There was a knock at the door sending sound blistering throughout the home of John and Mary Winchester. Together their heads whipped up towards the door with a look only a hunter could bare. Out of habit John grabbed a knife from the kitchen, Mary grabbed some scissors, and together they cautiously moved towards the knocking. Life was quite, their boys never came to visit, their boys didn't even know which house they were in. Heaven kept them safe, kept them separate from others. Each person was granted their own heaven, a place where peace and prosperity could be found for all eternity, but for John and Mary, the only place either ever wanted to be was at each other's sides. God granted them a heaven they could share together, a heaven the two Winchesters could only hope that one day would expand to become a home for their only two children; Dean and Sam Winchester. A knock echoed through their home once again, this time John stood next to the door handle, Mary ready to pounce on whomever it may be, old habits die hard when a hunter. John opened the door and immediately dropped the knife he was holding and took a step backwards. "No" he whispered. "Not you, anybody but you."
Mary still held her scissors, just in case, since the door still blocked the person who brought emotions to her husband's face. "Who is it?" she asked quietly.
"Mary Winchester, is that you?" the voice from behind the door said. "I've heard so many great things about you."
The door pushed open and there stood an older man who was clearly a hunter. His eyes were older than his apherehence, his face bore a scruffy beard and hair that was covered by a cap, he wore a flannel shirt and some jeans and had a bit of a stomach. Mary had never seen this man before but knew he was no threat from one glance at the smile he wore on his face. Mary then dropped the scissors and threw her confused eyes over to her husbands, who had his eyes locked onto the man's face, as if trying to take in every detail or remembering old memories, she couldn't tell. "Name's Bobby Singer ma'ma." said the older man. "John here never said much about you, but Dean told me stories of his childhood and of his time-traveling experiences." the man's smile grew even bigger, even kinder. His eyes darkened as if he was lost in a memory."Dean, he-uh-he said you had the most beautiful smile, the most kind eyes, and the most caring heart." Mary couldn't help but smile at the statement, here this man was telling her of things her oldest son had said about her. "Wow." whispered Bobby. "Dean was right, your smile is beautiful, your eyes look welcoming and you seem quite kind. Dean also said you were the most wonderful women he's ever met, but I can't agree with him there." Mary shot her eyebrows up, her hip shot out to the left and her blonde hair fell passed her shoulder as she tilted her head. "No offence, but uh-you see to me my wife if the most wonderful women in the world, and nothing you can say or do will change my mind on that." Mary felt a smile grow on her face, she grabbed Bobby's hand and gently pulled him inside and closed the door behind him.
"So, you knew my three boys? I take it you met after I died." Mary said now taking John's right hand in her left and leading the two dead hunters into the dining room.
"Yes, I met John when he was a young hunter, and when I met him I met the boys." Bobby took a seat across from where John now sat. John's eyes never left Bobby's, though Bobby's continually left his.
Before Mary could say another word John finally spoke up. "How?" he asked his old friend.
Bobby slightly tilted his head, a bad habit he had picked up from Cas. "How what?"
"How did it happen?" whispered John.
A sigh escaped Bobby and he placed his elbows on the table top. "I'll let you to catch up. It was nice to finally meet you Bobby." said Mary before she bent down to give John a kiss. "And don't you even think of leaving before you talk to me some more."
