Disclaimer: SPN still isn't mine. But I sure wish Dean Winchester was.

Author's note: Sorry for the long wait! Life has been hella busy! Now that it's summer, here's hoping at have a TINY bit more time to write while the kids chill out! Enjoy!


February 15th

Jesse POV

Days off school were a blessing and a curse. Blessing, because he got to spend all day with Hope. Curse, because, inevitably, Dean would barge in at an inappropriate time, like when he was about to kiss his girlfriend. He glanced at her across the bunker and sensing his eyes on her, she looked up and sent a secret smile his way.

"HOPE!" Dean barked, making her jump.

"Yes, Daddy?"

"What'cha say we go out to dinner tonight?"

"Dean, I can cook, it is my turn," Ryan stated as she stood and began gathering papers. She had just sent Tory off to meet Mike for a case. The Men of Letters group of hunters was growing, but Ryan tended to give the best cases to hunters she really trusted.

"Yeah, babe, but you made that awesome dinner for Valentine's last night, and, well, the after, I kind of owe you for…"

Hope's nose wrinkled and Jesse chuckled under his breath.

Ryan crossed her arms and shook her head at her husband. "Fine. How about we go to Tastee Freeze? I know everyone loves their burgers, and the boys can play on the playground." She glanced Jesse's way. "What about you, Jess? Got work tonight?"

He nodded. The pizza place he worked kept him pretty busy. "I'm afraid so. But eat a burger and a hot fudge sundae for me, okay?"

Ryan winked. "Ten-four. Come on, Jon, come to Mama. Let's go get you some fry-fries."

"Fwi!" he cried as he walked over to her. Along with running everywhere he went, he was starting to talk. So far, his powers hadn't become too much of an issue, but everyone was just waiting. It was evident he was a lot stronger than Jesse had been as a baby and small child. He was more advanced, too, but Sam had a theory about that. He believed Bobby was syphoning off memories to the younger boy, teaching him, or implanting the knowledge of things in his head. But there was no way to be certain of that. It was just a working theory at the moment. And it was evident neither of the boys were telling.

"Sam, you want in?" Dean asked his brother.

"No, sorry. Andy's trying a new recipe tonight. Stuffed biscuits."

Dean smirked. "'Stuffed biscuit' isn't a euphemism, is it?"

Sam grimaced and casting a glance at Dean, pointed to the older man's head. "What's going on in there? Is it just a nonstop slide show of genitals?"

Dean thought a moment then let out what sounded almost like a giggle as he stated, "Beans 'n Franks."

Sam groaned and hitched his laptop satchel up on his shoulder. "I give up. Good luck, Ryan. You'll need it."

"Thanks, Sam," she deadpanned. "I appreciate it."

Dean was still smiling as he picked up Bobby and hoisted him up on his shoulders. "Come on, bud. Let's get a burger."

"Yay! And ice cream!"

"After you eat some semblance of food," Ryan reminded him as she carried Jon behind them up the stairs.

Jesse glanced at Hope, who was putting something in her small bag. She had started helping with the research on occasion. She looked so damn beautiful in the light of the laptop as she concentrated, that little wrinkle forming in her forehead as her brows furrowed…

"Do you have to go to work?" she asked softly.

"Yeah. Sorry."

She shrugged. "Okay. I'll miss you."

His heart beat double time at her proclamation. "I'll miss you, too."

"I'll be waiting tonight. Our usual spot?"

They had started sneaking out, which wasn't hard since both of them could imagine a place to be and then be there. They had started going out to the lake. They didn't do anything. He wasn't sure either of them were ready for furthering their relationship physically, but they did kiss some, and talked a lot. He loved talking to her. Her memories from before were still filtering in. She had lived a long life. He loved hearing her tell stories of things she and Loki did, the mischief they got into. It was amazing, like listening to an audio book, only in her gorgeous voice with the slightest hint of a southern twang to it.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," he told her as he pulled her to him.

She blinked lazily and smiled up at him as his lips descended gently to hers. He kissed her tenderly and pulled away to give her a smile of his own.

She kissed him one last time. "Bye," she whispered against his lips. "See you soon."

"Not soon enough," he countered as she stepped out of his embrace.

She smiled and sent him a wink before she dashed up the steps after the rest of her family.

He sighed like a girl and imagined himself in the alley across the street from the pizza joint. It was downtown, about three blocks from Brothers Bar, where the adults hung out. He was friends with the sons of the owners. They were nice people who didn't treat him like a social pariah. It was comforting.

He walked across the street and opened the door…to find Ben. "Dude. I work here, not you."

"Yeah, but I wanted pizza," Ben countered as he held up a slice. "You hungry?" he asked before he shoved half the piece in his mouth.

"Ah, Jesse, just the man I wanted to see."

Jesse smiled at the owner. Mr. Mancuso was a hundred if he was a day, and all the teens in town seemed to love him. If they weren't at the diner Krissy worked at, they were here. "Hi, Mr. Mancuso."

"We are not so busy today. You do not have to work."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. But have a slice. It is dinner time. Unless you need to run home?"

Jesse shook his head. "They went out for dinner." He plopped down next to Ben and stole a piece of his pie.

"Hey, watch it, bitch. Be glad that's only pizza pie."

Jesse let out a snort. "Once more proving you're your father's eh?"

"At least I'm not narc'ing on you and Hope."

Jesse had bitten a particularly cheesy piece and promptly choked on the melty goodness. When he could breathe again, he managed, "What?"

Ben shot him a look. "I'm not as dumb as him, dude. I see the way you two are flirting. Something happened when you went after her that night."

Jesse's eyebrow popped up. "The night Wolverine was too chicken shit to play with Cat Woman?"

"Damn you! I'll never forgive you for that shit, either."

Jesse sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. I really thought she was…"

"Well, she wasn't, okay?"

They sat in silence before Nicki, Mr. Mancuso's niece, brought Jesse a Coke. "Thanks, Nic."

She winked at him and moved off to another table.

Ben's eyes followed her ass and he let out a low whistle. "Remind me why I haven't tapped that yet?"

"Because she's barely older than Hope, and your average human, and for all your asshole tendencies, you don't lean toward pedophilia, either?"

Ben looked back at him. "Good point. But isn't she a freshman this year?"

"She is. And she's a year ahead. She's planning on becoming a brain surgeon. She's out of your league even if she wasn't thirteen years old."

"Damn. They're making them look too old now."

Jesse just looked at him and shook his head. "Just remember, you're eighteen now, alright?"

"I know, I know. But I can look."

"You're a pig."

Ben appraised him. "I'd have figured the angel would have gotten the stick out of your ass by now."

"One, she's your sister. Don't be that guy. And, two, we're taking it slow. Neither of us are ready for that."

"You're how old?"

Jesse leaned back and crossed his arms. "Fuck. You. This is none of your business, Ben. Stick your nose in, I'll turn it into a duck bill. Again."

"That was a dick move."

Jesse smirked. "It made Krissy laugh."

Ben shoved his plate away and sighed. "I've screwed this up, man."

Jesse took another bite and chewed thoughtfully. "Give her time. She'll come around."

"Well, at least she's not cursing me anymore. I mean, that's a step in the right direction. Every time I walked past her, she was muttering in Latin under her breath. So far I've had the clap, diarrhea from Hell, failed three tests that I actually studied for, and vomited on Stacy McClendon."

"That one was epic, by the way…"

Ben's eyes narrowed and Jesse received a bitch face worthy of Sam before the other boy sighed again. "I just don't know how to make it right."

"Probably not offering to make all her sexual fantasies come true would have been a good starting point."

"Again, I thought she and I were just playing! Then she got so damn pissed and I just…" He sighed.

"Look, Krissy will forgive you. I mean, it may take a while, but it will happen. Give it time."

"You think?"

Jesse thought a moment. "Yeah. I think so. I mean, I'm not a psychic, that isn't one of my gifts, but, yeah. Give her time. But while you're doing that? It would behoove you not to sleep with the rest of the junior and senior classes. Keep the sophomore's at arm's length, and don't even think about the freshmen. Okay?"

Ben nodded. "Yeah, probably right." He glanced at his watch. "Shit. I gotta get to work. You going home?"

Jesse shrugged. "Guess so. Man. The house is quiet."

Ben smirked. "Just don't go pulling any Tom Cruise 'Risky Business' moves, 'kay?"

Jesse chuckled. "No promises."

He watched Ben walk out the door and finished his pizza before cleaning the table and setting it up for another customer before he waved a goodbye to Mr. Mancuso and Nicki. He walked back to the alley, looked this way and that, then disappeared home.

He paused as soon as he hit his room. The house was too quiet. He'd never been in the house by himself. It was almost unnerving. He changed clothes into some basketball shorts, and forgoing a shirt, bound down the steps to grab something to drink. He waved a hand at Ryan's iPod dock and music started. He grabbed a Gatorade from the fridge and took a generous swig before he rummaged around to see if Ryan had any leftover cobbler. It was his favorite out of every dessert she made, and man, could she cook. She had made strawberry, which wasn't what he loved the most, but it was red so it went with the valentine's theme she'd prepared the night before.

After finishing off the leftover cobbler, he walked back up the steps and quickly started his Latin homework for Sam. It was funny, a half demon learning the incantation for an exorcism, but at the same time, he supposed it was smart. Sam was a pretty intelligent dude. So, if he said Jesse needed to learn this stuff along with Ben, to be his hunting partner, then, that was that. Besides, it was kind of cool learning all the Latin.

He finished that, then moved on to his history exam work. Once that was completed, he glanced at the clock. It had only been an hour. He missed the noise the little boys brought to the house. He liked playing with both of them. He was working with Jon a little bit, getting him to control what powers he already had. The fire thing…that was kind of cool. The little boy could manipulate fire like nobody's business. It unnerved Sam and Dean both, who had seen Sam's girlfriend burning on the ceiling. But what could they do? It was the gift the kid had. They had to cultivate it and show him how to control it. Otherwise, it would be a disaster.

He lay down on his bed and read some of the book Ryan had given him. Sometimes it was nice to delve into the world of fiction. Although, nothing was quite as interesting as their lives, the story of animals becoming aware of the fact humans weren't at the top of the food chain was pretty interesting.

At the two hour mark, he put his book down and decided to grab something else to drink. He hit the kitchen at the same time the song "Hot Blooded" came on. He grinned. Who cares if it's silly? Why not channel my inner Tom Cruise? He started bobbing his head and dancing around, realizing how stupid he looked, but seriously not caring a bit.

He figured he could clean up the kitchen a little bit since it was kind of a mess from their rapid exit that morning and snagged the broom before letting the dog out. The freaking thing shed like nobody's business. He was singing at the top of his lungs when something skittered up his spine. He stopped dead and turned to the doorway where Hope was standing there mouth hanging open.

He closed his eyes. "Just go ahead and let me have it, alright?! We both know you're gonna blow an artery if you don't."

When she didn't say anything, he opened his eyes and looked at her. She snapped her mouth shut and said, matter-of-factly, "You know what, I'd love to give you shit, I mean, seriously, like, I'd LOVE to, but I can't help it. That was fucking hot."

The blush traveled from his chest all the way to the tops of his ears before he started grinning like a loon. "Is that so?"

She licked her lips, swallowed, and moved toward him when they heard Dean stomping in. Jesse heard Hope snap her fingers just seconds before she groaned. He glanced down. She had dressed him in a shirt to add to his shorts. He sent her a look of gratitude as Dean said, "Why do you always do that?"

"What?"

"Groan when I walk in the room?"

"Maybe because I saw you like, three seconds ago?" she countered as she crossed her arms.

"Maybe you need a cowbell around your neck," Ryan provided as she walked in. "You should come with a spoiler warning, sugar."

His lower lip poked out. "Don't understand why everybody's gotta be so damn mean to me…" he muttered as he walked toward the living room where Jesse heard Jon and Bobby already playing.

Ryan sent Jesse a wink before she walked after Dean.

"Your mom just might be epic," Jesse whispered reverently as Hope walked over to him.

