||CHAPTER TWENTY // TEAM EDWARD||
Dean sighs heavily as he tries to focus on the radio sounding out through the impala's speakers. It wasn't good music at all but it was better than listening to his brother and daughter argue like little kids, although one of them is a little kid. Rain was pouring down as thunder boomed across the sky, but that didn't stop the eight year old from screaming louder to be heard.
"I don't sound like that!" Dakota shrieks in defense, sounding offended at the way Sam mimicked her voice.
"Yes, you do!" Sam argues, scoffing loudly at his niece.
"Can you two stop arguing for the love of God!" Dean shouts, throwing his hands up in defeat, his hand leaving the steering wheel for a few seconds before returning.
"If Sam can stop being ridiculous!" Dakota says while crossing her arms and huffing.
"Ridiculous?! Me? You're the one who's arguing about whether or not Bella loved Jacob." Sam replies, his arms crossing over his chest in the same position as her.
"Because she didn't!" Dakota defends herself again.
Dean sighs as the argument continues. "She even told him that she did!" Sam remarks.
"You know she only told him that because she didn't want to hurt his feelings! She didn't love him in that way, he was like her brother." Dakota points out, her voice returning to it's normal volume.
"The radio around here sucks." Dean says awkwardly, he reaches over and turns off the radio.
He glances over at his brother when silence engulfs the car, Sam returns to what he was working on before him and Dakota's argument. "C'mon, man. Jobs don't get much weirder than this, you know? Dead vic with a gnawed-on neck, body drained of blood, and a witness who swears up and down that it was a vampire. Sounds like Edwards getting revenge, Kota." Dean jokes.
"He didn't drink people, daddy." Dakota replies before Sam speaks up.
"No, I-I agree. It's a helluva case." Sam agrees.
Lightning flashes before thunder booms, Dakota jumps in her seat before scooting closer to the window. She presses her face against the glass and squints, like she was trying to see everything around them.
"A little more gusto, please." Dean says to Sam before glancing at the rear-view mirror towards his daughter. "Don't touch the glass, Kota, you'll leave smudges." He chides.
"It's just...the world is coming to an end." Sam responds, ignoring Dean chastising Dakota. "Things are a little complicated, you know?"
"Yeah, well, we can't save the world, not today anyway." Dean shrugs. "But what we can do is chop off some vamps' heads. C'mon, man, it's like the good old days. An honest-to-goodness monster hunt. It's about time the Winchesters got back to tackling a straightforward, black-and-white case."
Silence engulfs the car once more, which makes Dakota edgy. She doesn't like when they just sit in complete silence.
"I think Sammy's team Jacob." She mumbles, a smirk playing at her lips when Sam's head shoots straight up-an offended look plasters itself across his face. Dean chuckles lowly, knowing that Sam was going to start another argument.
"I am not!"
And the argument continues.
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Dean pulls out in front of the Oktoberfest that's taking place. The Winchesters get out of the impala, two of them taking more caution than the third. Dakota's eyes follow all the people rushing around, she feels her dad grab her hand once he realizes how many people are around.
He pulls her after him as he starts walking with Sam into the festival. She watches people dance around them as they walk.
"We still got to see the new 'Raiders' movie." Dean says towards Sam, occasionally glancing down at Dakota.
"Saw it." Sam responds quickly. Dakota looks over at him, remembering when he watched it.
"Without me?" Dean accuses, he stops walking and turns to face his younger brother.
"You were in Hell." Sam chuckles humorlessly, stopping as well. Dakota grimaces.
"That's no excuse." Dean shakes his head before turning to Dakota. "Kota, how could you let him watch it without me?"
"I tried to stop him! He's like a tree! I was powerless against him!" She defends quickly, her green eyes blown wide.
Dean's attention was soon steered towards a pretzel stand, Sam was staring at Dakota in offense.
"Big pretzel!" Dean exclaims, pulling his daughter away from the pouting Sam.
Dean buys two pretzels by the time Sam catches up, he hands Sam his own pretzel.
"Thank you." Sam says while grabbing the food offered to him. Dean takes a big bite out of his own pretzel. Sam was about to but Dakota spoke up.
"What about me!" She jumps up and down as her dad chews his food. Both older Winchesters' eyes dart down to the young child.
Sam quickly tears off a piece from his pretzel and hands it to his niece, who smiles happily and starts to munch on it. Sam shakes his head before taking his own bite.
"Guten tag." A woman greets as she struts past the eating Winchesters. Both men's eyes follow her as she passes, Dakota scoffs before eyeing the woman suspiciously.
"'Guten tag' yourself." Dakota and Dean respond simultaneously with different tones.
Sam's eyes immediately go to his niece upon hearing her snarky tone. She's definitely Dean's daughter.
Dean looks over at Sam with raised eyebrows, Sam just merely scoffs and with an amused expression. Sam's eyes fall on the police officer on the other side of the small town square.
"Looks like that's our man." Sam informs his family, pointing over to the cop. Dakota steals Sam's pretzel as he begins to walk over to the police man.
Dean continues eating as he follows his brother, his hand still firmly around Dakota's, keeping her close to him.
"Sheriff Dietrich." Sam greets, coming a stop in front of the man.
"Are you the boys from the Feds?" The sheriff questions, his eyes squinted from the sunlight.
"Agents Angus and Young." Sam informs as him and Dean fish for their badges, Dean finishes his pretzel quickly as they flash their ID. "We called ahead about your, uh, problem."
"Right...uh." The sheriff looks around. "I'll tell you what, why don't we talk about this out away from the crowd, huh? You can even bring the kid." He proposes, pointing down at the smiling Dakota who's munching happily on Sam's pretzel.
They head over to the morgue where the victim was placed, Dean tells Dakota to wait outside the room as the sheriff goes over the case with them.
"Marissa Wright, 26," The sheriff recounts as he pulls out the body. "Just up from Lockhard for the 'fest. Terrible. Just terrible." He tsks, shaking his head. "It's the last thing this town needs at peak tourist season."
Sam gives a small false smile at the sheriff's words. "Definitely the last thing Marissa Wright needed." He says, pressing his lips together with raised eyebrows.
Dean reaches over, without gloves, and tilts Marissa's head towards him, exposing her neck to them. Two puncture wounds glare at them, the skin around them still very red.
"What the hell?" Dean asks quietly to himself, exchanging a look with his brother.
"Yeah, you got me--I mean, this killer's some kind of Grade-A wacko, right? I mean, some Satan-worshipping, Anne rice-reading, Gothic, psycho vampire wannabe."
Dean represses the urge to say, "or Edward Cullen", he's been spending too much time with Dakota. Instead Dean just says, "Sheriff, in your report, you mentioned a witness."
The sheriff sighs. "Yeah, I wished I didn't. But our witness insisted. That's Ed Brewer. Not exactly what you'd call reliable."
The Winchester exchange another looks as the sheriff slides the body back into the cooling vault in was in. Dean leaves the room to go collect his daughter before him and Sam head towards the tavern.
Edited 4/27/19