Chapter Text
Andrew Queen was one of the best Hunters out there. He met his wife, Diana on one of his cases and they fell in love. They eventually got married and bought a piece of land in a small coastal town in Washington state. Andrew still was in 'the life' despite having a house and a wife, leaving for days and weeks at a time. Diana would always be anxious about whether her husband would return, but he always did. After a couple of years, Diana discovered she was pregnant and that was the day Andrew decide to quit hunting. Over the years Andrew would get the occasional call from old hunting buddies, mostly from Bobby Singer and Rufus Turner, about a case near his neck of the woods and on occasion, he'd help, but for the most part, he was living the apple-pie life with his wife and daughter.
BOBBY'S POV
( February 20th, 1990)
Balls was it cold. I'd been working on this damn car for over an hour and my hands were getting numb. I wanted to go inside, but my stubborn ass would rather freeze off and finish than postpone working on this piece of crap. I was debating with myself if I had frostbite when I heard yelling coming from inside.
"DEAN STOP!"
"DAMMIT SAM, LET GO!"
With a sigh I left the garage and went to see what the two idjits were fighting about, a little thankful I had an excuse to stop working and get warm. When I got inside, Sam and Dean were fighting over one of the phones that were ringing.
"What in hell are you idjits doing!" I yelled and immediately both boys dropped the phone. It landed on the wooden floor as it continued to ring. After a moment of looking shameful, Dean was the one to speak up.
"The phone started ringing and I was about to go get you, but Sam thought it was Dad and wanted to answer it. I told him, no, but he grabbed the phone and wouldn't let go and-"
"That's enough" I cut him off. Not wanting to hear their childish argument. I was already developing a headache from the boys' yelling, I didn't need to add the phone's ringing as another cause.
I grabbed the phone from the floor and answered it. "Hello," I answered while glaring at the boys who were currently glaring at each other.
"Bobby? It's Andrew, Andrew Queen. I need your help." I turned away from the brothers giving Andrew my full attention. It had been two months since I heard from him and in all the years I've known the guy, not once has he ever asked for help. "Look, Bobby, I know I haven't called in a while, but I need you to put me in contact with John Winchester. I know you know him so no use in denying... It's important." He sounded frantic and that was making me nervous.
"Andrew, what's going on? Why are you looking for John Winchester?" At the mention of their daddy's name, the brothers shut their traps and snapped their attention to me.
Andrew sighed "John found me a couple of months ago asking me about a demon case I did in Kansas back in October, 83. He wanted to know if I knew anything about a yellow-eyed demon? I told him, no and I thought that was the end of it, but things as of late have been getting a little demonic in my neck of the woods: Crop failures, cattle mutilations, fucking electrical storms in February. I started noticing the signs around the state two weeks ago. Next thing I know it starts occurring closer to my town. Until the other day, a family on the other side of town was found tortured and murdered in their home." He chuckled humorlessly. "Their son was in Arden's fucking class... Anyway, I snuck into the crime scene I found traces of sulfur. There's a demon in town I think it's after me and my family. I also have a suspicion that it might be connected to John Winchester... Too many things are adding up for all of this to be a coincidence."
John Winchester had been after the thing that killed his wife and boys' mother for seven years now and I couldn't help but be pissed that he's now dragged Andrew and his family into his mess.
"So Bobby are you going to help? You know I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important."
" Yeah, of course, I'll help. You're like family."
Andrew scoffed. "Like family? Bobby, you are family. I wouldn't have made you Arden's godfather if you weren't."
I gave Andrew, John Winchester's number and told him to keep me updated and to call me if things went south. After we hung up I shooed the boys away, telling them it wasn't their dad on the phone. But about fifteen minutes later, just when I was about to make the boys dinner I got another call.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Bobby it's John. I need you to watch the boys for another week. I found a case in Washington."
"Yeah, Andrew Queen called me and asked for your number, needed help with a demon." I sighed "Look John, Andrew's family so just watch out for him."
"Yeah, Bobby." Then he hung up the phone. Idjit, he could have at least said goodbye.
I left for the kitchen and found the boys waiting.
"Is Dad coming back?" Sam asked hopefully. "We heard you talking to him."
Balls, "He said he'll be here in another week, that he's heading-"
"What?!" Dean interrupted "He said he was going to be here two days ago. Now you're saying it's going to be another week?! Unbelievable."
Before I could say anything Dean ran upstairs. I sighed in frustration. Another thing that pissed me off about John was how his crusade was affecting his kids. I looked down at Sam and he was on the verge of tears.
