"Face your fears and doubts, and
new worlds will open to you." -Robert Kiyosaki
<< Connection >>
They decided to do Sam's plan in the morning, both Winchester men were tired of Dakota's complaints about sleep. Dean was equally as crabby as his daughter. Dean and Dakota passed out on one of the beds, while Sam took the other one--leaving Jack to reread the Bible. He didn't sleep much, being half angel.
Dakota bolts upright, a scream leaving her throat as she panics. Jack jumps in surprise at the sudden movement and noise, Dean shifts around before his eyes flutter up. He sits up when he notices his daughter's distraught expression, he places a hand on her shoulder and she jumps slightly. Her chest heaves as she tries to regain her breath, the nightmare hanging onto her mind vividly.
"You okay?" Dean questions sleepily. His eyes half open and flutters every few seconds.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm good. Go back to sleep, dad, I'm okay." She assures him, grabbing his hand on her shoulder and squeezing it.
Jack watches the scene almost sadly, not upset by the father-daughter moment, but by the lingering fear in Dakota's eyes.
"What happened?" Dean asks, not wanting to leave her to deal with this on her own.
"Nothing, I'm okay, dad. Go to sleep." She repeats.
Dean watches her for a few moments before kissing her temple, flopping back and instantly falling asleep again. Dakota chuckles before climbing out of bed, padding over to the kitchen to make some coffee-obviously not being able to sleep any time soon.
Dakota's aware of Jack's eyes following her, sending the boy a small smile before turning back to the coffee machine.
Once the pot is full, she grabs a mug and pours herself a cup. She glances at Jack with an eyebrow raised, gesturing to the pot of coffee. He stares back in confusion before slowly shaking his head, she nods in response and walks over to the couch with her mug.
She sits down beside him and sips her coffee, glancing at him every few seconds.
"Are you alright?" He asks quietly, not wanting to wake up the other Winchesters.
"Yeah, just a bad dream." She tells him, glancing at the Bible in his hands. "Didn't you already read that?"
"I didn't know what else to do." He explains, placing the book on the table. "Do you get them often?"
Dakota's eyes dart to meet his, surprised by his question, but he only seemed concerned.
"Uh, with my line of work...bad dreams are a guarantee." She says lowly. "We see bad things everyday, it's hard not to take some stuff home."
"What'd you dream about?"
Dakota pauses, not liking his question, but only seeing genuine curiosity in his eyes. He didn't know much about talking to people, not knowing that some things you don't bring up.
"A lot of things, Lucifer being the main thing." She answers honestly, dropping her gaze from his.
"My father?" He questions, tilting his head to the side in confusion.
"Yeah," She nods, "awhile back...I--he possessed me."
Dakota goes in with the story of Lucifer manipulating her, making her see things that weren't there. She even explained what happened when she was in the hospital. She didn't realize how easy it was to talk to Jack, he sat there and listen to everything she said--not interrupting her to ask her questions, just listening.
"It was his plan from the beginning, he went after me so my family would be so overcome with worry that they wouldn't look for him. It gave him enough time to plan. He started planning out things when I was in the hospital, when he put me in the hospital."
"I'm sorry, Dakota." Jack apologizes softly. Dakota looks over at him with a furrowed brow, she glances down at his hand before slowly placing hers over it.
"Jack, none of what happened to me was your fault." She tells him. "You weren't even born yet, there was nothing you could've done."
"I know, but I'm still sorry you went through that, that it was my father doing it." Jack's shoulders slump down, Dakota squeezes his hand--adjusting her grip so their fingers were laced together.
"He might be why you're here, but he's not your father, Jack." Dakota says gently. "You're nothing like him, J."
"J?" Jack questions, his head tilted to the side. Dakota chuckles.
"It's a nickname. Like how Sammy and my dad call me Kota." She explains.
"Oh. I like it." Jack grins widely at her. Dakota smiles back.
"What's going on?" Sam asks as he sits up, blinking from the light in the kitchen. Dakota springs apart from Jack, pulling her hand from his, and ending up on the other side of the couch.
Sam narrows his eyes at her before shaking his head, running a hand through his hair and getting out of the bed.
"Nothing, I just woke up a little bit ago. Made some coffee." Dakota replies awkwardly, coughing slightly--heat crawls up her neck, turning her face bright red.
"You okay?" Sam cocks his head to the side.
"Yeah," Dakota says, giving Sam a thumbs up before she face palms, groaning at her own actions.
"Yeah, okay." Sam snorts in amusement, grabbing his own cup of coffee.
Dean groans, Sam's voice waking him up, he sits up and blinks over at his family. Dakota chuckles at him, her cheeks fading back to their normal color. Jack just watches the scene in confusion, not sure what changed so fast.
"Coffee and then the plan?" Dakota cleared her throat, scratching her head and glancing at Jack a couple of times.
Dean grunts in agreement, slowly making his way toward the coffee. Sam laughs as he hands his brother a mug, watching Dakota squirm nervously as Dean stares between her and the Nephilim suspiciously.
