“I don’t know it wasn’t so bad.” Lisa sat on Bobby’s stairs holding Dean’s hand. “I guess I just wanted someone for Ben to look up to. You know have a father figure.”

Dean looked at her in disbelief. The past year had been hell for him. Once he saw Sam in his garage Dean thought he was finally out. He had his brother back. He could be the hunter again, and then came the Djinn. He was trapped. The monsters knew where he lived. They knew about Lisa and Ben. He was never going to get out of this hell.

“Wow, that’s amazing.” The shadowed figure stood in the door way. “This is what you left me for. Rather unimpressive don’t you think?”

“Cassie?” Dean and Lisa stood up. He looked her up and down. God he missed her.

She was thinner than her remembered, more athletic. Her hair was straight and hung down her back. She wore dark sunglasses in the morning light. She was dressed differently too. Instead of her customary jeans and worn leather jacket. She wore black leather pants, with a red tank top, and high heeled boots. The leather jacket she wore was new and expensive. She wasn’t the woman he knew.

“So I called. Bobby, he said he had no idea where you were. Then I ran into Sam. He hadn’t seen you either. Which I thought was strange considering you were always joined at the hip. Hell, when you were fucking the shit out of me, he was on my couch beating it off.” She stepped into the house as Bobby and Sam came out of the kitchen. “Wow, look, it’s liar boy and his mascot.”

“Cassie…” Dean warned.

“So, I hired another hunter to track you down.” She threw him a folder. Notes and pictures fell out. “I was surprised considering you and Sam knew I was pregnant before he made the deal with the devil.”

Lisa looked shocked.

“Yes, your super hero abandoned his girl friend of two years because his brother didn’t think she was good enough.”

“I never thought that.” Sam defended.

“Really?” Cassie turned to him. “Then why would you make him promise to leave me?”

“He fantasized about Lisa.” Sam said.

“I fantasize about Jensen Ackles. That doesn’t mean I want to be married to him.” She screamed. Cassie took a breath. “That’s not why I’m here. Anthony felt since he found you, you should know your child’s safe.”

“Is it a boy or a girl?” Dean asked looking slightly ashamed.

“Here, Anthony put it together for you. I think he has a man crush on the great Dean Winchester.” She threw a disk down at his feet. “I was looking for a father figure for my child too. You know, her real father.” She slammed the door as she walked out.

Bobby picked up the disk and passed it to Sam. Shaking Dean nodded. Sam slipped the disk into the Lap top. It cued up before playing. Cassie was pushing. Sweat beaded on her forehead.

“You can do it Cassie.” The man behind the camera coached. They recognized the voice as that of Anthony Harvey’s. Dean always thought he was a brilliant hunter. Suddenly there was a scream and a muffled cry. The camera panned to the crying child. “Oh, my God. It’s a girl.”

Anthony followed the nurse who carried her.

The pale baby squirmed and squealed. Her blonde hair was tinted with blood.

“She’s beautiful.” Lisa muttered looking from the screen to Dean.

Suddenly the picture cut to Cassie lying in a hospital bed sleeping with the baby in a bassinet next to her.

“Well, Winchester, I never knew revenge could be so sweet.” The camera panned to Anthony. His eyes glowed.

“Laser eyes.” He mumbled. Panic rolled over him.

“Yes, Dean I’m a shape shifter. As a matter of fact you killed both of my brother’s a few years ago. Thank goodness for Anthony and his little slip up. He almost got me.” He panned back to Cassie. “Don’t worry, she can’t hear us. I gave her a little something.”

He focused on the little girl.

“I tried to get Cassie to name her Deanna or Deana, but you know how stubborn she can be. She named her Aaliyah. Wow, she sure does look like you. It’s going to be so much fun when I rip her apart, just like I did her grandmother.”

Pictures of a mutilated Aubrey appeared on the screen.

“Boy that was fun. She screamed and begged for her life. I laughed for hours.” Once again the camera was trained on Cassie. “She was broken up when you left her. When I told her it was to be a husband and a father to another woman and her child, well, she was ripe for the picking. I convinced her to search for you. For closure, you know, I’m a supportive friend. Keep an eye on the mail in suburbia; I know you’ll want to be updated often. Of course we’re going to move soon. Can’t have you chasing after us. Remember, Winchester, this is your fault. You left her alone. You abandoned your family. Just like your daddy. I wonder if I can fuck her before I kill her. What do you think? Is she as desperate as that whore your with? You know I considered taking her and the kid, but I think you deserve the trash.”

They watched more than two hours of the shifters taunting before the camera went black. Sometimes he appeared as himself others he was her mom or Sandy her best friend.