She smirked. "I know, right? So…later…the lake?"

He nodded. "Absolutely."

She sent him a wink of her own and sashayed up the stairs. "Have mercy on my poor damned soul," he muttered to himself as he watched the gentle sway of her hips. He blinked and walked into the living room to play with the boys a bit.

Later that night, after Ben had gone to sleep, Jesse slid into his shoes and disappeared into the night, reappearing by the lake. He went and sat on the picnic table, staring up at the stars. It was cold tonight, but not uncomfortably so. He had, however, had the forethought to grab his extra blanket from the bed.

"You brought us a blanket?" Hope's quiet voice stated in the night.

He looked at her and smiled. "I didn't know if you would be cold."

She smiled. "Thank you." She grinned. "You know, people don't really get it. Angels tend to run a bit on the colder side, and not just our personalities."

"You're far from cold, Hope."

"That's because I've had a lot more time to be human." She walked over and sat next to him on the bench. She was dressed in her jeans, boots, flannel, and a band tee, her usual attire. She looked amazing. Like always. Her smile stayed on her face. "You look like you want to eat me."

He blinked, blushed, and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry."

She giggled. "No, it's fine." She scooted closer to him and brushed a hand up his chest. "I had no idea how good you looked under here. Remind me again why we aren't sleeping together yet?"

"Because we're waiting to get to know each other better?" he managed, though his voice went up an octave.

She bit her lip and leaned back. "Alright. I'll accept that. For now."

"You're awfully forward, Hope."

She shrugged. "I'm my father's."

He snorted. "Yeah, you are." Her eyes narrowed and he leaned back. "That's not a bad thing."

"You sure about that, slugger?"

He grinned. "Yeah, I'm sure. Dean's…cool. Just wish he liked me better."

"He can sense you're after my virtue," she told him playfully.

"That's not funny."

She leaned back on her elbows. "Are you kidding? It's hilarious."

"You and I have a very different definition of 'hilarious', Hope."

"Oh, chill. He's not gonna find out about this. Not until we're ready."

"And when will we be ready?" he wondered aloud.

Her brows furrowed. "What's wrong with what we have now?"

"Seriously? Skulking about in the night, hiding this from him, making Ryan and Sam and even Ben lie for us?! I just…I'm not good at subterfuge, Hope."

She shot him a look and her mouth turned up on the corner sarcastically as she said, "You'd better get good at it if you're going to be a damn hunter, Jesse."

He sighed and stood. "Maybe I'm not cut out for that life, Hope."

She gasped. "Don't say that! You're great! You can do anything you set your mind to! Whether it's hunting or not, but don't do that. You're awesome. What's it going to take to convince you?"

He shrugged. "I don't know."

She licked her lips and walked over to him. She laced her hands around his waist and pulled him to her. "Well, how about I kiss you a little while? Think that might help?"

He smiled despite himself. He could never feel bad in her presence. She was like the damn sunshine, warming him from the inside out. "I guess that might work." He lowered his lips to hers. He didn't know how long they stood there, gently caressing one another's lips before she pulled away and sighed. "We should cut it short tonight."

"Why?"

"I've got a lot of planning for the play and the prom. I've got to get up early and meet with Olivia."

His nose wrinkled. There was something about Olivia he disliked.

Her eyebrow rose. "Seriously?"

"Olivia's a bitch."

She chortled. "Lucky thing you aren't dating her, then, isn't it?"

"I don't like her. Are you sure you've checked? She's not a monster, is she?"

"No, babe, she's not a monster. Just a bitchy high-schooler. I think she's just wanting to be my friend because Ben is my brother."

"I told him to stop with that shit."

She nodded. "Good. Kris is hurt enough."

"In his defense…"

She held up a hand. "Don't. I know, okay? They have to work through it. They will, eventually."

"You a seer?" he inquired.

She shook her head. 'No. I just have a good feeling about the two of them. Eventually, they'll work through this shit."

"And if they don't?"

"I'll lock them in the MOL dungeon until they do."

He chuckled. "Nice."

"I do what I can."

"Do we have to leave? We just go there."

She sighed and bit her lip again. "Five more minutes?"

"Make it ten," he told her as he moved in once more.


The next morning, he walked downstairs to find Ryan cooking, as usual. She and Dean traded cooking breakfast and dinner, so obviously it was Dean who would be fixing the dinner meal later that night. Jesse knew while Dean liked to cook, he was guaranteed a meal made for a man. Ryan tended to cook healthier. Dean was a meat and potatoes kind of guy.

"Damn it," Ryan muttered as she fought with the package of bacon. "It says 'Easy Open' on it."

Ben snorted from where he was sitting, eating a bagel slathered in cream cheese at the table. "So does Polly Swearengin's legs."

Bobby looked up from his eggs, brow furrowed, and asked, "What's that mean, Ben?"

Jesse changed a glance at Ryan, who had turned, leaned against the counter, crossed her arms and started tapping her foot.

Ben looked from her to Bobby.

"Well?" Ryan prompted. "Your brother is waiting for an answer."

Ben seemed to think for a half a second before he snatched up his backpack and bagel before shouting, "Gotta get to school!" as he hurried toward the door. "If you're coming, shag ass, Turner!"

Ryan shook her head as she handed Jesse a bagel already fixed the way he liked it. "Go." She turned to Bobby. "Don't you worry, sweetheart, I'll remind him to explain it to you when he gets home."

"Okay!" Bobby stated with a chipper tone as he continued eating.

Jesse snorted as he hurried out after Ben.

That afternoon once more found Jesse in the bunker. This time he was helping Sam do research. He was learning as much as he could about demons. He was half one, after all. He wanted to know more about them. They hadn't found any information about any previous half-demons, so they were also recording information about his childhood, when his powers started manifesting, that kind of thing. Sam was fascinated by both him and Jon's powers. Sam was also inputting any information about his demon blood days. Jesse could sense it was bringing up bad memories, but Sam was a big believer in research, so he was pushing through the pain associated with the memories.

Just then, he heard a growl coming from Hope's direction and managed to step out of the way as a book went flying across the room. "Yeah?! Well screw you, pal!" she screamed into the phone before she tossed it as well. It bounced off the wall and broke into pieces. That was when he heard the thunder rolling and wind howling. "Seriously?!" he couldn't help but say. "You are SUCH a drama queen."

Sam chuckled. "Yup. Just like her father."

Hope and Dean exclaimed "Hey!" in unison.

Dean patted his daughter on the back then turned to Sam. "Better a drama queen than a wussified, emoting little bitch. When someone approaches me, they don't have to wonder how I'm feeling or have a 'heart-to-heart'. They know right off the bat."

Sam shot him a look. "Right. And you wonder why no one comes to you. Actually though, if they're brave enough, most would find you're sweet if they can just break through the shell. You're like an M&M that way."

Dean's look was full of bewilderment. "My god, where do you come up with this crap?!"

Sam shrugged. "I hear things. Seems you're more bark than bite. Textbook drama queen behavior, by the way." Dean pulled his phone out of his pocket. "What are you doing?"

Dean smirked and put the phone to his ear. "Calling a five foot narc and explaining Doc only lived as long as he did because he wasn't a snitch. And OUR Doc just violated that trust."

Hope, who had been watching the exchange asked, "What's wrong with letting people know how you're feeling?"

"It's annoying," Dean and Jesse answered in unison before sharing a fist bump.

Hope looked at Jesse and he sighed. "Look, I know I'm more on the emotional side than most of the men around here, but I don't make it a point to broadcast how the weather affects my masculinity. Some emotions need to be expressed, others need to be quiet. I don't wanna know how the last scented candle you bought changed your life."

Hope's eyes narrowed. "So, my feelings don't matter if you don't consider them important?"

Jesse's self-preservation was sending him warning messages and he quickly stated, "No, that's not what I meant. Some things are real. Others are trivial."

She shot him a bitchface and crossed her arms. In that moment, she looked more like a demon than he did as her eyes narrowed. "Oh really? And you get to decide for everyone which is which? What if I DID buy a scented candle and it DID change my life?!"

Jesse blinked. "Okaaaaay…you're kind of making my point for me. You win the lottery? Come find me, I'll scream like a little girl along with you. Telling me about how a pomegranate candle put you in touch with your inner lioness? Sorry, but that's a conversation for a feminine hygiene commercial."

He felt himself being pushed with an invisible hand up against the wall. "And you claim I'm like my father!" she shouted. "Well in this instance, you're acting JUST LIKE HIM! Screw you, Jesse! SCREW. YOU!" He heard a flap of wings and she disappeared.

He fell to the floor as her power left him and he sighed. Dean walked over and held a hand out for him. "It that time of the month for her or what?" Dean wanted to know.

"I guess? Damn. I don't know, man. She's stressed because of the prom and the play and the gig at the diner and all the work she's doing here and…"

"Do we need to lay off of her? Ryan and I are already taking turns with the meals and the household chores because her and Kris are so busy. Should we lay off working her here, too? I told her not to get a damn job."

"She wants the job. And she wants to help here. I think she's just stressing out. Not to mention the fact she and Olivia had a knock-down, drag out fight that almost resulted in punches earlier today over something with that damn prom. Personally, I wouldn't even go to the thing if I didn't know she would probably smite my ass for missing it."

Dean smiled. "Yeah, well, I'd love to say she got all her temper from Ryan, but, well, I don't care if she is ginger, she got a lot of that from me."

"Tell me something I don't know," Jesse growled.

Dean's smile grew before he frowned. "Speaking of annoying emotional outbursts…"

"Yeah, I know. I'm going. I'm going."

"You know where to find her?"

He nodded. "I've got an idea."

"I'd suggest a cup," Sam warned. "And chocolate. Just to be on the safe side."

Dean walked over to the cabinet and grabbed something before he tossed it to Jesse. Jesse looked down at the candy bar he'd caught and smiled. "Just in case," Dean told him.

"Wish me luck," Jesse commented as he disappeared.

He went to their place at the lake, and sure enough, she was there. "Damn you!" she growled as she walked over to him and began hitting him with her fists, not to hurt him, just to vent her frustration.

He let her go for a few moments before he grabbed both her wrists. "You done yet?"

She sighed and the fight left her before the tears started. That caused the clouds overhead to open up and they were soaked to the skin within seconds. "Let it out," he soothed as he hugged her to him. "Let it go."

They stood there a few moments before her sobs turned to hiccups and she looked up at him. "I'm sorry."

He smiled and kissed the tip of her nose, which she wrinkled. "I know. It's fine. Wanna talk about it?"

"No."

"Bad lead?"

"Asshole cop," she replied.

"I get that. But you've gotta control this, Hope. You can't go all bad ass seraph on every person that doesn't give you what you want. That's no better than a toddler with a tantrum."

She sighed again. "I know. I'm sorry."

"At least the bunker survived."

She chuckled. "I guess so."

"You ready to go back now, or…?"

"Kiss me a little while? Please?"

He smiled again. "How can I resist a plea from one of God's own angels?" His lips descended to hers and she fought for dominance. He felt her hands moving, squeezing his shoulders, his arms, his waist. It was when they started to sink lower, he pulled away. "No."

"You're such a prude!" she shouted, fire back in her eyes.

He shot her a look. "Don't start that shit with me, Hope. You WILL NOT win."

"Most guys would be more than happy when their girlfriend wants to have sex with them!"

"Come on, Hope, don't do this. You and I both know what a dangerous game we're playing. Hell, we don't even know WHAT will happen when we finally…"

"Is that what this is about?!"

"Yeah, Hope, it is! Use your damn head for once! What if we break the world or something?!"

"By having SEX?!"

He groaned and put his head in his hands. Why was his life so damn complicated? "Stranger things have happened to the people in your family, sweetheart."

She let out a frustrated growl and stomped off.

He didn't go to her, not yet, but he held out his hands in exasperation. "You know I want to, Hope, I'm just scared, alright? And then, I mean, what if…what if you got pregnant or something?"

"It's called 'prophylactics', dumbass. And besides, that's not going to happen."

"That you know of."

