Words: 925

Author: oureleventhhour

Prompt Word: L for Letter

Au: Season 6 Au: I'll Take Care of You

Summary: Lisa left Dean a few things following her death.

Dean

Lisa's funeral was nothing too fancy. Her parents, her sister, some co-works and friends from Indiana came by, and of course Dean brought Sam with him. Ben was pretty tore up about his mother's death but the only people to approach him were Dean and Lisa's parents.

After the supernatural attack on Lisa's house she had gone ahead and made out a will and much to Dean's surprise she had left him a few things. The first was a photo album with all the pictures that had been taken while he had lived with Ben and Lisa. From barbeques to soccer games Lisa had taken pictures of everything. The next was a letter Lisa had written herself.

Basically it told him she had loved him and that the year they spent together was the best of her life. She went on to say that if Dean wanted he could have full custody of Ben. Her sister was always moving with her job and her parents were too old to take care of the young teen. Lisa said Dean had no obligation to take in Ben but she knew he'd be happy there with him if something ever happened to her.

Later at the hotel Dean brings it up to his brother.

"I dunno, Dean," Sam says quietly, "We're not exactly stable. Sure we've got a house and everything and he won't have to move schools every week but...I'm not exactly fit to take care of him when you're not there."

"I just think he'll be safer with us, man." Dean replies with a sigh, "He's a good kid. Ben can practically take care of himself, anyway. When you were thirteen you knew how to work a microwave so that covers the food. And it's not like we have to potty train him or anything. He can bring his clothes and his bedroom stuff from his and Lisa's-" Dean chokes off, the sudden realization that Lisa's friggin' dead hitting him hard in the chest.

Sam glances worriedly at his brother but knows better than to mention it. "Have you talked to him about it?"

Wiping a hand through his hair Dean decides to worry about Lisa later and Ben now, "No but I've talked to his grandparents, they've got him for a couple of days until they head back to Indiana. Jeff, her dad, just got diagnosed with cancer and doesn't want Ben around to see him...ya' know." Dean clears his throat and flops down onto the nearest bed.

"Ask Ben what he wants. If he wants to put up with you and your lousy cooking then I don't care."

Sam skillfully dodges the pillow that comes flying towards him.

One week later has Ben's bedroom fully set up. They sold Sam's and Dean's old beds and bought two smaller beds to put into Dean's room, this way Sam and Dean would share a room so Ben could have his own. Ben protested having his own room, saying he'd be more than happy to share but his new guardians overruled him easily.

Ben

Ben had been living with Sam and Dean for two weeks now. He was finally used to the small noises that woke him in the middle of the night, mostly Sam crying out in his sleep. The walls were paper thin so Ben woke any time Sam had a nightmare, which was most nights, and if that didn't wake him up then Dean getting out of bed to comfort his brother did.

So far Ben hadn't seen one of Sam's 'episodes' as Dean had called them. He'd noticed Sam zone out a couple times but nothing more than that. Sam always seemed to snap out of it quickly and they acted as if it never happened.

He was enrolled in school again, much to his annoyance. The only good thing about school was they actually had a soccer team, unlike his other schools. The one in Cicero didn't have enough people for a team and the one in Michigan didn't have a coach. Sam taught him a few tricks, leaving both Dean and Ben stunned that a man that size could handle a small ball that well without tripping over it and falling on his face.

They even had a routine set up now at the Winchester/Braeden household. Every morning they got up, Dean made breakfast, they ate while Dean and Sam bickered, Ben grabbed a shower, caught the bus to school, came to his new home, did his homework, ate dinner, and then the rest of the night was spent doing whatever. Sometimes they watched movies, other times they went outside. A couple of times they just sat in the living room and goofed off. It kind of reminded him of the year Dean lived with him and his mom.

Her death was still present in his mind but Ben was dealing the best he could. He missed her like crazy and there were times when he forgot she was gone, expecting her to wake him up in the morning for school.

"-and then Ricky ended up-"

"Dean, please remember there's a kid in the room before you finish this joke." Sam cut him off, voice mixed with annoyance and amusement.

Ben hid a laugh behind a cough when Dean stopped talking, throwing his brother a look instead. Okay, so he wasn't fully on board with being treated as a 'kid' like Sam had said but it was always funny to see someone pull one over on Dean.

Wasn't too happy with the beginning of the update but I was okay with Ben's portion.