Like Father Like Daughter

{2}

Dean searched the demon's pockets for anything that might explain why it was in his house. There was nothing whatsoever on the body, but Dean knew his face. It was Chuck Shurley, who Dean had believed to be dead until the moment he saw him standing in the doorway to his and Jo's room. Everything happened so quickly, he didn't have time to register what was actually happening until it was all over.

Dean had been walking back from the bathroom the previous night, when he saw the shadow. His mind immediately registered the unfamiliar outline and then he smelled the sulfer. He approached the demon with caution, having no weapons on his person. When he could finally see its face, it lunged. Dean sidestepped the creature, but it regained its footing instantly; knocking Dean to the floor.

Both Dean and Chuck toppled down the stairs and into the kitchen, wounding each other as much as possible in the process. Chuck was just about to deliver the final blow, as Samantha entered the room. A rush of emotions raged through Dean's body, but he kept calm. Sam had the demon knife in her right hand, and at Dean's nod, she threw the knife with perfect precision through the air. Dean caught the blade and sunk it into Chuck's back, right behind his heart.

Then he looked down into his sweet daughter's face, it was completely serene. This wasn't strange for Samantha, and that made Dean's heart ache. He never wanted this for his girls, he didn't want them to be raised like he had. But the world insisted on reproducing evil, so the only thing he and Jo could do was train the girls accordingly.

There was something Dean could see on Sam's face though. She was withholding information from him, she didn't want to hurt him. So he asked, "Are you okay? Is Ellen okay?" She nodded, yes they were both fine, she told him.

"But..."

He could see it in her eyes, "What?" he panted.

"Mom..." was all she said.

Dean raced past her up the stairs. He could feel the tears welling up in his eyes. He entered the bedroom and fell to his knees. Seeing Jo's lifeless body was just too much for him to take. How could this have happened? Why?

But he knew why. He knew all too well why.  

                                                                                                  {...}

Sam thought Dean would be a mess after her mother's death, but he looked surprisingly well, though she knew he was completely torn to shreds on the inside. Sam knew why he hid pain, he wanted to be strong for his daughters, he concealed his heartache so well it was hard for even Samantha to tell. Seeing Dean like that did help Samantha with her pain as well, but her world had still been shattered, and it was hard to ignore that. But she had to look out for her dad and her baby sister.

After Dean had gone upstairs to find Jo, he had come back down and knelt beside Ellen and her. He wrapped his arms around them and held them tight, Ellen had stopped crying and Sam hadn't let herself acknowledge the pain yet. It felt nice to just lay there like that, Sam thought to herself. Dean rarely showed affection and he usually forgot to be a parent when tragedy struck, but she guessed he knew they both felt the same and they were the only family he had left. He pulled away from them and looked into their eyes, his emotions actually showing on his face.

He picked up Ellen and sat her in his lap, and asked her if she understood what was going on. Ellen shook her head no.

"Mama Jo is gone." He said, trying to be gentle, which was hard for him. I could see the anger he was holding back.

"Mom is gone and she's not coming back. A monster took her away from us." He said, emotionless.

"No more mama?" Ellen asked.

"No more mama," Dean confirmed.

With that Ellen stood up and looked straight into Dean with her deep brown eyes and wrapped her chubby four-year-old arms around his neck, she hugged him tight. Dean, after a confused moment, sighed and held her back. Sam could almost see the pieces of her father's heart stitching themselves back together, it's amazing what a simple hug can do.