Summary: Dean has a family that no one knows about until they show up at Bobby's one day. Being a father and husband is never easy, especially when you're a hunter and your family isn't quite human. What happens when the things that go bump in the night start to target your family? How far will Dean go to protect them? Post season 7 (with a small change-Bobby's didn't die in Season 7). Dean is about 36 at the start of this story. Dean/OC.

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural, because if I did there would be more shirtless scenes.

Rating: Rated M due to language, violence, sexual content and underage drinking.

"Will you two shut up while I answer the door," Bobby yelled into the den where two idiot brothers were arguing over whether the wood of a yew would kill a Redcap.

Opening the door the he saw a very well dressed attractive brunette on his porch; she smiled but he noticed it didn't quite reach her bright green eyes. "Can I help you miss?"

"Yeah, you can tell Dean that I need to talk to him please."

"Don't know if I know who you're..."

"Please," she interrupted him laughing, "Bobby right?" Seeing the older man nod, she said, "Just tell Dean that Autumn's here and if he doesn't get his ass outside I'm going to commit murder against my own flesh and blood."

"Just a minute," Bobby said, walking into the house.

Turning around she noticed that both kids were still in the car, but the moody teenager in the front seat was just glaring at her. "Autumn?"

"Hi honey," Autumn said turning back around and noticed that he wasn't alone. Bobby had returned with him and a younger man that she took to be Sam was there as well.

"Autumn, what are you doing here?"

"Alec."

"Is he alright?" Dean asked trying to see behind her into the car.

"Til he rolls his eyes at me again and I kill him, he's fine."

"Autumn what's going on?"

"I'm going to kill him."

"Autumn."

"Dean."

"Autumn."

"Dean."

"Do you feel like you've missed half this conversation Sam?" Bobby asked Sam causing both Autumn and Dean to glare at him.

"Listen Dean, I don't know what to do anymore. He's brilliant, hell Harvard and Stanford we're looking into him until about 2 months ago when he got into the first fight. Since then he's been suspended 4 times and now they're talking about expulsion. He's got a busted lip and a black eye, but the other kid is in the hospital."

Sighing, Dean closed his eyes and shook his head. He knew this day was coming for the last few months, Alec had been getting more desperate on the phone for him to come home or to let him be homeschooled so Autumn, he and Lexi could be with him on the road. Now the little shithead was trying to get thrown out of school.

"I'll talk to him," Dean said leaning in and giving Autumn a brief kiss, "Do you want me to send Lexi up to you?"

"Yeah, please."

Nodding, he left Autumn with a very confused Sam and Bobby and started down Bobby's front steps. He didn't even get to the car when his 5 year old daughter was out of the car and running for him.

"Daddy," Lexi yelled, running into Dean's arms.

Autumn watched both scenes enfolding in front of her, father and daughter on one side and uncle and brother on the other. Dean had swung Lexi up into his arms and into a crushing hug while Sam was mouthing "Daddy?" at Bobby. Smirking, she could just image the discussions Dean had in store today.

"Hey sweetheart," Dean whispered into his daughter's hair.

"Hi Daddy," Lexi whispered back.

It was a ritual between them each time Dean saw his daughter. He'd started it when she was 2 and he'd come home and whisper that he wanted to surprise Mommy so they had to be quiet. Ever since their greetings were in that same whisper and he hoped it never changed.

Sitting her down, he told her to go on up to Mommy while he talked to Alec. Watching her run up the steps he smiled til he remembered the brooding moody teenager in the car. Opening the car door, Dean looked down at his son's face, a face that was almost identical to his own at 17. "Want to tell me what happened?" he asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the car door.

"Nope."

"Do you want to explain to me why you're getting into fights?"

"Nope."

"Boy, if you tell me nope one more time the next fight you get into is going to be with me," Dean growled causing Alec to glare at him.

"Just get the hell out of the car," Dean snapped at his son. Waiting for Alec to unfold himself from the car and stand to his full 6'1", Dean asked, "Why the hell would you do this do your mother? My life is hard enough on her always wondering when the call is coming that I'm never coming home again; now she has to worry about you getting kicked out of school or worse hurt or killed in a fight."

