I rinsed off a couple of plates before loading them into the dishwasher. I wiped my hands on a dish towel and gathered the papers that I was grading that were on the table.
"You'll be home right after school gets out, right?" Dean asked.
I nodded, "Yeah. And do you know how creepy that sounds?"
"Way to make me sound like a pedophile!" Dean groaned. I laughed.
I shuffled my papers into one stack and put them into a folder so that I could have them organized when I got to school.
"Are you saying that you want to leave right in the afternoon?" I asked back.
"Well, yeah, if you don't mind. We just haven't seen Bobby in a while…" Dean trailed off.
"Yeah, I understand. And yes, I'd like to leave as soon as possible too. I miss him. We haven't seen him much ever since the fire… I can't believe the place is gone. There are so many memories there…" I said, shaking my head in disbelief.
"Yeah… but anyways, I looked at a map. We should be able to be there at least by ten tonight," Dean replied, quickly changing the subject.
I paused, "Dean, that's an eighteen hour drive. How is it that you're practically cutting the drive down to about a third of what it actually is and do I even want to know?"
"Chill, babe. I know back roads and shortcuts to get there. Besides, they're those back roads that have no speed limit. We'll be there in no time," Dean shrugged, simply.
"Do I need to remind you that our sons will be in the car this time and you can't drive like a reckless teenager like you normally do?" I asked, teasingly.
"I do not drive like a reckless teenager!" Dean protested.
I giggled, "Dean, you go like eighty in the forty-five zone. Now explain to me how that's not like driving like a reckless teenager."
Dean sighed, "Alright, fine. I still drive like a reckless teenager but I get us places. I promise. I'll be careful. There's nothing you need to worry about, baby."
"Good. I don't like having to worry about you. I do it too much," I said.
Dean wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me to him, "Yeah, you do. Jesus, woman. You say I worry too much?"
I giggled, "I've got to get going but I'll see you after school and then we can get going. I love you. Oh, and if the boys wake up, breakfast is in the kitchen and if John cries, just play him a little Led Zeppelin or something."
Dean chuckled, "Just like his Daddy."
I rolled my eyes playfully, "Yes. Just like his Daddy."
"I love you too," Dean said back, kissing me lightly. I kissed him back before gathering my stuff and heading out.
It was good that I had had good classes today. They were more discussion oriented because I wasn't quite sure if I'd be able to contain myself if it had just been me up at the front of the class lecturing. I couldn't wait to get to Bobby's. I had really missed seeing Bobby every day, but ever since the leviathins had burnt the house down, Bobby had gone up to his old hunting friend Rufus' cabin. I was on the phone with him most days but actually seeing him again would be good. I could tell that the boys missed him too—especially Jude.
The minute I got home, I practically threw some last minute things into my duffel bag and hopped into the impala with Dean, John, and Jude. I was taking off a couple of days, so if we left tonight, Wednesday night, then we'd have Thursday, Friday, and Saturday with Bobby before we had to leave Sunday morning to return to Sioux Falls.
Currently, I was in the Impala with my husband and two beautiful sons, on the way to see Bobby. Dean had the radio turned on and currently, an AC/DC song was playing, at low volume, on the radio. Dean had the windows rolled down and the not too cold breeze blew through my hair. It was a nice day and I was in a really good mood.
"Son?" Dean asked, glancing back in his rearview mirror to get a better look at Jude in his car seat.
"Yeah, Daddy?" Jude asked back.
"You know, one day this car will be yours," Dean answered.
"I like the Impala. She's pretty," Jude cooed.
"That's my boy!" Dean coaxed.
"Is this what you do with Uncle Sammy? You guys drive with good music?" Jude asked.
"Yes, we do, although your Uncle Sammy has bad taste in music. Sometimes he doesn't like this stuff. Pretty lame, right?" Dean asked.
"Yeah!" Jude exclaimed. I just laughed.
"You want to know something?" Dean asked. Jude nodded. "When your grandpa used to drag us along on hunting trips, we were always in the car or in a motel room so your Uncle Sam and I used to play pranks on each other. You know, like practical jokes."
"You did? Was it funny?" Jude asked back.
"Yes, it was very funny. Now don't get any ideas… yet. You'll have to wait until John is able to play jokes on you back," Dean advised.
"But we can still do it?" Jude asked.
"Yeah," Dean replied.
"Dean!" I protested.
"What? Boys will be boys," Dean reasoned.
I laughed, "Oh my God, I can't believe you're telling Jude this! Jude, your Dad and his brother were very funny. Sometimes I got stuck in the middle of their prank wars and they made me choose sides. Trust me. That is the worst place to be in!"
"I mean, you always took my side, right babe?" Dean asked.
"Uh uh," I said back.
"What?" Dean exclaimed.
"Yeah. Summer of 1990 when you guys stayed for three days after the werewolf in Mississippi. I took Sam's side because you publicly humiliated him!" I reminded.
