Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Still don't own them.

A/N: I am posting this even though the alert are down. Once again thank you to Soar for the beta work. Any left over mistakes are completely mine.

Bobby had just gotten breakfast on the table when he heard the front door open. He glanced toward the door of the kitchen and was relieved when he saw both John and Frank walk through it. He had been worried that Frank wouldn't be able to handle what he was sure John had just told him. Despite what he'd told Sam earlier, if Frank had walked out, Bobby had fully intended to hunt the man down.

Neither Bobby nor Sam missed the change that came over Dean when his father and grandfather entered the room and helped themselves to some pancakes. One minute he was teasing Sam about something, and then he stopped mid-sentence and looked at his plate, scowling. His appetite disappeared along with his voice. He pushed his food around his plate, making no real move to eat it and Bobby frowned. He knew that Dean was really hurting. No matter how sick or hurt he was, Dean never missed Bobby's pancakes. He knew that he had to get Dean to talk some more, it was the only way he would start to feel better and as much as Bobby hated to do this, he was going to have to manipulate the situation so that Dean had no choice. The only decision left was which one to tackle first. He chose Frank because he knew that Dean had a lot to work out with his father and if he forced that confrontation right now, Dean would have nothing left when it came to working things out with Frank.

"Hey, Johnny, after breakfast I need you to help me out with something in the garage. Sam, you can do the dishes and Dean can you call Sampson's Garage and Sampson Motors for me?" Bobby requested.

"Sure, no problem," replied all three Winchester's in unison.

"Bobby," added Dean. "Should I ask Sampson Motors to credit your account and send a new check to Sampson's Garage, or should I ask the motor place to send you a check?"

"Explain the situation to the motor place and ask for a credit. Then call the garage and let them know that that a check is on the way. There are checks in the right hand desk drawer. Just fill it out and leave it on the desk and I can sign it," Bobby explained.

"'Kay," Dean said. He pushed aside his mostly uneaten breakfast and bolted out of the room.

Breakfast was finished in silence. When they were done, Sam gathered the dishes and set out to wash them. Bobby sent John to the garage and told him he would be there shortly.

Frank suspected that Bobby had plans for him as well and he was right.

"Frank, I need to talk to you a moment," Bobby ordered.

"Sure," Frank replied.

"The only way Dean's going to get past this is if you talk to him," Bobby said. "He's going to resist and do everything in his power to get out of it. The first thing he's going to try is to run, so you have to corner him, literally. Don't give him a means to escape. Then the flippant remarks and smart alec answers are going to start. So if you ask him a question and he won't answer, keep asking and eventually he'll let you in. I don't like telling you this because I hate it when my boy is hurting, but he needs to get this out. You have to push, got it?"

"Yes," Frank said and then hesitated.

"What's on your mind?" Bobby asked.

Frank glanced toward the door. "I want to ask you something that I would prefer Dean didn't hear, but I was wondering, and you can tell me to go to hell if you want, but why are you so protective of Dean? Isn't that John's job?" Frank asked, the confusion evident in his voice.

Sam turned his head so that he could listen. He was curious as to what Bobby had to say.

"Don't worry about Dean. Ruth, the receptionist at Sampson Motors is a big flirt. That's why I told Dean to call them first. He's going to be awhile. John told you everything, right?" Bobby confirmed.

"Yeah, I want to believe because I can't find a reason for him to make that stuff up, but it's so hard," Frank said.

Bobby decided to explain, no more secrets. "Remember, Frank, John had his whole world rocked, just like you did. One day he has a beautiful wife and sons, a home and a successful business and the next, his wife is killed. You had a hard time hearing about it, now put yourself in John's shoes and imagine witnessing it. It would affect anyone. John had a lot to deal with, it can be understood that he had a hard time coping, but Dean stepped up to the plate like you wouldn't believe. I met him when he was just seven and even then, he was more responsible than some adults are. John relied heavily on him and I think sometimes he forgot his son was still a child himself. Someone needed to remind him now and then," Bobby said

"You gave yourself the job?" Frank asked.