"What do you care?" Alec snapped while he turned and looked directly into his father's eyes. "You're never around, you don't listen to her cry at night, you not the one who reads Lexi bedtime stories when Mom's working. Why the fuck do you care?"

"I love your mom," Dean snapped back. "I love you and I love your sister. I'm not around because it's too dangerous."

"Right you love us, that's why my own uncle doesn't know that I exist. Why he doesn't know you're married with two kids that you sneak away to see like we're your fucked up little secret," Alec said, shoving his father.

Grabbing Alec by the front of the shirt, Dean pulled his son close and whispered, "I have never hit you but right now I'm barely restraining myself from knocking you on your ass. I suggest you get yourself in that house now and knock the shit off before I forget I'm your father and beat some fucking sense into you."

"Try it," Alec whispered back.

Dean looked from his son to the group on the porch. "Bobby take Autumn and Lexi in the house," he yelled.

"Dean."

"Autumn let Bobby and Sam take you and Lexi in the house."

Watching her relent and walk in the house behind Sam and Bobby, Dean turned back to his son. "Take your best shot because I'm only going to give you one."

30 minutes later, Bobby watched Dean come in the house and fill two bags with ice and grab two rags before heading back outside. Looking out the window, he watched Dean holding one rag covered bag against his lip and hand the other to the boy. Shaking his head, he went back into the living room to wait for an explanation.

Handing Alec a bag of ice for his busted lip, he sat down next to his son and asked, "So now that you've got that out of your system, do you want to tell me what's going on?"

"There are days I hate you," Alec said holding the ice gingerly against his swelling lip.

"Well at least it's an answer," Dean said, staring straight ahead, "Mind telling me why."

"You're never around. Yeah, I can always call but that doesn't mean you're always going to answer. There were years of my life we didn't hear from you, and every day I watched mom die a little more. I've spent so many nights listening to her cry, she doesn't know I can hear her but I can. Lexi asks all the time when is Daddy coming home. I love you Dad, but I hate you too."

Nodding, Dean asked, "I know you know what I do, why I can't bring it home to you and your sister. Your mom can take care of herself, but you and Lexi, I can't risk it."

"Dad, mom's a natural witch, you knew it was going to be passed on to Lexi and I! You and mom have been training us since we were old enough to walk to protect ourselves. Did you really think I wasn't going to want to be just like you or at least like mom doing the research so you don't die?"

"You hate me but you want my life?" Dean asked, looking at his son for the first time since sitting down.

"No I want my dad. I'm 17 years old and I want the chance to know you before I go off to college, if that's what I even want anymore."

"So why have you been fighting?"

"I never started any of those fights. I just finished them."

"What were they about?"

"I quit the basketball team and a few of them decided that they were going to punish me for it. They started saying some really nasty things about mom, basically calling her a slut and cheap and saying that you only come around for a piece of ass and she's cheap enough to give it up, and that Lexi and I were just mistakes, because mom was too stupid to make you wear a condom. Each time, I lost it."

"Does your mom know?"

"No, I'd never hurt her by repeating it."

"Good. So you want to meet your Uncle Sam and Bobby?"

"I'd like that," Alec said looking at his dad and smiling.

"Then we'll go shoot something," Dean said, standing up and smiling down at his son.

Dean walked into the living room in front of Alec and realized that Bobby's house was silent except for the sound of his daughter's giggling. He noticed that Autumn was sitting on the couch with Lexi who was busy making faces at Sam, only to have him make an even sillier one back. Coming in the room, he sat down on his daughter's other side and nodded his head for Alec to take the other chair.

"Daddy what happened to your lip?" Lexi asked, getting up on her knees to inspect his busted lip.

"Your brother and I needed to have a talk," he told her.

Leaning in Lexi asked, "Do you want me to beat him up for you?"

Laughing, he told her, "No brat, I don't want you to beat up your brother," while reaching in to tickle her ribs and make her squeal.

"So idjit, are you going to tell us what's going on?" Bobby asked. "Autumn wouldn't spill the beans."

Looking at his wife and then at his kids, Dean reached into his pocket and pulled out his wedding ring. "Sam, Bobby I'd like you to meet Autumn Devon Winchester, my wife. The moody one," Dean said, looking at Alec, "is my 17 year old son Alec, and the giggle box," he said, tickling Lexi once more, "is my 5 year old daughter Lexi."

