Cassandra | d. winchester [1]

FOUR

Cassandra sat with the fluffy blanket in her lap, biting her lip nervously. She was never good at this and she probably never will be. Dean observed the girl. She was a lot like him in some ways even though on the outside, they were completely different. His eyes flickered to the pink Stanley on her nightstand.

Yeah absolutely different.

"Um, what do you want to know? I need an idea of where to start." She admits quietly as she plays with the corner of the blanket. Dean sighs.

"Start with this: how many times did he hit you?"

"He only hit me three times throughout my whole entire eighteen years of living with them. But what people don't understand is mental abuse is just as bad and that doesn't go away. Bruises and welts will heal. Words stay with you." She stares ahead on the floor, a dazed look on her face.

"Did you know that narcissistic abuse can cause brain damage? Well, when a child is abused their whole life mentally, it stumps their brain growth. I moved out at eighteen and in with my grandma and I went to almost three years of counseling to try and heal. I have what I need and I'm better than I was - well, before my whole family was murdered. Most of what I went through was emotional and mental. My memory is so damn bad, and I get so frustrated all the time because of it."

Dean was surprised.

"Everyone always focuses on the physical scars, but what about the mental and emotional ones? Those don't really heal. You just learn from them and learn to deal with it and he was so mean. That's not even the word to describe how he was. He was a disgusting human being, and I can't even hate him. I just feel anger and numbness when it comes to my dad."

"I get the daddy issues, sweetheart. Okay? Mine wasn't a father either. I raised Sam on my own because our mother was killed by a demon, and he was an obsessed ass when it came to hunting. If I could choose, I wouldn't be in this life. But I can't. You can't either. For that, I'm sorry 'cause it's only gonna get worse. But you have us now. You are safe here. The bunker's the safest place on Earth."

Cassandra glances at him and just nods. Dean gives her a small smile.

"You'll be okay. You're stronger than you think you are." He simply says.

Cassandra has heard that so many times and yet she still can't believe it. She wishes she didn't have to be strong. Somedays she just wanted a hug but couldn't get one. She just nodded though, and Dean pushed off her desk and stood in front of her then knelt down to look into her eyes.

"I'd never ever lay a hand on you. Ever. I don't care how mad I get; I'd never do that." Cassandra had always heard that if a man hits walls, he'll hit you. Dean could tell she was having a hard time believing him, but he'll do everything in his power to prove himself to her. For some reason, he wants to prove that he can be better. For her.

"If there's one thing I don't play about, it's women I care about. You're at the top of that list now. We still don't know why the demons are after you, but I promise you, we will figure it out. We will catch the one that killed your family, and I will watch you torture it for fun." She smiles a little bit and he gives her a tiny smile too.

"Did you eat today?" He asks.

"Cereal. I haven't had much of an appetite." She admits.

Dean sighs. "C'mon. I know a good burger place nearby. Seriously, I could pick you up with arm and carry you around."

She raises an eyebrow. "Is that a promise?"

Dean gives her a surprising look before snickering a little. "Maybe. C'mon, get movin.'" She moves the blanket off of her lap and stands up. Dean stands with her, and she slips on sneakers before the duo make their way to the garage and she climbs into the front seat of his car. He puts on classic rock, and they leave the bunker. Cassandra was used to fast drivers, so his driving never bugged her. She actually preferred it. She sat there quietly, watching out the window. They arrived at a burger joint, and both climbed out and headed inside.