped crying, purely out of exhaustion and was fighting sleep. Dean laid down with her, rubbing her stomach, hoping it would help her finally get to sleep.

“Deanie?” Evy said sadly, turning to face him. “Where Squishy?”

“I don’t know, kiddo.” Dean said. “Me and Sammy are looking for him.”

“Can’t seep.” Evy said. “Want Squishy.”

“I know.”

Dean hated this. Evy was usually a very docile kid, one that very easily comforted and soothed. But losing Squish had thrown her whole world apart. Dean felt sorry for her. At not even two years old, her whole world was Squish, Dean, Sam, and John. With Dean and John gone most of the time, Dean imagined that she was feeling lonely at the moment. When Evy stuck a thumb in her mouth and curled up closer to Dean’s side. Dean got an idea.

“Hey, kiddo, I’ll be your Squishy. Would that help you go to sleep?”

Evy looked up at Dean. “You be Squishy?”

“Yeah.” Dean said. “I’ll be your Squishy. You can sleep right here. Just hold on to me, okay?”

Evy seemed skeptical, but grabbed Dean’s shirt and pulled it to her. “Deanie Squishy.”

“There you go.” Dean said. “Go to sleep, kiddo.”

Evy was so tired that she didn’t even babble. She just pulled Dean’s shirt to her chest, hugged it tight, and closed her heavy eyes. Dean quickly decided if they didn’t find Squish that night, he’d give Evy the shirt he was wearing and let her sleep with it. Sam came back to the living room to take over, but Dean quickly put a finger to his lips and shook his head. A relieved Sam mouthed thank you and started to head to bed himself.

The front door opened just as Sam started to go to his bed. John walked in, stepped carefully over the salt line at the door, and closed it back again. Evy whined, having not quite drifted off to sleep yet, and got a tighter grip on Dean’s shirt. The lights were out, and Dean saw that John held something in his hand.

“Is someone missing?” John asked.

Evy, who had woken up at the sound of her daddy’s voice, spotted it first, even in the pitch black dark of the front room. “Squishy!”

John laughed. “Here you go, little one.”

John handed the old, beaten up cat to Evy, who eagerly dropped Dean’s shirt and accepted the real thing. She squeezed Squish’s neck, babbling happily to him. John imagined she was telling him that she was happy to see him again, and that she’d never let him go. John started to walk back to his room, when he was stopped dead in his tracks.

“Daddy!”

John turned back around and saw a familiar sight. Evy was sitting up, holding both arms out towards him, and flexing her fingers, begging him to pick her up. As tired as he was, John picked her up, and Evy kept one arm around Squish and wrapped the other around John’s neck.

“Love daddy.”

John thought his heart would explode. Being gone as often as he was meant that Evy was most attached to Sam. He was jealous of the close relationship Evy had with Sam, but couldn’t be around enough to form one of his own. When he’d seen Squish left behind in the backseat of the Impala as he headed towards his hunt, John saw his opportunity. He’d now have only two hours to sleep before having to leave again, but he didn’t care. It was worth it if Evy saw him as a hero, even for just a few minutes.

“I love you too, little one.”

Sam let them have a moment before saying, “Ready for bed, Cricket?”

“Daddy.” Evy said, grabbing John’s neck.

“You want me to put you to bed?” John asked.

Evy laid her head on his shoulder and yawned. “Daddy.” She said again.

“You want to sleep with me?” Evy’s answer was to snuggle into John’s neck and yawn.

John laughed. “Okay, little one. Let’s go.”

Dean and Sam both kissed Evy goodnight, and John carried her towards the last remaining unused bedroom in the house. He laid down, not removing his jacket or clothes. He would just have to get dressed again in less than two hours, so he decided to just take a nap. John laid Evy down on the bed. She was already sleeping, Squish pulled close to her side. Once John set the alarm clock, he pulled Evy carefully next to him. He brushed some of her curly brown hair carefully out of her face, a brief fleeting thought of her mother Missy crossing his mind.

“Good night, little one. Daddy loves you.”

[agj1990]

Mr. Wufus

Summary: Rufus Turner has never liked little kids. Until he meets two year old Evelyn Winchester. 

Evy picked up Squish with one hand, and rubbed her eyes with the other. Uncle Bobby had put her to bed for a nap, and she had slept, so it was time to get up now. She was sleeping in a big girl bed now, and it was still hard to get down from it sometimes. She knew Sammy didn’t like it when she tried to get down herself, but he wasn’t here. Sammy, Deanie, and Daddy were on a trip until tomorrow, and she was staying here with uncle Bobby. Evy climbed down carefully off the bed and started to walk down to the kitchen to find uncle Bobby. After her nap, he had promised her a snack, and her tummy was making funny noises.

