Sorry for the wait. Couldn't write, Ben refused to cooperate (Damn teenager), Saw Infinity War, fell into shock, then made myself sit down and write because I can feel the end with this story coming up.

Ben swore softly as he ducked down behind the bus bench. Another demon. Geez. How are they finding him? Well, not finding him per se but how are in the same location as him all the damn time? He knows they're not tracking him. They can't. Krissy made sure of it but how are they always where he is? It's like as soon as he hits a town they're there too.

A part of him does want to step up from his hiding spot but to do so wouldn't ensure he'd get taken to this dad. He reveals himself to the wrong demon and he could end up dead instead of bait or leverage over his father, then again, one would think the Devil himself would have complete control over his minions and letting him be seen by one of the denizens of the underworld wouldn't exactly be a bad thing in the grand scheme of what's been going on. Because there is no way he would be hurt until either God's sister or son has what they want from his dad.

So...he's staying put.

Instinct is a powerful thing to change and fight against and overcome. He does want to be taken to his dad but he doesn't want to die in the process. That, and he can hear Krissy's voice screaming at him not to do anything stupid, like getting intentionally caught by demons.

It's only been a couple of days since he left Krissy in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and he misses her like crazy. He honestly forgot what it was like to not have her by his side. He looks to his right and sees no Krissy, he gets temporarily disoriented because that's not how it's supposed to be, and it takes him a while to get his balance back. There had been so many times that he almost went back to their temporary house in Wyoming but the thought of essentially being a sitting duck rubs against him in the wrong way. Chafing, really.

He is so sick of not being able to get in contact with his foster parents, with Jody and the girls, and his goddamn father.

Ben bit back a snarl of anger and remained in his hiding spot until the demons moved on, then a thought struck him. He should follow them. As long as he keeps his face from being seen by them, he could hopefully overhear some news about his dad or Amara or Lucifer. He needs to learn something that's been going on.

Being in the dark is not fun.

Decision made, Ben followed the demons, and hid behind whatever he could, trying in vain to overhear what the demons were talking about. People chattered loudly and the demons made sure to keep their voices low as they continuously scanned, presumably, for him.

Then something odd happened. One second they were walking two feet in front of him, someone crossed his path, temporarily blocking Ben's view less than a second, and the demons were gone. In the fraction of a second, the demons disappeared without a trace. That is so unfair. How is he supposed to follow them when they can disappear faster than the eye can blink?

And if demons can do that, then what can God's sister do?

A shiver of unease crawled up his spine and nestled in the base of his skull, leaving him feeling incredibly unsettled and vaguely paranoid. He doesn't know what to do. Every instinct he has is telling him he needed to return to Krissy because she'll know what to do. He is so out of his depth.

He can do this. He can find his dad without anyone elses help. Getting captured may not be the best course of action but it's all he has and he's betting that neither Lucifer or Amara would kill him on sight. They need him for leverage. Killing him would not serve their interest, at least until they got what they wanted from his dad then he'll most likely be dead not long after they finish talking.

Ben let out a defeated sigh and strode forward and stopped exactly where the demons were, looking around for any trace but, of course, found nothing. That is just unfair.

Maybe he should learn magic. Because doing this job is hard on his own.

There was a book on magick, funny spelling and all in his old boxes from before he lost his memory of his dad. Maybe his dad had the idea to teach him the do's and don't's of magic, like, mainly Don't Do It. But why though? Isn't magic mostly neutral? Like, it's the intent, right?

A headache blossomed. Screw this.

Ben stomped off towards the bus line when the sky seemed to shiver and a loud boom could be heard, strong enough to send Ben staggering back a couple of steps from the force of it. Windows shattered, people screamed, and Ben's ears rang. Alarms were going off in a cacophony of noise that wasn't helping the ringing in his ears and his headache spiked into a full blown migraine.

What the hell was that?

The answer came to him: Amara. Oh, boy. She must be done playing games because that was one hell of a yoo-hoo. Is she taunting God? Is she daring Him to come out, come out and play-ay? What would it be like if two incredibly powerful forces went toe-to-toe?

Oh, geez. He needs to find his dad now.