"Hey, why don't you help me with dinner? How does Mac and Cheese sound?"
Sam nodded his head and we headed to the kitchen. My thoughts lingered on Andrew and his family hoping they'd be alright.
(February 27th, 1990)
A week later and no phone call from John or Andrew. "Dammit Andrew, you told me you'd call! Now call me!" I hung up the phone and tried John again. No answer. "Balls!"
A couple of hours later, after I put the boys to bed I heard a familiar rumble from a car pulling up to the house. I walked outside and saw the Impala coming to a halt. I walked towards it ready to tear into John.
"You selfish son of a bitch! I've been calling all week and you can't pick up the phone so I can tell your kids you're alright!? Also-"
"Bobby we have a situation." John interrupted. My yelling had no apparent effect on the son of a bitch.
"What do you mean we have a situation?" I replied gruffly.
John gestured to the back seat of the Impala and when I looked through the window I knew what he meant. In the back seat was a young girl huddled, her arms wrapped tight around her legs and her chin rested on her knees. She couldn't have been older than Dean. Her dark brown, almost black hair was matted with what looked like blood and her dark eyes seemed empty. Nothing like a girl her age should look like. My eyes widened when I realized who it was. John tried to say something else, but I didn't pay him any attention as I rushed to her side of the car and flung open the door.
"Arden?" I said to the girl in a mixture of shock and horror. She slowly turned to look at me her eyes shined briefly with recognition.
"Uncle Bobby?" She whispered.
Before I could say anything else she launched her tiny body into my arms. Tears flooded her eyes and soaked through my shirt as I held onto her.
"They're gone." She cried.
It didn't take a rocket scientist to know who she was talking about. I felt tears threatening to spill out of my eyes, but I forced them back. Andrew was a good friend, actually, he was my best friend. We grew up together. I was the best man at his wedding and he was mine when I got married to Karen. When he and Diana found out she was pregnant with Arden, I was the first person he called. He even made me and Karen, Arden's godparents.
When Karen got possessed by a demon, Andrew and Rufus Turner were the ones to exorcise her. They were the ones to introduce me to the supernatural. That's also when I found out that Andrew's family were all hunters and he and Rufus were partners. I started hunting with Rufus after Karen's death. I wanted Andrew to join us and so did Rufus, but he said he had to get out, for his daughter's sake. I thought he was going to be the one to escape the infamous hunter's death, but I guess I was wrong. This life ends sad and bloody and the little girl in my arms just witnessed that first hand.
"Come on Sweetpea let's get you upstairs and cleaned up." She nodded and I lifted her and carried her inside and upstairs.
I took her to the bathroom and started the shower before leaving to give her some privacy. I put my ear against the door and heard her soft cries while she was showering. I let out a sigh, of all the people that deserved pain and misery, that sweet little girl was not one of them.
"Who was that?" I turned to find Dean standing there in his pajamas.
"That was Arden. She's one of my- she was one of my friend's daughter."
Dean looked at me confused. "What's she doing here then?" I sighed, trying to figure out how I can best explain the situation to an eleven-year-old.
"Her parent were killed and she's going to be living here from now on," I explained. His eyes widened a bit as he started to understand what was going on. I crouched down so I could be face-to-face with Dean. Knowing if anyone could understand what she was going through it was him. Maybe just maybe he could help her get through this."She's going through a lot. She might need a friend. Do you think you can be that for her?"
He seemed to be in thought for a moment and when he made eye contact with me again he nodded. I gave him a small smile and sent him back to bed. After about thirty minutes I went to check on Arden. John had packed some of her clothes and belongings before they left her house. I grabbed a pair of her pajamas and knocked on the bathroom door. There was no answer.
"Arden?" Still, there was no answer. I slowly opened the door "Arden, I'm coming in."
I came in and the first thing that caught my attention was the bathroom lights flickering. This put me on edge. With my hunter instincts kicking in, I threw open the door ready to grab my goddaughter and book it toward the nearest container of salt. But when I saw Arden sitting down against the wall, knees closed against her chest, a towel wrapped around her wet body, crying, I automatically knew the lights were her doing.
See the thing was Arden and her mother were witches. I've known for a long time. Andrew first told me about Diana's magic after Karen's death. He then told me about Arden's magical development a couple of years later. I knew that she knew how to control her magic, and it must have been the trauma and stress of losing her parents that was causing her to lose control, but I also knew that if John Winchester found out she was a witch that he would kill her on the spot. I quickly went up to her wiping her tears with my hand.
