Author's Note: There's just two more chapters to go, this one and then the finale.

Other: And, a continuing thank you to my beta for this story, vrskaandrea - any remaining errors are solely my own.

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Election Day

'So, how's the family reunion book coming?' Dean asked curiously.

'Either kiss me, fuck me, or murder me!' Chuck said annoyed.

'No luck, huh?' Dean asked curiously, ignoring Chuck's…suggestion.

'About as much luck as I'm having with Jack in the Box and Moriah.' Chuck admitted reluctantly.

'Is there anything I can do to help?' Dean asked curiously.

'You could finish Jack in the Box and write Moriah, so that I can focus on this damn family reunion.' Chuck suggested.

Dean narrowed his eyes. 'Something BESIDES that?' He asked annoyed.

'You could write the family reunion so I can focus on Jack in the Box and Moriah.' Chuck suggested.

Dean crossed his arms and shook his head. 'No.' He said bluntly.

'Well, you asked what you could do.' Chuck pointed out.

'Have you finished Timeless, yet?' Dean asked curiously.

'Yup, the final book has already been published, I'm obviously still working on Supernatural, I'm still doing the spin-off Bloodlines, and I've recently started another spin-off Wayward Sisters which isn't going to be televised, either…but I'm still writing it. I'm also dealing with a teeny, minor, potentially very problematic lawsuit concerning the publication of the first book for The Boys, though.' Chuck admitted.

'Why are you being sued over it?' Dean asked curiously.

'Um…apparently there's a comic or something that's very similar to…it.' Chuck admitted. 'Legitimately, I did not know…since beyond comics involving Harley Quinn and what Ben's drilled into us about the Black Panther, I don't really know shit about comics.' He added.

'So, what do you plan on doing to not end up owing them a healthy chunk of money?' Dean asked curiously.

Chuck shrugged. 'I honestly don't know. I think my best bet might just be to have the book pulled and then get rid of the other books that were going to be sent to the publisher.' He admitted reluctantly.

Dean narrowed his eyes. 'Can't you cut some sort of deal with the people suing you?' He asked carefully.

'I don't know.' Chuck admitted, shaking his head. 'But, I know that this needs to be sorted out quickly, because I've already got a deal in place for the books to be turned into a television series of sorts…and what happens if that falls through? I DID NOT KNOW that there was a comic series called The Boys!' He explained.

'Maybe it's a wake-up call for you to take a step back and have the surgery on your back?' Dean asked, carefully but hopeful.

'I'm not having the goddamn surgery Dean!' Chuck snapped.

'Chuck, you agreed -' Dean began concerned.

'I've agreed to the motherfucking surgery more than once, I haven't had it done yet, and I'm NOT going to have it done!' Chuck said angrily. 'So, leave me the fuck alone about it!' He shouted angrily.

'Chuck, please…I just want - I just want you to have a chance at a normal life, again.' Dean pleaded.

'Dean, I've been a writer most of my life. Sure, I didn't become a notable author until Supernatural, but I've always been a writer. Supernatural has spawned TWO spin-off series, Bloodlines and Wayward Sisters. Revolution has its own following as does Timeless. Writers DON'T HAVE normal fucking lives, Dean!' Chuck explained.

Dean lowered his head but kept silent. Chuck tilted his head curiously. 'Actors don't have normal lives, either. BUT, every person has their own normal. MY normal is the way my life is currently going. Either I go to visit Benny OR he comes here…when I'm not filming, recording, or appearing at Con's…Jesse's still living with me while maintaining his job at the honey farm…Cas would be SO FUCKING AMAZED at everything Jesse has learned about bees. And, you're living with me…THAT'S my normal.' Dean explained. 'Sure, you're a writer…always have been, always will be…BUT part of YOUR normal was simply being able to WALK…why don't you want that back?' He asked, confused and a bit concerned.

'How old is Cain at this point? I know he was the person that Cas had gotten his honey from since he moved to California…and Jesse's now working for him…BUT, I've never really figured out -' Chuck began before cutting himself off because he really didn't know how to continue.