She turned toward him. "It can't, okay? You think I wouldn't want…" A sob caught in her throat.

That was when he realized, "You want that, don't you? You want the whole human experience. You want to be human, don't you?"

"Yes, okay! I do! But I can't, so, I'll just suffer through what I can until I have to quit pretending and become an angel again."

He went to her and grabbed her as her sobs began anew. "Oh, honey, I'm so sorry. I didn't…who else knows you feel this way?"

"No one," she whispered.

He sighed. He knew the prophecies. She was slated to go rule Heaven, Bobby was to go to Purgatory, and Jon would go to Hell. It was how the world would balance out and go back to squared away. "Can't you talk to someone?"

"Who? Who can I talk to? I'll just be reminded how it's my duty…" she took a stuttering breath. "Come on, we've got to get back."

"But, Hope, if you don't want this…"

"It doesn't matter what I want."

"But free will…"

"Free will only applies to humans, Jesse," she told him sadly. "And no matter what, the fact remains, I'm an angel. We blindly serve. It's what we do."

"Cas didn't. Gabe didn't."

"Gabe did. Gabe is. Much better than me, I'm afraid. But that's my job and I'll handle it because it's my responsibility."

"Forever?"

She nodded as one lone tear slipped down her cheek. "Yeah," she whispered. "Forever."

"Well, you can still come down, see me. I'll be a full knight of Hell by then. We can still be together on occasion."

"You think?"

He nodded. "I know so. You got me forever, Hope Deanna Winchester. I don't care if you're an angel, a human, a damn frog, you're mine. Understand?"

She gave him a timid smile. "Yeah. I understand."

He pulled her to him one more time and this time, he didn't hold back the passion as he crashed his lips to hers.

She returned it with vigor and he let her lead them almost to the point of no return before he slowly pulled back. They were both breathing hard, soaked to the skin, and more than a little turned on. "Go on," he whispered roughly. "Go back to the bunker. Take a warm shower. Change clothes."

"What about you?"

He cast his face heavenward a moment. "I think I need to cool down. This cold rain is almost as effective as a cold shower."

She giggled, pressed a tiny kiss to his lips, then disappeared.

He blew out a breath. Being in love with an angel was complicated, but oh so worth it.


March 5th

"I got this," Ben murmured as he walked over to the bar. "They don't call me 'Lady Killer' for nothing, you know." They were hunting down a lead for a case.

Jesse snorted. "This ought to be good," he murmured as he followed his friend.

Ben sauntered up like he owned the joint. "Hey, I've got a few questions about the murder. Word is you got some answers. That true?"

The witness, who looked about his age, barely old enough to drink, just looked at Ben like he was something nasty on the bottom of her boot. "Depends. Who's asking?"

Ben shot her a smile. "Me."

She knocked back a shot. "Me, huh?" She stood and turned to him. She put a finger to her chin, and pretended to think. "Hmmm. Nope. Never heard of him." She leaned into Ben and said in a voice barely over a whisper, but Jesse's sensitive ears picked it up anyway, "Wanna know what I really think?"

"Yeah," Ben breathed out with a dumbstruck look on his face.

"Rumor is, the guy's a COMPLETE douchebag. I'd steer clear if I were you." She took another shot then slammed the glass down on the bar. She shot Jesse a wink. "Cheers," she murmured as she walked away, leaving Ben slack-jawed.

He turned and walked three steps to where Jesse was standing. "Not. A. Word," he commanded.

Jesse's lip quirked. "Okay, Lady Killer."

Sam, who was standing next to him, snorted. "Nice. Jesse, wanna give it a shot, see if you can get some info out of her? She seemed to like you."

Jesse swallowed hard. He was not a ladies man. If Ben struck out, why would he stand a shot?

"Go on," Sam urged. "Find out what she knows."

Jesse swallowed again and walked over to her. She turned. "Gonna give me a shot since Boy Wonder over there struck out?"

Jesse smiled at that. "I just wanted to ask you a few questions. I know, I know, a pretty lady like you gets hit on a lot, but we really are only trying to find out some information. See those guys over there with the Boy Wonder? They're training us."

"For what?"

"FBI," he told her as he pulled out the badge Sam had worked up for him. "We're fresh out of Quantico. They're showing us the ropes. I'd love to have just a few minutes of your time…"

She seemed to contemplate that a minute. "Will you have a drink with me?"

He blew out a breath. "We're not supposed to drink on the job, ma'am."

She smiled. "Come on. One won't hurt, will it?"

He glanced over at them. Sam was urging him on and Dean seemed to be judging him. He needed intel, right? "Sure. One won't hurt."

Three hours later, he made his way back to the motel. "Well, I guess you've taken Dean's training seriously," Sam muttered when he opened his and Dean's room door.

"Yeah, what? Did it take getting her clothes off to get what we needed?" Dean wondered aloud as Jesse walked into the room.

Jesse's eyes grew round as saucers. "No!"

Sam chuckled as he clapped Jesse on the back. "No harm in it, man. I mean, after all, you're young, unattached…" The look of murder in Sam's eyes clued Jesse into the fact he knew about Hope, and Jesse's attachment to her, and he was trying to keep up the front for Dean.

But Jesse had to make sure Sam knew… "Trust me, I didn't, okay. I swear! I just got the info from her. She was about half lit. I drove her home, popped back here. I promise, okay? I don't do that shit. Ben does that shit."

"Hey!"

Jesse shrugged. "It's true. If you're Dean, I'm Sam, feel me?"

Dean smirked. "Every chick you bang ends up dead?"

"Ha, ha, fuck you, asshat," Sam growled. He blew a breath out of his nose and looked at Jesse. "Alright, mini-moose, what'd you find out?"

The information Jesse had obtained led them to be sitting, doing recon at almost midnight. Jesse's cell phone pinged and he smiled as he looked at the text. I can't wait to show you my prom dress! came Hope's message. It's gorgeous. You're going to have kittens when you see it.

His smile grew. I hope you can control yourself when you see all this in a tux.

"Dude. Seriously," Ben muttered. They were staked out, waiting for a monster. With the intel he got from the girl, and the body that looked like it had been used as a chew toy along with missing it's head, led Sam to the conclusion this was a rugaru. Sam and Dean had gone to get them all something to eat. All they were doing was lying in wait.

"What?"

"Pay attention."

Jesse rolled his eyes. "I can multitask. Unlike you."

"Bite me, bitch."

"Jerk," Jesse muttered under his breath as he texted, got to go. Someone is being a whiney little asshole and wants me to pay attention to him.

She immediately fired back; Dad or Ben?

He snorted. Pick one. He sent a kissy face emoji and slid his phone into his pocket. "Better?" he asked his partner.

Ben sighed and looked up at the house again through the binoculars. "I'm bored."

"Just part of the job," Sam muttered as he walked up to the car, making Ben jump.

Jesse laughed under his breath. "Way to pay attention, Braeden."

"Fuck off," Ben snarled.

Dean smiled at the two as he slid into the driver's seat of the impala. "Who needs food?"

"Me," both the boys said.

Dean handed a bag back into the backseat and asked around a French fry, "Any action?"

"No," Ben moped as he pulled out a cheeseburger. "But this beauty is about to make my night oh so much better…"

"Just keep your eyes peeled," Sam instructed as he dove into a turkey burger. "How do we know it's a rugaru?"

"You're the one that told us it was a rugaru, Sam." At Sam's pointed look, Ben sighed and rolled his eyes. "We've been drilled, you guys."

"Yeah, and? Humor me."

Ben began explaining the characteristics of a rugaru while Jesse snatched up the binoculars and turned them toward the house as he munched on a handful of fries. He saw a light flip on and watched the guy walk down the stairs. He went to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. "Uh, guys? I think we're about at show time…"

Dean lifted his own pair of binoculars and exclaimed, "Dude! Well, there goes my appetite…"

Jesse lifted the binoculars to his eyes again and felt bile rising in his throat as he saw the man pull a human head out of the refrigerator and start gnawing on it. "Ugh. Well, at least we know where Mr. Santiago's head went."

"This douchenozzle took it for a midnight snack," Dean muttered as he opened his door. "Alright, let's do this."

Jesse watched as Sam and Dean worked like a unit. It was amazing. He'd always respected both men, but to see them on a hunt, it was fascinating. He was so content on watching the two older men, he wasn't paying attention to his surroundings like he should have been when Ben shouted, "Jess! Behind you!" moments before he was tackled to the ground.

He fought his attacker and felt the wormy skin of a second rugaru they hadn't been aware of. He managed to get it down under him and shouted, "Light it up!' to Ben and managed to get out of the way only seconds before Ben's homemade flamethrower shot out a thick stream of fire.

"You okay?" Dean asked him as Sam hosed the other monster with his own flamethrower.

"Yeah," he panted. "I think so."

"Lemme look at you. Don't want you going back to Ryan damaged. She'd have my head."

"Thanks, I was sloppy…"

Dean shook his head. "Nah, you did good, Jesse. Lemme check you over, alright?"

Jesse allowed Dean to look him over. He had a cut on his arm and a bump forming on the back of his head from where it had slammed the tile floor, but other than that, he was unscathed.

"You'll live. Those will heal themselves, right?"

Jesse nodded. "Good thing about being a half demon, I guess."

Dean pressed his lips together but didn't say anything as he moved over to Sam and they began cleaning up the mess they'd made. Apparently the team was a father/son duo. From what Sam had found, only men carried the genetic mutation for rugaru's. It was something interesting he'd want to read about more.

The ride back to the motel was quiet. "Good job tonight, guys," Sam told them. "Nice teamwork."

"You think we're ready, Sam?" Ben asked, unable to mask the excitement in his voice.

"We'll see," Dean answered. "I think you'll probably need to go on a few more runs with us yet, but, yeah, by summer, you two can take Cherry and hit the road, I'd say."

"Awesome."

Dean let out a yawn. "I'm getting too old for this shit. I'm glad we're passing the torch."

"Yeah, right. Like you don't love the thrill of the hunt," Sam chided.

Dean grinned. "True. But I gotta be honest, I'm eager to get some damn sleep. We'll get a few hours rest and then be ready to head back home, sound good?"

"Yes, sir," Jesse stated softly.

"Yeah, works for me," Ben put in.

"Good." Dean killed the engine, pulled out the key, and stood. "See you boys in the morning. Good job. Really."

Ben was all smiles. "Wanna take these fancy badges and go get a drink?"

Jesse shot him a look. "Seriously?"

"What? It's worth a shot."

"Dean would have our heads, you know that. And I'm rather attached to mind."

"Fine. Party pooper."

The next morning, Jesse woke alone, which was odd. Ben was not much of a morning person. Maybe the hunt in his blood had changed him a little bit. He stood and walked to the bathroom. He no more than shut the bathroom door when he heard the outside door blow open. "Yo! Turner! Quit preening and straightening your hair! We're moving out."

"Give me five, douchbag! I gotta piss."

"Shake it off! Dad's eager to get home." Ben paused. "Of course, I would too, if I had Ryan waiting for me."

That made Jesse open the door and stare at the other boy. "Dude. She's like, your stepmom."

"Yeah, but she's hot. Don't deny that shit, man. You're the one dating her daughter! Hope looks just like her!"

Well, Ben did have a point there… "Shhhh! Don't yell it so damn loud. You know we're keeping Dean on the DL about that."

Ben smirked. "Yeah. Well, I gotta admit, shit with that chick last night was brilliant. I had to talk Sam down this morning. He was fully prepared to come in here and kick your ass for stepping out on his niece. Then I told him you were both still holding onto your scarlet V card, and he relaxed a little bit."

Jesse's jaw ticked. "You done?"

Ben cocked his head to the side in thought a moment. "Yeah. I suppose so."

Jesse rolled his eyes. "Fine. Give me five."

"Make it ten," Ben murmured on a yawn as he dropped to his bed. "I'll enjoy the magic fingers."

"You're revolting."

"Why do you constantly act surprised?"


