Kevin had come and left. Dean was being released today, and it was his job to smuggle the weapons out. Because he had that kind of face that screamed 'innocent' along with 'I will shoot myself in the foot.' Perfect for taking out weapons and such.
All the tubes were out, just steristrips over where the chest tube had been, and taped gauze for the IV site. Dean was dressed in normal clothes, and was tying the laces of his boots when an aide brought in a wheelchair.
"Hey, Jack, they brought your ride." He commented. Because if they thought he was riding in that thing, they had another thing coming.
"Oh I don't think so, man that is for you. Hospital rules. See, it even comes with a blonde behind the wheel." Jack pointed out. "Come on, suck it up. And sit in the chair."
Dean gave Jack a dirty look and dropped his bag in the seat of the chair. "Nearly like valet service here, thanks." He said.
"Mr. Winchester, it's protocol and policy..." the aide protested.
"I know. I'm a rule breaker though." He said with a wink and a grin.
"Dean...do you want to go home? Then sit in the chair and let the nice lady wheel you down to the car. "Jack said with his arms folded across his chest.
"Dude, I don't need to be wheeled. I feel great." Dean said. "You need to relax, or I'll send you back home and call Kaylie, tell her you've been misbehaving." He started to walk out of the room; he'd been in the damn bed long enough.
"Just follow along behind." Jack told the aide. It wasn't like they could force the man into the chair. If he got woozy Jack would be there to ease him into the chair.
Jack was frustrated. Dean could feel that a mile away. So he smirked at his youngest brother. Three weeks of torture fromboth Jack and Sam, it was the least they deserved. After his successful, non injury producing ghost hunt, they took Dean sitting to a whole new level, nearly sitting on him at times.
So, needless to say, Dean gota bit of sick enjoyment over this small little torture of Jack as they walked out. He waved to the nurses as they headed toward the elevator. He felt fine. Everything was healed, even the doctor said so. Quicker than the doctor expected, Dean Winchester had been a very unusual patient to say the least.
"I'm driving." He said as he hit the button for the ground floor.
"Dream on. Brought my car, the younger Impala is pining for you at home." Jack said as he leaned against the wall of the elevator. He had to try and put his foot down somewhere after all.
Dean rolled his eyes. "You suck." He said. "Fine, guess you can drive then. Even though the fact that your car is still running is all because of me, and some could say you definitely owe me. And I'm not sitting in the back seat. My bag is not going in the back seat. I have my suspicions on where you conceived those kids."
"On the beach." Jack said honestly. "Back seats don't give enough room to..." He let the conversation drop seeing the aide blush nicely at the way the conversation was going. "So, the girls have Tessa's bedroom painted nicely."
"Dude! Too much information." Dean said with a grimace. "Yeah, purple from what I heard. Should be interesting. But at least Kevin has his own room over at the new house, which I have yet to see. Time really does move on, doesn't it?" Dean said, bitter sweetly.
"Yeah it does. You okay with them moving out?" He asked as he opened the passenger's door to his car, setting Dean's bag in the back seat. He knew that the relationship with him and Sam wasn't the usual brotherly relationship. Not that it was weird, it was just more intense.
"Kid has to grow up sometime." Dean said with a chuckle as he sat in the front seat. Nothing hurt, nothing was unusually sore, definitely time to leave. "Besides, it's a full house, even for me. Bobby, Mary, Tessa, Kevin, Sam, Simon, Rachel...a man needs to breathe once ina while."
Jack laughed. "Yeah that would be a lot for even me to handle, but with one more on the way I may reach critical mass, although I swear if this one has anything in common with Sam I am gonna strangle him." He said, shaking his head. "Mark looks like you, Benji has Ben's gift for fire, Abby looks like her mother... I don't need a little Sam too." He teased.
"Dude, can't blame me for Mark." Dean said with a laugh. "That's kinda what you get when you marry a green eyed blonde when you have a brother who's a green eyed blonde. And when said brother and you both kinda resemble the big daddy of them all, well, it happens. Besides, you know there IS a fool proof way to prevent pregnancy..."
"Yeah, and I am giving it consideration after this one." He said with a laugh. "And cringing... even had nightmares about it." Jack admitted.
Dean laughed. "Dude, I was talking about that whole abstaining thing. Wow, my mind never even went there!" It wasn't a subject guys liked to think about after all. "But I don't know, you have one more after this one, you might have to get a minivan. Four is going to be tight in here." Could be done. Bench seats in the front, three in the back.
"Yeah well, this one came about with protection, and I'm not much for abstaining. Hello, beautiful wife...Winchester blood."
"You're always blaming things on the Winchester blood." Dean said with a laugh. "Could be her side you know. Don't worry, this one will be exactly like you, and you'll get to experience firsthand what a big pain in the ass you are."
"Yeah that's what we said about Benji... still not seeing the pain in the ass part." He said as he pulled into Dean's driveway.
"Yeah, you'll see." Dean said as he got out of the car before Jack got some idea to quickly come over and open his door for him. He went into his house before Jack could get some idea to open the door for him. "Daddy'shome!" He called out.
Mary peeked out of the kitchen. "Hey Dad, ready for real food?" She asked.
"Daddy!" Tessa called out, coming out of Bobby's den and running for Dean at full tilt.
That had happened spontaneously during the second week of his hospital stay. Calling him 'daddy.'Dean couldn't say he wasn't pleased or that he wasn't touched as he caught the running Tessa and lifted her up into the air. "I am so ready for real food." He said with a laugh.
Tessa laughed as he picked her up. He was home, and he was alive and the demons were gone. She didn't have to lose Simon forever to strangers. All was right with her little world.
"That's good." Bobby said finally making it into the living room. "Because she has been cooking all morning. I think there is enough in there for the whole clan." And clan was the right word for it. It wasn't just a family.
"Sounds good to me." Dean said and looked at Jack. "Dinner at my place tonight for once?" He said with a grin, since it was usually at Jack's. After being raised by Ben, he had a subconscious need to play with fire as much as possible. At least that was Dean's theory.
"If Mary is cooking, I think we can arrange that." Jack teased with a laugh. "I gotta go pick up Mark from baseball, then drop off Abby at tumbling, but I think somewhere between the two I can catch a glimpse of my wife before she gets Benji out the door for his play date to askher."
"Dude. Cell phones. Welcome to the twenty first century." Dean said with a laugh. "I can't believe I'm related to a soccer dad." He said as he grabbed a beer out of the fridge, one of the forbidden things on the list when he was in the hospital.
"I'm the normal one... remember." Jack said. "And what fun is a cell phone compared to being able to kiss her goodbye on the way out the door?" He said and turned toward the door.
Bobby looked Dean over. "Not so much fun being stuck in there, is it?" He said with a chuckle.
"Phone sex!" Dean called after Jack as he walked out the door. "Oh I had a ball. What are you talking about? I mean, besides the tubes sticking out and people trying to tell me what to do, I had a blast. I definitely recommend it for future vacations."
"Liar." Bobby said with a chuckle. "Sam told on you, so when you going back to bind the thing permanently?"
"I can't believe he told on me. What are we? Five?" Dean said. "I'm going back tonight. Don't want to let it go for too long. Bring the night shift some coffee, to make up for whatever slight aggravation I might have caused them. Excuses the bag and all I have to bring also. Gives me an excuse to get in there. Then I go from there."
"Who you taking with you?" Bobby asked. He didn't want Dean going in there alone. One ghost was expected in a house, or a dark patch of road. In a hospital? Bobby tended to expect a brigade of them.
"I have to take someone?" Dean said, making a face. "I don't know, if Sam can stop decorating and Jack can stop practicing procreation, I'll take one of them I guess. It's no big deal."
"What about Kevin?" Bobby suggested. "He could use a little experience." He said. "Sam's babying him too much if he wants him to be a hunter."
"I think a part of him hopes that Kevin will outgrow it or something." Dean said. "Sure, I'll take Kevin. This is an easy job, but four hands are better than two. I can convince Sam into it. After all, I fine tuned his hunting skills, right?"
"Good, cause Kevin isn't going to grow out of it. Sam is just kidding himself if he thinks so." Bobby said. "He said he'd be over here once he had things taken care of over at the shop."
"Wait, who'd be over? Sam or Kevin? Who's in my shop? Mary! You didn't let Kevin into the garage did you?" Dean asked. Kevin was inept with cars. And cars did not like him.
"Get real, Dad." Mary said.
"Sam will be over." Bobby said with a chuckle. "You got paranoid while you were gone." He shook his head and went to take a seat at the dining room table.
"I'm not paranoid. Just concerned about what puts food on the table." Dean said as he started pulling out some of the food Mary had made. She was a much better cook than him. "So everyone behave? Or is Sam going to rat you all out to me?"
"Behaved like angels." Mary said as she brought out lunch. "Got the room finished, Tessa moved in... didn't scare off the social worker when she came by to check on her. "
"Okay, that's not good evidence. I charmed the pants off, metaphorically speaking of course, off her when she came to see me." Dean said with a laugh. They'd been very flexible with him, given why he'd ended up there in the first place, and let him sign the papers while he was still hospitalized.
"Oh... Oh... Not good evidence, huh? Fine I was a terrible brat, gave Uncle Bobby hell the whole time you were gone, short sheeted Tessa's bed, and pushed your car off a cliff." Mary said rolling her eyes. "Whatever Dad."
"Watch the tone." Dean said with a chuckle, but meant it. His daughter had a long leash as far as that was concerned, but sometimes she needed a little tug on it. "Bobby, any movement on that other thing?" The yellow eyed demon.
"Not yet." He said. "Working on it. Things are heating up though. Getting a lot of reports of possessions and the like. Jo has had a lot of hunters coming through the road house with stories that would curl your toes."
"So it's spiking up again." Dean said as he dished out the food. "It's coming to a head again. Everything goes in cycles...god I hate geometry." He shook his head. "Then we have to ramp up our prep too."
"And figure out where the next gate way is before they figure out how to open it." Bobby said. "Course he might not take it lying down this time." Bobby pointed out.
"He didn't expect it last time." Dean said. "Figured I'd be too distracted with the search for Sam to do any real hunting of any kind. I don't know. I'll look for hot spots again. See what pops up for me."
"What are you getting into, minutes after getting out of the hospital?" Sam asked as he came in through the kitchen. "Dude, it's okay to rest a while."
