Weathering The Storm

Banner By: Eva
Title: Weathering The Storm
Rating: R
Author: Sxymami0909
Fandom: Supernatural
Pairing: Dean/Jo implied Gen
Word Count: 2,000
Prompt: from Fandom_Friday’s “I am my father's daughter(/son). I am not afraid of anything”

Cassandra Winchester stood quietly on the steps in her grandfather’s house, her mother’s shotgun clasped tightly in her hands as she waited and listened to her family arguing in the living room. The atmosphere was overwrought with tension as her Uncle Sam’s voice carried into the hall.



“What the hell are we supposed to do Ellen? He’s in no shape to go back out there and they’re closing in on us fast.”

She stepped down so she could peer into the room without being seen. Her Uncle paced, her Aunt Madison touching his arm lightly to calm him. Their faces were drawn and solemn, either too much emotion in their eyes, or none at all. Bobby shifted his stance clearing his throat as he glanced at Sam.

“We got some time. The sigils placed around the house should hold ‘em off a while longer; buy us some time.”

Cassandra closed her eyes and fought the tears that were threatening to fall. Things weren’t supposed to go down like this. Her life had been fairly normal, or at least as normal as it could be with a family full of hunters, up until a month ago.

Some douche bag wanna be devil worshiper managed to tear open the Devil’s Gate, bring hell on earth only this time her Dad and Uncle hadn’t been there to stop it. Since then it’s quite literally been like an all you can eat buffet for demons.

At first they’d been fairly successful mobilizing hunters and making Grandpa Bobby’s house their base of operation. They had six hunters and two Angels on their side. They’d thought it would be enough; they’d fought off an apocalypse with less. For a while they even had the upper hand that was until last night.

Her parents, Uncles, and Anna had been out on a raid; and the moment they’d come back, walking through the door she knew something was wrong. Her Uncles were dragging her father into the house as he screamed at the top of his lungs for her mother.

Her father had looked like a rabid beast, hands jerking erratically as he punched and kicked at her Uncles, slamming his fist into Sam’s face before attempting to propel himself back out the door. She’d panicked running to the door calling out to him only to be stopped by Anna.

He was covered in blood, but somehow she knew it wasn’t his. He threatened them, said he’d shoot them all if they didn’t let him go back, Castiel’s hand stretching out, pressing against his head and his body jerked before going limp.

Cassandra screamed as Sam dragged Dean upstairs. Her Uncle Castiel had told her they’d been ambushed by more than thirty demons. There were too many and she was unclear about the actual series of events because no one would disclose the details, but what she did know was her mother didn’t make it through the fight.

A lone tear slid down her cheek and she swiped at it angrily. She clenched her jaw pulling herself together. She needed to cut the sappy bullshit out and man up. She wasn’t a baby anymore. She was sixteen years old and it was time she started acting like it.

Crying wouldn’t bring her mother back, nothing would, but killing the evil son of a bitch that took her life would make her feel better. As the voices in the other room grew louder she took a deep breath making her way down the rest of the stairs into the living room.

Castiel’s brow creased as he watched Sam argue with Bobby and Ellen. This was not the correct way to go about things. This unit of warriors had been led by the strongest amongst them and now that their leader was broken the rest were starting to crumble around him.

Joanna had been a fierce and loyal warrior. She sacrificed her life for her husband last night in hopes that he would protect her family. He did not understand how Joanna could not have seen that she was his reason to fight.

By keeping him alive she’d taken his heart and a soldier with no heart might as well be an enemy. He heard the floorboards creak and his eyes shot up to the doorway spotting Cassandra standing tall, shot gun in hand. He straightened, meeting her pain filled eyes.

He swallowed hard, eyes that so much resembled her father’s. He spoke over the fighting and everyone turned.

“Good evening Cassandra.”

She cleared her throat, nodded her head in his direction, lips pulled into a tight line.

“Uncle Cas.”

Castiel watched as her eyes grazed over the room before stopping on Sam.

“Where’s my dad?”

Sam studied his niece, body ridged, brows furrowed, determination on her face. In that moment she looked more like his brother than she ever had and his heart ached for her. That’s a look he knew Dean never wanted to see on his daughter’s face.

She held the gun to her side, not outwardly threatening, but he knew better. Dean and Jo had taught their daughter well. They might have wanted a normal life for her, but they weren’t naïve.

“He’s resting upstairs.”

Cassandra gave him a curt nod before turning on her heels to head back toward the steps only to be stopped by her Aunt and Anna. She glared and attempted to walk around them, but her Aunt reached out placing a hand on her arm stopping her movements.

“Cassie, sweetie we don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go up there right now. Your dad’s not himself, maybe you should just give it a little time.”

It was the wrong thing to say and Madison knew it the minute the words were out of her mouth. Her nieces eyes turned into slits, knuckles whitening as her grip on the shot gun tightened. There was an edge to her voice that none of them had ever heard from her before.