"Oh yeahhhhhhhhh," Dean said, smiling. "That was a good one, wasn't it?" In response, I just smacked Dean on the arm.
"Jude, don't listen to him," I said.
"Daddy is funny," Jude giggled.
"Yes he is," I agreed.
"Mama, what's it like to go one road trips with Daddy?" Jude asked.
"Hm, well, your father likes to sing a lot on these road trips. Just wait for a good song to come on. He'll sing for ya," I said back.
And in no time, a Bon Jovi song came on and sure enough, Dean was sing at the top of his lungs. Jude just laughed through the whole thing and even tried to sing along a little bit. I turned around in my seat to check on John. John, somehow, was fast asleep. He was like Dean in the way that he could sleep through anything.
The drive wasn't as long as I thought it would because it had been fun. Jude, Dean, and I had played a couple of games of "I spy." It was just great being able to spend all of that time together as a family. We made a couple of stops to feed John and to take bathroom breaks, but other than that, we were right on track. Right on time, we arrived at Bobby's. It was later at night so Jude clung to me as I held John in my arms. Dean was getting a couple more things from the trunk while Jude, John, and I waited on the front porch. We were going to wait to knock for when Dean joined us.
"I'm not afraid of the dark. It's just spooky here. But nowhere else. " Jude explained.
"I see," I replied. He yawned, covering his mouth.
"You tired, buddy?" I asked.
"Yeah. I wanted to stay up and play more "I Spy" with you and Daddy so I didn't fall asleep but now we're at Grandpa Bobby's so I can say hi and then go to sleep because we have so many days with Grandpa Bobby!" Jude exclaimed.
I smiled, "Yes, we do. And that's sounds like a very good idea, Jude. You need to get your rest. You have the whole weekend to spend with Grandpa. You even get to spend a whole night with him without me and your daddy."
"Why's that?" Jude asked.
"Well, your dad and I are going to take some time alone. I hope you're okay with that," I replied.
"For what?" Jude asked.
"Your dad and I are celebrating our five year anniversary this year," I explained.
"Like a birthday?" Jude asked.
I chuckled, "Kind of like a birthday. It means that your dad and I have been married for five years."
"Woah, that's a long time. It's only one year older than me!" Jude said.
"Yeah," I replied.
"Hey, buddy. You excited?" Dean asked Jude.
"Yeah!" Jude cheered. I looked down at John and he stirred in my arms, his eyes not opening yet, which was a relief. I was hoping I'd be able to set him down in his crib and he'd stay asleep so that I could talk to Bobby. Dean knocked on the door and the door was quickly opened by Bobby. He smiled as soon as he saw us and welcomed us in.
"Wow, Bobby, I like what you've done with the place," Dean said sarcastically.
"Hey, at least I straightened up because I knew you guys were coming, ya idgit!" Bobby exclaimed. Jude chuckled at the word idgit. He went over to Bobby and wrapped his arms around Bobby's legs.
"I missed you, Grandpa Bobby," Jude said, hugging Bobby.
"Come here, you," Bobby said, picking up his grandson. "Look at you! You're getting so big! How come your Mama and Daddy didn't tell me that you got so big since I last saw you?"
"Surprise?" I offered up.
"It's good to see you, Bobby," Dean said, hugging his father figure.
"Hey, I'm going to put John down for the night. Do you mind?" I asked.
"Of course not," Bobby said.
I nodded and then took John to a room that Bobby had set up for him. There was already a crib in there for the last time we visited and I put John down gently into the crib. John stirred and made a couple of fussy, gurgling sounds but beside that, he was still asleep. Good. I plugged in the baby monitor and took the other with me. I went back into the living room where I found Bobby, Dean, and Jude sitting down on the couches.
"Meredith, can I get you anything?" Bobby asked me.
"Oh, no. Sit down. I'm fine," I said back, walking over to the couches and sitting right next to Dean. Jude was on Dean's other side with his coloring book. I set the baby monitor down on the coffee table.
"So your husband here was just catching me up on all the hot gossip," Bobby said, ironically. I laughed as Bobby mentioned the phrase "hot gossip."
"Well, Ethan and Molly had their baby. They named her Renee Andrea and she's absolutely beautiful. Here… I've got a picture of her on my phone," I said, getting my phone out and getting the picture. I showed it to Bobby and watched his face light up.
"Wow, she's beautiful," Bobby said in awe.
I nodded and smiled, "Yeah, she is. They're starting to realize how much work babies are but I think they get how much it's worth it too."
"Hm. I remember the endless sleepless nights back at the house when you first had Jude. Kid, you wouldn't stop crying!" Bobby sighed.
"I cried like John did?" Jude flinched.
"All babies do," Dean comforted.
"What'd I tell you about not getting her pregnant, Dean? Did you listen to my rule about that? No," Bobby grumbled. Dean and I just exchanged glances and laughed. "Not that I'm complaining though since we're lucky enough with Jude and John."
"This is true," I said. "Oh, and I'm pretty sure they told you about this too, but speaking of pregnant, Sawyer and Sam…?"
