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❪ 15 ／ empathy, man, empathy! ❫
━━━━ ❛ swear.❜
volume 1 , season 6

› CURLED INTO DEAN'S SIDE, Olive sat in the front seat. Dean drove tiredly down the road, their next destination set. Sam lingers in the backseat, clicking away on his computer for more information on their newest case.

Olive rested her head on Dean's side, her eyes drooping down every time he lifted his hand to graze her nose, a technique that he learned from a parenting book—a book he'd never admit to reading.

It didn't take long until she passed out, her head falling forward; making him chuckle. It was moments like this for Dean that made him forget about what was happening around him.

Soulless Sam. Working for Crowley. A moment away from it all was a reminder of a life they could have lived.

Cas called yesterday. He told Dean a few Angels have gotten word of the last living Guardian. He had handled it though; Dean didn't dare question what Castiel had to do to keep them off Olive's trail, but he was thankful for it.

The more hunts they did, the harder and harder it was to keep Olive's title under wraps. Bobby said a few hunters he knew were already swapping stories about The Guardian and her destiny to wipe out every last monster—it was a pretty badass story, but completely untrue.

What Dean hadn't told her, was that he had been digging into her past too. Dedicated to find Cora and Oliver. Not because he wanted Olive to be with her parents, but because he wanted to give them a piece of his mind.

The idea of them being out there. It scared him.

Dean already told Cas that the second he got word of Cora and Oliver, if they were dead or alive, to send them his way. Dean didn't know what he was going to do on the day he faced his daughter's torturers, but it wasn't going to be pretty.

"We're here." Sam announced.

Dean snapped out of his thoughts, taking notice that it was no longer nighttime, and the sun was already starting to rise, they had a long day ahead of them.

With a sigh, Dean pulls into a parking spot in the town square, rubbing his eyes.

Sam was ready by the time Dean woke Olive up, but she wasn't anywhere near as willing to leave the car; curled up in the passenger's seat for another quick nap while the boys were in the gas station.

Dean taps the glass a few minutes later, startling her. "Get up." He ordered lightly, not anywhere near as firmly as he orders Sam. "Come on, O."

Olive lifted her head, her eyes barely open as she shook her head in his direction. Dean smirked, rounding the car and opening the driver's seat.

Olive assumed he was going to grab her feet, so she curled back into a ball.

Dean reaches over and turns on his music, the sound Lynyrd Skynyrd blasting through the car.

Olive jumps up, scrambling for the volume button with wide eyes. Dean laughs out at her bewildered expression, "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!" She cries out, clutching her little chest.

Dean chuckles. "We have to get interviewing people if we wanna figure out what's been going on in this town."

"No need, I can tell you. Aliens exist, case closed." Olive huffed, "Next town!"

"No." He deadpanned. "Come on, four people have gone missing, and we know it's not Aliens."

With a deep sigh, Olive slides out of the car, grabbing her backpack from the trunk and running into the gas station bathroom to change, shouting on and on about UFOs. Dean mentally reminding himself to buy her more clothes when the time came.

The three of them went around the town interviewing people about their 'alien' problem.

Some people believed it, some of them were even proud of it, others not so much. It was mostly the policeman and young folk that debunked the rumors, but then again, they couldn't back up the evidence for the disappearances either.

"Of course it's not UFOs." Laughed the final interviewer of the day, "It's fairies."

The brother's shared identical disturbed expressions but Olive had never seemed more excited in her life. "Fairies? Really?" She beams. The woman nods.

"Okay." Dean nods, leading Olive away from the crazy lady. "Uh, well thank you for your input."

"What? Flying saucers not insane enough for you?" Sam questioned in annoyance.

"What newspaper did you say you worked for?" She frowns.

"Oh-kay, if you wanna add glitter to the glue your sniffing, that's fine. But don't dump your wackadoo all over us, we'd rather not step in it." Sam states bluntly. Dean and Olive stare at him wide-eyed.

"Okie, we're done." Dean latches onto his brother's elbow dragging both him and Olive away.

"You're missing a couple dozen cats, sister." Sam chimes.