"Sh, sh, I know it hurts Sweetpea, but I need you to take some deep breaths for me alright? The others in the house can't know that you have magic. It's for your own safety okay?" She nodded tears still coming down her face and she took some shaky breaths.
At that moment the lights stopped flickering and I kissed her forehead knowing that she needed that. I wasn't Andrew. I wasn't her father, but I was going to love her and raise her like she was, cause I know that's what her daddy would have wanted.
ARDEN'S POV
I appreciated what Uncle Bobby was doing. I've known him for as long as I could remember. He was my dad's best friend and he was family. He and Uncle Rufus would always make me laugh when they would come and visit.
Uncle Bobby got off the floor as soon as I calmed down a little. He handed me my pj's and left the bathroom to give me some privacy. I didn't want to move, but I reluctantly got up from the floor and put on the star-covered pj's Uncle Bobby left. When I was dressed I stepped out of the bathroom and saw Uncle Bobby waiting right outside the door. He then led me up another flight of stairs to a spare bedroom in the back of the house. I guess this room was supposed to be a part of the attic. It was filled with boxes and there was a bed in the far corner.
"We'll get this cleaned up tomorrow. We can even paint it if you'd like. Maybe get some stuff to make it a little more like home." Uncle Bobby said. I cringed at the word 'home'. The memory of what happened to mine was still fresh in my memory.
I didn't want to cry anymore, so I tried to hold them back. Bobby was trying to find other things to say, but just mumbled incoherent words that were probably not suitable for my young ears. I walked over to the bed. There were some fresh sheets on them. Bobby must have put them on while I was crying in the shower, slash cleaning the dried blood from my hair. I crawled into the sheets and Bobby tucked me in. I could tell that Bobby was trying. He didn't have kids and I expected that he definitely didn't expect to be taking care of one, but he still cared enough to try.
"I let you try to fall asleep." He kissed my forehead and left.
As he was closing the door I felt a sheer panic run through me. I did not want to be in the dark. I must have made some sort of noise cause Bobby turned towards me looking concerned.
"Can you please keep the door open a little?" I asked. I felt small and pathetic. This was not how I usually was. Dad taught me to be brave, but I felt like breaking down and it felt even worst now that he was no longer there to help me be brave.
Bobby nodded his head. "Sure thing Sweetpea,"
He left the door open a little so the light illuminated a sliver of the room. I heard him walk down the hallway and down the stairs. On the main floor of the house, I could hear him talking to someone, but It was too distant and hushed to understand what they were saying. I assume it was the man who brought me here. I think his name was John Win-something.
I was alone with my thoughts again. Images of my parents bloody on the floor paraded through my brain. The voice of the demon taunting me through my mom as I ran sent shivers up my spine. I shivered again when I remembered how cold it was in that dark forest as I hid from my own mom in nothing but pj's. I could feel the tears starting to stream down my face as silent sobs shook through my chest.
"I just want my mom and dad," I say to myself.
"I'm sorry for what happened to you." said a voice I didn't recognize. I didn't realize another person came into the room till they spoke.
I looked up from under the covers and saw a boy around my age, but what really caught my attention was his eyes. They were so green. It reminded me of the green moss that grew around my house. I didn't know what to say to him and he seemed to have read my mind cause he continued to talk.
"I know how it feels to lose a parent and I'm sorry that it's happening to you." I looked into those moss-colored eyes and could tell that he meant what he said.
"Thank you," I said quietly through the tears. He shuffled his feet like he wanted to ask something, but didn't know how I would respond. He took a deep breath and the words flowed out of his mouth.
"I lost my mom and I remember right after she died I didn't want to be alone." He took another breath. "What I'm asking is if you want me to stay with you. So you're not alone."
He looked nervous. Probably thought that I was going to call him weird or a creep, but I didn't believe that. I saw that he really wanted me to feel better and if I was being honest with myself I was going to ask Bobby if I could sleep with him, but this saved me the trouble. I nodded my head, wiped my tears, and scooted myself over so he could get in the bed. He crawled in and faced me. We stayed there in silence for a while. The only sound was my occasional sniffling.
"Thank you. I'm Arden." I whispered.
He gave a small smile, before whispering back. "Nice to meet you, Arden. I'm Dean and you're welcome."
I felt my lips tug up slightly as we lay there, sleep eventually took the both of us, and for once since the incident, I didn't picture anything from that night. Instead, I dreamt of a boy with moss-colored eyes.