Dakota's face heats up as Jack is forced to take of his shirt, laying down so the tattoo artist can do his job. She clears her throat, and looks away from the Nephilim, ignoring her uncle's knowing smirk.
Dean glances at his daughter before his face drops, he looks at her red face.
"You feel okay? Are you sick?" Dean questions, his face slightly panicked, he places his hand on Dakota's forehead--checking her temperature. "Your face is red, you don't feel sick, do you?" He repeats.
"I'm, uh, I'm okay, dad." Dakota coughs awkwardly, pushing Dean's hand away from her face. "It's...just hot in here."
Sam snorts before turning to the tattoo artist.
"All right, so, uh...I'm thinking something like this, right about here." Sam tells the artist, handing him a piece of paper with a pentagram on it, he taps Jack's chest where he wants to tattoo--the same place him and Dean got theirs. "Uh, you know what? Exactly like that."
The tattoo artist narrows his eyes at Jack's uncomfortable expression. "And you're cool with this?" He asks the boy.
Jack's eyes dart towards Dakota, his brow furrowed in confusion at the artists question. "Yeah."
"Turn the damn thing on and start buzzin'." Dean hisses in annoyance, Dakota elbows his side roughly.
Sam clears his throat awkwardly. "W-we're brothers. It's kind of like a family crest." Sam explains, showing the artist his own tattoo.
The tattoo artist shakes his head, analyzing the picture and sitting next to Jack. Sam walks back over to Jack and Dakota, giving the blushing girl a smirk as she awkwardly glances between Jack and the floor.
"So you heard Donatello." Sam speaks up, dropping his amusement. "No evil vibes from Jack."
"Proves nothing." Dean tells him. "Except you two are way too attached to this kid. You both need to see this for what it is, okay? I mean, what do you need, a sign?" Dean asks rhetorically. "I understand Sam being attached to the kid, his compassion or whatever, but you, Dakota? It's shocking."
"Dad, I have no friends. I've never really talked to kids my age, not often anyway. I like having another kid around, it's...refreshing." Dakota defends herself, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Dean, whatever his powers are or will be...if we train him properly, they could be used for good." Sam continues as the artist starts tattooing Jack.
Dakota briefly wonders why Dean hasn't taken her to get her tattoo, it wasn't safe for her to not be marked with that sigil.
Jack winces in pain and the machine short circuits, it sends the artist flying backwards into the wall.
"Holy sh--"
"Not the time!" Dean cuts Dakota off, scolding her for her language. "Well, there's your sign." He spits at Sam before stalking toward Jack as Sam goes to help the artist up.
"Jack, did you do that?" Dakota asks gently, ignoring his shirtless-ness and placing a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm not sure." He replies in confusion, his brow furrowed. "It hurt."
Dean rolls his eyes, snatching his daughter's hand away from the Nephilim's shoulder. "Okay, see, sometimes, things hurt, so you just man up and deal with it." He snaps.
"What my dad is trying to say," Dakota adds, glaring at Dean. "Is that when things hurt, sometimes there's nothing you can do to stop it, you can't use your powers on people, Jack. No matter how much pain they cause you." Dakota says softly, trying to put Dean's words in a nicer way.
"Yes. I understand." Jack drawls out, piecing together their reprimands. "Pain is a part of the complete human experience. Accepting it is a sign of maturity."
Dakota and Dean both blink in bewilderment. "All right." They both state slowly.
Dean clears his throat, "I think your, uh, machine might've fritzed out there. You might wanna get that looked at." He smiles sarcastically at the artist.
"Well, that wasn't suspicious at all." Dakota rolls her eyes, "That was a terrible cover."
Dean wraps his arm around Dakota, covering her mouth his hand and giving the artist another tense smile. Sam and Dean both exchange a look.
"Okeydokey." The tattoo artist states, turning off the needle and patting Jack's shoulder.
"Uh, looks good, Jack." Dakota coughs awkwardly her face heating up again. Jack glances at her before looking down at his chests, both tattoos start to disappear.
"Well, there's your second sign." Dean hisses at his brother and daughter.
Dakota tosses Jack his shirt and jacket while Sam pays for the tattoos. He dresses quickly and they shepherd him out of the parlor.
Sam opens the back door for Jack as Dakota gets in the other side, none of them saying a word.
<><><><><><><><><><><>
The Winchesters and Donatello huddle up, Jack sits on the other side of the room, the Nephilim plays with his hands nervously.
"It was a reflex. He didn't do it on purpose." Dakota defends Jack, glaring at her father who glares back.
"Who cares if he didn't do it on purpose? He did it." Dean snaps.
"Like when I possessed by Lucifer? Those people still died, I did that--I may not have been in control, but it was my hands that ended their lives." Dakota sneers.
"That's not same thing, Dakota." Dean retorts, placing his hands on his hips. "You didn't have any say in what Lucifer did. Jack was the one who healed his tattoos."
"What I'm saying is that neither one of us had control. Jack doesn't know how to use his powers, him healing? That was his body, not him." Dakota argues.