'I think he's a year older than you…maybe more, I don't know…he's a very private person.' Dean explained.

'As for the other part of what you were saying, just drop it…I'm not having the surgery. It's my body, it's my choice, and I CHOOSE not to have it.' Chuck said regretfully.

'Why?' Dean asked confused.

'Just leave it the fuck alone, Dean!' Chuck stressed.

xXxXx

'Hello, Cain.' Benny said, calmly, his hands in his jacket pockets.

'Benjamin?' Cain asked surprised.

Benny huffed, shook his head, and then tilted his head. 'It's Benny, it was Benny THEN, it's Benny NOW, it'll be Benny in many, MANY years!' He said, irritated.

'I would ask what you're doing here but first, how did you find me?' Cain asked curiously.

'Jesse Turner, he works for you?' Benny asked carefully.

'Yes, he's got a mean streak in him, but he's otherwise a good kid, good with the bees, and he can make a much larger variety of honey cupcakes than I can…once I figured that out, I started sending him to attend to my booth at the farmers market on Saturday's. What does he have to do with this?' Cain asked, he began calmly but by the time of the question he'd gotten defensive.

'He's lived with my soulmate since he was fifteen.' Benny said bluntly.

Cain's eyes went wide. 'Damn, Benjamin!' He said surprised.

Benny growled, low in the back of his throat. 'So, are you here for honey, are you going to try to kill me, are you going to turn my location over to the nests, or are you going to sick this government on me?' Cain asked, trying to come across as curious but honestly just sounding bored.

'Why the hell would I say shit to the government? They already destroyed Eli's nest, as far as we know…he's the only one who survived. My nest is gone, mostly by my own hand. If I turned them loose on YOU, they'd come after us, too.' Benny pointed out. 'You know how vampires work, we typically don't share information between nests.' He added. 'If I'd come to kill you, I would've brought my cutlass from Carencro…and, why would I kill you? You've never given me a reason to kill you.' He continued. 'And, I get my honey either from Carencro or New Orleans.' He concluded.

Cain laughed. 'You haven't changed a bit, Benjamin. You still answer my questions in reverse order.' He admitted.

Benny's eyes turned red, he grinned, showing his fangs. 'I would choose my next move VERY carefully if I were you, Benjamin.' Cain said, seriously. Benny took his hands out of his pockets, revealing his claws. 'Benjamin.' Cain warned.

Benny hissed. Cain just shook his head. 'Go back to Dean, Benjamin…I don't play those games anymore.' He explained.

'This isn't a game, Cain.' Benny said seriously.

'Benjamin, you're not the first vampire that's tried attacking me and you sure as hell won't be the last. You're not even the first to have attempted it more than once. Can we just cut the shit, pretend we scrapped, and then you go your merry way back to Dean?' Cain asked, bored.

Between one second and the next, Benny has vanished, only to reappear pinned to the ground, Cain's right hand around his throat and right knee on his chest. 'How do you do that without changing?' Benny asked curiously.

Cain stood up, pulling Benny up with him, before taking a step back. 'Benjamin, I live where I do because despite it still being Los Angeles, people do leave me alone. Just leave me alone. Go back to Dean and leave me alone.' He said, annoyed.

'I just don't understand. YOU can do the things I do without having to change. And, while our situations are different, Colette made YOU a better per-' Benny began to say, but didn't even get a chance to finish before Cain used his right fist and punched Benny in the left jaw.

'Colette has NOTHING to do with the way I am! If I was a better person, I wouldn't be working some goddamned bee farm away from humanity…with a boy I'm not even sure is twenty as my sole employee.' Cain snapped.

Benny rubbed at his jaw. 'Now, get the hell off of my property!' Cain ordered.

'And, if I don't?' Benny asked with a smirk, regretting those words due to the soreness of his jaw.

