Chapter Text
Dean had refused to leave the room, not even moving an inch when Bobby grabbed him by the arm. Tali had soflty growled at Rumsfeld, a warning not to push it further. It was enough of a message for Bobby who had expected no different from the overprotective older brother. So he had let them be, for now.
For a while Dean had simply stood there, staring at his kid brother's daemon hissing uneasily at them while Sam just lay there, unmoving. Eventually fatigue won out and he sat down on a small stool, Tali at his side.
It hurt so bad to see Sina like this. Dean felt like crying but he refused to allow the tears to fall. He couldn't be weak, not now, not while Sammy needed him. Besides, he didn't have a right to cry. This was on him and he would carry this as he did everything else. For Sam.
His brothers' condition had not changed. He was still out of it, even with his daemon reformed. It worried Dean almost as much as Sina's appearance did.
"Do you think something went wrong?" Tali asked. Dean couldn't answer his daemon. He had no idea if Death had done as he had promised or if they'd been played for fools. This was not something done before. Perhaps Death overestimated the odds of saving Sam.
Two hours had passed since Sina was restored to her true form. All that time she had refused to move away from behind the cot, always watching Dean and Tali with a predators' focus. Dean had no intention of leaving this room until he had a sure sign that Sam would be alright and no one could convince him otherwise.
Tali ended up lightly dozing at his feet, the exhaustion they both felt manifesting through her since Dean refused to give in to it. Vague flashes of memory echoed through their connection as Tali dreamed of Sina's name-day.
"Dad, do you have to go?"
"You know I do, Dean."
"But-"
"No buts! Stay inside and watch your brother. Keep the door locked at all times." His dad put his hand on his head in a rare paternal act, but it was over too quickly for Dean's liking. "I'll be back soon."
Dean locked the door behind his dad with a heavy heart before turning to his squirming baby brother on the bed, cushioned on all sides by pillows so he couldn't roll off. "Sorry, Sammy. Maybe when he comes back."
Tali jumped on the bed, careful not to disturb Sammy and looked curiously at the little insect pod on his tiny arm. There was a lot of movement inside. "You know he won't make it on time. It's happening tomorrow." She countered.
Dean sighed as the truth of her words. "I know." The disappointment was clear in his voice. Sammy squirmed uneasily on the bed, prompting Dean to gently hush him. "Shh, Sammy. It's okay. I'm here. I'll never leave you."
As feared, their dad missed Sammy's daemon hatching the next day when he turned exactly one year old. A blue-colored ladybug crawled across Sammy's arm causing him to giggle. Tali barked in excitement before shifting into a dragonfly to better look at the tiny daemon. Despite their dad having missed it, Dean felt happy in that moment.
When his dad returned two days later, Dean barely got him to notice as he urged Dean to pack up. For a brief moment his dad was still, actually watching Sammy and being a part of their world before it shattered in a whirlwind of packing and getting back on the road.
When a daemon hatched at one year of age, it was tradition for the child's parents to name the daemon. After three weeks of his dad ignoring that responsibility and barely achknowledging Sam or his daemon, Dean finally had enough. They'd been dropped off at Bobby's, a gruff hunter whom Dean had grown to like a lot, especially since he was good to Sammy and genuinely seemed to care about both him and Dean.
At breakfast one morning, Dean looked at Sammy being held by Bobby and his little ladybug hovering above rumsfeld and he made up his mind right then and there.
"Sina." He announced to the room. Bobby turned to him with his brows furrowed as if trying to figure out what Dean was trying to say. "Her name will be Sina." Dean said looking pointedly at the little ladybug daemon.
Understanding replaced the confusion in Bobby's eyes. He didn't argue with Dean or tried to dissuade him from naming Sam's daemon. He simply accepted it, agreed to it even. "That's a good name for her."
From that moment on, they spoke of Sammy and Sina and if their dad was opposed to it, he never showed it.
Dean dragged his hand across his face, trying to control his emotions and keep himself from being lulled into slumber. Tali finally stirred making it infinitely easier to accomplish just that. Not a word was said as she resumed her place at his side and continued staring back at the hostile leopard daemon across the room.
Sina had finally moved away from her hiding spot, chosing to instead pace around the back wall growling her discontent before stalking her way back to the cot. She kept repeating this routine, occasionally clawing at the wall. She never touched Sam or looked at him. She just remained close to him, the tether between daemon and human seeming the only thing still normal about her.
Tali had called out to her once and had been completely ignored. Either Sina was intentionally giving them the cold-shoulder or she was too traumatized to be aware of them beyond their physical presence.
Dean feared the odds stacked towards the second option.
His silent brooding as Bobby would call it, was interrupted by a loud gasp from Sam as he finally woke up. Dean jumped forwards towards Sam, nearly tripping over the stool in his haste, when Sina collided with Tali. The short tussle took the breath right out of Dean until Tali stood by his side once more, breathing rapidly from the sudden attack. Dean curled his fingers in her silver fur before taking stock of the room.
Sina stood crouched before the cot, teeth bared, saliva dripping to the floor and a feral look in her eyes. Dean heard Bobby's hurried footsteps on the stairs, but everything was drowned out by one voice.
"Dean? What's going on?"
to be continued...