March 16th

Dean POV

Dean glanced at the clock. It was late. Ryan had went to bed about an hour ago because she'd had a headache. Well, with the two monsters, that was no surprise. Krissy would be home any minute, so would Ben. Both had to close their respective jobs for the night. He was glad to see they were working on getting back to good, though it was slow going.

Ben was the first to arrive home. "S'up?" he asked as he nodded his head Dean's direction.

"Not much. Want to watch a rerun of 'Fast and Loud'?"

Ben grinned. "I'd love to take you up on that offer, but I gotta study for a test yet tonight."

"It's already after ten," Dean pointed out.

"Yeah, but if I fail this test, Ryan's gonna have my ass in a sling and I'm kinda attached to my ass."

Dean chortled. He never pushed the kids for decent grades, but Ryan stayed after them to try their hardest and at least pass the classes. "Well, best not to piss off the mama bear."

"Where is she, anyway?"

"Headache."

Ben smirked. "Sure she's not just using that as an excuse not to go to bed with ya, Dad?"

Dean shot him a bitch face. "Ha, ha, ha. Funny, mister. I think she's getting a cold or something. She was sneezing and shit."

"You should have Hope check on her. Maybe do a whammy on her."

They had made it a point not to use Hope's healing powers at the drop of a hat, but if Ryan was getting a cold, it would be nice if Hope could just poof her better. "We'll see."

"See you in the morning," Ben said on a yawn as he started up the steps.

"Don't stay up too late," Dean told him as he turned his attention back to the TV.

Five minutes later, Krissy came in. "Hi, Dean!"

His eyebrow shot up. "You're chipper."

She blushed and he realized why. "What's his name?"

She smiled. "Evan. His name is Evan. He works at the diner with me."

"He a good guy?"

She crossed her arms. "Are you going to drill me?"

Dean held up both hands. "I respect your boundaries, Kris. I really do. And that whole thing that happened a few months ago, well, hell, I didn't handle it exactly like I shoulda I guess, either. But I'm genuinely curious. Is he a nice guy?"

She nodded. "He really is. He's saving up money to help his parents with college. He's already been accepted with a scholarship to Norwich University, so he's just trying to make some extra money in case he doesn't get the ROTC scholarship he's going after."

"ROTC? Impressive."

"He's a good guy. Really. And we both know it's not gonna last, but he's sweet and…" She shrugged. "I don't know, he's kind. And he treats me like a lady, which is kind of refreshing."

Dean smiled. "Good for you, Kris." He saw the girl yawn. "You got to study?"

She shook her head. "No, I got mine done at the diner. Just bedtime for me."

"Alright, well, go on and get to bed. Hope's been up there a while. She turned in not long after Ryan."

She gave him a little salute. "See you in the morning, Dean."

He watched TV for a while longer, and when the clock in the hallway chimed "Unchained Melody" at the midnight hour, he switched off the TV and climbed the stairs. He walked into the bedroom…and heard retching from the bathroom. "Ryan?"

"Ugh," came her response. He hurried into the bathroom to find her sitting next to the toilet. "Stupid stomach bug…"

His eyes widened. "Are you…" That was when she threw up again.

His nose wrinkled even as he walked over to her and patted her back. "Let it out, babe."

When she finished again, she sat back on her heels. "Fuck. I hate throwing up."

"You, ah, you don't think you're pregnant, do you?"

She sent him a look that would have killed a mortal man. Luckily, he considered himself to be about half immortal anyway. He was, after all, on a first name basis with Death. "No. The stomach bug is going around. I'm sure one of the kids brought it home from school. Half of Hope's class was out today with it."

Hope… "Want me to get her, make you better?"

"N-" She pivoted quickly and vomited once more. He stood and grabbed a washcloth, wet it with cool water, and put it on her forehead when she leaned back again. "Give me a few minutes. If it doesn't pass…" she leaned back over the toilet and his mind was made for him. He strode out into the hall and knocked on Hope and Krissy's door.

At Krissy's "Come in," he opened the door and said, "Hope, I need…" he stopped. "Where's Hope?" Her bed looked like it hadn't even been slept in.

Krissy looked up from the book she was reading. "I don't know. She wasn't here when I got here."

His eyes narrowed as he shut the door without explanation and walked to Ben and Jesse's room. "Ben, Jess, you seen…"

Ben looked up from where he was studying at the desk. "Yeah?"

Dean clenched both his fists. "Cas! Castiel, you better have your damn ears on, man."

Cas appeared only a moment later. "Dean? It is late. Is everything…"

"Find Hope. Find her and take me to her. Now."

"Dad…" Ben started.

Dean held up a hand. "Don't. And don't tell me you knew about this."

"About what?" Cas inquired.

"Don't ask questions, just fucking do it, Cas!"

Cas closed his eyes and searched. They popped open only a second later. "Dean…"

Dean clenched his teeth. "Take me to her."

"Ah, I'm not sure…"

"Damn it, Cas. Take me there. Now."

The angel sighed. "As you wish." He clapped a hand on Dean's arm and only a second later, they appeared at the lake.

Dean heard a giggle coming from his left and his eyes narrowed to slits as he stormed that direction. "Dean," Cas began again, but Dean was on a mission. He stalked to the edge of the lake where the blanket was laid out. There were candles around, and there was his daughter. With Jesse. There were still clothes on, but it was all too evident too much had been going on over the clothes for it to be anything innocent. Dean stood a moment, shell-shocked, his mouth hanging open. "Maybe we should…" Cas tried again as Dean crossed his arms and cleared his throat.

The two teenagers pulled apart like they were stuck together with Velcro and looked like they were imitating goldfish.

Just then, all thought left him. His daughter. His baby girl. His ANGEL baby girl. Was about to have SEX with a fucking DEMON. Dean finally began to stammer as he pointed back and forth, "H-how did? When did?" Then his face hardened as he glared at Jesse.

"Dad-" Hope began, but Dean had already crossed the space and pinned Jesse to a tree.

"I let you into my home and this is how you repay me?! BY HELPING YOURSELF TO MY DAUGHTER?!"

"Daddy, STOP! Have you lost your mind?! Nothing happened!"

Dean's eyes remained fixed on Jesse as he yelled, "Hope Deanna, get your ass home! I'll deal with you later!"

"But, Dad!"

Ignoring her, he looked back to Jesse. "Listen to me," He gave the boy's neck a squeeze. "I thought you knew. Did I not make myself perfectly clear?! She's OFF LIMITS. So the question begs to be answered, are you hard of hearing? Or just suicidal?"

Dean felt himself being pushed off Jesse as Hope shouted, "Why are you wigging out about this?! You LIKE Jesse, you said so yourself!"

Not taking his eyes off the demon-boy, Dean stated, "Oh, I like him fine, just not for you, Hope. Just forget about it, cause it ain't happening, not as long as I'm breathing air."

"I can fix that," Hope growled through clenched teeth. Dean didn't even rise to the challenge as he glanced at Cas. "Take her home and one of you fix Ryan. She's got some stomach thing. That's how I was clued in to the two missing teenagers at my house." He looked back at Jesse. "You two go on. We'll be fine, won't we, Jess? We're just gonna have a nice little chat.

Cas stammered, "Uh, Dean, I realize I am not a father. My relationship with Claire is...tumultuous at best. However, I do not believe this is the best course of action..."

That got Dean's attention and he glared at his supposed friend. "Some random with a hard-on for Claire comes sniffing around and you're gonna, what...wring your hands over the best course of action?! Take her home, dammit!"

"Whoa!" Hope shouts defensively. "First you show up here half-cocked, then refer to Jesse, the guy mom tracked down and took in as one of her own, 'some random'?! He's one of us, just like Krissy, although it didn't concern you when Ben did his 'sniffing around'! Hell, you all but gave him your damn blessing!"

"Krissy can handle Ben. She's not into him. He's accepting it. Besides, he's just a human. But this…thing isn't, Hope! Demon's lie! How do you know he's not after you to destroy everything we're working toward, huh?"

"WHAT!?" Hope cried.

"It…It's not like that, Dean, I swear," Jesse tried to explain. "We should've told you-"

"TOLD ME WHAT?! That you've had your eye on her since you darkened my doorstep?!"

Jesse's eyes were wide. "No! That I LOVE her!"

Those words only fueled Dean's fire. "You WHAT?" He narrowed his eyes and went for Jesse again, shoving him back into the tree, holding onto a fist full of the boy's shirt. "You know what you are, and you know what she is."

"What's THAT supposed to mean?!" Hope cried, but Jesse stood his ground.

"It's alright, Hope," Jesse said calmly as he looked Dean in the eye. "You don't want me around her? Fine. I respect you enough not to fight you on it. But you and I both know, whether you wanna admit it or not, I'm good for her. This is about you not being able to let go. Far be it from me to stop you from having your way, regardless if the cost is her happiness. Although, you oughta know, you grab me like this again without just cause? You better pray you're able to withstand an assload of black smoke."

"I shoulda known better...let a stray in, sooner or later it's gonna bite your hand!"

"That is ENOUGH!" Hope's eyes teared up and glowed blue as she threw Dean across the space. He landed in a patch of sand and pine straw. "How can you SAY that?!" she shrieked. "You have no idea what you're talking about!"

Dean got to his feet. "Think maybe it's because you two have been lying through your damn teeth to me?! If this is all so great, what's to hide?!"

"We weren't hiding anything!" She looked down then and amended her statement. "Well, we WERE..." she looked back up. "But it was only because we knew you'd lose your shit no matter HOW you found out!"

"And THIS how I needed to find out you like dark meat?!"

Hope narrowed her eyes. "Mom was right..."

"Right about what-" Just then, it sank in. "Wait. She KNEW?! SHE KNEW AND KEPT ME IN THE DARK?!"

"Shit," Hope whispered, then smiled nervously. "Sounds like you got shit to hash out with the missus, and look at that, she needs an angel, so I'm just gonna..." with that, she disappeared.

"Goddammit!" Dean shouted, then turned back to Jesse, who was standing with a hurt look. He pointed at the boy. "If you know what's good for you, keep your distance. I didn't get where I am in the community by accident. You come near her again? I'm gonna put you at the top of my 'to-do' list."

Jesse's look turned dangerous as his eyes went black. "You don't scare me."

"I should. I've taken out tougher customers than you."

"No. You haven't," Jesse countered. "But I gotta say, being a cambion and being on my own for so long? I've met my share of lowlifes and narrow-minded assholes, but until now? I never met anyone like you." That was when he took his leave and vanished as well.

"SHIT. FUCK. DAMN IT ALL TO HELL!" Dean shouted. He looked at Cas.

"I'm guessing that could have gone much better?"

Dean blew out a breath and sagged somewhat. This was going to be one epic shitstorm. "Fucking hell. Cas, get me home."

The angel winced. "I, uh, I do not believe that is the best course of action."

"Why is that?"

"Because Ryan is currently screaming at me to bring you home."

"Fuck."

"If I were to make a suggestion? Let me take you to the bunker and you drive back home. That should give her a few moments to at least calm down…"

Dean blinked. "Hell, you've learned a lot about inter-human relations, Cas."

"One can not be in any form of relationship with Victoria Allard and not pick up a thing or two about, what is it you call them? Bitch fits?"

Dean cracked a smile at that. "Word of advice? Don't call them that around her, lest we both find our balls in slings."

The angel winced. "So noted." The pained look didn't leave his face. "On second thought, I should get you home immediately."

"Why?"

"Your wife is very agitated and when she is agitated, she gets all the women on her side, and, well, my own self-preservation is kicking in."

"This is about your damn sex life?"

The angel thought a moment before he nodded. "Yes."

Dean huffed out a breath. "Fine."

"We should go now. Ryan is…more than a little bit distressed."

"Yeah?! Well so am I," Dean ground out.

When they arrived back at the house, Ryan was standing on the porch, arms folded and wearing a look that all but screamed premeditation. She took one look at Cas and said, "You've done enough. If you know what's good for you, wings, I'd take my leave." The two men exchanged a look before Cas bowed his head and disappeared.