"Yeah. It's a blood sugar thing. My apologies." Dean awkwardly smiles.

The moment they were out of earshot Sam pulls his arm back. "What?"

"What? You gotta ask?" He back tracks. "Right, yes. You do have to ask."

"Sorry, but this is all a big joke, right? We're not actually taking this crap seriously?"

Dean rubbed his eyes. "Come on, Man. ET is made of rubber, everyone knows that."

Olive nods. "Yeah, only Unicorns are real."

Sam scoffs. "That's not—"

"Don't you dare." Dean warns him, grabbing Olive by the hand as they crossed the street. "Look. There are four vanishings in this town, something's going on. Sam, by the way, it's not the lady's fault she took the brown acid."

"Yeah? So?"

"Empathy, Man! Empathy." Dean sighs out. "I mean, the old Sam would have given her some wussified, dew-eyed crap."

"Old Sam had a soul." Sam says.

"Was a soul," Olive chimed the correction.

"Was a soul, whatever." He dismissed, "And I'm just the emotionless shell of that loser."

"Right. Yes. But you don't or aren't. Whatever." Dean replies.

"Right."

"Right." The brothers look towards each other awkwardly. "You don't care. You have to care." Dean states.

"About what exactly?!"

"About everything, man. About being human at least."

Sam sighs. "Look, Dean. You obviously care a lot and that's great. Olive cares too much which is weird, but I can't care about—well what I can't care about, you know?"

Olive tilts her head. "No." She admits.

"What do you guys what me to do, huh? Fake it?"

Dean stops at the car, "Yes. Absolutely. Fake it. Fake it till you make it."

"What happened to you wanting me to be all honest?" Sam asked.

"Hey, you wanna be a real boy, Pinocchio? You gotta act the part." Dean replies.

Sam throws his hands up. "I was faking it, Dean! Ever since we got back on the road together. I was picking every word. I even fake accepted Olive's stupid flowers. It was exhausting!" He turns to Olive. "No offense."

"Much offense!" She cries. "Did you throw it out?!"

"Yes."

"Okay. All right. Enough." Dean butts in. "But until we get you back on the soul train. . I'll be your conscience, okay?"

"So, you're saying you'll be my Jiminy Cricket?"

"Shut up." Dean deadpanned. "But, yeah, you freaking puppet that's exactly what I'm saying." Dean and Olive slide into the car at the same time.

She leans forward. "Which one am I?"

"Blue Fairy, obviously."

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› THEIR NEXT STOP WAS AT BRENNAN'S WATCHWORKS, a place in town that looked and smelled like an old shoe. Olive admires the row of clocks as the brothers interviewed the owner of the store, Mr. Brennan, who was the father of the first missing victim. The child shivers suddenly, a feeling of eyes on her sends her into a state of paranoia as she looked around.

No one else was in the hall with her, but the child didn't dare take any chances and make her way back to the main room.

"Patrick's gone." Was the first thing she heard as she slides in beside Dean. Mr. Brennan didn't bother looking up from his workspace.

"Missing, right? That's what we wanna talk to you about." Dean explains. Mr. Brennan lets out an annoyed sigh.

Sam opens his notepad. "So. Your son was the first to disappear."

"First to be taken." Mr. Brennan corrects, not bothering to explain.

"Taken?" Sam repeats. The brothers share a look.

Mr. Brennan removes his glasses and abruptly stands. "Get out. Out!" He walks towards his office. The Winchester's followed close behind.

"Mr. Brennan, who do you believe took your son?" Dean pressed.

"You people can't help me." He responds. "My boy is never coming back."

"You sound awfully sure." Sam narrows his eyes.

"Excuse me?"

"Like you know something you're not talking about." Sam continues.

Olive tilts her head. "Aren't you sad that your son is gone?"

"Okay. All right." Dean sighs, looking between them with a small frown.

"You know what they say, seventy-two hours." Mr. Brennan says bitterly. "After that, the odds of finding a missing person drops to nothing, right?"

"Well, every case is different." Dean states.

"And it's good to have faith, Sir." Olive adds softly.