“Unca Baby?”

“In here, Baitfish.” Uncle Bobby called from the kitchen.

           Evy walked into the kitchen and over to uncle Bobby, who was sitting at the table with someone else. The new man looked kind of grumpy, but she wasn’t scared. Uncle Bobby was grumpy a lot too, but he was really, really nice. Uncle Bobby picked her up and hugged her, then sat her in his lap.

“You sleep good, Baitfish?” Uncle Bobby asked.

“Yeah.” Evy said, hugging Squish and yawning. “Can I has my snack now?”

Uncle Bobby laughed. “Sure, I guess. A deal’s a deal.”

           Uncle Bobby got up, still holding Evy, and walked to the cupboard, still holding Evy. He pulled one of her cups out for her, filled it with milk, then sat her at the table in her own chair. He got out a few of her cookies and put them on a paper towel for her. As Uncle Bobby got her snack ready, Evy drank a little of her milk and stared across the table at the new stranger. Uncle Bobby didn’t seem scared of him, so he must have been a friend.

“Hi.” Evy said politely.

“Hey, kid.” He said.

“I’m Evy. What’s you name?”

“Rufus.” The stranger said. He seemed just as scared of Evy as she had been of him at first.

Evy took Squish and sat him on the table. “This is Squish. He my friend.”

“That’s nice.” Rufus said.

Uncle Bobby sat the cookies in front of her. “There you go, Baitfish.” “Tank you, uncle Baby!” Evy said.

She loved staying with uncle Bobby. The pile of cookies was enormous. He always gave her a lot more than Sammy or Daddy did. She grinned, thinking about the face Sammy would have had if he’d seen the cookies on the table.

“You’re welcome, Baitfish.”

“Mr. Wufus, you want some cookies too?” Evy asked.

“No thanks.”

“You sure? They really good.” Evy said. She took one cookie and held it to Squish’s mouth. “Here you go, Squish.”

           Rufus Turner did not like kids. They were annoying, loud, messy, and a nuisance. Bobby had told him he couldn’t go on the hunt because he had the kid here. Rufus hadn’t said anything, but that only deepened his feelings about kids being annoying. So now he was taking a break at Bobby’s for a few hours before setting out on the hunt. But as he watched Evy, something changed. She fed cookies to Bobby and Squish. She giggled when Bobby took the cookies from her hand, and was thoroughly convinced that Squish was eating them too. Before long, Rufus found himself doing one of the only things in the world that scared him worse than hunting. Talking to a kid.

“Hey, Evy?”

Evy giggled as Bobby took another cookie from her hand. “Yes, sir?”

Damn, why’s this kid so polite? Rufus thought, as he asked her, “I changed my mind. Could I have one of those cookies?”

“Sure!” Evy said. “You want a chocowate one or vanilla one?”

           Miracles do happen, Bobby thought to himself later that night. He made dinner as Rufus entertained Evy in the living room. He had believed no one or nothing could change Rufus’ curmudgeon nature, but apparently he was wrong. It made sense when Bobby thought about it. More than once, he’d seen John melt like butter in Evy’s hands, so why should Rufus have been any different? After feeding them both dinner and washing the dishes, Bobby found Rufus in the living room, with Evy in his lap. They were watching Pinocchio, Evy’s favorite movie. Evy had Squish in one arm and a cup of milk in the other. When the movie was over, Evy yawned loudly and her eyes were opening and closing.

“I think it’s bedtime, Baitfish. What do you think?”

Even as she yawned, Evy said, “I not think so, unca Baby.”

“Oh, you don’t? And why’s that?” Bobby asked.

Evy pouted a little. “’Cause Sammy not here to put me to sweep.”

She wasn’t just pouting and trying to avoid her bed; she missed Sam. Damn it, John, why’d you have to take both of them with you? “I know, Baitfish. But he’ll be back before you go to bed tomorrow night, and you can bet he’ll put you to bed.”

“I miss him, unca Baby.”

“I know.” Bobby said, kissing her on the forehead. “But you don’t want Sammy to get mad at me because I didn’t make you go to bed, do you?”

Evy thought about it for a minute, frowning in concentration. “No. I guess not.”

Bobby bit back a laugh. “Thanks for that, Baitfish. Come on.” “I coming.” Evy said. She was still sitting in Rufus’ lap. She turned around and grabbed his neck, then kissed his cheek. “Night night, Mr. Wufus.”

A stunned Rufus didn’t know how to react at first. “Uh…”

“Hug her back and tell her good night, ya danged idjit.”

After glaring at Bobby, Rufus placed a hand on Evy’s back, patted it, and said, “Good night, kid. Sweet dreams.”

