Chapter 21
Disclaimer: Still don't own them.
A/N: Another huge thank you to Soar for all her hard work. Any left over mistakes are my own.
Tension hung heavily in the air for the next few days. Bobby and John had made up since their fight, but things were still a little uneasy, they had both said hurtful things that they couldn't take back. They avoided each other at first, wanting to make sure that they kept things calm around Dean.
Fortunately, Dean's infection turned out to be a minor one. A couple of days of rest and some antibiotics and he was up and around. He was also more animated, much like he had been after he first met Frank. It was like a big burden had been lifted off the young man. Frank, Sam, John and Bobby knew that the heart to heart that Dean and John had shared had done wonders. True to form, by the end of the week, Dean had also warmed up to Frank again, and was referring to him as grandpa once more. Taking their cue from Dean, Bobby and John managed to repair their relationship as well.
Frank, himself, was far happier than he had been in a long time. He had Dean back, he had managed to patch things up with his son-in-law, and even Sam was warming to him. He had even enjoyed meeting Bobby and he was glad that Dean had him in his corner. He could have stayed there forever with his family, unfortunately, he knew that he couldn't. He may have been retired, but he still had commitments, he knew that he had to return home soon. John was also talking about getting back on the road.
Frank had one last request that he wanted to make of the Winchesters and it also included Bobby, he just wasn't sure how that request was going to be received, or when would be the best time to broach the subject. He thought back to the phone call he'd had from his wife the day before.
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He had been sitting in Bobby's living room, watching TV, when his cell phone rang. He stiffened when he checked the caller ID. He really didn't need to get into it with his wife right now.
"Hello," he said tentatively.
"Francis," Margaret greeted.
"How are things?" he asked politely.
"You have had your temper tantrum. It is time for you to come home."
"I am home," Frank said coldly.
Margaret gave a long suffering sigh. "I knew I should not have let you go to the cemetary that day. Those people are ruining our lives."
Frank didn't miss the contempt in her voice when she said people. "Don't start, Margaret. Those people are your family. If you'd stop looking down your nose at them for once, you would see that they could make our lives better."
"Francis..." Margaret started.
"DON"T!!" Frank cut her off. "I don't want to hear it. Now is there a particular reason you called?"
"Your birthday is coming up next week. We have to send out invitations. I wantedto make sure that you will be at home," Margaret stated.
Frank thought for a moment. He looked around. He could see Sam and Dean arguing good naturedly about something. He could hear Bobby in the kitchen making lunch and he could see his son-in-law with the newspaper, smiling fondly as he watched the boys. An idea began to form in his mind.
"I'll be home," Frank confirmed.
"I am glad. I'll start sending out invitations."
"No," Frank said suddenly.
"Excuse me," Margaret replied.
"Don't send out invitations, I don't want a big party this year. I just want a family dinner," Frank explained.
"What?" Margaret asked in confusion.
"Tell Miles to prepare a dinner party for five, no, actually, make that six," Frank clarified. He couldn't leave out Bobby. He would just have to make sure that the two of them were not left alone together, he had a feeling the two would mix as well as fire and gasoline.
"Okay, if that's what you want," Margaret said doubtfully.
"It is," Frank stated firmly.
"Who should I invite, Conner, Winifred…"
"No," Frank interrupted once more. She was stubborn enough to be a Winchester. "Besides me and you, I want to invite Sam, Dean, John and their friend Bobby."
"Excuse me," Margaret said frostily. "What about our friends? They will be insulted if we do not invite them. We will be the laughing stock of the town."
Frank sighed heavily and rubbed his hand along his brow in frustration. "We can have another party," Frank said trying to placate his wife. "On my birthday, though, I want a small dinner with my family."
"But Francis," Margaretsaid in a voice that was dangerously close to a whine. "We can still invite our friends."
Frank knew that there was no way Dean would agree to attend a big gathering and he didn't think Sam, John, or Bobby would be to keen on it either. "It's my birthday, now I've told you what I want. John and the boys won't be in town long, we can have a party a couple of days later. You can tell everyone I had to go out of town and was delayed and that's why we're late this year," Frank said trying to find a compromise.
