AN: Sorry this is late! I was planning to write most of this on the plane ride home, but my computer died much faster than I had hoped.

As a slight consolation, I have also posted a revised version of Chapter 2: Classic Cars. My reasons for doing so are posted in that chapter. No significant plot points have changed.

Lisa didn't want to move.

She didn't want to leave this comfortable place, where everything felt good and right and safe. She was happy here. Nothing else mattered.

Still standing in the kitchen, Lisa and Dean were locked in a tight embrace. Lisa's cheek rested against Dean's chest, her eyes closed. Her arms were tightly wrapped around his torso. She needed to feel him against her to know that he was real and solid and that he was really and truly here. She breathed in his scent, lost in his mere presence.

God she had missed this.

Dean didn't want to let go either. His chin rested on top of Lisa's head, his strong arms holding her to him. He was afraid if he let go, she might disappear. He was terrified that all of this was some terrible dream, or perhaps even a poison from some malicious monster he should be hunting. Because there was no way he could be this happy and it be real.

This is real. He reminded himself.

Neither of them wanted to break the moment, willing it to go on forever. But Lisa couldn't deny the nagging thoughts and questions that were puncturing the bubble of peace in which she and Dean currently resided. Lisa suddenly broke away from Dean, taking several steps back and startling Dean in the process. She ran her hands through her dark hair, her burning need for answers and explanations making her restless.

"Dean… I-I don't even know where to start. It's been years. Years. Where have you been?" Lisa said accusingly.

Dean cowered at her words. He said nothing, waiting for more.

"I'm sorry. I just… I don't understand this. You were with us for that year, and then Sam came back, and then you were just gone. And now suddenly, somehow, you're here again. How? Why Dean?"

The sudden flood of questions overwhelmed Dean. So many of these things he didn't want to have to tell her. He didn't want to have to explain himself, again. But he had known that this part of their reunion was inevitable. Ben's words suddenly rang through his mind: You can't live alone. You can't run forever.

He sighed heavily. "It's… complicated."

Lisa looked expectantly at him, arms crossed. His vague response frustrated her.

"Can we… can we maybe go sit down? I don't think you'll want to stand for all of this." Dean asked hesitantly.

"Sure." Lisa said curtly.

She led him through the kitchen to a small, dark living room. Lisa switched on a table lamp, casting a warm glow over the room. A fireplace adorned one wall, the mantle holding photos of Lisa and Ben over the years. Dean looked at them, struck by how quickly life can seem to pass when documented in a few photos. He wondered what had happened to those photos with himself in them; he figured Cas had something to do with it.

Life had gone for Lisa and Ben, just as it had for Dean. Their lives had just been very, very different.

"Here." Lisa said. She handed him a glass of scotch, holding one for herself in her other hand.

"Thanks." Dean said gruffly.

A red couch was situated opposite the fireplace. Lisa sat down with a leg folded under her and took a sip from her glass. She looked at Dean, silently inviting him to sit. Lisa knew she would have to be patient to get the whole story out of Dean, but she still needed some questions answered now.

Dean took him his time walking over, sitting down heavily next to Lisa. He took a sip from his own glass, ice cubes clinking in the silence.

"You said it was complicated. I'm listening." Lisa said patiently. Her frustration of just a few minutes ago was gone, replaced with concern as she looked at Dean.

Dean sighed. "What do you remember?"

Lisa thought about it, sifting through her newly reacquired memories.

"The hospital. You were there, but I didn't know who you were. And then you left. That was the last we saw of you. What happened Dean?" Lisa had a puzzled expression on her face, as if she was trying to figure out how any of that could even be.

Dean took another sip of scotch, trying to gain some courage. He stared down at the glass clutched between his hands, and wearily started his tale.

"After the warehouse, I realized you and Ben would always be in danger as long as I could even be remotely tied to you. You had already sent me away, or maybe I drove myself away, I don't know. But I still cared about you Lisa. I did. And as long as that was true, you were both targets. I needed to make sure you were safe…and that could only happen if I wasn't a part of your life." Dean paused, taking a deep breath to steady himself. "I had a friend erase your and Ben's memories of me. I figured…if I had never been in your life, you could never be hurt." Dean was staring down at his hands, not daring to look at Lisa for fear of what he may find there. Or maybe he was scared he would break down.

Lisa looked at Dean, a sad expression on her face.

"Dean." Lisa said quietly.

Dean didn't move.

"Dean, look at me. Please."

He obliged, world-weariness etched on his face. Tears were beginning to leak out of the corner of his eyes.

"Dean. You did what you had to to keep me and Ben safe. I know that, I do, because I know you. Even after all these years I know you. You did what you do best- you protect the people you love."

Dean was silently crying now.

"No I don't Lisa. No matter what I do, people still get hurt. I did it to you. I did it to Ben. And I did it Sam. I'm not strong enough."

Lisa hadn't expected Sam to come into the picture, but now wasn't the time to question it.

"Dean, what ever happened to Sam, I know it wasn't your fault. I know you did what you needed to help and protect him." Lisa told him insistently.