           Evy released Rufus’ neck and held her arms up to Bobby. Bobby picked her up and carried her back to her bed. He’d been planning to spend a little time with her, maybe read her one of her stories before she went to sleep, but Evy was breathing deeply and sleeping soundly before Bobby even laid her down. Bobby pulled her blanket up to her chest, made sure she had Squish, and kissed her cheek.

“Good night, Baitfish. Love you.”

           Bobby turned and left the room. Rufus was still on the couch, flipping through the channels on Bobby’s TV. Bobby picked up the handful of books and toys that Evy had strewn throughout the living room that day, smirking the whole time.

“What the hell are you grinning like an idiot for?” Rufus asked.

“Don’t like kids, huh?” Bobby asked.

“Shut up, Singer.” Rufus snapped.

Before he fell asleep that night, Rufus went to the room Evy was sleeping in and checked on her. She looked so peaceful, sleeping with the cat in her arms and the blanket wrapped over her. She squeezed the cat every few seconds, and her feet were twitching slightly. She was having a dream, and she was running in it. Rufus had a thought that made him feel sorry for Evy. This kid’s in for a lifetime of pain. He didn’t know how likely he was to see her again, so Rufus walked in, patted her arm, and whispered to her.

“Good night, kid. And good luck.”

[agj1990]

The Sound of Laughter

Summary: Dean has picked on seven-year-old Evy one too many times. She and Sammy figure out a way to get him back. 

“Quit picking on me, Deanie!”

           Sam sighed and got up to go to the bedroom where Evy was playing. Dean had been in a particularly mischievous mood lately, and since Sam was big enough to ignore him, he had started taking his moods out on seven-year-old Evy. He was never overtly mean to her, but would make comments on how little she was, which was what Bobby called Evy’s ‘hot button’. She was tiny for her age, but was quick to point out she could do just as much as any other kid could do. When Sam made it to the bedroom, he found a smirking Dean standing just above Evy and a pouting Evy lying on the floor with some crayons and a coloring books.

“What’s going on?” Sam asked.

Evy looked to the door of the bedroom and said, “Deanie’s picking on me again.”

Sam looked at Dean with a are you freaking kidding me? expression. “Really, Dean? Picking on a little kid?”

Sam immediately regretted his choice of words when Evy almost shouted, “I’m not little!”

“Sorry, Cricket. I know you’re not.” Sam said. He turned back to Dean and said, “Dean, seriously. Knock it off. This has been going on for days. Do I have to get Dad involved?”

“Okay, okay.” Dean said. He looked down and noticed Evy looking angry and upset. He felt bad; he hadn’t meant to hurt her feelings. “I’m sorry, kiddo.”

“’Kay.” Evy said simply, but she wouldn’t look at him.

“Kiddo…”

“Dean. Leave her alone.” Sam said. “You can talk to her later.”

           Dean looked guilty, but he left like Sam said. Sam sat down next to Evy on the floor. He could see how much whatever Dean had said to her was bothering her. Evy had put her crayon down on the floor and sat up when she felt Sam place a hand on her back. She leaned against Sam for a minute until Sam finally spoke.

“Talk to me.” Evy sniffed. “I just wish Deanie would quit picking on me about being little.”

“I know. I know it bothers you. And it’s okay to tell him to knock it off like you did. I’m proud of you for that.” Sam said.

“But he keeps doing it.” Evy said. “How do I make him stop?” “You want to talk to Daddy about it?” Sam asked.

Evy thought about it and answered, “No. I don’t want to get him in trouble with Daddy. I just want to do something to make him see how much it bothers me.”

“Like what?” Sam asked.

“I don’t know.” Evy said.

           Sam didn’t know where it came from, but he got an idea. Dean prided himself on taking care of them. He knew it was mean to play on that, but it was the only way to get through to Dean. Evy noticed that Sam was smiling.

“What are you smiling about?”

“I think I have an idea about how to teach Dean a lesson.” Sam said. “Tell me what you think.”

Evy listened to Sam’s plan and smiled. “That’s kinda mean. But I like it.”

“Okay. Come on, let’s go talk to Daddy. We’ll need his help.”             The next morning, when Dean woke up, he still felt bad about picking on Evy. He knew it bothered her to be picked on about her size. The truth was, Dean admired her. She was a sensitive kid sometimes, but she was also tough as nails. He decided he was going to spend that day making it up to her for being a jerk, and he would make sure to tell her what a cool kids she was.

           Dean went into the kitchen and started to make pancakes for Evy. Sam had shown him after the last time he’d upset Evy a few days earlier how to make cinnamon pancakes, Evy’s favorite. Just as he plated the last pancake, Sam came into the kitchen.

“Hey, Dean.” “Hey.” Dean said. “Where’s baby girl? She still asleep?” Sam stopped and looked at Dean like he was crazy. “Who?”