Margaret frowned at her husband's words, but she was aware from past experience that once Frank made up his mind about something, there was no changing it. "Fine," she conceded huffily.
"Thank you," Frank said dryly. "I'll be home in a few days."
"Fine," Margaret said icily and hung up the phone.
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"... dogs okay?" Dean asked his grandfather.
Frank glanced up as he heard his eldest grandson speak. What had he said about dogs? "Sorry, Dean. What did you say?" Frank asked.
"I said Bobby's making dinner and he wants to know if hot dogs are okay with you?" Dean repeated patiently.
"Sure, fine," Frank answered. "Dean, can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead," Dean said.
"Do you guys have any ghost hunting planned in the next few days?" Frank asked.
Dean paled and stared dumbfounded at his grandfather. Dean realized that he'd heard no scorn in his grandfather's voice, so he was serious. How the hell had he found out about that? That's when Frank realized that Dean didn't know about his and John's talk. No one had told Dean that he knew about the family business.
"Do we what?" Dean tried to cover.
"I'm sorry, I thought that your father told you that he told me everything. It's okay, Dean. To be honest, even though I'm having a hard time with it all, I want to assure you that I don't think your father's lying. He felt it best to tell me everything," Frank tried to explain.
"Nnn... no… hhhhu... hunts planned," Dean stammered. He glanced toward the kitchen where Bobby was making dinner. "I, um, I better go see if Bobby needs help." With that, Dean bolted toward the kitchen.
Francis Jackson, are you ever going to learn to think before you speak,Frank scolded himself.
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Bobby Singer had a passion for crossword puzzles. He had almost as many books of them as he did books on demons. He sat at the table in his kitchen and worked on some as he waited for the hot dogs to boil. He wasn't much of a cook, his pancakes being the exception, but he was much better than John and Sam. Dean wasn't bad, but Bobby was still insisting that he keep his sling on for at least another week and there wasn't much he could do one handed.
"Founder of physics uncertainty principle, 10 letters," Bobby muttered to himself. This one had him stumped. He saw Dean enter the kitchen out of the corner of his eye.
"Hey, Dean, you know the founder of the uncertainty principle?" Bobby asked way of greeting. When he saw his young friend though, all thoughts of crosswords and hotdogs flew right out of his head as he took in the young man before him. Dean was still pale and it caused the fading bruise on his forehead to stand out in stark contrast.
"Dean, what's wrong?" Bobby asked as he jumped up from the table and helped Dean sit in one of the chairs.
"Did you know that dad told grandpa everything?" Dean asked softly.
"Yes," Bobby replied.
"Why did you let him?" Dean accused.
"I agreed with it," Bobby explained.
"You what?" Dean couldn't believe it.
"I thought it best he knew. No more secrets."
"What if he leaves?" Dean asked, trying to keep the fear out of his voice.
Bobby felt his heart going out to the young man. Would he ever believe that his family wasn't going to abandon him? "Think about it, son, how would you feel if you made up with your grandfather and down the road he found out the truth and left? Your dad felt it best he knew everything up front. It was days ago, Dean. If he was going to leave, don't you think he would have done it by now? He's here to stay, Dean. He loves you and I can't blame him for that." With that, Bobby reached over and hugged the young hunter.
Dean thought about what Bobby had told him. It made sense. "Bobby," Dean said as a token protest when he felt Bobby's arms encircle him, but at the same time, leaning into his friends hug.
"Go round everyone one up would you, I'm hungry," Bobby instructed Dean as he straightened up again.
"Sure and thanks, Bobby," Dean said he exited the kitchen. He paused at the door and looked back over his shoulder. "Heisenberg," he said with a small grin.
Bobby picked up his pencil, shook his head and filled in the clue. He wondered if the kid could explain exactly what it was. Probably, Bobby thought. Would he understand the explanation, probably not?