"No rest for the wicked, Sammy." Dean said. "Come on, pull up a plate. After all, you convinced the nurses I was more wicked than Satan himself. So I don't get to rest. Blame yourself for that one!"
"Oh you did that all on your own." Sam said as he settled at the table, recognizing Mary's cooking. "You can't blame me for that one."
"Sure I can." Dean said. "Speaking of the nurses, thought I'd bring Kevin along tonight when I bring them all some coffee, to make up for you and Jack being pains in the asses while I was incarcerated...I mean hospitalized."
"You think there might still be ghost trouble then?" Sam asked. "Don't give me that look, you wouldn't take Kevin to be your wing man."
"I just think it would bea good experience." Dean said. "Sealing and binding restless spirits, that's basically our bread and butter, dude. What we come across the most. So he's gonna need to know how to do this with his eyes closed."
Sam sighed and nodded. "Yeah I know. Kept hoping he wouldn't want this so badly but it's in his blood as much as it is ours." He knew Rachel wasn't going to be exactly pleased even though they suspected it was going to be the way things were. "We'll talk to him when he gets here."
"So how's the garage?" Dean said. "You didn't fire anyone, did you? Or change things so much that it'll definitely stress me out?" He teased.
"He's so paranoid." Mary said, shaking her head.
"I've been saying that for years. It's all the time he spends in that possessed car. Get him more than 20 feet away from it or out from behind the wheel for more than a day and the paranoia sets in."
"It's not possessed and I'm not paranoid." Dean said witha chuckle as he handed Sam a plate of food. "You've been overly fixated on that car being possessed for over twenty years."
"It's possible it is." Bobby said. "Shoulda been in a scrap heap a long time ago."
"See! Bobby agrees with me." Sam said with a laugh. "Although to be fair she doesn't exactly repair herself."
Dean rolled his eyes as Mary and Tessa finished up and went about cleaning up. He looked at Sam. "According to Bobby, things are heating up." He said. "I know Jack wanted to see if we could wait until Kaylie delivered, but I don't think we can. I think we gotta start our hard core prep now." Even that could take months.
Sam nodded. "I think you are right. But we have Ben around, he'd be willing to protect Kaylie I'm sure. It's a neutral enough stance." He wanted it over with, to be honest. Then maybe he could get married in peace.
"Well, dinner at my house tonight. The kids can play, women talk, and we'll plan." Dean said with a nod. "Time for the big showdown I guess. Ever notice how ominous that always sounds?"
"Hugely ominous. Just so long as you don't call it the final showdown, cause it never is." Sam said."Not until hell actually freezes over." Bobby said. Or humanity finally lost.
"But at least one big evil will be gone, right?" Dean said. "Man, wish we had the Colt though, that would be a nice fool proof way." He sighed at that. The Colt was lost long ago. Along with their father.
"Yeah I know." Sam said. "But we'll ... get rid of him... we really will." He had to believe that. He didn't think he could keep his sanity if they couldn't.
"We'll get the son of a bitch." Bobby said, even though he knew he was reduced to research only at this stage of his life. Maybe defense of the homestead. But he was way past the time when he could have charged off to battle. Even if he wanted to. Sometimes the heart was stronger than the body.
"Okay...so we just need to get busy... and plan for war." Sam nodded. "So... are we playing with fire tonight or cooking indoors?" He wanted to tell Rachel what to prepare for.
"It's a nice night. Playing with fire." Dean said. "Even if Jack isn't touching my grill. That man is obsessed with fire, and thinks Abby gets it from Ben." He said, shaking his head in good humor. "And the littler kids can be outside, in eyeshot, and still not overhear."
"Works for me." Sam said as he scratched Ginger bear behind the ears, then slipped her a piece of food. "I'll gather the research I have and bring it over. "
"We'll get this started, then when everyone's tucking the kids into bed, Kevin and I will hit the hospital, I'll see if I can get some action," he said with a wink, "and we'll go from there."
Bobby laughed at that. "Some things never change." He said as he got to his feet and walked slowly toward his own domain. Sam couldn't help but smile. Bobby was right. Dean was the same man he had been last time they had encountered the demon. Even with two daughters, a business and a dog... not to mention the cranky old hunter.. Dean was still Dean, and he always would be.
"Well, according to Jack it's the Winchester blood." Dean said with a laugh. "That's why Kaylie's pregnant again, because we're all just horny dogs waiting for a good scratch."
Sam choked at that. "Guess Dad and I didn't really have our fair share of Winchester blood." He laughed. Sure John had a fling with Maggie, maybe even a full blown affair, and he still had suspicions about Ellen, but it wasn't like the guy was all over women any more than Sam had been.
"I told him that was ridiculous. You can tell him yourself." Dean said with a chuckle. "So," Dean said, now that everyone else had cleared out of the room, "any visions lately? I really don't believe all those Jedi powers of yours went away, you know.""Don't worry. No chances of me going darkside again, I promise. Been staying away from those things. The visions... hard to say. Sometimes there are little things in dreams but no brain shattering visions, thank goodness."
"Well, that's sorta my point. I don't think you'll go all darkside. But they might come in handy when we go into battle. Just saying don't rule it out, okay?" Dean said.
"It's been a long time, Dean... so much of that was... well it came from a dark place." Sam tried to explain. "It's a part of me that I don't know if I should open myself up to again. A better man than me gave his life to get me back to where I am... I don't want that to be for nothing."
"Well," Dean said and sighed. He couldn't very well share the dream he had had. Because, well, he was under some heavy drugs. Sam would discount it out of hand. "Well, how about seeing if you can use them from a place of not so dark?" Dean suggested. "Father Pavel said you had a choice, which way you went. Even Ben said it."
"Yeah, and I made that choice, but what if that means not using the powers at all, you know... " Sam knew his brother was right, they could come in handy in the upcoming battle, but it scared him. He had come too close to becoming shadow.
"I'm just saying keep an open mind." Dean said. "We're going to need all the tools at our disposal. This is a freaking fallen angel after all. Gonna see if I can get Jack to maybe work on some of that magic stuff. I wish I could take some of this load off you guys, but I can't. I'm regular old Dean, remember?"
"Yeah... regular old Dean that has saved my life more times than I can count. Don't sell yourself short, brother." Sam said pointedly. "You just gotta start being more careful, you are most of the way through your 9 lives."
"Heart attack, torture by demon then car accident, torture by demon again, nasty flu, torture by chest tube..." Dean said counting on his fingers, "nah, I got four left. I'm good."Sam laughed. "You're more than halfway, man. And only halfway through life if you follow Bobby's example." Which wouldbe a miracle in and of itself, or maybe just a testament to Winchester stubbornness.
"Dude, for your average Joe, I'm doing pretty good. Few moreyears and I'll have outlived Dad. We already outlived Mom." Dean said. "But be as old as Bobby? Dude, come on. How am I supposed to pick up women with a cane?"
"That's why you get one to keep around before the cane is necessary." Sam said with a laugh. "Another 10 years and I figure we'll be limping on both feet on a good day. Better get one while you can still chase them."
"Dude, you guys are always trying to get me to hook up." Dean said with a chuckle. "I think right now is really not the time to start a new relationship." Dean still had some abandonment issues. Sure, it wasn't like it was Chavi's fault that she 'left' him, but didn't change the way it felt.
"Yeah I know." Sam said. "At least not until Tessa is settled and the demon is gone... then all bets are off." He teased. He hated that Dean was alone. Everyone thought that Sam was the one that needed someone in his life, that he was the one that needed love and security and all that went with it, but Sam thought that Dean in some ways needed it more than he did. Which was perversely why Dean avoided it like the plague.
Dean rolled his eyes. "You're far too concerned with my social life." Dean said with a chuckle. "It's fine. You're just trying to not worry about Kaylie taking over your wedding. Since, you know, she had problems planning her own and all. Expect lots of pink."
"I somehow doubt Rachel will approve a lot of pink. And if she does... that's fine so long as I don't have to wear it." Sam said with a laugh. "You would think after 16 years you would let that one go."
"Dude, why would I?" Dean answered with a laugh. "It was the funniest thing I've ever seen. Who knew my brother, acclaimed exorcist, seasoned demon hunter, and possessor of cool Jedi mind tricks, was also a wedding planner? Who immersed himself in place cards and flower samples."
Sam gave Dean a quizzical look. "What's with the sudden interest in my Jedi mind tricks?" He asked with a frown. "You haven't brought them up in the last, what... 15 years or so?"
"Just thinking we'll need all the tools available to us when we make our run at him. He's going to use his own against us, after all." Dean pointed out.
"I know." Sam said with a sigh. "It just scares me." He admitted. "I... I didn't want to turn out like I did. Even when I came back for the funeral, I wanted to just be me... but it took over and ate away at everything worth being."
"We got you a nice clean shiny soul, remember?" Dean said. "It'll be okay." Because he knew his brother. And because his brother wasn't running.
"Who's gonna die to give me the next one?" Sam asked and sighed. "You're right, okay. I know you are. And I'll... test the waters." Because he couldn't leave his brothers hanging if he could help it and those abilities might stand between them and life and death. Unfortunately it could also be the cause of their deaths later on.
"That's all. Just test the waters. If it feels off, stop." Dean said. "I just want to make sure we have all our bases covered." Not that he'd risk Sam's soul for it, he wouldn't do that. But he had a feeling it wouldn't be risking his soul anyway.
Sam nodded. "Anyway." He said getting to his feet. "I need to go pick up Rachel. We'll be back by in a couple of hours. It's good to have you home, man." The only thing scarier than the thought of losing his soul, was seeing his brother in the hospital again.
"Dude, it was your idea to put me in the hospital." Dean said with a chuckle as he drank his beer. It did feel good to be home.
Rachel's car was on the outs again. She knew she should get a new one, she could afford it. But she loved that car, she'd had it since college. It was her first adult car, and wasn't new when she got it either. Nor would it ever be a classic.
And it seemed the only one that could keep it on the road was Dean, so while he was in the hospital, she was carless again. Which is why she was waiting on the bench outside her work for Sam to come pick her up.
Sam pulled up alongside the bench. "Going my way?" He asked with a grin. Part of him kept expecting Rachel to fade into vapor, just another dream, another failure. The rest of him was terrified of hearing her screams of pain and fear, of seeing her burst into flames above his bed. But he loved her. He had tried to walk away from it early on, when it would have been easier, but she hadn't let him, and now he didn't think he could if he wanted to. She was tied into his life now, as surely as his sons and his brothers.
