Alison stood beside Sam and Dean, watching her grandfathers body burn.

She wanted to cry, but she didn't let herself. She couldn't let herself.

Deans hadn't said anything.

That only made things worse in Alisons case.

"Before he...before he..." Sam couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence. "Did he say anything to you? About anything?"

'Yes.'

"No." Dean quietly spoke. "Nothing."

Alisons tears slipped down her cheeks.

~~~

One week had passed since the death of John Winchester.

Dean spent every second of his day working on the impala, and Alison begged to could help, but Dean wasn't letting her.

Alison was done with Deans crap.

All they had done since they got back from burning Johns body was fight and argue.

Alison stayed inside while Sam went out to talk to Dean who was under the impala.

Bobby looked up at Alison as she sat at the table, staring at her sandwich, picking at it.

"You need to eat your food, sweetheart." He told her.

"I'm not hungry."

"Alison—"

"I said I'm not hungry!"

Alison went quiet, and Bobby sighed.

Bobby noticed that Alison grieved like her father in some ways, but differently in others.

Alison was angry.

With herself, but mainly with the world. Why did it hate her so much? Why did it have to take everyone from her?

Why did it have to turn its back on her?

Sam walked up to the impala and Dean.

"How's the car coming along?" He asked his brother.

"Slow." Dean answered.

"Yeah? You need any help? Alisons been dying to get out here and help." Sam stated.

"What— a four year old under a hood? I'll pass."

"Need anything else, then?" Sam asked with a small sigh.

Dean then rolled out from under the car and sat up.

"Stop it, Sam." Dean got up.

"Stop what?" Sam asked.

"Stop asking if I need anything. Stop asking if I'm okay. I'm okay." He let out a small chuckle. "Really. I promise."

"Alright, Dean, it's just...we've been at Bobby's for over a week now, and you haven't brought up dad once. Alison won't even talk about it."

"You know what? You're right." Dean turned to look at his brother. "Come here. I'm gonna lay my head gently on your shoulder. Maybe we can cry and hug and maybe even slow dance."

"Don't patronize me, Dean. Dad is dead, the colt is gone, and it seems pretty damn likely that the demon is behind all of this. And you're acting like nothing happened." Sam stated.

"What do you want me to say?"

"Say something, alright? Hell, say anything! Aren't you angry? Don't you want revenge? But all you do is sit out here all day long buried underneath this damn car."

"Revenge, huh? Sounds good. Got any leads on where the demon is?" Dean asked. "Making heads of tails of any of dads research? 'Cause I sure ain't. You know, and when we do finally find it— oh, no, wait, like you said, the colts gone. But I'm sure you figured out another way to kill it. We've got nothing, Sam— nothing, okay? So you know what, the only thing I can do is I can work on the car." Dean told his brother.

"Well, we got something, alright? It's what I came out here to tell you." Sam held up one of Johns old phones. "It's one of Dads old phones. It took me a while, but I cracked his voice mail code. Listen to this." Sam held the phone out to his brother.

Dean stood up and took the phone, putting it to his ear.

"John, it's Ellen...again. Look, don't be stubborn. You know I can help you. Call me."

Dean pulled the phone away from his ear.

"That message is four months old." Sam said, taking the phone back.

"Dad saved that chicks message for four months?" Dean questioned.

"Yeah."

"Well, who's Ellen? Any mention of her in dads journal?" Dean asked.

"No, but I ran a trace on the number, and I got an address." Sam told him.

"Ask Bobby if we can use one of his cars." Dean said.

~~~

Alison sat on the couch with her teddy bear in her lap.

Her bear was ruined in the crash, he had a bunch of holes all over, he was missing an eye, half of his ear was gone, his arm was almost falling off.

Dean said he would fix it. He said that a little over a week ago.

Alison figured he wasn't fixing it.

She looked up as Sam came into the house.

"Alright, munchkin, go get your shoes on." Sam told her.

Alison just nodded, and got up off the couch, going to the room she had been staying in.

Sam lightly sighed.

"She's still not eating." Bobby told Sam.

"Well, I guess the next thing to try would be pie." Sam lightly chuckled.

"Already did. Wasn't even interested." Bobby said making Sams smile fall.

Alison never, ever turned down pie.

"Does Dean know about this?" Bobby asked.

"I haven't told him." Sam shook his head. "When was the last time you know she ate?"

"Three days ago tops." Bobby stated.

