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Dean opened the door to the little motel room he and Sam were staying in. Both of them needed patching up, and then a good long night's sleep.
When Dean looked up into the room, a man was standing near the window.
“Hey,” Dean shouted as Sam closed the door behind them. Sam flicked the light switch the same time the man turned around.
“Dad?”
His beard looked scruffier than last time Dean saw him, but he was smiling. His clothes looked clean, and there weren't any visible injuries on him.
As he and Dad hugged, Dean did his best to not melt into the embrace like he did when he was little. Still, Dad’s hand cradled the back of his head. As always, Dad patted his back twice before letting go to turn to Sam. Sam hovered over Dean’s shoulder. His mouth opened and closed a few times.
“Sam,” Dad said quietly with a nod.
“Dad,” Same nodded back.
Dean let it sit for a few moments before he stepped in. “It was a trap, Dad. We didn’t know, I'm sorry.”
Dad smiled at him, patting him on the shoulder, “I thought it might be,” He sighed. Dean gave his dad a rundown of what happened. Dad followed along, adding that this demon had been after him for a long time. That dad was close to killing it. When Sam cut in, Dad’s smile turned sad. “Last time we saw each other, we had a pretty big fight.”
“Yes sir,” Sam responded.
Dean turned his attention away from the awkward apology and reunion to survey the room. Even with Dad here, Dean still needed to be on guard.
His eyes fell on a young girl sitting on one of the beds, feet kicking idly. Her hair was in a braid over her shoulder and she wore overalls. She watched Dad and Sam interact with a passive expression on her round face.
“Oh, right,” Dad said. Dean must have been staring at the girl for longer than he thought, because Dad and Sam had finished whatever hug they were doing and had turned to also look at the girl. The girl visibly straightened her posture when Dad’s attention fell on her. “This is Robin,” Dad explained, “she’s been traveling with me for a couple of months now.”
It was too dangerous for Dean and Sam to travel with Dad, but the kid was fine? Dean was sure Dad had his reasonings, but he couldn't help the cold feeling that settled in his heart.
“...what?” judging by Sam’s voice, he felt similarly.
Dad sighed. A hand was placed on both of the brother’s shoulders. “I saved her from a lower level demon. I wasn't fast enough to save her parents, and the damn thing had her too for a few hours. The cops proclaimed her dead when they found her parents, even though they didn’t have a body. So, I’ve been watching over her.” Dad chuckled lightly, “she is surprisingly good at reading a map.”
Dean whistled lightly, “that’s a fun one.” he knelt down to look at the girl. She was covered in freckles, and her eyes were a startling blue. “The name’s Dean. Nice to meet ya, Robin.” he held his hand out to the girl.
Robin looked at his hand for a moment before she glanced up - past Dean’s shoulder - and back down to his hand. Only then did she take it, shaking lightly. “I know.” she mumbled.
Dean raised an eyebrow, but didn’t get a chance to comment further.
Dad was dragged across the room the same time Sam was knocked to the side. Of course the monsters weren’t dead yet.
Dean lunged for Robin. He tucked her close to his chest as something dragged its claws down his back. A scream clawed it way out of him, and more claws embedded into his side. Each attack was paired with a high pitched screech from the demon. Despite the pain, he kept Robin firmly protected underneath him.
“Everyone, close your eyes!” Sam shouted, “If these guys are shadow demons, let's light them up!”
Everything went white and the sounds of otherworldly screaming filled the room. Dean had already stumbled to his feet. Robin’s arm was firmly gripped in his hand while he moved to get Dad. Hopefully Sam would be smart enough to grab the bag. Dean dragged Dad to his feet, tossing an arm around his shoulders. The sound of the door opening helped Dean find the direction of the exit. He could barely see anything past the flare.
It took a few moments of repetitive blinking before Dean could see the outside. The four of them stumbled down the stairs of the motel. Now that they were outside, Dad was able to walk more on his own. Robin had escaped Dean’s grasp and pressed herself against Dad’s side.
“C’mon, get in the car.” Sam said. He swung open the back door of the car and tossed the bag in, before turning to look at Dad. Dean was already moving for the driver's seat.
He glanced back just long enough to catch Dad’s eye. Robin was the only one not bleeding, but he could see how hard her hands were shaking. She clung to Dad’s side, his jacket bunched in her small hands. Dad was bleeding bad. Both his arms looked scratched to hell, and he was definitely favoring his left side. Sam was a step away. His face was torn half to shreds and the way he was pressing on his own shoulder it was obvious he’d also been stabbed. Dean himself could barely stand, his back hurt so much.
They wouldn’t get anywhere, traveling as a group.