"Traitor," Dean growled before he turned to his wife.

"You would know, wouldn't you?" she spat. "You call Jesse, OUR adopted son, a 'random with a hard-on'?! What kind of fucked-up, hypocritical nonsense is THAT?!"

"Ryan, I told him-"

"I don't give a shit what he did or what he said. You're the adult AND the parent, so why are you acting like he's competition?"

"Oh, YOU'RE pissed?!" he asked sarcastically. "Everyone in this damn house keeps secrets, but YOU'RE the one who's pissed. Nice."

He went to move past her, but she blocked the doorway with her arm. "You're right about the secrets. I was wrong not to tell you, but I thought it would be better to wait until..."

"Until when? They have their first kid?!"

"No, until you got to know Jesse!" she shouted. "He's a really sweet kid and he's over the moon for Hope..."

"Yeah, I got that when she was spread eagle for him on the fucking blanket he so kindly took out there to deflower her." His brow furrowed. "Seriously?! How can you be okay with this?! You know what he is!"

"Yeah, I do," she responded on a nod. "And case you've forgotten, one of your CHILDREN is too!"

"JESSE AIN'T MY KID!"

Ryan shoved him into the doorframe. "Watch it," she growled. "And what kind of hypocrite ARE you, anyway?"

"I ain't in the mood for one of your lectures, Ry..."

"TOO BAD!" She shook her head. "How can you say he's not yours?"

Dean shrugged. "Because he's not."

"News flash? Neither is Krissy, but you call her your daughter all the time! And guess what? Ben ain't MY kid, but he's here, and I couldn't love him more if I'd given birth to him myself! Since when does blood matter in this house?!"

He leaned in and snarled, "Since my blood decided to go dark side."

Ryan blinked. "Okay, you know what?" She stood in the doorway and shoved him out. "I can't even process that kind of fucked thinking, so until you can say something that makes sense," she waved her hands at him.

"You're not kicking me outta my damn house!"

"Watch me!" she fired back. "Every kid under this roof is a Winchester, blood aside. If you can't come to terms and act accordingly?" She put a hand on her hip. "Then we got a problem. A BIG one."

Dean started to surrender and apologize just to keep the peace. Then, he considered just heading to Sam and Andy's, cooling off and talking things out when emotions weren't so high. Ultimately, he opted for standing his ground. "Yeah," he said pointedly, "We DO have a HUGE problem. Number one? We're supposed to be a team, but you got a bad habit of making decisions about OUR kids without me, which is bad enough. But you gotta take it a step further and decide that not only am I not capable of MAKING a decision, but I don't even warrant being INFORMED!"

"Maybe if you weren't so irrational-"

"Irrational or not, how the hell is that your call?! And how ELSE am I supposed to react?! Maybe if I'd known about Hope's...WHATEVER she's got goin' on with Jesse...I'd have been better prepared to see my daughter with a damn DEMON between her legs!" His anger started spiking again. "If I kept something like this from you, I'd never have to worry about knocking you up again, 'cause you'd be wearin' my nuts around your neck!"

Ryan held her hand out toward him. "LOOK at you! Who can talk to you about anything when THIS is how you behave?!"

Dean fisted his hair and let out a growl of frustration. "I CAN'T WIN!" He turned away and wiped a hand over his mouth and tried to come up with a way to make his point. He turned back to Ryan. "The reason I'm behaving this way? I had NO CLUE about Hope and Jesse until I caught them about to do..." the possibilities made him nauseous. "Doesn't matter. Point is, I had to find out the hard way." He shrugged. "Imagine my goddamn surprise when I found out I was the LAST one to know! AGAIN! You've had plenty of time to condition me for this shit, but decided I'm not important enough to be privy to what is going on with my little girl? OF COURSE I'm gonna flip my shit! You may not know this, but I HATE SURPRISES!" He stood over her and his voice rumbled, "Still, you decide to roll the dice and decide FOR me what's worth knowing. And you have the nerve to be surprised when my reaction isn't accepting?! Maybe I'd be a little more understanding if you wouldn't lie to my damn face!" He shook his head again. "I can't be expected to act like I got my head on straight when I don't know what the hell's goin' on!"

Ryan opened her mouth to respond, but Dean pushed past her. "Forget it." He stopped just inside the doorway, then turned and tacked on, "And I ain't leaving." He pointed at the floor. "This is MY house, I'm a grown ass man, and you don't get to determine whether or not I stay just because I say or do something that's less than popular around here."

He turned to walk away when Ryan growled, "Don't push me, Winchester."

Dean froze in his tracks, then turned toward her. "Or what?" He held his arms out. "You gonna have a go at me? Sick Hope on me? SHOOT me?!" He moved toward her and poked a finger in her face. "Do all three if you want, but you won't get an apology." He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and rephrased. "I know I could've handled things better, but it wouldn't be an issue if I'd been made aware to start with." He took a step back and concluded, "Now? I'm goin' to bed. Maybe in the morning we can have a real conversation about this, but I'm stressed, I'm tired, and I just wanna put this damn day behind me."

He managed to make it up the steps before the damn fireball he called his wife stormed after him. "EXCUSE ME?! You are DARING to bitch at me for making a decision FOR you when you are CONSTANTLY DOING THE SAME THING! Shall I name all the times YOU have made decisions FOR people or should I just go get Ben and Sam to be exhibits A and B?! Over and over and OVER again you have decided for everyone else what's right, what's wrong, what's safe, but you can't handle me doing it for you?! Well FUCK YOU, buddy! You can take this sanctimonious attitude and shove it UP YOUR ASS!"

"Do you know what they were about to DO, Ryan?!"

"Be teenagers, Dean? Come on! You know what you were doing at that age!"

"That's my point!"

Her hands went up in frustration as she rolled her head. "Oh come on! Hope has known about birth control since she was eight years old! She knows how not to be an idiot!"

"Are you sure?! Cuz it sure looked like some damn stupid mistakes were about to take place!"

"It's HER LIFE, DEAN! If it's a mistake, which I don't think it is, it's HERS TO MAKE! So go fuck yourself and let her live her damn life!"

He narrowed his eyes. "First of all? Yeah, I made mistakes. When does the statute of limitations run out, or do you get to hold that over me rest of my damn life?! You got mistakes of your own under your belt, keeping these damn kids from me probably being the biggest, but when's the last time you had to hear about it?" He thought and added, "And fuck ME?! You may not think what Hope's doing is a mistake, and as her mother, you are certainly entitled to your opinion." He raised his voice. "Well, guess what? I'M her father, and like it or not, I'M EQUALLY ENTITLED TO MINE! But no! All I get is you telling me to fuck myself! You might be comfortable with the notion of her having sex, but I can't get behind it just yet. So if I need a goddamn minute to adjust, would it kill you to give me an inch of space instead of shoving it down my throat? Maybe you oughta shove YOUR attitude!" He held his hands up at her glare. "Look...I love ya, Peaches. But you got a stubborn streak that makes me question my damn sanity! We ARE different, and I think BOTH of us should be able to have an opinion without it turning into...THIS! For ONCE, can I be talked TO instead of being talked AT?!"

Some of the fight left her. "I NEVER said you weren't entitled to your opinion, Dean! But you can't say that shit about Jesse just because he's half something he had no control over! He can't control it any more than Jon can control the fact you and I conceived him while The Mark was turning you into a demon." She ran a hand through her hair. "My god, Dean, Jesse's mother was raped! You think that doesn't resonate with me?!"

"I KNOW it does, Ryan! But I just...Hope is a little girl!"

"Just because her vessel was created a few short years ago doesn't mean she's a little girl, Dean! You can't give the kids a double standard. I agreed with how you handled Krissy and that boy a few months ago, but this isn't your decision. They only have a few months left and they'll all be gone. Can you ATTEMPT some civility?! Do you really want Hope to hate you the last couple of months she lives here?"

"I want to be her FATHER not her FRIEND!"

"We can't parent her like we do the boys, Dean! It doesn't work that way, sugar!"

"Well, it's the way I'm gonna work it!"

They stared at one another a few moments.

"We aren't going to get past this one, are we?" she whispered.

He crossed his arms. "I don't see how we can."

He hung his head and sighed, then dragged a hand through his hair. "Dammit," he said softly, "I don't want Hope to hate me, and I sure as hell don't want this coming between me and you." Fixing his gaze on the wall he stated tiredly, "What I said to Jesse...I was angry. Of course I didn't mean it." He looked at Ryan and promised, "I'll sit them both down and apologize. FOR THAT. But I'm not gonna apologize to her for reacting normally to finding out they'd been hiding this from me." He sighed and looked defeated. "But you're right, I know you are. I can't help it though, Ry...angel or not, she's my CHILD. I can't pretend not to care."

"Then don't. Talk to her and TELL her that. But you can't just react and expect her to fall in line. She's too much like you. Hell, in this instance, she's too much like SAM. She's not a good little soldier, Dean, and you are not your father. You know her. She'll put her blinders on, dig her heels in, and heaven itself won't budge her."

"So what, I just have to fall in line behind HER?!" He wasn't going to be his father, but she had to at least respect him enough to tell him the damn truth and accept the fact he was upset with her.

"No, just tell her what's expected, set some boundaries...she's strong-willed and independent, but she's also respectful, especially when she's...how'd you put it? Talked TO, not talked AT? But barking orders and making threats? Sure fire way to shut her down."

He nodded, then extended his hand to her. "What about you? We good?"

She eyed his hand a moment. "What you said hurt, Dean. I love Jesse as much as if he were my own. I don't expect you to feel that way. Hell, it was noticeable you haven't from the get-go. But that does not allow you to talk shit about him because you're angry. How would you feel if I talked shit about Ben because he's your bastard?"

The comment shocked him and he felt sure it showed on his face. She nodded. "See? It hurts. Of course I don't feel that way. I love Ben. So much. I was honored when Lisa gave him to us to raise in her stead. But you can't say my love for Jesse means less because he's not blood to one of us."

"That doesn't answer my question," he all but whispered.

She sighed. "I'm not happy with how you handled this, however, I will also admit I should have sat you down and told you about their budding romance. I knew it was wrong to lie about it when I did it. So, yeah, if you forgive me, then I forgive you and we're good. But if you try any of this shit again..." She shook her head. "You can hate Jesse for dating our daughter. You can hold him to such a high standard, he'd need damn wings to achieve it, but you can NOT belittle who he is. That is out of his control. So take that racism or whatever you want to call it, and lock it up."

He nodded. "Understandable."

She walked to him then and wrapped her arms around his waist as he put his head in hers and kissed her hair. "This was a bad one," he murmured against her temple.

She squeezed him harder. "We've had worse."

He snorted. "I'm sorry."

"Me too. But it's not just me you gotta apologize to, Dean."

He sucked in a breath. "I know, I'm going."

"Good. Don't be what comes between them. Jesse has enough self-doubt as it is. Don't make it worse. If they break up because if this, she will hate you."

"If they break up because of her stupid, over reacting father, they weren't meant to be together."

"It could happen, Dean. They're both fairly self-sacrificing."

"Sounds like two other people I know."

She smiled up at him and pressed her lips to his. "I love you, Dean."

"I love you, too. Thank you."

She looked up at him. "For what?"

"Being strong enough to be my other half."

"Better half," she countered playfully.

He smirked. "Some days. Other days? Not so much."

She nodded. "I'll go along with that."

They stood there in silence a few moments before he said, "So…the kids…"

She groaned. "We'd better handle this now."

"How you wanna play it?"

She looked up at him. "I'll support you, Dean. I'm trying to do that. But this snowballed because you let your emotions run away with you. I had a hand in it, so did the kids, but this…"

"…Is my mess to clean up. I got it." He pulled away from her. "Which one should I start with?"

She wrinkled her nose. "I'd go for Jesse. Hope may be the one you think would be on the side of right, but she's got a temper to beat the band. I've seen her look like a damn demon. I'd go for him first. Then he can help you talk her down."

He blew out another breath. "Why's life so fucking complicated? What happened to ganking monsters?"

