Home.

*Content Warning*

Athena Winchester looks at the wires in front of her and knits her brows together. She spins the screwdriver around her fingers. The girl wanted to focus on her invention, but she had too much on her mind. After a few cases back with the Hookman, Athena didn't feel too confident with her relationship with Dean. Sure, they had their moments when it felt like they were mending their broken bond. But there were other times when John would be mentioned and it felt like they were right back under their father's strict eye.

Athena hated to admit it, but she wasn't confident enough in her bond with Dean for her to trust that he would choose her over John. She wished she was.

The door swings open and Athena's heart jumps into her throat. "What the nuggets?!" She shoots out of her seat, the girl grabs her notebook as tosses it toward the door.

The notebook hits the wall beside her brothers, who were standing in the door entrance.

"Nice throw." Dean presses his lips together, sarcasm in his words.

Athena slumps her shoulders, "I could've hurt you guys."

Dean pulls his brows together, "Uh—No. you actually couldn't've."

"Why didn't you knock?" Athena asks.

"We have an emergency." Sam says.

Athena's back straightens.

"It's a case."

Athena slowly nods her head, "Okay...why is it an emergency?"

"Because..." Dean says, shifting his stance. "...it's at our old home."

Has nothing to do with you.

Athena inhales, "Okay, let's go."

The entire car ride was silent. Athena's eyes were glued to the scar on her index finger.

The girl felt like she was going to throw up. When she was little, Athena always wondered what their lives were like before she was born. But anytime she asked about it, the girl would be ignored or put down with rage.

Athena's eyes land on the house that Sam and Dean's eyes were glued onto. "Do you want me to stay in the car?"

Sam turns to the girl, who's eyes were on her fidgeting hands. "It's up to you, Athy."

Athena looks at Dean, who's jaw was clenched. "Dean?"

Dean blinks and looks at his little sister. "Uh—whatever you want." He quickly gets out of the car.

Athena exhales through her nose. Sam gets out of the car and follows his brother toward the house. The girl steps out of the car and follows them. Dean knocks on the door.

After a moment, the door swings open; revealing the blonde. "Yes?"

"Sorry to bother you, ma'am, but we're with the Federal—"

"I'm Sam Winchester, this is my brother, Dean and our baby sister Athena."

Athena and Dean look at Sam.

"Um...Dean and I used to live here." Sam continues. "We were just driving by, and we were wondering if we could see the old place."

"That is so funny." The woman says, her brows knitted. "You know, I-I think I found some of your photos the other night."

"You did?" Dean's jaw goes slack.

The girl looks between the siblings. "Okay. Come on in." She walks back into the house.

The siblings all look at each other before following the woman inside.

"Juice, Juice, Juice, Juice, Juice, Juice!"

Athena looks at the child jumping in his crib. She tilts her head and pulls her brows together.

"That's Richie." Jenny speaks. "He's kind of a juice junkie."

"I like strawberry milk." Athena says, holding her hand up.

Jenny raises her brows and frowns, "Richie won't get scurvy and you won't have brittle bones."

Athena smiles.

"I have some strawberry milk right now. Want some?" The lady opens the fridge.

"Yes, please."

Jenny grabs the sippy cup and pours Athena a glass of strawberry milk. The blonde hands Athena the milk and the girl silently thanks the mom.

"Sari, this is Sam, Dean, and Athena." She introduces the three. "They used to live here."

"They did. I didn't." Athena shrugs. "Half sibling things."

Jenny pulls her brows together. Athena presses her lips together before drinking some of her milk.

"Hi." Sari waves at them.

"Hey, Sari."

"So, you just moved in?" Dean asks.

"Uh, yeah, from Wichita."

"You got family here?" Dean asks.

"No, I just, Uh...Um, needed a fresh start." Jenny swallows. "That's all."

"So new town, new job—I mean, as soon as I find one—new house." Jenny forces out a chuckle and Athena's eyes sadden.

"So, how you liking it so far?" Sam asks.