Sam sighed.

~~~

Alisons head laid against the window as Dean pulled the squealing van into the roadhouse parking lot.

Dean stopped the van, and cut the engine.

"This is humiliating." Dean smacked the steering wheel, just before opening the door and getting out. "I feel like a friggin' soccer mom."

"It's the only car Bobby had running." Sam stated.

Alison opened her door, and jumped out of the van, grunting as her feet hit the ground.

Dean watched her as she put her hands in her jacket pockets instead of taking his hand.

It bothered Dean in a way, but he didn't say anything about it.

"Hello?" Dean called out as they walked around the roadhouse. "Anybody here? Hey, did you bring the—"

Alison looked up at them, Sam threw something to Dean who caught it. Dean started using the tool to pick the lock on the door, and once he could, he pushed it open.

The door creaked, and the Winchesters stepped into the roadhouse. Dean closed the door behind them, and looked around.

They started walking further into the big room, and Alison noticed a man asleep on the pool table.

She tilted her head.

"Hey, buddy?" Sam asked the sleeping man. "I'm guessing that isn't Ellen." He said.

"Yeah." Dean said.

Sam turned and headed into another room, Alison followed after him, leaving Dean in the big room by himself.

Dean walked around, but then froze as he felt something against his back.

"Oh, god, please let that be a rifle." He said.

The rifle cocked.

"No, I'm just real happy to see you. Don't  move."

"Not moving— copy that. You should know something, miss. When you put a rifle on someone, you don't want to put it right against their back, 'cause it makes it real easy to do..." Dean spun around and grabbed the gun out of her hands.

Dean uncocked the rifle.

"That." Dean said.

The girl then punched him square in the face.

"Sam!" Dean called out, grasping his nose. "I need some help in here. I can't see. I can't even see."

"Sorry, Dean. I can't right now."

Sam came out of the room with a gun pointed at his own back by a woman, who had a hold on Alison, walking her beside her.

"I'm a little tied up." Sam stated.

"Sam? Dean?" The woman asked. "Winchester?"

"Yeah." Sam and Dean spoke in unison.

"Son of a bitch." The woman said.

"Mom, you know these guys?" The blonde girl who had her rifle aimed at Dean asked.

"Yeah, I think these are John Winchesters boys. Meaning you must be little Ali." The woman looked to Alison who silently nodded.

The woman laughed, putting her gun down and letting go of Alison.

"Hey, I'm Ellen." She smiled at them. "That's my daughter, Jo."

"Hey." Jo greeted.

"You're not gonna hit me again, are you?" Dean questioned her.

Alison snickered making Dean give her a look, her slight smile immediately fell and she looked down at her shoes.

~~~

"Here you go." Ellen gave dean a towel with some ice.

"Thanks." Dean took it. "You called our dad, said you could help— help with what?" He asked, putting the ice to his face.

"Well, the demon, of course." Ellen said.

Sam and Dean looked at each other, Alison kept her eyes on Ellen.

"I heard he was closing in on it."

"Was there an article in the demon hunters quarterly that I missed?" Dean questioned, raising his hands. "I mean, who are you? How do you know about all this?"

"Hey, I just run a saloon, but hunters have been known to pass through now and again, including your dad a long time ago. John was like family once." Ellen told them.

"Yeah, how come he's never mentioned you before?" Dean asked.

"You'd have to ask him that." Ellen said.

Alison scoffed.

"It's a little too late for that." She stated.

"Alison." Sam tapped her leg as she sat on his lap.

Ellen tilted her head a little.

"So, why exactly do we need your help?" Dean asked her.

"Hey, don't do me any favors. Look, if you don't want my help, fine. Don't let the door smack your ass on the way out. But John wouldn't have sent you if..."

Ellen stopped herself as the three Winchesters looked down. Alison had tears in her eyes, but she wasn't daring to let them fall.

"He didn't send you." Ellen stated.

Dean looked down at the floor, Sam did the same. Dean looked over at his brother who looked up at Ellen.

"He's alright, isn't he?" She asked.

"No. No, he isn't." Sam shook his head.

"He's gone." Alison leaned back against Sam's chest, grabbing onto his hand and playing with his fingers.

"It was the demon, we think." Sam said.

Dean looked up towards the ceiling, then back down at the floor, putting the ice back to his face.

"It just got him before he got it, I guess." Sam told Ellen.

Ellen tilted her head at Dean.

"I'm so sorry." She apologized to him.

"It's okay. We're alright." Dean told her.

"No, really, I know how close you and your dad—"

"Really, lady, I'm fine." Deans tone firmed.

Ellen's eyes shifted to Alison who was looking at Dean with sad puppy eyes that instantly broke her heart.

She could tell something was off. She felt tension between this small family, but mainly between Dean and Alison.

"So, look, if you can help..." Sam started. "We could use all the help we can get."

Dean looked over at his brother.

"Well, we can't." Ellen stated. "But ash will."

"Who's Ash?" Sam asked.

"Ash!"

Alison jumped slightly making Sam's arms tighten around her.

The man on the pool table grunted as he sat up.

"What?" He asked, looking back at them. "Closing time?" He asked.

Sam looked at Jo.

"That's ash?" He asked, pointing back at the blonde man.

"Mm-Hmm. He's a genius." Jo stated with a nod.