Dean sat trembling. He had killed his child. She would be four months old by now and because of him she was going to die.

“Stay here with Bobby.” He told Lisa as he stood up on shaking legs.

“We don’t know where they are. It’s been two hours; she could be on a plane.” Lisa reasoned.

“Or dead.” Crowley stood in the kitchen.

“Why are you here?” Bobby grunted.

“Oh well, the underworld is abuzz with this one’s stupidity. I lost twelve souls betting that you would do the right thing. So disappointing Dean.” He shook his head.

“Get out.” Sam growled.

“Did you know that infant’s who die violent deaths don’t rest? They cry for centuries on end and you just can’t salt and burn their bones. One day I’ll teach you the spell. It’s maddening.”

“Get out before I gank you.” Dean grunted. Crowley smiled and disappeared, a slip of paper fluttered to the ground. Sam picked it up.

“1225 Hoboken Clinton, Missouri. Dean?”

“We’ll fly.” He shot up from the couch. “Stay with Bobby.”

“Dean,” Lisa stood on the porch. “It’s not your fault.”

“Yes it is.” He slid into Sam’s Charger.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was an hours’ drive from the airport to her place. They rushed from their rental car into the house. Cassie had left the door open. She was fallen asleep on the couch watching television.

 The baby lay wiggling in her crib. Dean picked her up. She still had his blonde hair and cleft chin. Her eyes were blue like her grandmother. He stood in the living room while Sam searched the house.

Cassie looked exhausted. Her hair was tangled like it was after they had made love.

“Cassie?” He gently touched her shoulder. She shot up on the couch.

“What the hell are you doing in my house?” She snatched her baby and held her protectively to her chest.

“Anthony is a shape shifter.” He told her softly. She just stared at him. “Look, hate me if you want, but he is going to kill you and Aaliyah.”

“You’re lying.” She whispered

“How did I know her name? How did I find out where you lived? We killed his family.”

“So now he wants retribution.” She sank into the couch. “You never stop hurting us.”

“It’s clear, but we need to get them out of here.” Sam came rushing back into the room.

“I’m not going anywhere with you.”

Sam grunted and rushed back out to the truck. He came back with the DVD. He quickly fast forwarded it showing her the scenes where the shape shifter had killed her mother and best friend.

“Cassie I know this is hard, but if we stay here we’ll die. Your baby will die.” Sam said.

She considered it. Without a word she climbed the stairs. Sam and Dean waited. She came back 30 minutes later with the baby tucked into her carrier.

“I need everything in the hall.” Dean nodded to Sam. “I’m taking my truck.”

“Fine. I’m driving. We can drop off Sam’s rental.” He took the keys from her. Sam brought down two large suit cases, a portable crib, and a case of diapers. “Is this everything?”

She nodded. They loaded up the truck. Cassie sat in back resting with her daughter. His daughter. Dean hadn’t given Cassie or the baby a second thought after Sam went to hell. He just wanted his brother back.

He wanted to know his daughter. Was she a happy baby? Did she sleep through the night? He wanted the things he could never have. It was over. She was never going to let him see Aaliyah. She had that fuck you look in her eye.

Not that he blamed her. He had done what he hated his father for doing. He abandoned his kid.

Sam got into the truck and they headed to Bobby’s. It was going to take at least a day. He and Sam took turns driving. Dean tried not to look when Cassie breastfed the baby. After six hours in the truck she demanded they stop for a meal that wasn’t fast food. They pulled into a diner that looked decent.

“Hey what can I get ya’ll to drink?” Their waitress asked. She looked bored until Cassie took the baby out of her carrier. “Oh my, what a beautiful baby! Sara look!”

Another waitress rushed over. The women gushed over the smiling child.

“How old is she?” Cassie answered their questions like a proud parent. Dean sat in the corner of the booth ashamed that he would never feel the pride she was feeling for their child. “Are you breast feeding?”

It went on for several minutes until the women remembered they were at work. Cassie ordered and slyly requested a separate ticket from the men. The waitress threw them a glare at her tone. Whatever was wrong had to be their fault.

“Cassie I can pay for your dinner. I’m not that broke.” Dean said quietly.

“You already gave me the only thing I’ll ever want from you. I can pay our way.” She huffed. She turned her attention to the squirming baby. The rising sun formed a halo around her blonde hair.

She took the baby and the diaper bag to the restroom.

“This is going to be a long trip.” Sam said after a while.