"But it was my fault Lisa. I needed him to be alive. Not for him, but for me. I was selfish. I know that now." Dean drained his glass, and set it on the coffee table in front of him. He wearily wiped a hand over his face, trying to clear away his tears.

Lisa caught his hand as it moved away from his face, and held onto it tightly with both of her own. Dean was startled at the touch, but didn't pull away.

Lisa looked intently at him. "It's not your fault that you care Dean. It's what makes you human, and not like the monsters that you hunt. You love some people so much that you forget that they love you too."

Dean scoffed.

"It's true Dean. And I have the feeling that's why you're here now. Ben had something to do with, right?"

Dean gave a humorless laugh. "Yep. He sure did." Ben had everything to do with it.

Lisa smiled to herself. How Ben had managed to do that she would never know.

Lisa got up and refilled both her and Dean's glasses. Dean immediately took a hefty sip of the amber liquid.

"Sam's gone. I haven't seen Cas in ages, and he won't answer my prayers. I left the life for good. I'm done hunting. Almost no one gets out. But I did. I was alone, but at least no one could get hurt any more." Dean took another sip. "But then Ben found me Lisa. After the car accident, Ben remembered me. Don't ask how, because I have no idea how that's possible. But Ben found me in South Dakota. And he convinced me to come back to you."

Dean absentmindedly swirled the liquid in his glass. He was talking more to himself than to Lisa at this point.

"At first I thought it was a bad idea. But then I realized that that was what Sam wanted for me too." He paused. "I guess maybe you're right then. I was so busy making sure Sam was ok, that I forgot Sam wanted me to be ok too. That's why he wanted me to come back to you. And I needed Ben to make me do it."

Lisa waited for Dean to continue, but he stayed quiet.

"Well I'm glad he did." Lisa cupped Dean's cheek, turning him to face her again.

"How? The last time you talked to me you told me to leave. How can you be glad I'm here? After everything I did to you? To Ben?"

"Because then you were torn between hunting and us. And now- now I know that you're here for us. And I missed you Dean. I didn't know it until now, but I missed you so damn much." She leaned forward, resting her forehead against Dean's.

"I missed you Dean." She repeated quietly.

She leaned forward, brushing her lips against his. This kiss was far more intimate than the one they had shared in the kitchen, and it caught Dean off guard. Lisa felt Dean stiffen under her touch, but neither of them moved to break the contact. Slowly, she felt him break down his walls. And suddenly he was kissing her deeply, taking her in. They moved together without breaking their kiss, Dean lying back against the couch as Lisa followed him, the need to be as close together as possible driving them.

"Oh come on - can you at least wait until I go to bed good God."

Lisa and Dean broke apart, startled and embarrassed. Ben stood in the doorway that led to the foyer, bags in hand and a smirk on his face.

"Sorry." They both said, embarrassed. They disentangled themselves from each other, and stood up.

"It's ok. Just… please don't while I'm home. My innocence doesn't need to be tainted quite yet."

Ben had indeed been a little shocked to find his mother and Dean entangled on the couch like teenage lovers. But he was also happy to find things having apparently gone well between them.

Dean coughed awkwardly. "Well, um, I think I'm going to call it a night. Kind of exhausted after that long drive."

"Thanks for dinner. And the drink." Dean said as he walked towards the front door.

"Dean where are you going?" Lisa asked incredulously.

"Um… to find a motel." He stated, as if it was obvious.

"Dean Winchester don't you dare. If you want to stick around, you're staying here." Lisa said. Her words were a question as much as statement.

Ben looked at Dean, hoping beyond hope that Dean would finally see that there was a place for him here, if only he would accept it.

Ben caught Dean's eye, silently pleading for him to stay. Ben swore he could see Dean sigh ever so slightly.

"Alright. I'll stay."

Ben smiled.

Lisa led Dean upstairs to the guest room. Despite their close conversations and their intimate moments from earlier in the evening, for some reason it still felt weird to Lisa to share a bed with Dean so soon after reuniting. It wasn't even the sexual implications of it that worried her; she just wasn't sure she was ready to open herself up to him completely. When he didn't question her directions, she figured Dean felt the same way. Or perhaps, she thought, maybe he was just letting her call the shots.

"Alright well, I guess I'll see you in the morning." Lisa said with a small smile, leaning against the doorway of the guest room, watching Dean set down his duffle on the floral bedspread.

"Yeah. I guess you will." Dean replied with a slight smile.

"Seriously guys come on. This is getting cheesy." Ben said, suddenly appearing in the doorway, carrying his own bag.

"Go to bed Ben." Lisa and Dean said together. Ben rolled his eyes.

"Yeah yeah yeah. Good night." Ben said, before closing his bedroom door behind him.

Lisa and Dean turned back to each other.

"Well, sleep well." Lisa said, walking out of the room.

"You too."

Lisa had just rounded the corner when she heard Dean call her name again. She turned around to find Dean behind her in the hallway.

"I just- I just wanted to say thank you."

"For what?"

"For being you."

Lisa blushed, and a huge smiled lit up her face. She resisted the urge to rush forward and kiss him, knowing that she needed to take things slow if this was going to work. And she wanted to make this work.

"Good night Dean." She said softly, turning into her bedroom.