“All due respect Aunt Madison, I didn’t ask you if you thought it was a good idea. I don’t need your permission to see my father.”

Ellen locked eyes with Bobby and he shook his head. It wasn’t their place to intervene and Ellen knew that, but she couldn’t help wanting to fix this for her granddaughter. Her heart ached with the loss of her daughter. She couldn’t imagine what Cassandra was going through.

Anna stepped toward Cassandra, Castiel moving forward to intercede. His hand closed around her wrist before she could reach out to the teenager. He knew better after all she was her father’s daughter and right now she did not need the comfort that they all sought to give her.

The room erupted in yelling as Cassandra attempted to push through the three people in front of her. Sam moved quickly toward Castiel, Anna and his wife, hand gripping onto his nieces arm pulling her back. A voice booming through the room had everyone freezing and glancing toward the stairs.

“Get your hands off my daughter Sammy, don’t make me ask you twice.”

Sam glanced at the look in his brother’s eyes and slowly moved his hand before taking a step back. Everyone moved aside leaving Cassandra in the middle of the room, while Dean made his way down the stairs.

Dean raised an eyebrow at his shot gun clad daughter as he shook his head.

“Not a chance in hell princess.”

She glared at her father, everyone in the room watching their interaction.

“I won’t just sit on my ass and watch the rest of my family die. I can fight.”

Dean’s jaw clenched as his sixteen year old daughter stood in front of him, ready to follow him into battle and his heart clenched. He hadn’t wanted this for her. He did everything he could to give her a normal life, not drag her into this mess.

He’d failed. She was wearing jeans, Jo’s old ACDC t-shirt and one of those small jacket things. Her dirty blonde hair falling below her shoulders and as he stared at her his eyes reddened. She was the spitting image of Jo. His breath hitched as he cleared his throat and wiped his eyes before the tears could fall.

“God…you look just like your mother.”

Cassandra’s eyes watered, but she held it together.

“And damn proud of it.”

Dean chuckled lightly, but it turned into a low sob. He turned away composing himself before looking back at her.

“This isn’t a game Cassie…we don’t go out there, fight and live happily ever after. I won’t lose anyone else to this god damned war. We didn’t open that gate, this isn’t our fight.”

Cassandra looked at her father shock covering her face. Sam opened his mouth but before he could say anything Cassandra spoke up.

“Not our fight? Are you out of your mind Dad? They killed mom! They killed her!”

His daughter screamed as she pointed to the window and Dean nodded.

“I know…and I won’t let them have you too.”

He turned to leave the room and the anger rose in Cassandra. Her father was the bravest man she’d ever known and she wouldn’t let it end like this. She wouldn’t let him throw in the towel, not yet.

“You’re a coward Dad!”

He turned slowly a dangerous look on his face, but she ignored it.

“This is our fight. This is who we are…and I won’t let you forget that because if Mom was here she’d tell you the same thing. She’d say get your head out of your ass and focus. We need you…Daddy I need you. I can’t do this alone. Help me…”

Her voice quavered as she pleaded with her father. Tears streaming down Madison and Ellen’s faces, Sam attempting to keep his emotions in check, anguish filling the Angel’s eyes. Dean watched his daughter full of grief as her tears flowed freely now.

“I need you to be the man that mom was always saying you were…the hero…You’ve never let me down Dad…please don’t start now.”

The room was silent, all eyes on him as his jaw ticked. His eyes settled on Ellen.

“Ellen, can you get the ammo from the basement and bring it up here?”

She nodded and left the room quickly. His head turned toward Sam.

“Sammy you and Madison make sure all the guns are locked and loaded. Cas, Anna make with the Angel mojo. We need to get moving we don’t have much time. Bobby can you come up with a contingency plan? Something that will get us out of dodge if this thing goes south?”

He nodded.

“I’m on it.”

They walked out of the room each going about their tasks as Dean finally looked at his daughter. She gave him a lopsided smile as he walked over toward her pulling her into a hug. She buried her head in his shoulder and held on tightly.

He rubbed her back gently and kissed the top of her head. They pulled back and Dean shook his head.

“You really know how to pull out the big guns don’t ya?”

She chuckled and he smiled.

“Thanks for not givin up on your old man.”

“Thanks for being worth believing in.”

She loaded and cocked her gun, testing it out in her hands as Dean sent a warm smile her way. She glanced at him and raised an eyebrow.

“What?”

“When did my sixteen year old daughter become such a badass ready to run into battle?”

She shrugged, as she looked at him, smirk on her face, sadness in her eyes.

“I’m my father’s daughter. I’m not afraid of anything.”

His heart swelled with pride. Jo was gone, but if she could see their daughter right now, she’d be in awe. They raised an amazing kid, and as long as they stuck together they could beat those son’s a bitches, cause Winchesters don’t give up; they weathered the storm.