BW

Screaming in frustration seems like a good idea right now. It's been hours since the whole "Earth shaking and people screaming" thing happened, and Ben has not, he's not kidding, been able to find a single damn demon. Not one. Of all the times to actually get caught by one...and he can't friggin' find a demon. One would think that since the sky shivered, demons would be all over the place trying to find the source of the...power?...the origin. Whatever. Not even an angel could be found.

Dammit.

Now he really wishes Krissy taught him how to summon demons. That'd be really helpful right about now.

He knows there was a reason for not teaching that particular brand of magic but it would have been nice to at least know how to do it. Although, does Krissy know how to summon a demon? How to trap one? They've steered clear of demons while they were on the run. Of course that now comes back to bite him in the ass, and he really doesn't remember if his dad ever gave him a crash course in demonology before losing his memories.

"Amara!" He yelled suddenly to the empty field. He's not dumb enough to yell at the heavens with people around. He'd find himself in the loony bin before he could find his dad. "Amara," he yelled again. "Lucifer! Castiel!"

Ben lost track of how long he yelled out those three names but as the stars came out, Ben found himself suddenly in some sort of building basement or something. There's a spiral staircase that lead up to a heavy duty door, and there's, like, a world map-table thing, something that would be on a war movie set. Behind him is library that's on an upper platform with tables, and a delicious smell permeated the air. Someone's cooking something.

Following his nose, Ben walked hopped the two steps that lead up the platform, down a hallway, and took a left to find a short guy cheffing up dinner, presumably. The guy whistled as he moved about the kitchen, seemingly oblivious to Ben's presence.

That is until the guy spoke up.

"Sit down, Ben. Dinner's almost ready."

Ben sat down automatically, his stomach deciding for him. Krissy would have kicked his ass for listening to some dude or creature or something that just magicked him away from Nebraska to wherever the hell he is right now, but a growing boy's got to eat. Whatever the dude is cooking smells unbelievably good. It tickled a memory of his mom when he was really little.

A plate piled high with a steak and a medly vegetables and seasoned fingerling potatoes that were so good he moaned when he bit into them. Before he knew it, the food was gone and the plate literally licked clean.

The man chuckled fondly.

"You're just like your dad. Well, almost. He wouldn't've eaten the vegetables. That must be your mom coming through, and maybe a bit of your uncle as well."

Ben swallowed thickly. Is this it? Is he finally going to meet his dad? Again. Meet his dad again. And his uncle. Their angel, too.

"Are you related to Gabriel?" Ben asked.

The man let out a bark of laughter and even clapped in genuine amusement. He snapped his fingers like Gabriel did and the kitchen was cleaned.

"Does that answer your question?" The smile Ben had fighting back escaped, and the man grinned back at him. "He's...more like me on my good days than any other day."

"That's delightfully vague."

"Yes. I thought so."

Grinning, Ben held up the empty plate, silently asking for more. The man gestured at the plate and it refilled. Gabriel didn't do that. Maybe he wasn't powerful enough. He always snapped his fingers to channel his powers, so, this guy is stronger, has more power, than the archangel.

"Are you Michael? He's the only possible archangel that's more powerful than he is. If you were Lucifer, then I'd be chained or caged up, not being fed really delicious food," Ben inferred, "and if you're Amara, then Gabriel really dropped the ball in informing me of your sex change. Although, if you were some other powerful entity, I guess I got to ask if and when you're going to kill me. I don't have any information about my dad or uncle or their angel."

Ben's a little impressed with himself. He said all that without showing just how fucking terrified he is. This short dude is packing a serious amount of power without any hint of power exhaustion.

"You're girlfriend, Krissy Chambers, is safe in Sioux Falls with Jody Mills and her pseudo-daughters, Alex and Claire. I pinned a note on her lapel saying who she is when I deposited her off there. Understandably a little startled and bemused as to how she got there but Jody will take good care of her until your return," the man informed him with a benevolent smile.

"I'm not going to kill you. Your dad will never forgive me, nor would your mother and uncle. I know you don't remember your dad or uncle, but I do know that little spell Castiel placed upon you is fading. A spell of that magnitude needs constant care and let's just say Castiel has been a bit busy. Also, Castiel's meddling sister should have just let you drift in the foster care system. You would have been much safer."

Ben blinked. What?

