||CHAPTER EIGHTEEN // LONG PIG||
The Winchesters find out that Jack's mother was pregnant with him when Travis ganked his father. The woman placed him up for adoption for his protection and Travis lost him in the system. The hunter said he didn't want to hunt him down really, saying he didn't have the heart to do that to a kid. Dean agreed, his eyes finding his sleeping daughter quickly, the thought of hunting down a kid, even if it was a monster, saddened him. It was the father in him that made him want to protect any kid.
Dean was now taking a blow torch to heat up some metal.
"So, fire, huh?" He asks, as he blew out the flame. Dakota groaned at the volume of his voice before rolling over and burying her head into the pillow.
"The only way I found to kill these bastards--" Travis answers quietly as Dean makes a shushing noise when he heard his daughter complain. "Deep-fry 'em."
"Well, that's gonna be...horrible." Dean responds. "Is that what you did to Jack's dad?"
"Uh-huh." Travis hums in confirmation.
The motel door opens as Sam returns, having left to do some research. "Not wasting any time are you?" He chuckles.
Dakota whimpers in her sleep and rolls over, Dean's head immediately whips around at the sound, but Travis's voice distracts him.
"None to waste." Travis replies. "The guy hulks out, we won't be finding bodies, just remains." He continues, looking up briefly at the Winchester.
"What if he doesn't hulk out?" Sam questions, taking a seat across from them, his eyes glancing over at his sleeping niece. "I need a little homework, I've been checking out the lure on rougarous."
"What, my 30 years of experience not good enough for you?" Travis asks, sounding slightly offended.
Sam chuckles, his face turns panicked as his eyes bounce from the hunter to his brother and back again. "No. No, I-I just wanted to be prepared." He says in defense. "I mean, not that you didn't--" He struggles to find the right words.
"Sam loves research. He does." Dean jumps in to save his little brother from making an even bigger fool of himself. "He keeps it under his mattress right next to his K-Y." Dean jokes. "It's a sickness. It is." He looks at his brother.
"Look, everything you said checked out, of course, but, uh, I found a couple of interesting stories about people who have this rougarou gene or whatever." Sam says as Dean shakes his head and glancing at Travis. Sam smiles in an almost excited manner, thrilled with his discovery. "See, they start to turn, but they never take the final step."
"Really?" Dean asks, looking at his brother through his eyelashes, his head lowered slightly.
"See, if they never eat human flesh, they don't fully transform." Sam further explains.
"So, what--go vegan, stay human?" Dean questions, his brow raises and his eyes squinted slightly.
"Basically." Sam confirms. "Or in this case, eat a lot of raw meat, just not--"
"Long pig!" Dean cuts in almost excited to say his new phrase.
"Right." Sam nods. Dean smiles at the confirmation that he was correct, looking over at Travis who was quiet.
"Good on you for the due diligence, Sam." Travis says, slightly mocking. "But those are fairy tales." The man sighs, standing up from the table, walking towards the kitchen as his voice raises slightly. "Fact is, every rougarou I ever saw or heard of...took that bite." He says.
"Daddy?" Dakota questions tiredly, sitting up and rubbing her eyes with a yawn.
"Morning Kota." Dean greets softly before turning back to the conversation.
"Okay, well, that doesn't mean that Jack will." Sam argues as he rises to his feet. Dean follows suit and stands.
"So, what do we do?" Travis asks, pouring himself some coffee. "Sit and wait for a body count?" He asks sarcastically.
"No, we talk to him, explain what's happening." Sam says. "That way, he can fight it."
"Fight it?" Travis scoffs in disbelief. He starts chuckling sarcastically. "Are you kidding me?" He questions as Dakota slides from the bed and walks to her father's side.
Sam rolls his eyes as Travis continues. "You ever been really hungry?" Dean looks up from the paper in his head, his eyes cutting to Travis. "I mean, haven't-eaten-in-days hungry?"
"Yeah." Dean confirms quickly, Dakota looks up at him sadly and places her head against his thigh.
"Yeah. Right, then." Travis points out, glancing at Dean. "Somebody slaps a big, juicy sirloin in front of you, you walking away? Hmm? That's what we are to him now--meat on legs. I'm sorry. I'm sure he's a stand-up guy. But it's pure base instinct. Everything in nature's got to eat. You think he can stop himself cause he's nice?"
"I don't know." Sam sighs, looking down briefly. "But we're not gonna kill him unless he does something to get killed for." He insists, Dean's eyes dart to his brother's. Sam tries to hold eye contact with Travis before giving up and walking away, leaving the room.
"Sammy!" Dakota calls after him, trying to follow but Dean stops her.
"What's up with your brother?" Travis asks Dean.
"Nothing!" Dakota snaps defensively.
"Don't get me started." Dean says sarcastically, ignoring Dakota's response, returning his work at the table.
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Dakota, Sam, and Dean all sit in the impala as Dean drives to Jack Montgomery's house to talk to him, going along with Sam's idea. Dean didn't want to take Dakota but he was definitely not leaving her with Travis, not trusting the man enough to watch his child.
"All right, so we're gonna go have a little chat with this guy, which, you know, I'm down." Dean says, glancing over at Sam. "But I just want to make sure, if push comes, you're gonna shove."
"Meaning?" Sam asks defensively.
"Well, odds are we're gonna have to burn this guy alive." Dean replies.
"He has a name." Dakota snaps, she doesn't like when Dean bad mouths people, especially when they don't know if he did anything.
"And a wife." Sam adds on, glaring at Dean.
"Yeah," Dean agrees, "who we're probably gonna make a widow, okay?"
"Why would we make her a window?" Dakota questions, tilting her head to the side in confusion, mishearing Dean.