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Dean did what was asked of him and lunch was an enjoyable affair. For once, everyone seemed relaxed. Sam suggested that they all go out and enjoy themselves that evening and go see the new Spiderman movie. This led to the age old argument that had been going on with the Winchesters since Bobby had met them. Everyone had an opinion about which superhero could kick every other superhero's ass. Dean had his money on Batman, while Sam liked Spiderman. John got into the argument by defending the lone ranger. Bobby added his two cents by informing them that they didn't have a chance against Wolverine. Even Frank got into the argument with his opinion on Daredevil.
After lunch, Dean pulled his grandfather aside and explained that he was surprised that Frank knew about their lives and that he understood why John had told him. Frank was just glad that Dean wasn't upset, things had been going so well that he didn't want to ruin them. They all decided that Sam's suggestion was a good one and they all went to the movie that night. They all admitted afterwards that the movie had been good, but Dean had to make one last comment about the Batman movies being much better and the debate began again.
With everybody in such a good mood, Frank decided it was time to broach the subject of his birthday. He made sure to emphasize that the only other person to be there was Margaret. He wasn't surprised when John, Sam and Bobby hesitated, but he was even more surprised when Dean agreed to come. Despite everything, Dean still wanted to get to know his grandmother and this would be a good opportunity. Frank wanted to shake his head in disbelief at his grandson's generous nature. He was beginning to truly understand just how important family was to his eldest grandson.
Bobby was the next to accept. He didn't want Dean getting hurt again and he wanted to be on hand if Frank's wife tried anything. Sam and John were initially leery, but eventually accepted the invitation as well. It would be five against one, how bad could it be?
Things remained peaceful over the next few days as they all made preparations to leave. Bobby contacted an associate to keep an eye on his place while he was gone and they tried to decide who was going to travel in which car. Frank decided that it made more sense for one of others to drive, since they knew the way, but he didn't want to spend another 12 hours squeezed into the tiny back seat of the Ferrari, he immediately claimed a spot in the Impala. Before an argument broke out over who would drive the Ferrari, Dean pointed out reasonably that it was a 12 hour drive. They could divide themselves into two groups in each car and then switch after they stopped for something to eat. The only other person that Dean fully trusted to drive his Impala was his father. The hard part was to decide who would ride with Dean and who would ride with John.
No one was more surprised than Sam himself when he announced that he wanted to ride with his father. He hadn't spent much time with him lately and besides, he liked his father's music a lot more than Dean's. Bobby was grateful for a chance to ride with Dean.
John was touched when his youngest announced his intentions. He had been so focused on Dean lately that he realized he hadn't spent much time with his younger son and he missed him. It was decided that John, Sam and Frank would do the first stretch in the Impala, leaving Dean and Bobby with the Ferrari.
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The day they were to leave dawned crisp and clear. The temperature was neither too hot, nor too cold. It was a perfect day for a long car trip. They packed up the cars and were getting prepared to leave when Bobby got a phone call that he had to take. He told John and the others to go ahead. They had a designated meeting place about half way there, so it didn't matter if they weren't following each other.
Dean was flipping through a magazine, waiting for he elder hunter, when he heard a car pull into the gravel driveway. The noises that were coming from it gave Dean the distinct impression that it was on its last legs. He got up and walked over to the window and looked out. He watched as a young man, about his age, exited the car. He was almost as tall as Sam and had dirty blond hair. He looked vaguely familiar to Dean, but he knew he had never seen him before. Dean continued his surveillance and he saw the young man stop and admire the Ferrari before he continued up the steps and knocked at the door.
Dean trusted his instincts and didn't feel this guy was a physical threat so he answered the knock.
"That yours?" the stranger said in greeting and pointed to the gleaming red sports car.
"No," Dean answered. "My grandfather's."
"Nice," the guy whistled appreciatively.
"Can I help you?" Dean asked.
"I'm looking for my uncle, is he here?" The man asked.
"Bobby?" Dean asked in surprise. Bobby had said that he had almost no contact with his nephews.