Alison tilted her head at the man.

~~~

Alison looked up to her father as he spoke.

"You got to be kidding me. This guys no genius." He stated as Ash stood in front of them on the other side of the table. "He's a Lynyrd Skynyrd roadie."

Ash smiled.

"I like you." He told Dean.

"Thanks." Dean replied, glancing down at Alison who was now playing with her untied shoe strings.

"Just give him a chance." Jo told them as she set some drinks down on the table.

Dean sighed, glancing at Ash.

"Alright." He nodded, sitting down beside his daughter.

Alison sat between the brothers, she had put her legs down, letting them hang off the side of the stool she was sitting on. Her feet nowhere near touched the floor, so her shoelaces swung as she kicked her legs.

"Well, this stuffs about a years worth of our dads work, so let's see what you make of it." Dean said, sliding Johns journal to the younger, blonde haired man.

Ash stared at Dean as he opened the journal, taking out the pages and flipping through them, finally looking away from the oldest brother.

Alison laid her head down on her arms that laid on the table. She watched Ash closely.

"Come on. This crap ain't real." Ash stated. "Ain't nobody can track a demon like this." He shook his head.

"Grandpa did." Alison stated, glancing at the papers.

Ash looked at her, then back down at the papers.

"These are nonparametric statistical overviews, cross-spectrum correlations. I mean...damn." Ash furrowed his brows. "They're signs, omens. If you can track them, you can track this demon— you know, like crop failures, electrical storms. You ever been struck by lightning?" He asked.

Alison tilted her head slightly.

"It ain't fun." Ash stated, raising his brows at the little girl.

"Can you track it or not?" Sam questioned the man.

"Yeah, with this, i think so." Ash nodded his head. "But it's gonna take time. Give me..." he closed his eyes for a moment as he thought. "51 hours." He looked up at the Winchesters.

Alison smiled a little as Ash got up from his seat.

"I like you, and your hair." She told him making him look at her.

"All business up front, party in the back." Ash said, running a hand through his hair. "I like you, too, kid." He smiled at her.

Alison giggled lightly, Sam smiled softly at her, dean smiled a little.

Dean looked up as Jo walked by, swaying her hips a little. Alison noticed dean watching and she frowned, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, Ellen, what is that?" Sam spoke up to Ellen who stood behind the counter.

Ellen looked at Sam, then followed his eyes.

"It's a police scanner. We keep tabs on things—" Ellen started.

"No, no, no, no. The folder." Sam shook his head, gesturing to the folder beside the police scanner.

Alison watched her father get up from his seat and walk around the room.

Ellen walked over and grabbed the folder.

"Uh...I was gonna give this to a friend of mine, but take a look if you want." She gave the folder to Sam.

"Thanks." Sam gave her a smile, opening the folder and looking inside.

Alisons eyes stayed on Dean who went over to Jo, and started talking to her. She huffed and faced forward again.

Ellen looked at her and slightly frowned at her frown.

"What's the matter, sweetheart?" She asked, leaning against the counter.

Alison looked up at her.

"Nothing." She sighed, shaking her head a little.

Ellen couldn't help but chuckle.

"You want anything to eat or drink? I got sandwiches, and juice boxes." Ellen told her.

"Apple juice?" Alison perked her head up.

"Yes, ma'am." Ellen smiled, making Alison smile.

Ellen went to the mini fridge behind the counter and got out a juice box and a wrapped up sandwich. She then came over and set them in front of the little girl.

"Thank you, Miss Ellen." Alison smiled at her, grabbing the juice box first.

"You're welcome, sweetheart, and just call me Ellen." She chuckled at her.

"Okay." Alison giggled.

"How about after this, you can go play some basketball up front, if you want?" Ellen told the girl as she picked a basketball up off the floor, showing it to her.

"I don't know how to play." Alison said, taking a drink of her juice box, then unwrapping her sandwich.

"That's okay, you don't actually have to play, you can just throw the ball around, shoot some hoops. Is that how you kids say it nowadays?" Ellen smiled at her.

Alison couldn't help but let out a small laugh that warmed Ellen's heart.

"Okay." The little girl nodded her head. "Can you come play with me?" She asked.

"Sure." Ellen smiled.

"Dean, come here. Check this out." Sam spoke up making Alison, Dean, and Ellen look up at him.

"Yeah?" Dean asked as he got up, coming over to his brother.

"A few murders not far from here that Ellen caught wind of— looks to me like there might be a hunt." Sam told his brother.

"Yeah, so?" Dean questioned.

"So, I told her we'd check it out." Sam stated.

"But we can't leave yet! Me and Ellen are gonna go play basketball!" Alison told them.

"Well, you're just gonna have to play some other time." Dean told her.

Alison furrowed her brows at her father. She was mad at him for various reasons at this point.

"It's okay, sweetheart, we can play when you guys get back." Ellen told Alison.

"Okay." The girl spoke, a little unhappy.

She never got to play anymore. Not with her legos, not with her bear, mainly because she feared if she even moved him in the wrong way, he would completely fall apart.

In Alisons eyes, she wasn't exactly allowed to be a kid anymore. The last time she really remembered being able to goof around, and just be a little kid was...well, a long while ago.

Alison sighed, pushing her sandwich away from her and laying her head in her arms again.

~~~

"You got to be kidding me— killer clown?" Dean questioned his little brother.

"Yeah, he left the daughter unharmed and killed the parents." Sam stated. "Ripped them to pieces, actually." He added.

"And this family was at some carnival that night?" Dean asked.

"Right, right. The cooler carnival." Sam nodded.

Alison looked up from her window, to Sam and Dean.

"So, how do you know we're not dealing with some psycho carny in a clown suit?" Dean questioned.

"The cops have no leads, and all the employees were tearing down shop— alibis all around. Plus the girl said she saw a clown vanish into thin air. Cops are saying trauma, of course." Sam explained.

"I know what you're thinking, Sam— why did it have to be clowns?" He teased him.

"Oh, give me a break." Sam rolled his eyes.