"Well, Uh, all due respect to your childhood home—I mean, I'm sure you have lots of happy memories here—but this place has its issues." She explains.

Athena tilts her head. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's just getting old, like, the wiring, you know? We've got flickering lights almost hourly."

"Oh, that's too bad. What else?" Dean questions, his voice almost strained. He sounded almost annoyed about the woman complaining about his former home.

"Um...sink's backed up." Jenny starts to list. "There's rats in the basement."

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to complain." She says, noticing Dean's expression.

"No. Have you seen the rats or just heard scratching?" Dean inquires.

"His the scratching, actually."

"Mom?" Sari speaks. "Ask them if it was here when they lived here."

Athena raises her brows, "What is it, Sari?"

"The thing in my closet." Sari looks at the girl near her age.

"Oh, no, baby, there was nothing in their closets. Right?" The woman looks at the brothers.

"Right, no. No, of course not." Sam gives the girl a small smile.

"She had a nightmare the other night."

"I wasn't dreaming." Sari says. "It came into my bedroom, and it was on fire."

As soon they were done talking to the family, when they left the home; Sam and Dean began freaking out.

"You hear that? A figure on fire."

"And Jenny was the woman in your dreams?" Dean asks.

Athena raises her brows, "You had a dream about this family?"

"Yeah, and you hear what she was talking about—scratching, flickering lights? Both signs of a Malevolent spirit." Sam continues.

"I'm just freaked out your weirdo visions are coming true." Dean exhales.

"Forget about that for a minute—the thing in the house, do you think it's the thing that killed mom and Jessica?" Sam asks.

"I don't know!"

"Well, has it come back or has it been there the whole time?—"

"Or maybe it's something else entirely, Sam—we don't know yet." Dean says, stopping in the middle of the street.

Athena looks between her brothers.

"Those people are in danger, Dean." Sam pronounces. "We have to get them out of that house."

"We will—"

"No, I mean now."

Athena raises her brows, "How is that going to happen?" she asks.

Sam looks at his little sister.

"Your working on panic right now, Sam." Athena states.

"What are we supposed to do?" Sam asks.

"First, we need gas." Dean says.

Athena points at Dean and nods, "Agreed."

Flashback

Silence filled the small motel room. Athena keeps her eyes on her journal, her eraser between her teeth. Her eyes shift to her eldest brother then her father. Dean was cleaning his gun while John was on his computer, looking into a case.

"Daddy..."

John sighs and looks at the young girl. She bounces her leg and gnaws on her lower lip. John scratches the side of his head.

"Athena, I don't have time for this." John snaps. "What is it?"

Athena looks down at the cartoon bandaids on her fingers and inhales. "What was Mary like?"

Dean both stops everything he was doing. The boy still has his eyes on his gun, but there was fear coming off of him.

Judging by the silence, Athena knew this wasn't gonna end well. She inhales a shaky breath, her throat slowly closing.

"What?" John's tone was low.

Athena shakes her head, "N-Nevermind—"

"Speak your mind, Athena." John snaps, causing her to flinch.

"Dad she was just curious." Dean says.

John doesn't even acknowledge Dean.

Athena opens and closes her mouth. "I-I just never got to know my...mom so I was just—"

Out of nowhere John grabs Athena's wrist and yanks her out of her seat, causing her to shriek. "Your mom left you, ya hear me?!" He shouts. His hand clutches over her mouth.

Athena burns her teary ocean eyes into John's dark brown ones swirling with rage. No, hatred.

He hated Athena.

"Their mom was killed—there is a difference!" John screams.

Athena closes her eyes and her breathing quickens.

"Their mom wanted to stay with them and yours didn't want you, Athena!"

Athena's heartbeat fills her ears.

"Dad, stop she can't breathe!" Dean stands up, dropping his gun on the bed. His hands shake with so much anxiety, all he wanted to do was cover his ears and close his eyes.

But the pain Dean could hear through Athena's quick breathing, made him sick to his stomach. Dean grabs his father's arm, "Dad—"

John shoves Dean to the side. He keeps the strong grip over Athena's mouth and drags her toward the small closet.