"Yeah," the guy said.
"He's on the phone, but he should be out soon," Dean replied. He wasn't really sure what to say.
"Get him," ordered Bobby's nephew. "I'm in a hurry."
Dean just glared at him. There was only one person he took orders from.
"Hhellllooo," the stranger said sarcastically. "Are you deaf? I really need to see Uncle Bobby, I'm in a bit of a hurry. I'm telling Uncle Bobby that he should fire you. You don't take orders very well do you?"
"Wouldn't do you much good, but if you want to, more power to you," Dean said with a shrug of his shoulders. He was determined not to let this guy get to him.
"Dean, I have to run down to the salvage yard and check on something, I should be back in about 10 minutes and then we can hit the... Don." Bobby couldn't hide his shock. Seeing his nephew standing in his living room was the last thing he expected.
"Hi Uncle Bobby," Don grinned.
"Um, hi. What are you doing here?" Bobby asked.
"Do I need an excuse to visit my favourite uncle?"
"Considering I haven't seen you in two years, yes," Bobby replied.
"I was in the neighbourhood," Don said with a casual shrug of broad shoulders.
"Try again," Bobby demanded.
"Okay, I'm on my way to meet some friends and my car sounds like it's about to die. I need you to take a look at it."
"I'm a little busy, Don. Dean, if you don't mind, can you have a quick look?"
"Sure," Dean agreed.
"No way. This guy doesn't know how to listen, I suggest you fire him."
Dean and Bobby looked at each other and shared a small smile. "I'll take it under advisement. Dean's the best though. I'll be back in 10," Bobby said to Dean as he walked out of the room.
"Alright, you can look," Don conceded having no other choice. He really needed to get going.
"What seems to be the problem?" Dean asked.
"It started making strange noises," Don explained impatiently.
"When was this?"
"A few hours ago. I figured since I was close to Uncle Bobby's, I would stop by," Don explained.
Dean went up to the hood. He could feel the heat coming off the engine before he even popped the hood. This alerted him to what the potential problem could be. "When was the last time you topped up the oil?" he asked curiously.
"Not sure. I never check those things."
"If I had to guess, I would say there's no oil in the car. You're lucky your engine didn't blow."
"Well put some oil in so I can be on my way," Don said in a tone of exaggerated patience.
"It's not that simple. First of all, there is no way anyone is touching that engine for at least an hour and if you've been driving without oil, you could have damaged the engine, and from the sounds it was making when you drove in, I would guess you did," Dean said confidently. He was in his element around cars.
"You don't know what you're talking about. I'm gonna wait for Uncle Bobby, at least he knows what he's doing. I really think he needs to fire you," Don said trying to intimidate the young man standing before him.
"It would be kind of hard since I don't work for him. I'm just a family friend." Dean refused to be baited. One thing that he was sure of was Bobby's confidence in him around cars. "But if you want to wait for him, go ahead. He'll tell you the same thing."
"You're that Dean," Don said suddenly. In his sporadic visits with his uncle, Bobby had mentioned the young man a numerous times. Don recalled the affection in his Uncle's voice whenever he spoke about him. Don couldn't explain why he felt so jealous about a man he'd never met, it wasn't like he and his uncle were close, or that he had a desire to be close to his uncle, but he felt territorial none the less.
"Bobby mentioned me?" Dean asked, surprised.
"Yeah, never shuts up about you actually. You'd think you were his nephew." Don had meant it as a dig, but Dean didn't see it that way. Don's statement pleased him, that Bobby would think of him that way.
"Bobby's great. You're lucky to have him as an uncle," Dean said affectionately.
"Hey, boys." A voice greeted them. They looked up and saw Bobby walking toward them. "Figure out what was wrong, Dean?" Bobby asked, guessing that he had.
"I think so. The engine was over heated though, so I don't want to touch it."
Bobby frowned and put his hand over the hood. "Good call. You top up the fluids?" Bobby asked his nephew.
"No," Don admitted. "Can't you do something? I'm really in a hurry."