"How long have you two been married?" Sam asked, trying to understand that there was a huge part of Dean's life that he'd never shared with anyone.

"18 years," Dean answered while slipping on his ring.

"You've been married since you were 18 and never thought to mention it to anyone?" Bobby asked, pissed. "Did you not think that maybe we should know in case something happened to you, we could call them, try to take care of them? Boy you've done some stupid things in your day but this beats them all."

"Bobby, Dad knew about Autumn and Alec. After he died, it never occurred to me to tell anyone until after I got back, from you know where, that I'd been gone for months and I hadn't left any instructions for my family. Remember that number I gave you and told you that if I ever you know on a hunt to call it and tell them. It was Autumn's number."

"So you gave Bobby you're wife's, my sister-in-law's, number to call and give a bad news report without him knowing who he was calling and why? Dean you're a jackass," Sam said, looking at Autumn and being thankful he never had to make that call. Sam could only imagine the life she and Dean had together. She probably saw him once or twice a year for a few days, and was left to raise their kids all alone while never knowing if he was coming back or not. "Not to mention that I have a niece and nephew that I've never met. They're my family, my blood too you selfish son-of-a-bitch."

"I did this to keep them safe," Dean hissed at Sam, as Lexi climbed up onto his lap and burying her head in his chest.

"Yeah right?" Bobby said, standing up. "Autumn, I have some guest rooms upstairs that you and the children are welcome to. Please stay as long as you like."

"Thank you, Bobby," Autumn said to Bobby and then looked at Dean. "Do you want us to stick around a few days or head home?"

"Oh, you're staying," Sam said, "And before you leave I want phone numbers and an address to find you."

"Sam," Dean growled.

"No Dean, screw you. Get your head out of your ass and let me get to know this part of my family. It wouldn't hurt you to see your kids for a few days either. When was the last time you were an actual father to them, other than an hour ago outside with your son?"

"You have no right to tell me how to raise my kids?" Dean yelled, handing Lexi to Autumn and standing up.

"Yes, I do," Sam yelled back, standing up to tower over Dean, "because you're not raising them, Autumn is. How long Dean? How long since you've actually been present to be a father to them or a real husband to your wife?"

"8 months," Dean growled, looking away from Sam catching the flash of pain in Autumn's eyes before it was gone and the mask she'd perfected came back so he never saw what their life cost her. "Sam take Autumn upstairs and show her where she and the kids are staying." Walking over, he pulled Alec out of the chair by the arm and walked out the door following his son. Autumn and Sam just looked at each other as Dean started the Impala.

"Autumn, I'm sorry," Sam said, sitting down and actually looking at her and his niece.

Finding the courage to smile, Autumn sighed, "It's alright. You and Bobby have said a lot of what I've wanted to say to him for 18 years and couldn't. I knew what he did when I choose to marry him. I knew what my life was going to be like before I signed that paper at the courthouse."

"You knew the facts but not the reality, right?"

"Did I know that I was signing away my right to be held at night or to just be happy for more than two weeks a year, no I didn't."

Neither Autumn or Sam realized that Dean had come back to see if Sam wanted to go with him and Alec, they didn't know that he could hear the admission from his wife and in that moment realize that he's made a huge mistake all those years ago. He should have either brought her with him or stopped hunting and stayed. Looking up, Dean noticed Bobby standing at the other end of the hallway just watching him before mouthing, "Fix your life," and pointing to Autumn. Nodding, he slammed the door shut pretending that he'd just gotten back before walking into the living room.

"Sam, Alec and I thought that maybe you'd like to go target shooting with us. Maybe give Autumn a chance to give Lexi a nap. Autumn, maybe Bobby could use your help with a translation we've been working on and then later we'll talk."

"Yeah, ok," Sam said, "I'd like to spend some time with him too. Are you going to be ok Autumn?"

"She'll be fine," Bobby said, walking in the room. "If she's been married to this jackass for 18 years, she can handle anything. Do you read Ancient Egyptian?"

"Yeah, actually I do," Autumn smiled up at the man.

"Good, cuz I don't."