Mr. Brennan scoffs. "Faith." He mutters to himself. "It's been weeks."

Dean deflates. "Right." He pulls out his card. "Listen, call us if anything comes to mind." He pats Sam's arm. "Come on."

Sam frowns at Mr. Brennan, knowing that he was hiding something.

Sam sighs when they walk out. "What do you think?"

"I think he's hiding something." Dean says. "Why don't you and Olly stay and watch the watchmaker. See what happens when the sun goes down and I'll go check out the crop circles."

"Okie-dokie." The respond in unison, looking at each other awkwardly.

"But do not engage with, maim, or in any way kill Brennan. I don't want you making judgment calls. Anything happens, call me." With that Dean turns on his heel.

"You know, Jiminy. I was on my own for a whole year." Sam states, causing Dean to turn with a sigh. "I did fine without you."

Dean chuckles bitterly. "Yeah, I don't wanna know your definition of fine." He looks to Olive. "Watch him. I'll see you later."

"Love you, daddy!" She beams, saluting at her task.

Dean walks backwards with a smile. "You too, squirt."

Sam and Olive kept tabs on Mr. Brennan throughout the day which consisted of long walks and drinking. They sat a few feet away from him inside of a Bar and Grill, which Olive wasn't completely sure she was allowed inside of.

While Sam drank beer and started at Mr. Brennan intensely, Olive sat across from him with a soda and curly fries.

"What makes the fry so curly?" Olive questions, staring down her fries as if they were poisonous. Probably because Sam came back with them, "And why-"

"Google is free."

Olive rolls her eyes, "Your soul isn't."

Sam raised an eyebrow. Olive redden's in embarrassment.

Sam sighs, fishing his phone from his back pocket and pressing the first number. "The only thing this guy's up to is alcoholism." He deadpans. "You know maybe I should go talk to him. I mean, you're the one who said he's hiding something." There was a long pause before Sam speaks again. "What? You see something?"

Olive perks up at this, her eyes nervously wracking Sam's face for any negative emotion. "What's going on?"

Sam waved her away. "Dean? What's out there?" He then pulls the phone away from his ear. Olive only catching something involving UFOs. "Whoa, dude stop yelling. You're breaking up. I didn't catch that last part."

"Is he okay?" She asked nervously.

Sam leans forward. "Close encounter?" He asked eagerly. "What kind? First? Second?" A pause. "Third kind already? You better run, man, I think the fourth kind is a butt thing." He says calmly.

Olive was nowhere near calm. "Sam—"

He shushes her before motioning for his waitress to get him another beer.

"Are they still after you?" Olive whimpers at the question. "Dean? You there? What happened?" With no response Sam sighs and ends the call.

Olive sits up eagerly. "Is he okay?!"

"Nah." Sam dismissed, looking down at her empty try. "Want more fries?"

Dean was nowhere near fine. Sam had found his phone in the middle of a crop circle and when he returned to the car without Dean by his side Olive went into a state of panic.

Sam didn't care to comfort the fussing child and told her to stop crying the second Olive started hyperventilating on the way to their new destination. Olive instantly stopped sobbing at his firm tone and had been sniffling sadly since then.

They make their way to a trailer park filled with Alien themes and sighting, run by one of the men they interviewed earlier that day. Olive was freezing, the utility jacket doing nothing against the cold. She self-consciously reaches for Sam's hand only to yelp when he swats her away.

"So, they're real. UFOs." Sam says to the man.

He smiles, putting down his book. "Like I said before, son. The truth is out there."

Sam shrugs. "Okay. You're the expert. How do I get them?"

"Come again?"

Sam blinks. "Well, you hunt ETs, right? I need to know how to get them."

He simply chuckles, handing him a packet. "You and me both."

Sam flips through the packet aimlessly, gaining the attention of a young woman. "This is it?"

The man deflates. "Well, I'd say that thirty years of eyewitness accounts speak for themselves as proof." He defended.

"Yeah, right." Sam dismissed. "My brother was abducted, so I'm good on the whole proof thing."

"Your brother was abducted?" Asked the woman eagerly, startling Olive who instantly whimpers at the memory.