Dean, surprised at Sam’s response, said, “Baby girl. Evy. Our little sister. Where is she?”

“Dean, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

What the hell? Dean thought, when John came in to join them. “Dad, have you seen baby girl?”

John took a pancake off the plate. “Who?”

“Evy! Has either of you seen Evy?” Dean asked, starting to panic.

“Dean, are you okay?” John asked. “You don’t have a sister.”

Dean smiled, but he was not even remotely amused. “Come on, you two. You’re messing with me. Now where is she?”

John and Sam looked at each other, then back at Dean. “Dean, I think you should go sit in the living room. Something’s wrong with you.”

“Wrong with me?” Dean asked. “You guys have forgotten an entire kid and you’re worried about me?” “Dean, watch your tone.” John said. He had to fight to maintain his normal tone of voice. “Go sit in the living room. Do not get up until I say so. That’s an order.”

           Defeated, Dean walked to the living room and sat on the couch like John had ordered him to. What in the hell is going on? Baby girl, where are you? Dean heard John and Sam walk outside the back door, and Dean got another idea. Bobby. He’ll know what to do. Dean picked up the phone and dialed Bobby’s number, keeping an ear open in case John came back inside. The phone rang four times before Bobby picked up.

“Yeah?” “Bobby? Bobby, it’s Dean. I need your help bad, man. Something’s wrong with Dad and Sam.” Dean explained in a hurry.

“Wrong with ‘em? What the hell you talking about?” Bobby asked gruffly.

“Evy’s nowhere around, and Dad and Sam aren’t freaked out. They don’t seem to know who she is.” Dean said.

There was a long pause before Bobby asked, “Dean? You feeling all right? Who’s Evy?”

Just as Dean was wondering What the hell? Bobby’s in on this too?, his father’s sharp voice practically shouted from the doorway. “Dean!”

Dean was so shocked that he threw the phone to the floor. “Dad…” “What was my order, son?”

“Dad, I…” Dean stuttered.

“What was my order?” John repeated, placing emphasis on the last word.

Dean swallowed. “Stay in the living room.”

“Exactly. You were on the phone why?” John asked.

“Dad, come on, please tell me this is a joke. You really don’t remember Evy?”

“Dean, Sam and I are leaving. We’ll be gone for two hours. Go to your room and stay there.” John said. “We’ll figure out what’s happening to you, Ace.”

“What’s happ…? Dad!”

“Dean, I’m not arguing about this with you. Get to your room or me and Sam will knock you out and cuff you to your bed. Make your choice now.”

           Dean had never truly questioned his father or Sam’s sanity, but now he did. Something had to be wrong. Very wrong. But Bobby seemed to be affected by it too. Dean made up his mind to try and find out what was wrong with his dad and Sam before they came back from wherever they were going. He got up off the couch and started towards his room.

“Okay, Dad. Whatever you say.”

“We’ll be back.” John repeated. When John and Sam heard Dean shut the door to his room, they went out the front door and towards John’s truck. Once inside, they exploded in a fit of laughs.

“Did you see the look on his face, Dad?” “Yes, I did.” John said.

“Hey, Dad?” Sam said once they’d both calmed down. “Thanks for helping with this.”

“You’re welcome, bud.” John said. “Come on, let’s go.”

           As John drove, he thought to himself how nice it felt to be working with Sam on something rather than arguing with him. Their arguing and fighting had been happening more frequently lately, and John couldn’t remember the last time the two of them had laughed together about something. Back at the house, Dean was close to panic. His entire family was insane. He knew he had a little sister, no matter what anyone told him. He found that John hadn’t locked the door, which surprised him, but he decided to take advantage of it. He did research for an hour and fifty minutes. When he came up with nothing, Dean decided to go back to his room, just in case John was punctual for once.

           Dean noticed something on the way back to his room. The door to the bedroom Evy and Sam had been using was closed. He opened it up and got even more confused. Sam’s stuff was in the room, in pretty much the same place Dean remembered the last time he’d been in there. But there was no trace of Evy. There was a second bed, but it was bare. Squish, Evy’s stuffed cat she slept with every night, was gone. Her little stack of books she kept next to the bed was gone. Her box of art supplies, which contained a mixture of whole and broken crayons, markers, colored pencils, and various other odds and ends, was gone. The photo Sam kept in the room of him and Dean holding Evy was gone. Dean felt his heart sink. Was he truly losing his mind? Did he remember a little sister that didn’t really exist? Dean pulled out his wallet to check. Sure enough, there was picture in the front, the same one Sam kept by his bed. Him and Sam were sitting on a park bench, holding a two year old grinning Evy between them.

