"Since when do you cook like this?"

It had been two and a half hours since Connor had shown up. Sam and Dean had spent the time alternating between staying close by to keep an eye on Connor and researching who Connor could be. Bobby had spent the time trying to openly argue with Evy, then brooding at his desk after she shut him down.

"I'm not arguing with you, Bobby. If you're so against him being here, we'll leave. Now I love you. I really do. But whether you recognize him or not, he's my son and I'm not giving him up again. Now what's it gonna be?"

Though Bobby would never admit it to anyone else, Evy intimidated him. On the one hand, she had the stubbornness of her father, the fierceness of the mother that she had never known, more brains than anyone else Bobby had ever met, and was stronger than both of her brothers combined. But on the other hand, there were times when he looked at her and all he saw was the tiny, sweet, perpetually cute little kid she had been. The one who had once had a twenty minute long argument with him while sitting on his lap eating Cheerios about the fact that she was not a baby. He was her 'uncle Baby' and she was his Evy. Thinking of their first fight was making Bobby feel nostalgic, something he didn't particularly enjoy.

As Evy pulled out the rest of the ingredients she needed for dinner, she smiled. She'd cooked for her brothers and Bobby before, but she was working on what was a massive meal for them. Homemade barbeque chicken, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and green peas. It was the first time in two hours that Bobby had talked to her.

"There's a lot of things you doin't know about me, Bobby."

"I'm startin' to see that."

Evy sighed and turned back to him. "Look. I get why you don't really trust Connor. But you and Dean and Sam have to understand. Those twelve hours that I was missing was a lifetime for me. When I landed in Jordan Valley, I was fifteen. When I came back here, before I ever woke up, I was seventy-five with a bad hip. I was raising my teenage granddaughter. I had just been diagnosed with kidney cancer..."

"You had cancer?"

Evy looked up and found Connor standing in the entranceway to the living room. "Hey, baby. You okay?"

"I'm fine. You had cancer?"

Evy sighed. "Yes. I had the very early signs of it, and the doctor was sure he'd be able to help."

"What happened?"

"Well, I came back here before he could do anything about it. The second I was back here, when I could get a little time to myself, I got checked out and I'm completely healthy."

"When was this?" Bobby asked.

"Remember when I insisted on having a checkup two weeks later? And I wouldn't let anyone go with me?"

"You're sure you're okay?"

"Yes, baby, I'm fine."

"Okay." Connor replied, still unsure but too tired not to accept Evy's word for it. "Do you have a minute? I want to show you something."

"Sure."

"Do you still have the bag I gave you?" Connor asked, turning to Bobby for the first time since he'd arrived.

"Yeah."

"Can I have it please? There was a book in it I want to show Mom."

Bobby reluctantly handed the bag over to Connor, who pulled out a large black sketchbook and handed it to his mother. Evy forgot about the dinner on the counter and grabbed the book, joining Connor on the couch. Sam and Dean had joined them, so that again, everyone was together in the same room. Evy knew they were only there because they were trying to watch out for her, but she was too tired to argue with them now. When she opened the first page of the sketchbook, Evy gasped and put a hand to her mouth.

"Oh, Connor. What is this?"

"Well, I didn't have any photographs, so I started drawing the ones I could remember."

The picture Evy was looking at was her wedding photo. Sam, Dean, and Bobby each looked over her shoulder and watched her reactions. There were people around them, but the focus was on Evy and another man that her brothers and Bobby had never seen. Evy wore a long white dress that flowed to her knees, and had a smile that Sam and Dean hadn't seen since before she knew the truth about the supernatural at age three.

"Mom?"

"I'm okay."

"No, you're not. You're crying."

"I really am okay." Evy repeated. Despite the fact that she was crying heavily, she was still able to keep herself calm enough to calm Connor. Just like when I was your mom the first time, she thought. "I just haven't seen any pictures of your dad in a really long time."

"There's more."

"I'll look, just give me a minute."

Two hours passed as Ellie and Connor reminisced over various photos. He had recreated Evy's wedding, her pregnancy with all four kids, various friends and other family members, birthday parties, vacations, and a few other completely normal, family things. When Evy closed the last page, she checked the clock.

"Oh, no. I forgot about dinner!"

"It's okay, Mom."

"You guys must be starving."

"We already ate." An annoyed Dean said from the kitchen.

"We put everything up for you." Sam said.

"Thanks." Evy said. She turned to Connor and asked, "So why don't you and me go out for dinner? I can catch you up on your dad and sister and brothers."

"And why can't we hear this?"

"Because I want to talk to him alone, Dean. Is that a problem?"

"Yes." Dean stood up from the kitchen table and walked back in, but Evy's firm stare almost made him wither. "I don't want you two to be alone."

"Too bad."

"Mom? It's okay. I kinda want them to see something."

"You want them to see something?"

"Yeah. Do you trust me?" Connor asked.

"Sure. Why don't you go wait for us on the porch?" When Connor was outside, Evy turned back to Dean. "What's your problem?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're acting like a jerk. What gives?"

"I just don't trust this guy. Not until we verify his story. And he seems to have some kind of hold on you."

"Yeah. That's called being my son."

"He's not your son."

"Dean, no matter what you think, I know he is my kid. I carried him in here. I carried his sister and his two brothers in here."

"Look, I know you had some kind of perfect life over there, but I'll say it again. It wasn't real."

"For once in your life, Dean, shut up."

Dean's mouth moved up and down, but no sound came out.

"You know nothing about my life over there. For the first few years, until Connor disappeared, yeah, it was mostly good. But I spent a year looking for you and Sam. A year. Once I knew I wasn't going to find you, yeah, I lived my life. But I still looked. I went to the university library every weekend trying to find something new. Anything at all that could help me find you. I did that for ten years."

"It was only…"

"Don't tell me it was only a few hours. It wasn't a few hours to me, Dean. It was a lifetime. And as for it being perfect? After Connor went missing and we couldn't find him, Peter started drinking. A lot. For five years, he'd drink himself stupid then come home and fight with me."

"Fight? Fight how?"

"He hit me, Dean. A lot. And then at night, after he'd pass out, I'd sit in bed crying wondering where the hell you two were and why you weren't around to protect me."

Dean immediately faltered.

"Don't look at me like that, Dean. I took care of myself. I got my kids and moved with them to their grandfather's house, until Peter got some help. After that, I had two miscarriages, lost another son in the military, lost Peter on our fortieth wedding anniversary, then was diagnosed with cancer after that. So don't talk about my 'perfect life' when you know nothing about it."

Dean nodded. "Okay. I get it. I'm sorry."

"Now, he invited you to come with us. If you want to, fine. If you don't, that's fine too. But I expect all of you to be polite to him. Am I clear?"

Sam, Dean, and Bobby all nodded.

"Okay, let's go."

Evy and Connor walked towards town, Sam next to them, Dean and Bobby trailing behind. Connor stopped in front of the coffee shop in town, the one Evy usually went to when she wanted to be alone.

"I thought it was time they learned something about you they don't seem to know."

"What are you talking about?" Evy asked, before looking at the sign in front of the coffee shop. "Oh, no."

"Come on, Mom. Do it, please?"

"What are you two talking about?" Sam asked.

Evy sighed. "He wants me to do open mic night."