Author's Note: Still don't own these beautiful characters, I'm just borrowing them.
Chapter Inspiration: Stand By Me by Jason Manns
Chapter 6
After Dean and Hermione talked, they sent Sam and Bobby off on a hunt. Apparently, something had killed a janitor at a college somewhere. Since Dean didn't want to take off and leave Hermione so soon after working everything out, Bobby offered to go. Watching Bobby congratulate the two, carefully, but awkwardly hugging Hermione, was a little slice of the apple pie life that Sam had wanted for Dean. While this wasn't entirely apple pie, he figured however they could get some semblance of it, things would work out. Giving Hermione a careful hug, Sam followed Bobby out to his car, since Dean insisted that the Impala stay with them, just in case, of course.
After they left, Dean and Hermione continued talking, but in a more relaxed manner than they had before. They had taken seats on Bobby's lumpy, old couch, sitting so that they could face each other. He asked her about her previous appointments with the healer, whether she had any intuition as to what gender the baby was, and how she was feeling physically. She asked whether he had hopes for a boy, like every other father to be. Being honest with her, he told her that he didn't care, as long as whatever the baby turned out to be, was healthy. Then the discussion turned to how they were going to work out having the baby together, since the last time they'd talked, she'd felt the need to stay in England, and he'd felt the need to be in the States.
"I don't feel the same as I did then." Hermione told him.
"Really?" Dean asked, trying to get a feel for the situation.
"Yeah, they're doing just fine. The rebuild is ahead of schedule, actually. I'm mostly sure that there will be a term starting next September. As much as I love the place, I don't feel like I have to stay anymore." Hermione explained. A flash of the djinn induced, alternate universe, flashed through her brain. The one of her and Dean at Hogwarts together, and happy. Mentally she reminded herself again, that this wasn't the same, and it wouldn't ever come to fruition.
"Wow, so what would you say if I suggested you stay here?" Dean asked, his heart pounding in his ears. This was the biggest step he'd ever taken with a woman, but with this one, it just kind of felt right.
"I would say fine. I would do whatever it takes to make sure you're involved. If you want us here, then we'll be here. If you wanted me to go back to England, and you stay here, I would. I gave you the choice to be as involved as you wanted, so ultimately it's your decision." Hermione said, completely removing her desires from consideration.
"I know it would be a lot safer for you here, than anywhere. I could protect you better from here. Once monsters hear about you and the baby, they'll try and use you both, just to get to me." Dean replied, hiding his true motivation from her.
"Makes sense." Hermione commented, resigned to moving in with Dean and Bobby.
"So you're going to stay then?" Dean asked for confirmation purposes.
"If that's what you want. Though, are you sure Bobby won't mind, since this is technically his house?" Hermione wondered.
"Please, if Bobby had his way, you would have come back with us after the war." Dean told her, rolling his eyes. "He won't admit it, but you've become a daughter to him. Old softie."
"I won't tell him you said that." Hermione said with a small laugh.
"Good. He'd kick my ass six ways to Sunday if he knew." Dean replied with a wink.
"Seriously though, you're sure he won't mind?" Hermione questioned again.
"I'm sure, and if he did, we'd just find somewhere else to go." Dean said, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"You keep surprising me." Hermione mused out loud.
"How so?" Dean asked. He'd never heard anyone say that about him before. Usually they just took him at face value. Not that he'd allowed for much else before.
"I mean that in a good way, really." Hermione quickly defended, before he could think otherwise. "You show the world this tough, devil-may-care exterior, when deep down, you're not. You care about family, you're loyal, and you fight for people. That makes you a very rare individual."
"Uh, thanks?" Dean replied, not at all sure how to feel about that. She'd paid him a compliment, one that he didn't entirely feel he deserved. Not that he'd be telling her that.
"It's a compliment Dean, take it." Hermione said lightly, a smile lightening her face.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Dean grumbled. "So, do you need to pack, or some shit like that?"
"Um, I may have already done that. My, well your duffle, with my stuff in it, is stashed on the porch." Hermione replied.
"Why didn't you bring it in with you?" Dean questioned, his brows pulling together in a comically quizzical way.
"Well, I wasn't sure what you were going to say, so I was prepared either way." Hermione replied, gaze dropping to her lap once again.
Dean didn't say anything, opting to just lift himself from the couch. Hermione watched him carefully, as he strode out of the living room to the front door. She watched him open it, then disappear. Moments later, he returned, the duffle bag slung over his shoulder. He beckoned to her with a jerk of the head. Working her way to the edge of the couch cushion, she slowly stood, and made her way over to Dean, who started leading her up the familiar stairs. He walked right for the bedroom he considered in his head to be theirs.
He dropped the duffle on the floor, then without a word, pushed the two twin beds together. Hermione watched wide eyed at what he was doing. Her heart was pounding with the implications of his actions. She couldn't help but wonder at his motives. Crossing her arms across her swollen, larger than normal chest, she prepared herself for whatever he answered her question with.
"What are you doing?" She asked, a hint of bewilderment coloring her tone.
"What does it look like, sweetheart?" He retorted cockily.
"It looks like you're pushing the beds together. Why?" Hermione asked, stressing the why portion of her response.
"At the risk of sounding like a girl, because I missed you, that's why. I'm not sleeping somewhere else in this damn house, knowing you're up here." Dean replied defensively.