"Now what would your authority figures think of you picking up stray hitchhikers?" She said with a grin as she got into the car and giving him a kiss before putting on her seatbelt. "I'm sure your girlfriend would be mighty pissed at that!"
"I won't tell if you won't'." He said waggling his eyebrows playfully. "So up to having dinner at Dean's tonight?" He asked, figuring he would start things easy then build up to the hunter powwow and Kevin going on a ghost hunt.
"Of course." Rachel said. "Poor guy, I'm glad he's out of the hospital finally. But dinner at his place sounds good. At least there won't be Ben and Jack arguing over the grill again."
"No, Dean has firm control over his." Sam said with a laugh. "They will argue over what to put on the meat. Kansas andTexas have very different ideas on barbeque." He shook his head. "So... Dean is going back to the hospital to finish up with a ghost he found there. He wants to take Kevin with him."
"You sure he's ready?" Rachel asked. "I mean, I like Dean, I like him a lot. But isn't he kind of reckless? He did just get out of the hospital and all."
"It's pretty much handled already. He temporarily bound it in place while he was IN the hospital. It's just a bit of work now. And ... Dean is only reckless with himself. He would protect Kevin with his life, bet on it." Sam knew Dean better than anyone. Reckless really wasn't the word. Selfless was the word, although most wouldn't understand the distinction.
Rachel shook her head. "All right, if you think he's ready." Since Sam would be a better judge of that than her. She was looking atKevin asa sixteen year old boy, not a sixteen year old hunter. And sure, she understood that Sam and Dean were doing far more at his age, but still. He was a boy.
"Kevin wants this life, badly. I had hoped that he would change his mind after the last hunt... but he didn't. He started writing in his journal and asking more questions than ever. I have a feeling Simon is going to be the same way. I'll shelter them as long as I can but too much sheltering and they'll die young out there when they are old enough to do what they want anyway."
"I know." Rachel said with a sigh. "What about Tessa? I don't see Dean training her like you train Simon. He doesn't exactly encourage Mary to go out on hunts and all that."
"I don't know that we have as much to worry about with Tessa. She was too afraid of it all. Might want to avoid it entirely. But who knows? Dean will teach her to defend herself and her home, and to know what's what. Beyond that... I don't know. Will probably depend on what she is like when she is older."
"She'll do anything he wants." Rachel said with a chuckle. "She damn near worships him, you know." She thought it was cute, not to mention funny, that Sam's brother now had an eight year old fan.
Sam laughed. "Well at least one of his daughters will. Mary, however, is a very stubborn girl. She is going to do what Mary wants, when she can get away with it." Reminded him of him in some ways. Probably because they were raised by the same man really.
"Sounds like you." Rachel said with a smile. "Poor Dean, he's been raising some version of you nearly his entire life!" She said with a laugh. "I nearly feel for him."
Sam laughed. "I think with me, he was trying to protect my childhood as much as he could since he had lost so much of his own." He shrugged. "Probably the same with Mary. It's ironic that I am more like Dad in how I raise the kids. Well... less likely to leave them alone ever, but with the hunting and the training. "
Rachel nodded. She was a social worker, and she hated to say it, but the way their childhood had been, if Social Services had been on the ball, and if John Winchester had stayed in one place long enough, Sam and Dean would probably have been remanded to state custody at some point.
"Well, you've got enough family, and me, around now that leaving them alone doesn't have to be an option." She pointed out then laughed. "Though your poor father, if he knew the most reliable babysitter for his grandkids was a demon."
"He would laugh his ass off considering it's Ben... you see Ben helped him save us a couple times when we were kids from Jack's mom. Any other demon he would be beating our heads together cause obviously we weren't using them."
"I still don't get it." She said with a laugh. "There are times he scares me." She'd been with Sam long enough to see nearly all the sides to Ben. Sure, there were only a handful that had seen a truly raging mad Ben, and she wasn't one of them.
"He ... promised to take care of Jack... and somehow that had extended to us because what affects us affects Jack, or at least that's his excuse." Sam said with a smile. "Ben is far from harmless and there is no known way to destroy him, trust me... he has looked. But I trust him."
"Okay." Rachel said. There would always be that one small part of her mind that was utterly rational. And still trying to wrap itself around her life. "All the kids are going to grow up to be arsonists though."
"Nah, Just Abby. She wants fire batons." Sam said with a grin. "Mark and Benji will grow up and compete in some barbeque competition or something to vent their fire lust. "
Rachel had to laugh. "He spoils her." She said, about Abby. Though he spoiled all the kids to some degree. "Barbeque competition...isn't that a normal Farber-Hsiao-Winchester Sunday dinner?"
"Pretty much." Sam said as he pulled into their driveway. "And it's gonna be dinner tonight. Should probably stop off and pick up dessert on the way over." He got out and went around to open her car door, and smiled hearing the boys in the midst of abrotherly argument inside.
Kevin saw Sam pull in and opened the front door. "Dad!" He called out. "Tell Simon that when he borrows my video games he cannot then go and loan them to a friend at school!"
Rachel chuckled as she got out. "So much for peace and quiet."
"It was just for a little while. I was going over there to play and bring it back when he flipped out on me. It's a video game, not like it's a gun or something." Simon protested.
"It's Kevin's game, you shouldn't loan it out." Sam had to agree with the kid there. "But it's also not the crown jewels of England." He pointed out. "So Kevin, calm down, you have things to do tonight anyway, Simon go get the game, do not stay over there, we're having dinner at Dean's today and I want you there by 6. Don't do it again. Go."
Simon started walking down the block muttering to himself, about how they always took Kevin's side, and Sam laughed softly, remembering feeling that same way about Dean and their father. He was sure he was going to hear it from Kevin for letting the kid off so easy.
"Dad!" Kevin said as Simon left. "He completely got away with it! It's like you're teaching him mystuff is okay to mess with!"
"No, I'm not, but we gotta cut him some slack for a while, this is all new. He's pushing buttons right now. You did a lot of button pushing when you first came to live with us too." Sam pointed out.
Kevin shook his head. He didn't like his buttons pushed. "So what do I have planned tonight?" He asked Sam, since Sam seemed to know more about his plans than he did.
"A little ghost busting with your Uncle Dean tonight. He is going back to the hospital to deal with that ghost he found there." Sam said. "It'll be good experience for you. And after dinner we have a little planning session going on at Dean's place about ole yellow eyes."
"I get to be in on that?" Kevin asked. They were pretty strict on keeping the kids from that subject. So Kevin was a bit surprised at the 'we' part of the planning session. "Cool!"
"If you are going to be hunting actively now, then yeah, you get to be in on it. I don't want it blindsiding you." He also figured Mary should be in on it too, if for no other reason than information but he figured his brother would wig if he so much as suggested it.
"Way cool." Kevin said with a grin. "Okay, I'm so in." Sounded like an easy enough job (the hospital part anyway).
"Winchesters. You're all so ready to dash off for the heroics." Rachel teased gently.
"You wouldn't have us any other way." Sam said, even if he knew that wasn't exactly true. He didn't think he could be any other way. He knew his brother couldn't. It was what and who they were. Hunters.
Rachel laughed. "You don't come any other way." She corrected. "Come on, we have to pick up dessert. You riding with us, or driving yourself?" She asked Kevin.
"I'll drive myself." He said with a chuckle.
ITNOTFITNOTFITNOTFITNOTFITNOTFITNOTFITNOTFITNOTF
Mary sat down across from her father. "So... what's going on?" She asked, having noticed all the quiet talking amongst the men, having watched Bobby throw himself into his research with a vengeance since her father's hospitalization.
Dean looked at Mary. "Why does something have to be going on?" He asked instead. "You're paranoid, you know that? Wonder where you get that from."
"I'm pretty sure it's environmental not genetic." Mary said. "Although I'm not sure if it can actually be called paranoia when you guys seem to be gearing up for a major hunt... or at least that is where it looks like the research is going... research I'm not allowed to see or help with."
"Because I don't want you involved in it." Dean said. Knowing full well Mary could bea weapon used against him. "When it gets closer, I'll tell you what's going down before I ship you and Tessa off with Ben for protection."
Mary gave a growling sigh but knew there was no point in arguing with her father. He was one seriously stubborn man when he wanted to be and no amount of prying would change his mind. "You know, that's not reassuring."
"Mary, you know that my world is seriously dangerous." Dean said solemnly. "And I've tried my damnest to keep you clear from it. I'm not about to stop now."
"For the most part, I don't want to be part of all that. But Dad... sometimes it isn't possible to keep me clear of it. Like the mall... who would have thought ya know?... or whatever it is that has you and Bobby all tense."
"We're not tense." Dean said. "It's a long story. The demon that killed you grandparents, we've got a bead on how to destroy him once and for all. Which is a good thing."
"Yeah you were mentioning that before. Is it happening soon?" She asked. "Cause I don't know..?" She shook her head. She was picking up on something, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
"It's happening as soon as we can get everything on our side together." Dean said. "Mary, what's up?" She had 'that' look on her face, the same one her mother used to get. He usually trusted that look.
"Don't know, Dad, I really don't. I just... have a bad feeling. I thought it was because of all the hush hush hunter crap going on around here lately but... I don't know." She said with a frown.
Dean sighed. It was hard having an insightful sixteen year old. He had no idea how she was going to take this. "This demon...killed your grandmother over Sam's crib. Killed his girlfriend. Killed your grandfather. Definitely put a few dents in me over the years. Tricked your uncle into nearly losing his soul. He won't stop until we're defeated or he's defeated. I'm not even sure it matters if Sam and I are alive or not. He just might keep coming after all things Winchester. And that's not allowed. I can't let that happen. Not when I have a chance to stop it."
Mary nodded. "So maybe all things Winchester need to band together... I don't want to go out and hunt... but maybe.. maybe this is one of those things we all need to be involved in."
"You'll be involved on how to help Ben keep everyone safe." Dean said. "Because the demon will not hesitate to use all you kids against us. Worst part is, this will probably go down before Kaylie delivers the latest one." He shook his head about that. "But he will use you against me, count on it. So I need you where he can't."
