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Chapter Six
Dean was heartbroken, but he didn’t let it show as he drove Alyssa to the library a couple of days later. He knew Alli had lied to him and he was sick about it. His daughter had been his finest achievement when she was born. He was a proud father who doted over his little girl from day one, now he wondered if Cassie hadn’t been right all along. He still wasn’t convinced, he had a plan and with a bit of luck it would be the thing to help bring his daughter close to him again.
Alli felt as bad as her father about the situation but she also kept it safely hidden inside of her. She wanted desperately to confess to her transgressions but was afraid he would never trust her again once he knew. She loved being her father’s little princess and hated the fact that she may have ruined that favored position with her behavior. Unfortunately, she had no idea of how to fix the situation. Had Cassie been aware of the inner turmoil of her daughter and husband she may have been able to help them come together but she was out of the loop thanks to the Winchester’s stubbornness gene.
Dean dropped Alli off at the front door with a reminder that he would be back to get her in a couple of hours. Most often she went to local library but recently she had begun to hang out at the downtown library which had been the first indication to Dean that something was amiss. He had kept his suspicions to himself, again with the hope that he could mend the rift with Alyssa on their own terms.
He parked the car in the back of the parking lot before he went inside after waiting ten minutes. This wasn’t the first time he had gone in to watch over his daughter so he had an idea of where she might sit with her friends to study. He walked in with every intention of being unobtrusive but the reference librarian smiled at him when she recognized him. He gave a half smile as he felt like a pervert though he knew his attentions were the most honorable.
When he walked down the aisle and saw Alyssa in a liplock with a boy at a table he lost it. The boys hands were on his daughter’s waist and the two of them seem to meld into one before Dean grabbed the teenage boy by the neck of his shirt.
“Get your dirty lips off of her,” he shouted, as everyone looked toward the sound of his voice.
Alli was shocked and embarrassed, “Dad,” she said in barely a whisper.
Dean pulled the boy up to his feet using the back of his shirt. The young man was beet red by the time he was face to chin with the unhappy father.
“This is not happening, do you understand?”
The boy nodded as though he was mute. He then looked from Alyssa to Dean and grabbed his books before he practically ran from the library.
Alyssa's friends took off after Dean raised his eyebrow at Vanessa who shook her head before she indicated that they should leave too. The entire time Alyssa was silent as she put her things back inside her backpack.
“Let’s go,” Dean said when she was done.
Half way home the silence was killing Dean, he wanted to scream and yell at his child but he knew he wouldn’t because what he most wanted was for to explain why she had betrayed his trust again. They had pulled into the drive before Alyssa spoke up.
“I’m sorry Daddy,” she said to him with tears in her eyes.
Dean got out of the car before he lost control of his emotions. Her saying sorry was not what he needed to hear. He needed to hear why when she turned ten she pushed him away. He needed to hear that she would never ever kiss another boy. Alyssa followed Dean into the house with fear in her heart. She knew silence from her father meant furious.
Alyssa was headed upstairs when Dean told her to wait for him in the living room. While she did as she was told Dean went into the bedroom to wait for Cassie to get off the phone. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow as he stood by the door. She could tell he was tense because his arms were crossed over his broad chest and his lips were pressed tightly together. She was aware of his impatience from the tapping of his foot on the carpet.
“Yeah I will get back with you in a bit, Lydia,” she said before she hung up the phone.
“We need to talk downstairs,” he said as he turned and expected her to follow him.
“Wait, what’s is going on?”
He turned again to face her with a frown on his handsome features, “You were right about Alli.”
Cassie hadn’t wanted to be right. She had hoped beyond all else that her daughter was not lying. She knew it hurt Dean more than anyone else. He had poured his soul into his little girl from the time she was born.
{Flashback-Thirteen Years before}
Dean watched Alyssa as he held her in his arms. Cassie came in the room to see what was taking him so long to bring the baby to be fed. She looked over Dean’s shoulder to see Alyssa was staring at him as she sucked on her little hand. The poor baby was hungry but satisfied to stay in her father’s arms. Dean looked up with a smile on his face, “Thank you, for this beauty, I promise I will never let anything or anyone hurt her,” he said with tears in his eyes.