"Not until that engine cools down. I can call a tow truck for you. I'm on my way out of town."
"But Uncle Bobby," Don whined. "I have to meet my friends. Do you have another car I can use?"
"None of them are in working order. Besides, this is going to take at least two or three hours," Bobby explained.
"You don't have to come, Bobby," Dean offered, trying to keep the disappointment from his voice.
Bobby looked at the two young men in front of him. They were both family. Bobby knew, though, that the only reason Don was there was because he needed something. If he didn't, he would have driven right by without so much as a hello. As soon as the car was fixed, Don would take off again without even a thank you. It was never really an option about what he was going to do. Besides, he didn't want Dean facing Margaret alone. He pulled the Ferrari's keys out of his pocket and tossed them to Dean.
"Go lock up the house and start the car," he instructed. "I'll be there in a minute." Dean couldn't keep the smile off his face, Bobby had chosen to join him. Dean left and the elder mechanic turned to his nephew.
"I told you I'm in a hurry," Don tried again. He really needed to get going.
"I am too," Bobby explained.
"I'm family," Don tried.
"So is Dean," Bobby insisted firmly.
"He's nobody," Don said and knew immediately it was the wrong thing to stay when Bobby's eyes narrowed and anger was clearly visible across his face.
"Do. not. talk. about. what. you. don't. know!!" Bobby ground out, trying to keep his anger in check. "That young man is very important to me. You and Eric are my family and Dean's taught me the value of that, but that's the only reason I'm not going to tell you not to come around here again. Right now, I have a commitment I have to keep, so I will talk to you later." With that, Bobby turned his back on his nephew and headed toward the Ferrari.
"What about my car? How's it going to get fixed?" Don called to his uncle's back.
Bobby turned and then reached into his pocket and pulled out a coin and flipped it to his nephew. "Here's a quarter, you can call someone who cares."
With that, Bobby walked over to the Ferrari and climbed in, leaving Don standing there, wondering how things had gone so wrong.
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While Dean and Bobby were dealing with the unexpected visitor, Frank, John and Sam were making good progress. After a couple of hours, they decided to take a small break and grab a coffee. This would also give Dean and Bobby a chance to catch up. They were seated in a booth and made some small talk.
"Sam?" Frank asked. "The other day, your father and Bobby were sharing memories with me. Can I ask your favourite one?"
Sam hoped his dad hadn't shared anything too embarrassing. Sam didn't even have to think. "I was about 9 and that was the time that I realized that I have the coolest big brother in the world."
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1992.
Nine year old Sam Winchester loved school. He loved to learn new things and read books. He was also good at it, he always got good grades and he never minded doing tests and assignments. His older brother called him geek boy, but Sam never minded because he knew that Dean said it with affection.
"Class," Ms. Gracin addressed her fourth graders just before the final bell rang. "For your creative writing assignments this week, I want to you write about your heroes. Make sure to do a good job on them because we are also going to do oral reports on the subject of our heroes on Monday. Any questions?"
"Ms. Gracin, can we write about anyone?" Davy Price asked.
"Yes, I can't tell you who your hero is," Ms. Gracin replied with a smile.
"Cool, I'm gonna write about Superman," someone from the back of the class piped up.
"Wonder Woman," a little girl cried.
"Okay, we must remember to raise our hands," Ms. Gracin reminded the class. "Any other questions? No, okay, class dismissed. I'll see you Monday."
Sam wasn't paying attention to what the other kids were saying. He ran his tongue over his newly capped tooth and grinned. He didn't have to think twice about who would be the subject of his essay. He couldn't wait for Monday when he could tell everyone about his big brother and how he saved him from mortal embarrassment.
The weekend seemed to take forever for the nine year old. He practically ran all the way to school on Monday and Dean called after him several times to slow down. The morning seemed like it was practically forever and finally, after lunch, they started their presentations.
"Charlene Abrams, you're first."