She nodded. "Okay. I will help Uncle Bobby with the research too." She was the oldest of her generation. Okay, by mere months, Kevin in a close second. She didn't take the duty of protecting the little ones lightly. Kevin thought of it as being treated like a kid, Mary saw it as a job, an important one too.
"Thank you." Dean said, relieved. He'd expected some sort of fight on that subject, just out of principle. He was glad it hadn't happened the way it had in his mind.
"No problem... secrets make me twitch, Dad... especially when there is so much going on." She said, going over to kiss her father on the cheek. "Glad you are home though. I really missed you."
"Missed you too. So how did the date go? No one would tell me much other than the boy survived." Dean said. Had he been out of the hospital, he would have tailed them.
Mary laughed and shrugged. "It went okay. We went to see the latest Bond film. It was pretty good. Could have done without the second girl in the film but that's just me. Girl couldn't act her way out of a wet paper back with a map and a compass. But anyway, after that we went to get something to eat, walked on the beach and I took him home. Uncle Bobby was waiting on the front porch when I got home so he can confirm I was home by curfew." She said with a grin.
"Good." Dean said. She was able to talk about the movie, and made it home. That was always good. "I'm glad you had a good time. We should pick up some meat for the grill. If we don't, Ben will. And he probably has some marinating in some deadly pepper sauce right now."
"I can go get some stuff. You need to take it easy still." She said as she got up from the table and went to get her purse. "Meat for a small army, and a few other things to go with it."
"Honey I'm fine." Dean said as he handed her some money. "Fine, I'll warm up the grill. Set Tessa on setting the tables out there." They all had a bunch of picnic tables. Because just one would not fit this clan of theirs.
"Okay. I won't be long." She told him and headed for the door, just as Kevin was coming in.
Tessa was on the floor in the living room, giggling wildly as she wrestled gently with both aging dogs, being licked at and lightly pinned with massive paws.
"So I hear we've got plans tonight." Kevin said as he came in and set down beer Sam had given him to bring.
"Yup." Dean said. "Bread and butter of the business. Might take all night, so feel free to nap now."
"Nah, I'm okay." Kevin said and Dean chuckled as he went into the living room.
"Well, you seem to have those two trained. Hey Bobby, did you know Rumsfeld was trainable?"
Bobby chuckled. "Had suspicions, are you sure they aren't training her over there... or at least giving her a bath?" He suggested, coming to sit down in the living room. "So you get to go on your first ghost hunt tonight. You ready for it?" He asked Kevin.
"Already went on a demon hunt." Kevin pointed out. "Came out of it a lot more intact that Uncle Dean."
"There's a reason for that. If you were watching, you'd know it." Dean said with a chuckle as he settled down by Tessa and the dogs.
"The fact that you threw yourself in front of every blow that you could?" Bobby asked, shaking his head. "Some things never change."
"Hey, gotta provide stability in the life, right?" Dean said with a grin. "I'm fine. But Kevin, one day there's not gonna be a me to take the blows. Just remember that."
"I'll remember." He said, and looked up as Sam and Rachel arrived, with Simon in tow. Sam had spoken with Simon about being more mindful of Kevin's boundaries and stuff, so the kid was a little sullen as he came in behind his new parents.
"Hey." Dean said to his brother. "Mary's out getting the food and stuff. Not trusting Jack and Ben, who knows what they'd put on the meat just to get at me." He said with a chuckle. "What did you guys pick up for dessert?"
"Peach pie and cherry cheese cake." Sam said as he took the bags to the kitchen then came and sat down on the sofa. "So, you stilllooking forward to this job tonight?" He asked his eldest son.
"Heck yeah!" Kevin said, with unbridled enthusiasm. "It'll be fun."
Dean laughed. "Now he would have earned the extra cookie from Dad."
Sam laughed as well. "Yeah he would. Dad would love the next generation of Winchesters. I think he would have made a better grandfather than father." A lot less pressure, a lot less responsibility on top of his driving obsession with killing the demon.
Dean shrugged. "Maybe. Or maybe we would have seen as much of him as we did growing up. Or maybe he would have moved in. Hard to tell now." Dean said.
"Can never tell." Bobby said. "But I think he would have made a good grandfather. Even if he would have been the one with the scariest bedtime stories."
"With these kids... they would have loved it. Not sure about Jack's brood. They seem a little ... soft... compared to the rest." Sam said. "You know... like they came from a normal family or something."
Dean laughed. "Imagine that. I don't know, their favorite babysitter is Ben. How soft can they be?" Time hadn't softened any of the demon's edges.
"Ben doesn't tell them stories about killing monsters, and let them watch horror movies as object lessons."Sam pointed out.
"Now why would I tell stories like that?" Ben said, flaring into the room with Abby. That was her preferred way to travel whenever she could. "When I tell stories like that, the monster is usually the persecuted hero."
"Ah... autobiographical bed time stories, huh?" Sam said. "How ya doing Ben?" He asked and winked at Abby.
"I'm leaving out the good parts until they're older." Ben said as he put Abby down. She greeted her uncles and joined her new cousin on the floor with the dogs. The two blonde children were about the same age, even if their experiences with demons was far different. "You know, in case they buy the family line on demon hunting and all." Ben knew he was a great big reason why Jack wasn't a diehard hunter like his brothers.
"The family line about demon hunting is: they're a danger, they go down. If they don't bother people and just wanna live their lives like everyone else on the planet... they aren't a problem. We're really pretty liberal about it these days. " Sam said, but knew that hadn't always been the case. "Dad's spinning in his grave, butit's different for us now."
"Your father was known to take advantage of working with a demon once or twice." Ben said. "But we all know the real reason the philosophy changed."
"And what's that?" Dean said with a chuckle.
"Because I own a strip club and get you kids in without paying the cover."
Sam laughed. "Yeah it has nothing to do with saving us twice as kids, raising our brother, and enduring hell to get my soul back. It's all about the strippers."
"Of course it is." Ben said. "And I did not endure hell to get your soul back. They did. I just got caught in there because I couldn't resist another round of knocking the shit out of you. You were awful self righteous and arrogant then, you know."
"And you're not?" Kevin asked with a grin.
"Oh, totally. But when you get to be my age, or even Bobby's, you get to be." Ben said. "Sam's a baby in the scheme of things."
"Personally, I think it goes with the whole being a demon thing, and I was so close that I was fading in and out. Trust me, it had nothing to do with wanting to knock the shit out of me, it had to do with keeping me from knocking the shit out of your uncle Jack."
"Okay, guess Bobby's part demon then." Ben said as Jack and Kaylie arrived with the rest of their brood. "This is why Abby prefers that I 'drive'. She gets there faster." He said with a chuckle.
"You're lucky no one's figured out how to smite you out." Bobby said to Ben. "Or just for that comment, I would."
"Promises." Ben said with a chuckle.
"Oh come on... you know you don't really want to ahm... leave...anymore." Jack said not wanting to say 'die' in front of the kids who would suddenly worry about Ben dying as only small children can.
"I have a lot of promises to keep these days." Ben said. Which was about as verbal as he got on that subject. At the end of the day, Ben was still, well, Ben. "Come on, Benji, let's find the cookies." As much a doting 'grandfather' as a jaded half demon who couldn't die could be.
Sam smiled and watched Ben leave for the kitchen with Benji. He also watched as Simon watched Ben. He worried about his newest son. This couldn't be an easy adjustment, but it was one Simon had been willing to make. They hadn't hidden what Ben was. They wanted the kids to know because Ben was a part of their lives
Tessa climbed over in Dean's lap, leaving the now exhausted old dogs to rest.
Dean shifted for Tessa as he watched the demon and his namesake. "Yup, that's one house broken demon I think."
"Yeah, too bad the same can't be said for the hunters in the house." Jack teased, taking a seat on the sofa as well.
"Oh, we've been working on it for years." Kaylie said with a laugh as she sat down next to Jack on the sofa. "With varying degrees of success. Think we're up to taking the garbage out now."
"I'm being mocked in my own home." Dean said jokingly, shaking his head.
"Why should we treat you any differently here than we do anywhere else?" Jack asked, and Simon almost laughed.
Sam watched his son and began to wonder if he had been too hard on the kid earlier.
Dean glanced at Simon and saw something completely else. A kid set on edge, just waiting for the right target to take it out on. He'd once been that angry, he could sympathize. "Yeah, well, thought I'd get a break, you know, getting out of the hospital and all. Not only that, I even waited for the doctors to discharge me."
"For which we are very proud." Sam said. "First time ever actually. This should be a celebration." He teased.
"It's like Mark washing the dishes without being told 5 times." Jack said.
"Hey!" Mark protested. "I'm not that bad."
"You're right sweetheart." Kaylie said. "Normally we just ask you four times." She said, smoothing down his dark blonde hair.
"Mom!" Mark said, shoving his mother's hand away. Embarrassed to have been caught like that in front of Kevin (an older kid).
"Come on, grill's warming up, what do you say we go set everything up and throw the meat on when Mary gets back with it?" Dean suggested witha laugh.
"Come on boys." Sam said. "Let's go get the tables set up."
His two and Mark followed him out the door to the back yard to start moving the tables and setting them up.
Ben and Benji found the cookies Dean had stashed in the kitchen. Cookies he kept stashed so Benji could search for them each time he came over. Ben sat the boy on the counter and watched the kids outside as they set up. "That one's gonna be trouble." He said under his breath. And the child on the counter looked up at him quizzically. Ben ruffled his dark hair. "Nothing. Just talking to myself."
Mary returned half an hour later with a large grocery bag full of ribs and hot dogs for the children. "Hey Dad, the grill ready?"
"The grill is ready." Dean assured her as he took the bag and started throwing the meat on the hot grill. Ben had sent Benji outside to play with the kids, and he hung out on the deck, smoking and watching. Not feeling too social, but he got in those moods once in a while.
Simon stuck close to Tessa, glad that the Demon stayed away from them. He didn't like him. He loved Sam and Dean was alright but that Demon was dangerous. They were all dangerous. It was just a matter of time before he turned on them. His real dad had taught him that, and the way his parents had died had just proved it to be true.
Dinner was uneventful, buoyed by Dean's great mood.
"I'm gonna go." Ben said with a quick grin. "Pick me up some real spicy food on the way home. See you kids later."
