Mother's Day
SUMMARY: While trying to piece together a normal life with Lisa and Ben, Dean's memories of Mary come back to torment him on what should be a joyous holiday.
GENRE: Family/Angst
RATED: G / K
COPYRIGHT NOTE: I don't own Supernatural
STORY TAKES PLACE IN: Contains a pre-series flashback (wee!chesters), then flashes forward to post-5.22 "Swan Song," pre-season 6.
Mother's Day
Aiselne P.N.
"I'll be home early tonight. The boys and I are gonna' treat you to dinner at some place nice."
Unable to restrain a chuckle, Mary smirked playfully up at her equally grinning husband. John Winchester's idea of "some place nice" tended to differ from his wife's. Furthermore, based on the teasing way John worded himself, Mary found it comical to imagine her two little boys somehow pitching in to "treat" their mom to dinner. Fast food paid with kids' pocket change was not every woman's dream dinner for Mother's Day.
Not that Mary ever complained. Fancy or casual, any time she spent together with her family was precious. Was that not the point of a family holiday?
"I can't wait," replied Mary, planting a quick but loving peck on John's lips. "Drive safely."
By the time the Impala's engine vanished from earshot, Mary was already upstairs, traversing lightly across creaky floorboards. She did not want to accidentally wake the baby when it was barely after five o'clock in the morning, especially since Sammy had not settled down until one o'clock. Usually after John left for work, Mary returned to bed to catch a few more hours of sleep, at least until it was time to tend to her youngest son. Silently peeking through the ajar doorway of the nursery, the tired mother was relieved to see her baby sleeping soundly in his crib. Craving sleep herself, Mary stifled a yawn behind her palm before her slippers shuffled to her bedroom. Frankly, the best Mother's Day present she could receive was a whole day's worth of rest.
The magnitude of her lethargy multiplied once Mary sauntered into her room, not even bothering to shut the door behind her or remove the bathrobe over her nightgown. Crashing onto the bouncy oasis of her bed, Mary snuggled with the nearest pillow, burying her nose into shampoo-scented plush. It was anyone's guess as to how long Mary's serenity would last, so she would savor whatever many minutes that fate allotted.
The exhausted mother did not awake until two hours later. Ordinarily, Sammy woke her up, but Mary miraculously awoke on her own. Despite craving sleep, her maternal obligations overrode her mind with concerns for her boy. Babies do not take days off on holidays, after all. Begrudgingly, she carefully slipped off her blue blanket, too delirious to recall covering herself with the sheet in the first place.
That is, until the bed sheet also unveiled the little pajama-clad body snoozing beside her. Smiling warmly, Mary put two and two together regarding the simultaneous appearances of the blanket and her first son. It never ceased to amaze Mary how protective young Dean behaved, especially in John's absence. The four-year-old was practically a third parent towards Sammy, often being his mother's tiny assistant whilst tending to the baby. But apparently Mary was not the only member of the household who needed to catch a few extra hours of sleep. She needed to remember that a new addition to a family affected the entire family, not just the mother.
Pulling a lock of disheveled blonde hair behind her ear, Mary discreetly leaned forward to kiss Dean's forehead. But not a second afterwards did she bite the same lip, realizing her affection unintentionally stirred the little boy from his slumber. Softly moaning, the child's head rose, slightly bobbing before looking up into his mom's eyes.
Garbled by a yawn, Dean sleepily greeted, "Mor-nig, Mommy. Happy Mother's Day."
Moments like this were what Mother's Day was all about. After enveloping her firstborn into a welcoming hug, the woman beamed, "Good morning, honey. Thank you." Feeling Dean return her embrace, Mary gently combed her fingers through his unkempt hair. From the corner of her eye, she noticed her nightstand's digital clock read 07:11 A.M. She had a sinking suspicion as to what, or who, was responsible for her extended, baby-free nap. "Been' keeping Sammy company?"
Feeling his head nod between the crook of her neck, Mary then parted enough for Dean to face her with a smile. "Mm-hmm. Last night, Daddy told me that you get to sleep-in today."
Mary's heart melted. She deeply appreciated both her son and her husband's pure intentions. Nevertheless, Mary knew sleeping-in was out of the question. As thoughtful as Dean was, there were only so many things a child could do for a baby. Knowing Dean, he would do his best to care for Sammy, but Mary knew she would end up worrying herself right out of the sleep of which she was entitled.
"That's so sweet of you," praised Mary, her second thank-you kiss causing Dean to giggle impishly. "But Mommy can't sleep all day," she winked, trying not to disappoint her son. "Daddy told me the three of you guys planned a dinner for me later."
Dean nodded again, although he failed to hide a faint pout. "It was supposed to be a surprise…" he muttered, while Mary tried not to giggle too obviously. John was never very good at surprises.
"Oh, but I am surprised, and I love it!" Mary zestfully reassured Dean, drawing him close enough to sit on her lap. His frown quickly vanishing, the small boy smiled contently as he rested his head against Mary's chest. Once her cheek met the top of Dean's hair, the woman held her son picture-perfectly. "And I love you very much, Dean."
