Chapter Text
August 1999
The summer heat seemed like it was never going to diminish. Daisy was growing frustrated with being in Sioux Falls visiting her mother’s sister, Jody. Aunt Jody was fun to be around, but Daisy hardly knew anyone in Sioux Falls and Owen was still a baby, only a few months old. Daisy had taken to riding a bike around, usually ending up at Singer Salvage. Mr. Singer didn’t like having her around at first, but he’d recognized the name from a hunt John Winchester had been on a few years prior. Daisy could often be found sitting in the shade with Rumsfeld, the pup Bobby had adopted.
Daisy was perched on one of the junk cars in the shade reading when she heard the rumble of a car. Bobby had given her a book about djinn to read after Daisy wouldn’t stop pestering him about learning about the supernatural. She’d figured out quickly that he was the Bobby that Sam used to tell her about. After that, Daisy had started hanging around more, learning more about the supernatural than she ever thought was possible. When she saw what car it was, she almost dropped the book. Sam and Dean got out of the Impala, while John pulled up behind in a pickup truck.
“Sam? Dean?” she said, hopping off the car. They were shocked to see her.
“Daisy? What are you doing here?” Sam asked as Daisy walked toward him.
“We’re visiting my aunt and uncle…well mom is…I’ve been hanging around here,” she said.
“The idjit refuses to leave is what it is,” Bobby said.
“And you’re reading about…djinn?” Sam asked looking at the book Daisy was holding. She shrugged.
“Summer reading?” she replied. Sam laughed. It seemed like it had been a lot longer than three years since he’d last seen her. Daisy had changed a lot in those three years. She was no longer the wide-eyed eleven year old Sam had known. She still had that spark he’d seen in her, even knowing what she knew.
“So you’ve been reading up on things?” Dean asked her. Daisy shrugged.
“A little bit here and there,” Daisy said.
“You’re not hunting, are you?” he asked. Daisy was quiet for a moment. Dean gave her a harsh look.
“I’ll repeat myself. You are not hunting, right Daisy?” he said, his voice harsher than before. Daisy stood up straight and looked him in the eye.
“It was nothing I can’t handle,” she said. Dean let out a frustrated sigh.
“Daisy, you are fourteen years old. You have no business hunting,” he said. John and Bobby just stood back, watching the scene unfold.
“Sam was thirteen when you guys came through town. And don’t you tell me he’d never been on a hunt, Dean Winchester,” Daisy snapped.
“That’s different. He wasn’t alone,” Dean said. Daisy stared him down. There was always something unnerving about Daisy when she was focused on something, or in this case, pissed off at Dean about something. Even when she was elven it was something that Dean knew he wanted to steer clear of.
“If it makes you feel any better, I wasn’t alone…Bobby was with me,” Daisy said.
“Don’t you go dragging me into this, ya idjit,” Bobby said to her.
“You let her hunt? Bobby what the hell are you thinking?” Dean yelled. Bobby looked at him.
“I was thinking it was her case and the idjit wouldn’t leave me alone about letting her help. Kid’s a good shot, I’ll give her that,” he said. To say Dean was pissed off would be an understatement.
“Does your mom know you were hunting?” he asked Daisy. Daisy shrugged.
“My mom doesn’t care. She doesn’t do much these days…not since then. We lived in Palo Alto for a while…now we’re here…visiting…but I’m not so sure we’ll being going back…or I’ll be going back anyway,” Daisy said, looking down. The trio had started walking deeper into the yard, distancing themselves from the two men in order to catch up with one another.
“What do you mean she doesn’t care, Dais? What’s been going on with you since we left?” Sam asked her.
“She gave up. I’m the only kid she has left. Most of the time, it’s one of my aunt’s looking out for me. Her brother is the one that lives out in California, the one we’ve been living with. And now were visiting her sister. I heard my aunt talking a couple nights ago…they want to send my mom away,” Daisy said. Tears threatened to fall.
“Send her away?” Dean asked. Daisy nodded.
“Psychiatric hospital. She needs help. But I don’t think this is something they can fix…she’s all I have left,” Daisy cried. Sam hugged her, resting his head on the top of her head.
“No, Daisy, she’s not all you have left. You’ve got us. I promise. You’ve got us,” Sam said. The three sat outside until the sun began to dip over the horizon and Bobby called them in to eat.