Chapter 50.
As soon as they were dressed, Sam and Eileen called on Jack to arrange a meeting at the Nexus with their parents. It took mere minutes for them all to be sitting on couches in a firelit room created entirely for them. John Winchester was the first to speak. "This feels like a big deal."
"It is." said Sam, "We wanted to tell you in person that you're all going to be grandparents."
Mary immediately leapt over to Eileen and hugged her tightly. Maura quickly joined her, kissing her daughter and stroking her long hair. "Oh, my darling girl!" she said, "That's wonderful!"
John looked at Sam, sitting on the couch opposite him and said, "Congratulations. I know you'll be a better father than I ever was." He shook Sam's hand and then just went in for a hug.
Sam's eyes filled with tears, but he blinked them away. As his father pulled drew back, Sam said, "You did okay. We are where we are because of you."
"I made a hell of a lot of mistakes." said John, "But you saw them all, pointed quite a few of them out at the time and I know you won't be repeating them."
"We'll be making all new mistakes of our own." said Sam.
John laughed. "That's my boy!"
Mary turned to Sam. "You'll be a good father, a great father."
"And our Eileen will be the best mother." said Padraic.
"Yes," said John, "She reminds me so much of you, Mary."
"Dean says that too." Sam told him.
"I didn't really get much chance to be a good or bad mother." Said Mary.
"Well, Dean's pretty clear about which you were." Said Sam.
"We never got the chance to be parents to our baby, either." said Padraic, "I just thank God ..." he grinned a grin like Eileen's and went on, "Well, whoever, that the banshee left Eileen alive."
"We get to be a part of her life now," said Maura, "Of all their lives. You'll bring the baby to see us, won't you, Eileen?"
"Of course we will." Said Eileen.
"Have you thought of names yet?" said John.
"No, we only just found out there's a baby." said Sam, "We'll need to give names some thought."
"You're feeling well?" Maura said to her daughter, "When I was first pregnant, I got very tired. You'll make sure you rest?"
"I feel great," said Eileen, "But don't worry, Sam, Dean and Castiel will make sure I rest. You have an archangel watching over you, don't you, little one? And Anael, of course."
"Is that the hot angel that Dean was dancing with at the wedding?" said John, earning himself a disapproving look from Mary.
"That's her." said Sam, "She and Eileen are good friends."
"And are she and Dean still good friends?" said John.
"You'd have to ask Dean about that." said Sam, "I don't know how things stand right now."
"That sounds like they could be more than friends." said John and Sam wondered whether he had said too much.
"As I said, you'll need to ask Dean about that."
"Will you still be living at the bunker when the baby is born?" said Mary.
"Yes," said Eileen, "The bunker is our home, first real home either of us has ever known. The rest were just places to stay."
Padraic looked distraught. "Oh, my darling, if you could have seen the home we made for you when you were small! I wish you could have had the childhood we planned for you."
"It was a little crazy, decorated in vintage style," said Maura, "But it was a home. I'm so sorry we didn't defend it better."
"I was told." Said Eileen, "I was told how you loved me and how happy our home was. I just have no memory of it. I also know you died saving me. You did all you could and you saved my life. You have nothing to be sorry for."
"Is the bunker the best place for a baby?" said Mary.
"It's our place." said Sam firmly, "And you'd be surprised how homey and cheerful it can be, especially now all the girls are there. So much laughter, so full of peace, security and love. I can't think of a better place for a baby. Bad things happen to babies in the unbunkered world out there."
"You think, because of what happened to the two of you, your baby needs a fortress?" said Mary.
"No, but I think both of us will be happier if he or she has one. Plus, the bunker's full of family. Dean is there. Cas is there. Our kid will never be lonely or afraid."
"As you were?" said John.
"You're forgetting," said Sam, "I had Dean too. I was okay."
"I was just thinking," said Mary, "That Sarah would let you live at her farm, if you wanted to. Daylight, fresh air and the place is as safe as the bunker. Castiel has warded every inch of it."