Listening to his mother's warm heartbeats, Dean closed his eyes and whispered tenderly, "I love you, too, Mom."
Dean opened his eyes, blinking his blurry vision into focus. When had he dozed off? That was anyone's guess, although the room was bright enough to suggest mid-morning. Fortunately, it appeared he was not the only person who overslept. Through his daze, Dean could still see and feel the bed's soft green blanket. Furthermore, his ear was still listening to the gentle heartbeats within her breast…
Somehow, he managed not awaken her when reality finally dawned on Dean. Sitting up, the bed sheet cascaded down the man's toned physique, becoming a rumpled pile on his lap. Lisa stirred but never awoke, moaning softly before nuzzling against a pillow to subconsciously substitute Dean's vacancy. Truthfully, he was glad Lisa stayed asleep. The past few months had been taxing – to say the least – ever since Dean came to live with her and Ben, so he wanted her to rest whenever opportunity knocked.
Besides, it was Mother's Day.
Holidays were never the same after Mary died. Each one was a bitter reminder of what the Winchester men had lost. Sobering up was the last thing John did on those days. The only reason Dean bothered celebrating (or his meager definition of "celebrating") was to humor Sammy and give the younger brother a slice of semi-normalcy. By the time Sam aged past the babying stage, Dean "celebrated" with John and Jack Daniels. And while it was exaggeratory to say Dean hated holidays altogether, Mother's Day was one day he had the greatest challenge to stomach. When he was traveling with Sam, the brothers often bypassed the holiday under the distraction, and the excuse, of hunting.
But now, both hunting and Sam were gone from Dean's life. There was no Mother's Day distraction while living with Lisa and her son. Dean was not about to interfere with their holiday, either. He knew he interrupted their lives more than enough. Thus, Dean did what he had always done on days like this:
Suck it up, grin, bear it, and drown it all in booze after Ben and Lisa's bedtimes. He did not want an audience. Lisa did not need to see that, and unlike John's half-baked parenting, Dean refused to subject Ben's young eyes to a wasted father figure.
Naturally, Ben was first to greet, "Happy Mother's Day!" once everyone gathered in the sunlit kitchen later that morning. Although nearing the age when boys tend to distance themselves from their mothers, Lisa's son had no trouble giving her a celebratory hug and kiss.
A pink envelope and matching gift bag followed, but Dean paid limited attention from his end of the kitchen table. It was stupid for him to stare at his wristwatch because this day was not going to end any sooner, especially when it was just beginning! Was his awkwardness as obvious as Dean feared, or might Lisa and Ben actually have an enjoyable holiday without him undergoing another one of his episodes?
"Oh, Dean! These are beautiful! Thank you!"
He barely noticed Lisa's compliment before returning to reality. After unwrapping the pink, rose-patterned vase Ben gave her, Lisa was treated with actual blushing roses to coincide. Ben was the one who proposed that he and Dean give Lisa a joint gift: Ben bought the vase and Dean bought the flowers. Dean was not a die-hard fan of roses, especially since Lisa's Mother's Day bouquet better resembled a Valentine's Day cliché. But regardless of Dean's personal opinions about gifts and holidays, he was too proud not to give Lisa anything today. Mother's Day celebrated mothers, and Dean could not think of any other woman more deserving of a gift than Lisa.
Well, maybe Dean could think of one other mother, but…
"Dean and I are gonna' take you out to supper, too, Mom! Your choice!" added Ben, today's onslaught of pampering causing Lisa to minutely flush. While the boy asked his mother which restaurant's cuisine she craved, Dean felt himself caught between blitzing out and smirking. How many times had Dean told Ben that tonight's supper was meant to be a surprise for Lisa?
Today was starting to resemble some déjà vu-styled shtick pulled by Gabriel.
Dean's stomach knotted and his heart ached for various reasons. But for a brief moment, he forgot about the bittersweet stinging when he suddenly felt Lisa's arms around him. Her sincere, "Thank You, Dean," sounded muffled as though the man's ears were full of cotton. He felt almost drunk once Lisa kissed his cheek and affectionately stroked his hair. Only then did everything begin to hurt more profoundly than before. Only then did Dean realize how long it had been since the last time he embraced a mother on Mother's Day.
"And I love you very much, Dean."
Dean was not the type of guy to substitute one woman with another. But just this once, he wished the woman holding him were someone else. He missed the golden-haired goddesses who could recover Dean, she who could breathe life into the ashes of his former self that were lost in the fateful fire over twenty-five years ago.
Alas, Mary was dead. So was John. Dean did not even have Sam anymore. But he did have Lisa and Ben. They were not the same as his blood family, of course, but they were the only people left to aid Dean's sanity. Just as Sam wished before jumping into the pit, Mary would want her son to move on, would she not? If only moving on was Dean Winchester's strong suit, but he was now being given a chance he should not refuse.
So Dean held onto her as long as possible.
The End
A/N: This one-shot was loosely inspired by an older Mother's Day fanfic I wrote for a different fandom. I'm just a sucker for this kind of familial squee. ^.^
I hope you enjoyed this ficlet! Reviews make fun holiday gifts, too. ^_~
~ Wishing everyone Happy Mother's Day! ~