"Yup and believe it or not, it was a skinned knee that caused me to make that decision," Bobby said. He paused a moment as he recalled the memory. "Sam and Dean were out front playing and Sam tripped and skinned his elbow. Dean carried him into the bathroom and made Sam feel like he was the bravest kid on the planet for surviving that cut. A couple of weeks later, I watched as Dean tripped and skinned his own knee. Then I watched as he cleaned and bandaged his own cut and I decided that he needed someone to treat him like he treated Sam that day."

"You never told me that," Sam interjected softly.

"Thank you for being there for him," Frank said sincerely.

"Dean and Sam are as much my boys as they are John's. Oh, and Sam, you tell Dean..."

"And I'm sleeping on the porch again tonight. I got it," Sam said with a wry grin.

"Why wouldn't you want Dean to know that?" Frank asked curiously.

"Because," Sam said answering for Bobby. "Dean would say he doesn't need anyone to watch out for him. I'm sure you noticed, but he tends to think he can handle everything by himself."

"Can I ask you one more question?" Frank asked Bobby.

"What is it?"

"How did you get involved with all this stuff?"

"My roommate was possessed," Bobby answered. "When I was in college, Will and I became best friends. He was a great guy. Then I started to notice changes in him, just little things at first. He was an athlete and he didn't drink or smoke. Then one night, he came home drunk out of his mind. I really didn't think anything of it at first, but then other stuff started happening. He would snap or yell at me for the stupidest things, he started skipping classes and not bothering with tests or assignments. In short, his whole personality changed. While this stuff was going on, there were a lot of attacks against students on campus. I was walking home from the library late one night and I saw my roommate attacking this girl. I couldn't believe my eyes. I ran over to help her and with one flick of Will's head, I went flying. I was just about to scream for help when out of nowhere, this man came and poured what looked like water on him. Will screamed and started smoking, literally. Then this stranger knocked him out. He saw me and introduced himself to me as Caleb Graham. He said that he had been checking into the attacks and he needed my help.

I was frightened by everything that was happening, but something made me trust this Caleb. He asked me to help him carry Will. We took him to an isolated area and I watched as Caleb laid him in this circle with lots of complicated drawings. He then explained to me that he felt Will was possessed by a demon. Of course, I didn't believe him, but for some reason, I couldn't tear myself away and I watched as Caleb performed an exorcism. After what I had just witnessed, there was no way I could go on denying that these things existed."

"What happened to Will?" Frank asked.

"Sometimes, when a person is possessed, they have no memory of anything they did, others are sort of awake through some or all of it. Will was one who remembered everything. He couldn't accept that he'd had no control and he couldn't live with what he had done, so he went to the police and confessed. He was admitted to the state hospital for psychiatric treatment. I hated to see what happened to such a promising young man who had his whole future ahead of him. I switched my major from business to anthropology and folklore and learned everything I could about demons. I kept in touch with Caleb and met other hunters and trained with them, and I made it my personal mission to get rid of every demon that walked the Earth. I still hunt occasionally and I train others how to deal with demons. It's too big a job for one man," Bobby finished.

"That's when you met John," Frank stated.

"Yup, and the rest is history. Anyway, I better get out to the garage before Johnny comes looking for me. Sam, you stay out of the office but stay close by in case Dean needs anything and Frank, give Dean about ten more minutes and then go see him," Bobby said as he headed out the door.

"Hey, Sam can I ask you one more question?" Frank said as he turned to the younger man.

"I guess," Sam replied.

"Why does your father listen to Bobby, and why can Bobby get away with calling him Johnny?"

"Bobby's a year older than Dad and despite their differences, he loves dad like a younger brother. As to why he calls him Johnny and gets away with it, it's the same reason Dean gets away with calling me Sammy. They do it because they can," was all Sam would say.

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Frank paced outside Bobby's home office for the ten minutes that the hunter had told him to wait. He could hear snatches of the conversation that Dean was having with the receptionist and could hear him laughing about something. He hated the thought of destroying Dean's good mood. He heard Dean say goodbye and the click as the phone was put back in the cradle. It was now or never.