"You didn't think I remembered, did you?" Dean laughed. "Come on, you still bust out crying whenever you see Ronald McDonald on the television." He said.

Alison couldn't help but smile a little as she looked between them.

"At least I'm not afraid of flying." Sam said.

"Planes crash!" Dean stated.

"And apparently clowns kill." Sam stated.

It was then quiet for a moment, Alison looked down at her, still not speaking. She was still mad at Dean.

What he said to her at Ellen's was probably the most he'd said to her since John died. Well, except for the many fights and argument they've had.

Alison had stopped listening to the brothers, and just went back to watching the scene fly by outside her window.

~~~

The old and squeaky van rolled to a stop in front of the carnival.

"Check it out— five-o." Dean said as he spotted two guys dressed as clowns.

Alison furrowed her brows slightly. These clowns looked normal. She expected them to be more scary looking.

They did not look like pennywise from the Stephen king movie, and she was rather disappointed.

Alison hummed to herself, crossing her arms over her chest.

~~~

Alison held Sam's hand as she danced around his legs. Sam smiled at her guiding her around him with his hand. He was just happy to see she wasn't necessarily sad, but if she was, she was really good at hiding it.

Like father like daughter, Sam guessed.

Sam's eyes landed on a small, short person walking by. He made eye contact with her and she stopped walking just to stare at him.

Alison noticed, and she stopped dancing around her uncle, glancing between him and the lady.

The lady finally walked off as Dean was walking back to them.

"Did you get her number?" Dean asked his brother, teasing him.

Sam stared at him, Alison looked between them.

"More murders?" Sam asked Dean.

"Two more last night." He stated. "Apparently, they were ripped to shreds, and they had a little boy with them." He told him.

"Who fingered a clown."

Both Dean and Alison looked up at him. Dean was disturbed, Alison was confused.

"What?" Sam asked innocently.

"Yes, a clown, who apparently vanished into thin air." Dean stated.

"Dean, you know, looking for a cursed object, it's like trying to find a needle in a stack of needles. It could be anything." Sam said.

"Well, it's bound to give off EMF. So we'll just scan everything." Dean shrugged.

"Oh, good. Thats nice and inconspicuous." Sam stated sarcastically.

"You could just blend in." Alison spoke up.

The two men looked down at her and followed her eyes to a 'Help Wanted' sign.

The brothers looked at each other.

~~~

The three Winchesters walked into a tent where a man was, throwing knives at a wooden target.

"Excuse me. We're looking for a Mr. Cooper. Have you seen him around?" Dean asked the man.

Alison noticed this guy was wearing sunglasses. The only people who wore sunglasses inside, were blind people, and douchebags.

"What is that— some kind of joke?" The man questioned the oldest brother.

Dean slightly furrowed his brows in question.

The man then pulled his sunglasses off, revealing he was in fact blind.

"Oh, god, I'm sorry." Dean apologized to him.

"You think I wouldn't give my eyeteeth to see Mr. Cooper or a sunset or anything at all?"

"Want to give me a little help here?" Dean asked, turning his head to his brother who was smiling, enjoying this very much.

"Not really." Sam shook his head making Alison giggle.

"Hey, Barry, is there a problem?"

Sam, Dean, and Alison turned to see the man who spoke from behind them, but the brothers didn't see him.

Alison didn't have to look far. Sam and deans heads both dropped, landing on another small person.

"Yeah, this guy hates blind people." The blind man, Barry, said.

"No, I don't." Dean looked back at him.

"Hey, buddy, what's your problem?" The shorter man questioned him.

Alison laughed, leaning against Sam's legs.

"Nothing. It's just a little misunderstanding." Dean told him.

"Little? You son of a bitch." The man raised his prop club to hit Dean with it.

"No, no, no! Could somebody tell me where Mr. Cooper is?" Dean asked. "Please?"

Sam and Alison both laughed.

~~~

"You boys picked a hell of a time to join up." Mr. Cooper stated to the Winchesters as they walked into his "office." "Take a seat." He told them.

Dean looked over and saw there was two chairs. A normal chair, then a clown chair. He smirked and immediately ran to the normal chair, Sam racing him for it.

Dean got to the seat before Sam who glared at him. Alison held in a snicker as Sam uncomfortably sat in the clown seat.

Dean pulled Alison up into his lap, taking her by surprise. She looked up at him, then at Sam, then to Mr. Cooper.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked the man.

"A couple of folks got themselves murdered. Cops always seem to start here first." Mr. Cooper stated.

Dean looked over at Sam who was definitely more than uncomfortable, and he smirked, proud of himself.

What's the point of being the big brother of you can't torture the little one every once in a while?

"So, you two ever work the circuit before?" Mr. Cooper asked them.

"Uh, yes, sir, last year through Texas and Arkansas." Sam nodded.

"Doing what?" The man questioned.

The brothers glanced at each other.

"Ride Jockeys? Pull shoot? A-and-S men?"

"Everything." Alison spoke up making everyone look at her. "They do everything."

Sam and Dean made faces of approval, and nodded along.

"Yeah, a little bit of everything, I guess." Sam nodded his head.

Cooper tilted his head at them.

"You two have never worked a show in your lives before, have you?" He questioned them.

