A/N: I have a lot of thoughts about 15x13 "Destiny's Child," some good, some bad, but it made me write three fic codas. This is the first, so stay tuned.
Dean didn't want to feel the emotions that were living and growing inside him now. They'd been non-existent, or perhaps dormant, given the way they had hurriedly filled his chest with agony, and stole his breath. They even rose up to his mouth to make his tongue all dry, something he could hardly dare to speak with now.
Jack sat before him crying.
Hisson was crying, asking for forgiveness. Forgiveness for killinghis mom. Mary.
Oh god.
Dean worked his lips together a bit, trying to keep them from turning into a pout, and he looked away as he felt tears build up. Guilt had come in full throttle to punch him in the gut when he hadn't had his guard up, and now it seemed set on beating him. He wiped his hand over his mouth, cleared his throat, looked to Sam who was seemingly just as lost as he was. Dean's second hope was Castiel. His best friend, hisclosest friend, the one person who knew him just as much as Sam did, was looking at him, a hesitant smile on his face.
Dean's mind made a joke as a defense mechanism –crying's an odd thing to smile about – but then he ignored that part of himself, knowing it –he – was just scared.
"Of course we forgive you, Jack."
Dean looked at Sam, startled.
What?
Okay, sure, maybe Dean did, he didn't know. This was too much. This was too big. And Sam could say it just like that?
There was guilt, regret, anger, and there was even the pain of a father watching his son feel remorse. There was so much, all mixed up together in a potent mix of harsh feeling, but he couldn't find forgiveness. Maybe it was there. It had to be there. Itshould be there. Maybe forgiveness was beneath it all, maybe it was already in Dean so strongly that he didn't even have to search for it, that he just knew it.
Sam went to hug Jack, and Dean sighed, knowing all his resolve had weakened.
He'd lost this battle, one that had seemingly been going on for months.
But Jack was back, he washimself, and he was sorry. He understood. He knew what he'd done now.
Never again.
And Dean, well, Dean was his dad. He couldn't just sit by and let his boy cry like that.
Sam and Dean ended up pulling Jack up to his feet, both getting a half of him to hug as if they were rationing the damn kid. It made Dean realize how precious he was, how much it meant to have him there.
Dean pressed his lips to his head, and said, "You're our family, Jack. Ain't nothin' to be forgiven about."
It wasn't true, maybe not logically, but in Dean's heart, he knew it. Family was his true care in life. And his family was right here.