"We do that, too. We just evolved into grownups somewhere along the way with baggage out the ass. And now we're dragging our kids through it so they have their own baggage."

"Fun."

"Immensely."

He walked away then and went to Ben and Jesse's room. He knocked on the door instead of barging in like he usually would. When Ben opened the door, it was with a scowl. "I know, I'm a douche. Where is he?"

"Not here. He didn't come home."

Dean's eyes widened. "He didn't?"

"Gee, Dad, he may have thought he wasn't wanted."

"Then where would he be?"

Ben just crossed his arms.

"Look, be a damn unit, I don't care, but I wanna apologize. It was out of line, you know?"

"And?"

Dean thought a moment. "Look, Jess is your best friend, Ben. Is he good enough for your sister?"

Ben looked offended. "No one is good enough for my sister."

Dean couldn't help the smile. "Good point."

"But, yeah, he's one of the good ones, Dad. Honestly, if Hope is like you, Jess reminds me a lot of Ryan. It was wrong to lie to you, but give 'em a chance."

"If this thing goes sideways…"

"She's not exactly like me and you, ya know. Even if she has some similarities? She's like…she's like what you would have been if you'd had a normal childhood."

"Thanks," Dean deadpanned.

"You know what I mean. Hell, we all know why I'm acting out. Mom's death really messed with me, okay? Then all this? The hunting and everything? I've got my own damn issues. But Hope doesn't. And she's going topside before long. Give her a breath to act like a damn human."

"If he screws her over…"

"I'd be more worried about Hope screwing him over. Jesse's good. Jesse's nice, Dad. The fact he's part demon shouldn't be a damn issue."

"It better not be."

"You do realize she can smite him with barely laying a finger on him, right? She's strong, Dad, and growing stronger every damn day. She's already more powerful than Cas. Is that good? Probably not, but there ya go. And you know Hope. She wants something, she gets it. And she wants him."

"I'll watch and wait. But if this goes south, someone's ass is grass."

Ben snorted. "Don't I know it."

Dean remembered Krissy's smiling face when she came in earlier in the evening. "By the way, how you and Kris doing?"

Ben was quiet a moment before he said, "I think that ship sailed. She's barely speaking to me. I think it's best for me to just forget about it, move on. Like you said, I'm not ready anyway, and she doesn't want a fling. Maybe I just need to get her outta my system."

"Be careful, Ben. Make sure you don't flaunt that shit, alright?"

"Duly noted, el capitain."

"Smart ass."

"Takes one to know one."

"Alright. I gotta go find Jesse."

Ben laid a hand on Dean's arm, squeezing it roughly. "And you're not gonna give him shit for this, right?"

"Of course I'm going to give him shit. Hello. Have you met me? But I'll attempt civility. For now. I'll be nice until it's time to not be nice."

Ben groaned. "'Road House'? Really?"

"Swayze always gets a pass, Ben."

He turned to walk away when Ben said, "Try the bunker. He's probably there. He hasn't come back for his stuff, so I guess he's giving it time, seeing if it'll blow over before he decides if he's going to bail or not."

"He wouldn't do that, would he? Run away on Hope?"

Ben sighed. "He knows he's a demon, Dad. He knows she's an angel. If he thought, really thought he wasn't good for her? Damn right, he's bail."

"Self-sacrificing," he whispered under his breath. He had to fix this. If Jesse did run away because of him, Hope would never forgive him. And he wouldn't forgive himself, either.

He drove over to the bunker and walked in. He saw Jesse sitting on one of the tables, head in his hands. "You know, me and Ryan had sex on that table," he started as a way to break the ice.

Jesse looked up and smiled at that. "I'll make sure to tell Ben, freak him out."

"Yeah, you shoulda seen the reaction Sam had."

That made Jesse's smile grow before he seemed to realize who he was talking to and a scowl took its place.

Dean wiped his hand across his mouth in a nervous gesture and then clasped his hands together. "So, look…"

"No," Jesse stated as he stood. "Man, what do think I'm gonna do? You know me. I'm not looking for a one-and-done here. A 'one' may not even be in the cards. Hope and me...we're literally night and day. I know that...but if being her friend is the best I can hope for, I'd settle for it. After all, it's better than nothing." He glares. "But those ego-inflated jocks you DO allow her to go out with? THEY'RE the ones with a pant-busting agenda, not me. If you only knew how they talk about her..."

Dean just looked at him. "I get it, Jess. I really do. I see what you're saying. But those dumb jocks? The dickwads she's dated in the past? They can't hurt her. They're fly by nighters. She'll have her fun with them and be done. They're human. And she...isn't. But you? You can hurt her, man. Really hurt her. You'll live forever, just like her. And I can't take the risk of her walkin' around with that kinda heartache the rest of her days."

Jesse huffs, "So, you'd rather her give herself to a handful of guys who reinforce she's only worth what she can DO for them? And that's better than her experiencing something REAL?! Think about all the tail you've chased in your day. Would you rather have that again, or spend the rest of your life with your memories of the tangible love you experienced with Ryan? Sorry, but your logic's fucked." He shook his head. "Angel or not, eventually she'll have completely spent herself in some asshole's backseat. Where will your concern for her heart be THEN?!"

Dean's mouth fell open. "That's not...she's not...she hasn't..."

Jesse sighed. "Not yet, Dean, but come on. Face facts. She's still a hormonal teenager. Hell, look at Cas and Tory. That angel's the biggest hound dog I've met all because some HUMAN twisted his arm. Newsflash: that could be Hope. And I know you don't want that shit for her. Am I in love with her? Hell fucking yes. Does it make a damn bit of difference to you? Nope, because all you see is my damn lack of pedigree."

"Jesse, I…"

"And what about all your bullshit lip service to love being worth fighting for? That even if it hurts, it's worth it? Or does that only apply to flesh-and-blood Winchesters? Cause you sure ain't had this problem with Ben and Krissy." He shook his head. "I know you're championing for Ben. I get it. Ben's awesome. But maybe he's not good enough for Krissy. You ever think of that? Maybe Ben isn't what she needs. And you know what? Maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way. Maybe if I treated Hope like a piece of meat you'd give me a shot. Sorry to disappoint, Dean, but I'm a good guy. And I love your daughter. And her heart is ALL I want. She can keep her virtue."

Dean looked at the boy in a new light. "You..." He shakes his head. "You better not be bullshitting me on this."

"I'm not. I swear."

Dean appraised him. "I didn't know a demon could love." He didn't say it to be hurtful, just as a matter of fact.

Jesse just looked at him like he'd grown an extra head. "After you see how I am with Ryan. With Jon. With Bobby. You doubt I love?"

Dean shook his head again. "No. I didn't..." he started to backpedal.

"Yeah. Ya did. But that's okay. I honestly don't give a shit what you think 'bout me. Hope's opinion is all that matters. So you can go fuck yourself for all I care."

Dean's eyes narrowed. "What did you just say to me?

That sarcastic teenage attitude came out of the boy. "Oh, I offended you? Good. 'Cause I mean it. All the shit you've done...and how you've been fortunate enough to be given all you have in spite of it...yet you still have the nerve to decide who deserves happiness and who doesn't? Far as I'm concerned, you're not a credible source."

The boy shrugged. "So I'm half demon. Is that the problem? So were you, so they say. And so is your youngest. You wanna deny him love because he's got black eyes? You're a fucking hypocrite. And right now? I can't even stand the sight of you." He started to poof out of sight, but Dean grabbed him and they were both transported.

Dean fought the nausea rolling through him as he looked at Jesse. Demon air was a bit different than flying in tandem with an angel. "You wanna hate me? Fight this out? I'll give you the green light for either, or both...but we need to talk this out back home, 'cause Ryan..."

"THAT'S what all this has really been about, hasn't it?! You fucked yourself with Hope, then with Ryan, and I'm the magic wand that's supposed to reverse it all. Well..." He grabbed Dean by the arm and they teleported back to the front yard of the house. "...I'm not bailing you out," Jesse growled. "You meddle in everyone else's business and when things go sideways THEY have to clean up your mess. Not this time. I'm not good enough for your daughter, you obviously tolerate me for Ryan's sake...until you need me to get you out of the doghouse. Sorry, Dean, not doing it. If you can't give me the benefit of the doubt, I'm sure not extending you any damn courtesies. Get in there and take your ass-chewing like a man." He disappeared again.

Dean looked up at the house like a man going to the gallows. "Fuck!" he screamed into the night. He walked inside and wasn't surprised to find Ryan consoling Hope on the sofa, Krissy standing by as well. "I'm a fuckup," he said in way of greeting.

"Tell me something I don't know," Hope growled.

He sighed and looked at their daughter. He would excuse the tone because he had acted like a douche, but that was the only reason. "It doesn't matter how hard I try, I screw this up, Hope."

She blew out a breath and sighed as she stood. "Just give me one reason, Daddy. Just one."

He looked down at his boots before his gaze traveled back to her. "You know what? Let's take this one step at a time. Old prejudices die hard. He's a demon. You're an angel, kid. You're different species."

"So? Cas is an angel and Tory's a human. You don't care about that."

"You're sworn enemies," he reminded her.

"My brother, who I love dearly, is half demon. When are you going to accept the fact that this shit doesn't matter? Hell, Bobby's part vampire, Dad! None of that shit matters! You work with Garth and he's a werewolf! None. Of. It. Matters. I can't have kids, Dad. I won't have anything normal. And one day I'll have to take a formal trip up north. And stay there. So...can't you accept the fact I want to have a few damn moments of happiness, of a human relationship, as long as I can?

"That's the point! He's not human!"

"Newsflash, dumbass! Neither am I!"

They stood there panting, glaring at one another before Dean sighed. "It's not him. And it's not you. It's the fact of you are what you are."

"And neither of us care. Please, Daddy. I don't need your blessing for this, but damn it, I'd like it."

Dean sighed anew. "Now we move on to part two. Do you think I liked seeing you like that? You may not be a child anymore. Fine. I'll accept that. But you're my child. You're my little girl, Hope. I missed out on so much and this…this is the one thing I wish I had missed out on!"

She swallowed. "We weren't going to…neither of us are ready for that step, Dad."

"You know, it's been a while, but I do remember what it's like to be a hormonal teenager, Hope. How else did I talk my way into so damn many beds? Come on, you're smart enough to know emotions run high and when you're…when you're approaching that line, it's so easy to cross it."

Her eyes widened. "Wow. We're going there."

"Damn it, Hope, don't joke about it, okay?"

"Look, I might have sex. So? I do. If I do, it'll be my decision. If anything, you should worry about his virtue because I'm trying to steal it at every damn turn!"

Dean winced and he could have sworn he heard Ryan chuckle.

This time, Hope sighed. "But we aren't there yet and even if we do end up going there, it'll be a joint decision."

"He said he loves you."

She smiled. "Yeah. He does."

"Is the feeling mutual?"

She bit her lip and nodded. "Yeah," she breathed. "It is."

He closed his eyes at the onslaught of emotions. She was grown. There was no turning back from this. He missed it. He blinked, almost literally, and she was grown. "Fine. But if he hurts you…"

She gave him a hint of an evil smile. "…Then I'll smite his ass. Never forget, I'm not your basic kid, Dad. I'm stronger than him. He's only half demon. Even without all my mojo, I'm still twice as strong as him."

"Are we okay?" Dean asked tentatively, cursing the fact he'd had to ask that to two of his girls in one night.

She thought a moment. "Yeah. I guess so. You're my dad. And you're a Winchester, too. If you weren't worried about me, I'd think there's something wrong with you."

He chortled under his breath.

That was when Ryan asked, "Where's Jesse?"

"I tried, Ry..."

"I'm sure...Hope," she looked at their daughter, "Let's go bring him home." She looked at Dean in a way that left no doubt she meant business. "I'm getting my son back, and then we're re-establishing the definition of 'unconditional love'. It applies to EVERYONE under my roof, not just those born or bound to the Winchester name."