"Nope." Dean shook his head. "But we really need the work. And Sam here's got a thing for the bearded lady." He gestured to his brother.

Alison snickered against Dean chest as he laughed, shaking his head.

He stopped when he saw his brother looking at him. Cooper didn't laugh.

"You see that picture?" Cooper pointed at a picture behind him on a shelf. "That's my daddy."

"You look just like him." Sam told him.

"He was in the business— ran a freak show till they outlawed them most places. Apparently displaying the deformed isn't dignified." He stated. "So, most of the performers went from honest work to rotting in hospitals and asylums. That's progress, I guess."

Alison started playing with Deans fingers, but watching the man, and paying very close attention to him.

"You see, this place is a refuge for outcasts, always has been, for folks that don't fit in nowhere else. But you two...you should go to school, find a couple of girls, have 2.5 kids, you already got one," He looked to Dean who's arms tightened around his daughter. "Live regular." He told them.

"Sir..." Sam leaned forwards. "We don't want to go to school."

Alison looked at him.

"And we don't want regular. We want this." Sam told Cooper.

Deans eyes lingered on him.

~~~

"Huh."

Sam and Alison both looked up at Dean as they walked.

"What?" Sam asked.

"That whole I don't want to go back to school thing— you just saying that to Cooper, or were you, you know, saying it?" Dean asked him.

Sam didn't answer him.

"Sam?"

"I don't know." The younger brother finally spoke up.

"I don't know?" Dean questioned. "I thought that once the demon was dead and the fat lady sings that you were gonna take off, head back to wussy state."

"I'm having second thoughts." Sam shrugged.

"Really?" Dean asked.

Alison watched them closely, listening for the change in their tones that told her the argument was starting.

"Yeah, I think...dad would have wanted me to stick with the job." Sam said as they had stopped walking.

"Since when do you give a damn what dad wanted?" Dean questioned him.

Alison was now frozen. Why did they have to talk about John? Why did they have talk about him when she'd just started thinking that maybe she could be okay without one of her very few best friends?

"You spent half your life doing exactly what he didn't want, Sam." Dean stated.

"Since he died, okay?" Sam told him. "You have a problem with that?" He asked.

Dean stared at him for a moment.

"No, I don't have a problem at all." He finally spoke, shaking his head.

Dean then turned and walked off, Alison grabbed onto Sam's hand making him look down at her, and he could immediately tell that she was sad again.

"Ali, are you okay?" He crouched down in front of her, she stared at the dead grass below them.

"I'm fine, Uncle Sammy." She told him, her eyes glossing over.

Sam's heart broke at the sight.

He pulled the girl into a tight hug, she wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him back, but she didn't cry.

She couldn't cry. She had to be brave and strong.

~~~

Alison sat on a bench with a box of apple juice. Sam was nearby, picking up trash, Dean was off by the dumpster, picking up trash.

Sam had the emf detector in his jacket, it was on, so if it read anything, it would go off.

Sam had told Alison to stay exactly right where she was, and he would be back shortly. Alison didn't say anything, but she nodded her head.

She had her head down in her arms on the table, her juice box had hardly been touched. She kept glancing at people that walked by.

After about five minutes, Alison saw Dean walking, and she guessed he saw her because the next thing she knew, he was rushing to her.

"Alison, what the hell are you doing over her by yourself?" He questioned her, checking her for injuries.

"Sammy said he was coming back." Alison shrugged.

Dean sighed.

"Alright, come on." He picked her up, and grabbed her juice box off the table, giving it to the girl.

They started walking, but a man bumped into them, and grabbed deans arm. Dean turned and looked to see it was Barry, the blind guy.

Alison looked at Dean.

"What are you doing here, kid?" Barry questioned Dean.

"Just sweeping." Dean stated, fixing Alison on his hip.

"Bull." Barry said. "And what were you talking about? Skeletons? What's emf?" He questioned.

Alison looked between her father and the man.

"Dude, your blind-man hearing is out of control." Dean told him with a breathy chuckle.

"We're a tight-knit group. We don't like outsiders. We take care of our own problems." Barry told him.

"We got a problem?" Dean asked him.

"You tell me. You're the one talking about human bones." Barry stated.

"Do you believe in ghosts?" Dean asked him.

"What?" Barry questioned.

"My brother and me...we're writing a book about them." Dean smiled.

Alison gave him a look but he held his hand up to her, telling her to be quiet, and let him do the talking.

Alison sighed.

~~~

"What took you so long?" Sam questioned his brother as he and Alison came up to him.

"Long story." Dean shook his head, putting Alison down. "Oh, and hey, next time you leave my kid by herself when multiple people are coming and going, I'll kill you." He told him.

"Mommy, look at the clown!"

All three Winchesters looked up as they heard a girl speak to her mother. They looked over and saw the girl pointing at something.

Dean grabbed Alisons arm, already knowing she was going to run over and see.

"What clown?" The mom asked as the Winchesters started over to see the clown.

"He disappeared." The girl said.

And she was right, the clown was gone.

"Come on, sweetie. Come on." The mother pulled her daughter away.

The brothers looked at each other.

~~~

Alison was asleep in the backseat of the van. They had followed the family back to their house after the little girl had seen the clown.

