Beautiful Disaster

Life Ain't Always Beautiful

"To a father nothing is dearer than a daughter." -Euripides

"How's she holdin' up?" Bobby asked Dean, as they both watched Nyx lose herself in the work of building a pyre.

"She says she's fine." Dean said.

"And you believe that crap?" Bobby replied.

"No, but she will be in time. She has to work through this." Dean told him.

"Yeah." Bobby sighed.

Sam walked over to Bobby and Dean. "Hey Bobby." He greeted. "Has she said anything yet?"

"Not yet." The older man said. "You boys find out anything yet on what took Wednesday?"

"No, but we're looking. We've got every hunter in the area on alert." Sam answered.

"But without knowing what we're hunting, it's difficult." Dean finished for Sam.

"Yeah." Sighed Sam.

"Well, you boys be careful. I don't want to do this for another one of you." Bobby said and walked away.

Nyx was so wrapped up in her work and guilt, she didn't notice that both Sam and Dean were helping her cut down trees and building the pyre... The pyre that she'd be placing her sister on.

Dean came over to Nyx, placed his hand on the axe she was using, "Why don't you take a break? Maybe see if Bobby needs any help."

"I have to keep working Dean." She said, her tone showing determined emotionlessness.

"Sam and I can finish this, you did enough." He said gently.

"No, I didn't. If I did enough, she'd be safe, she'd still be here." Nyx said quietly, sorrowful regret lacing every word she spoke. She threw her axe into a tree close by, deeply rooting it in place. Dean watched her walk away, feeling his own guilt. This isn't the life Nyx should be living. Wednesday shouldn't be dead, her and Nyx should be going to concerts, having it with their group of friends. Dean swore to himself that he'd spend his entire life making sure Nyx was safe, and could have that apple pie life he'd always dreamed of for himself, but could never have.

Sam walked over to his brother, "Everything's pretty much done. Just have to get the salt and burn the body." Dean just nodded.

Dean walked over to Nyx, sat down next to her, she was once again sitting on the trunk of the Impala. He didn't say a word for a time, just put his arm around her shoulders and held her tightly to him.

"Dean... I'm sorry." Nyx said fighting the tears Dean could hear in her voice. "I'm sorry for how I've been towards you and Sam. You both have gone out of your way to do what you can, and I've only been a raging bitch."

"You've got nothing to apologize over, sweetheart. Trust me. I understand." Dean said. "There was this girl, we met her in a case, her name was Patience, she was a psychic. We helped her grandma. Patience was struggling a bit, and she wasn't sure if she should keep up with her gift, or a normal life. And I'll tell you what I told her."

"What did you tell her?" Nyx stared unseeingly at the wooded area they were in.

"This life... hunting, monsters... there's no joy in it. There's nothing but pain, horror, and death. So if you get a chance at normal, you take it." Dean said. "And I swear Nyx, I'll do everything I can to make sure that happens for you."

"Dean," Nyx finally met Dean's eyes. "I've got nothing left. I'm alone in the world now. My parents are long gone, my sister is dead and her body is about to burn on that damn pyre. I have no family left. This is the life I've been given, and if I can... I'm gonna spend it helping the people we can help, and save them from going through this kind of pain."

"A wise man once told me, 'family don't end in blood.' But it doesn't start there either. Family cares about you, not what you can do for them family's there; for the good, bad, all of it. They got your back, even when it hurts. That's family." Dean said looking at Nyx intently, and holding her face in his hands. "You've got us. Bobby, Jody, Sam... Me... We're all here for you, because we love you. We're your family, and always will be." He pulled Nyx into a tight hug, and felt Nyx hugging him like he was her lifeline. Maybe he was, he didn't know, he just knew that they lost a sister, who never knew about this life, but he'd find who, or what, did this to his family... Even if it killed him. He didn't know that Nyx was thinking the same thing.

"Let's go put Wednesday to rest." Dean whispered above Nyx, then kissed the top of her head.

Hand in hand, the hunters walked to the pyre, Dean giving Nyx the zippo, she tossed it onto the wood platform, and watched the flames dance around her sister's sheet covered body.

"The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone." -Harriet Beecher Stowe