Between Plans and Fatherhood

It was getting dark by the time Dean pulled the Impala into the garage next to Lisa's car. The past few days, he'd been going to Bobby's to help with the plans on stopping Eve, and also to mediate between his father and Castiel. They had a location of where The Mother of All was thanks to the angel. John's problem was that he didn't trust Cas. He was also unhappy to learn about Crowley, and the involvement Dean and Sam had with The King of Hell. A lot had changed since their father died. Many tough decisions had been made, maybe some of them unwise, but when the world was falling apart what else could they do.

As he walked inside, the smell of something tasty assaulted his senses. While walking through their mudroom into the kitchen, Dean's stomach grumbled. The table was set, and his eyes were drawn to Lisa as she finished carving a chicken. Meanwhile Ben started over to the table with a bowl of green beans in one hand and in the other a bowl with mashed potatoes. Dean realized once this particular case with Eve was dealt with, he wanted to repay both of them for having dinner ready when he got home for the past three nights.

"Dad!" Ben closed the distance between them. A moment later, his son was hugging him.

"Hey kiddo, did you help your mom with dinner"

Ben beamed up at him. "I made the mashed potatoes on my own."

Once Ben let go, heading towards the table, Dean walked over to Lisa as she finished putting the carved chicken onto a large plate. Gently he wrapped his arms around her waist, easing her body backward until it made contact with his. "How was your day?"

"Good." Lisa turned her head allowing him access to her lips. Their kiss was brief as Ben began making gagging sounds. Before letting her go, Dean brought his mouth close to her ear. "How about we continue this later tonight?"

"Sounds like a plan."

As they sat down to eat, for a few minutes there was only the scrape of utensils on the surface of the plates. These past few days being with his family, Dean could almost pretend that there wasn't such a thing as The Mother of All, hell bent on destruction. At the same time, he was well aware of keeping his guard up. "So, how was work?" Dean asked, breaking the silence.

"Great. I've finally got everything organized, and everyone in my classes is enthusiastic about learning the stretches I'm teaching."

"Hey dad, am I going to meet grandpa before you guys go or after?" Ben asked as he took another bite of his roll.

"How does tomorrow sound?" Dean had already talked to Lisa about having his dad come to their house with Sam, so that everyone could meet. As far as Ben and Lisa were concerned, once John had gotten over the initial shock that he had an eleven year old grandson, he was eager to meet him, along with Lisa.

"Sounds great. Can we go to the creek?" After that, Ben took over the conversation asking all sorts of questions about his newly found grandpa.

Holding Lisa in his arms after making love to her was something Dean knew he would never get tired off. As their bodies began to cool he reached down, dragging the silken sheet over them.

"How is your dad doing now that he's catching up on all he missed?"

Her head was tucked beneath his chin. Before giving her an answer, Dean wrapped his other arm around her. "He's doing his best to get over some of the guilt. The hardest part for him was hearing that Sam and I have both been to Hell. He was there, and he remembers most of what he was put through."

"Does it bring your memories into clarity?"

Dean hadn't told Lisa all of what happened during his time in the pit, but was slowly getting around to that. One of the most important aspects to him, really both of them was to be honest with her. In a way it was helping to get it all out in the open. "It does. Each of us had different experiences. Dad and I remember more than Sam with his time in the cage. He feels responsible for leaving us the way he did, but it wasn't like he had a choice in the matter." Knowing his father as he did, Dean had come to terms with the deal John made with Yellow Eyes to save his life. As a father himself, if Ben was in danger, Dean knew he'd likely do the same thing. His hope was that they could somehow avoid that.

While Lisa fell asleep in his arms, Dean thought about his plans for their future. Since coming back into their lives, he'd been wrestling with the decision on whether or not to ask her to marry him. Years of thinking his family was cursed, along with the uncertainty that if Lisa and Ben took his name, they would fall under the curse, made deciding more difficult than it needed to be. With everything the woman sleeping in his arms knew she was still willing to stay by his side. Her strength showed him what he truly needed. Once they were back from dealing with Eve, Dean decided he was going to go forward with his plans to complete his family.

Even though it was chilly outside, Ben convinced Dean to toss a football while they waited for Sam and John to arrive. This was something he hadn't done with his son since Indiana, and Dean was proud to see how much Ben had progressed. As he caught the ball, he thought about how normal it was to share this time with Ben.