“I know you won’t Sweetie, I know.”
{End Flashback}
When Cassie and Dean walked in the room they found Alyssa sitting nervously on the love seat. She swallowed as her father came to stand in front of her. He seemed a lot taller from that vantage point and she swallowed again as he asked her why she had been kissing a boy in the library.
“I think I love him,” she said calmly to a shocked Dean.
“What? How? When? Who?...”
Cassie decided to take over the questioning.
“You are not supposed to be kissing anyone at your age.”
Dean had moved to the sofa to sit down as his mind reeled. There was no silver lining to his twelve year old kissing a boy. Not one iota of good could have come from that act. He sighed as he watched Cassie attempt to reason with their child.
“Well love or not no more hanging out with boys,” Dean interjected as Cassie was attempting to reason with Alyssa.
“Dean, please….”
“Please what? She is too young to date so she is too young to kiss, end of story,” he insisted.
That was Dean, do-as-I-say-let’s-not-discuss the options way of parenting. It wasn’t as though Cassie was going to agree with Alyssa dating but she felt listening would have been the best idea. Dean could not see pass the fact that his little girl wanted to be with a boy and they he had lost not only his closeness to her but his say so in her choices.
“Daddy, what she is trying to tell you is I am not trying to have sex….”
“What? Why are you bringing that up?” he said as he tried not to hyperventilate. That was the last thing he had on his mind. Kissing was one matter, sex a whole different issue. Cassie shook her head as she tried not to laugh. It wasn’t funny like a joke but funny because Dean was so predictable with Alyssa.
“It’s not about sex, Daddy, it’s just hanging out stuff…. I do confess to lying to you and I am so sorry. Daddy please forgive me.”
Dean looked up before Alyssa sat beside him on the sofa. She reached to hug him but he stopped her. As far as he was concerned nothing had been settled.
“Look, you are grounded for lying and I do not know if I can trust you again or at least for a while,” he said as she looked in his eyes with her sad eyes.
“I understand, Daddy.”
She bit her lip, another move that was just as heart wrenching to Dean as she calling him Daddy. He knew she was pulling out the stops to keep from getting a harsh punishment.
He let her hug him then before he kissed the top of her head. Why is it so hard to be a good parent?
Cassie watched from across the room. She was certain their child was going to be an actress. If it weren’t so awful that they had been betrayed it would have made a good play at the local theatre.
“Alli, I know you think that we limit you by giving you boundaries and ideals but we only want what is best. Being a girl can be hard enough without getting involved in situations that can be easily compromised.”
“Do you know what she means?” Dean asked.
“Yes, Daddy, I know a girl that was raped at school,” she said as she put her head down.
“What?’ Dean asked as he looked from Cassie to Alli.
“But I know how to protect myself, just like you taught me. I can fight and I still carry um a surprise in my purse for those people that might mess with me.”
Dean tried not to smile. He was shocked to hear about the violence at his daughter’s school as she looked over at Cassie who he could tell she may have already known the news. Everyone looked up when Cory came in the room, “I knew you would get caught,” he said with a grin.
---
Sam came home to find Logan and Linda in full lip lock mode on the sofa. The young girl sat in Logan lap as the young man’s hands roamed freely. Sam had planned on quietly walking through the room, but when he heard a moan escaped from the girl’s lip he knew he should stop them. There was something so sensual about the moan that it occurred to him he may be giving his son too much freedom.
“Logan,” Sam said simply as he stood in front of the two who had their eyes closed.
Linda jumped up at the sound of Sam’s voice.
“I’m sorry Mr. Reese,” she said as she blushed while she gathered her purse and books.
“Hey, no problem,” Sam said as he indicated for Logan to walk her to her car.
Logan complied easily with Sam’s direction but was surprised to find his father waiting for him in the living room when he returned inside.
“What’s up, Dad?” he asked as he sat down at the other end of the large over stuffed sofa.
“I just want to make certain you are being, you know, careful.”