Alison must've been in a much deeper sleep than she thought because next thing she knew, Sam was shaking her to wake her up.

Alison rubbed her eyes as she sat up, it was now daytime, and they were ditching the van.

"Come on, munchkin." Sam picked Alison up, bringing her out of the van and setting her on the ground outside of it.

"You really think they saw our plates?" He asked his brother who stuffed the license plate into his duffel bag.

Dean closed the trunks

"I don't want to take the chance." He said. "Besides, I hate this freaking thing anyway."

They started walking down the road, Alison was walking a little behind, trying to push the sleepiness back.

"Well, one things for sure." Dean spoke up after a few minutes of walking.

"What's that?" Sam asked.

"We're not dealing with a spirit." Dean stated. "That rock salt hit something solid."

"Yeah, a person, or maybe a creature that can make itself invisible?" Sam said.

"Yeah, and dresses up like a clown for kicks? Did it say anything in dads journal?"

"Nope." Sam got out his phone.

"Who are you calling?" Dean asked him.

"Maybe Ellen or that guy Ash will know something." Sam stated. "Hey, you think, uh...you think dad and Ellen ever had a thing?" He asked.

"No way." Dean shook his head.

"Then why didn't he tell us about her?" Sam asked.

"I don't know. Maybe they had some sort of falling-out." Dean shrugged.

"Yeah. You ever notice dad had a falling-out with just about everybody?" Sam said, putting his phone to his ear.

Dean stayed quiet and Sam hung up the phone.

"Don't get all maudlin on me, man." He told his big brother.

Alison watched them.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"I mean this strong silent thing of yours. It's crap. I'm over it."

"Oh, god." Dean groaned.

"This isn't just anyone we're talking about. This is dad. I know how you felt about the man." Sam stated.

"Back off, alright? Just because I'm not caring and sharing like you want—"

"No, no, no. That's not what this is about, Dean. I don't care how you deal with this, but you have to deal with it, man." Sam yelled at him. "Listen, I'm your brother, alright? I just want to make sure you're okay."

"Dude, I'm okay! I'm okay! Okay? I swear, the next person who asks me if I'm okay, I'm gonna start throwing punches." Dean yelled making Alison flinch a little. "These are your issues. Quit dumping them on me."

"What are you talking about?" Sam questioned him as they stopped walking.

"I just think it's really interesting this sudden obedience you have to dad. It's like, oh, what would dad want me to do? You spent your entire life slugging it out with that man. I mean, hell, you picked a fight with him the last time you ever saw him, and now that's he's dead, now you want to make it right? Well, I'm sorry, Sam, but you can't. It's too little too late."

Alison furrowed her brows at her father. She was angry at him. How could he say these things to Sam.

"Why are you saying this to me?" Sam asked, his eyes filled with tears.

"Because I want you to be honest with yourself about this. I'm dealing with dads death. Are you?" He yelled at him.

It was then silent.

"I'm gonna call Ellen." Sam spoke up, walking off.

Dean turned and glanced at the ground, running his hands through his hair.

"Come on, Alison." He said as he started walking, but he stopped when he didn't hear her following him.

Dean turned to see Alison standing in the exact same spot she had been.

"Alison, let's go." He said.

"No."

"Excuse me?" Dean raised his eyebrows at her. "Alison, I am not playing around with you, let's go, now." He stepped towards her.

"I'm not playing with you! I said, no!" She yelled at him.

"Hey, you do not yell at me, young lady!" Dean yelled at her, coming to her. "Let's go, now!" He grabbed her arm, but she turned and ran from him.

"Alison Blythe Winchester!" He ran after her, managing to grab her and turn her to him as he got down to her level.

"No! Go away!" She yelled, hitting his chest, and his face, anything to get him away from her.

"Alison, stop it, right now!" Dean yelled, grabbing her wrists tightly and holding her hands down.

She was now crying.

She muttered something, but Dean couldn't hear her.

"What did you say?" He questioned her.

"I said, I hate you!" Alison jerked away from him.

Dean froze in his spot, feeling a pang in his chest that made his eyes water.

Alison cried as she ran past dean, going to find her uncle.

Dean stayed on the ground for a moment, holding back his tears before getting up, turning and walking away.

~~~

"Thanks a lot." Sam said on the phone before hanging up. "Rakshasa."

"What's that?" Dean asked as they started walking.

Alison walked behind them, her hands in her pockets, staring at the ground.

"Ellen's best guess. It's a race of ancient Hindu creatures. They appear in human form, they feed on human flesh, they can make themselves invisible, and they cannot enter a home without first being invited to." Sam explained.

"They dress up like clowns, and children invite them in." Dean said. "Why don't they just munch on the kids?"

"No idea. Not enough meat on the bones, maybe?" Sam suggested with a shrug.

"What else you find out?" Dean asked.

"apparently, Rakshasas live in squalor. They sleep on a bed of dead insects. And they have to feed a few times every 20 to 30 years— slow metabolism, I guess." Sam said.

"That makes sense— the carnival today, the bunker brothers in '81." Dean said.

"Right. Probably more before that." Sam stated.

"Hey, Sam, who do we know that worked both shows?" Dean asked.

"Cooper?"

"Cooper."

"You know, that picture of his father, that looked just like him." Sam stated with a scoff.

"You think maybe it was him?" Dean asked.

"Well, who knows how old he is?"

"Ellen say how to kill him?"

"Legend goes a dagger made of pure brass." Sam said.

"I think I know where to get one of those." Dean told him.

"Well, before we go stabbing things into Cooper, we're gonna want to make damn sure it's him." Sam stated.

"Oh, you're such a stickler for details, Sammy." Dean said making Sam smile and shake his head. "Alright, me and Ali will round up the blade. You go check if Coopers got bedbugs."

Alison looked up at Dean. She knew he was trying to make things right, but it didn't work that easily.