A little blond girl with her hair in pig tails delivered her essay on Wonder Woman. When the teacher called on Joey Conner, Sam realized with a small sigh that the teacher was going in alphabetical order, he was used to going last. He just wished everyone would hurry up. He really wanted his turn.
As the presentations went on, Sam began to worry. Everyone was talking about comic book characters. A couple of others talked about baseball, hockey and football players and movie stars. It seemed to Sam that he was the only one who hadn't picked a famous person. Had he misunderstood the assignment?
Just great,he thought to himself. What was he going to do? He could wing it. He really liked Spiderman, even though Dean said he was a wimp, but Spiderman wasn't his hero. Besides, there had already been three reports done on Spiderman. Were the kids going to make fun of him for getting the assignment wrong? If they did that, then Dean was going to go after them and he would be in trouble with their dad for fighting. Sam had wanted to honor his big brother and now he was going to get him in trouble. Some little brother he was. He was almost tempted to tell the teacher that he hadn't done the assignment. Would she believe him?
"Sam Winchester." He heard his name being called.
He picked up his paper and walked to the front of the room as slowly as he could. He turned and faced the class. He took a deep breath and announced the name of his essay in a loud clear voice. Dean was his hero and he was not saying otherwise.
"My Brother, My Hero by Sam Winchester."
He looked out at his classmates, so far, so good. No one was laughing yet. Ms. Gracin sat up a little straighter as well, after 25 other reports on celebrities, comic book heroes and sports figures, she wanted to hear what Sam had to say about his big brother.
"I know I'm not the only person in the world to have a brother. Lots of people do. I was the lucky one who got the best big brother ever, though. My brother's name is Jonathan Dean Winchester Jr. He was named after our dad. We call him Dean, though. Dad only ever calls him John Jr when he's in trouble. I'm really, really lucky to have my brother though, because my dad told me that Dean almost didn't survive. He was born too early and was in the hospital for a really long time. Dad told me that he was one of the strongest kids he knew and he was right. Dean looks after me and plays games with me. He taught me how to ride a bike and rollerblade. He took me fishing on my birthday. He helps me with my math homework. No one's smarter than Dean when it comes to math, not even my dad. I know 'cause I asked my dad. "Sam paused. He saw that he had the class' complete attention.
"Now you may ask yourself why that makes Dean the best big brother ever and I will tell you. He would do anything for me, even if it meant giving up his most prized thing. My dad got Dean a guitar, he had wanted one for like, forever. Then I got hurt at school and chipped this tooth," Sam said pointing. "It was right before school pictures and I couldn't have my picture taken like that," Sam said and he could hear the class sympathising with him.
"Anyway, the dentist wanted a ton of money to fix my tooth and dad wasn't going to have it until after school picture day, so Dean sold his guitar and gave dad the money and I got my tooth fixed. Not only that, but Dean saved my dad's life. We were out at our cabin when this bear attacked my dad. Dean pushed my dad out of the way and got hurt instead. He had to have an operation. I'm so glad he was okay, though. I don't know what I would do without my big brother. The end."
No matter what happened, Sam was proud of himself for telling everyone about Dean. He handed his paper to the teacher and walked proudly back to his desk. He failed to notice the teacher frown and make a note in her book to get in touch with his father. She had a feeling the big brother had written the essay for his little brother.
Much to Sam's surprise, his classmates told him that they wished they had Dean for a big brother and how lucky Sam was. Courtney Green, a girl in Sam's class who had a crush on Sam's older brother, actually asked Dean if he would be her big brother too.
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"Sam, did you know that your teacher actually called me in for a parent/teacher conference after that essay. She thought you made the whole thing up."
"Are you serious?" Sam asked in disbelief.
"Yup," Frank said. John had told him this story. " Your dad set her straight, though."
"Is that why I was moved to Mr. Donovan's class the following week?" Sam asked. His father had told him it was because Ms. Gracin's class was overfull.
"Yeah, Sam," John admitted.
"Thanks for sticking up for us, dad," Sam said sincerely.
"No problem, kiddo. Hey Frank, did I ever tell you about the time Sam went to the circus?"