Correctly reading his expression, the man spoke in a gentle tone, "Your father and uncle have collected a lot of IOUs over the years, and when Castiel's sister discovered who you were, she decided to pay up by sending to Jody, thinking she'd keep you safe. Castiel's sister forgot one important fact about you Winchesters, even half-Winchesters, hunting is in your blood.

"Sooner or later you would have been drawn into that world, setting you up in the same town as a hunter was just asking for trouble." The man chuckled to himself and shook his head in amazement. "Even those who have passed on protect you in repayment. And a wayward archangel who likes to march to the beat of his own drum."

The man sighed tiredly but Ben didn't think it was for any physical reasons, and tilted his head at his empty plate, making it vanish, and Ben swallowed at the casual show of power. Who is this guy? Where the hell is he?

"Your father is here, as is your uncle, my sons, and the King of Hell and his mother," the man told him, and Ben shot to his feet, the chair crashed backwards but froze mid-air.

"Where? Can I see him? Them?"

The man held his hands out for Ben and the younger hunter stepped into them without hesitation, closing his eyes when the man bracketed his face with them and pulled his head down for a kiss of benediction on his forehead, which felt oddly appropriate for some reason, and instantly his head filled with images of a man with familiar green eyes, a deep voice, and held an aura of safety and comfort. Of home.

When the man let his head go, Ben immediately started crying deep wracking sobs because that's his dad.

Dean Winchester smiled at him with a look of pure happiness on his face when Ben brought home straight A's on his report card. The same smile on his face when they worked on the Impala together in his mom's garage back in Cicero, a hint of proudness when Ben correctly changed the oil without any help.

His dad cheering loudly when Ben hit a grand slam in the 5th inning of play-offs, surging ahead to the lead by two runs. His mom and dad taking him and his friends out for a day in the sun at the local lake.

So many memories that he outright forgot because his dad had been too entwined for the spell to remove him without leaving any trace of something not being right, flooded his mind. His dad and uncle saved him from the Changlings, his dad promising to come back and he did until Uncle Sam took him away for good.

His mom had truly loved his dad and his dad loved her. He had a family.

"Breathe, Ben," the man encouraged, and Ben took a deep breath, clearing out the stars in his eyes. He didn't even realize he even stopped in the first place.

"Don't be mad at your uncle, he wasn't himself," the man defended Sam's actions. "That was no fault of his own."

"Okay, good, but what about my dad?" Ben asked as anger started to build in his chest. Now that he has all of his memories back, Ben's not so inclined to give his dad anymore leeway in his treatment of him and how he treated his mother before she died. "Why did he stay away?"

Was I not good enough to keep him with us? Did he really not care about us? About me?

The man sighed again. "I can't answer that for him."

"But you defended my uncle pretty fast!" Ben argued.

When the man didn't answer, Ben huffed in frustration and started pacing around the kitchen.

"I want to see my dad, and then my uncle."

"I don't know if I should do that," the man admitted with a guilty look. "There is a lot, and I mean a lot, going on right now, Ben, and I think it would be best if we waited until Amara is dealt with."

Before Ben could even open his mouth to argue, the man smiled at him and Ben found himself standing inside a spacious and opulent room but with no door and a huge sliding window, like the kind that slides all the way open - to a large deck that looked out to a view that most people would kill to have with gigantic mountains that somehow felt old, ancient. Antediluvian. Primordial. The air even felt wild and pure.

Turning around, Ben found a kitchen that would make the world's greatest chefs weep in jealousy. Wandering around, there was a fully stocked pantry and fridge, a queen bed with what has to be the most soft and comfortable bedding ever, and don't get him started on the bed. It's so amazing.

A studio apartment. The dude sent him to a studio apartment at the beginning of time. He wished Krissy could see this. She'd love it.

Instead of allowing sadness to overswamp him, or anger for that matter, Ben opted to focus on exploring his domicile to see if there was any way out, and after looking for an entire hour, he came to the realization that he's stuck here until his dad saves the day because there's even an invisible barricade to keep him from jumping. Not that he'd do that. Dude is paranoid.

His dad named Dean. His uncle's name is Sam.

He's a Winchester.

