Dean was sitting on the couch in the living room, staring at the small four-year-old boy in front of him. Ben was hunched over a paper, his face contorted in concentration as his chubby hand coloured away. Sam was in the kitchen with Carmen. Dean wondered what she was telling him, what his reaction would be.

He looked at Ben. Really looked at him, for the first time since he sat down ten minutes ago. There was a bit of Carmen here and there. In his expressions, his smile. The immense concentration with which he worked on his masterpiece. But mostly, he was Dean. He had dirty-blonde hair that stood up in spikes, big, bright green eyes, even his nose. "Mini me" Dean said under his breath. There was not a shadow of a doubt that Ben was his son. His son! He, Dean Winchester, was a father. He expected to feel dread, fear. That was the sensible reaction wasn't it? He should be bolting through the door. Then why wasn't he? He looked at Ben and tried to analyze his feelings. He didn't feel dread or fear. Once the initial shock subsided, he realized he felt…happy. And kinda proud. Is that weird? Why does he feel proud of a son he just found out he had? Or was he proud of himself? As he rationalized these thoughts, Sam walked in, followed by Carmen carrying a few beers. She gave one to Sam, then Dean avoiding his gaze. Determined to look anywhere else. She put the rest on the table and went to Ben.

"Hey honey, why don't we get you some lunch? Sam and Dean have a lot to talk about." She said picking Ben up and placing him on her hip, she still wouldn't look at Dean.

"But I'm drawing!" Ben wailed.

"You can finish it after lunch." She said carrying a very upset looking Ben out of the room.

Dean sipped on his beer. It was his favorite, Corona del Sol, but he barely tasted it. He waited for Sam to speak first.

"So," he started, Dean turned to look at his little brother. "You have a son." Sam said the words slowly and with care, he looked worried and cautious.

"Yeah." Dean couldn't think of anything else to say.

"And," Sam continued, "how do we feel about that?"

"I don't know man. I feel like I should be running for the hills but…"

"But what?"

"I don't want to." Dean resolved. He didn't want to run. He wanted to be a father. He wanted a son. "I'm a dad. And I feel," he grinned, "kinda happy. I mean I'm also terrified, I don't know jack shit about being a dad. And there's the whole being a hunter thing but. This is…" he shrugged his shoulders trailing off.

Sam smiled at his brother, "well I'm glad. I mean I would've understood either decision but, I'm proud of you for making this one."

The two of them took sips from their beers. They sat like that for a few minutes before Sam spoke up again. "You should go talk to Carmen. Just because you want to be a dad doesn't mean she wants that too. Plus there's the logistics of the whole situation." Dean hadn't thought of that. Does Carmen really not want him in Ben's life? Maybe that was why she so nervous and reluctant.

"Why did she say something to you?" Dean asked Sam.

"No but you know. You haven't been in touch for four years. She's raised him on her own. And she's doing well. Really well." Sam answered waving his hands at the house.

Dean got up off the couch and walked to the kitchen. He used the trip to look around the house. On the right of the foyer were the living room and a door, which Dean decided must have been the guest bedroom. The kitchen was to the right. As he walked towards the kitchen he heard giggling. He stopped at the archway and peeped in. Ben was sitting in a baby chair at the kitchen island. He was throwing what looked like peanuts at Carmen, who was trying to catch them in her mouth. Every time she got one they'd both whoop for joy. Dean smiled as he watched this family moment. Sam was right, she was good with him. It felt wrong to intrude on their private moment, but he pressed on anyway. Carmen looked up immediately, her expression changed to one that was completely unreadable.

"Hey." She said.

"Hey. Mind if I join you?" I asked, "I bet I can do better than you." I grinned with sudden inspiration. Carmen never backed down from a bet.

She narrowed her eyes at me, "you're on!"

Ben giggled as the adults took their positions. It was the most competitive game of catching-peanuts-with-your-mouth ever played and by the end all three of them were in fits of laughter.

"I win." Said Dean wiping a tear from his eye.

"Nah uh no way," replied a breathless Carmen, "I got way more than you."

Dean turned to Ben, "What d'you think Ben? Who one?"

Ben made his concentration face as he picked a winner, after a few seconds, "Deeann" he shouted.

"Ha Ha Yes!" Dean bellowed triumphant, he bent down and scooped Ben out of the baby chair and spun him around. Ben started giggling. Dean decided it was his new favorite sound. He stopped spinning and turned around to see Carmen looking at him. Just looking, like she was observing them. Dean put Ben down, who scurried out of the room.

"What are you looking at?" he asked, half expecting her to shake her head and say nothing.

"You." She replied. "You continue to surprise me Dean Winchester. When I told you about Ben, or rather when you figured out, I expected you to run out that door. I was bracing myself to never hear from you again but…here you are." She finished pointing at him.

"Here I am. In your kitchen, playing with the son I didn't know I had." He replied, "why didn't you tell me?"

Carmen shrugged her shoulders and walked to the small dining table in the middle of the kitchen. "What would I have said?" she asked sitting down, "how would I have told you? We didn't part on the best of terms, I was pretty sure you never wanted to see me again. Plus I didn't know you'd react. Like I said I expected you to run."

Dean contemplated that for a second and sat down next to her.

"Also," she continued, "I want to keep him as far away as I possibly can from…you know…my 'work'. And you are kind of dead center of it."

This he understood. It's exactly what he would've done. He would never put a child through what he went through.

"Then why tell me now?"

Carmen sighed, "I wasn't going to at first. I didn't see the point. But a few weeks ago, Ben started asking questions. About his dad. And I didn't know what to say. I thought about it for a while, I considered telling him the truth but…" she shook her head. "And then, for the first time in a very long time I thought about you. And I realized I was being selfish and that you had a right to know. To have Ben in your life, not have him that was your choice but I had the responsibility to give you that choice."

Dean nodded, "So what did you tell him about his dad?"

Carmen looked up and smiled, "I told him the truth. Well some of it. I told him his father was a very important person and that a lot of people needed him in their lives so he was very busy. And that maybe, if we wished really really hard he might come home." The two of them looked at each other as she said this.

Dean smiled at her, "a very important person huh?"

Carmen frowned, shaking her head. "Really? That's what you take away from this? I tell you-"

"I want this Carmen" Dean interrupted her, "I want to be a Dad."

"Okay" she said, tearing up.