Between one second and the next, Benny found himself pinned to the trunk of a tree, slammed against it hard enough to make the leaves shake, Cain's right hand on his chest, his eyes red and his fangs and claws apparent. 'Then, you'll find out just what it's like to piss off the alpha, boy! So, don't fuck with me, Benjamin!' Cain seethed.

As Benny left, he realized that he actually had no clue what he'd been doing at Cain's farm to begin with…besides to see if the Cain that Cas knew and Jesse knows was the same Cain that he'd met many times over the years and who any vampire who knew a grain of rice worth of vampire history knew just who Cain was. He couldn't help wondering if Jesse knew just who Cain was.

As Benny left, Cain shook his head, he was the first vampire, but sometime…that was more of a hindrance than a help. He lived a fairly peaceful life with his bees but to be approached by another vampire, there was an inert desire in them to challenge the alpha. There was no way they could become alpha simply because there was no way to become the first vampire, it wasn't any sort of death match because most of the young vampires wouldn't dare try to kill him, it was more of a power game - they just wanted to prove that they were stronger than the alpha…there had yet to be a single success in that regard in the thousands of years since he'd become a vampire.

xXxXx

'Is your desire to NOT have the surgery because you know that I won't fuck you again until you do? Because, I just think there's something wrong…downright sick…about fucking into someone who can't FEEL it! You're not some kind of toy to just be used!' Gabriel asked curiously. 'Because, whatever your problem is…it isn't FEAR.' He pointed out.

'Why won't everybody just leave me the fuck alone about it? Chuck snapped. 'I don't fucking WANT the surgery! Why isn't THAT answer enough?' He added.

'Because, people are worried about you. You up and disappear for what would've been a hell of a lot longer had Sammich and Cassie not died. You come back then and have become adamant AGAINST a surgery that would potentially allow you to walk, again. It just doesn't make sense, Chuck.' Gabriel explained.

'That's just the thing Gabriel, I wouldn't have come back. But, Sam was Dean's brother the same way that Cas was yours and despite my reason for leaving, I knew I needed to be here…for both of you.' Chuck admitted.

'And, that's another thing…WHY did you leave?' Gabriel asked curiously.

'Because, I knew that sleeping with Dean had been a mistake, whether he loved me or not, he deserved to be with Benny…and, I guess…with you is where I should be.' Chuck admitted.

'Do you even want to be with me?' Gabriel asked curiously.

Chuck lowered his head. 'I do love you, Gabriel.' Chuck said resigned.

xXxXx

'So, how's the competition going?' Jesse messaged.

'I was the first to advance to the quarter-finals but I think I fucked up my knee. The advantage to finishing my match first is that I'm able to ice it but this next match is going to be a bitch. Even if I win I don't know if I'm going to be continuing in the tournament.' Ben responded.

'Wish I was there so I could kiss it better?' Jesse messaged.

Jesse waited a couple minutes without a response from Ben. 'Would you prefer me wrapped around you and holding you while you balled your eyes out in the privacy of your room?' He messaged.

'That sounds nice. I think you're the only one who really knows just how much I like being held.' Ben responded.

'Oh! Did you know that Claire and Kaia have gotten engaged?' Jesse messaged.

'Really? Wow! Are they soulmates?' Ben responded.

'I don't know.' Jesse responded. 'Jack's attending college so that he can join the police academy and become a cop.' Jesse messaged.

'That doesn't surprise me. Jack idolized Cas. I don't think anybody realized how much losing him affected Jack.' Ben responded.

'No. There's no way. Dean was devastated at losing Sam and Cas. Gabriel was his own wreck. I don't even know if anybody noticed Jack.' Jesse messaged.

'I doubt they did. Jack was Sam and Cas' boy, not Dean's and Gabe doesn't need kids.' Ben responded.

'No shit! Can you imagine what one of Gabe's kids would be like?' Jesse messaged.

'Hell on earth!' Ben responded.

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Author's Note: And, with that…we only have one more chapter to go.

Reviews/Comments/Constructive Criticism welcome!

Flames will be used to roast marshmallows and then promptly deleted!