“Not as long as this meal.” Dean gestured to Cassie and the waitress speaking outside the restroom. The woman, her name tag said Tammy, glared at them when she pulled Cassie to her. Cassie nodded at something she said and returned to the table. Dean noticed she had been crying.

“Are you alright?” He asked genuinely concerned.

“I hope you don’t mind but I cut your steak up for you. Seeing as you have the baby and no help.”  Tammy interrupted him.

“Thank you.” Tammy slammed the other dishes down on the table and walked away.

“Nothing like a little female solidarity.” Sam snarked.

“Well, I think there’s that Winchester fuck anyone that doesn’t fit into Sam’s idea of family.” Cassie snarked back.

“I thought he loved Lisa.” He whispered.

“As opposed to his pregnant girlfriend of two years?” She screamed. The diner became quiet. “You really think a lot of yourself don’t you?”

“Cassie…” Dean started.

“Tammy, can I get another table. I don’t think I can stand the stench from this one.” Tammy hurried over and moved her to the other side of the restaurant.

“Great now the whole damned place is giving us dirty looks.” Dean pushed his plate away.

“What now?” Sam asked when Tammy came over to their table several minutes later with carry out trays in her hand.

“Cassie is ready to go.” She slammed them down on the table.

“So we’re going to be punished for how long?” Sam snarked.

Dean watched as Cassie hugged the waitresses and tearfully accepted an envelope. They followed her out to the truck. Dean floored it out of the parking lot. Cassie had put them through that crap to run a con.

“How much did you get?” He grunted.

“520.00.” She smiled as she fiddled with the knobs above her head.

Hey ladies when your man going to get buck wild.

She sang along with the lyrics. Dean accelerated.

“Cassie,” He waited until she was looking at him. “Can we listen to something else?”

She turned the music up in response.  She played every heart break song she had until they reached Bobby’s. Dean practically ran from the car.

Lisa came rushing from the house and hugged him. Bobby came up behind them.

“Cassie, look…” He started.

“I’m only here until you catch this thing. After that I never want to see you people again.” Her tone was cold.

“I gave you the room at the top of the stairs.” She brushed past them with the baby. Dean, Sam, and Bobby unloaded her things.

After an hour of tracking the creature they came up with nothing.

Lisa stayed by Dean’s side hugging him whenever she could.

“I need to go to a store.” Cassie said flatly.

“That’s a good idea. I need to do some shopping too.” Lisa said too brightly.

“You’re not getting in my truck.” Cassie told her flatly.

“We can take mine.” Sam volunteered.

“You don’t get it. I’m not riding in anything with her. Ever.” Cassie snatched her keys away from Dean. “Stay the hell away from me and my baby.”

She turned and carried the Aaliyah from the house. Sam followed her. He closed the door of the truck just as she sped out of the lot.

“I’m sorry.” Dean said hugging Lisa.

“I’ll keep trying. She’s angry. I can get her to understand. I won’t let her keep your daughter away from you.” She vowed. “We have something incredible. Once she sees that she’ll give in. You’ll see.”

Cassie and Sam returned less than an hour later. She took most of her groceries to her room. The rest she wrote her name on.

“Cassie this is a little childish.” Dean said angrily. He and Ben had been playing cards at the table.

“Is it as childish as leaving your pregnant girlfriend to have a family with a virtual stranger?” Dean went silent. “I thought so.”

She went back to her room. Sam had carried up the 30 inch flat screen television she had bought. She unpacked a converter box. After hooking it up she settled in to watch her favorite show.

Sam knocked at the door and peeked in.

“I wanted to see if you needed anything?”

“I need for you to find that thing so I can get the hell out of here and away from you bastards.” She snarled.

“Cassie…” She held up her hand.

“I don’t care. You were wrong. You Winchesters’ think you have the monopoly on grief. Because of your selfishness, I’m raising a baby alone. My mother and best friend are dead, but hey that’s not important as long as Dean has his fantasy.” She shut the door in his face. “Stay away from us Sam. That’s what you wanted isn’t it?” 

She sat on the bed careful not to wake the sleeping baby. The past few weeks had been hell. She had never thought her search for Dean would end with him choosing another woman and her child over his own baby. He had changed so much. Still, she missed his touch and whispered words of adoration. God, now she hated the sight of him. She couldn’t stand him. His betrayal had cost her nearly everything. She wasn’t going to share her daughter with him and his whore. Her only victory was when Anthony told her that Lisa had a hysterectomy after she had Ben. They couldn’t have children of their own.

She smirked. Her mother would say it was wrong for her to relish in someone else’s pain but she was gleeful of theirs.

Her daughter rolled over and smiled in her sleep. She had her baby girl that was enough for her.