Sam looks at her. "Yeah." He dismissed her instantly, looking back to the man.

"Oh, my god." She laughs in disbelief.

"It's fine. I had time to adjust." Sam states.

Olive started at him in disbelief.

"Did it happen when you were kids?"

Olive throws her hands up. "It happened half an hour ago!" She cries out.

"We'll get him back, stop crying." Sam ordered. "So. You've been hunting UFOs for over three decades and you basically have no concrete data and zero workable leads?" He asked the man, who began to stammer. "Have you considered the possibility that you suck at hunting UFOs?" He questioned bluntly.

Without waiting for a response Sam turns away and heads back to the car, Olive sadly following close behind him until the woman from earlier runs up to them.

"I'd like to help!" She speaks. Sam looks at her up and down suggestively, which she returns. "If I can."

Olive looks between them with wide eyes before clearing her throat. The adults just seemed to remember she was there, causing Sam to sigh. "Right." He pulls out two-hundred-dollar bills. "Why don't you hang around while me and..? "

"Lea."

"Me and Lea go back to the motel for... studying?" Sam states forcing the money into Olive's hands.

Olly stares down at it. "You... want me to stay with a bunch of strangers at nighttime in the cold?" She chokes out, eyes filling with tears.

This was not how she thought being around Sam would go. This wasn't how she expected to feel in what once was a safe space between her and Dean.

"Yeah, pretty much. I'll go find Dean." Sam shrugs, grabbing the woman's hand and making his way towards the car. "Don't do drugs!"

Olive watches him go, a deep frown on her face the second she realized she was alone. No Dean, no Sam. For a moment, the scenery around her flickered to a train station on a cold December night, alone in a crowded place with nothing but a jacket to keep her warm.

With a deep sigh Olive closes her eyes, allowing her tears to flow down her round face.

-

Olive walks down the empty streets of town, hands in her pockets, her head hung low as she tried to make her way back to the motel on her own. She had been walking around for a few hours, her thoughts consuming her as her brain spat out all negative things. What if Dean doesn't come back? What if Olive was stuck with Soulless Sam forever? What if she had to go back to Lisa and Ben? Would they even want her back at this point?

She wanted to pray to Castiel, knowing that he would be kind to her, knowing he'd help her. Castiel would've guided her in the right direction, but Olive had to remember that he was fighting a war and probably didn't have time to help someone as insignificant as Olive was right now.

She thought if she called Bobby, surely, he would be able to calm her down and reassure her that Dean would be saved. . . but her phone had died a long time ago.

Olive was stuck with nothing but herself.

At the ripe age of 8

The warmth of a small diner made her look up, a couple exiting it with genuine smiles as they chatted among themselves. Olive grabs at the door last second, her bare hand holding onto the cold metal with hesitation. Which a sigh, the little girl steps into the diner, the heat masking her exposed skin like a blanket.

A smile forms on her face, brushing the strains of brown out of her face as she walked towards the dining isle where a woman cleaned the counters to busy herself. Olive struggled to get on top of the stool, her small body practically climbing the seat. The woman stops to watch with an amused grin, looking around for the child's parents before settling on Olive's small frame.

"Can I help you, sweetheart?" She asked.

Olive smiles at the nickname, "Uh, no? Is it okay to sit here, ma'am?" She asked, voice shy and light.

The woman smiles, looking at Olive like she was some bizarre thing. "Not at all." She laughs, "I'm sorry, you're just very well mannered. Most kinds around here come for trouble or sweets." She explains. Leaning against the counter. "Where are your parents?"

Olive deflates. "My daddy is missing. My unc—er, his brother went to go find him but I haven't heard from him since." She explains. "I just wanted to find some place warm because it's cold outside." She rubs her hands together as a demonstration.

The woman frowns. "That ain't right. Maybe we should take you to the Sheriff?" She suggested.

Olive shakes her head wildly. Dean embedding the Hunting Rules into her head since the beginning. No form of Law. Ever. "No, it's alright. . .I'm sure they'll be back any minute." She forces a tight-lipped smile.

Although she was horrified that Dean is gone, she knows Sam will do everything he can to get her back. . .hopefully.