Athena's eyes widen and she starts to struggle, screams of objection leaving her lips. Her eyes land on Dean's. His eyes filled with guilt. Dean shifts his gaze to the ground and Athena's sobs grow louder.

John opens the closest and throws Athena inside. She hits the wall and lets out a cry. "Daddy, please! I'm sorry!" She crawls over to the door. Athena gets her hand out the door, but John slams it shut. Athena screams, the pain in her finger instantly flaring. She pulls her finger back and scoots into the corner of the dark closet.

"I'm sorry! I am so sorry!" She hiccups and grasps at her chest, hoping to calm herself down.

"You will stay in there, until you learn your place!" John gives the closest a hard kick, shaking it. Athena clutches her finger and quietly sobs.

Dean hesitantly shifts his gaze to his father. He shifts in his spot and John notices.

"Speak your mind, boy."

Dean's heart drops into his stomach. "Dad, I don't think that's fair—"

"She's a problem—"

"She's a kid- your kid!" Dean whispers harshly.

John squints his eyes and Dean tenses. He controls his anger. "All I'm saying is...she didn't know she wasn't allowed to ask about mom, all right?"

John steps closer to Dean and he tenses. Dean's eyes shoot back down to the floor.

"You do realize that she isn't worth shit, right?" John growls. "And you know why."

Dean thinks back to the reason John took Athena in and his stomach turns.

"I should've left her ass—"

"Stop." Dean says through clenched teeth, his fearful eyes on his father. "Just...stop."

You don't matter to him.

You don't matter to anyone.

"That's not true..." Athena whispers. "I'm just...a bad kid. This is my timeout."

She sits up straight and inhales her sniffles. "I have to learn...be better than before."

Present

"All right, then. Don't you worry about a thing."

Athena looks at the dark-skinned woman walking her client out of the building.

"Your wife is crazy about you." She laughs softly.

As soon as the client leaves and the door shuts behind him, the woman exhales a sharp breath.  "Poor bastard—his woman is cold-bangin' the gardener."

Athena chuckles softly but she slowly shakes her head. "What does that have to do with his wife still loving him?"

The girl looks at the frizzy-haired girl, "Infidelity, darling."

Athena raises her brows, "Oh, no..." she slumps her shoulders. "Poor mister client man."

"Yes, poor him indeed."

"Well, why didn't you tell him?" Dean asks.

"People don't come here for the truth." Missouri states. "They come for good news."

She starts toward her office, but stops. The woman turns toward the siblings. "Sam, Dean, Athena—come on already. I ain't got all day."

"Yes, ma'am!" Athena shoots onto her feet and follows after the woman.

Missouri looks at the girl and she does a double take. "Child, what have they been doing to your hair?"

Athena tilts her head, "Uh—"

"What have you two been doing to her hair?"

Sam and Dean open their mouths, but Missouri talks.

"Nothing—that's what you've been doing!" Missouri shakes her head. "A whole lotta nothing."

Athena presses her lips into a smile and nods. "That's right, Miss Missouri. They are a bunch of slackers."

"Hey!"

Missouri lets out a soft laugh. "I like you, Miss Winchester."

Athena's smile grows.

Once they get into the office, Missouri turns to the siblings standing beside each other.

"Well, let me look at you." Missouri lets out a laugh. "Oh, you boys grew up handsome."

"And you were one goofy-looking kid, too." Missouri points at Dean.

Athena laughs softly.

"Sam..." Missouri grabs ahold of the middle child's hand. She pulls her brows together. "Oh, honey. I'm sorry about your girlfriend."

Athena's mouth hangs open.

"And your father...he's missing?"

"How'd you know all that?" Sam asks.

"Well, you were just thinking it, just now." Missouri says.

"Well, where is he? Is he okay?" Dean inquires.

"I don't know." Missouri answers.

"Don't know?" Dean forces out a chuckle. "You're supposed to be a psychic, right?"