He nodded. He knew the shit he'd said to Jesse wasn't right. But what he told Hope was true. Old prejudices did die hard, and he'd been trained to hate demons from the get-go, but no more so than when it was a demon that had cursed them to an existence without their mother.

"Call Cas and Tory. Call Sam and Andy. Tell everyone to come over for breakfast," Ryan instructed. "We'll be back by then." Dean hadn't noticed the sun was pinking the sky. It had been a long ass night.

He just nodded as the two disappeared. He glanced at Krissy, who shot him a hopeful smile. "It'll all work out, Dean."

"You sure about that?"

She shrugged. "I'm fairly confident. We've got some stubborn family, but love always shines through, and they both love you a lot."

He smiled. "Thanks for that."

She nodded and yawned. "I don't think any of us are going to have a very good day at school today."

"At least you won't be babysitting Thing One and Thing Two."

She giggled. "I would see if you could convince them to let you nap while they watch TV. That's what P.J. Masks is for."

"I hate that damn show," he muttered.

"Oh, maybe Angry Birds on Netflix? That's annoying, but it's just mostly music. That one might work."

He nodded with a half-smile. "We'll see."

He called over to Cas and Tory's place, told Cas to come over. He called and woke Doc, which was fun, told her to drag Sam's ass over, then he started baking. He had plates of muffins coming out of the oven by the time everyone arrived. "What's up?" Sam asked as he went straight for the coffee.

"Yeah, you were pretty cryptic, Wyatt," Andy commented as she snagged a muffin.

"Yeah, well, I was a dick last night, so, now we have to have a damn family meeting."

Andy had the muffin halfway to her mouth when he said that. She lowered it and asked, wide-eyed, "Damn. It's that bad?"

He winced. "Yeah, I think so."

She let out a low whistle. "Fuck. Glad I didn't screw up."

"Yet," he reminded her.

She thought a moment, then nodded. "True."

That was when Hope, Ryan, and Jesse walked in. Jesse shot him a look that could kill, but then they walked into the living room. Dean sighed. He'd done that a lot over the past few hours. "I think I need to sleep with one eye open tonight."

Andy looked toward the living room then back at him. "What's going on? What did I miss?"

"Apparently the same damn thing I did." He motioned toward the other room. "Come on. Let's get this over with."

Ryan cleared her throat as he sat the plates of muffins on the coffee table. "Okay, so, I called this meeting to say something. Apparently, I can't speak for everyone, but if you've been invited into my home, if you share a place at my dinner table? You're a Winchester. Even if you don't live here. Not because you have a sad backstory or a history with something bearing black eyes or fangs, but because we share a common need...love and family. And once you're in, there's no quitting, no walking away, no one telling you your place isn't with us."

"Here we go," Dean muttered under his breath. Hadn't they hashed this shit out? Did they really need to drag it through the whole damn family?

She glared at Dean as she added, "And I would GLADLY bleed for any and/or all of you. Like a great man taught all of the adults in this room, 'Family don't end in blood.' Another great man said it doesn't end there either, despite his recent brain fart."

Dean groaned. "Ryan..."

She silenced him with a look. He mumbled, "Shoulda taken the fucking temperature of the room before I walked in..."

She pressed her lips together and narrowed her eyes at him, but continued her tirade and added, "Shut it, Dean. You wanna be a dick to the non-human members of this family? I'm gonna step up."

He rolled his eyes. "For God's sake, Ryan, how many times I gotta say I'm sorry?"

"This is MY family meeting," she told him. "You're invited to say your peace after I've said mine." She smirked. "You get to label the people in this house with your fucked up judgements, regardless of the fact that the reason you do is because you've had to bear them yourself...time to take a dose of your own medicine."

Clearly she'd had time to think and decided another fight was in order. "I was just trying..."

She slammed her fist on the coffee table, startling Jon, who was absently playing with his brown monkey next to her. "No!" she screamed. "You don't get to look down on anyone in MY family!"

"Ryan," Jesse stated in that soft spoken voice of his. "It's okay. It's the same damn prejudice I've lived with my whole life."

Dean felt about an inch tall as Ryan crossed to the boy and put her hand on his face. "This is supposed to be your safe haven, Jesse. And SOME of us love you unconditionally. And I will support you in ANYTHING you do. You know your destiny lies with Jon in Hell, but destiny follows free will. If you want to go off and have some time before you do that, or if you never do, I'm with you, one hundred percent."

The boy had tears in his eyes as Hope stood by her mother's side. "No matter what happens between us, I support you, Jesse."

Ben and Krissy did as well.

It was when Sam made to stand, Dean bellowed, "I'm sorry, okay? I'm the sorriest excuse for a human fucking being on the planet. Hope, smite me and be done with it! I screwed up, alright?! I meant what I said, parts of it, at least, but you have to see my side on this." He heaved out a breath. "Yes, I'm judgmental. I'm an asshole, a dickhead, and a jackass, alright? And I have no excuse for saying the things I did to Jesse."

He turned to the boy. "Look, that shit last night? That had to do with how I found you and Hope, not what you are, alright? It may have looked like that, and, yeah, looking back on it, I said it wrong. I realize my views are skewed, alright? But you can't understand how it is for me, either, to have a daughter for no more than a few years and her get taken away from me."

"Daddy," Hope spoke up, "Nobody is…"

He held up a hand. "I'm not saying he is, but in that instant? Yeah, I kinda thought that. Ryan said something to me last night, she told me to quit looking at this as a competition. And she's right. I've had so little time with Hope, and now…" He blew out a breath. "Look, you all know I'm crap at showing how I feel. We've been over this. But you guys will all be leaving us soon and I'm just kinda getting used to you all being here. So, I was wrong and it was wrong. Jess, you're an awesome kid, no lie. You're a great guy. But I feel like I have to look after my little girl and I kinda slipped into 'overprotective jerk' mode." He turned to face Hope. "Hope, I didn't get to do the whole tea party thing with you, I didn't get to calm your fears or kiss your boo boos like I have the boys. I'm doing the only thing I know how. And I suck at it. So...I'm just...I'm sorry, okay?"

You could have heard a pin drop as Dean bared his soul. Then Hope whispered, "That was beautiful, Daddy."

"I'm proud of you Dean," came Ryan's reply, everyone was beaming at him like he'd cured cancer or something.

"Jess?"

The boy looked at him in surprise a moment, then a slow smile graced his face. "That was beautiful. Hold me, Dean. I…I don't think I can be with Hope. I'm in love with you now."

Dean shot him a look before he smiled as well. "Come here, you little jerk," he said as he pulled the boy in for a hug. And he didn't know why he felt surprised, but it was just like hugging Ben. Like the kid was his. And he kinda liked it.


March 24th

Dean looked at his sister in law. "Thanks for this, And. I'll owe ya."

"For looking after your rugrats while you and Ryan hunt? Nah, we're good. After that blowout over Jesse and Hope? I'd say alone time is warranted."

He winced. They'd gotten past it, but not easily. He was…working on accepting Hope and Jesse's relationship, but it wasn't easy either. Luckily, they weren't flaunting it in his face.

"Move that sexy ass, Winchester," Ryan yelled as she walked out, Jon on her hip. "We're burning daylight and I'm eager to kill something."

He grinned. "God help me, I love that woman."

Andy smiled as she snagged the little boy from Ryan's arms. "Come on, Jonny-boy, we've got Legos to play with."

"Weh-o!"

Dean walked over and kissed the boy's hair. "Be a good boy for Aunt Andy, k?" He bent down to look at Bobby, who was standing by Andy's side. "You too, bub."

"I'm always good, Daddy!" At Dean's raised eyebrow, the boy looked at the ground bashfully. "Sometimes," he amended.

Dean smiled and pulled the kid to him for a hug. "I love ya, bud."

"Love you, too, Daddy."

Dean stood and let Ryan hug the boy before they both walked over to the car. He sat behind the wheel and looked over at her. "You ready?"

She smiled. "Honey, I was born ready."

He chuckled and tore ass out of the driveway. He watched her out of the corner of his eye as she dug out the information she and Sam had researched. "I'm thinking it's a vampire, but I won't know for sure until we look at the body. It could be one of those nasty fuckers Sam and I dealt with not too long ago. Fucking ghoulpire shit. Why can't monsters be easy? Why they got to have some sort of weird crap? I swear, they're getting weirder by the day. If I didn't know better, I'd say Gabriel and Eve were concocting new species."

He blinked at that. "What?"

"Of course, they're not. Gabe told me he wasn't going to see Eve until Bobby is old enough to see her, but still…"

"Wait. Hold the phone. What am I missing?"

She just looked at him. "Half the monsters in the world? Gabriel helped Eve create."

"You. Are. Shitting. Me."

She shook her head. "Nope. I'm pretty sure he feels bad about it."

Dean snorted. "Ya think?"

She chuckled under her breath. "Well, he's impulsive. And he'd do anything for the woman he loves. Sounds like someone else I know."

Dean smirked at that. "Kid picked a damn good family to be born into. Who knew the characteristics were already there?"

"It does make you wonder, doesn't it?"

He didn't have a comeback for that. Sometimes he wondered if that whole destiny thing was spot on. Why else did Gabriel really act so much like him? Maybe Ryan was right when she said she was fairly certain that while Dean may have been Michael's perfect vessel, they weren't that much alike.

The drive would take almost twenty hours, so they switched off driving while the other slept. He could have done it in one, but she wanted them both refreshed when they got into town. They stopped off and got a room at the local motel, then started investigating.

He pulled up to the bar sometime later, and looked at it through the windshield. The sun was setting. They could get some answers, but if it was a fang, there was no way they were hitting the nest tonight. "You really want to interrogate the bartender?"

She shot him a look. "You go check out the body, I'll talk to the bartender. I don't want you drinking yet. I've got dirty, dirty things I want to do to you, baby, and I need you sober for it."

He cleared his throat. "Is that a fact?"

She shot him a wink and sashayed her sexy little ass into the bar. He couldn't help it; he watched her go until the door shut behind her then let out a whistle. How was it he was still so damn attracted to her? Wasn't it supposed to fade? Even in the heat of battle or the worst of their arguments, he was so damn sexually attracted to her, it was hard to keep his head in the game because he wanted to just tear her damn clothes off of her. It was the opposite of a problem.

He went to the coroner's office, and, yep, it was just as they had suspected, definitely a fang. There had been a lot of vampire activity lately, he'd noticed, and wondered if the Alpha was getting something started. He didn't know why, it wasn't like there was an apocalypse coming or anything, not that he was aware of, anyway. That one would bear checking into. Maybe they'd just had some rogue loners creating vampire 'families' or something. He'd get Sam on it. As he pulled away from the M.E.'s, he called his brother. "Sammy."

"What, Dean? I'm in the middle of something."

He heard screaming in the background and couldn't hold in the grin. "You're making Jon take a bath, aren't you?"

"Fuck. Yes. I had the bright idea to fix spaghetti for dinner, alright? You could have warned me he uses his powers to get you soaking wet and throw bath toys at your head while you're bathing him." It was silent for a minute before Sam muttered, "Son of a bitch. Andy, you're a genius."

"I know," Dean heard her voice reply.

"So, the kid likes it when you sing to him. That would have been nice to know, Dean."

Dean smirked. "What's the fun in that? You gotta figure shit out for your own. I can't do your damn job for you. You're the one wanting to be a daddy. I'm giving you ample opportunity to learn on monster kids so when you have a human one, you'll be all the more grateful."

"You're an asshat, Dean."

"Tell me something I don't know. Listen, Not that I don't love talkin' about my kids, because, they're fucking awesome, but when you get time, I want to you to start tracking vamp cases we've had lately."

"Why?" Sam's tone was wary.

"I don't know. Something in my gut is telling me we're gonna have a fang issue on our hands. Notice we've been dealing out a lot of vamp cases lately?"

Sam was quiet a moment. "Well, now that you mention it…"

"That damn Alpha is still out there somewhere. I'm worried he's mounting an army. For what? That's the question."

"That…is terrifying."

