This family is all we've ever had.

🐛  →  Our muses read a childhood book together.

There is nothing about this situation that is sitting well with Faith. Why couldn’t she have normal problems like everyone else? Things like a zit in the middle of her forehead before school photos, university entrance exam anxiety or figuring out how to get noticed by your crush? No. She had to go to extremes in everything and give her poor father a heart attack for something as stupid as nightmares.

With a quick flick of her tongue over her lips, Faith nods briskly, releasing the strand of hair she had been twisting about and drops her hands into her lap before speaking.

“I guess they started maybe a month or two ago,” she admits, lips pressing together into a tight line, shoulders tensing as Faith braces for her dad’s reaction. “At first,” the words come out rushed, her face turning up to his as Faith tries to offer an explanation for the delay in telling him about the dreams. “I figured they were just weird dreams, you know? Something I ate too close to bedtime, or from reading lore books, but…” Scepticism creeps into Faith’s tone and she begins to squirm slightly. “But, the dreams? They didn’t stop. And you know I’m used to bad dreams, I know how to deal with them pretty good now, but these?” Shaking her head, Faith breathes out the next words with trepidation. “Dad, I know it sounds crazy, but I don’t think these are JUST dreams anymore.” 

Faith casts a quick glance towards Sam and sucks in a fast, deep inhale through her nose before continuing. “In these dreams… I am like some sort of superhero, only I’m fighting demons… Vampires, but in different times and places. I’ve even spoken different languages, like Chinese, and known exactly what I was saying.” Reaching towards her father, Faith sets a hand upon his arm, her eyes staring intently back at him. “ME. Speaking and understanding Chinese. I mean, come on!”

Withdrawing, Faith closes her eyes for a long second, “I see things… Know things that I have no reason… No business knowing. I thought it was all just crap in my head, but I looked some of the stuff up at the school library. None of it makes sense and it scares the hell outta me,” she admits.

@noditchablepromdate​

Listening to her pour it all out, squirming like she’d done something wrong and was being called out for it... it took an effort of will on Bobby’s part not to give her any reaction to feel even worse over. She was scared, and maybe even a little ashamed... and she’d been keeping all of this to herself for a couple of months now?

The word vampires sent a chill through him as more memories sparked, and he closed his hand over hers. This was something he didn’t want to contemplate... but he didn’t have a choice.

“Could be somethin’ an’ nothin’,” he said, with a good show of his usual reassuring smile. “Does ring a bell, though, I’ll make some calls. Ain’t anythin’ that can hurt you in your sleep or nothin’, though, so don’t worry about that part.”

He smoothed down her hair. “Didn’t you two wanna go out tonight or somethin’?”

🐛  →  Our muses read a childhood book together.

Seated upon the old sofa, Faith fixes her eyes on her father’s hands swallowing hers. How many times has he patiently tried to calm her down like this over the years? There is an attempt to subtly slide her eyes over towards his face while Faith bites back a sigh. 

Too many, was the only real answer, and Faith knew it. The poor guy hadn’t known what he was in for when he signed up to be her dad.

Squirming slightly in place, Faith darts her eyes away before her father can catch her gaze, huffing out a sigh even as she shakes her head in acknowledgement that clearly lets him know, there’s more to the story.

“Issues.” The single word is said devoid of any real feeling, as if Faith was detaching herself from it. “I suppose that’s the nice way to put it, yeah,” she drawls out, tone taking on a slightly bitter turn. “But this…?” 

Lifting her eyes, if not her head, Faith licks at her lips, “This is… Different… Sorta,” she half explains. “I um…” Sucking in a deep breath, Faith lifts up her head and looks over towards the doorway back where Sam was still sequestered in the kitchen. She wouldn’t mind him here for a bit of moral support right about now.

Redirecting her attention back at her father, Faith tries again, “This is some really weird crap, Dad,” she prefaces what she’s about to tell him, voice somewhat low, and cautioning. “These dreams I’ve been having - They’re not the same kind of nightmares. Not the ones I’ve had before I mean. These are…” 

Pausing, Faith gives her head a slow, thoughtful shake, “Dad, these are… It’s like I’m possessed or something, and you know that I wouldn’t go saying something like that lightly since I know that’s nothing to joke about. When I have these dreams, it’s like I’m another person, and…” 

Closing her eyes in a slow blink, Faith draws her hands back, running one through her hair and stopping to nervously fidget with one long, curly lock. She opens her eyes slowly, looking back up at him through a thick fan of lashes. “It’s like…” Faith’s voice has dropped to a stage whisper, ”the dreams are teaching me stuff… Fighting and other stuff, but they also scare the hell outta me - Some of the stuff I see and FEEL. Dad, I FEEL what’s happening in these dreams like I’m there.” Faith breathes out, eyes widening as fear bleeds into them.

@noditchablepromdate

@notabikiniinspector​

Just the jaded way she said Issues, like she thought he was being dismissive, made Bobby wince slightly, but he stayed where he was and let her talk it out. He could see Sam hovering in the kitchen doorway behind her, trying not to look like he was listening in; the teenager was always worried when his cousin had a bad moment.

