I'll Tell You My Sins so You Can Sharpen Your Knife
Family is the most important thing in the world.
Four years later
Sarah was washing dishes when she heard the roar of the Impala pull into the drive way. It was louder than usual, something must be wrong with it.
“Daddy!” Elizabeth squealed, bolting from the kitchen table for the door.
“Elizabeth Mary, don’t run!” Sarah shouted after her, but it was useless. She was probably already at the door, jumping in place.
Sarah’s phone started to ring, and she wiped her wet hands on her jeans to answer it. “Hello?”
“Hey, Sarah.” Crowley said, trying to sound casual. There was an odd tone to his voice.
“Crowley? What’s up?”
“Up? Nothing’s up. Why would you think that?”
“Well, usually when you want to talk, you just pop in.”
“How’s the munchkin?”
Sarah scowled. “She’s fine. Why?”
“No reason. I need to go. Give Dean a kiss for me.”
“Crowley – “
But he was gone. Sarah rolled her eyes and put the phone back in her pocket. She heard the front door open and Elizabeth’s squeals turn into laughter, probably as Dean picked her up. Momentarily he came into the kitchen, holding the four year old upside down while tickling her.
“See? I told you.” She laughed hysterically. “Mommy’s there!”
“Aha! So she is.” He flipped his daughter right side up and set her on her feet, but she continued to dangle off him while he leaned over and kissed Sarah on the cheek. “Hello.”
“Hey.” She said. “How was it?”
He shrugged. She’d get details later.
“Car sounds awful.”
“Yeah, I’m going to fix it tomorrow.”
“Remember that you said you’d look at the Cornwell’s car at some point.”
“Yeah.”
“Daddy!” Elizabeth whined, tugging on him. “I have something I want to show you!”
“Alright, princess.” He looked down at her. “What do you want to show me?”
She pulled a sunflower seed from her pocket and held it in her small open hand. She closed her eyes tightly, The seed sprouted roots and a green shoot shot upwards, thickening and budding and opening to a large sunflower. Sarah watched her daughter, upset. Dean looked a little frightened.
“That’s really nice, Lizzy.” He said.
“Lizzy, honey, give that to me so I can plant it.” Sarah said in a tired way. “And then you should color for a bit, okay?”
Dean suddenly understood why there were so many pots of sunflowers on the porch. Elizabeth handed over the flower and dragged her father into the living room to color. Dean sat on the couch and closed his eyes, letting himself doze off.
Next thing he knew, Sarah was gently shaking him awake.
“Hey.” She said softly. “I was thinking we’d go out for dinner.”
Dean rubbed his eyes. It had been a long couple of weeks, with four jobs and not a lot of sleep. But the nap helped.
“Yeah. Okay.”
“You should change your clothes.” She said, crinkling her nose. “You smell a little moldy.”
“There was a basement. And an abandoned cabin.”
“Sounds fun.”
She watched him pull himself up off the couch.
“How was it here?”
“Alright. Had a few clients. A few calls here or there, few jobs assigned. Got Lizzy enrolled in school.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“Dean, she needs to go to school.”
“I meant with the state of our porch.”
Sarah sighed and looked in the direction of the porch. “We’ll talk about this later, alright? When she’s in bed. I don’t want to scare her. Go get changed.”
Dean changed and washed his face, and when he came back downstairs Sarah was checking her purse for her keys. Elizabeth was already outside, spinning on the front lawn to make herself as dizzy as possible until she fell down, with the little girl from next door.
“Elizabeth, say goodbye to Francis!” Sarah called as she walked outside.
“Do we want to take my car?” Dean asked.
“I thought something was wrong with it.”
“It’s not like it won’t drive. It’ll just be loud.”
Sarah rolled her eyes. “You are such a show off. Every night is cruise night with you around.”
But Elizabeth was already chanting, “Daddy’s Car! Daddy’s Car!” so Sarah pulled the car seat out of her own car to move it into the Impala. As soon as Elizabeth was buckled in, they set out for the center of town. They parked in the municipal lot and headed for a small restaurant, sitting outside. After they sat, Dean rested a hand on Sarah’s thigh.
“You know, I had to chase your mother down here once, with your Aunt Charlie.” Dean said to Elizabeth.
“Why did you have to chase her?”
“She was very, very upset with me. She almost threw me out of town.”
Elizabeth giggled. “Can we have ice cream after dinner?”
“If you finish your food.” Sarah said.
Elizabeth did finish her food, and then had two scoops of bubblegum ice cream. Sarah was a little nervous about that, but she would be fine eventually. Sarah and Dean each had a hot fudge sundae, and Dean kept bending to his daughter’s will and letting her eat all of his fudge.