"Dad, please don't?" Sam begged.
An evil grin spread across John's face. "Well, he was about six..."
"Dad!!!"
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Dean and Bobby drove along in silence for awhile. Bobby knew what was on Dean's mind and decided to call him on it.
"You've been quiet. Is this about Don?" Bobby asked with touch of worry.
"I wouldn't have minded if you stayed with him. He's your nephew," Dean said.
"Yeah and so are you," Bobby confirmed.
"Thanks, Bobby," Dean said softly.
"Look, son, the only reason Don stopped by was because he needed something, otherwise he wouldn't have given me the time of day. I'm right where I want to be," Bobby said firmly.
"You're sure?" Dean asked.
"Yes, and we aren't going to mention it again. You did nothing, Dean, there was a rift there before I met you and it will never change."
"Thanks, Bobby," Dean repeated.
Bobby decided to change the subject. He wanted to know Dean's favourite memory. Like John's though, Dean's favourite memory was a private one that he didn't want to share, so he told Bobby the story about finding out he was going to be a big brother. In truth, his favourite moment was the first time he could clearly remember his dad saying I'm proud of you, son.
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1984
Five year old Dean Winchester sat in his seat in his kindergarten classroom. He hated school and wanted to go home to his daddy and Sammy. He heard his teacher speaking and he told himself to pay attention so she wouldn't get mad at him again.
"It's almost mother's day so that means we're going to have a mother's day party. For art, I want you to make invitations and take them home to your moms. This Friday, we'll invite them to come to our classroom and you will all have a chance to meet your classmate's moms," Mrs White explained to her class.
The kids talked excitedly, except one. Mrs. White glanced at Dean Winchester. She had never seen a child that still. When she walked over to him and asked if he was okay, he just nodded ever so slightly. He got into these moods sometimes and when he did, it was best to leave him alone. She checked on him again later and saw him doing the assignment. She just shook her head.
Dean couldn't believe his ears when his teacher told the class what to make for art. Stupid teachers didn't know anything. He barely heard his teacher asking if he was okay. How was he going to get an invitation to his mommy? She was in heaven. Pastor Jim had told him that she had a new job as a guardian angel. He hoped she was better than her own guardian angel had been, 'cause that one really sucked. Could Pastor Jim get an invitation to his mommy in heaven? He had said that even though he couldn't see her, she was still around. It was then and there that he decided to make the invitation to his mother and one for his father as well. He knew his daddy missed his mommy like he did and if she was going to be there, then Daddy would want to be there too. He picked up his crayon and did his best to make his letters go the right way. His invitation had to be perfect.
He got home from school that day and gave his dad the invitation that he had made for him. He didn't say anything about his mom though, he wanted that to be a surprise for his dad. A little later in the week, Pastor Jim came to visit and Dean asked the kind man if he would give his mom the invitation. Jim agreed and promised not to tell his dad after Dean made him swear to keep it a secret.
The day of the party arrived and Dean got up and went for breakfast as usual. He saw his dad sitting at the table, trying to get Sammy to eat his breakfast rather than him wearing it.
"Morning, buddy," John greeted his eldest as he wiped Sam's egg off his face.
"Morning, daddy," Dean greeted. "Morning, Sammy. Good shot, you got Daddy right between the eyes," Dean praised his baby brother.
Sammy grinned and John rolled his eyes. "Please don't encourage him, son." Then John's face changed. "There's something I need to talk to you about."
At his father's serious expression, Dean became nervous. "Am I in trouble, Daddy?"
"No kiddo, I'm sorry. I just wanted to know if you wanted to stay home from school today. You, me and Sammy will spend the day together."
"No, daddy!!" Dean cried. He had to go to school. His mom was going to be there.
John was taken aback by Dean's desire to go to school. He normally jumped at any opportunity to miss it. He knew his son was up to something.
"Okay, if you want to go that badly," John conceded.
"You're still coming, right?" Dean asked afraid that his dad had changed his mind.
