Fighter: Dean Winchester (REVAMPED VERSION)

αre yoυ тнere God? ιт'ѕ мe deαɴ wιɴcнeѕтer;pαrт ғιve

ℑt was one of those nights; Nadia was exhausted, but she couldn't sleep. There was so much on her mind, her mother mostly. She knew that the person she saw wasn't Vanessa. Still, it brought up feelings of guilt that she's carried for a long time.

Now, apparently, the apocalypse was beginning. And memories of her mother that she pushed to the back of her mind were starting to resurface. Her mother didn't just read her biblical lore; she taught her.

Nadia couldn't recall the specifics, but she knew the information was there. Just locked in dark places of her mind. She couldn't understand why her mother shared such things with her.

What was a kid supposed to do with knowledge of an apocalypse?

Nadia had so many questions and, at the same time, didn't want to know. Her life had been difficult already; opening this can of worms felt like trouble more than anything else. She was willing to stick around and fight but wanted to avoid getting her personal life involved as much as possible.

If she could.

Nadia gazed thoughtfully at the stars, lying in the bed of her truck. She was so deep in thought that she didn't sense or hear Dean's approach.

"You okay?" his voice grounded her.

"Yeah. I uh, talked to my dad. They were on a camping trip. No signal. But they're fine."

"I didn't ask you about your family. I asked if you were okay."

"Me?" she shrugs. "I will be."

Nadia holds out her hand and he pulls her up.

"So," she stands on her feet. "Is this the part when you ask what happened to my mother?"

"You don't have to tell me."

"No, it's okay. I think I need to . . . get it out. It's been a minute."

Nadia briefly looks at the stars, taking a deep breath.

"As you know, I was born into the life. By the time I was three, I knew basic hunter's etiquette. Salt lines, holy water, flickering lights, sulfur - the whole gig. Since dad was on the road a lot. Mom and I had a strict protocol. If we sensed even the slightest danger. We go to the attic, lay down the salt, be ready with holy water and wait until the coast is clear."

Feeling tears well, she turns away. "I was five at the time. It was like any ordinary day. Dad was on the road, I had a good day at school. Mom was still in her scrubs from work, cooking dinner. I was in my room, playing with my toys. I knew evil was real, but I had an innocent obliviousness like any five-year-old. Bad thing happened to other people, not me. Not when my dad saved people for a living."

She swallows.

"The lights started flickering, and suddenly there was a storm outside. For the first time, I sensed it: danger, evil. I ran out of my room to go get my mother. I got to the top of the stairs when she yelled my name in a way that made my blood run cold. 'Hide,' she told me. So, I did. My mind was going so fast that I couldn't tell if any of the demons were coming for me. I just pulled the attic stairs down and climbed up. It was hard, but I got it closed. Laid the salt down, and hid in the corner with a flask of holy water."

Nadia closed her eyes as the tears fell.

"I can still hear her screams. When the lights stopped flickering and the house went quiet, I knew she was dead. But I didn't move. I waited two days until my father got home and found me. I just remember apologizing and feeling like it was my fault. That I could have done something."

"Hey, hey," Dean embraces her. "It's not your fault, Robin. You were a kid. You were scared. You did what you were supposed to do. Imagine how devastated your father would have been if he lost you both."