Athena rolls her eyes. Dean never understood how much force he put behind his words. It was gonna get him hurt one day.

"Boy, you see me sawing some bony tramp in half?" Missouri questions, her brows punched together. "You think I'm a magician?"

A smile crawls onto Athena's face and her eyes brighten with admiration.

Dean opens and closes his mouth.

"I may be able to read thoughts and sense energies in a room, but I can't just pull facts out of thin air." Missouri rants.

"Oooh, Dean's in trouble..." Athena says in a singing tone.

"I'm going to pinch you, Athy." Dean says through his teeth.

"You will do no such thing!" Missouri snaps. "And stop calling her Athy."

Athena looks at the woman. Missouri gives her a comforting wink.

"You're so cool!" Athena beams.

Missouri gently touches the girl's hand. The psychic felt a warm energy run through her from Athena. The girl had such a bright energy that could make anyone smile. But Missouri also sensed the dark thoughts and troubling memories crawl from the young girl. But not wanting to worry Athena with her thoughts, the woman smiled.

"Sit, sit—please." Missouri gently urges.

The siblings comply.

Missouri sits across from the three. As Dean sits down Missouri arches a brow.

"Boy, you put your foot on my coffee table, I'm gonna whack you with a spoon." Missouri points at him.

"I didn't do anything." Dean defends.

"Well, you were thinking about it."

Athena and Sam smile at the woman for reprimanding Dean.

"Okay, so...our dad." Sam starts. "When did you first meet him?"

"He came for a reading a few days after the fire." Missouri answers. "I just told him what was really out there in the dark. I guess you could say I drew back the curtains for him."

"What about the fire?" Dean asks. "Do you know about what killed our mom?"

"A little." Missouri states. "Your daddy took me to your house. He was hoping I could sense the echoes, the fingerprints of this thing."

"And could you?"

"I don't..." Missouri trails off her sentence and Athena pulls her brows together.

"What's wrong?" The girl inquires.

"I don't know." Missouri exhales. "But it was evil."

A chill runs down Athena's spine and she tries to rub away the goosebumps on her arms. Whatever fear and darkness, Missouri was feeling; Athena felt it too. And Missouri noticed.

☆

The door opens, revealing Jenny's shaken presence.

"Sam, Dean, Athena. What are you guys doing here?"

"Hey, Jenny. Um, this is our friend Missouri." Sam introduces the psychic.

"If it's not too much trouble, we were hoping to show her the house, for old time's sake." Dean shrugs.

"No, you know, this isn't a good time. Im kind of busy." Jenny chuckles nervously. She starts to close the door.

"Listen, Jenny, it's important—"

Missouri hits the back of Dean's head and Athena raises her brows.

"Give the poor girl a break." Missouri says through clenched teeth. "Can't you see she's upset?"

Jenny turns back towards all of them.

"Forgive this boy. He means well." Missouri says. "He's just not the sharpest tool in the shed."

"Finally someone else gets it." Athena murmurs.

Dean bumps the girl to the side.

"But hear me out..." Missouri starts.

"About what?" Jenny questions.

"About this house." Missouri says.

"What are you talking about?" Jenny asks.

"I think you know what I'm talking about." Missouri proceeds. "You think there's something in this house, something that wants to hurt your family. Am I mistaken?"

"Who are you?" Jenny asks.

"We're people who can help, who can stop this thing, but your gonna have to trust us just a little."

Jenny inhales a soft breath and nods her head. She takes a step aside, letting the four into the house.

The siblings follow Missouri to Sari's room. "If there's a dark energy around here, this room should be the center of it."

"Why?"

"This used to be your nursery, Sam." Missouri states. "This is where it all happened."

Athena looks around the room. Her eyes land on the EMF Dean was holding in his hand.

"That an EMF?" Missouri asks.

Dean nods, "Yeah."

"Amateur."

The EMF in Dean's hand starts to glow and buzz.

"I don't know if you boys should be disappointed or relieved, but this ain't the thing that took your mom." Missouri explains.