"'Course I am, buddy." John reassured his son. This was going to be the first mother's day without Mary and if his boy needed him there, then that's where he was going to be. After getting the invitation from Dean, he had called the teacher and explained the situation. Mrs. White was the one who suggested that he keep Dean home, so they could avoid an uncomfortable situation.
At school that day, Dean proudly showed his father his desk and the pictures he had made in art class. John got several curious stares from the other mothers, but he ignored them and concentrated on Dean. Once class started, Mrs. White went up and down the rows of desks one by one, asking the students to bring their mothers to the front of the class and introduce them.
When Mrs White called on the little girl who sat in front of him and then the little boy that sat behind him, Dean glanced toward his father. Daddy looked mad. Dean raised his hand.
"Mrs. White, can I have my turn now?" Dean asked calmly.
"Go ahead," she said stiffly with a reluctance that Dean was oblivious to.
Dean made a motion for his dad to stay put. He walked to the front of the classroom and turned and faced his classmates. He wanted to cry and run into Daddy's arms, but he had to tell people about his mom. She was there. He couldn't disappoint her. He had to be a big boy. He held up the photograph he had swiped off Daddy's nightstand that morning. It was a picture of his mom and dad.
"This is a picture of my mom," he announced. "I wanted you to see her. She was a great mom. She sang songs and tucked me into bed. She even stayed with me when I had to be in the hospital or have tests. She gave me cookies and told stories and took me to the park. She even gave me a baby brother. Sammy's the best little bother ever. There's a reason she can't be here today, though. She has a real important job. She watches over me, and daddy, and baby Sammy and other families and keeps them safe." Dean stopped for a moment as his voice started to waver. He took a deep breath, steeled himself and continued. "She's a guardian angel up in heaven. I made an invitation for my daddy and one for my mom. I gave mommy's to daddy's friend, Pastor Jim, and asked if he could get it up to Mommy in heaven. He said he would. So even though you can't see her, I know she's here keeping us all safe, just like angels do. I, ah, I love you, mom." Dean finished and lost the battle with his tears. He ran directly into his dad's arms. What he didn't see was that there wasn't a dry eye in the room, including John and Mrs. White.
He buried his head in his dad's shoulder, seeking the comfort he always found there. He felt his dad lift him up and carry him out of the classroom. His dad didn't say anything.
"I'm sorry, daddy," Dean said. He had promised himself he wasn't going to cry.
"What on earth for?" John asked in confusion.
"I didn't mean to cry. I wanted to be brave for mommy," Dean said.
John just hugged his son close. "It's okay, buddy. I think mommy would understand. I bet she cried a bit too."
"Did I do a good job, Daddy, telling everyone about mommy?" Dean asked, fearful that he had let his mom down.
"Yes Dean. You did an excellent job. I couldn't have done better myself. Mommy would be so proud of you for being so brave," John said sincerely. "Can I ask why you wanted me here?"
"'Cause I knew mommy was gonna be here. I figured you'd want to be with her too."
""Thanks, buddy," John said gruffly. "Let's finish the party and you can play hooky this afternoon. We'll get Sammy from Pastor Jim's and go for ice cream."
"Chocolate chip?"
"Chocolate chip," John confirmed. "Double scoop, what do you say?"
"Let's go, daddy."
John pulled his son into another hug. "You know what, Dean? I'm proud of you, son."
Dean's face lit up like Christmas tree.
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It was a long drive and the two groups met up and switched cars and completed the journey to Frank's house. Like all the Winchester's, Bobby was in awe of the house and the grounds. As they pulled up, each was wondering what would happen next.
TBC
A/N: I give up. I couldn't resist adding the two flashbacks at the end of the chapter. I figured since you knew Bobby's and John's, I would add Sam and Dean's. I know that Dean's memory is not new. I mentioned it in my first story, but I figured it was a little different since it's told from Dean's perspective rather than John's. I decided to add the scene with Bobby's nephew because I figured it would do Dean some good to see someone choose to be with him. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please read and review and let me know.