The woman frowns, curling the ends of her red hair with her finger. "Well, alright." She said unsure. "I'm Jane." She introduced. "Can I get you somethin' to eat? To drink?"

Olive hesitates. "Milkshake?" She says in question.

Jane smiles, "Strawberry?"

A lopsided grin takes over. "It's the best flavor!"

Jane laughs. "It's mine too." She busies herself making the drink, asking Olive questions that the child always hesitated on answering.

Where are you from? How old are you? What's your favorite color? It didn't matter what type of question it was, Olive didn't know if she should lie or tell the truth.

Jane had told her whole life story to the girl. Her parents divorced when she was little, her mother was as poor as a church mice—Olive was confused at the comparison. Jane got jobs younger than most people did around her town so that she could pay for the roof over her head. She's been working ever since at places around town, taking care of her mother even though she was already twenty-two. Jane even gave up college for it.

"I don't know where I'm from. ." Olive says after a moment, stirring the cream at the bottom of the cup. "My daddy found me around South Dakota, maybe a little farther out."

"So your daddy isn't your first one?" Jane knits her eyes brows in realization. "What happened?" She breathes out.

Olive frowns. "They left me all alone, at a train station in December. A really nice man found me. . .he gave me a teddy bear and a lollipop and wished me a happy birthday. I never saw him again. . .i met my new daddy when I was five. I was kidn—" Olive's eyes widen slightly, "I was in a car accident with my new mommy. She didn't make it. . .Dean found me by the. .car and took me in. I've been with him ever since."

Jane's eyes shined with tears at her story. "I hope you find your dad, you've been through so much for someone so young already." She sniffles.

"You don't know the half of it." Olive grumbles, "Can I get another?" She holds up her empty milkshake.

Jane wipes her eyes. "Yes of course!" She laughs, making another, sliding it over to Olive who catches it quick. "You know, you're more easier to talk to than most folks in this town. It's like you radiate some type of. ." She trails, trying to find the right word. "Light."

She grins. "Thanks."

"You know what? That's on the house."

Olive tilts her head. "I don't know what that means." She fishes in pockets and pulls out two crumbled bills Sam gave her earlier. "Daddy pays for stuff like this. .will this be enough?"

Jane reaches over and plucks the bill, unraveling it and instantly grabbing at her heart. "Lord Jesus." She breathes out, handing it back. "I'm not taking that from a child." She shakes her head. "It's too much."

"I insist!" Olive's voice pitched happily, pushing the money back. "I don't need it! Plus I have my milkshake!"

"You're giving me two hundred dollars just because of a milkshake?" Jane asked breathlessly. "Your priorities. ."

Olive holding up the cup. "It's the best flavor!" She cheers.

Jane lets out a loud chuckle. "Do you always go around making strangers happy?"

"I should start, huh?" Olive asked genuinely. "Because I'm Guardian of peace and stuff."

Jane had no idea what she meant by that, but let out a laugh. "Well now you've got a big head about it." She sighs. "It's really late. . .is there anything else I can do for you, hon?"

Olive puts down her cup, her nose and lips covered in a thin layer of whip cream. "Actually. .one more thing?"

-

Dean bursted through the motel room with a heated glare, flicking on the lights as his eyes roaming the room before landing on a naked Sam with a naked woman Dean reels back, completely disturbed. The close encounter he just experienced was obviously not as important to Sam as he hoped.

"Dean!" Sam greeted in surprise.

"Uh, what the hell?" He asked.

"Oh, that's Dean." Says the woman on top of him. "Sam, they brought your brother back!"

Dean simply gawks between the naked woman and Sam. It takes the woman a few minutes tops to grab her clothes and put them on, all while rushing out of the motel.

"I understand, Sam. You need some family time." She grins, half-way our the door before stopping. "I just—what were they like?"

"They were grabby, incandescent douche bags. Goodnight." He deadpans.

"Too soon." She mumbles.

"Oh-kay." Dean instantly slams the door closed.

"You're upset." Sam notes.