All the times people referred to him by his father's surname, he now remembers them. The social worker, that dude confirmed she was an angel, and he said he confirmed he was related to Gabriel, though he did have a little secret smile on his face that Ben couldn't explain at the archangel's name.

An idea formed that Ben immediately dismissed as to ludicrous to even consider. There is no way that the Dude is God. No way. The Dude is short. Ben doesn't think that God would be short or scruffy. Krissy's taller than him. Krissy would not be taller than God. But who the hell is the Dude?

Aaand Ben's having a hard time not laughing. The Dude. He can't remember the movie exactly where the reference is from but it's super old and still funny.

He watched it with his dad. He remembers that. God, if only he can remember the name of that damn movie.

"I can help!" Ben yelled to the ceiling. "I can! Dude! I can help!"

Silence. Asshole, Ben thought with a snarl. Why can't he see his dad and help? He can. Krissy has taught him a lot during their time together. He wouldn't be burden or a hindrance or anything. He wouldn't. He wants to prove that he can handle himself, to show his dad what he's learned, and to show that his dad made a mistake leaving him and his mom. He just wants to prove he's good enough to be a Winchester, dammit.

"You asshole!" Ben shouted angrily.

Ben dropped to his knees, dug his knife out of his ankle holster and started to carve a sigil onto the floor. He found it online, here's hoping the information is correct and that when he cuts his palm and places it dead center, it should make a powerful sonic boom from his location.

That'll get the Dude's attention. He has to be Michael.

Sigil done. Now all he has t do is cut his palm and slam it dead center, and then, hopefully, he'll be able to leave this so-called safe house.

He's going to help his dad. The Dude isn't going to stop him. Not even God or his sister or favored son.

Decision made, Ben slammed his palm on the sigil and a loud boom shook the cabin, rattling the windows hard enough for them to bend and bow before resuming its original shape, but the effect was a little terrifying. He had a moment where he thought the window would break and shatter inward and he'd have glass shards all over him, cutting him to ribbons.

Yeah, he really didn't think that through.

Deafened from the sonic boom, Ben felt off - his equilibrium shot - as he stood up and walked to the massive island with white quart countertop and sat on one of the barstools that looked right out of a sci-fi episode. Comfortable though.

Good on the Dude for furniture choices. If he wasn't so worried about his dad and uncle and Krissy, he'd actually be quite content to stay here until his dad came for him. He has to come for him this time. The Dude said they'd meet once the situation with Amara had been dealt with. After all these years he'd finally be reunited with his last remaining family.

A thunderclap rattled the windows again and Ben ducked behind the massive island, just in case the windows blew this time.

Nothing happened.

Peeking out behind the island, Ben froze in shock when he saw a woman in a black dress standing in the living room looking around in interest. Her face, Ben couldn't believe just how sharp her cheekbones are. He's glad Krissy isn't here. She'd smack him for thinking that and then she'd attack the woman because she is obviously not human.

Ben's not sure he could even land a hit. The woman radiates power but it's subtle enough to make Ben's skin crawl and a shiver of apprehension make it's way through his body.

"Come out from behind there, little one," the woman ordered, her gaze locked on the mountains outside. "Come out or I'll make you."

She wasn't kidding. She's dead serious.

Taking a deep, steadying breath that helped him put his "I'm not afraid of you" mask on, even slapping a smirk on his face. Ben stood to his full height and crossed his arms, smirk firmly in place.

The woman turned from the window to stare at him, pinning him with intense eyes that looked at him like he's a particularly interesting specimen. Her eyes widened for a brief second when she truly focused on him then a small, triumphant smile grew. She held her hand out for him to take. Ben felt compelled to grab it for some reason.

"Hello."

"Hi."

"You're Dean's son," she stated, slowly walking towards him. Her entire attention is focused on him. Ben feels like a bug under a microscope. "You look like him. You have his bearing. You have brown eyes instead of the green eyes of your father. I'm guessing that is the part of your mother coming through. A cloak of compassion surrounds you, must be because of her."

Ben blinked. What else is he supposed to do?

The woman flicked her hand and the island disappeared like it had never been there. Fear spiked as more adrenaline surged through his body. She's as powerful as the Dude. She could only be one person.

"Amara."

She smiled at him.

"Yes."