||CHAPTER ELEVEN // NO||
The two Winchesters make it to the Campbell's house pretty quickly, Dean wastes no time dragging out a map. Dakota sits on the floor near him humming to herself and playing with some old toys that Deanna had given her.
"What do you say we just slow down and talk this thing through?" Samuel questions slowly, cautious of Dean's behavior.
"There's nothing to talk about." Dean breathes out, Deanna wasn't paying much attention to the hunters talking-she was busy preparing some food.
"Except you're saying there's a demon," Samuel points out, crossing his arms over his chest. "And none of us has ever heard of a demon with yellow eyes."
Dean stops looking at the map, turning to Samuel and standing up straight. His face hardens as he glares at the older hunter. "Yeah, well, I have." He says. "This thing killed my family." His eyes are wide and there's a hidden layer of vulnerability in them.
"Just calm down, son." Samuel says quietly, casting a glance to the little girl on the floor.
"You don't get it, do you?" Dean questions rhetorically. "You are in danger. We are all in danger." He snaps angrily. "In fact, you need to get yourself someplace safe." His eyes move towards Deanna momentarily.
Dean moves back to the map as Deanna carries a large bowl of cut up fruit out. "Not until we know what we're dealing with here." Samuel argues.
"Sam's right, Dean--it could be a demon," Deanna says softly, Dakota's head shoots up at the name 'Sam' thinking the woman meant her uncle. The little girl sighs sadly as Deanna continues speaking. "It could be a shapeshifter, any number of things."
"I know what this thing is!" Dean snaps standing up, he's starting to get annoyed with the Campbell's not believing him. "And I'm gonna kill it. That's all the talking I need to do."
Deanna returns back to the kitchen, her face sad at Dean's words.
"You're gonna kill a demon?" Samuel questions, Dean nods. "How?"
Dean looks down briefly. "There's a hunter named Daniel Elkins. He lives in Colorado. He has Colt's gun. The Colt."
"Yeah," Samuel replies, walking around the table. "I heard about the Colt. I used to tell it to Mary as a bedtime story."
"Well, it's real." Dean says, Dakota stops playing and walks over to her dad, not liking the tone of his voice-it makes her sad.
Samuel and Deanna exchange a look. "All right, say that it is. You got some kind of a crystal ball telling you where this demon's gonna be?"
"Yeah, maybe I do." Dean smirks slightly, Dakota looks up at him in confusion.
"Daddy?" She questions as he digs around in his jacket. Dean looks over at his daughter briefly before pulling out John's journal. He flips through pages as Samuel comes over to stand by him. Dakota moves out of the way, realizing that Samuel wasn't watching out for her.
"What's this?" The older man asks.
"It's a list." Dean says absentmindedly, Dakota inches closer on her dad's other side, standing on her tip-toes to see the journal.
"Of what?" She mumbles to her father, Dean looks down at her.
"Grandpa wrote down anyone he thought ever came in contact with the yellow-eyed demon--who, where, and when." Dean answers her, his voice soft as he speaks to her. She smiles at him, her dimples make her cheeks crumple slightly.
"Why?" Samuel questions sharply, drawing Dean's attention away from his daughter.
"'Cause the more he could learn about the son of a bitch, the more he could figure out why it killed my mom." Dean stands, facing Samuel as he speaks sadly. Samuel looks away, glancing back at his wife. He doesn't even know that Dean's talking about his daughter's death. "Look. Whitshire Farm. I told you that name sounded familiar."
"Whitshire Farms--that was two days ago." Samuel says in disbelief, leaning closer to the journal to read it. "How the hell is that on your dad's list?"
"You both said swears." Dakota mutters, Dean gives his daughter an annoyed look and sighs. Dean looks slightly panicked at Samuel's question. "Grandpa could see the future!" She grins. Both men look over at her, Dean with an impressed look and Samuel with disbelief.
Dean nods in agreement before returning to the journal, Samuel stares at Dakota for a couple more seconds before returning his attention to Dean.
"Look at this--say he's gonna hit here tomorrow night. " Dean points to the name after Tom Whitshire.
"Liddy Walsh?" Samuel asks, having never heard the name.