So it was no surprise, on the drive home, when Sarah heard Elizabeth sputtering in the backseat. She turned to find that she had puked all over the Impala’s backseat, bright pink with hints of spaghetti noodles.
“Dean, pull over.” Sarah said urgently.
“What?”
“Pull over!”
Sarah jumped out of the car before it had completely stopped and pulled Elizabeth out of her car seat, parking her on the side of t he road and letting her heave up everything she had eaten. Sarah patiently rubbed her daughter’s back as Dean started digging in the trunk for a rag. He was a lot calmer than Sarah expected.
“Sorry Daddy.” Elizabeth finally managed to say with watering eyes.
“It’s alright, princess.” He said, wiping up the seats. “Had to get it detailed anyway.”
Sarah shook her head. If she ever puked in the Impala, Dean would have her head.
~*~
Sarah had put Elizabeth to bed, and now she and Dean sat on the porch steps, each with a beer. Sarah sighed and let her head tip onto his shoulder. Dean stared at a sunflower without really seeing it.
“She knows not to show that to anyone who isn’t family.” Sarah said. “But you’re right. If she gets hurt or scared, it might end badly. And she’s too young to properly control it.”
“I thought breakthroughs don’t come till later.”
Sarah shook her head. “Normally they don’t. But I had mine when I was her age. I think how young you are corresponds to how powerful you’ll be. At least, that’s what I gather.”
Dean rubbed his jaw. “I guess I don’t understand. Why do you need spells when she doesn’t?”
Sarah spread her hands wide. “It’s part of the breakthrough. It’s like a burst of power. Kind of like how people say that small children are geniuses until they learn how to talk. In a year, she won’t be able to do that anymore. She’ll need sigils and spells.”
“We can’t put off school for a year?”
Sarah smiled and rubbed his arm. “Don’t worry, Dean. Your little princess will be just fine.”
They sat in silence for a bit, watching the night. Dean finished his beer and opened a new one.
“Have you heard anything about…the gods?” She finally asked.
Dean shook his head. “Not much. Cass says it could be years before they decide anything. If they do come, we won’t have much warning anyway.”
Sarah sighed. “I guess we’ll have to make the best of what time we have.”
He kissed the top of her head and they continued to watch the night.
“Do you still love me?” she asked, feeling a little vulnerable as the words came out.
“Always.”
Sarah was washing dishes when she heard the roar of the Impala pull into the drive way. It was louder than usual, something must be wrong with it.
“Daddy!” Elizabeth squealed, bolting from the kitchen table for the door.
“Elizabeth Mary, don’t run!” Sarah shouted after her, but it was useless. She was probably already at the door, jumping in place.
Sarah’s phone started to ring, and she wiped her wet hands on her jeans to answer it. “Hello?”
“Hey, Sarah.” Crowley said, trying to sound casual. There was an odd tone to his voice.
“Crowley? What’s up?”
“Up? Nothing’s up. Why would you think that?”
“Well, usually when you want to talk, you just pop in.”
“How’s the munchkin?”
Sarah scowled. “She’s fine. Why?”
“No reason. I need to go. Give Dean a kiss for me.”
“Crowley – “
But he was gone. Sarah rolled her eyes and put the phone back in her pocket. She heard the front door open and Elizabeth’s squeals turn into laughter, probably as Dean picked her up. Momentarily he came into the kitchen, holding the four year old upside down while tickling her.
“See? I told you.” She laughed hysterically. “Mommy’s there!”
“Aha! So she is.” He flipped his daughter right side up and set her on her feet, but she continued to dangle off him while he leaned over and kissed Sarah on the cheek. “Hello.”
“Hey.” She said. “How was it?”
He shrugged. She’d get details later.
“Car sounds awful.”
“Yeah, I’m going to fix it tomorrow.”
“Remember that you said you’d look at the Cornwell’s car at some point.”
“Yeah.”
“Daddy!” Elizabeth whined, tugging on him. “I have something I want to show you!”
“Alright, princess.” He looked down at her. “What do you want to show me?”
She pulled a sunflower seed from her pocket and held it in her small open hand. She closed her eyes tightly, The seed sprouted roots and a green shoot shot upwards, thickening and budding and opening to a large sunflower. Sarah watched her daughter, upset. Dean looked a little frightened.
“That’s really nice, Lizzy.” He said.
“Lizzy, honey, give that to me so I can plant it.” Sarah said in a tired way. “And then you should color for a bit, okay?”
Dean suddenly understood why there were so many pots of sunflowers on the porch. Elizabeth handed over the flower and dragged her father into the living room to color. Dean sat on the couch and closed his eyes, letting himself doze off.