~~~

"Well, I got all kinds of knives. I don't know if I got a brass one, though." Barry told Alison and Dean as he led them into his room.

Barry unlocked the room, and opened the door, going in. The two Winchesters followed.

Barry used his walking stick to feel around, it hit a chest by the wall.

"Check the trunk." He told them.

Dean glanced at Alison who was looking at Barry, just before she looked to him. Dean walked over to the trunk and opened it, Alison stood beside him.

Dean started digging through the chest, he and Alison both froze as they saw the clown costume. Dean picked it up and it jingled.

Dean then immediately turned to look at  Barry.

"You?" He asked as he pulled Alison behind him.

Barry dropped the walking stick, and pulled off his sunglasses, revealing normal eyes.

"Me." He smiled just before his eyes turned white and he grinned.

It reminded Alison of the Cheshire Cat. She hated it.

Barry then disappeared into thin air and Alison immediately grabbed deans hand. He squeezed it back.

He rushed to the door and started pulling on the doorknob, but it was locked, and wouldn't open.

Alison gasped as a knife flew right by her head, landing in the door. Dean pulled her into him, putting his hand over her head.

Dean looked around for Barry, but still couldn't see him.

Two more knives flew at them, one landed in the door, but they didn't see where the other one went.

"Alright!" Dean yelled.

He kicked the door open, and took Alisons hand, pulling her out of the room with him as they ran.

"Hey!"

Dean and Alison stopped as they heard Sam yelled at them.

"Hey." Dean said, turning back to Sam.

"So, Cooper thinks I'm a peeping Tom, but it's not him." Sam told them.

"Yeah, so I gathered." Dean said. "It's the blind guy. He's here somewhere." He told him.

"Well, did you get—"

"The brass blades? No."

Alison had started to feel a pain in her stomach, so she reached and looked down, but froze when she saw a the handle of a knife sticking out of her stomach.

Her eyes widened in fear.

"Sammy, daddy." She spoke up, her voice shaking a little.

The two men looked at her, and their eyes followed hers to the blade.

"Oh, god." Dean immediately rushed to her, catching her in his arms just as she started to fall backwards. "No, no, no. Hey, it's okay, just breathe." He told her.

Alisons eyes filled with tears, and she could feel the every bit of the pain.

"Sam!" Dean yelled at his brother who rushed over to them.

"Okay, Alison, look at me." Sam told her and she did.

Sam started taking off his jacket.

"We're gonna pull it out, okay?" He told her.

"No." She cried.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay, i got you." Dean told her, kissing her head.

Sam grabbed the knife and quickly pulled it out making Alison cry out in pain.

"Okay, it's out!" Sam told her, then started wrapping his jacket around her wound, tying it tightly.

"You're okay, babygirl." Dean told her.

Sam then looked around and saw the funhouse.

"I got an idea. Come on." He said, starting towards it.

Dean picked Alison up bridal style, and followed after Sam.

They ran into the funhouse, and started through it. Sam rounded a corner and a black wall appeared behind him, separating them.

"Sam!" Dean yelled.

"Dean! Dean, find the maze, okay?" Sam yelled to him.

Dean turned and looked down at Alison, who was slowly closing her eyes.

"Hey, hey, hey, no. Keep those beautiful eyes open, okay? Stay awake for daddy, babygirl." Dean told her.

"Daddy, I'm sorry." She apologized to him as he started walking to find the maze.

"For what? What are you sorry for?" Dean asked her.

"For everything." She breathed out. "I don't hate you." She cried.

Deans eyes filled with tears.

"Baby, it's okay, I know. I'm sorry, too, I'm so sorry." He apologized. "I love you so much." He told her.

"I love you." Alison laid her head against his chest.

Dean held her close as he walked through the maze. After many lefts and rights, dean finally made it to Sam who was trying to pry a pipe off of a Organ.

"Hey." Dean said.

"Hey. How is she? Is she okay?" Sam asked, looking to Alison.

"She's okay." Dean nodded, glancing down at the girl.

Alison was finding it hard to stay awake.

"Here, baby, I'm gonna put you down right over here, okay?" Dean said as he set Alison down on the floor by the wall. "Daddy loves you so, so much, okay? You never forget that." Dean cupped her face and kissed her forehead, letting it linger for a moment.

"Where is it?" Sam asked.

"I don't know." Dean shook his head as he stood up. "I mean, shouldn't we see his clothes walking around?"

Just then, a knife was thrown at Dean, pinning his jacket sleeve to the wall.

"Ow!" Dean yelled, trying to pull them out. "Sam." He called out just as Sam got the pipe off.