Hunter's instincts caused Dean to look up when he felt someone enter the room. He immediately stiffened when he saw his grandfather walk in.

"Hey, Dean," Frank greeted.

Dean remained silent.

"I know you don't want to talk to me right now and I really don't blame you," Frank said. He wasn't really sure where to start.

"Nothing to talk about," Dean said as he rose from behind the desk.

Frank fought against everything in him that told him to step aside and let Dean go. He didn't want to upset him further, but he knew that if he wanted to repair his relationship with Dean, he had to try. He stepped in front of Dean and took a couple of steps toward his grandson. Dean backed up until he was almost literally in the corner.

"I know how badly I hurt you, Dean. I'm sorry doesn't even begin to cover it."

"I get it gran..., um Frank, you're sorry anyway. Fine, I accept," Dean said coldly.

Frank had to admit that Dean's correction stung, but he knew it was nothing compared to what Dean was feeling.

"Dean," Frank tried again, "I am sorry, but that wasn't what I wanted to say. I wanted to say thank you for..."

"For getting out of your life, no problem. Glad to be able to something right," Dean snapped.

"Dean, please let me finish. No, I wanted to thank you for letting me see you," Frank said sincerely.

"Why did you want to? Did you want to see if the doctors were right about me?" Dean asked bitterly.

"Damn, I'm not explaining this very well," Frank said. He was beginning to lose his confidence. He was making this worse. Jackson, suck it up, you ran a top finance company, you'reone of the wealthiest people in the country,Frank thought,giving himself a pep talk

"You're explaining it just fine. Look, I get that I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, but even I get that I'm not good enough. You and your wife made that perfectly clear," Dean said and Frank could hear the anger in his voice as Dean looked away from him.

"My wife had no right to say that, Dean. She doesn't speak for me. I made that clear after you left that night. I threw her out."

Dean whipped around and Frank realized it was the worst thing he could have said. He could see the defeat enter Dean's eyes and all the fight seemed to leak out of him.

"You did what? No, Grandpa, don't break up your marriage because of me. Please don't. I'm not worth it. God, I'm such..."

Something inside Frank snapped and he interrupted his grandson's tirade.

"STOP IT,DEAN,AND THAT'S AN ORDER!!!" Frank yelled. The three magic words stopped Dean in his tracks and he stood staring at his grandfather.

Frank looked at the young man standing before him. He realized that he had Dean's full attention and he really needed to make these next couple of minutes count.

"I won't listen to you blame yourself for something you had no control over. You are not a screw up, and you're not stupid. If you want me to take Margaret back, I will, but you are not to blame for me throwing her out and I will not listen to you stand there and berate yourself for a decision I made, and that includes me asking your mother not to name you after me. That was never about you."

"What about Sam?" Dean asked quietly.

"What about him?" Frank asked in confusion.

"I know that you asked mom to name Sam after you. That proves it was me you didn't want," Dean said dejectedly.

"It wasn't about Sam either, Dean. I never really saw you after you were born," Frank admitted.

"Dad said you came to see both of us. One look at me told you everything and you didn't want me, you saw Sam and did."

"I know I don't have the right to ask you for anything, but please, let me ask you this."

"What?" Dean said, irritation clear in his tone.

"Do you think I blame your mother for you being premature?" Frank asked.

"I… I ... what does that have to do with anything?" Dean stammered.

"Do you?" Frank asked again remembering Bobby's tactic.

"What does it matter?"

"Do you think I blame your mother?"

"No," Dean admitted softly.

"Your mom loved being pregnant, Dean. She did everything the doctors told her to. It was just one of those things. Ask yourself this. If I blamed you for not being good enough, shouldn't I be blaming your mother too?"

Dean wasn't sure what to say to that.

"When you were in that incubator, every time your mom looked at you, she saw her beautiful baby boy. She didn't care about the tubes and machines that surrounded you. When I first saw you, I'm ashamed to admit that all I saw were those machines, I never saw the baby boy on the other end. Your mom forgave me after a long time though. When your brother was born, I didn't even think of how it would look to Mary or John, or even you, when I asked her to name Sam after me. It was all me, Dean. I mean, what could you have done at three days old to prove you weren't worthy of the name Jackson?"