Bobby gave her a warm smile before she left the two old friends alone. "Well" he said. "I didn't go out quietly if that's what you mean." John just shook his head side to side. "Idjit how do you think it happened?" Bobby realized he raised his voice and quickly brought it back down. "Sorry" Bobby whispered. "I almost became a vengeful spirit, don't want to go down that path again." John's eyes grew wide, but never did he say a word. Bobby Singer told his tale, starting from the moment Sam and Dean first rolled into his Auto Lot after Sam came back from college. His eyes grew dark and Bobby was no longer in the dining room with an old friend, but he was in every place he described. His tale started with just Sam and Dean, then Ellen and Jo joined in. Bobby spoke of Dean going to Hell, and the four months he and Sam thought he was a goner. Once Bobby brought up Castiel; Angel of the Lord, he was back in the dining room, eyes on John. There were tear stains on his face, his hands were in fist, but Bobby just gave a sad smile and went back into his past. Bobby spoke of his three adopted sons, Dean, Sam and Cas. His voice told a tale of the almost apocalypse, Ellen and Jo's death, the four horsemen, and of Lucifer and Michael jumping into Sam and Adam's bodies. How Dean went off to live with Lisa and Ben, how Sam drew him back into the life. Soulless Sam, Samuel and the betrayal Samuel played. Bobby's tale turned to Crowley, and how he got Cas to betray them, he spoke of Cas' betray, then of his redemption. Leviathans were the next part of the tale, Bobby spoke of them and all the havoc they created. Dick Roman putting the bullet in his head, the Reaper hunting him down, the numbers he needed to get to the boy's, then Death itself. But Bobby's story didn't end there, he told of his time running from his Reaper, becoming a ghost, helping the boys, almost getting the boy's killed, and then finally saying goodbye to Dean and Sam for the final time. As his tale came to an end reality smacked him in the face. Bobby felt his own tears on his face, he had fists on the table. His jaw was tight and his breathing was harsh but all that together was nothing compared to what his eyes laid upon. There before him was John and Mary Winchester, when she entered the room again he couldn't tell, but nonetheless she was there now. John has his arms wrapped around her, both crying tears of pain. Mary was shaking and John was shutting his eyes tight. Together the three of them sat in silence for a while before Bobby took a deep breath and said "John Winchester, Death changed you."
"Death gave me back the most important women to me. But at the cost of the two most important people to me. Have I changed? Yes. I haven't hunted in years Bobby, years. I haven't been in Hell for years. I know how I raised my children wasn't the best way, but it was the only way I knew how." replied John. "I made mistakes with Sam and Dean, especially Dean, I know. Revenge is an ugly thing, I see that now. I-"
Bobby raised a hand up. "Stop." he said. "Now you listen to me you idjit." his voice was harsh. "I've been telling you for years that your parenting ways weren't the best, you know I've been telling you that. But you listen to me John Winchester, you're right. You raised those boys the only way you knew how. You could have given up, you could have sent them away, you could have killed all three of you long ago but you didn't. You were stronger than that, you gave those boys the childhood you honestly believed you thought was right. You were always terrified another supernatural creature would take one of them away from you so you thought them to defend themselves." Bobby spoke his next words as clearly as he could. "I do not blame you for turning those boys into hunters. I do not blame you for seeking revenge. The only thing I blame you for, the only thing I will ever blame you for, is not showing them your love." Bobby leaned back into his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. Mary's gasp was audibly but the men both chose to ignore it.
John did something Bobby thought he was incapable of doing. John Winchester shed a tear. Bobby was to flabbergasted to speak, a tear was rolling down John Winchester's face, a miracle was happening before his eyes. "thank you Bobby." whispered John.
Honest confusion ran through Bobby, and he asked "for what?"
John leaned back into his chair and tightened his grip on Mary, his voice was quieter than Bobby remembered it ever being. "for showing my boys what family really is."
A smile grew upon Bobby's face, he knew there would be no way to stop the tears falling down his checks. Silence grew among the three of them, a comfortable silence though. Finally Mary broke it but getting up and walking around the table towards Bobby. She bent down and put her lips near his ear. "you kept my boy's safe in a way John and I never could. You cared for them as if they were your own, you gave everything up for my boys, and for that Bobby Singer, I thank you." Mary then wrapped her arms around him for a moment, then made her way back over to John. Silence grew over them once again, but no one could think of a way to break it. Bobby was remembering the past, while John and Mary were trying to soak up the events Bobby shared. Together the three dead hunters sat for a while, though time wasn't really an issue when you had all of eternity to spend in Heaven. And thanks to Ash, Bobby could always come back and visit the Winchester's heaven.