"All right Ben." Dean said. He was used to the demon's mood swings. He'd be a social butterfly one moment, then an antisocial recluse the next.
Jack worried though. There was something bothering Ben. He knew his foster father better than anyone there. Something was up. He'd ask him about it later. Maybe if he were lucky the demon would tell him.
Once the kids were off playing video games inside, Bobby came out with a box of research. "Guess it's time to get to business then."
"Business?" Kaylie asked. She hated when hunters looked at each other and said business. No wonder Ben left, he might have known this was coming.
"Business." Dean said, nodding. "Yellow eyed bastard is on the move again. Starting all sorts of trouble. Means we have to up our game plan."
Jack swore and leaned back in his chair. "Okay.. what exactly is going on?"
"An escalation in possessions. I mean, this year Sam alone has done 30 exorcisms. Hard core old fashioned exorcisms. Jo says that she hears people in the road house talking about exorcisms all the time. When you boys were kids, we'd hear of maybe a hand full of possessions. When the demon started trying get all the kids like Sam motivated, it went up to 30 or thirty in a year... now for one exorcist to do 30 within easy driving distance... it's getting out of hand. More and more demons are crawling out of hell. They're gathering for a purpose and it's all pointing to ole yellow eyes."
"I've been doing more hunting myself." Dean said. "I don't know, it's a cycle. Things calm down, like for the last sixteen, eighteen years..." his voice trailed off. "Dammit. Another generation is about to come of age. He might try to start younger, get them more malleable and all that."
"That's what I'm afraid of." Sam said. "Remember, right before Dad died, we found that one child that the demon was trying to get at... that would make them 18 this year... " He swore. "Should have kept tracking things..."
"I did." Dean said as he pulled a thick file out of the box. "Nursery fires with parent deaths, and nursery fires. That's the best I could do. Started tracking some of the poltergeist issues that would come up across the country, or adolescents admitted to psych wards for various versions of schizophrenia. Teenage arsonists...it's a thick file. But I've managed to slim it down some. Okay, actually Mary helped too. Girl has a gift for research."
"Can't say I was surprised." Bobby said as he reached for the file. "This might help us a bit,. I think we need to keep watch for any sort of gathering that would attract teenagers. Anything that could be an excuse to get them all in one place."
"Rave? Concert?" Dean said. "Race? Could be anything, man." He sighed. "Looks like we're going to be doing a lot of driving. Thank god the girls get off school soon."
"Yeah I know." Sam said with a sigh. "If he had hit me at 18 he would have won... I was rebelling against it all so hard at that point." He ran a hand through his hair. "Okay... so... it could also be that he won't choose a public forum at all. Could just have them all meet him in the middle of a ghost town, or take them on one at a time. He could do anything at this point."
"Which means we have nothing to go on." Dean said, shaking his head. "Okay, back to square one. What does he want? He wants an army of some sort. Why? Probably to take over or destroy the world. Open up hell. Guess we start looking for gates."
"Would make sense since things slowed down after Dean closed that gate in Kansas." Bobby said. "We look for gates and work out the details of that exorcism... see if we can't take the son of a bitch down before he gets his plans into motion again."
"Okay, but I have first dibs over any female run away gypsies we trip over." Dean joked and Kaylie shook her head.
"You guys make it sound so incredibly easy." She said. "But let meguess, the minute you're alone you're going to start getting your affairs in order, right? Just in case."
"Kaylie." Rachel said, sympathetically. She understood the blonde was pregnant, scared and overly hormonal. And had three other kids to worry about besides. "This is what we got ourselves into."
"No, it's what you got yourself into." Kaylie said. "I've known my husband since he was eight. And unlike those two, he wasn't doing this when he was eight. He was playing little league."
"Honey...I'm going to be fine." Jack said. "No it's not easy, and yes there is a chance I could be hurt or worse, but this is big... if we do nothing, it won't matter. We'll be facing down Armageddon. Everyone will be facing down Armageddon and there is no way that will end well for anyone. Not even with Ben on our side."
"This isn't easy." Dean said. "On any of us. Right now, where we are in our lives, the last thing we want to do is go close down a gate. And face that son of a bitch. But Jack's right. We either do it now, when we've got a bit of an advantage, or we wait for him and his army to come for us. And they will. Just because we've spent the last forty odd years pissing him off."
"We're going to do all we can to make sure our family is safe. Even if it means doing things I don't want to... I will make sure he comes home." Even if he had to give in to the darkness again and drag him through the shadows. Dean wasn't the only big brother any more. Even if Jack and Sam had a more normal brotherly relationship rather than the symbiotic one Dean and Sam shared.
"Everyone's coming back from this." Dean said. "Because we're going to plan. And plan again. Have back up plans for the back up plans. I'm not keen on dying, neither is anyone else here. But Sam's got a point. Whatever it takes, right? So, Jack, on your side of it..."
He groaned. "Yeah an out of control mage is exactly what you need to depend on." He said with a sigh. "Fine... fine... I will try but you can't depend on me that way."
"Look, I'm taking whatever advantage I can get my hands on." Dean said. "Besides, you're working on it with Benji, right? So just gives you added incentive."
Jack nodded. "Yeah I know, but the timeline keeps shortening and that scares me. I'll do what I can but I couldn't do a whole lot with this when I was younger."
"You'll do fine." Dean said confidently. "And it only feels shorter because we have a deadline now. And a finish line. Sam and me, we've been working on this his entire life."
"I'm ready for it to be done." Sam said. He had a life that he wanted to keep now. He just hoped that he could, but it would be worth it just to be able to sleep at night. Not to have to worry about when the son of a bitch was going to show up and try and take Rachel too.
"We all are." Dean said. "He hung over our father's head. He's hanging over our heads...not going to let that son of a bitch hang over our kids' heads too. Isn't fair. I've done my best to protect Mary from all of this as much as I could afford to. Don't want to leave her with a war to finish."
Sam nodded. "We won't leave it for them to finish. If we don't finish it... it's lost. Either way, this war is over soon." As much as he hated having that much pressure, it was the truth. If they failed, the world as they knew it was going to come crashing down around humanity's ears.
"Oh. Okay. No pressure." Dean said with a scowl. "And here I thought we'd just have a nice brotherly bonding trip or something. Way to ruin the moment, Sam."
"It's my job, what with Dad gone and all. You were the one that pointed out I was just like him after all." Sam said with a grin, trying to lighten the mood though. "Although that one sounds freaking just like him." He pointed out.
"You do." Bobby said to Jack. "Sometimes I do a double take, wondering if John had decided to pay me a visit or something. It's actually pretty freaky."
Dean laughed. "It's really freaky. But I'm over it." Though that time he was delirious with fever, and Jack was with him, it was because he sounded like their father that he started 'talking' to his father.
Jack laughed. "Well, at least I get something from the man, other than you two trouble makers. If Kaylie were less than perfect, you two would have ruined my marriage years ago with all this ... stuff."
Dean chuckled and shook his head. "Oh, that's rich. WE would have ruined your marriage when the man who for all intents and purposes is her father in law is not only a demon, but he owns a strip club. And likes for you to help audition strippers. And WE'RE the ones that would have ruined your marriage." He said, still chuckling.
"He's kissing up right now." Kaylie said with a grin. She was unusually hormonal, she'd never been this bad in her previous pregnancies, but this morning she'd thrown a serious fit including tears and screaming over the toilet seat in the bathroom off their bedroom being left up. "He's afraid I'm plotting to neuter him in his sleep or something."
"Neuter... see there's that word again..." Jack said. "The word that makes me want to go off and face hungry demons and angry ghosts because they aren't as scary as the V word by any other name."
Kaylie smacked his shoulder. "You've witnessed childbirth. You've never gone through it. Do that once, just once, and then we'll revisit your definition of pain and discomfort."
Dean shook his head with a chuckle, but refrained from pointing out that at least Kaylie had made it through three childbirths to be able to bitch about it later. "So, Mary and I will get into research mode, teach Kevin the hardcore ropes of that. Jack, I know Ben is uncomfortable with the whole volunteering information and all, and I get that, but maybe see what slips out."
"It's not the pain and discomfort that's the issue." Jack told his wife, and it wasn't. He had been hurt plenty. It was the idea of it. He looked to Dean. "I think he will volunteer the information when he hears it... if he thinks we need it."
"All right." Dean said. He could live with that. Kinda had to, right? "But I think we're going to need him for this."
"He isn't going to go toe to toe with something that doesn't attack him first. Don't know if you realize it, but if he crosses that line too far... we could wind up with a whole other problem going on... since they can't kill him... they would come after all of us... so ya gotta be patient and let him do what he can."
"Hold on." Dean said. "I wasn't suggesting he join us on the front. I know he won't do that, this isn't his fight. I was thinking more that he could be defense. You know, in case the son of a bitch decides to go after our families while we're going after him."
"I'm pretty sure that he won't have a problem with. After all, if someone shows up on his door step, then that's on them, not him." Jack said. Not only that but Ben would take all comers that came after the kids no matter what they were.
"That's what I wasthinking." Dean said with a nod. He'd feel safer knowing his kids were protected by a fire throwing demon with a temper problem when pushed while they were out on this latest job.
"Don't worry... the kids will all be safe. I don't think anything short of Lucifer himself could even dent Ben." Jack said with no small amount of pride in his foster father.
"Kaylie stays near them too." Dean said, chuckling a bit at Jack's pride. He'd felt that way about their father. Until finally something did take him down. Difference was, John had been human. Ben, not so much.
"Kaylie and Rachel both." Jack and Sam said in unison then looked at each other and scowled.
"Think I heard an echo." Dean said with a laugh.
"When did we become damsels in distress?" Rachel asked Kaylie.
"When we fell in love with men with Winchester blood." Kaylie said with a smile. Normally, she might have argued it just on principle, without really meaning the argument, but she was pregnant, and right now, she and kid number 4 were a package deal. So she just considered it as co operating with the protection of their children.
Sam laughed. "Okay... time for us to get the boys home. Homework calls since they were too busy fighting to get it done after school."
"I'll be coming for Kevin in an hour." Dean said. "So have him ready by then, cool?" Not that the hunt would supersede homework. That was what 'ready' meant. That his homework and chores were done, or no hunt.
"You hear that Kev? No homework and chores done... no hunting with Uncle Dean tonight." Sam said to his son as they got their stuff ready to go.
