Dean stands there in shock. The little girl in front of him looked so much like himself.
Dean studies her features. She had bright green eyes that shone with mischief, dark blonde hair that somehow looked neat.
She looks up at Dean with curiosity but also a little bit of nervousness
Dean takes a quick glance at his brother. Sam gives a small nod of reassurance then walks off with Amanda to talk about the next step and Dean takes a few apprehensive steps toward his daughter.
Crouching down to her height he says gently, "Hey there. I'm Dean." he held out his hand for the little girl. Ava takes his hand and shakes it shyly.
"Are you my dad?" She asks in a small voice.
"Yes I am." Dean says back to the girl.
"Why have I never seen you before?" She asks accusingly.
"Well um, when your mom had you, I wasn't in town anymore. I never knew she had you until a few days ago."
"Oh. Okay." Ava says. His answer seemed to satisfy her.
"Why did you have to leave town?" She asks with new curiosity.
"The job I have requires me to move a lot." Dean says.
Ava gets an excited look in her eyes. "Does that mean I'll get to see the world?" She asks
Dean looks surprised. "You want to come with me?"
"Of course, Silly. You're my dad. I wanna be with you." Ava says
"I wanna be with you too." Dean says smiling.
The two hug for the first time. Dean even lets a tear or two slide down his face. They separate and Dean wipes his eyes.
"You know, if you come with me, my brother will be with us too. His name is Sam. You'll love him."
"Does he have the same job as you?" Ava asks
"Yes we have the same job."
"What is your job?"
Dean looks at his daughter. Her face is so innocent. He didn't want to tell her the truth. But he also knew he shouldn't lie to her even if it was to protect her.
Sighing he replies, "Well me and my brother are hunters but not for your normal things." Dean says carefully, not wanting to get too far into detail.
Ava looks at Dean trying to figure out what he meant. "What do you hunt then?" She says
Dean sucks in his breath, "Do you know about all the monsters from the storybooks like ghosts, werewolves and vampires?"
"Yes?" Ava says, not knowing where he was going with this.
"Well, all of them are real. Me and Sammy hunt them." Dean says softly
"Oh." Ava says, processing what that meant.
"You have to understand that if you want to come with me that it will be dangerous and maybe even scary." Dean says
Ava looks up at her father and stares into his eyes. "Dean. You are my father and I want to with you no matter what. I don't care that it is dangerous. I want to go with you and Uncle Sam." And with that Ava jumps into Dean's arms and wraps her arms around his neck.
"I'll keep you safe. Don't worry kiddo." Dean says into her hair, as he hugs her back.
****
As Sam and Amanda return they see Dean and Ava hugging.
"I guess the talk went well, huh?" Sam says.
"Guess so. I'll give you three a few minutes then I'll talk to Dean about the papers." Amanda says.
Sam smiles at her in acknowledgment. Amanda walks back to her car and Sam strides over to his brother and his new daughter.
"Hey Dean." Sam says as he greets the two.
Dean stops hugging Ava. He stands up and looks at Sam. He takes Ava's hand in his own.
"Hey Sam. This is Ava." Dean says proudly.
Ava stretches her neck up to see Sam's face.
"Hiya Sammy." She says.
Both Sam and Dean laugh at her greeting. She sounded so much like Dean.
"Hey there kiddo." Sam says crouching down to her.
He smiles at her. "I hear you're going to be joining us. You know about our hunting adventures?"
Ava nods in response. "I want to be with you and Dad."
Dean sucks in a breath. She called him Dad! He looks over at Sam. He smiles proudly at his older brother. Sam looks back at Ava.
"You're going to be a natural, Ava!" She beams up at Sam, clearly thrilled to be part of the team. Dean chuckles, feeling grateful to have his brother and daughter connecting so quickly.
"We'll have to get you trained up, Ava. But first, let's get the paperwork sorted with Amanda." Dean says, gesturing towards Amanda, who was walking back towards them.
Dean leaves Ava with Sam as he walks over to meet with Amanda.
Here is the conversation between Dean and Amanda before he signs the papers:
"Dean, before we sign these papers, I just want to make sure you understand the legal implications." Amanda says as Dean walks up to her.
"Yeah, I know. I'm adopting Ava and becoming her legal guardian." He says eagerly
"That's right. And as her legal guardian, you'll have all the rights and responsibilities that come with it." Amanda says
"I understand. I'm ready for this, Amanda." He replies
"I know you are, Dean. And I trust you to take good care of Ava. But just to cover all our bases, I want to make sure you understand that this means you'll be responsible for her financially, emotionally, and legally."
"Absolutely. I'm committed to providing for her and giving her the best life possible." Dean says in a serious voice. He wanted to show Amanda he was ready for this.
"Great. Then let's sign these papers and make it official." She says happily
Dean picks up the pen and starts signing the packet of papers. When he was finished, he put down the pen and handed Amanda the papers to Amanda.
"I can't believe it's finally happening, Amanda. I've wanted to be a dad for so long." Dean says, waking up to Amanda
"I know, Dean. And I'm so glad it's you who's taking care of Ava now. She loves you already." Amanda replies.
"I love her too. I promise to give her the best life possible." Dean smiles.
"I know you will. You're a good man, Dean. And I'm grateful for everything you've done for her ."
"It's the least I could do. You've been an amazing caregiver to Ava. I'll always be grateful for that." Dean says
As they finish signing the papers, they share a warm smile, both excited for the new chapter in Ava's life.
"These are all of Ava's belongings." Amanda says, handing Dean a large duffel bag.
"I'll be in touch Dean." Amanda says as she leaves.
"Thank You. I'll talk to you later." Dean says as he packs up Ava things.
Dean waves Amanda bye as she gets into her car.
Waking back to Sam and Ava he smiles to himself. He has a daughter. His dream has come true. She's all his.
"You ready to go kiddo!" Dean says as he walks up to the two.
"Yeah. Let's go!" She practically yells as she starts running toward Dean's car.
Sam and Dean chuckle as they walk after her.
"Are you ready for this man?" Sam says to his brother
"More than anything." Dean says
Sam climbs into the Impala and Dean helps Ava into her seat.
After putting Ava's bag in the back seat, Dean goes to the driver's seat as he starts the car.
The sun is setting as Dean drives away on the old road. His life was about to change for the better.
================================
~1293 words
Happy Easter Everyone 🐣💜💛💖
Hope you liked this chapter. I ran out of ideas. Y'all let me know what you thought.
I am so sorry for such a long wait. I really am gonna try to make these updates closer together.
If you have any ideas, requests or comments on this story or others, feel free to message me! 🧡🧡