"Bobby said the same thing," Dean said as he recalled his and Bobby's earlier conversation.

"Wise man, that Bobby," Frank agreed. "I am grateful you agreed to meet me that day at the diner because I got the chance to see you and now that I have, I'm here to stay. Thank you for letting me see you. I hope that made sense because I swear it did in my head."

"It does, but..." Dean trailed off unable to voice his next thought.

"I understand, Dean, no matter what I say, it still hurts and I would do anything if I could take that away. I'm not asking for your forgiveness. All I'm asking is that you think about what I said."

"I guess that's fair, but I can't promise anything, Frank," Dean admitted honestly.

"I can accept that," Frank agreed. He stepped out of the way so Dean could make his escape. Frank felt hope when Dean didn't leave immediately.

"Hey, Grandpa," Dean started and Frank wasn't sure if he noticed his slip, "Can you do me a favour?"

Frank nodded immediately.

"When Bobby and Dad get back, do you think you could take Bobby for a ride in your Ferrari. I know he'd like it," Dean asked, glad he could think of a way to repay some of Bobby's kindness.

"Sure, I owe him," Frank agreed.

"We all do," Dean stated.

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Bobby and John did show up a short time later. John noticed that Dean and Frank still didn't have that easy connection that they'd had when they first met, but the tension in the air seemed reduced and Bobby was happy that when he made lunch, Dean seemed to have gotten his appetite back, eating everything on his plate, and he even heard a few grandpas slip from Dean's mouth. After the dishes were taken care of, Frank offered to take Bobby for a drive and Bobby accepted eagerly.

Dean wandered into the living room to watch TV. He soon gave in to the exhaustion he felt and drifted off to sleep.

"Sam, how did it go?" John asked his youngest once Dean was sleeping deeply.

"I think it went as well as you could expect. I mean, Dean seemed so much more relaxed. I don't think it will be too long before Dean forgives Frank completely," Sam admitted.

"Your brother never could stay mad at anyone for very long and I hope that includes me," John said.

"Dad, he worships the ground you walk on. He may be mad for awhile, but you know he'll forgive you, even if you don't talk to him, but I suggest you do, don't let him bury this," advised Sam.

"I will, but right now, I think it's more important to let him sleep," John said as he glanced at his eldest son.

"I agree and right now, I think I'm going to catch a nap myself. I didn't sleep much myself last night," Sam said as he left John alone.

As John watched Dean sleep, he was reminded of the first time he was ever alone with his son.

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Dean had been released fromthe hospital and he and Mary had brought him home. Both mother and father were excited and nervous. They checked on him constantly to make sure he was okay. They were instructed to keep Dean indoors as much as possible and to limit his contact with other people because his immune system wasn't as strong as other newborns.

The next day,Mary had had a check up and John had stayed home to look after Dean. Being in combat hadn't scared him this badly. What if Dean got sick? What if he needed something John couldn'tprovide? He told Mary that and she had just smiled and kissed him and told him thathe and Dean would be just fine.

Mary wasn't gone 10 minutes when Dean had woken from his nap. Upon hearing his cries,John rushed to his son's room. He couldn't get over how small his son was and John was afraid of picking him up for fear of hurting him. Mary had always been the one to pick him upand put him in his father's arms. Now,he had no choice.

Dean stopped crying almost as soon as his father gathered him in intohis arms and John felt his heart swell with pride. He changed Dean's dirty diaperand then took him into the kitchen and warmed his bottle before takinghim back to the nursery to feed him. John fell in love with his son all over again that day.

They spent the whole afternoon in the rocking chair beside Dean's crib. John told Dean all about his childhood, his parents, his time in Vietnam, how he'dmet Mary, his hopes and dreams for the future and he promised he would never let go.

John came back to the present and with another glance toward Dean, he realized that he'd broken his promise. He had let go.

He vowed to himself that he would fix that when Dean awoke.

Hoped you liked this chapter. Read and review and let me know your thoughts.