"Yeah, I heard." Kevin said. He knew the deal. Gave him incentive to do the horrible things like homework and taking the garbage out anyway.
"And tomorrow I'll take Mark out." Dean said to Jack, referring to skeet shooting. The goal wasn't to make him a crack shot, just so he wouldn't shoot himself in the foot.
"Sounds good. In the mean time, Sam has the right idea. Gotta get the kids home, then my wife can tear me a new one in private for joining this little adventure."
"Would I do that?" Kaylie asked sweetly as Dean laughed. "Come on, let's gather the brood up."
"See you in an hour, Kevin." Dean reminded him.
With the others gone, Mary came and took a seat beside her father, just resting her head on his shoulder. They always made light of these things, treated it like most men would treat planning for a camping trip. But she knew it was a lot more serious than that, and that they knew it was more serious even if they didn't show it.
Dean slipped his arm around his daughter's shoulders. "It's going to be all right, Mary." He assured her. "We're ready for this."
"No, you're not. You just don't have a choice." She stated softly, letting her dad hold her. She didn't tend to worry when he went hunting, because it was like having a cop for a dad in a way. He went out and chased down the bad guys. He was good at it, and came home every time. Sometimes a little dinged up, sometimes (like this last time) a lot dinged up. But this was different. This was a fallen angel they were talking about. Just the thought of something that has existed since time began wanting to kill her father was enough to make the blood run cold in her veins.
"We are ready. Or we will be in any case." Dean said with a sigh. "It's scary, I know. Believe me, I know. But we don't have a choice. You got my eyes and my mouth. You're not getting my war."
"As much as I don't want to get your war... I don't want to lose you either." She said simply. "And I know you... you are going to throw yourself in front of this thing and try and draw its attention while Uncle Sam does whatever it is he does."
"We're all going to be doing something." Dean said. "I don't plan on dying. And it does take a lot to even get close to killing me, if I do say so. But I don't want you to worry about that, not now. Because nothing's happening right now. You can worry about it later."
She laughed softly. "I don't want to worry about it later... I want to deal with it later. Worrying... gets in the way and there will be lots for me to do while you are off saving the world from creatures older than time."
"Yeah, there will be plenty to do." Dean said. "So we can worry later, when you're nagging me over whatever bruise I've managed to earn on the way. You get to baby sit the kids, a pregnant woman, worried social worker and a demon who will definitely be in a foul mood. Definitely busy."
"You keep talking like that and I'm going to stow away in the trunk of the Impala and go with you... it would be safer." She teased, even if she didn't feel like it.
Dean laughed. "Yeah, it probably would be." He teasingly agreed and kissed the top of her curly head. "But that's where I need you and Kevin. It's okay to be scared, and worried, and probably a little mad that we're doing this at all."
"I'm not mad." She said. "Don't really see myself getting mad till I see how hurt you wind up." Mary admitted. "Then I am gonna be pissed."
Dean laughed at that. "That which does not kill us makes us stronger, right?" Dean said with a smirk. "Guess that means Winchesters have to be the strongest guys in the world." God knows between all of them, they should have been dead a long time ago.
"Yeah well, while you are on a quest to be Superman, one of these days... something is going to kill you... so ... don't try and be too strong. I kinda like having you around and all."
"Yeah, you say that now. Wait till the next time I ground you." He teased with a chuckle. "Well, let me go gather up Kevin and get this over with. This one is simple, it's already bound. I just have to make it permanent. Besides, I bet the nurses miss me."
"You wish." Mary said. "Most of them were so glad to be rid of you, it wasn't even funny." She shook her head laughing a little.
"Hey, I kept them awake, and now they appreciate the patients that are still there just a little more. See? I'm quite the humanitarian." He said with a grin as they got up. "Besides, these are the night nurses, the ones that liked me."
"Ooh is that it? You are going to go there and hit on nurses, and deal with a ghost... then go hit on nurses again. No wonder you don't want me to date." She said with a laugh.
"Me? Hit on women? You obviously have me confused with one of your uncles." Dean said. "It's all about work for me, remember? Okay, yeah, maybe a little. Jury's still out if it's 'hit on them again,' gotta see how the first run goes."
"Dad... aren't you a bit too old to be a player?" She asked. "I mean... you're a dad for crying out loud.. what's more...you're my dad... I mean .. ew." She said with a grin, knowing how her friends freak at the thought of her parents having ever gotten it on. She found it pretty hilarious herself. It wasn't something she liked to think about because ... well... ew... but it wasn't something she freaked about. Hello... she was born therefore there had to have been some form of getting it on going on.
"Only when the women stop playing." He said with a chuckle. "I got a chaperone this time, remember? Kevin?" Not that he'd be much of a chaperone, not that Dean needed one, but anyway. They made their circuit of the house together. Most people checked locks. They checked the locks too, but they also checked their protective lines first.
"Okay, Dad. I will keep an eye on the rug rat and see you when you get home." She told him and kissed him on the cheek. "Love you." She said and started back toward the living room.
"Love you." He called out before he headed over to Sam's, knocking and heading in. "Hey. Boy scout ready?" He asked Sam.
"Yeah, he is just finishing up." Sam said looking at the two boys at the dining room table. He led his brother aside. "Did Simon seem a bit off to you tonight?" He asked softly.
"Yeah, he did." Dean said with a frown. "Might have just been the whole big family gathering." Dean said. They hadn't had them while Dean was in the hospital. At least not the whole extended clan.
"Yeah... probably... probably just missing his other family. Can't say I blame him." Something was off, and he would speak with Rachel about it after the kids were in bed. It was hard to find counseling for children like Simon. But he could go through church channels and see what he could find.
"Ben might have given him the creeps. He's not exactly warm and cuddly to strangers, and he is a demon." Dean said with a shrug. "Guess he'll have to deal with that, unfortunately." Easiest way to offend Jack was to exclude Ben from anything.
"Yeah, I know. Tessa seemed to deal with it all so easily, and Simon is so quiet, I probably missed the signs. Well.. I'll have a talk with him. While Kevin is gone is a good time."
"Yeah good luck with that." Dean said with a chuckle as Kevin came out. "Ready?"
"Oh yeah." Kevin said with a grin. "If I'm out late, Dad, it's all his fault." He said, jerking his thumb at Dean.
"Yeah well... while you two are out late... just remember that you still have to go to school in the morning." Sam pointed out.
Dean laughed. "And not even death will get you off for a day. We know how to bring people back, you know. And we'd do it just so we could send you to school." Dean said with a wink as he tossed a bag to Kevin. "Come on, we gotta pick up coffee for the nurses. Give us a reason to be there."
"Great, ressurrected for a geometry test." He grumbled playfully. "How about hospitalization, after all... can't go to school from a hospital bed." Kevin said with a grin, heading out the door.
"No, but the test can come to you." Dean said as they got in the car. They stopped to get the coffee and bagels and headed up to the floor. Dean had been in the hospital long enough to know when security went on its breaks. "So, did you miss me?" He asked with a grin as they reached the nurses' station of what had been nearly his home away from home for a while.
Caitlin walked over to him, and smiled. "Miss you? We just got rid of you." She teased. "How ya' feelin?" She asked, hoping he wasn't back because of some problem with his injury, although she suspected she knew what he was here for. She was surprised that he had brought his nephew, though.
"I feel great." Dean said with a smile. "Despite everyone's efforts to convince me that I was some hopeless invalid, gotta say, I feel pretty good." He said as he set the coffee down. "Brought some gifts. Some family has nicely and oh so politely pointed out that I might have been a little tiny bit of a pain in the ass during my vacation."
"A tiny bit?" Another nurse asked. "You know, day shift almost threw a party when you went home." She was teasing... mostly.
"Yeah... " Caitlin said with a grin. "Night shift was just disappointed you didn't try and make another break for it. The restraints had your name on them."
"You've got some obession with tying me up, you know that?" Dean said with a laugh. "That kind of talk around my poor nephew. Poor kid's gonna have nightmares tonight."
Kevin rolled his eyes. "He forgets I was here. I am thinking you guys had more nightmares than I will."
Caitlin laughed. "I wouldn't call it an obsession."
Dean laughed harder. "I am so onto you now." He said. "See, Kevin, told you they thought I was cute."
One of the other nurses laughed as she took her coffee. "Well, we're certainly not going to say anything different until all the caffeine is gone."
Caitlin would have been more flattered if she hadn't know why he was actually here, or suspected at least, but she smiled anyway, it was fun.
Kevin again rolled his eyes in true teenager fashion. "If there was ever proof that I am adopted, this is it."
Dean chuckled. "All right,all right." He said. Though it was fun. "Gonna leave you girls alone now, with your coffee and all the new people to tie up and torture." He said. Had a spirit to bind any way.
"Have a good night." Caitlin said. "Be careful out there... don't want to see you in one of my beds again." She said, and quickly turned red, knowing how that had come out.
"Oh, beds? I get a choice? I'll keep that one in mind." He said with a wink. "Come on, Kevin. We got some errands to run."
It was Caitlin's turn to roll her eyes at that one.
"Thank god... this was getting embarassing." Kevin said as he turned to go. He couldn't believe it. His uncle had women eating out of his hand that had been threatening to finish the job the demons had started not a week earlier. It was unnatural, he was sure. His dad had his weird gifts that he never spoke of; Dean was unnaturally good with women.
"Relax." Dean said as they headed down the stairs. Less chance of being seen or followed. "Sam was awkward with women until college I think." He said with a laugh. "Jack...I don't think he's dated anyone but Kaylie. Ever."
"Yeah that's what Dad says." Kevin said. "Then there is my english teacher who has never had a date in his life. At least not with anything that doesn't blow up or come with batteries."
"And it's disturbing that you know that." Dean said as they reached the basement. His salt circle was still intact. "Okay, we're going to have to brush the salt away, so which do you want? Brusher or shooter in case we've pissed him off?"
"I'll shoot, you dust. You know what to do next and I don't. " He didn't want to have to do try and understand instrucitons over a lot of shooting should the thing rear its ghosty head.
"All right." Dean said. "Just remember, watch out for the ghost but you gotta watch me too." Dean said. This was supposed to be a master class of sorts after all. Couldn't teach him if he didn't watch, right? He squatted down by the circle and started to brust it away, following it with paint. He explained the symbol as he painted, while there was still silence.
