Born in Blood

Chapter Two

Deans POV

I paced the hotel room, ignoring Sam's bemused looks as he watched me.  He sat at the table, doing research on the laptop. 
"Calm down, Dean."

I ignored him.  Dusk was approaching and the twilight hours were prime hunting times for the vamps.  It hadn't taken us long to figure out that's what was doing all the killing here in this little town...we just needed to find the nest. 

I sighed, exasperated, and plopped down on the dusty old bed.  I took my beer from the night stand and took a long swig, letting the alcohol sit in my mouth a moment and enjoying the slight burnt before swallowing.  This was insane.  This wasn't how I imagined this hunt was going to go. 
Then, as if Sam could read my thoughts, he looked to me, as if annoyed. 

"It was only a matter of time before we found one.  I can't believe you're surprised about this." He said, referring to my new found daughter.   I groaned at the thought of her. 

"I never wanted to be a dad, Sam.  I'm not cut out for the parental lifestyle."
Sam shrugged.  He didn't seem fazed by today's events.  All I had wanted was to check up on an old friend.  I hadn't expected that doing so was going to throw me into hot oil. 

"Nobody has said that you have to claim her.  I'm sure Hannah would be happy." Sam said, turning his attention back to laptop. 
Despite the fact that I had never wanted to be a parent, the thought of abandoning Leah made my chest hurt.  I couldn't do that.

"That's a dick move, Sam. I can't do that." I replied, resting my head in my palms.  My head was killing me.  Today's stress was piling up and I just needed a couple hours of sleep.  I had a feeling I wouldn't get any, though. 
I groaned, slamming my first down into the night stand, startling Sam.

"I can't believe this! Thirteen years, Sam! Thirteen years she's known Leah was mine and never had the decency to call me! She had my number!" I exclaimed, jumping up from the bed.  I started pacing again. I was going to wear down a trail in this ugly, old, orange, shag carpet. 

"And what would you have done, Dean? Hannah is right.  Our lives aren't fit for a kid.  Never have been." Sam retorted.  He leaned forward, resting his arms against his knees as he finally gave me his full attention.  I knew he had a point.  Hannah had a point.  Our lives were dangerous, and I would never want to purposely subject a kid to a life on the road like we had to lead as kids.  I sighed. 

"I don't know.  She's only about 6 hours away from Bobby's. I could have come and visited sometimes.  We could have left her in the dark about the supernatural."  I pondered, thinking about what could have been if I had known about Leah from the start. 

"Would that have been smart, though? Think about it.  The minute one of the things we hunt figured out she was your daughter...they would target her."

Sam had a point.  Monsters weren't known for empathy.  If any of them knew that Leah was my daughter she'd be done for.  I knew that all too well.

"Maybe Cas can do some time of memory magic on her? I think it'd be the best option." Sam pointed out. 
I thought about it, briefly.  He was right,  even though I didn't want to admit it.  Erasing her memories of me would be the best bet to keeping her safe and undoing all of the drama that had unraveled today.  I could still keep an eye on her, from a distance.  I just needed to talk to Hannah and get her opinion on it. 
I was about to pick up my cell and call her, when it suddenly started ringing.

'Speak of the devil.' I thought to myself as I saw Hannah's name light up the screen.  I clicked the button, quickly answering, but was bombarded with unintelligible sobbing.
"Hannah? What's going on?" I asked, the worry already taking roost in my throat.  At the mention of Hannah, Sam perked up, alert to the sudden tension in the room. 
I still couldn't understand a thing she was saying.  Every word was choked off by a violent sob or mumbled underneath tears. 

"Hannah! I need you to speak clearly! Get ahold of yourself!" I yelled into the phone, perhaps a little coarser than I had intended.  After a moment of silence, Hannah seemed to have finally gained control of her emotions.

"Leah still hasn't come home!" She exclaimed.  I felt my blood run cold as I shot my attention to the darkness outside.  Nighttime was finally here and Hannah knew as well as I did of the creatures that lurked in the shadows. I gritted my teeth.  This wasn't good. 

"I'll find her." I promised.  I flipped my phone shut, shoving it into my pocket. 

"What's happened?" Sam asked, already getting up and putting on his flannel without even knowing all the details yet. 

"Leah hasn't made it home yet.  I'm going out to look for her." I replied, heading towards the door.  Sam was right behind me.

"I'll help."

I went to the impala and opened the secret arsenal we kept in the trunk to grab a few essentials...just in case.  Then, my brother and I, headed into the woods.