"Haleyville." Dean says instead. "That's close." He moves over towards the map. Dakota sighs loudly.
"Yeah, it's about 3 miles, but..." Samuel trails off looking to his wife, who shakes her head barely. Dean straightens, looking between the Campbell's with wide eyes.
"I know you guys think I'm crazy." Dean says nodding his head with his words.
"You seem like a really nice kid, Dean, but, yeah, you're crazy." Samuel admits with raised brows.
Dean smirks slightly. "Yeah, maybe. But I know where this bastard's gonna be. And I'm gonna stop it...once and for all." Dean promises.
He grabs John journal and slides his coat on. He holds out his hand for Dakota, who grips onto it tightly. They walk towards the front door, hearing quiet music coming from one of the front rooms. Dean notices Mary looking through records with a small smile on her face. Dakota starts humming the same song from earlier as Dean clears his throat.
"We, uh, we're shoving off." Dean says quietly when Mary's head snaps up and her eyes widen. "I just wanted to say 'bye'." He continues, waving his hand at the word 'bye'.
"Really?" Mary asks, smiling as she places the records on the table and standing. "So soon?"
"Yeah, I have a job to do." He answers before glancing back at the dinning room where Samuel still is. "Hey, I wanted to tell you-"
"Daddy." Dakota warns, giving him a look. Castiel told them not to say anything that would effect the future.
"You know, for what it's worth, um...it doesn't matter what your dad thinks. I like that John kid." Dean finishes, ignoring his daughter. Mary looks down at the little girl and chuckles at Dean's words.
"You do?" She says with a grin.
"Yeah." Dean says, smiling softly at his mother. "Yeah, I think you two are meant to be." His expression turns knowing as he gives his daughter a grin, she giggles and covers her mouth with her free hand, trying to be sneaky. "Hell, we're depending on it." Dean continues quietly.
"What?" Mary questions, her smile turning confused.
"Nothing." The two Winchester says at the same time, Dakota sounding more panicked than Dean. "Um..." Dean continues speaking. "Can I ask you a question?"
Mary looks confused but nods with a smile. Dakota goes back to humming, causing the adults to look at her with smiles. She doesn't even notice their looks, as her eyes wander around the room absentmindedly.
"What's he like--John?" Dean clarifies.
Mary's face screws up slightly, growing more confused at the Winchester. "Why do you ask?" She questions.
Dean shrugs. "Just curious."
"I don't know." Mary laughs looking away from Dean with a grin, a light blush dusting her cheeks. "He's sweet...kind." Dean looks thrown by the explanation but nods. "Even after the war, after everything, he still believes in 'happily ever after,' you know? He's everything a hunter isn't."
Dean makes a face and nods slightly. Mary notices and rolls her eyes slightly.
"No offense." She says.
"No, none taken." Dean replies gruffly. He admits that hunters aren't the most pleasant people to be around. It's why he values his time with his daughter so much more, she isn't pessimistic.
Dean's eyes had wandered to Dakota without him noticing. Mary sighing brought his attention back to the conversation.
"Can I tell you something?" Mary questions, her hands stuck in her back pockets. Dean nods and a large grin spreads across her face. "He's going to ask me to marry him. Tomorrow, I think." She laughs, bouncing a little bit in excitement.
"Yeah?" Dean questions, he wasn't expecting her to say that.
"Oh, dad's gonna explode." Her voice is loud, causing Dakota to look towards the dining room. She's half expecting him to come in. "But I don't care." Mary continues. "I'll run away if I have to. I just...I love John. And..." She trails looking down.
Dean face changes to confusion, and Dakota tugs on his coat--tired of standing for so long. She pulls on his arms so he would lift her up, he obliges with an eye roll.
"And what?" Dakota asks Mary softly, speaking up for the first time.
"I want to get out." Mary answers quietly. Dean's eyes widen, his face unreadable. Dakota notices something sad in his eyes, making her wrap her arms around his neck and leaning her head against his. "This job, this life...I hate it." Mary continues, her voice cracking.
Dean looks away and licks his lips, unsure of what to say at that. He loved hunting, but he didn't want his daughter to be around it forever. He looks thrown by his mom wanting out of the life too.