"I'm certain she'd welcome us," said Sam, "But for now, at least, we wanna be in the bunker."
"I tried so hard to keep you and Dean out of hunting and now my grandchildren will grow up in a dark bunker full of hunters. What chance do they have of escaping the life?"
"Not much." Sam admitted, "They'll know what's out there and how to deal with it, because they have to. I won't force or even encourage them to be hunters, I don't even want them to be, but if that's what they choose, it's what they choose. Dean agrees. Their decision, all the way. He even set up a college fund to make sure this little one gets to choose."
"That's great." said Padraic, "This brother of yours is a good man."
"The best." said Sam.
"Second best." Eileen amended.
Padraic looked at Mary and said, "I've not seen the bunker and you have, but a baby won't notice much about the surroundings for the first year and there's nothing too terrible about having a large, extended family around when you have a baby to take care of. I'd say we've not much to worry about."
She nodded. "You're right. I know you're right. I'm letting past horrors overshadow future joys." She turned to Sam and said, "I'm sorry Sam, I must have sounded very critical."
"It's okay, Mom," he said, "We all have past trauma lurking in our heads."
"Family curse." said John.
"Well, we break curses." said Sam, "So it ends with our generation."
"I hope so." said Mary.
"I promise we'll make the bunker bright for the baby." said Eileen, "We've asked Sarah to paint a mural on the nursery wall, big, bright flowers and butterflies in a field."
"Sounds good." said John.
"Sounds beautiful!" said Maura.
"We should put pictures of all four of you close to the crib," said Sam, "So the baby can see them and feel close to you."
"You're making a nest for the baby of all the stuff you never got to have." said John.
"I know the things I missed." said Sam, "Please don't ever think I blame you for them. Whatever quarrels I had with you, they ended long ago. I know you a lot better now and all I feel now is love and gratitude."
"And all I feel for you is love and pride. Everything I ever hoped to be, you and Dean became. I used to get real angry with you, refusing to change your mind about anything, never listening to reason. I hear Lucifer found you just as hard to persuade. What I thought was insubordination was a strength of will that made you who you are."
"Thanks, Dad, that means a lot."
"Of course, I hope your kid is as stubborn as you are, so you get to experience what I went through. Only you won't, because you'll handle things better. You'll never tell your kid any of the dumb, stupid things I said to you."
"Dad, let the past go. The future is all we need to think about." said Sam.
John looked at Eileen with a smile. "Thanks, Eileen, for giving my son a future worth believing in."
"Thanks, Mr Winchester, for giving me a husband I can make a future with,"
"John," he said, "Always John to you." He turned to Sam, "Is it okay if we tell the rest of the family on this side of the veil?"
"Tell anyone." said Sam, "We just wanted you four to hear it from us directly."
"We appreciate that." said Mary.
"Yeah, we do." said John.
"It's good news," said Padraic, "The best news!"
Eileen hugged him and kissed his cheek, then did the same to her mother. Her mother clung to her for a moment and then backed away to say, so she could see it, "I love you forever, my perfect girl!"
Sam loved her for that. It wasn't easy to forge a relationship with a child who was now full-grown and they had never said whether their Heaven or Heavens before Jack reformed the whole thing had included a counterfeit daughter. Either way, they bravely showed their love and Eileen needed to see it, just as he had needed to know that his mother loved him.
"We'll go back now," he said, "But we'll see you all again soon."
"Take care of our girl." said Padraic, "And our grandchild."
"I promise." said Sam, "Jack! We're ready to go."
Jack was there a moment later. He placed his hands on their shoulders, her left and his right and transported them swiftly back to their room in the bunker, "Did it go well?" he said.
"It did," said Sam, "It went very well."
Jack vanished and he and Eileen turned to face each other. "Breakfast?" she said.
"We've been good," he said, "We deserve waffles."
"I love the way you think." she said, heading for the door.
"Yeah? I love the way you move." he said.