ITNOTFITNOTFITNOTFITNOTFITNOTFITNOTFITNOTFITNOTFITNOTFITNOTF
Sam ran his hand over his face. He didn't want to do this. Didn't want to start using those abilities again. Things that could lure him once more into darkness, that would make him a danger to his family when they needed him most. But he was going to anyway. Dean was right. They needed every edge they could get.
He stared at the light switch, figuring he would take it small first and work his way up to something larger. The light switched on, then off easily enough, although he could feel the strain of using something that had been dormant for almost 20 years.
Ben called, and when Sam answered, he said "Break the salt line." And hung up. Because Dean and Sam were diligent on their lines. Meant Ben could usually only come over if there was a small break somewhere. Ally or not, the basic rules applied to him.
The kids continually made light of his poker games, but they were often good sources of information. Like now. Which was why he was headed over. He and Sam weren't completely one hundred percent comfortable with each other, but Dean was out, Jack wasn't answering, so Sam would do. It affected all three of them after all.
Sam went to the window sill and broke the salt line and went to get two beers out of the refrigerator. Ben would only be coming over if there were important news. It wasn't that he didn't like Ben... he was just..uncomfortable with the knowledge that if Ben went evil there would be no stopping him.
Ben flared into the living room while Sam was in the kitchen. Simon had been coming down fora drink when he saw the fire in the living room. And he knew.
This was what happened when you played nice with a demon, they crept into your house while you were sleeping to kill you. Simon knew, the demon had come for his parents in the dark of night, while they were sleeping peacefully. He remembered the smell of blood as his parents were ripped apart, and he went to get one of Sam's guns. He had watched while they were unpacking, he knew where Sam stashed them. He wouldn't let his new family be torn apart again by a demon. He couldn't let it happen as he came up behind Ben and pulled the trigger.
It wasn't rock salt that hit Ben. And though he wouldn't die from it, it hurt like, well, hell. He wheeled around and saw Simon, the temperature of the room rising exponentially. And before Simon could fully lower the gun, Ben was across the room, throwing the child up against the wall by his neck as he grabbed the gun.
"You should do your research before you shoot something in the back." Ben growled, his skin taking on an off reddish tone as his eyes glowed a dark, eerie green.
"What the hell?" Sam demanded of both of them as he entered the room. He knew the gun fire had to have come from Simon but that was his son pinned against the wall, and nothing Sam had could do anything more than piss off the demon. "Let him down, Ben. Let's sort this out before things get anymore violent than they already have."
"Sort this out?" Ben snapped. "He shot me. In the back. And you know what, it hurts."
"He's a demon." Simon said, and Ben tightened his grip on his neck. Not enough to seriously hurt him, but enough to get his point across.
"Shut your mouth." He growled at the boy. "Yes, I'm a fucking demon. And this is just the next in the long line of pain that so called civilized and pure humans have caused me." It had been so long since he'd been attacked so outright that long hidden rage was boiling toward the surface.
"Ben... he's just a kid...a traumatized kid... let him down, and we'll take care of it. I'm sorry he hurt you...we'll get whatever rounds he used out of you... but you need to let my son go."
"Do not touch me." Ben said in a steely voice as Sam took a placating step. "Some of the worst monsters I've ever encountered have been human. And should have been put down in their sleep. Traumatized kid, huh? So that excuses it. I was a traumatized kid, don't see him giving me a free pass, and I haven't even shot anyone. In the fucking back like a coward." He put Simon down and handed him the gun, and took a step back, arms out. "Come on, hot shot. You're so big and bad, come on. Shoot me. Come on, shoot me." He taunted Simon. "What? Can't do it while you have to look at me? Come on, shoot me!"
"No, it doesn't give him a free pass. I'm not going to give him a free pass on this, but this isn't helping. It isn't going to fix the problem, Ben. My god, he saw his parents torn limb from limb... cut him a little slack. How long did it take you to be able to be in the same room with a hunter with out wanting to shred us all...?"
Ben gave him a dark look. It wasn't just hunters. It was priests, mobs of townfolk who thought it would be a smart idea to fight someone like him with fire, several witch covens, it wasn't just hunters.
"One day, he's going to attack a demon he can't kill, one who won't stop." He said to Sam. He was in serious pain. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been shot with bullets like that. Bullets that were still in his back. "And you need to watch on how far I'm pushed before I push back. Because if I decide to push back, you can't stop me, and you know that. This is already heavily intruding on my already strained good humor."
"I... I am sorry that you are hurt. I will help you get the rounds out of your back... I'm going to deal with the situation. I know it's a lot to ask... it's an impossible thing to ask, but please... be patient. He's a traumatized kid.""He's gonna attack Rachel!" Simon yelled, unable to believe his new father was standing here siding with a demon. "I saw it... My head was about to explode and I saw it... he attacks her... He tries to kill her!"
Ben scoffed. "You sure you didn't see what you wanted to see?" Ben said, giving Sam a look. Great, another person with visions. "Tell you what, go meditate on that one kid. Then ask yourself if I was so yearning to kill a human, why your father is standing here right now? Because if there was ever a human I so wanted to kill at any point of time, it would be him."
Sam raised an eyebrow at that one. "Look... Simon, Ben wouldn't ever attack Rachel. She would have to come after him first and actually make a dent in him. He isn't that kind of a person. You have to trust me, Simon... I know what I'm talking about.""No... you don't understand... I saw my parents die... I saw it happen before it happened and it happened. He's going to attack Rachel... why won't you believe me?""Visions aren't always exact... maybe it was a nightmare... I have had a lot of nightmares that felt the-""You're taking his side!" Simon yelled. "He's a demon!"
"That's right." Ben said. Though Jack had always emphasized his more human attributes. Right now, he didn't feel very human. "I'm a demon. And you know what I'm going to do now? I'm going to walk away instead of burning you to ash as I should. Or breaking your neck with one hand, just a quick flick of the wrist. But I'm not going to, even though you deserve it. Because you know what? Sometimes the worst monsters aren't demons. They're human. You decide which way you want to go." He looked at Sam as he passed. "This happens again, I'm not going to stop."
Sam didn't say anything. What could he say in that moment that wouldn't sound like he was condoning either side? He could understand both sides perfectly. Even though Ben was the victim.He waited for Ben to leave then looked at his son. "Go put the gun back where you found it and come back in here. Now." He said firmly.
Simon gave hima surprised, shocked look. But put the gun back. And fixed the salt line so that demon couldn't get back in. Then he went to stand in front of Sam. "I didn't do anything wrong." He said stubbornly. "I know what I saw."
"You should have told me about the vision." Sam said. "WE could have dealt with it as a family. " He led the boy to the sofa. "And yes, you did do something wrong. I haven't given you permission to shoot targets yet, much less shoot someone I invited into our home. You aren't old enough to make decisions on who needs killing." Sam was furious but he knew it wouldn't do any good to yell. He had recieved far too many tongue lashings as a boy to think it would have a good effect. "Visions aren't always clear. Sometime they are metaphors, sometimes they are clouded by perceptions. They are just snap shots, or short films...we don't see all the details. You can't just assume like that."
"I know what I saw! And he's not a person, he's a demon! He's just waiting to kill us all, or make us wish we were dead, because that's what demons do. Jack," Simon couldn't call him 'uncle,' who knew how brainwashed he was by the demon after all, "might be in on it. Or maybe not. But you're letting your guard down. And he's going to make us all pay for that. I watched my father die. Don't make me watch you die at a demon's hand."
"I can't promise that I won't die from a demonic attack. I'm a hunter. It's almost inevitable... but it won't be at Ben's hands. He has saved our lives more times than I can count. Yes, he is a demon but he is a person too. His mother was a human being. I believe that he has a soul. And that soul is what is important. It's what keeps all of us from crossing over into darkness."
Simon shivered a little, the temperature in the room had returned to normal quickly after Ben left. And he had made the room hot enough for Simon to break out in a sweat. Along with the cold sweat from fear at the time.
"You can't kill him, can you?" Simon said, going for a different track. "That's why we play nice."
"I'm not playing nice, Simon. Ben has helped us more times than I can count. He put himself through all manner of torture so that I could get my soul back. He didn't ask anything in return, either. " He added, figuring that would be the boy's next tactic. "I know this is rough... it's hard to accept that Ben isn't one of the bad guys and I made a mistake tossing you into the deep end like that... making you deal with him before you were ready to accept him. I'm sorry for that, but you can't just go around shooting him because he is a demon."
"That's not a good enough reason?!" Simon demanded. He didn't get the difference, really. A demon was a demon was a demon. And he knew what he saw. Ben had his hands around Rachel's neck, his face contorted with rage, and Rachel gasping for breath and begging him to stop. And Sam apparently thought a friendship with a demon counted more than his family. "I'm going to bed." He'd had enough.
"That's probably best." Sam said with a sigh. This was going to be hard... really hard to repair. He was going to need to talk to Dean because this was something he was ill equipped to handle. Dean was better with the demon than Sam would ever be. He was going to have his hands full with Simon.
ITNOTFITNOTFITNOTFITNOTFITNOTFITNOTFITNOTFITNOTFITNOTFITNOTF
Ben walked to Jack's. It was a couple of blocks, at least, but it was dark enough that no one else out noticed the holes in his back. But he wasn't up to traveling through fire anywhere right now. He needed the time to get his temper and his rage back under control. No one, he was sure, knew exactly how tightly controlled he kept it all either.
But he made it to Jack's. And rang the door bell. Then he just fished his key out and let himself in. He figured Jack and Kaylie had been putting the kids down when he had called earlier. Or involved in some marital extracirricular activies. Well, he hoped they were done!
"Jack?" He called out as he came into the house.
"Yeah, I'll be down in a sec." He called as he tucked Abby in, pointing out that she had seen him just a little while ago and didn't need to postpone bedtime to run down and get yet another hug.
Ben managed to chuckle as he heard Abby's protests about bedtime. That one was going to be a serious charmer. Jack would be gray before he was fifty. He went to the fridge and grabbed a beer. And grabbed Jack's paramedic bag, putting it on the table as he sat down to wait for Jack. This wouldn't go over well, he knew that already. But wasn't like he could go to a hospital and get them dug out. He wasn't like Dean, he didn't avoid hospitals because he didn't like them. It was because he couldn't go. Besides, they used way too much saline, and salt water plus demon heritage always equaled more pain than he wanted.