“Where are you, baby girl?”

“Right here.”

           Dean spun around and couldn’t believe his eyes. Evy stood there in front of him, holding Squish and her backpack, with John and Sam standing behind her. Evy was grinning, and Dean was so stunned he didn’t speak for a whole sixty seconds. Evy filled the silence.

“Deanie? You okay?”

“Am I okay? Where the hell were you?” Dean asked, a mixture of relief and anger lacing his voice.

Dean immediately regretted it when Evy shrank back against Sam’s leg. She thinks I’m mad at her, Dean thought, and took a deep breath. “Baby girl, I’m sorry.” “It’s not fun when someone teases you too much, is it, Dean?” John said.

           Dean was stunned to silence for the second time in two minutes. He realized right away what had happened. The two hours that Sam and John were pretending they didn’t remember Evy were a prank. They were helping her get him back for all the teasing he’d done the last few days about her height. He wanted to be mad, but he really couldn’t.

“It was a joke, wasn’t it?” Dean asked.

“Yeah.” Sam said. “What’d you do? Take her to Bobby’s?” Dean asked.

“That’s exactly what we did.” John said. “I hope you learned a lesson here, Dean.”

“I did.” Dean sat on the edge of Sam’s bed and extended his arm. “Come sit with me, baby girl?”

Evy walked over and stood in front of Dean.

“I’m really sorry, baby girl. I know it hurt your feelings when I teased you about your size. I’m sorry about that.”

“You promise to be nice to me now?” Evy asked.

“Cross my heart.” Dean promised. “Forgive me?”

“Not quite.” Evy said. “Daddy said you’re grounded today.” “Grounded?” Dean said, looking over to John. “I’m twenty-one!”

“Doesn’t matter.” John said. “We could always talk about another punishment for being mean to your sister…”

“No, sir. I’m good.” Dean said. When John was grinning, Dean asked, “Are you teasing me now?” “Maybe. Maybe not.” John said.

“Man, I hate staying in my room all day.”

“Dean, we never said you had to stay in your room.” Sam said.

“I don’t?”

“Nope.” Evy said. “You gotta stay in mine.”

“What does that mean?” Dean asked.

“You gotta stay with me. All day. And you gotta do whatever I say.” Evy said. “I’m your big sister today.”

Sam chuckled at Evy’s explanation, and even Dean couldn’t hide a grin.

“Okay, baby girl. Deal. What am I doing first?” Dean asked.

“I already planned it out. First you gotta make my bed, then you gotta put all my stuff back where I had it.” Evy said.

“I can handle that.” Dean said. “What else?” “Then you gotta play dress up with me.”

Dean’s face looked like he’d swallowed a whole an entire lemon. “Do I have to?” Evy kept a straight face for all of two seconds before she burst into giggles. “No. Then we’re going fishing.”

“That I can handle.” Dean said. “Were you teasing me just then?”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” Evy said with a shrug, making John laugh in the doorway.

“Come here, kiddo.” Dean said, wrapping her in a hug. “I love you.”

“Love you too, Deanie.” Evy said.

“I’m sorry I hurt your feelings.” Dean said sincerely. “Truth is, I think you’re the coolest kid around.”

“And you’re one of the coolest big brothers.” Evy said.

“What about me?” Sam said, walking in to them.

Evy pulled away from Dean and looked at Sam. She was grinning again. “I said one of.”

“Oh, yeah?” Sam said. “Even when I do this?”

           Sam jumped towards her and started tickling her stomach. Dean tickled her neck, and John walked in and tickled her feet. The sound of Evy’s laugh filled the whole house, and by the time everyone had calmed down, Dean had made a promise to himself. I’ll stick to making you laugh, baby girl. I like that sound much better.

[agj1990]

My Song and My Sammy

Summary: Eight month old Evy is not happy when Dean has to put her to bed. She wants Sammy, the only one who can do it right. 

A loud noise waked me up. I sat up in the bed Sammy had me laying down in. I knew Sammy was mad now. I didn’t want to go to sleep, but I was tired. My eyes didn’t want to stay open.  Deanie was there, and Sammy was saying something to him I didn’t quite understand. Dean walked over to me and scratched underneath my chin.

“Yeah, you’re not crying, are you, sweetheart?”            

They kept talking, and I kept waiting. Waiting on Sammy to come back over and pick me up so I could go back to sleep again. If I tried to go to sleep and Sammy wasn’t holding me, I didn’t feel safe. They kept talking, and I was just about to start crying again to make Sammy pick me up. Deanie was looking down at me.

“We’ll have a good night, won’t we, kiddo?”            

