Things were hard at first. Though that could be said for anyone who doesn't have much experience with a baby and has one dumped on them full time. Dean didn't leave the bunker. He didn't shower, he didn't sleep, and he hardly ate. For weeks he poured over this tiny, helpless infant who spent hours a day screaming her head off. Dean even started to think he had made a mistake not trying to bring his sister back, but eventually he got the hang of it and they got into their own little routine. The whole issue of not getting any sleep was completely resolved when Dean stopped trying to force Axel to sleep in her crib and instead let her sleep in bed with him, something that continued on much longer than what some might consider normal. They both got more sleep and Dean felt safer having her right there next to him.

Dean wouldn't have made it through that first year without his little brother. Sam was the one who made all of the late night supply runs when Dean was out of diapers or formula. Sam took over when Dean had worked himself into a state of utter exhaustion, which happened more than either of them would like to admit. Dean wanted and tried to do everything himself, he wanted to take care of this little girl with no help, but the truth was he couldn't and it took him much longer than it should have to realize that and let Sam take over some of the responsibilities.

An entire year passed and they were celebrating Axel's first birthday when Dean realized that he hadn't been on a hunt since before his sister had died, an entire year and he hadn't killed anything. He was surprised by that, but even more surprised that he hadn't missed it. Hell, he barely had time to shower, much less search for cases and who the hell was going to watch the baby while he hunted anyways? But Sam felt differently and after Axel's first birthday he started hunting without Dean. At first Dean didn't like it and he tried to talk Sam out of it, but Sam insisted there was nothing Dean could do about it. So for the most part it was just Dean and Axel hanging out at the bunker together.

Dean cried when she took her first steps. And when she said her first word 'Sam', which he was more mad about than anything. Though he soon figured out that was her first word because it was who he talked about the most to her, always asking her "When's Sam coming home?" or "Where's your uncle Sam?". He was glad that Sam wasn't there for either of those, this baby sure was making him soft. The worst of it was Axel falling over and splitting her head open when she was learning to walk, Dean rushed her to the emergency room and she was fine, but it broke his heart and he felt like a failure.

Once when Sam got back from a week long hunt and realized that Dean hadn't changed clothes or showered since he had last seen him Sam knew he had to intervene. He signed Axel up for a playgroup and insisted that Dean take her, even when he was gone. Dean didn't want to at first, but it ended up working out for the best and Dean started enjoying hanging out with the other women who had children. He continued taking Axel to that playgroup until it was time for her to start school.

Dean and Sam had never even discussed enrolling Axel in school. They had never enrolled Imogen, but that was due in part to the fact that they never stayed in one place long enough. Now they were or at least Dean was. And it wasn't until one of the mom's from the play group asked Dean that he got to thinking, he didn't like the idea of her being away from him for hours at a time every day, because he hadn't been away from her since she was born. But Imogen wanted her daughter to be normal, and Dean was going to do his damndest to make that happen. So he called up a friend who drew up all the necessary paperwork and Dean went down to the local school and enrolled her and a week later she was starting school. He had taken her to pick up some clothes and supplies and she was excited.

The morning of her first day Dean woke up early and cooked her breakfast and helped her get dressed and she was bouncing off the walls with excitement. She skipped happily all of the way out to the Impala and strapped herself into her booster seat. Trying to hide his sadness Dean chatted with her all the way to the school. Then they got to the school and Dean put her too big backpack on her and held her hand as they walked inside to her classroom, she was still bursting with excitement. He met the teacher who was a portly woman about his age and then he bent down so he was eyelevel with Axel. He put a hand on both of her shoulders and sighed softly.

"You know I love you right, baby girl?"

Axel smiled brightly, "I love you too, Daddy."

Dean swallowed hard, trying to keep the tears back, "You're gonna be a good girl? Do what your teacher says?"

She nodded, "I promise," she wrapped her arms around her father.

Dean held her tightly as a tear dripped down his cheek and he broke the hug so he could look at her, "I'll be here to pick you up in a couple of hours, okay?"

Axel reached up to wipe the tear from his face, "Don't cry, Daddy."

"We'll go for ice cream later, okay?" his voice was shaking and he knew if he didn't get out of there soon he was going to be a mess.

Axel smiled and nodded before sitting in her chair, "I'm gonna get chocolate and peanut butter."

Dean smiled and stood back up, gently rubbing the little girl's hair, "All right baby," he said, turning to walk out of the classroom, not looking behind him for fear that he wouldn't be able to leave. Ten minutes later he was back inside of the bunker and Sam was sitting in the little makeshift living room they had put together, "Where's Axel?" he asked, standing up and looking extremely confused.

Dean frowned, "School," he stated plainly.

"School?" Sam asked, "Since when does she go to school?"

"Since today. I enrolled her last week."

"Why didn't you tell me?" the younger brother exclaimed.

Dean shrugged, "You haven't been here in almost a month. I didn't know I needed to get your permission."

"You don't," Sam sighed, "I just would have liked to have been there for her first day of school."

"You were busy. I didn't want to interrupt your life."

"Jeeze Dean. You're acting like a jealous house wife who's pissed that her husband had travel for work. I get that you stopped hunting when Axel was born, but I haven't. I've still got a job to do whether you like it or not."

Dean just shook his head, "Okay, sorry," he sighed, "I'm gonna go lay down."

Sam frowned, "You're taking a nap in the middle of the day?"

"Well, it's not like I've got anyone to look after," he barked unhappily and trudged into the room he shared with Axel and threw himself down on his bed face first. He turned his head so that he would be able to breathe and spotted the stuffed dog that she couldn't sleep without. He grabbed it and pulled it to his chest, exhaling softly and closing his eyes.

While Axel immediately loved going to school it took Dean a few months to adjust to her being gone so much. For a while he just moped around the bunker until it was time to go and pick her up, and then he tried chaperoning field trips and other things, but it turned out while he loved Axel and spending time with her everyone else's kids were completely insufferable. Axel fit in at the school perfectly and made tons of friends. Monsters and the supernatural had no place in her world, at first that was a little weird to Dean, but he adjusted. Now his only connection to hunting was Sam. Eventually Dean did manage to pick up a little day work at the local bar so he had something to do while she was away learning.

Dean worked, Sam hunted, and Axel learned. It worked pretty well. And amazingly enough there was no outside interference that jeopardized Axel's safety. Crowley and his demons kept away, and Dean hadn't heard anything from Castiel since before his sister had died. He figured that Castiel knew of her death and was keeping his distance for the safety of everyone involved.

Eleven years of good and safe and normal is what Dean got for Axel before the shit hit the fan. Just like it always does with the Winchesters.

A/N: HERE WE GO! Thank you all so much for joining me over here in the sequel (threequel?). This story means so much to me and I'm so excited to share it with y'all!