"I want a family." She admits with bright eyes, her lips curling into a genuine smile, before her expression falls into a sad one. "I want to be safe. You know, the worst thing I can think of..." Dean blinks hard as his eyes glisten slightly. "The very worst thing...is for my children to be raised into this, like I was."
Her eyes move to Dakota with sadness.
"Well, I won't let it happen." She wasn't trying to point fault at Dean's parenting it was just her preference.
Dean looks away, his eyes watering harshly. "Yeah." He breathes out, Dakota nudges her head against his with a quiet whimper. Dean presses his hand, balled up into a fist, against his lips.
"Hey..." Mary says, noticing how distraught Dean looks. "You okay?" She questions.
"Yeah." Dean looks up, his eyes wide and slightly teary. "No, I'm--I'm fine." Mary forces a smile. "Hey, M--uh, Mary. Can I tell you something?" He asks, hiking Dakota up more as she starts to fall off his hip.
"Sure."
"Even if this sounds really weird, will you promise me that you will remember?" He says, Dakota lifts her head and stares at her father with wide eyes, knowing what he was going to do.
"No!" She protests, her voice raising. Dean ignores her as Mary agrees.
Dean's lips quiver as he tries to find words. "On November 2, 1983..." His voice breaks as he speaks. "Don't get out of bed." His eyes well up with tears again as he pleads with his mother. "No matter what you hear or what you see...promise me you won't get out of bed." A tear falls out of his eyes, Dakota watches him with a mixture of emotions.
"Okay." Mary says in a small voice, afraid by what Dean's saying. The raw emotion he's showing worries her.
"Okay." Dean agrees. Before wiping his face and turning to leave. Mary watches after him but lets him go.
Dakota stays quiet as Dean walks out and places her in the backseat of the car. She was partially anger with her father for warning Mary, knowing it could change the future. She was also very sad. Dean had met Dakota's mother on his first hunt alone. If John didn't raise him to be a hunter than he would've never met Dakota's mom, and she wouldn't of been born.
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It was dark by the time Dean breaks the silence.
"Baby, I know you're angry that I warned her, but-"
"I'm not." Dakota sighs, she gave up her anger with her father over the long drive. She was just sad. She sniffles quietly, although it sounding very loud in he silent car.
"What's wrong?" Dean asks, worried as he sees tears in her eyes as he looks in the rear view mirror. She wipes her nose and looks away. "Dakota, baby, I know that I told her but I just can't lose her after seeing her again."
"What about me?" Dakota cries, her voice breaking as tears fall.
"What?" Dean questions, confused and concerned. His brows draw in slightly as he glance back at the mirror.
"What about me?" She asks again, sobbing slightly. "You couldn't lose her but what about me when she doesn't check on uncle Sammy."
"Kota, I-I'm not understanding." He stutters slightly, his heart breaking at his distraught little girl.
"Daddy...if you don't become a hunter what happens to me?" She struggles to find words. "You t-told me that you met mommy on a hunt."
"If mom lives...dad won't become a hunter, I won't become a hunter." Dean realizes, his eyes widen. "I won't meet your mom and you won't be born."
Dakota nods sadly, sniffling and turning away from her dad.
"Baby, I-" Dean cuts himself off and sighs, wiping his mouth. "I didn't mean...I didn't think about it that way, I was so caught up in trying to protect my mom that I didn't think about how I would lose you."
"I'm sorry." Dakota mumbles quietly, Dean is barely able to catch it. He furrows his brow in confusion.
"You have nothing to apologize for, Kota." Dean assures quickly, still confused by the apology in the first place.
"I'm sorry that you lose grandma...but I don't wanna lose you." Her voice cracks slightly as she tries to use the right words. She cries quietly as she watches her dad's expression change multiple times.
"Baby, I don't want to lose you either." Dean says, giving her a watery smile. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me."
"Promise? Promise you won't do anything to separate us?" She questions, her voice sounding very small. She reaches her little hand forward, her pinky sticking out towards Dean. He reaches back towards her.
"Promise." He links his pinky with hers.
Edited 4/20/19