Faith’s demeanour shifted, and Bobby leaned closer, intent on the urgency with which she spoke. A chill went down his back as she went into more detail about the bizarre dreams she was having, Feeling possessed? Being taught things?

🐛  →  Our muses read a childhood book together.

The quiet, authoritative sound of her father’s voice wraps around Faith as securely as his arms, transporting her to a place of comfort and safety that soothes Faith like nothing else. Her cheek presses against the warm, worn flannel hanging open and loose over his t-shirt. There was a time when he often would hold her like this, comforting her from some imagined fear lurking in the shadows or in a strangers face. Where he would have lifted her up so her head would come to rest upon his shoulder. Or, Faith would cling with an almost unnatural strength with her much too spindly arms wound tight around his leg, refusing to let go, and her father would smooth his hand patiently over the top of her head, never forcing the issue no matter where they were or needed to go. 

It is with those memories replaying fresh in her mind that Faith slowly tips her face upwards to meet her dad’s worried gaze. Faith can’t remember how much of that Sam was around for, as far as she’s concerned, any of it was too much. She was a train wreck of a kid; Faith can admit that much. Now here she was, once again off the rails, and Faith knows Sammy too well. He’s going to be worried about her, and that’s the last thing he needs.

It was time to pull herself together… Somehow.

Drawing a deep breath that turns into a hiccup, Faith laughs awkwardly, sniffling as she gives her dad a little smile. 

“I know,” she says softly, her fawn eyes still shimmering slightly as Faith looks up at him. “You always make everything better Dad. I…” Sucking in a slightly shuddering breath, Faith looks back at Sam and gives him a quick smile, and then turns her head back around. “At least I’m not boring… You know..? Designer clothes, pop stars and high school quarterbacks like most daughters my age, right?” she offers with a weak laugh before sobering. “I mean it. I’m sorry. It’s not you, I swear, but I think… I think-”

Looking down, Faith sighs heavily, “I think something IS wrong with me.”

@noditchablepromdate​

@notabikiniinspector​

As he always did, Bobby waited patiently, holding his distraught daughter while she worked through her feelings. He knew he wasn’t exactly adequate for the kind of help she really needed - he was no shrink or mental health expert - but he could give her unconditional love and affection, and always did.

He quirked a smile at her declaration that he made everything better. They’d had their share of arguments over the years, after all, but he got the impression she was feeling guilty for upsetting him. Giving her an extra squeeze, he waited while she tried to put words to what she was feeling.

And then it finally came out, and the old hunter let out a sad sigh. He could see Sam in the background shaking his head, having clearly heard the conversation, before turning away and trying to look busy.

“Come here,” Bobby said quietly, leading Faith into the study and sitting them both down on the battered old sofa. He took a few seconds to try and compose himself before enclosing her hands in his. “Look, sugar... I know you got issues. I know. But we’ve been over this, that don’t mean there’s anythin’ wrong with you. Just means you got scars other kids don’t, in places nobody can see.”

🐛  →  Our muses read a childhood book together.

With her own voice kept soft, as if sharing a secret between them, Faith lifts her face up to Sam’s, which was entirely unfair since she was older and something she fully intended to bring up later. For now, Faith doesn’t make some dumb crack to relieve the tension, or change the subject. Her hands slide around from Sam’s back, coming to rest upon his biceps which are starting to fill out, and are certainly much more defined than a typical boy his age - it’s necessity though, not vanity like most teenage boys. 

“Dad, my dad, would listen to whatever you had to say Sam, you know that.” Her fawn eyes search his hazel pair, trying to push past his concern for her that was acting as a shield for his own pain. It certainly wasn’t the first time. Faith’s voice is low hiss now, “If it’s about your dad… what he might say or do…” There’s a shake of her dark head. “Well, if you told him not to say anything, he wouldn’t. You KNOW that, right?” Faith insists, her worry instantly transferred to Sam when she hears the bathroom door. The sound is enough to make her had whip around so fast it is a wonder her neck doesn’t snap! Faith’s hands fall away from Sammy as if she had been caught with her hands in the cookie jar, immediately taking one step back.

“Dad…” There is apprehension in Faith’s tone despite the urgency in her eyes. She can feel the chaotic thrashing of her heart against her ribcage and swallows hard, palms rubbing against her thighs as if she can wipe off the imaginary sweat gathered there.

Baby steps. They weren’t intentional, but her feet shuffle towards her father, each inch covered marks a tick louder that her blood thumps in her ears. It takes less time than she expected to stand before him, lips parched, fingers flexing to keep from grabbing him as Faith raises her gaze slowly.

“I’m s… Sorry!” 

The words started out softly, breathed out on the back of an exhale and building until she throws herself at him shamefully, like she was six or something. Her arms slip around his neck as words just pour out of her mouth in a ramble that was meant to explain and apologise, but just sound much more like nonsense.

@notabikiniinspector​

Sam smiled sadly as Faith’s unhappiness shifted to concern for him.It was sweet, it honestly was, but he didn’t want her stressing over him when she had her own mess to deal with. “It’s fine,” he started, before the sound of Bobby coming back got her attention like a gunshot.

“You’re gonna be fine,” the teenager breathed, but Faith was already off, stumbling towards the hunter like she was in a daze. Sam let out a quiet sigh and went to finish tidying up.