"Yes" Dean tuns to him. "I was abducted and you were banging Patchouli!" He snaps. He looks around. "And where's O?"

"I didn't think she smelled that bad—"

Dean throws his hands up. "I was abducted by frigging aliens!"

"I was looking into it." Sam defends.

"Looking into it? I was gone for like an hour!"

Sam knitted his eyebrows. "An hour?"

"And most of that was walking back to town." Dean explains.

"Dean, I think your watch is off, you've been gone all night." Sam states.

"What are you talking about? No I haven't." Dean looks down at his phone. Sam holds out his phone causing Dean to reel back. "Four a.m?"

"Yeah." Sam parts his lips in amazement. "UFO timeslip!"

Dean jabs his finger. "Where is my daughter."

Sam winched. "Ok, there's something I have to tell you." He admits.

The motel door swings open, revealing a smiling Olive and a bag of cookies. "Bye bye!" She waves at Jane, who honked the wheel of her bright red car before speeding off. Olive kicks the door closed, looking back at the boys. Her eyes widen in Dean's direction. "Daddy!"

She drops the bag on the group, throwing herself onto Dean who gives a relieved smile, picking her up off the ground. She began to sniffle, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

"I was worried you'd be gone forever." She admits.

Dean sighs, putting her back down. He lightly punches her shoulder. "You're stuck with me."

"There she is!" Sam announced awkwardly. "I put her in another room." He lies.

Olive frowns deeply, "No you—"

"Anyways. That actually falls in line with a lot of abduction stories." Sam says, rushing over to the kitchenette to pour Dean a glass of water.

Olive huffs, not bothering to say anything. She had never been more deeply hurt when it came to Sam until this moment. The hero she had always viewed him as was long gone and replaced with someone who honestly scared her.

"Falls in line." Dean repeats lowly, scoffing. He goes to sit on Sam's bed, only to glance at the messy sheets and shutter. He dragging Olive on the other bed, helping the little girl pull off her shoes and slipped under the covers.

"Yeah!" Sam chimes, holding the cup out.

"Nothing is 'Falling in Line'" Dean bellows back, grabbing the cup and drinking the water in one gulp, muttering a thank you as Sam continued to pour.

"Come on." Sam encouraged, "Talk to me. What happened?" Olive sits up slightly, awaiting the answer for herself.

"Well, uh, there was this uh," Dean had a hard time forming words that didn't make him sound crazy. "God help me, Sam, there was this bright white light." He admits with a mocking smile.

Sam places his hand on Dean's thigh as a form of practice comfort, "It's okay." He forces a smile. "Safe room."

Dean nods, instantly shifts away. "A-And suddenly I was, uh, I felt like I was in a different place. . .and there were these beings and they were too bright to look at but I can feel them pulling me towards this sort of table."

"Probing table?" Sam and Olive ask at the same time.

"God, don't say that out loud!" He yelled.

Sam's eyes widen. "Right. Uh, so what did you do?"

"I went crazy. I started hacking and slashing and firing." He chuckles. "Heh. They actually seemed surprised." He stands up proudly. "I don't think anybody's ever done that before. Yeah. I had a close encounter, Sam. And I won."

"You should take a shower." Sam says suddenly.

"I should. I should take a shower." He agrees, the moment ends as he shuttered. "I'm gonna go take a shower." He runs into the bathroom, slamming the door closed.

Sam turns to Olive, who outwardly ignored him. Her back turned away as she stared at the wall, hoping to catch some sleep. "Thanks for not outing me." He says.

Olive frowns to herself. She didn't like lying, but she liked Sam. At least the concept of Sam. She was hoping that her lying meant that he would like her more, trust her better. Still, deep down Olive had a sick feeling that it wasn't as simple when it came to Winchesters.

With a sigh, Olive shifts around to look at him. "Can I ask you something?" He nods awkwardly. "Do you think. . .that if you were the person Dean said you were before. . .do you think you would have liked me?" She asked softly, voice thick with sadness.

Sam looked down at his shoes, a soft sigh escaping his lips. "He would have loved you, kid."

She forces a tight-lipped smile. "Goodnight, Sam."

"Night, Olly."