"Good night Lisa."

Dean smiled.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Dean had slept in the guest room for several nights after he had arrived. He wanted to wait for Lisa's invitation to anything beyond that. He had returned to her, but he stiil needed her to fully accept him back into her life.

After that first night, some kind of wall seemed to have come down inside Dean. He found himself relaxing into the easiness of life with Lisa and Ben, and enjoying the simplicity of the apple pie life. He helped Lisa cook, and helped Ben tune up his car. He proved himself to be handy around the house, fixing up this and that.

Sam had been right. Dean wanted this life more than he would have ever confessed.

Both times Dean had returned to Lisa had been at Sam's insistence, and both times had been after Sam's death. The first time Dean had attempted to build a life with Lisa and Ben, all those years ago, grief and whiskey had marred his days. Lisa had done all she could then to help him; she had been patient, kind, and supportive with the man she loved. It hadn't been perfect, but nothing ever was. They had been in it together, and it had worked for them. That is, until Sam mysteriously showed up on their door.

Dean loved Lisa and Ben and their life together, but Sammy always came first.

Lisa had expected to have to support Dean in much the same way this time, but it seemed that Dean had gotten everything out that he had needed to on that first night. He did still enjoy the occasional scotch or whiskey, but it was only ever one. He laughed easily, and took joy in simple things. And this time, Lisa knew Sam wouldn't be there to pull Dean away from the life he secretly loved. While she somewhat hated herself for thinking it, it was that thought more than anything that gave Lisa faith that this really could be a permanent thing.

Two weeks after Ben and Dean had returned home, Ben got his cast off, and he wasn't shy about letting his joy known.

"FREEDOM! Sweet lord it feels so good to make a fist." Ben said, flexing his newly decasted right hand. They were driving home from the doctor's office, Ben in the backseat and Lisa and Dean up front.

"Yeah just don't go punching people with that fist you hear? At least not until I teach you how to deck a guy properly." Dean said.

"Dean." Lisa scolded lightly, punching him jokingly on the shoulder.

"What?! It's useful knowledge! Every man should know how to land a good punch, right Ben?" Dean said, catching Ben's eye in the review mirror.

"Hell yeah!" Ben said. "But first I need to learn to throw again. I need to be at least halfway decent before the college season starts." He had even brought his glove with him to the doctor's office, and it now lay next to him on the backseat.

As soon as Dean parked in the driveway, Ben jumped out of the car.

"I'm going to go practice with Alex. I'll be home for dinner!" Ben called as he raced down the street, glove in hand.

"Don't overwork that arm!" Lisa called after him.

They watched him run off into the distance, Lisa wrapping an arm around Dean's waist in a half hug and Dean hanging an arm around her shoulders.

"I can't believe he's going to college in a week." Lisa said.

"I'm just happy he is going to college." Dean replied.

"C'mon. Let's get some lunch. Maybe sit outside?" Lisa asked.

"Sounds great." Dean said with a smile.

They made some sandwiches, settling themselves outside under the porch awning. They allowed themselves the pleasure of a cool beer on a warm summer afternoon, despite it not being even remotely close to 5.

Dean found himself staring at Lisa, who had folded herself into a deck chair, cool beer sweating in the summer heat. She was staring out across the yard, lost in thought. She could feel Dean's eyes on her though, his gaze unwavering.

Dean suddenly realized Lisa was calling his name.

"What? Oh sorry." Dean said, startled out of his reverie.

"What are you thinking about?" Lisa asked.

Dean paused for a beat, collecting his thoughts. "Just…just how it's kind of amazing that a year ago, I was living alone at a junk yard. And now I'm sitting on a porch, enjoying a beer with a beautiful woman."

"Oh please. That's a line if I ever heard one." Lisa replied.

"No I'm serious! It's just… life is weird you know. And if I'm the one saying that, it really must be true."

"I don't disagree with you there." Lisa said, taking a sip of her beer.

A comfortable silence falls between.

"Ben really is a great kid you know. He's gonna be great in college." Dean said.

Lisa smiled. "Yeah. I know."

"You did a hell of a job with him. Especially by yourself."

A sudden thought crossed Lisa's mind, and she debated voicing it. But no, now was not the time. Later. She thought to herself.

Lisa leaned over the table, surprising Dean with her sudden kiss.

"What was that for?" Dean asked.

"For being you." Lisa said, echoing his own words to her from that first night. She kissed him again, deeper and longer this time.

Quickly realizing where this was heading, the two moved inside, Lisa pulling Dean behind her up the stairs and to her room.

An hour later, the two of them lay under the covers, comfortable and content. Lisa snuggled close to Dean, her head resting in the crook of his shoulder, her hand resting on his bare chest just below his anti possession tattoo. Dean had an arm around her, holding her close to him, simply enjoying the feel of her next to him.

They were happy.

Dean never slept in the guest room again.

AN: I've just noticed that my characters are always drinking something in a scene. But if you notice, that's often how it is in the show as well. Sorry. I guess I need them to be doing something besides talking. I'll be sure to keep that in mind for my next story though, and try to keep that to a minimum.

One more chapter to go. I wanted to include it here, but then this chapter would have been even later.