Next thing he knew, Sarah was gently shaking him awake.
“Hey.” She said softly. “I was thinking we’d go out for dinner.”
Dean rubbed his eyes. It had been a long couple of weeks, with four jobs and not a lot of sleep. But the nap helped.
“Yeah. Okay.”
“You should change your clothes.” She said, crinkling her nose. “You smell a little moldy.”
“There was a basement. And an abandoned cabin.”
“Sounds fun.”
She watched him pull himself up off the couch.
“How was it here?”
“Alright. Had a few clients. A few calls here or there, few jobs assigned. Got Lizzy enrolled in school.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“Dean, she needs to go to school.”
“I meant with the state of our porch.”
Sarah sighed and looked in the direction of the porch. “We’ll talk about this later, alright? When she’s in bed. I don’t want to scare her. Go get changed.”
Dean changed and washed his face, and when he came back downstairs Sarah was checking her purse for her keys. Elizabeth was already outside, spinning on the front lawn to make herself as dizzy as possible until she fell down, with the little girl from next door.
“Elizabeth, say goodbye to Francis!” Sarah called as she walked outside.
“Do we want to take my car?” Dean asked.
“I thought something was wrong with it.”
“It’s not like it won’t drive. It’ll just be loud.”
Sarah rolled her eyes. “You are such a show off. Every night is cruise night with you around.”
But Elizabeth was already chanting, “Daddy’s Car! Daddy’s Car!” so Sarah pulled the car seat out of her own car to move it into the Impala. As soon as Elizabeth was buckled in, they set out for the center of town. They parked in the municipal lot and headed for a small restaurant, sitting outside. After they sat, Dean rested a hand on Sarah’s thigh.
“You know, I had to chase your mother down here once, with your Aunt Charlie.” Dean said to Elizabeth.
“Why did you have to chase her?”
“She was very, very upset with me. She almost threw me out of town.”
Elizabeth giggled. “Can we have ice cream after dinner?”
“If you finish your food.” Sarah said.
Elizabeth did finish her food, and then had two scoops of bubblegum ice cream. Sarah was a little nervous about that, but she would be fine eventually. Sarah and Dean each had a hot fudge sundae, and Dean kept bending to his daughter’s will and letting her eat all of his fudge.
So it was no surprise, on the drive home, when Sarah heard Elizabeth sputtering in the backseat. She turned to find that she had puked all over the Impala’s backseat, bright pink with hints of spaghetti noodles.
“Dean, pull over.” Sarah said urgently.
“What?”
“Pull over!”
Sarah jumped out of the car before it had completely stopped and pulled Elizabeth out of her car seat, parking her on the side of t he road and letting her heave up everything she had eaten. Sarah patiently rubbed her daughter’s back as Dean started digging in the trunk for a rag. He was a lot calmer than Sarah expected.
“Sorry Daddy.” Elizabeth finally managed to say with watering eyes.
“It’s alright, princess.” He said, wiping up the seats. “Had to get it detailed anyway.”
Sarah shook her head. If she ever puked in the Impala, Dean would have her head.
~*~
Sarah had put Elizabeth to bed, and now she and Dean sat on the porch steps, each with a beer. Sarah sighed and let her head tip onto his shoulder. Dean stared at a sunflower without really seeing it.
“She knows not to show that to anyone who isn’t family.” Sarah said. “But you’re right. If she gets hurt or scared, it might end badly. And she’s too young to properly control it.”
“I thought breakthroughs don’t come till later.”
Sarah shook her head. “Normally they don’t. But I had mine when I was her age. I think how young you are corresponds to how powerful you’ll be. At least, that’s what I gather.”
Dean rubbed his jaw. “I guess I don’t understand. Why do you need spells when she doesn’t?”
Sarah spread her hands wide. “It’s part of the breakthrough. It’s like a burst of power. Kind of like how people say that small children are geniuses until they learn how to talk. In a year, she won’t be able to do that anymore. She’ll need sigils and spells.”
“We can’t put off school for a year?”
Sarah smiled and rubbed his arm. “Don’t worry, Dean. Your little princess will be just fine.”
They sat in silence for a bit, watching the night. Dean finished his beer and opened a new one.
“Have you heard anything about…the gods?” She finally asked.
Dean shook his head. “Not much. Cass says it could be years before they decide anything. If they do come, we won’t have much warning anyway.”
Sarah sighed. “I guess we’ll have to make the best of what time we have.”
He kissed the top of her head and they continued to watch the night.
“Do you still love me?” she asked, feeling a little vulnerable as the words came out.
“Always.”