Sam raised it as a weapon, and looked around for the clown. He then saw a knife flying towards him, and he moved just it time for it to fly past him.

"Dean, where is it?" He asked his brother.

"I don't know." Dean stated.

He then saw a handle up in the corner, he grabbed it, and pulled it. Steam then started shooting out of the vent in the organ, filling the room.

The brothers looked around and saw the figure walking around. It disappeared just before Dean saw it behind his brother.

"Sam, behind you! Behind you!" He yelled.

Sam whirled around, striking it with the pipe. It shrieked and Sam saw he had stabbed it in the stomach.

It then disappeared for good, dead, and Dean turned the steam off, then pulled knives out of his sleeves.

"Alison!" He rushed to his daughter, who was paler than before.

"I'm okay." She told him, breathily.

Dean chuckled at her, and pulled her into him, peppering her face in kisses.

Alison let out a small but painful giggle.

~~~

"You boys did a hell of a job. Your dad would be proud." Ellen told the brothers as she set their beers in front of them.

She set a juice box in front of Alison who gave her a small smile.

"Thanks." Sam nodded.

Jo came over and leaned against the counter, giving Sam a look. Dean glanced at his brother.

"Oh, yeah, we've got to, uh...We've got to go...over there...right now." Sam got out from his seat, and picked Alison up off of hers, taking her and himself way across the room.

"Sammy, when do you think I'll get better?" Alison asked her uncle.

"I'm not sure, munchkin. I'd say about two weeks, maybe three?" Sam told her.

"That long?" Alison raised her brows at him.

"Yeah, that long." Sam chuckled. "But, you'll have a pretty cool scar." He told her.

Alison smiled a little.

Ash then came out of his room with his computer and a file.

"Where you guys been! I been waiting for you." He told the Winchesters.

"We were working a job, Ash." Sam stated, but ash didn't seem to understand. "Clowns?"

"Clowns! What the f—"

"You got something for us, Ash?" Dean cut him off.

~~~

"Did you find the demon?" Sam asked Ash as he set his computer on the table.

"It's nowhere around, at least nowhere I can find. But if this fugly bastard raises its head, I'll know. I mean, I'm on it like divine on dog dookie." Ash told them.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"I mean any of those signs or omens appear anywhere in the world, my rig will  go off like a fire alarm." Ash turned his computer to them, showing them some high-tech stuff.

Alisons lips parted slightly as she stared at the screen.

"You mind?" Dean reached for Ash's computer but he tilted his head at Dean, staring at him.

Dean smiled and pulled his hand away.

"What's up, man?" Ash asked him.

"Ash, where did you learn to do all this?" Sam asked him.

"M.I.T., before I got bounced for fighting."

"M.I.T.?" Sam questioned.

"It's a school in Boston." Ash stated.

"Okay. Give us a call as soon as you know something?" Dean said, looking up at Ash.

"Si, si, compadre." Ash nodded.

Dean smirked and took a drink of his beer before setting it on the table.

Dean got up, picking up his daughter and walk-in go away from the table. Ash picked up deans beer, taking a swig of it.

Sam got up and followed his brother and niece to the door.

"Hey, listen." Ellen spoke up. "If you three need a place to stay, I got a couple beds out back." She told them.

"Thanks, but no." Dean nodded. "There's something me and Ali got to finish."

Alison looked over at him with big green eyes.

"Okay." Ellen nodded.

Dean smiled just before exiting the roadhouse, Sam following him and Alison.

~~~

Sam walked around the impala to Dean who was fixing the wheel.

Dean looked up at him.

"Hey, she coming out here to help me, or what?" Dean asked with a slight chuckle.

"Yeah, she's getting changed." Sam nodded. "Dean, you were right."

"About what?" Dean asked as he stood up, walking around his brother.

"About me and dad. I'm sorry that the last time I was with him, I tried to pick a fight. I'm sorry that I spent most of my life angry at him. I mean, for all I know, he died thinking that I hate him." Sam said. "So, you're right. What I'm doing right now— it is too little. It's too late. I miss him, man." He shook his head. "And I feel guilty as hell. And I'm not alright...not at all...but neither are you. That much I know. I'll let you get back to work." Sam turned and headed back into Bobby's, leaning Dean with himself.

Dean looked at the impala, then an old car sitting by the Impala. He picked up a crowbar, and turned towards the impala, but then he turned back and smashed the window on the other car.

Dean turned back to the impala, and started hitting the trunk, over, and over, and over again, until he finally dropped it.

No.

Dean Winchester wasn't okay.

"I can come back later if you want."

Dean looked up and turned around to see his daughter looking at him with her hands behind her back. She'd watched the whole thing.

Dean took a few steps towards her, and crouched down in front of her, putting his hands on her arms.

Alison then put her hand on his cheek.

"It's okay to be sad, Daddy." She told him, making his eyes fill with more tears than before. "It's okay to cry. You don't have to be strong all the time. Bruce Wayne doesn't always have to be Batman, and neither do you, Daddy."

Deans lip quivered as he pulled his little girl into a tight hug, crying into her shoulder.

Alison didn't hesitate to hug him back as tightly as she possibly could, letting her own tears fall.

This was something they both needed.

Thank you so much for reading!