A/N: I own nothing! Besides Nikki...I do own her.
I am so unbelievably sorry for how long it's taken me to update this story...I kind of fell into a funk and didn't have any inspiration for it at all. This chapter is kind of short...but...It's important and a lot happens at the end. I am so so sorry...I know it's been forever and a day.
Chapter 11
Dean hobbled down the aisle towards the knee braces. He had Cas beside him and Nikki a few steps back, glancing around at everything she passed. When he spotted the braces, he stopped in front of them and examined each one. When he found the one he wanted, he handed it to Cas to carry and started back down the aisle. It was a fairly quick process and they'd only needed the brace.
Overall, it took them just under ten minutes to get in and out of the store. When they climbed into the impala, Dean wrapped the brace around his knee and looked up at Cas. "Let's head back now. That's all I had to do."
Cas nodded and started the impala. They headed back to the house in relative silence. There wasn't a whole lot to say. When they got back, they relaxed for a while waiting for Mary to get home from work.
Mary and Nikki made everyone lunch and they sat around the dining table, talking about nothing in particular. The group helped clean the kitchen once again after they were done eating and then decided to watch a movie.
There wasn't a whole lot to do or talk about. Dean still wasn't sure how he should feel with the situation so he mainly kept his mouth shut. Cas's silence was normal, so it was all up to Nikki and Mary to keep a conversation going and it was much easier for them to just pop in a movie.
Dean popped a pain pill and then snuggled into Cas's side once the movie was starting. Cas's arm wrapped around Dean's waist and Dean laid his head on his shoulder. It was about fifteen minutes into the movie when Dean's eyes drooped and shut.
The group went through two movies before Sam and Jess walked through the door. Dean slept through both movies and their arrival. Mary stood and stretched. "Well, I'm going to go get ready for supper. We'll leave in about twenty minutes if that's okay with everyone."
They nodded and she left the room. Sam looked over at his still sleeping brother and smiled. "How long as he been out?"
Cas looked down at him and smiled softly before looking back up at Sam. "Roughly the duration of two movies. He took a pain pill and fell asleep shortly after."
Sam nodded, "How's he been doing? Pain-wise, I mean."
"I believe it has been getting better. We got him a brace today and he was able to stop using the crutches. He said he'll be moving slower, but he won't have to use them."
"That's good. As long as things are getting better."
Cas nodded and turned towards Dean and started to gently shake him. "Dean, it's time to wake up."
Dean stirred after a moment and opened his eyes, but didn't move from where he was. "Mm."
Cas chuckled. "You slept through two movies. Do you feel better now?"
Dean nodded, but didn't say anything.
"Sam and Jess are here. Your mom is upstairs getting ready. We're leaving in about twenty minutes."
Dean nodded again, but still didn't move. His eyes were threatening to close on him again.
"Dean, if you do not wake up now, you will not be able to sleep tonight."
Dean made a noise, but lifted his head. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to wake himself up. He looked up at his little brother who was watching the couple with a goofy grin on his face. "What?"
Sam shrugged, "Nothing. You two are just adorable. That's all."
Dean rolled his eyes as Cas chuckled. Dean looked at Cas with one brow raised. "You hear that? We're adorable."
Cas nodded, "Indeed. Nikki said the same thing earlier."
Dean chuckled and ran a hand through his hair, still fighting off sleep. He stood up slowly and stretched his back. When he heard a satisfying pop, he walked into the kitchen for a glass of water. He was moving slowly, but he wasn't using the crutches.
He got himself a glass of water and leaned against the counter as he took a sip. Sam walked in and smiled at him. "So no more crutches I hear."
Dean nodded, "Yeah. I don't need to use them while I'm wearing the brace unless it gets too stiff. It'll make walked easier, but slower."
Sam nodded, "The good thing is it's healing. I don't know about you, but I could go for a beer."
Dean chuckled, "That sounds really good about now."
"I'm pretty sure where we're going has beer…hopefully. It's been a long day."
They continued to make small talk as they waited for Mary to finish getting ready. It didn't take too much longer before she came downstairs and was ready to go. They piled into two cars: Sam driving Jess and Mary in his car and Cas driving Dean and Nikki in the impala.
They made their way to the restaurant, parked, and went inside together. They were seated at a table near the back big enough for their group. They all ordered a beer minus Mary who ordered a glass of wine.
Sam looked up at Cas. "So, Dean tells me you work with the FBI."
Cas nodded, "Yes, I have been there for a few years."
Jess leaned forward. "What's it like chasing down bad guys all the time?"
Cas chuckled, "It doesn't happen all the time, but it's exhilarating when we do manage to catch someone."