When he tossed it back, his son easily caught it. "Bet I can get past you to the driveway." His kid began to run away from the house towards the street in a wide arc to reach their driveway.

Dean started after him, using his full speed to catch up. Ben never liked it when anyone went easy on him in sports or any other game. As he began getting closer to his kid, Ben turned arcing back towards the house, putting a little more distance between them before heading back to his goal.

Right before Ben's foot touched the paved surface of the driveway, Dean caught him, falling backward deliberately to the ground. For a moment father and son rested as they were, with Ben against him while catching they their breath. "You almost had me," Dean said as he sat them up.

"I'm getting better. I think maybe I want to try out for football when it starts up. I've got a while to practice."

"You would be a good asset to any team you made. Are you going to play baseball this spring?"

"Yeah."

Dean attended a few of his games while in Indiana, proud of how well his kid could play on a team. As they headed back towards the house, the sound of a car turning into the driveway got their attention.

When Bobby's old Mustang passed them, Ben began jogging after it. Dean followed close behind. Ben had stopped running, standing a foot away looking a little unsure. Giving him a reassuring smile, he put his hand on Ben's shoulder guiding him to the back door.

John was smiling as he saw his grandson for the first time. "Hey Ben."

"Hi," His voice wavered a little

"So you like football?" John asked.

"Yes sir. I like baseball too."

John smiled. "Why don't you call me grandpa?"

That broke the ice. While they all headed inside Dean hung back with Sam watching as grandfather and grandson got acquainted.

"Is it weird or is it just me to think of him as grandpa?" Sam asked.

"A little strange," Dean answered.

"Maybe having Ben around will mellow him out a little."

"He's doing pretty well all things considered," Dean defended. Sam's relationship with their father wasn't as strained as it had been, but still not altogether peaceful.

Inside, Ben had already taken care of the introductions. They all settled in the den, Ben seated next to John on the longer white sofa, while Dean sat down next to Lisa on one of the smaller sofa chairs across from them. Sam sat down in the other seat beside theirs

Lisa started the conversation by telling John what she did for a living. As they talked, Dean watched while Sam signaled to Ben, smiling as he led him over to the chess board in front of their fireplace. Adult talk wasn't something Ben was particularly fond of, and Dean was glad his brother was spending time with him.

"How are you handling all of the new things you're learning about in our world?" John asked as he took a drink from the beer Lisa had brought earlier.

"It's still mind boggling at times. I'm just glad Dean showed up when he did." Realizing that John didn't know about Ben's eighth birthday, Lisa looked at Dean waiting until he gave his approval. She told John about the changelings and how Sam and Dean not only rescued Ben, but also the other kids in the neighborhood. "For a while Ben had nightmares about the experience. One of the other children who was with him started talking about what they went through, and it helped in a way that my talking couldn't."

John nodded. "I'm glad my sons were there for you Lisa."

It was nearing evening as Sam drove off with their dad, heading back to Bobby's where the two were staying. While Ben headed upstairs to take a bath, Dean stood at the sink helping Lisa with the dishes from lunch and dinner.

"I like your father Dean."

"I'm glad. I know he thinks a lot of you, especially for putting up with me."

She smiled at him. "I should be a Saint," she teased.

"You are."

Once the dishes were taken care of, Lisa headed upstairs while Dean checked the windows and doors making sure everything was locked up. Before retiring to their room, Dean checked on Ben, finding his son in bed playing with his DS. "So what is it this time?" He slid in next to his son on the free side of the bed, glancing at the playing screen.

"Lego Batman," Ben replied as his character killed another, gaining some sort of points.

Once his game was over and had been turned off, Dean asked his son about John's visit.

"He's really nice. You and Uncle Sam make it sound like he didn't know how to have fun."

"Well, when we were actively hunting. There wasn't a lot of time to play chess or go to the movies, at least not for him. He wanted to find the demon who killed your grandmother."

Ben nodded. "I wish she could come back too. Do you think he's going to stay here until he's older?"

"I'm not sure kiddo. There may be a reason why he was sent back to us, and once that reason is taken care of, he might go back to heaven."

Ben sighed, "Wish he could stay."

"Me too kiddo, me too."

AN: I know it's a short chapter, but this was all I wanted to add at this time. Not much action yet, but it's coming so please be patient. Thank you all for visiting and for the adds and reviews. Keep an eye out. Also please review if you would. Thank you so much