The Angel, The Hunter and The Nephilim (Destiel x Daughter)

45. New Days, New Ways

"You feeling better?"
Leah looks up to see Sam standing in the doorway while she's unpacking her suitcases in the guest bedroom where she woke up in the middle of the night after the nightmare, and she was sent to the hospital where she nearly died from hypothermia. It seems like a lifetime ago; but it was earlier in the year. It's almost Christmas, and so much terrible has happened. Too much to bear all alone.
She stares blankly in front of her where she's kneeling on the floor, because Sam's question feels way too hard to handle right now. She doesn't even know how she's been feeling for the last year, she's just been numb. So in the end, she just doesn't reply, causing Sam to walk into the room, kneeling in front of his niece, putting his fingers on her chin and flipping her head up to get her to look at him.
"Leah, are you okay?"
She stares him straight in the eye for a split second before she looks away and nods. He reads that as "not okay at all", like he knows he should because he's been through stormy nights himself before. So all he has to do is not leave her alone although she'll specifically tell him she wants to be left alone.
She keeps removing items of clothing out of her bags as he shuffles over to the bed and sits down to keep her company until Cas gets there. His phone starts ringing and he pulls it out of his pockets, and without thinking twice about it, he answers it right away without leaving the room to pick up.
"Hey, Dean."
Leah freezes and feels her heart starting to beat faster as she drops what she's doing and slowly but swiftly gets up and tries to leave the room without Sam noticing, but it's impossible, and when she hears him get up behind her, she rushes over to the bathroom door and tries to get inside, but Sam stops her and drops his phone to the ground. He pulls her shirt to get her to come back so she won't be able to lock herself in the bathroom so he may have to kick the door down. And Dean's the best one at that. Sam's always had to try several times, and knowing Leah might try to find something to hurt herself with, time is always of the essence when trying to kick a door off its hinges.
"Leah, stop, hey," he says softly and pulls her arm back towards him. When she tries to resist, he takes a step forward and pulls her into a loving embrace, holding her close to his chest while caressing her hair.
"Leah, you don't have to be scared. I'm here, we're all here. You're safe, nothing bad is ever gonna happen to you again. There's no need to hide."
The teenage girl turns to putty in his arms. She lets it all flow; her worries about her daughter, the memories from the "sabbatical" she took where she met her previously dead grandfather, the childhood trauma involving supernatural monsters and the boyfriend she loves who doesn't even know if she's alive, and Sam nods and listens as they're standing there, all three of them; Leah, clinging to her uncle for dear life, Sam telling her she'll be okay, and Cas, listening to all of what his daughter's saying she's worried about and scared of, things she never mentioned to him or Dean.
Granted, Dean has done some regrettable things since everything started happening with Leah this year that's gone by, and he's newly traumatized her for life, but he's always been there for her, and they're always gonna be there for her, both of them, no matter the rocky relationship they're experiencing or the pain that makes Leah keep them at a distance so as to not get hurt any more than she has to.
The floorboards creak under Cas' feet and Leah instantly pulls out of Sam's arms when she jumps, half expecting to see Dean, or Michael. But it's her dad, her beloved father, who lights up at the sight of her.
"I haven't seen you smile for ages, Leah," Cas smiles warmly and reaches both his arms out for her as Sam looks on, smiling, thankful for not having to deal with the situation, unsure what he'd do next if Leah acted out.
"John is downstairs, if any of you wanna say hi," Cas mumbles into his daughter's hair and looks at Sam. Sam takes the hint, nods and descends down the stairs to talk to his newly resurrected father.
"Leah, why didn't you tell me what your life was like before you got to Dean and me?" Cas asks quietly when he's sure Sam or John can't hear. She tries to pull out of his arms but he holds on, firmly but lovingly.
"I didn't even remember until John showed up, which was only a few days ago. And you know what it's been like," she whispers. "Everything with dad and stuff, some things I just wanna keep to myself."
"You wanna keep it to yourself, but you told Sam?"
Leah breathes out and pulls out of her dad's arms, and, not being able to face him, she turns her gaze downwards. "Yeah, because I knew he wouldn't overreact. I didn't really know if I wanted you and dad to know because I was scared of your reaction."
"Leah, you don't ever need to be scared of my reaction. I'll never do anything to hurt you," he says, taking a step towards his daughter, but she starts backing off, and he stops. "And neither would Dean. I know it's rough but he loves you, and he's going through so much bad right now when you won't talk to him or let him be in the room with you, even with me, Sam or John present. He's desperate, honey."
"He could have thought of that before he tried to kill his own dad in my hospital room. What if I could be next?" she asks, tears starting to fall down her face. Cas stares at her in worry. "Leah, no. Dean would never hurt you. He just didn't mean to, he didn't mean for this to happen. Please, can we just go sit down? It's not good for you to strain yourself, especially not after this last week you've been in the hospital."
"I don't care. I don't wanna talk, I just wanna sleep."
Leah gazes downwards and brushes past Cas, who stands back and sighs as the door to the guest bedroom is slammed shut. He realizes it's not the time yet for her to open up to him, so he gives in and walks downstairs to meet Sam and John sitting on the couch.
"How did it go?" Sam asks. Cas just shakes his head.
"Do you want me to give it a try?" John asks as he looks up at his son-in-law. "I mean, she never told me much but because I don't know her that well, maybe she'll talk to me."
Cas sighs again. "You could give it a try."
"It's not like the situation can get any worse," Sam pitches in, and Cas shoots him a dark look. "Don't say that. Never say that. You know you're just gonna jinx it."