We? We’ll have a good night? Me and Deanie, without Sammy? No. That wouldn’t work. Deanie wasn’t Sammy. He was fun enough in the daytime, but I needed Sammy to keep me safe at night. I stuck my lip out, in the way that always got Sammy to pick me up when I wanted him to. Sammy did, and I cuddled up real close to him. He took me out of the room and down to Daddy and uncle Baby, and talked to them a little. I started to get excited, thinking maybe we were going to play a little more before I had to go to sleep. But then Sammy did something really scary. He hugged me and said,

“Good night, Cricket. Sammy loves you.”

Deanie took me from Sam, and I wanted to cry, but I didn’t. “Come on, kiddo. Let’s go.”

           I decided that maybe it would be okay. Deanie could hold me too. He would keep me safe just like Sammy would. He sat me down in my bed, and I waited. And waited. And waited. But Deanie didn’t do it. And I wasn’t happy. Not one bit. Finally, I couldn’t wait iany more, and I started to whine. Deanie walked over and looked down at me again.

“What’s wrong, kiddo? Come on. You want to sleep with me?”

           Finally. He picked me up so I stopped whining. He laid down and put me up close to his chest, just like Sammy did when I couldn’t sleep. I waited again, this time for my music. My music helped me fall asleep. But Deanie didn’t start singing, so I didn’t cry just a little this time. I cried as hard and as loud as I could. If I couldn’t sleep, I wouldn’t let Deanie sleep either. I heard Deanie say something, but I was screaming, so I couldn’t hear it. I cried for what felt like forever, but Deanie just wasn’t my Sammy. He wouldn’t sing to me, and I couldn’t sleep without my song.

“Kiddo, please! I’m begging you, stop crying!”

           No. I wouldn’t stop crying. Not without my song. My song and my Sammy.

           The sun started coming up, and I was still screaming, and Sammy wasn’t coming. I was scared. Was he gone for good? Why wasn’t he coming? He’d never left me at night before. That made me cry even more. But I had cried so long it was hard to keep going, so I just kept whining. Finally, after what felt like forever, Deanie took me to the kitchen, where I could hear Sammy talking. I stopped whining, and waited on him to get me.

“Alright. Give her here.”

           Sammy took me, and I was happy now. He started scratching my back, and I felt better. More safe. He rocked me like he always did, and finally started singing my song.

“Don’t you feel it growin’, day by day…”          

I held my eyes open as long as I could. I could sleep now. Everything was okay. It was safe. Sammy was right there, and he’d be right there when I woke up. By the time my song was over, I was almost all the way asleep, and I felt Sammy lay me down. It was okay this time. I felt him lean over and kiss me and say,

“Good night, Cricket.” Now it would be.

[agj1990]

Never Turn Your Back on a Mischievious Winchester

Summary: While Sam and John make up in 1x20, Evy has something up her sleeve. 

“It shouldn’t be taking this long. I should go help.”

Evy, who was supposed to be sleeping on Sam’s bed, was, in reality, avoiding being alone with her father and brother. They had just had a huge blowout fight, and she was afraid of it happening again. She didn’t admit it out loud, but she had been relieved when Sam announced she would never go to living with John. She loved her father dearly. She had no doubt that he loved her too. But too often had she been left feeling hurt, heartbroken, and lonely by him. She had very little trust in him. Evy waited to see how their conversation would go.

“Dean’s got it.” John answered.

Evy heard Sam walking around, and thought to herself Don’t argue with him, Sammy, please. Let it go. “Sammy.”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t think I ever told you this, but, the day you were born, you know what I did?” John asked.

“No.”

“I put a hundred bucks into a savings account for you. I did the same thing for your brother. It was a college fund. And each month, I’d put in another hundred dollars. Until…anyway, my point is, Sam, this is never the life that I wanted for you.” John said.

What? Evy’s brain raged. Then why did you do it?

“Then why’d you get so mad when I left?” Sam asked, as if he was reading her mind.

It was at this point that Evy decided to break the tension in the room. She turned around slowly, as if she was simply changing position in her sleep. She hugged the blanket to her to make her trick more believable. She opened her eyes just a bit, and saw that Sam had his back turned to her. She opened her eyes all the way and, as Sam walked slowly to the table where John was sitting, caught her father’s eye and put her finger to her mouth. John very slightly nodded, and Evy proceeded with her plan.

“You got to understand something. After your mother passed, all I saw was evil. And all I cared about was keeping you boys alive. I wanted you prepared, ready. So, somewhere along the line, I stopped being your father. And I became your drill sergeant. So when you said that you wanted to go away to school, all I could think about, my only thought was, that you were gonna be alone. Vulnerable. Sammy, it just never occurred to me what you wanted. I just couldn’t accept the fact that you and me, we’re just different.”