As much as Dean hated to admit it, Meg was right. Dad wasn’t safe with them. He let his guard down when he was with them. Sure, he was still dangerous, but he was vulnerable. On his own, he could easily lose these fuckers and keep ahead of them. Not with two extra grown men to keep safe. And definitely not with a kid.
And no one would be after Dean, Sam and Robin. Not if they weren’t with Dad.
Dad nodded grimly. They both knew what needed to happen.
“Dad-” Sam started.
“No.” Dean cut in. He felt his throat begin to close up. “He can’t come with us.”
“Dean,” Sam hissed. “We aren't going to just leave him!”
“Yes, you are. They’re after me, not you guys,” Dad sighed.
“He’ll be able to ditch them easy once he’s on the road. One person is easier to hide than four,” Dean added.
“You two can’t be serious,” Sam spat, “after all this time looking for you and now you’re just going to leave?” he grabbed at Dad’s shoulders.
“To protect you kids? Yes.” Dad’s voice was firm. The navy seal Dean grew up with. “Now you three get in that car and go.”
Robin jerked her head up to look at Dad. “Me too?” she whispered.
“Yes, you too Robin. I can’t keep you safe if you’re with me. I can’t keep any of you safe if you’re with me. But you three can keep each other safe, so you have to go with them, okay?” Dad’s voice was still firm.
Robin stepped away from Dad. She was crying, silent tears sliding down her cheeks. “Yes sir,” she hiccupped.
Dad put his hands on Sam and Dean’s shoulder’s again. “You keep each other safe, alright? I expect two perfectly alive sons when this is all over.”
“Yes sir,” both the brothers responded.
With that, Dad stepped away. He hobbled past them and opened up the door to a truck parked farther down the road. Before he stepped into the truck, he glanced back. It reminded Dean of when he was a kid again, left alone with his brother in a motel room - shotgun tucked behind the door. Dad always paused when closing the door, looking back at his kids before he left.
And just like when Dean was a kid, Dad nodded once and closed the door of his truck and left. Leaving Dean in charge of protecting what was left of their family.
“Get in the car,” Dean’s voice was raw, “we need to go.”
Sam slipped into the passenger seat with a groan. Robin scrambled into the backseat. Dean watched her buckle herself in before pausing to realize she had left the car door open. She was just a kid. Dean closed it for her and slipped into the driver's seat.
Fuck, his back hurt.
But there would be time for that later. Preferably when they were approximately 100 miles away from the shadow demons he could hear escaping the room. Somewhere with a shower and a bed. The less cockroaches the better.
And as Dean backed the car out of the alley, he spied Robin - curled up against the window, still crying silently. This time, Dean was in charge of more than just Sam.
______
They had driven for about 5 hours when Dean finally pulled the car into another Motel. Sam had fallen asleep as soon as he had bandaged the wound on his shoulder. Dean had encouraged him to at least clean the scratches on his face before he fell asleep. Sam had done a subpar job, but Dean would leave it this once. Robin had also fallen asleep at some point. Dean guessed it was somewhere around hour three, when she asked if she could roll the window down a little. She’d been silent ever since.
Dean put on his spare jacket before heading inside the motel. He had given his own face a quick clean. Hopefully he didn’t look like he had just lost a fight with a mountain lion. Because that was definitely how he felt. He did his best to open and close the car door quietly, so as not to wake Sam and Robin.
Behind the desk of the motel lobby was a middle aged woman. Her hair was obviously dyed brown artificially. A pair of glasses sat low on her nose. She looked up from her book with a disapproving noise.
“I need three beds for the weekend,” Dean said.
“Ain’t got no rooms with triple beds. Either gonna have to book two rooms, or I got a room with a spare couch,” the woman responded.
Dean weighed the options quickly in his head. On one hand, getting two rooms would mean he would get a bed. Dean wanted a bed so bad right now. But if they got a second room, which room would Robin sleep in? Who would Robin rather room with? She barely knew either of them. And they sure as hell weren’t going to give the 8 year old her own room in this case. On the other hand, getting a single room would be cheaper, and they wouldn't have to fight about who stayed in what room. Dean could share a bed with Sam, but that man was a blanket hog straight from hell.
“The double with the couch is fine,” Dean sighed as he tossed his card down. A few nights on the couch wouldn’t kill him.
With the key in hand, Dean stepped back out to the car. Sam was awake when he got back. He blinked a few times at Dean before moving. “I’ll get the stuff if you get the kid,” Sam muttered. Dean rolled his eyes and moved to the back seat.