She nodded, "Oh, I can imagine. Have you ever gotten hurt on the job?"
He nodded, "A couple of years back I got shot. My partner called for backup and got me to the hospital. It wasn't too serious, but I had to stay for a few days."
"Wow! I can't even imagine…"
Mary took a sip of her wine and looked over at him. "I thought it was against policy to get involved with someone from a case."
Dean looked up at her, not sure if he'd heard her correctly. "The case is closed. There's nothing left for him to investigate. Therefore, it's not against policy."
Mary nodded, "Well that's good. We wouldn't want anything to happen to Cas for getting too close to you."
Dean's brow furrowed. "Where is this coming from? Or better yet, how is it your business?"
Cas rested a hand on Dean's good knee, trying to get him to calm down and let it go. "You're my son. That makes it my business. Anyways, let's talk about something else. So, you're a nurse."
Dean didn't like the way she'd said that. His eyes narrowed the slightest bit and Cas could feel him tense. "Yeah. I am."
"You take care of sick people all day? Why?"
"I like helping people. It seems everyone here is in a profession where they get to help people except for you. That certainly says something."
Cas tightened his grip on Dean's knee. Mary sat up straighter and looked at her oldest child. "You know, your father and I always thought you'd be a writer or something. Maybe even a musician with how much you used to sing. We never pictured that."
Dean snorted, "What? Did you think I was too stupid to go to medical school?"
"Well…you didn't exactly get straight A's."
Dean's eyes narrowed. "I was in first grade when you left. I was only a kid."
Sam coughed, the tension around the table seemed to grow by the second. "So…Nikki. Why'd you become a mechanic?"
She looked between Mary and Dean for a moment before looking at Sam and answering. "My dad…well, my…whatever the hell he was…He was a mechanic and taught me everything I know. I enjoyed it, so I just made it into a career."
"That's awesome! Have you thought about opening up your own shop?"
She nodded, "Yeah, actually I have been for a while now. And now that I think I've found a permanent home…I might start looking into it."
Mary jumped into the conversation. "You know, your father was a mechanic."
She looked at Mary and smiled. "Really? That's awesome. Father like daughter, I guess."
Mary nodded, "Yeah. He enjoyed it. That was the best part of his day."
Dean glanced over at Cas before looking at her. "What are you trying to say?"
She looked up at him and smiled. "Nothing, dear. Just that your father wasn't exactly who you thought he was."
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing, Dean. Just forget it."
"No. What does that mean?"
Mary sighed. "It just means that…I saw a different side of your father than you did."
"Oh really? And what side was that? The side I saw was the man who tried like hell to keep his family alive and safe on his own. The man who raised me by himself. What other side is there?"
"The side he didn't want you to see. It's probably the side that caused him to disappear. If you ever see him again, it's his place to tell you, not mine."
Mary turned to Jess and smiled. "So, tell me about this court case. How is it going?"
Dean tuned them out and looked at Cas. "What the hell?"
Cas shook his head, glancing over at Mary. "That was odd."
"Yeah."
Cas entwined his fingers with Dean's and squeezed reassuringly. "Try not to let her get to you."
Dean smiled softly at him. "That's easier said than done."
Cas chuckled, "So I've noticed."
They continued their conversations as they ordered their food and until it arrived. Dean didn't say anything to Mary throughout the rest of the meal. It wasn't until Mary addressed him that he finally looked at her.
"So, what is it you do for fun, Dean?"
Dean took a sip of beer. "Some friends and I hang out at a bar called the Roadhouse. We know the owner. She's actually the one who took me in after dad disappeared."
Mary nodded, "Ellen Harvelle. Must be."
Dean nodded, "Yeah, that's her. I'm kind of like an unofficial bodyguard. If there's a problem in the bar, Ellen has me take care of it so no one gets hurt."
Jess's eyes widened a fraction. "Wow, that's really brave of you, Dean."
Mary nodded, "Isn't that how you got kidnapped?"
Dean nodded slowly. "Yeah, what difference does that make?"
Mary raised an eyebrow. "Well, you were kidnapped while unofficially being a body guard in a bar. I should hope you're not thinking about continuing."
Dean leaned forward a little and rested his elbows on the edge of the table. "Actually, I am."
Mary stiffened. "Why in the world would you go back there? You could have been killed!"
He nodded, "Yeah, I could have, but I wasn't. Ellen and Jo live alone. They don't have anyone around to protect them. Sure, they can take care of themselves, but they're family. I'm not going to let anything happen to either of them."
Mary shook her head. "That's really stupid, Dean. I don't want you going back there."