Evy climbed out of bed as Sam chuckled. She crept across the floor in silence. Sam, absorbed in the conversation between him and John, never heard or saw her coming.

“What?” John asked.

“We’re not different. Not anymore. With what happened to mom and Jess, hell, we probably have a lot more in common than just about anyone.” Sam said seriously.

“I guess you’re right, son.”

Evy took that as her opportunity. Before anyone said anything else, she jumped directly next to Sam and simply shouted “Boo!”. Sam’s reaction made Evy and John both laugh. Once Sam had recovered from the shock, he turned to John and asked with faux anger,

“Did you know she was behind me?”

“I sure did.” John said, still laughing.

“Get over here, you little monkey.”

Sam grabbed Evy into a tight hug and pulled her towards his lap. Since they were basically alone, she didn’t resist, and Sam tickled her a little and held her. Only two weeks before, she had been in the hospital dying, and ever since Sam had backslid a little on his promise to not treat her like a baby. But Evy didn’t mind, and let him hold her and tickle her, as long it stopped Sam and John from fighting.

“Sam?” John said, and Sam looked up from holding Evy. “I want to tell you something. You’ve done a good job taking care of your sister. As good as Dean’s done with you. She’s growing into a truly good person, and most of that’s because of you. I’m proud of you for that.”

Sam, stunned, said nothing, and Evy broke the tension again. “He’s right, Sammy. You’re the best brother ever.”

“Oh, Cricket. It’s easy when you have the best sister ever.” Sam kissed her cheek and hugged her again. Evy leaned back against Sam, who gently rested his cheek against the top of her head. “Thank you for letting me, Dad.”

John simply nodded.

“Hey dad? Whatever happened to that college fund?” Sam asked.

“Spent it on ammo.”

John’s admission made all of them laugh, and for a few minutes, everything was okay again.

[agj1990]

Brush and Floss Every Day

Summary: John and Sam arguing ruins Evy’s school play.

Evy stood in front of her mirror, practicing her lines for the final time before heading to school. Her kindergarten class was in a play that night, about how to keep yourself healthy. Evy was playing the part of a tooth. She had to remind everyone to brush and floss their teeth every day, go to the dentist once a year, and not to eat too many sweets. It was a small part, but one she was very proud of.

Evy had to make sure she did the play tonight perfectly. It had to be extra special. Daddy was coming, and he didn’t do that a lot. School just wasn’t that important to him. Evy knew that Daddy loved her, but she wished he would be around more. But she had a chance tonight. If she did a good job, maybe Daddy would want to stay with them more.

“You ready?”

Evy looked up and saw Sammy watching her practice. “Sammy! You’re not supposed to see until tonight!”

“Sorry.” Sam said with a smile. “I’m sorry, you’re right.”

“It’s okay.” Evy said quietly. She looked back at the mirror then down at her feet.

“Hey. You okay?” Sam asked.

“Yeah.”

“You sure?” Sam asked. “Are you scared about tonight?”

“Little bit.” Evy said. “What if I mess up?”

“Well, you’ve practiced, right?” Sam asked.

“Yeah.”

“Well, if you get scared, just pretend you’re practicing.” Sam suggested. “Look out at the wall and pretend it’s the mirror.”

Evy smiled. She could do that. “Thanks, Sammy.”

“You’re welcome, Cricket. You ready to go?”

“Yeah. Daddy’s still coming, right?” Evy asked.

Sam fought a scowl. “Yes, Daddy’s coming.”

Evy immediately cheered up. “Okay! Let’s go!”

Dean drove them to the school, with Sam sitting beside Evy in the backseat and John in the front passenger seat. Evy saw that John wasn’t very happy with coming with them, but she made up her mind to be the best in the play that night and make him happy that he came. When they arrived at the school, Evy hugged the three of them and headed off to her classroom with her teacher. She was practicing her lines in her head the entire time. Finally, the class was led to the room where the play was taking place. Evy’s teacher, Ms. Amber, lined them up in the order they were appearing.

“Is everyone ready?” Ms. Amber asked.

“Yeah!” the class replied.

“Okay. It’s almost time. Remember your lines and you guys’ll do great.”

Evy was fifth in line, and it seemed forever before the line started to move. But before she could get onto the stage, she heard something. It was Daddy’s voice. He wasn’t loud, but just loud enough that Evy could hear him. She couldn’t see him, but she could tell he was close by. Daddy’s voice was followed by Sammy’s voice, which she could hear clearly.

“Dad, I don’t care how stupid you think this is, could you please just stay here until it’s over!”

The student before Evy walked onto the stage, but Evy suddenly didn’t care about the play. She was peeking out from behind the curtain, and she could see everyone watching John and Sam arguing rather than the play. Dean noticed her watching them, and saw that she was close to crying. He reached over to tell John and Sam to shut up, but Evy suddenly broke away from her class, ran down the steps in front of the stage, and out into the hallway.