"Are you sure?" Sam asks. "How do you know?"

"It isn't the same energy I felt the last time I was here." Missouri explains. "It's something different."

"What is it?" Athena asks.

"Not it..." Missouri steps into the closet. "...them."

Athena pulls her brows together.

"There's more than one spirit in this place."

"What are they doing here?" Dean asks.

"They're here because of what happened to your family." Missouri states. "You see, all those years ago, real evil came to you. It walked this house. That kind of evil leaves wounds, and sometimes wounds get infected."

"I don't understand." Sam shakes his head.

"This place is a magnet for Paranormal Energy." Missouri explains. "It's attracted a Poltergeist—a nasty one and it won't rest until Jenny and her babies are dead."

"You said there was more than one spirit..."

Missouri nods her head, "There is. I just can't quiet make out the second one."

"Well, one thing's for damn sure—nobody's dying in this house ever again."

Flashback

Athena felt like she was going to be sick. Dean was sitting on the edge of the bed, his eyes stuck to his hands.

John was standing in front of his two kids, the middle child nowhere to be seen. That's because Sam ran away when Dean and Athena went to the store. At first, Athena couldn't believe it—until she saw that all of Sam's things were gone.

Athena knew Sam could take care of himself. But she was more worried about how their father was going to react.

"You lost him?"

Athena looks at her father, then shifts to Dean. The eldest brother inhales a deep breath.

"Dad, I'm sorry. He left when we were all—"

Athena flinches as John slaps Dean.

Dean falls to the ground, but he doesn't even bother getting up. He just places his arms over his head, readying for the heavy hits that we're going to come his way.

With every hit, Athena flinches. Her breathing quickens when Dean doesn't move. She gnaws on her lower lip, without thinking she runs toward John and grabs his arm.

"STOP IT!" She tugs at his arm, knowing it would make him mad.

John pulls his elbow back, hitting Athena's eye. She falls to the ground, her hand over her eye.

"Stop it." Athena says again.

John looks at Dean, who's face was bloody, then at the young girl who was avoiding eye contact.

"If you're gonna act tough, then you're gonna have to learn how to look someone in the eye when you do it." John grips her chin, forcing her to burn her eyes into his.

He shoves her face back and grabs his jacket, storming out of the motel. Athena inhales, she looks over at Dean who was still on the ground. She runs over to him.

"Dean, are you—"

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Athena pulls her hands away from her brother. "I...I was just trying to help. He was hurting you!"

"Yeah, well stop trying to help. I don't need it!" Dean spits out some of the blood, staining his teeth. "He always hurts me. Just like you."

Dean scoffs, "You're only going to make things worse pissing him off like that."

Athena looks at the ground and Dean pulls his brows together. "But you knew that, didn't you?"

Athena presses her lips together and nods her head.

"God, he's gonna kill you one day if you don't learn your place." Dean stands up.

"Yeah? And what's that?" Athena asks.

"The half sibling."

Athena's eyes widen, and her chest tightens. She steps away from Dean, until her back hits the wall. She slides to the floor, pulling her knees toward her chest.

"I'm only telling you that, so he can stop hurting you, all right?" Dean looks at the young girl who was looking off into space. His voice gets caught in his throat when he sees Athena start to tear up.

For the first time, Athena wasn't afraid to cry in front of him and that made him feel like shit.

"Athena, you don't have to try and protect me, all right?" Dean walks over to her, and crouches down. "That's my job."

Athena saw that Dean was trying to make her feel better. She didn't want to cause anymore trouble, so she just smiles and nods her head.

"Yeah, okay. I'm sorry."

Why the hell are you the one apologizing?

Athena pushes away her thoughts. "Do you need help with getting patched up?"

Dean shrugs, "Nah, I got it." He motions his head toward her. "Your eye going to be okay?"

Athena presses her lips together and shrugs a shoulder. "It'll be okay."

Dean forces a smile onto his face and makes his way to the bathroom. As soon as the bathroom door closes, Athena's smile drops and she exhales a defeated breath.