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Free Supernatural Fanfiction – Chapter Summary:

John Winchester returns, forcing the boys and Analina to confront shock, suspicion, and an unexpectedly awkward family introduction.

Rating: PG-13
Contains:   For intense emotions, supernatural tension, mild language

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR:  
Dad

ONCE WE GOT OVER THE INITIAL SHOCK Cas left us with, we went to the adjoining room and told Sam what had happened.

“So if it’s not the angels, do you think it was demonic?” Sam asked.

“Can demons do such a thing?” I wondered.

“Or it’s not really him.” Dean still held fast to that belief. “His soul should’ve been in Heaven. Demons can’t get to Heaven, right? So it must not really be him.”

Unless his soul never made it to Heaven, I thought. But I wasn’t there at the Devil’s Gate. I could only go by what they said happened—and that was a long time ago, with a lot happening all at once. I also wasn’t suicidal enough to say that comment out loud to Dean.

“Well, Cas said he’d check in soon,” I said, trying to stay hopeful. “He might be able to tell us for sure.”

“There’s also another way to try,” Dean said. We both looked at him. “We need to see things for ourselves.”

So much for getting some sleep. At least I managed to nap in the backseat. Sam offered to drive a few hours while Dean got some rest. He declined.

BOBBY HADN’T SAID MUCH on the phone call to Dean, but he did mention that he hadn’t told John about me—just in case he was wrong and it wasn’t really John. Most demons and angels knew what Dean and I could do. If we were facing a new adversary, we didn’t want to give it more power than necessary. It also gave Dean and me a chance to sense if something was off—if he was even human.

Finally, the auto lot came into view. Only the purr of the engine could be heard as we pulled up the gravel driveway. A whole new anxiety took over.

Dean started to get out of the car. “Remember, we’re not saying anything about what Analina or I can do. Not until we figure things out.”

He glanced back at me, and I nodded. I planned to hang back and get a feel for things. Dean and Sam were emotionally tied to this situation—they might not be the best judges if they truly believed it was John.

My body felt worn out from all the driving we’d crammed into the last two days. My legs still vibrated from the car as I walked up the steps behind the boys. Bobby opened the door before they could knock.

“Glad you guys could make it,” he said, letting them in. He nodded as I passed.

The boys went straight into the main room of the cluttered, musty house. A man sat on the tattered sofa by the window. He looked like them—same brown hair, slightly longer than Dean’s but shorter than Sam’s. His green eyes were surrounded by more wrinkles, but overall, he looked like their father.

He stood.

“Dean? Sam?” the man said quietly, looking between them. I stayed back in the shadows, out of view. I didn’t hear what they said—I focused on his energy, trying to determine what exactly he was. He wasn’t cold or warm. No dank smell in the air. Definitely not an angel, demon, or ghost. I reached farther into the room. He felt… human.

Maybe Bobby was right. Maybe it really was him.

“Dad?” Dean’s voice cracked slightly. I wondered if he’d come to the same conclusion I had.

“It’s really me,” John said, sensing how surreal this was for them. He reached out and awkwardly hugged Sam and Dean.

“But how?” Sam asked, awestruck.

“I don’t know. I remember coming out of the gate and helping you boys…” He raised his hands and sat back down. “Somehow I ended up back in the cemetery.”

“When did this happen?” Dean asked.

“A little while ago,” John said, glancing at Bobby, who stepped into the room with some beers. “I tried calling you, but your numbers changed.”

John took a beer and sipped it. “I called Bobby. Took him a few tries to believe it was really me.”

“Well, you ain’t the first dead man to call me,” Bobby replied. “But you sure as hell weren’t one I thought would be coming back.”

“Anyway, I made my way here, and after he tested to make sure I was me”—John glanced at Bobby with a slightly disgruntled look that turned amused—“he said he’d give you boys a call. I’ve been trying to catch up on everything that happened.”

Dean shifted a little while he talked. John looked over and finally noticed me. He seemed surprised he hadn’t seen me earlier, but recovered quickly.

“Who’s this?” John asked, nodding in my direction.

I hadn’t realized until then that I might be meeting my father‑in‑law. At the wedding, I never considered meeting any potential in‑laws.

Dean looked back at me. I hesitantly stepped forward.

“You brought a girl with you?” John asked, surprised. I moved closer to Dean. He continued, “I knew you were a ladies’ man, but shouldn’t you have left her back at the motel?”

Dean didn’t answer right away. We were starting to realize what John was implying.

“Why did you bring her with you?” he asked again, sounding like a father.

Not the best impression when meeting my father‑in‑law. Did I really look like a hooker? I glanced down at my jeans and sweater. Wouldn’t I be dressed differently? I suddenly had a stronger desire to change my wardrobe.

“Uh, no,” Dean replied, rubbing the back of his neck. “Analina’s not… She’s not a…” He looked at my expression and realized I’d already caught on. “She’s not a hooker, Dad. She’s my wife.”

John blinked at Dean—the same way Dean had blinked at Cas the night before. “Wife?”

He looked from Dean to me, trying to process. “You got married?”

I could understand his surprise. I never imagined Dean proposing to me. It didn’t seem like something he’d do—but that wasn’t entirely true. Getting to know Dean better, peeling back the layers, it wasn’t that surprising. He was loyal. Dedicated. Giving his word and sticking to it was his core. He wanted a family. A life away from hunting. Even if we didn’t have that now, he had a piece of it.

“Just over a month ago, sir,” Dean said, smiling awkwardly.

John looked back at me and smiled. “Well, uh, it’s nice to meet you, Analina.” He stepped forward and hugged me hesitantly. Then he stepped back. “Sorry about the—uh—comment.”

“It’s okay,” I said with a slight shrug. “It’s nice to meet you.”

He glanced at Dean, then back at me. “So are you a hunter? Is that how you met?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dean chug his beer and glance at the ceiling.

“Um, sort of. I met Sam and Dean when they were working a case.”

I wasn’t sure how much to reveal, since I’d discovered my gift during that time.

John’s eyes glinted with amusement. “Oh, I see.”

“You do?” Dean asked.

“You never could resist a damsel in distress, Dean,” John said. “I remember when you were in second grade. You were late coming home because you said you had to rescue a girl from a tree. You waited for her mom to come get her.”

John turned to me. “I was frantic. Dean never came home late. He knew to come straight back. I thought he was lying to save his hide, but the next day the mother came over when I picked him up from school and told me how Dean helped her little girl.”

“How sweet,” I said, smiling at Dean.

“Oh, honey, I could tell you loads of stories about Dean,” John laughed. The awkwardness started to melt away. Well, maybe not for Dean.

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