She found the bench next to the office and sat down on it, burying her hands in her face and crying. She’d thought Daddy had come because he wanted to, but she should have known better. If it wasn’t about monsters or ghosts or any of the things he hunted, Daddy didn’t care about it. And that included her. She’d heard some of her classmates laughing at her as she ran out, and Ms. Amber telling them to stop. They’re gonna be laughing at me when I get back to class too, Evy thought, making her cry even more.

“Cricket?”

Sam had come out of the auditorium, and Evy had been crying so much she hadn’t heard him. He was kneeling down in front of her, trying to check on her. Evy pulled away from him.

“Go away!”

“Cricket…”

“Leave me alone. I worked hard on this and you and Daddy ruined it.” Evy said.

It was at that moment that John and Dean came out too. They had come just in time to hear Evy say ‘you and Daddy ruined it’. John stopped dead in his tracks. He had been arguing with Sam in the audience about what a waste of time Evy’s play was. He could have been home, searching for another hunt. But the sight of Evy running through the auditorium and out into the hallway had set him straight. Evy had just wanted his attention for a few brief minutes, and he’d been too preoccupied with finding another hunt to give it to her. But Evy hadn’t seen him come out, and she was about to say something that would haunt him forever.

“Now Daddy’s not gonna want to be here with me anymore.”

“What are you talking about?” John asked.

Evy looked up, wiping her face and explaining, “I worked hard on this so maybe you’d stay here with us more. I did this for you.”

“Oh, little one.” Guilt churning inside him, John took the seat next to her on the bench. “You don’t have to do anything to make me want to stay here with you.”

Evy sniffed. “I don’t?”

“No. I wish I could stay with you all the time. Nothing would make me happier.” John said. “But I can’t always do it.”

“I know.” Evy said.

“You really did work hard on this, didn’t you?” John asked. As silly as it had seemed to him earlier, Evy’s tooth costume brought a smile to his face.

“Yes, sir.” Evy said.

“Cricket, we’re sorry.” Sam said. “Daddy and I weren’t thinking. We’re sorry we messed this up for you.”

Evy looked at John and asked earnestly, “So you don’t think it’s stupid?”

“No. No, little one, I don’t.”

“Evy?” Ms. Amber had come out and was approaching the four of them. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”

“Yes, ma’am. I’m okay.” Evy said. “I’m sorry I runned out.”

“It’s alright.” Ms. Amber said kindly. “Listen, there’s three more students left. Would you still like to do your lines?”

“Can I?” Evy asked. “I didn’t mess it up?”

“No, you didn’t. Would you like to do it?”

“Do you still want to see it, Daddy?” Evy asked. “Sammy? Deanie?”

“You bet we do.” John said.

“M’kay.” Evy said. She jumped down from the bench and took Ms. Amber’s hand. “I’m ready.”

“We’ll be done soon.” Ms. Amber said. “I’ll take her back there.”

As Ms. Amber led Evy back towards the stage, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for the clearly heartbroken little girl. She’d seen children with uninterested parents before in her decade of teaching, and it never failed to break her heart each time. Ms. Amber found it disgusting that children like Evy had to ask their parents to be interested in their lives, but she didn’t have time to dwell on that at the moment. Evy’s turn came up, the last of her classmates, and she proudly took the stage.

“Hi. I’m your toof. I need to be brushed every day. This keeps me nice and healfy. To keep me even cleaner, floss me after you brush me. Go to your dentist once a year, and don’t eat too much sugar. Bye!”

Evy waved out into the audience, then went to join the rest of her classmate. The principal of the school announced that the play was over, and asked the parents to pick up their children in an orderly fashion from the stage. Ms. Amber decided that maybe she’d judged the family a little too harshly. Because in the last row, in the far right corner of the room, stood the three Winchester men, cheering the loudest of anyone in the room. Despite the principal’s warning, Evy ran from the stage and into the arms of her father, who scooped her up and rewarded her with more hugs and kisses than she would have thought the distant, gruff looking man was capable of. Ms. Amber smiled when she heard the three of them start to leave.

“Did you like it, Daddy?”

“I loved it, little one. I’m proud of you.”

“You’re the best looking tooth I’ve ever seen!” the older brother Dean said.

“That was awesome, Cricket.”

As Ms. Amber went about collecting the costumes from the other students, she realized Evy had already left with hers. Let her keep it, Ms. Amber thought. The look of pure joy on Evy’s face when she’d heard her father say he was proud of her had reminded her of the reason she’d gotten into teaching in the first place. With a smile, Ms. Amber walked around and started to clean up the auditorium.