"I know, right?" Dean sighed as he pulled into the bar. "Look, take your time. We're gonna deal with this tomorrow. No use trying to hunt the damn thing at night. Gonna get Ryan drunk and see what trouble we can get into."

Sam groaned. "Don't get arrested."

"Nah, I only do that shit with Andy."

"Thanks, Dean. Really."

"I do what I can." He punched the 'end' button and slipped his phone in his pocket.

He walked into the bar and found Ryan. At the bar. Giggling and drinking with the bartender. Who Dean wasn't afraid to admit was a damn good looking guy. Sort of had that Jax from Sons of Anarchy thing going on.

He walked up and cleared his throat. "Hey, babe."

She glanced up and smiled. "Dean! This is Cam. Cameron, this is my husband and partner, Dean. Dean, I was telling him we were looking into the deaths and disappearances."

"And enjoying a few drinks, I see."

She shrugged. "Cam's a hell of a bartender. This drink is ahhhhhmazing."

His eyebrow rose. "And you're already buzzed?"

Cam grinned. "Sorry about that. It's rare I find a willing victim to try drinks on. She told me you were coming, so I knew it was okay to give her a few."

"We gotta introduce him to Jim. Those two would cause trouble every damn place with their drink concoctions."

"So did you find out any information, or did you just fawn all over Cam here." Dean looked at the man. "No offense."

Cam smiled. "Trust me, dude, she's safe. She's been waxing poetic about you all damn night. I'm about half in love with you, myself."

Dean couldn't help the grin. "Peaches. You amaze me."

She pulled him close. The smell of the booze on her breath only made him hornier for her. "You're the only one for me, baby, you know that. Cam gave me all the information we need and we can't deal with anything until morning, you know? So…" She ran a fingertip up his chest, "Now, I need you to take me back to our room and do wicked, wicked things with me."

Dean's smirk reappeared. "That one, I can do." He helped her off the stool and nodded in Cam's direction. "Thanks for looking after my girl for me."

"No problem. Take care of her. She's a one in a million."

Dean looked down at her. "Yeah. She really is."

He walked her out to the car, got her into the passenger side, and made his way to the driver's side. He no more than got in and she was all over him. "Damn, peaches…"

"Fuck me, Dean. Here."

His eyebrows shot up. "Not that I mind, but I promised Sam we wouldn't get arrested. Let's take this somewhere private."

"Hurry," she whispered into the skin of his neck as she licked up to his ear. "Before I get myself off and make you watch."

He swallowed hard. He wouldn't mind watching, but he wanted in her pants so bad, he felt like he was going to explode before he touched her. "Ten-four," he muttered as he hauled ass down the road to their motel.

Once there, he once more walked back to her side of the car. He opened the door, hauled her to him, and picked her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. "Fuck," he muttered before he kissed her soundly.

"Bed, couch, just fuck me," she growled as she scratched his back with her fingernails.

"I aim to please," he muttered as he stumbled with her to the door. He got it unlocked, threw the key to the floor, slammed the door shut with his foot, and sat her on the small kitchenette countertop.

It took him only moments to divest her of her jacket and shirt before his hands palmed her breasts through her bra. She reached behind her to unhook it and tossed it across the room. He bent down to take a nipple in his mouth and her head fell back as she sighed out a breath.

He kissed up her neck to her mouth where his tongue began warring with hers for dominance. They battled as she unbuttoned his shirt and pants. He toed off his shoes then kicked his pants off and pulled away.

She looked like a predator as she jumped down from the countertop and stalked toward him as he backed toward the bed. She unfastened her pants and stepping out of them and her underwear as she went. When she was down to just her heels (and thankfully nothing else) she shoved him onto the bed and jumped him.

He couldn't get enough of her and apparently neither could she as they rolled around on the bed, hands and lips everywhere. He finally got her trapped under him, his huge hand holding both her wrists. She had recently gotten better about him restraining her. Not too much, but enough to make it exciting for both of them. Still, he asked, "You okay?"

She looked up at him with unrestrained passion. "I'm great. But I'd be better if you were inside me."

He smirked and lowered his body to hers. Her legs wrapped around him once more and he teased her clit. He enjoyed watching her mounting frustration as he toyed with her using mini-thrusts as his lips began worshiping her chest once more. Finally, when he felt she'd had enough, he slid home and they both sighed in relief.

He let go of her wrists and those perfect hands of hers began moving all over his chest, lightly scratching, up to his hair to tug just slightly, down to play with his nipples, then to her own body where she began squeezing and pinching her own nipples and he growled as he watched her. But when her hand slid between them, he knew she meant business. This was a fast and hard fuck, and he was willing to give her what she needed. But not yet. He snatched her hand and held it in place above her head. "If you can't behave, clearly I'm going to have to handle this."

She let out the sexiest growl and she leaned up to bite his chest.

"Damn it, woman, I'm gonna give you yours. Quit being so impatient."

"I need it," she panted like an addict in need of a fix. "Give me."

He smirked and lowered his head back to her nipple. "Patience, it's a virtue, peaches."

"Fuck virtues. I need to get off."

His eyebrow shot up. He'd have to go back and thank that bartender. Whatever he gave Ryan had been some good shit. That drink was worth whatever she paid for it.

He took his time, despite her growls and whimpers and finally, when he was ready, he drove her over the edge.

As she floated back down, he drove her up and over again. Every time she was almost off the high, he kept her going higher until, finally, he crashed with her.

He turned them so she was half laying on him and she giggled. "My God. Thank you. I've been needing that for hours."

He smiled and kissed her tenderly. "Anything for you, baby. Anything."


The next morning, he woke to the sound of the shower turning off. Groaning because he missed shower fun time with her, he sat up and smiled as she opened the door wearing a towel on her body and another on her head. "Good morning!" she stated cheerfully.

His eyebrow popped. "How are you not hungover?"

She shrugged. "I didn't drink that much."

He shot her a look and she chuckled. "I'm eager to get these bastards. Guess that helped with the hangover."

He shrugged his shoulders and stood, walking naked over to her. He bent to kiss her shoulder as she rummaged around in her duffle bag. "I missed shower time with you."

She pulled away and looked up at him. "Playtime after we kill the monster. I'll go grab breakfast, you shower, then we can figure out where this little shit is hiding. I've got a few good ideas, and Tory forwarded me some info on abandoned buildings." She smiled. "Hunting has gotten much less complicated when we have people working behind the scenes."

He didn't have a comeback for that. She was right. Usually, they went into a hunt knowing what they were dealing with now, and had all the right tools. Also, they'd been getting hurt a lot less, which was nice, because, whether he wanted to admit it or not, he wasn't getting any younger. "Sounds good. You going to get me something good or something healthy?"

She pondered over that a moment. "I guess you'll just have to be surprised."

"Damn," he pouted.

She giggled. "Go shower. I'll be back soon."

"I can sit and watch you dress…"

"You, sir, are a pervert."

"You're the one that married me," he countered.

"And I'm so glad I did," she responded. "But if you watch me dress, then you'll want to touch. And if you want to touch, it'll lead to sex. And if it leads to sex, that'll mean I'll want to clean up. And that will just take way too much time and then they won't be serving breakfast, we'll get a late start to the day, and then we won't get to kill any vampires today. Ergo, you take a shower while I get dressed."

"Party pooper," he muttered as he walked off.

She smacked his ass as he walked away. "But after the vamps are dead? That ass is mine again."

He smiled. "Alright then. I can work with that."

She chuckled and shook her head.

When he got out of the shower, she wasn't back yet, but a text message from her on his phone showed a picture of the most awesome looking cinnamon roll in existence, so he happily began looking through the paperwork on the small table, and when she walked back in the door, he hungrily snagged the bag from her.

"I missed you too. I love you, too," she commented as she carried the two cups of coffee to the table.

"Sorry, I'm just hungry."

"Mmmhmm. Luckily I knew that, so my feelings aren't too hurt." He started pulling stuff out of the bag and she warned him, "You eat my bacon biscuit, there's gonna be hell to pay, Winchester."

He chortled and carefully dealt out their foods, noticing she had also gotten a cinnamon roll. "You splurging this morning?"

"I couldn't resist," she told him. She looked at the table. "You've been researching?"

He shrugged. "Why not? I think I've narrowed down the place they're nesting at."

"Cool," she managed around a huge bite of biscuit.

"Hungry?"

She nodded and swallowed. "I went to this place Cam told me about last night. Oh my God…this is excellent. He was right."

"So glad you netted such valuable information."

She shot him a look. "Thanks to Cam, I was able to narrow down a victim type. The missing are all women. The dead are all men. Some of them were his regulars. All of them unhappy with their lives, which, hey, was probably why they were taking up residence on his barstools anyway."

"We could have found out about that from the police," Dean put in.

She nodded. "Yeah, we could have. But this netted me a juicy little tidbit." She pulled out her phone and handed it to him. "Got a name. I had Tory check it last night as soon as Cam gave it to me. It's a fake name."

"Sometimes people have stuff to hide."

She nodded again. "I agree. But this guy? He's been using a fake birth certificate. And this isn't his first time."

"How do you know?"

"Tor managed to find pictures of the guy."

"I love how none of the Hollywood bullshit is right about vampires."

"Well, beheading them does work…"

"Yeah, well, almost anything, you behead, they're dead," he countered.

"Except those damn ghoulpires."

He chortled. "Ya gotta let that one go, peaches."

She grumbled under her breath, causing him to chuckle. "Alright, alright, they sucked. You and Sam both got your asses handed to you. You fucked up the car. Can't win them all, babe."

"At least the monster is dead," she stated bitterly.

"That's right. Come on. Let's eat, then we can go kill these monsters good and proper. That'll cheer ya up."

She gave him a half smile, then started giggling. "I love you."

"I know. It's a gift."


They snuck up on the old farmhouse, machete's drawn. The other information they'd found showed it to be a small enough nest, just a few vampires. Dean pulled out his lock picking set and made quick work of the doorknob before they stealthily climbed the stairs to the bedrooms. It was fairly easy pickings. They dispatched three vampires before they walked back down the stairs.

"That was easy."

"Too easy?" Ryan wondered aloud. "Let's check the rest of the house."

He nodded. "You look around up here, I'll check the basement."

She nodded and walked to what looked like an old study while he went toward the kitchen. He found the door to the basement and warily walked down the steps. He was about halfway down when something grabbed his foot and he fell the rest of the way, his machete skittering out of his hand.

He landed with a thud and then the creature was on him, snapping her teeth like she was a crocodile. He managed to throw her off and ran toward his machete when he was shoved against the wall.

"You're so pretty. I might have to keep you as a pet," she cooed.

Dean watched as Ryan slowly came down the stairs and raised her machete.

"Sorry, babe. I'm a one-woman man, and she's about to take your head."

The creature's eyes widened only seconds before her head fell off her body and her grip loosened as she fell to the floor.

"Good timing," he muttered as he rubbed his throat.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm-" just then, he saw another vamp approaching. "Duck!" he shouted as he snagged her machete out of her hand and threw it at the guy. It stuck deep in his chest and pushed him back a step. Dean deftly snapped up his own machete and lopped the guy's head off.

He turned to Ryan and they both sighed out a breath. "Now, let's try that again. You good?"

He nodded and smiled at her. "Yeah. I'm great."

She nodded. "Me too."

With the vampires dispatched, they took their time counting up belongings, making sure they'd gotten all of the monsters, then they headed back to the motel to gather their gear. Once they were in the car, she looked at him. "Can we run by the bar?"

His brow furrowed. "The bar? Why?"

"Because I want to say goodbye to Cam."

"Why?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I just…I feel like I know him."

He thought about that a moment. "Like, know him from another timeline know him?"

Her eyes widened. "I don't know. Maybe?"

They looked at one another. "You and him didn't…?"

She shot him a stony look. "Please. We all know you're the only person I have ever had sex with, Dean. Pretty damn sure it doesn't matter what timeline we're in."

"I don't know…you almost had sex with Sam that time."

This time, a bitch face appeared and he grinned. "Fine. Let's go see your boyfriend before we head out of town."