HC Bingo - Prompt 4
Title: Brick by Brick
Prompt: Fear of heights
Medium: fic
Rating: PG
Warnings: mild language
Word Count 2047
Summary: Coda to the story 'Silent Mockingbird' - an AU in which Dean found strength in silence - and the silence kept him from breaking in Hell. Scout Winchester has a few fears - heights is one of them.
Scout Winchester, age six and a half, might have distinction of the only person in her first grade class who had her father actually believe her when she said there was something in her closet. Her dad, Dean Winchester, had her sit on her bed while he did a through check of the small space - and then inspected under her bed for good measure. Finding nothing scarier than a pair of dirty sneakers, her dad then put a line of salt outside the door and then made sure said door was closed every night. Whereas most kids in her class were told that there was 'nothing there' and 'there's no such thing as monsters' Scout was told that 'if you suspect some thing isn't right, speak up' - even though Uncle Bobby had told her that almost nothing could get into his house. One could never be to careful - and you never knew - there were some monsters that could get through the barriers that circled the house in the middle of the salvage yard. So Scout wasn't to afraid of the thing in her closet. If it showed up again, she knew her daddy would get rid of it.
Monsters were real and daddy used to fight them. He still fights them when he has to. He also told her that it was okay to be afraid of the dark. In fact, he told her it was good to be afraid of the dark. Which is probably also why she's the only person in her entire class that always carries a flashlight. It's come in handy a few times, like the time last year when a blizzard knocked the power out at the school and while the teacher rummaged in her desk and half her class cried and the other ran riot, she calmly went to her backpack and pulled the flashlight out. Of course, later her teacher asked her why she had a flashlight in her bag in the first place and Scout had stated she kept it in her bag because it was still dark when she walked through her yard to the front gate to wait for the bus. The teacher told her that was a likely story - and thus Miss Bennett became the first teacher of several Scout was certain she'd have that she didn't like. The woman also didn't know that she landed on the rest of Scout's family's list after Scout invited her dad to the Mother's Day Tea Party - since he was both her mom and dad - and the teacher had asked her if her mom had been working. Dean informed the woman very tersely that Scout's mother was a painful subject and it was not a subject for public consumption. (Of course, you'd think the teacher would know better, since another girl in Scout's class had two dads and no mom.)
But back to fears - no, Scout's not to afraid of the dark and she's fairly certain the thing in her closet got scared away by daddy and his sawed off shotgun. She's only afraid of spiders when they're inside - she'd scared of snakes, very large dogs she doesn't know, monsters (because monsters are real), bad storms and heights. She also suspects she'd be scared of flying - if the chance ever presented itself - she's not to sure if Uncle Adam is telling her the truth about it being safe. Scout's dad is scared of flying too - which is why they're driving in the Impala down to Key West instead of taking a plane. Of course, most people would avoid that part of Florida in the middle of July - not so much because of the heat but because it's hurricane season - but Scout suspects there's something going on in Key West and no other hunters can take care of the problem except for her dad. Why she's going too and not staying with Uncle Adam and Aunt Kelly, she doesn't know. It probably has to do with Aunt Kelly's dad and his chemotherapy.
“You're pretty quiet, squirt.” Dean says, looking at her in the rear view mirror. “You feeling okay?”
“I'm okay.” She rubs her nose. “Just thinking.”
“Thinking about what?”
“'Bout fears.”
Dean blinks a few times at that. “That's a pretty big subject, kiddo. The thing in your closet didn't come back, did he?”
“No, he's not there anymore.” Scout shifts uncomfortably in the stupid booster seat that she's required to sit in because of her small stature and weight - almost everyone else in her class has outgrown theirs. “'Bout other things...”
“I checked the weather, no hurricanes. We wouldn't be going to the Keys if there was a storm coming.”
“I know.” She sighs and looks back out the window. “Are we gonna drive over more tall bridges?”
“Just a few more...” Dean instantly knew what she was thinking about. “I promise, we won't fall off the bridge.”
“I don't like high bridges.” Scout pouts slightly. “Don't like heights.”
Dean gives her a slightly amused smile. “You've got no problem with the big slide on the McDonald's playgrounds.”
“That's different.” She leans over, pulls her stuffed rabbit into her lap and hugs it. “I don't worry about fallin' off it.”
“We won't fall off the bridges, Scout - I promise.” Dean looks back again at his daughter, studying the brown hair and blue eyes that rival Jimmy Novak's in terms of brightness. “Maybe we can stop at Disney World on the way back.”
“Daaaad.” Scout knows when her father is trying to change the subject.
