Safe and Sound

It was late at night, but Sam was only half a sleep. Quiet nights were still rather foreign to him even after all these years. Rachel was curled up beside him long gone into slumber land. Sam's hand rested on the small of her back feeling her breathe as his anchor to calmness.

All of that went away with a tug of his shirt. Sam's eyes snapped open and his body stiffened. His fingers instinctively wrapped around the hilt of his blade he still hid under the pillow. He was ready to attack when a small voice cried out.

"Daddy?"

Sam relaxed and rolled over to his baby girl standing at his bed side. Her eyes were wide and wet with fear and whimper on her lip. "Jess, what wrong?"

"There's something in my room. I think it's a monster," she sobbed. "Make it go away."

Sam pulled himself up a bit. "A monster, are you sure?"

Jess nodded and grabbed his arm. "It's watching me."

"What does it look like?"

"Big and scary. And it's got a yellow eye. Make it go away." Her voice cracked holding back another sob.

"Okay." He gave her a reassuring smile and wiped the tears off her cheeks. He carefully sat up and pulled himself away from his wife not to disturb her. He slyly tucked the blade behind his back out of Jess's sight, never being one to be too careful. Sam took his daughter's hand and let her led him back to her room across the hall.

Jess hugged his leg as he opened the door. The room was empty besides them and quiet with a glow coming from her nightlight. Sam left the light off to better see what she was seeing. He knelt down to her level and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "So where is the monster?" he whispered so it couldn't hear them.

Jess pointed at the corner by her toy chest. He nodded and ushered her to her bed. As soon as she climbed up she covered her eyes. "It's still there."

Sam quietly walked over to the corner to get a good look at this monster that was terrorizing his daughter. Half hidden in shadow of the toy chest was a push dog casting its own minor shadow on the wall that made it appear much larger then it actually was. One of its yellow eyes twinkled a bit in the light. He picked it up and placed it back into the toy chest where it belonged.

"Is he gone?" Jess asked peeking between her fingers.

"Yeah, I got him. You're safe now," he chuckled.

Jess lowered her hands and gave a sigh of relief. "Thank you Daddy."

"Anytime sweetheart. Do you need anything else?"

"Could you check if there's anymore?"

"Of course," he smiled.

She stayed on the bed but kept a very close watch as Sam checked the closet and behind the door. She even became brave and peeked with him under the bed.

"All clear," he stated.

"Good," she smiled. While she had her father's nose and her mother's eyes, she somehow acquired her uncle Dean's smile. It warmed Sam's heart every time it spread across her face and he was determined to keep it there as much as possible.

He helped her back under the blankets and tucked her in nice and tight.

"Thank you for checking Daddy."

"Anytime sweetheart. You know I'd never let anything hurt you."

"I know. But…" The smile faded. "What if a monster comes when you are gone with Uncle Dean? What if it comes for me and Mommy?"

Sam placed a hand on her cheek and shook his head. "Don't you ever worry about such a thing. You got an angel watching over you. If something even tries to come near you or your mother he can zap it away, but nothing ever will come."

"Why?"

"Because there is one thing monsters fear more then daylight."

"What?" Jess asked intrigued.

"Me," he smiled.

Jess chuckled and settled down into her pillow. Sam kissed the top of her head and turned for her to give him one on the cheek.

"Sweet dreams Jessica."

"Night, night Daddy," she yawned and fell back to sleep.

Just before he left the room he did a reassuring check of the warding symbols ingrained the walls making sure they were all still intact.

"Safe and sound," he told himself then went back to bed.