"You're kidding, right? You really think you have any kind of say in what I do?"
She nodded, "Well, I am your mother. And that is dangerous. I don't want to get a call saying you were killed because of some immature whim of yours to play the hero."
That was the moment where Dean had had enough. "You're unbelievable. After all these years, you really think you have any kind of say in my life. You don't know a damn thing about me. And thanks to that statement, you probably will never know anything about me. It was a mistake coming here. I see that now. The only thing I don't regret is meeting Sam and Jess. I don't care what the hell your intentions were, but you really screwed up. We'll stay in town for the rest of the week to spend time with Sam, but I'm not staying in that house. You can forget about me again if you want, I really don't care. I wish I could say it was nice seeing you after all these years, but it really wasn't."
He stood and walked away from the table. With the adrenaline pumping through his veins, he was able to walk a little faster, but not by much.
Cas's mouth dropped open at what had just happened. As he stood to go after Dean, Mary stopped him. "You're a cop. You need to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid like that again. I'm sure you understand."
Cas turned to her and glared. "What he does isn't stupid. He's protecting his family, the only family that has ever been there for him and stuck by him. The only family that has treated him like he means something. I'm not stopping him from doing what he wants. If anything, I'll be standing by his side protecting his family as well. I don't understand how you can call yourself his mother. Mothers are supposed to be caring and understanding. You are neither. At least when it comes to Dean. You're different towards others which I find very odd. Dean has done nothing to you and yet you treat him so poorly. What he does, both as a career and as a hobby, is very courageous and it shows how strong he is and how good of a man he is. If you could see past yourself, you would see that."
Cas left the table and went in search of Dean. He rushed out the front doors of the restaurant and looked up and down the streets. Dean was nowhere in sight.
Cas turned and looked at a man who had been standing outside. "Excuse me. Did you see a man, roughly six foot, light hair, green eyes, walk past?"
The man nodded and pointed in the direction Dean had gone. "Thank you."
Cas took off in that direction and searched for Dean. He couldn't have gone too far with his knee in that condition, but he couldn't find him anywhere. He pulled out his cell phone and typed in Dean's number. It rang a few times before going to voicemail.
"Damn it, Dean. Pick up."
He tried again, but still was having no luck. He headed back in the direction of the restaurant to take the impala and search that way. When he got back, Nikki and Jess were standing outside by the car. They looked up as he joined them.
"You didn't find him?"
Cas shook his head. "He isn't answering his phone either. He couldn't have gotten too far with his knee hurting, but…I don't know where he went."
Jess shook her head. "I don't understand. I've never seen Mary act like that before. I figured she would have been more accepting…"
Cas nodded, "You would think so."
He pulled his phone back out of his pocket and dialed Dean's number again. It rang four times before it finally connected.
"Cas, I'm not going back. I don't want to see her."
"Dean, where are you? I'll come pick you up and we can go to a hotel for the night. We don't have to go back there."
He heard Dean sigh. "I just…I need some time alone. Then I'll give you a call and you can come get me. I'm sorry for just taking off, but…I couldn't stay there another second."
"I understand, Dean. You do not have to apologize. Should you be walking this much with your knee the way it is?"
"No, probably not. I'll take a pain pill when you pick me up though. I left them in the impala just in case I needed them."
Cas nodded, "Okay. Just…be careful, Dean."
"I will, Cas. I'll be fine. I just…"
"Dean?"
The line was silent, but it was still connected. "Dean? Are you there?"
Cas heard a voice he didn't recognize come over the line. "Hello, Dean."
"Dad…?"
Cas's jaw dropped. John Winchester was there with Dean? How had he found him?
He heard movement over the line and then a crash as he assumed the phone fell from Dean's hand. "Dean! What's going on?"
He heard fighting in the background and Dean yelling for someone to let him go. Dean was asking someone, "How could you?" Then Dean was yelling for Cas before Dean fell silent and he heard a van door slamming shut.
Cas was panicking. There was more movement before John's voice came over the line. "I take it this is Cas? Well, don't you worry about Dean. He's in good hands."
The line went dead. Cas pulled the phone from his ear and stared at it in horror. He was frozen in shock for a moment before Nikki was able to snap him out of it.
"Cas? Cas! What's going on? What happened?"
Cas looked up at her, confusion and worry written plainly on his face. "Dean was just kidnapped. By your father."
I hope y'all don't hate me too much right now... I swear there's a reason behind everything! Well...I'm not too sure about Mary, but I wanted to turn her into a bitch because you never see that. Anywho...I hope none of you hate me too badly! =)