"No, Kota, a widow." Dean corrects her, glancing at the rear-view mirror while she mouths the word, almost testing it. "I mean, you heard Travis," Dean says to Sam. "He's gonna turn. They always turn."
"Well, maybe he won't." Sam snaps angrily. "Maybe he can fight it off."
"And maybe he can't. That's all I'm saying." Dean huffs with annoyance.
"All right, we'll just have to see, then, okay?" Sam urges.
"This is what I mean, Sam." Dean snaps, giving his brother a look. "You sure your emotions aren't getting in the way here?"
"What are you talking about?" Sam questions, confused by his brother's sudden detour from the conversation.
"You know, nice dude, but he's got something evil inside." Dean starts, Sam nods and rolls his eyes. "Something in his blood. Maybe you can relate."
"Daddy!" Dakota hisses, but both men ignore her.
"Stop the car." Sam says with a tense jaw.
"What?" Dean asks at the same time Dakota yells, "No!"
"Stop the car or I will!" Sam snaps with a glare towards his older brother.
Dean sighs and pulls the Impala over to the side of the road. Sam gets out before the car fully stops. Dakota whimpers out his name before Dean gets out to follow him. Dakota follows suit and slides out of the car on Sam's side.
"You want to know why I've been lying to you, Dean?" Sam asks in frustration. "Because of crap like this!"
"Like what?" Dean questions, rolling his eyes.
"The way you talk to me! The way you look at me like a I'm a freak!" Sam shouts, throwing his arms out to the side. Dakota whimpers again but doesn't move from her spot.
"I do not." Dean says, barely being heard over Sam's yells.
"You know, or even worse, like I'm an idiot!" Sam screams, getting into Dean's face. "Like I don't know the difference between right and wrong!" Sam turns and walks away a couple steps, sighing before turning back. "What?" He demands, seeing Dean's facial expression.
"Do you know the difference, Sam?" Dean questions. "I mean, you've been kind of strolling a dark road lately."
"Please stop!" Dakota cries, but she's ignored once again.
"You have no idea what I'm going through. None." Sam says, looking over at Dakota briefly.
"Then enlighten me!" Dean screams, finally fed up with Sam darting around the truth.
"I've got demon blood in me, Dean!" Sam shouts back. Dean clenches his jaw, his green eyes darken slightly. "This disease pumping through my veins, and I can't ever rip it out or scrub it clean! I'm a whole new level of freak!"
"You're not a freak!" Dakota screams, her face turning red as she runs over to the other side of the car, closer to them.
"Stay out of this, Dakota." Dean says gruffly.
"And I'm just trying to take this curse...and make something good out of it." Sam continues like Dakota didn't speak. "Because I have to."
Sam looks down as Dean remains quiet. Dean swallows thickly and glances around.
"Let's just go talk to the guy." Dean speaks up, Sam scoffs loudly. "I mean Jack. Okay?" Dean closes his eyes in annoyance.
Sam nods slightly, passing by Dakota who just stands there helplessly, her face bright red--he couldn't tell if it was in anger or just trying not to cry. He gives her a sad look but doesn't say anything.
"Get in the car, Dakota."
"No!" Dakota shouts, crossing her arms and glaring at her father. This was the first time that she's blatantly ignored an order.
"What?" Dean's voice lowers slightly, surprise in his tone and he turns towards his daughter. He raises an eyebrow, almost like challenging her to say something. For a second, Sam is scarily reminded of John. "Get in the car." He says slowly.
"No!" She repeats, still keeping the same level of anger.
"Excuse me?" Dean questions, narrowing his eyes at Dakota.
"I'm not getting into the car. Not until you tell uncle Sammy that he is not a freak!" She screams, her face growing another shade of red. "I'm tired of you two fighting! It seems like ever since we got back, all you've been doing is fighting!"
"Dakota, let's just go, honey." Sam tries, running a hand through his hair tiredly.
"No!" She snaps.
"Get in the car, Dakota. Sam and I's arguments aren't your concern." Dean's words are tense, his frustration and anger growing.
"You don't understand!" Dakota screams, her voice cracking as tears well up in her eyes and falls down her face.
"Understand what?" Dean asks, his tone and face softening up at the sight of her so distraught.
"What it was like!" Dakota cries, sinking away from him and into herself. "W-what it was like when you were gone. Y-y-y-" She breaks off, stumbling back as she tries to distance herself from him, sobbing.
Dean and Sam exchange looks, this is the first time Dakota has said anything about Dean being dead. She avoided the topic expertly, whenever they brought it up she would dodge it and change the subject smoothly.
"Baby, I know me being gone was hard-"
"No, you don't!" She yells, turning to face him. Dean's own glare staring back at him. Sam's almost scared at how fierce the eight year old's glare is. "You don't know what it was like. You were gone! W-we had to continue...living. I didn't have a dad anymore! Sammy had to tuck me in, read to me! I had no parents left, just Sammy.We were constantly moving, and he was always leaving to hunt. I was alone!" She screams, her face contorting as she sobs loudly.
Dean realizes how much she's been keeping in, realized how much she's actually grown up in the four months they were apart. Her entire vernacular has changed, she speaks more maturely than an eight year old is suppose to.
"Why did you leave me here?" She asks brokenly.
"Kota..." Dean gasps, walking forward as she starts fully crying. He pulls her into a hug, she collapses against him as he crouches down to her height, her head going into the crook of his neck. "I'm here now, baby, and I'm not leaving again." He promises, glancing over at Sam again.
Sam's eyes are watering slightly, he's never seen his niece break down like that, not even when Dean died. It was like she died too, she stopped talking for a whole month, she barely ate. It was like she was a completely different person. When Dean came back, so did Dakota--he didn't realize that she was harboring everything inside, like a typical Winchester.
Edited 4/27/19