Logan smiled at the uncomfortableness of the situation. His father blushed as he spoke with him. Logan had endured lectures from his uncle Dean years ago on the subject of sex. The funny thing was that Dean always thought he was being cool about it when Logan knew that just like his own father his uncle was concerned that he would be a “player.”
“We're very careful, um we have not had sex, Dad. Don’t worry.”
Sam let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.
“Okay, I know this may sound counter productive but why not?”
Logan cleared his throat, “We aren’t ready Dad, I don’t know her that well and she actually wants to wait til she is married or at least engaged,” Logan said before he stood up with a yawn.
“Oh well, that’s nice to know,” Sam said though he jumped for joy on the inside.
If only MacKenzie had the same idea about things, maybe they would make it through the kids teen years in peace.
“Goodnight,” he heard Logan say as he went to the kitchen to see what there was for him to warm up for his dinner.
He found Lydia in the kitchen with the oven door open.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey yourself,” he responded as he kissed her cheek.
Afterward he removed his tie and shoes before he sat down at the table. Lydia grinned as he stretched his long legs out in front of him as he watched her warm his food.
“I heard what happened in the other room.”
Sam grinned, “It must be your gene pool,” Sam insisted.
“Not mine, my sister was pregnant before she left high school,” she laughed, “Maybe something we have been saying to them is getting through.”
Sam shrugged, he did not consider himself a good parent though he loved his family the best he knew how. He felt they lacked a lot in discipline but they had tried to replace it with open communication and follow up on threats of punishment. He sighed as he recalled his father’s yelling at him at the slightest provocation. His father and him had rarely gotten along. At an early age he missed a woman’s touch, though Dean was a great big brother for him. He wanted very much for Sam to have the same things normal children had even at his own expense.
“Hey you okay?” Lydia asked before she sat down the plate of chicken, peas and mashed potatoes.
“Yeah, I am,” he replied before he leaned up to receive her soft kiss on his lips.
Back at Dean and Cassie’s house the living room was in silence as Cory blushed before he sat in a chair across from the sofa.
“You knew?” Dean asked incredulous at his son.
“Dad I only knew that she had told a lie, not a lot else,” Cory explained as he looked at his mother with pleading eyes.
“Dean, it’s not Cory’s fault that Alli lied.”
Dean shook his head before he told Cory to go up to his room. Cory was very glad to get out of the fray with no casualty.
“Explain,” Dean insisted as Alli bit her lip.
“I uh,” she started, “I paid him to be quiet.”
“What?” Dean exclaimed.
“I’m sorry you lied to us about being at Vanessa’s, you were with a boy that neither of us has ever met, then you paid your little brother to be quiet. A great start if you want end up a thief and a blackmailer,” Dean began before Cassie interrupted.
“Alli, why?”
“I need my freedom and you two treat me like a little baby, especially Dad.”
Dean turned his head, he was not taking it all in very well. His heart hurt again. Cassie looked over at him to make certain he was okay but didn’t say anything to him.
“Okay so what kind of freedom do you think a thirteen year old needs? Let’s see if we can work something out.”
Alyssa arched her eyebrow at her mother. She never expected they might work with her on the freedom thing.
“I just want you to understand that I am growing up and am not a baby any longer.”
She looked shyly at her father who sat with his lips firmly together. He didn’t feel well, suddenly. She was a baby, his little baby girl. Why couldn’t she see that the boys only wanted one thing? He leaned down to put his head between his knees. Cassie saw his movements and knew he was hyperventilating, he would be fine.
“Okay so you are not a baby, so perhaps you should get a job, you know earn your keep around here.”
Alyssa’s eyes narrowed as she looked at her mother who sat back on the sofa with her tough love face on.
“Okay fine so can I work at the library?”
“You have to be sixteen to work at the library, and most jobs.”
Alyssa put her arms over her chest. Dean took a deep breath.
“Look, we are not going to be able to trust you any time soon, so for the next two months you will have time to decide how we are going to get past these recent deceptions of yours. You can also think of a way to explain to us what good can come from you kissing a boy,” Dean said as he got up to leave the room.
Cassie and Alyssa looked after him with a united sigh.
TBC