Daddy's Little Hunter (SPN Season 1)

Nightmare [2]

The Impala cruised to a stop outside Jim Miller's house, the boys saw the Emergency vehicles and someone on a stretcher being zipped into a body bag.

The boys turned to each other in the car, Dean concerned, Sam upset.

Dean  approached the watching crowd "What happened?"

"Suicide." A woman replied "Can't believe it,"

Sam came up behind and stood on the woman's  other side "Did you know them?"

"Saw him every Sunday at St Augustine's. He always seems...seemed, so normal. I guess you never know what's going on behind closed doors,"

Dean stared straight ahead "Guess not,"

"How did...ahh. How are they saying it happened?" Sam asked.

"I heard they found him in the garage, locked inside his car with the engine running," The woman explained.

"Do you know what time they found him?"

"Oh, it just happened about an hour or two ago. His poor family. I can't even imagine what they're going through,"

A woman stood on the front step of Jim Miller's house, crying and leaning against a middle-aged man.

A young man stood behind them, looking distraught.

Sam watched, grimacing, then turned to walk away.

Dean noticed and followed him back to lean against the Impala's bonnet. He got Natalia out of her car seat "Come here squirt, your dad needs some cheering up,"

"Daddy!" Natalia squealed as Dean handed her off to Sam.

"Hey, Tali," Sam placed her on his lap.

Dean sighed "Sam we got here as fast we could,"

"Not fast enough. It doesn't make any sense man. Why would I even have these premonitions if there wasn't a chance I could stop them from happening?"

"I dunno,"

Sam shook his head and sighed "So what do you think killed him?"

Dean shrugged "Maybe the guy just killed himself? Maybe there's nothing supernatural going on at all,"

Sam shook his head "I'm telling you, I watched it happen. He was murdered by something Dean. I watched it trap him in the garage,"

"What was it, a spirit, poltergeist, what?"

"I don't know what it was," Sam exclaimed starting to get worked up, he quieted down when Natalia whimpered a little from her father's outburst. "I don't know why I'm having these dreams, I don't know what the hell is happening Dean,"

Dean stared at Sam for a long moment.

"What?" Sam snapped.

Dean shrugged "Nothing. I'm just, I'm worried about you man,"

"I'm not looking at you like anything. Though I gotta say, you do look like crap,"

Sam gave Dean a deadpanned look "It's not like I'm a single dad raising a three-year-old, looking for a missing dad while saving the world from monsters,"

"Yeah, well you forget you got me as well," Dean said as he picked Natalia up and swung her up in the air, causing the toddler to squeal in glee as she fell back into his arms. "Come on, let's just pick this up in the morning. We'll check out the house, talk to the family,"

"Dean, you saw them, they're devastated. They're not going to talk to us,"

"Yeah, you're right." Dean smirked "But I think I know who they will talk to,"

"Who?"

***

"No dwess," Natalia pouted as Sam held her as Dean rang the doorbell to the Miller household.

"You just need to wear it for a little bit and then I'll let you pick out your outfit afterward ok?" Sam told her.

Natalia held up a thumbs-up sign "Otay,"

Sam sighed as he looked over at Dean "This has gotta be a whole new low for us,"

Dean turned to smirk at Sam, then looked back at the door as the man that had comforted Ms. Miller the previous night opened the door. "Good afternoon. I'm Father Simmons, this is Father Frehley and his daughter. We're new junior priests over at St Augustine's. May we come in?"

The man nodded.

"Thanks,"

"We're very sorry for your loss," Sam said.

"It's in difficult times like these when the Lord's guidance is most needed,"

"Look, you wanna pitch your whole 'Lord has a plan' thing? Fine. Just don't pitch it to me. My brother's dead," The man argued.

Ms. Miller appeared "Roger. Please!"

Roger moved away "Excuse me,"

"I'm sorry about my brother in law. He's...he's just so upset about Jim's death. Would you like some coffee?"

"That would be great," Dean smiled "And uh...milk for the little one," he took a seat on the lounge, Sam in an armchair.

Ms. Miller handed a glass of milk to Natalia.

"Thank you," Natalia said as she took the beverage.

"It was wonderful of you to stop by. The support of the church means so much right now." Ms. Miller told them.

"Of course. After all, we are all God's children," Dean smiled.

Ms. Miller walked away and Dean immediately took more cocktail sausages from the coffee table.

Chewing contentedly, Dean looked at Sam shaking his head.

"What?" Dean asked confused.

"Just...tone it down a little bit, Father,"

Ms. Miller returned.

"So Ms. Miller, did your husband have a history of depression?"

"Nothing like that." Ms. Miller shook her head as she became upset "We had our ups and downs like everyone but we were happy." Ms. Miller cried "I just don't understand....how Jim could do something like this,"

"I'm so sorry you had to find him like that," Sam said as he looked over at Natalia, understanding what Ms. Miller was going through.

"Actually, our son Max, he was the one who found him," Ms. Miller gestured behind her.

Sam looked through the doors into the dining room and saw Max sitting in the corner, staring into space. "Do you mind if maybe, I go talk to him?"

"Oh thank you, Father," Ms. Miller praised as Sam handed Natalia over to Dean.

Sam approached Max in the other room "Max? Hey, I'm Sam,"

Dean turned back towards Ms. Miller "Ms. Miller you have a lovely home. How long have you lived here?"

"We moved in about five years ago," Ms. Miller replied.

"The only problem with these old houses. I bet you have all kind of headaches,"

"Like what?"

"Well, weird leaks, electrical shortages, odd settling noises at night. That kind of thing,"

Ms. Miller shook her head "No, nothing like that. It's been perfect,"

"Huh..."

Natalia tugged on Dean's shirt "Potty,"

Dean looked at Ms. Miller "May we use your restroom?"