Kingpin Motel (Supernatural G/T)

Chapter Twenty-seven

Starla shifted against Sam's chest, her small body rocking with his deep breaths. She listened to the heartbeat behind her. If she were to stay with these people the boys called her parents, she'd probably never hear his heart again. His or Dean's. That was a thought that hurt her immensely.

She heard the car engine come to a halt, the chest behind her rising and falling as Sam loudly sighed. "We're here."

Dean looked at his younger brother and put his hand lightly on his shoulder. "She'll be fine no matter what she chooses Sammy. It's her choice."

Sam cast a somber look in Dean's direction but said nothing else, looking down at the small lump in his pocket. They had only just found her again. 

"Let's just get inside and get it over with," Dean muttered, stepping out of the car and putting his keys in the pocket of his leather jacket.

Giving a slight nod of the head, Sam looked to where Starla was in his own pocket. "We're going up to the house."

He felt the small body against him stiffen and smiled faintly. However, he didn't say anything as he followed his brother up to the yellow house's door. It was certainly a well-kept place. Lovely garden, bird feeder out front, even the house was in good shape.

The brothers shared a glance before Dean knocked on the front door while trying not to make it sound too harsh or too loud for Starla's ears.

An older woman, maybe in her mid-forties opened the door. She had round spectacles resting on her nose, long curly brown hair, and the same color eyes of Starla. It was obvious just by looking at her they were related. "Oh, hello. Can I help you two boys with something?" Her voice was calm and gentle, but also worn down. A mother losing her child would certainly sound that way. 

"Hi, um, I'm Sam, this is Dean. We think we know what happened to your daughter, if you'll take the time to listen," Sam spoke in the same calm tone, his hazel eyes trying to read her expression. It wasn't hard, her face fell immediately. 

"This isn't a joke right?" Her voice had lowered to a whisper, and her blue eyes sparkled with a hint of hope. "You know where my baby is?"

"We can even show you, but you have to let us in first. Is your husband here?" Dean asked, ignoring how suspicious that had to have sounded. 

"Um, yes, he is. Keith, can you come here please?" She stepped to the side to let them inside. "My name is Grace by the way. We'd all but given up hope that we'd find little Lily again."

Dean fought back a smirk. Little was certainly right, just not in the way she was thinking.

Sam was nervous, but he did a damn good job at hiding it. It wasn't long before he and Dean sat side by side on a sofa, the couple across from them on another. Her husband, Keith, was eyeing them suspiciously.

"Now, you say you know where our daughter is?" Grace clasped her hands together in her lap, her glasses falling off her nose slightly. 

The brothers again shared a look and this time Dean spoke up. "Yes. But you have to seriously keep an open mind. Something really strange happened to her, and you also need to try and keep your voices down. You also can't tell a soul."

"I'm confused, b-but, if I can see Lily again, okay."

"Sam, go ahead," Dean cast him a reassuring gaze.

Sam moved slowly, reaching into his shirt pocket. He felt a very small hand brush his finger. It was shaking, but it was a gesture to reassure him just the same. Carefully, his fingers curled around the tiny female and lifted her out into the light where he could hold her in a palm visible to the couple. 

Starla gasped as her eyes landed on the faces staring back at her, two pairs of blue eyes much like her own. She also recognized those faces. Her heart pounded against her chest and she struggled to find words, so just spoke the only one that came to mind. "H-Hello."

Grace's eyes widened and she put one hand over her mouth, one on her husband's shoulder. "I-It's actually her," she whispered, seemingly not bothered by the fact she was sitting in a palm at three-four inches tall. "I-It's Lily."

"A-Actually, m-ma'am," Starla began slowly. "I-I don't remember a lot. My memory w-was stolen from me. I hardly remember that name...c-currently, I'm Starla." She twirled her short brown hair nervously, averting her gaze from the couple.

Grace wiped tears from her eyes. "Oh, S-Starla is just as lovely a name as Lily. I'm just so happy to see you, aren't you Keith?"

Now Keith didn't speak, but one of his hands started moving closer to her. Sam and Dean both stiffened and Starla waited to see what would happen.

He took a finger, it gently caressing her head and face. It felt so familiar to her, though more from a dream than anything else. Lifting her hands, she gently placed them against the finger touching her face as tears started to well in her eyes. "I-I remember...something like that. O-Only it was a hand. Not just a finger."

Keith smiled happily. "It is you. My sweet little girl. You've come home."

Starla looked back to Sam and Dean with a very small frown, then looked to the couple with troubled eyes. "I-I can't choose. I just can't. I want to stay with you, b-but I can't just leave them," she looked back and forth between each pair. "I-It's not fair. Sam and Dean have taken care of me, b-but for so long I've longed to have my family back."

Grace looked to her husband who grasped her hand. She looked back to Sam and Dean, a soft smile on her face. "Can you excuse us for a moment?"

They stood and left the room together, Starla wondering if she'd hurt them. She buried her face in her hands, groaning. "Why did I do that?"

"Easy Starla, it's okay," Sam whispered soothingly, his finger gently brushing over her hair. 

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It was only five minutes before the couple returned, both smiling. Grace was the one to speak up. "We've decided that it might actually be best for you to go with them, my dear."

Starla's eyes widened. Did they not want her? Was she too much of a freak to them? "Wh-Why?"

"Well, you said they've taken care of you, which means they are more equipped to handle a girl your size. Also, a couple like them can't really have children of their own anyway." She said with a light laugh.

Starla covered her mouth before bursting into laughter, Sam's muscles under her tightening as the Winchester spoke in a low tone. 

"We're brothers."

Grace covered her mouth with a hand, an embarrassed look on her face. "Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry."

"Nah, common mistake. It actually happens a lot," Dean grumbled out. "Anyway, can't you just learn how to care for her?"

Keith now spoke up. "We've missed her for so long, wondering if she was dead or safe. With you, at least we know our little girl is in good hands. She also seems very attached to you, and the two of you also look very attached to her too. I think you three are more of a family than we'd be." His wife nodded in agreement.

Starla stood up in Sam's hand, looking up at the couple with thankful eyes. This really made her choice a lot easier. They loved her, yet they were willing to let her go. "Thank you both. Thank you so much."