Dean sighs softly - he's all to familiar with Scout's fear of heights which reared it's ugly head when she was four and became nearly hysterical on a Ferris Wheel at the South Dakota State Fair. He's put the blame on the douche bag teenagers who'd been in the car in front of them who'd turned back and told his little girl that they were all going to fall to the ground if the car swung to hard. They'd gone off laughing and he'd been left with a sobbing child who'd been so terrified, the man operating the ride let them off as soon as their car reached the bottom. Not even being back on the ground had placated her. In the end, they'd left the Midway entirely and gone to watch buggy races instead. “I know I don't say this to often, Scout - but there is nothing to be afraid of in regards to heights.”
“But bridges break. The ones in Los Angeles broke...”
“That was because of the earthquake, Scout. There aren't any earthquakes where we are going.” Dean would very much like to get off the subject of fears - before his little girl asks him the one question that he knows will come up someday and he doesn't want to answer.
“Was Uncle Sammy afraid of heights?”
Dean winced at the name. “No... Sammy wasn't afraid of heights... he was afraid of clowns.”
“Clowns are scary. Uncle Adam says so.” Scout hugs her rabbit tighter. She can see that her dad's getting that look on his face - the way he always does whenever someone brings up Uncle Sammy. She's never met him - he died before she was born. But she's seen a few photographs. The subject of Uncle Sammy had the biggest 'DO NOT TALK ABOUT' label on it in the entire world. Scout's willing to bet that her dad will tell her more about monsters than her uncle.
Dean is quiet for a few minutes - he hates thinking about Sam these days - he has for a while. Since he got back from Hell. Since he couldn't stop his brother from going down that dangerous road. The road that ended his life - twice. The good part of Sam was killed by the bad part of him - and the bad part of Sam was what Dean had to kill. He tried not to think about the look in those hazel eyes when... when...
“DADDY!” Scout's scream slams reality back into Dean faster than anything and he slams on the breaks so hard, he feels the seatbelt clench around him as they narrowly avoid being the fifth car in a traffic pile up. The fifth car turned out to be the sedan that was trying to pass the Impala - and for a minute, all Dean can do is sit and stare hard at the wreck and thinking that the two of them could be in the middle of that mess - the tank known as the Impala could survive - its cargo, however...
“Daddy?” Scout sniffles from the back. “I'm sorry....”
“It's... it's okay Scout. It's not your fault...” He lets out a few deep breaths as he throws the hazard lights on and pulls over as he hears the approaching emergency sirens. “Are you hurt?”
She shakes her head and sniffles again. “Belt got tight.”
“Yeah, yeah I bet it did.” He can see she's white. “I should have been paying attention...” He can't believe he let himself get distracted. “Odds are, the cops are going to want to talk to everyone, so we'll get going as soon as we can, okay?”
“Okay dad.” She hugs her rabbit again.
*
It's late when they stop for the night - well, not so late by Dean's old standards but certainly late by his current ones. They stopped in a small town just across the Georgia state line and Scout makes almost no protest in going to bed almost as soon as they get into the motel room. She just brushes her teeth, puts on her pajamas and gets into the bed closest to the bathroom. Dean never wants her nearest the door - just like he never let Sam sleep nearest the door. He sits on the other bed, glancing over at the other every few moments, knowing full well his daughter isn't asleep. He lets out a deep breath and rubs his eyes, worn out from the day's events. Seven years ago, he'd probably be drinking heavily at this point - but Dean's not had more than three beers a night since Scout came into his life. Strange how one little person can change your habits so much. He instead satisfies his thirst with Sprite and idly flicks on the news, keeping the volume low.
He's fairly certain that with the passage of time Scout can overcome her fear of heights - and he's got no problem in helping her do that. Dean even suspects Adam will help him with that. It's a long drive to Key West tomorrow, it will seem longer than today was - but then he remembers the first time it'd been daylight when he and his dad drove down to the edge of Florida - the sun on the water, the wonderful smell of the sea - it will all be good. This isn't a hunting trip - even if Scout might think it is. There's a place down at this end of the country called the Naylor House - a bed and breakfast where the Winchesters were always welcome. Dean had even called up the owners, Nicki and Bodge and arranged for Adam and Kelly to stay there for their Honeymoon - Florida Sunshine in the middle of a Wisconsin February - there wasn't much better than that he could set up.
Sure, it's a pretty long drive for a family vacation - but considering there's never been a real family vacation in Dean's life, you might as well start off with a good one. He also wasn't kidding about the visit to Disney World - he'd gotten those arrangements made ahead of time and with a little help from Kate Milligan, who had a brother who worked at some high level job there.
He hoped his little girl wouldn't be told she was to short to go on most of the rides.