"Yeah, they called. It actually took a couple of tires. I was out on a hunt when they called and they said they couldn't leave it on my answering machine so when I finally found the time, I gave them a call back. You can imagine the shock I got when they told me," Bobby said. "But it's great. It really is."
"Hey, how come Sam never got the 'don't get her pregnant' speech?" Dean asked. I laughed and Bobby just shook his head.
"Because I trusted him to control his urges a lot better than you, ya idgit!" Bobby replied.
"I can too control my urges," Dean protested.
"Sure, honey," I replied, unconvinced.
"I've missed you two," Bobby chuckled, watching Dean and I.
"Mama, can I go to bed now?" Jude asked.
"Sure, sweetie. Do you want me to come tuck you in?" I asked.
"No, I can just go. Thanks though," Jude replied, getting up. "Goodnight, Daddy. Goodnight, Mama. Goodnight, Grandpa Bobby." We all returned 'goodnights' and then Jude was off to bed as well.
"So how have you been holding up? How's everyone?" Bobby asked. I knew that he really meant it this time, now that we didn't have to sensor ourselves since Jude had gone to bed.
"We're all pretty good. Things are normal… for a change," I replied. "but we miss you."
"Yeah," Dean mumbled, scratching the back of his head. I knew that Dean wasn't going to say anything yet because he knew that was a longer talk that he and Bobby needed to have alone.
"How can you miss me already? We talk on the phone almost every day!" Bobby asked.
I chuckled, "It's a little different than seeing you every day, Bobby."
"A lot different," Dean said. I gave Dean's hand a tight squeeze and he looked over at me and smiled weakly. "Things are fine, Bobby. I've just been working at the garage a lot and taking care of the boys… it's crazy how quickly they're growing up."
"You're telling me! Now you know what it was like when you two got all grown up and got married and had children!" Bobby exclaimed, light heartedly.
I laughed, "I guess so. It just seems like Jude is learning something new every day and is speaking more and more."
"Oh that kid will talk your ear off if you let him. Must've gotten that from his mama," Dean said, teasingly.
"Hey," I giggled, nudging him playfully.
Bobby chuckled, "Mer, he's kind of right. I remember the first time you two met. Meredith wouldn't stop talking about you all day and all night. First she thought you seemed nice and then thought you thought you were 'too cool' but sooner or later, she started to think you were cute."
"Oh God," I groaned, shaking my head at my embarrassing childhood memories.
"You thought I was cute?" Dean smirked.
"Oh, don't feed his ego, please," I begged Bobby.
Bobby smiled, "Well, Dean, what about you? You always acted like a tough guy around her. Thought you were being cool. You remember that? I also remember you asking your dad for girl advice whenever you guys were here and believe me, I never once thought it was for "your friend." Crazy kids…"
"Hey, I was seven!" Dean protested.
"You know, everyone always said that we were practically in love, or at least in like with each other since we were seven… now that we're talking about it, it actually kinda sounds like everyone was right," I started.
"Oh, I've missed you two…" Bobby trailed off, a sad smiled on his face.
"Mama, can I go play with John now? I can show him all my cars. We can share them," Jude asked me.
"Of course, baby. I'll be in there in a minute if you want me to play too," I replied.
"Daddy is gonna come play now so you can later," Jude replied.
I chuckled, "Alright sounds good. I need to talk to your Grandpa Bobby anyways. I'm sure your Daddy would love to play cars with you though."
"What am I doing?" Dean asked, coming up behind me and kissing me on the cheek.
"Playing cars with John and Jude," I replied.
"Oh yeah! Come on, buddy. Let's leave these two alone. They're just going to talk about boring grown up stuff and that's no fun! We'll go play with your cars or maybe play a board game or something," Dean said.
"Okay!" Jude complied, eagerly. Once Jude and Dean were gone, I helped unpack some groceries in the kitchen, where Bobby sat, reading another hunting book.
"Hey, Bobby," I said.
"Hey. How was the farmers' market?" Bobby asked.
"It was great! Downtown Whitefish is really nice," I said back.
"I haven't had much time to go but I hear the farmers' market is nice," Bobby replied.
I shrugged, "I figured the boys would find it fun. We could just walk around. Get some sun, you know?"
"Yeah. Thanks for picking up groceries for me," Bobby said back.
"It's no problem," I replied. "Oh and thanks for watching the boys tomorrow night. Are you sure you're okay with it?"
"Don't be silly! Of course I am. I haven't seen these two in a while. I need some time to spend with my grand children. Besides, it's you and Dean's fifth year anniversary and you two deserve some alone time to celebrate. And knowing what kind of celebrating you two do, you should be as far away from any of us as possible," Bobby said, shuddering at those last words. I laughed a little.
"Um… awkward. But thanks again for watching the boys. It is our fifth year anniversary which is kind of crazy to think about. I mean… Dean… married for five years?" I asked.
"I never thought I'd see the day," Bobby agreed.