Dean shakes his head. "I mean, you didn't see Cas smiting everyone every time he got his teeth cleaned." The oldest Winchester decides not to feed into Dakota's analogy.
"I'm right here, you know." Jack speaks up, gaining everyone's attention.
"Yeah, and what about the vanishing tattoo?" Dean asks Donatello, ignoring Jack but sparing him a glance.
"An archangel healing itself." Donatello shrugs.
"Another reflex." Sam and Dakota point out.
"Or maybe he didn't want to be warded." Dean sneers, him and Dakota sharing a glare.
"Okay, look, yeah, Jack is on Lucifer's family tree." Sam relents, sighing, ignoring Dakota's outraged look. "But we don't know if that DNA is stronger than Kelly's, or his connection with Cas."
"Aren't we technically descendants of Cain?" Dakota asks, raising an eyebrow at Dean.
"Not the point." Dean hisses. "And you mean connection that got Cas killed?"
"That wasn't Jack's fault!" Dakota explodes, throwing her hands up.
"I'm just saying, Jack doesn't have to be evil. We can teach him not to be."
Dean scoffs at Sam's words, looking away with a sarcastic smile.
"Ah. The nature versus nurture conundrum." Donatello hums, he places his hands on Dakota's shoulders. She was standing between Sam and Dean, she just happened to be in front of Donatello.
"Hey." Dean growls. "Hands off."
"Dude." Sam snaps at the prophet.
"Get your hands off of me." Dakota snarls, shoving Donatello's hands off her as Dean pulls her away.
"Okay, okay." Donatello puts his hands up in surrender. "Speaking not as a prophet but as a scientist, I don't think teaching him is in the cards." Dean gives Sam a pointed look. "It's like asking a lion not to be a lion."
"This isn't a lion! This is a human!" Sam seethes angrily, Dakota's eyes widen briefly--she hasn't seen this angry in a while.
"With a strong dose of God juice." Donatello argues.
"Okay. That's it. I'm done, all right." Dean explodes, his voice low and angry. His hands moving as he talks rapidly, Dakota takes an subconscious step back. "'Cause he's not God, he's not Cas, he's not Simba. He's the friggin' Devil!" He goes to point at Jack only to realize he's not there.
"No, he is not!" Dakota screams at her dad, shoving past him to go find Jack. She knocks her shoulder against Dean's roughing, he takes a step back and watches her storm out of the room.
"Jack?" Sam asks, glancing around.
Dakota walks around the hotel calling out Jack's name, she makes her way outside. She ends up finding him in the side alley, perched on a crate with his legs pulled up to his chest, his arms wrapped around himself.
"Jack?" She calls out softly, inching closer to him. Jack buries his face in his arms, sniffling. "Hey, J. We, uh, we've been looking for ya." She tells him.
She walks closer as Jack sniffles again, dropping his legs from their position.
"I'm sorry. I..." He trails slightly, his eyes sad and watery as they meet hers. "Everyone was so angry."
Dakota sighs, grabbing a crate and sitting next to Jack. She hesitantly grabs his hand and laces their fingers together, placing their interlocked hands in her lap.
"Yeah, I understand wanting to be away from it." She says.
"And suddenly, I was." He adds on, his voice quiet.
"I'll admit, you got some special skills, Jack." She gives him an assuring smile. "We just need to make sure we get a grip on 'em, so you don't hurt someone accidentally." She squeezes his hand when he looks away.
"Is that why Dean hates me?" Jack asks, looking over at her sadly.
"My dad doesn't hate you, J. It's..." Dakota trails, sighing. "Sometimes dad just doesn't understand things, the wires in his head get crossed, he gets frustrated, and then mixes frustration with anger and--and fear."
Jack's brow furrowed. "Why would he be afraid?"
"Dad feels like it's his job to protect everyone, especially me." Dakota explains, looking down at their joined hands in her lap. "And right now, we need to protect you. But...we may also need to protect people from you."
His face twists up, pained. "Maybe I'm not worth all this."
Dakota looks up at him quickly, her face solemn. "Your mom thought you were. Cas did, Sam does...and Jack, so do I."
A ghost of a smile curls at Jack's lips, he hesitantly squeezes Dakota's hand--causing the girl to look down at them.
"I've never really had friends before." Dakota admits after a long pause. "I feel...drawn to you, I don't know what it is, but I feel, uh, connected to you, protective of you."
Jack watches her for a few moments, Dakota's face heats up after he doesn't say anything.
"I feel it, too." He says softly, her head whips around to face him--her eyes wide. "Connected to you, like there's something...pulling me toward you."
Dakota nods along with his words, a smile curled at her lips.
"I wish Cas was here, he could tell us what it was." She sighs heavily, looking forward.
After a few moments of silence, Dakota shifts closer to the boy and lays her head on his shoulder hesitantly.
My baby's growing up! My heart!
I hope you guys enjoyed!
What do you think about Jack and Dakota's relationship?
Love, Kaz.