Hermione held her hands up in a position of surrender at his tone. She could tell she'd definitely hit a nerve, not that she knew she was going to with her line of questioning. Instead of responding, she walked over to where he stood, and wrapped her arms around his waist. After a solid second, she felt him relax and return her embrace. It was familiar, and old feelings rose up in both of them, feelings that had never truly abated, or went away.
He felt the need to ask her why she'd signed off her latest letter with "love, Hermione," in fact, it was on the tip of his tongue as he held her in his arms once again. Unfortunately, he backed out and stayed quiet. He'd never admit to why he didn't ask, he just wouldn't. He'd deal the way he normally dealt, and that would be that, or at least that was what he was telling himself. He smiled when he felt a series of kicks press against his midsection. More proof that maybe, he'd finally done something right. The moment was ruined when his cell phone started ringing from his back pocket.
Pulling the phone from his back pocket, he looked at the display. Seeing that it was a number that wasn't programmed into the phone he'd just gotten a month ago, he ignored the call. He encouraged Hermione to unpack, before leaving to let her do so in privacy. However, he didn't go without first pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head. After he left, Hermione began unpacking, with bright pink cheeks, and a wide smile on her face.
The remainder of the day went pleasantly from there. Hermione was able to unpack all of her stuff, and send a letter off to Hogwarts, telling Minerva and her friends that she would now be living in the States with Dean. It was with joy that she wrote Harry to tell him that Dean wanted to be involved, and he seemed to want to do so with her. After, she made them a meal with the few supplies Bobby had on hand. It wasn't much, but it was better than take out, or her hunter's cooking. Strange, she'd fallen back into mentally referring to Dean as her hunter again.
Bobby and Sam ended up being away for almost a week, before returning in Bobby's now wrecked car. Dean and Hermione stood on the porch watching their approach. When they exited the car, Dean asked if Bobby had fallen asleep behind the wheel accidentally. Bobby didn't reply, just smacked the younger hunter in the back of his head, with a mumbled: "idjit."
The next few days, Hermione spent in the house doing random stuff for the hunters, while Dean worked on Bobby's car. On the third day of repairs, Bobby wandered out into the garage where the car was being put back together.
"How's it look?" Bobby asked gruffly, as Dean backed his upper body out from under the Chevelle's hood. The older hunter handed him a beer.
"Well, seeing as she got hijacked by poltergeist, could be worse." Dean commented.
Bobby let out a deep sigh, looking at the repair work Dean had already completed. "How are you holding up?" He asked.
"I'm fine Bobby." Dean replied, his tone holding a warning not to push too hard.
"Seems you've come to a decision then?" Bobby asked.
"Yeah. Family takes care of family." Dean replied simply, taking a long pull from the beer bottle.
"I still stand by what I said the day she told you. You're not your father." Bobby said, giving Dean a look. With one statement, the young hunter had proved it. Not that he hadn't in little ways before, just with one giant leap, he solidified what Bobby had always known about Dean.
"He did the best he could." Dean justified. He was still warring with the residual loyalty he felt towards John, and the increasing feeling of unfairness at his upbringing.
"Bull shit." Bobby replied, a stern look overtaking his features. "I may not have had kids of my own, but I can't imagine raising them as John did you and Sam. You have the opportunity to do something different. To do for your little one, what John couldn't, or rather, wouldn't do for you."
"How? It's not like I can quit being a hunter." Dean replied, anger and defiance flaring up in his chest.
"Let me ask you something; if Hermione hadn't been in that cemetery, were you going to keep your promise to Sam?" Bobby asked.
"I was intending to try." Dean replied honestly. He wondered where Bobby was going with this line of questioning.
"So, you were going to try getting out of hunting, to have a normal life with Lisa and Ben?" Bobby asked for clarification.
"Yeah, I promised Sam that I would. Not that I kept that promise." Dean grumbled.
"So, let's say you had. What would you have done if Ben had found your arsenal, and asked you to hunt?" Bobby asked. He wanted Dean to see what he saw.
"Oh hell no, there's no way I would have taught him to shoot." Dean replied emphatically.
"Exactly my point. You're not going to screw up your kid Dean." Bobby told him.
"I can't stop being a hunter though." Dean dropped his voice.
"Yeah you can, there's plenty enough hunters to deal with the monsters of the world. Wrap up the thing with Castiel and Raphael, and get out. You have the chance to do what no hunter that I know of, has done." Bobby replied.
"Easier said, than done." Dean commented.
"Just think on it. No one's asking you to make a decision now." Bobby replied.
"You know, Hermione said that she felt that telling me she was pregnant, would sound like she was asking me to choose between her and the baby, and hunting." Dean said, making a decision to tell Bobby a little about what was said between him and the woman he was secretly falling for.
"Okay…" Bobby trailed off, not knowing where Dean was going with his statement.
"I told her it was my decision to make. That she wasn't asking, she was just giving me the options to make a decision." Dean replied, suddenly feeling a bit self-conscious.
"I see you've at least decided that she should be here." Bobby commented, his voice free of any judgement.
"I can keep her safe better." Was all Dean replied.
"Well son, you've got to start somewhere." Bobby said, slapping Dean on the shoulder once.
Dean grunted his acknowledgement. Maybe he could get out of hunting, or become the equivalent to Bobby, doing research for other hunters. He had a lot to think about, and not a lot of time before he would have to make a decision one way or another. There was a lot to consider, but for now, the right thing for him to do was to watch over Hermione and the baby here, while he at least discharged his duty to help his friend, Castiel.