Prompt: Fear of heights
Medium: fic
Rating: PG
Warnings: mild language
Word Count 2047
Summary: Coda to the story 'Silent Mockingbird' - an AU in which Dean found strength in silence - and the silence kept him from breaking in Hell. Scout Winchester has a few fears - heights is one of them.
Scout Winchester, age six and a half, might have distinction of the only person in her first grade class who had her father actually believe her when she said there was something in her closet. Her dad, Dean Winchester, had her sit on her bed while he did a through check of the small space - and then inspected under her bed for good measure. Finding nothing scarier than a pair of dirty sneakers, her dad then put a line of salt outside the door and then made sure said door was closed every night. Whereas most kids in her class were told that there was 'nothing there' and 'there's no such thing as monsters' Scout was told that 'if you suspect some thing isn't right, speak up' - even though Uncle Bobby had told her that almost nothing could get into his house. One could never be to careful - and you never knew - there were some monsters that could get through the barriers that circled the house in the middle of the salvage yard. So Scout wasn't to afraid of the thing in her closet. If it showed up again, she knew her daddy would get rid of it.
Monsters were real and daddy used to fight them. He still fights them when he has to. He also told her that it was okay to be afraid of the dark. In fact, he told her it was good to be afraid of the dark. Which is probably also why she's the only person in her entire class that always carries a flashlight. It's come in handy a few times, like the time last year when a blizzard knocked the power out at the school and while the teacher rummaged in her desk and half her class cried and the other ran riot, she calmly went to her backpack and pulled the flashlight out. Of course, later her teacher asked her why she had a flashlight in her bag in the first place and Scout had stated she kept it in her bag because it was still dark when she walked through her yard to the front gate to wait for the bus. The teacher told her that was a likely story - and thus Miss Bennett became the first teacher of several Scout was certain she'd have that she didn't like. The woman also didn't know that she landed on the rest of Scout's family's list after Scout invited her dad to the Mother's Day Tea Party - since he was both her mom and dad - and the teacher had asked her if her mom had been working. Dean informed the woman very tersely that Scout's mother was a painful subject and it was not a subject for public consumption. (Of course, you'd think the teacher would know better, since another girl in Scout's class had two dads and no mom.)
But back to fears - no, Scout's not to afraid of the dark and she's fairly certain the thing in her closet got scared away by daddy and his sawed off shotgun. She's only afraid of spiders when they're inside - she'd scared of snakes, very large dogs she doesn't know, monsters (because monsters are real), bad storms and heights. She also suspects she'd be scared of flying - if the chance ever presented itself - she's not to sure if Uncle Adam is telling her the truth about it being safe. Scout's dad is scared of flying too - which is why they're driving in the Impala down to Key West instead of taking a plane. Of course, most people would avoid that part of Florida in the middle of July - not so much because of the heat but because it's hurricane season - but Scout suspects there's something going on in Key West and no other hunters can take care of the problem except for her dad. Why she's going too and not staying with Uncle Adam and Aunt Kelly, she doesn't know. It probably has to do with Aunt Kelly's dad and his chemotherapy.
“You're pretty quiet, squirt.” Dean says, looking at her in the rear view mirror. “You feeling okay?”
“I'm okay.” She rubs her nose. “Just thinking.”
“Thinking about what?”
“'Bout fears.”
Dean blinks a few times at that. “That's a pretty big subject, kiddo. The thing in your closet didn't come back, did he?”
“No, he's not there anymore.” Scout shifts uncomfortably in the stupid booster seat that she's required to sit in because of her small stature and weight - almost everyone else in her class has outgrown theirs. “'Bout other things...”
“I checked the weather, no hurricanes. We wouldn't be going to the Keys if there was a storm coming.”
“I know.” She sighs and looks back out the window. “Are we gonna drive over more tall bridges?”
“Just a few more...” Dean instantly knew what she was thinking about. “I promise, we won't fall off the bridge.”
“I don't like high bridges.” Scout pouts slightly. “Don't like heights.”
Dean gives her a slightly amused smile. “You've got no problem with the big slide on the McDonald's playgrounds.”
“That's different.” She leans over, pulls her stuffed rabbit into her lap and hugs it. “I don't worry about fallin' off it.”
“We won't fall off the bridges, Scout - I promise.” Dean looks back again at his daughter, studying the brown hair and blue eyes that rival Jimmy Novak's in terms of brightness. “Maybe we can stop at Disney World on the way back.”
“Daaaad.” Scout knows when her father is trying to change the subject.