"Hey what's..." Jack paused entering the room. "What happened?" He asked, his tone shifting from casual to concerned. Ben had never come to him injured before. Not like this.
"I was shot." Ben said with a careful shrug. "Don't ask by who, you really don't want to know. I just need them dug out of my back, can't reach it myself." He hated to come to the man he had raised as his son to be patched up, but they were still in there, and they were still burning.
"Okay...off with the shirt." He said with a frown. "Thought you were playing poker tonight." Jack didn't think for a moment it was one of his poker buddies. That would be an entirely different sort of damage done.
"I did." Ben said as he painfully took off his shirt. Realizing belatedly he should have just ripped the damned thing off as he tossed it onto another chair. He stood up and turned the chair around, and sat back down, straddling it as he leaned over the back of it. "This is going to sound weird, but remember I'm a demon. Clean it out with dirty water." They were consecrated bullets, would have to counteract all the blessings and holy water.
His back was a mess. Two bullets, and his whole back was inflamed in parts, blackening in others, around the bullets that were still there.
Jack swore and did everything opposite of what he was trained to do. Eventually getting the bullets out and 'cleansing' the wounds of any possible debris. He couldn't afford to leave even a drop of it in there. "What hunter has come after you?" He asked recognizing the bullets for what they were. "If I didn't know better I would say this came from Sam and Dean's stock."
"I told you not to ask." Ben said with a scowl, though he had tolerated the procedure fairly well. Only cracked the back of the chair with his hands, after all. "Because you don't want to know. Jack, I'm asking. Don't make me tell you, you won't like it." It would cause a rift, and he didn't want that to be his fault. "But this is why I've been so against you becoming a hunter. Because some don't know the difference. They see not quite so human, and figure it has to be destroyed. It's been years since I've been boiled down to an 'it' though. Thought I was over it."
"And if I don't ask I am going to come up with my own conclusions. I know Sam and Dean wouldn't shoot you in the back." He liked to think they wouldn't shoot him at all ever. "Was it Bobby?" Jack had his own issues with Bobby that he kept tightly in check.
Ben made a sound between a chuckle and a groan. "Bobby? He'd shoot me in the mouth, in the hopes it would shut me the hell up." He said. "Fine. It was Simon. I nearly killed the kid, Jack."
"Simon? What the- " He groaned, knowing how that must be for Sam, not to mention Ben. "I hope you mean that in the almost took action sense and not the he is hanging on by a thread sense." He said shaking his head. "I knew it was probably gonna back fire on Sam eventually. Adopting traumatized kids. I guess it back fired on you first though, didn't it?"
"No, he lives. I got control at the last moment. I could have though, so easily. Wouldn't have taken anything out of me to do so." Ben said. "Maybe I should go. To that nice island. Because I don't see Simon stopping from a slap on the wrist from Sam. Much more pain, and I won't stop next time. I told Sam that too."
"You aren't going anywhere. I can't imagine Sam would just give him a slap on the wrist. The kid needs counseling... some heavy duty counseling on top of other things. I can't imagine him letting this go."
"You know? How far does that excuse get you? I get it, he's a traumatized kid. You know what? So was I. So were you. We should be two of the most damaged people in the world. Except of course, I guess I don't count as a person, so I don't count in the equation. Oh, and he's having visions. Apparently I'm going to kill Rachel." Ben said, shaking his head.
"Okay... let's take a step back and look at this... He lost his parents 6 months ago... gets adopted into this new family, and is told he has to accept the demon member of the family as well. He probably had a nightmare about you killing his new family because you are a demon he can put a face to. " Jack said. "You know... at 12... I probably would have shot Bobby or even John Winchester if I had laid eyes on them. I know you didn't just lay down and take it in the beginning. And anyone that thinks you should have is full of crap. It doesn't work that way. "
"Actually I did. My mother started when I was very young, in trying to save me. Not much a baby, even a demon baby can do in defense of himself." Ben said. "And no you wouldn't have. Because I wouldn't have allowed you to have access to guns." When Jack was twelve, he had access to baseball cards and footballs.
"There is that." Jack said. "But I was safe in my own home from anything that could come through the door. Sam has to protect his family however he can. Look... I'm not excusing the kid. And if Sam can't get him under control then the boy is the one that needs to go away. Because you are family and you are staying put."
"You didn't see the way they looked at me. As if they truly did expect me to level the house with an inferno at any minute. I get it, I'm a demon. But I foolishly believed," for Jack's sake more than anything else, "that we had at least moved past that. And Sam is nervous, for as powerful as he has the potential to be, he can't stop me. I expect that will come up, actually. That I am the danger here. And I suppose he's right. I am."
"Wait... Sam looked at you that way? Was it before or after you were shot, because, man... it's pretty logical to worry about what a guy is gonna do when pushed to far. Demon or human, ya know. You've been there for them too many times for me to think Sam would actually turn on you."
"Well, after. But still." Ben said with a scowl. "I can't do this anymore. I can't walk all the lines, and hope that they really don't figure out a way to vanquish me. Oh they have no problem taking advantage of my knowledge or connections, but doesn't change the fact that I'm still a demon. I'm still the enemy. The kind they were put on this earth to destroy, after all. Suppose I shouldn't blame them, they were brainwashed from an early age, but you know what? I do.""You don't have to. Ben... they trust you. They aren't looking for a way to destroy you. There isn't any need. They have asked you to watch their children for crying out loud. Does that sound like something they would do if they thought you needed to be destroyed?"
"I don't pretend to know what's going on in people's minds." Ben said. But he'd seen and experienced way too much, it took a lot for him to give them the benefit of the doubt. "But I also don't expect to be attacked by stupid children." Because it was an incredibly stupid move to shoot someone like him in the back. Especially since all it would do is hurt him and piss him off. "Well, I guess doing my damnest to live as a human backfired quite nicely on me, didn't it?"
"No." Jack said. "It didn't. Because it was one stupid kid... and you didn't kill the stupid kid. Which is more than a lot of humans could say. Simon isn't Sam or Dean, and he wasn't raised by Sam, he was raised by some rabid hunter and is having a hard time adjusting... and aparently an even harder time with self control. That doesn't mean that it's your fault. "
"Yeah, well, l'm out." Ben said. "Because I'm not even going to chance being used as a scapegoat. Last time I was used as a scapegoat, a village filleted me then burned me. It, well, it didn't tickle. I'll protect the kids," meaning Jack's kids, "don't worry about that."
"Ben... come on... don't do this over some kid." He said. "I don't think there is going to be anyone using you as a scape goat. It was a 12 year old boy who didn't even have the sense to know his target. "
"So I should wait until he gets his hands on research material? And finally knows his target?" Ben said. "I can't be killed as far as I know, but that doesn't mean I'm invincible. And it doesn't mean I can't feel pain."
"No... but at least give us a chance to talk some sense into the kid." Jack said. "I like my family the way it is.. I ... don't like thinking about how things will change with you not around all the time, or interacting with my brothers."
"I'm not going anywhere." Ben said, remembering Jack's small abandonment complex he still carried with him. "Interacting with your brothers...I don't know. At least Bobby's honest. I meant out in that the whole search for the demon, I don't want any part of it. Just one last nugget I picked up during my game. Should have waited for Dean, but I know Dean. Now he'll take Sam's side on anything. Your mother, your grandfather, they were nuts. We know that. The one thing they did have in common besides that was that they were willing to start a cult over whatever's in Dean's blood. Dean also managed to cross a wasteland when he was a kid. It's worth looking into. Now, I'm done. And I'd feel a whole lot better if you stayed clear of it all too."
"I know... I don't think I can though. If they don't succeed... it's gonna come down on all of us. Not just me and the kids but everything is gonna end as we know it... I can't stay out of that kind of fight. "
"Wish you could." Ben said. He didn't see this ending neatly for anyone. "I really wish you could. I'm not that used to worrying about people. But let's keep that a secret. Though, if your brothers get you killed, might as well save them seats on the after life bus."
"If anything happens... it's not their fault. It's my own for getting involved. I make my own decisions. You didn't raise me to take the easy way out or blame anyone else for my actions."
"Oh, sure. Blame me." Ben said with a chuckle as he got up and got two beers, handing one to Jack as he opened his. "I don't know what to do about all this. I don't...I don't really know how families work." For years, it was just him. Then it was him and Abby. Then it was him. Then it was him and Jack. This was unfamiliar territory. "Even the Bundys didn't shoot each other though. Though Sydney did get shot by her own mother..." Referring, again, to Alias. Which he still watched on DVD.
Jack laughed softly. "Families don't give up on each other. No matter how much it hurts." He said in a quiet voice. "Granted, bullet wounds are pushing it a little, and a great detriment to the whole warm and fuzzy thing... but... families work things out."
"Yeah, well, we'll see." Ben said, unconvinced. Of course, he'd been the one shot up. "So, Abby's birthday is next month. Guess what she asked me for."
"Flaming batons?" He suggested, figuring it was too much to hope that she asked for a pony.
"So, the real question is not how Sam is going to deal with his trigger happy new son, but how you are going to convince me that I like you better than Abby when it comes to birthday gifts." He'd said his piece. And his peace.
Jack laughed. "No... the question is do you really want to deal with Kaylie if you give our young daughter anything that resembles flaming batons for her birthday?"
"Deal with her? I go homeand lock the door." Ben said. "So Abby likes fire. Just means we have to teach her to use it responsibly, right? Not my fault you designated me primary babysitter to young, impressionable children when, yeah, I like to play with fire too."
"How about we teach her to leave it alone until she is a little less likely to drop said flaming batons on her bed and set the house on fire? Or bash one of her brothers with it... she took a regular baton after Mark once when he laughed at the wrong moment." She hadn't actually hit him, but the girl did have the Winchester temperment.
"Fine." Ben said with a sigh. "Though you were the one who pointed out that as a reward for allowing you to survive to adulthood long enough to spawn, I was allowed to spoil said spawn mercilessly and drive you insane. Guess she gets a pony then."
"A pony might eat us out of house and home but it won't rack up any time in the burn ward." Jack said with a laugh.
"Yeah, there is that." Ben allowed. "So I'm gonna go home and lick my wounds. Give your brother's the tip for me. To be honest, I talk to them right now; there might be time in a burn ward."