Robin stirred a bit when Dean opened her door and crouched next to her. “Robin, c’mon it’s time to wake up,” he prodded. Robin’s eyes fluttered before she jerked herself awake. The movement pulled on the seatbelt, which was probably the only thing keeping her from falling out of the car. “Whoa there kiddo, it’s alright. It’s just me, Dean.”
“And Sam,” his brother called from the trunk.
“And Sam,” Dean added, “we’re at a motel for the night, gotta get you out of the car and then you can go back to sleep.”
Robin rubbed at her face and nodded. She unbuckled herself and slid out of the car before she paused. She set a quick look around the near empty parking lot before turning back to Dean. “Mr. John isn’t going to meet us here, is he?” her voice was quiet.
“No, kiddo, he isn't,” Dean confirmed, “he needs to stay away for a while.”
Robin scrunched her baby face and kicked the ground. “He’s stupid.” she muttered. With that, Robin turned around and moved towards Sam. She held her hands out to Sam, who looked at her for a long minute. Slowly, Sam placed the first aid bag in her hands. This seemed to satisfy the girl, as she tucked it to her chest and turned back towards Dean.
It was about here that Dean realized he was staring. Shaking his head, he stood up and locked the car. Sam had the two other travel bags in his hands already.
Dean tried his best to hide his limp as he led the three of them to their motel room. Sam would help him bandage his back up once they were inside, but he wanted to do his best to hide how much it actually hurt.
The room was cramped. A queen bed, a twin, a couch and a shitty tv. Not even a bedside table. Just an overhead light that’s switch was next to the door, and a tall lamp between the two beds.
Before Sam had even closed the door, Dean let himself fall face first into the couch. It smelled clean at least.
“We need to take care of these wounds before we sleep, Dean,” Sam sounded disapproving. Dean grunted in response, not ready to move yet.
He listened to Sam and Robin talk quietly. Sam was checking to make sure she didn’t have any wounds of her own. They had asked in the car, but Sam clearly wanted to double check. Robin quietly told him no, she was fine.
There were a few more quiet moments before Sam nudged Dean to get up. With an over exaggerated groan - that wasn't actually that over exaggerated, Dean was in a lot of pain - Dean sat up and took his jacket off. Sam was quick to clean and wrap the cuts zig zagging across Dean’s back. None of them needed stitches. Thank God. When Sam was done, he tossed a shirt in Dean’s face.
Sputtering, Dean grabbed the shirt. “Jackass,” he muttered. “Need any help with your shoulder?”
Sam had fished out a set of clothes for bed. “Nah, i just need to clean my face.” he said before he shut the bathroom door.
With the bathroom door shut, Dean turned to look at Robin. She was perched on the windowsill. The curtains were bunched in her hand as she looked outside. Dean had tossed her a granola bar during the drive, but none of them had eaten in hours. He would take care of that in the morning.
“Kiddo, you have any clothes you want to change into for bed?” Dean asked.
Robin turned to look at him. Her face was blank most of the time, Dean was starting to notice. After a moment, Robin shook her head. “My bag was in Mr. John’s car.”
Of course it was.
And of course no one had grabbed it. Hell, Dean didn’t even notice until now. Dad sure didn’t mention it.
Dean rubbed a hand over his face. God, he was tired.
“We can buy you new clothes in the morning,” Dean said, “tonight though, would you rather wear the clothes you’re wearing, or borrow an oversized t-shirt?”
“These are fine,” Robin mumbled.
Dean nodded. When Robin didn’t say anything else, he slumped back onto the couch to sleep. Sam was still in the bathroom, but Dean could hear him finishing up. Just a little longer and he could sleep.
A gentle nudge to Dean’s leg drew his attention. He peeked an eye open. Robin was in arm’s reach. Her head was tilted, hair now free from the braid. “Don’t you want a bed?” she asked.
“Huh?” Dean was caught off guard by the question. “No, you and Sam get the beds.”
“But you’re bleeding?”
“The girl’s right.” Sam opened the bathroom door, now clad in plaid pj pants. “You are the most injured, you should get the bed.”
Dean shook his head. “Nope, I'm on the couch already, I’m staying here,” he grumbled. “I’m the big brother, my word goes.”
“You aren't my big brother,” Robin pointed out. She was poking at Dean’s leg again.
Dean paused at that. “Yeah, well, I’m the oldest here, so you have to listen to me anyway.”
Sam sighed loudly. “Fine, you can stay on the couch. You don’t get to complain in the morning though.” Dean heard a rustling of fabrics. “Robin, get into the bed so we can sleep this terrible night away.”
Dean chuckled. They had a lot to do in the morning. In addition to all the shit Dean and Sam usually had to deal with, now they had a kid with them. A kid with no belongings. Cool.