Dean sighs softly - he's all to familiar with Scout's fear of heights which reared it's ugly head when she was four and became nearly hysterical on a Ferris Wheel at the South Dakota State Fair. He's put the blame on the douche bag teenagers who'd been in the car in front of them who'd turned back and told his little girl that they were all going to fall to the ground if the car swung to hard. They'd gone off laughing and he'd been left with a sobbing child who'd been so terrified, the man operating the ride let them off as soon as their car reached the bottom. Not even being back on the ground had placated her. In the end, they'd left the Midway entirely and gone to watch buggy races instead. “I know I don't say this to often, Scout - but there is nothing to be afraid of in regards to heights.”
“But bridges break. The ones in Los Angeles broke...”
“That was because of the earthquake, Scout. There aren't any earthquakes where we are going.” Dean would very much like to get off the subject of fears - before his little girl asks him the one question that he knows will come up someday and he doesn't want to answer.
“Was Uncle Sammy afraid of heights?”
Dean winced at the name. “No... Sammy wasn't afraid of heights... he was afraid of clowns.”
“Clowns are scary. Uncle Adam says so.” Scout hugs her rabbit tighter. She can see that her dad's getting that look on his face - the way he always does whenever someone brings up Uncle Sammy. She's never met him - he died before she was born. But she's seen a few photographs. The subject of Uncle Sammy had the biggest 'DO NOT TALK ABOUT' label on it in the entire world. Scout's willing to bet that her dad will tell her more about monsters than her uncle.
Dean is quiet for a few minutes - he hates thinking about Sam these days - he has for a while. Since he got back from Hell. Since he couldn't stop his brother from going down that dangerous road. The road that ended his life - twice. The good part of Sam was killed by the bad part of him - and the bad part of Sam was what Dean had to kill. He tried not to think about the look in those hazel eyes when... when...
“DADDY!” Scout's scream slams reality back into Dean faster than anything and he slams on the breaks so hard, he feels the seatbelt clench around him as they narrowly avoid being the fifth car in a traffic pile up. The fifth car turned out to be the sedan that was trying to pass the Impala - and for a minute, all Dean can do is sit and stare hard at the wreck and thinking that the two of them could be in the middle of that mess - the tank known as the Impala could survive - its cargo, however...
“Daddy?” Scout sniffles from the back. “I'm sorry....”
“It's... it's okay Scout. It's not your fault...” He lets out a few deep breaths as he throws the hazard lights on and pulls over as he hears the approaching emergency sirens. “Are you hurt?”
She shakes her head and sniffles again. “Belt got tight.”
“Yeah, yeah I bet it did.” He can see she's white. “I should have been paying attention...” He can't believe he let himself get distracted. “Odds are, the cops are going to want to talk to everyone, so we'll get going as soon as we can, okay?”
“Okay dad.” She hugs her rabbit again.
*
It's late when they stop for the night - well, not so late by Dean's old standards but certainly late by his current ones. They stopped in a small town just across the Georgia state line and Scout makes almost no protest in going to bed almost as soon as they get into the motel room. She just brushes her teeth, puts on her pajamas and gets into the bed closest to the bathroom. Dean never wants her nearest the door - just like he never let Sam sleep nearest the door. He sits on the other bed, glancing over at the other every few moments, knowing full well his daughter isn't asleep. He lets out a deep breath and rubs his eyes, worn out from the day's events. Seven years ago, he'd probably be drinking heavily at this point - but Dean's not had more than three beers a night since Scout came into his life. Strange how one little person can change your habits so much. He instead satisfies his thirst with Sprite and idly flicks on the news, keeping the volume low.
He's fairly certain that with the passage of time Scout can overcome her fear of heights - and he's got no problem in helping her do that. Dean even suspects Adam will help him with that. It's a long drive to Key West tomorrow, it will seem longer than today was - but then he remembers the first time it'd been daylight when he and his dad drove down to the edge of Florida - the sun on the water, the wonderful smell of the sea - it will all be good. This isn't a hunting trip - even if Scout might think it is. There's a place down at this end of the country called the Naylor House - a bed and breakfast where the Winchesters were always welcome. Dean had even called up the owners, Nicki and Bodge and arranged for Adam and Kelly to stay there for their Honeymoon - Florida Sunshine in the middle of a Wisconsin February - there wasn't much better than that he could set up.
Sure, it's a pretty long drive for a family vacation - but considering there's never been a real family vacation in Dean's life, you might as well start off with a good one. He also wasn't kidding about the visit to Disney World - he'd gotten those arrangements made ahead of time and with a little help from Kate Milligan, who had a brother who worked at some high level job there.
He hoped his little girl wouldn't be told she was to short to go on most of the rides.