AUTHOR'S NOTES: In terms of canon, I like the character Lisa Braeden on 'Supernatural'. But in terms of this story, I've become very resolute about pairing Dean with Ziva David from 'NCIS'.

Chapter Summary: The gang stops in on Bobby before going to Lisa Braeden's house for Ben's 10th birthday.

Chapter 18

Let's Do This

Although Fiona's old townhouse in DC had become home for the Winchesters and Fiona lately, the three had decided to head out to Sioux Falls, South Dakota to check and see how their friend, Bobby Singer, was faring.

According to Ellen Harvelle—who had been helping take care of the grizzled old hunter—Bobby needed some cheering up and Ellen figured seeing Sam, Dean, and Fi would fit the bill.

As the trio had prepared to head out on a cool Thursday morning, Dean looked over at Sam and Fiona who were sharing a quick kiss before getting into the car—a gleaming black '67 Chevy Impala.

It took Fiona only a minute to move from her wheelchair to the backseat of the car and Dean hated how quickly his best friend's situation had become so commonplace.

Watching Sam put the wheelchair in the trunk of the car before folding himself into the front passenger seat, Dean thought—not for the first time—about getting a bigger car. In the past it had just been a random thought but lately it seemed like a good idea.

"Dean? Are you coming?"

Dean brought his focus back to the present as he looked at the dark-haired woman who was giving him a puzzled look. "Yeah, I'm coming," he assured her.

"You were just standing there like a bump on a frog," Ziva said, watching her boyfriend and lover intently.

Dean grinned as he got in the Impala, Ziva sitting behind him. "It's 'a bump on a log'."

"Don't frogs also have bumps?" Ziva asked, a bit confused.

Dean didn't respond; instead he turned the music on and pulled out of the driveway to sounds of 'Lonely Is the Night' by Billy Squier.

When the four got to Bobby's, they found Ellen hauling out some boxes to a pile which was growing next to the garage. She looked up and smiled as the Winchesters, Fiona, and Ziva got out of the car. "How was the drive?" she asked, casually.

"Quiet," Dean said with a shrug. "How's Bobby doing?"

"Put it this way," Ellen said with a wry smile. "Jo as a toddler was easier to handle."

"That bad, huh?" Sam said, sympathetically.

As they all walked up to the front porch—Fiona using the ramp that had been installed—Ellen warned them, "Bobby's been more cranky than usual since he's been doing the physical therapy. He's doing pretty well, but…"

"Got it," Dean replied, getting the hint as he went through the front door, stopping dead when he looked around the house. If he hadn't known better, he would have sworn he'd stepped into the wrong house.

"What the hell?" Sam said, standing next to his brother and also looking around the oddly clean living room.

"Don't say a word," Bobby growled as he limped into the room from the kitchen. While he was still using the crutches, he seemed to be doing infinitely better than when he'd first gotten home from the hospital. Slowly sitting down on the couch, he looked up at Sam, Dean, and Ziva. "Ellen's been going nuts with cleaning the place up. I'm not saying it didn't need it, but…"

"It looks nice," Ziva said, politely, hoping it was the right thing to say.

Bobby frowned as he looked around. The house did look much better without all the clutter. And as much as he hated to admit it, it was a welcome change not to be tripping over things all the time.

"So what're you doing with the boxes of stuff Ellen was getting rid of?" Fiona asked, curiously.

"Probably just stashing them somewhere for the time being," Bobby replied, shrugging. "Hell if I know."

Fiona didn't say anything for a moment, but finally, she said, "Look, Bobby, I owe you an apology."

"Apology for what?" The older hunter asked as his brow furrowed.

Fiona sighed and finally went on. "I'm sorry for being so bitchy in the hospital."

"Yeah, well, I wasn't exactly a barrel of laughs myself, either," Bobby admitted. Looking at Fi, he sighed. "I'm sorry, too. I didn't mean what I said to you before."

"Look, getting shot in both knees is no picnic," Fiona said, sympathetically. "I can't imagine how that must have felt. And to be honest, I'd give anything to be in your shoes."

Bobby's expression turned to baffled and he asked, "Why?"

"Oh, I don't know," Fi replied with a dry laugh. "The chance to feel my legs again. To be able to walk… to have real sex."

Bobby thought about that for a while before he started to realize something. "Yeah, well, there were times I want to be in your shoes. Sometimes my legs hurt so bad that numb from the waist down didn't sound so bad."

X

"Good to see those two are making up," Dean said with a smile as he watched Fiona and Bobby from the kitchen.

While Sam was on the internet at the kitchen table, Ellen and Ziva started making dinner and after a while, Ellen finally asked, "How has Fiona been doing, by the way?"

Sam and Dean exchanged a look and Sam replied, "She's still having good and bad days. But the good have been more common lately."

"Yeah, thanks to those two—" Dean gestured to Sam and Fiona as he spoke. "—finally getting it on again."

Ellen turned to Ziva who was expertly mincing onions and garlic. "How exactly do you manage to put up with him all the time, honey?" Ellen asked as she shook her head at the two Winchesters.

But Ziva's look was one of affection as she said, "After working with Tony DiNozzo for more than 3 years, Dean is a piece of pie."

Ellen gave Ziva a raised eyebrow before looking at Dean but the younger hunter just shrugged casually. "It's a thing she does," Dean explained and he couldn't help smiling at Ziva as he watched her cook.

Until the Mossad officer/NCIS agent had come into his life, Dean had never understood the phrase 'watching someone paint a masterpiece'. But the first time he watched Ziva cook in the kitchen of Fi's townhouse, Dean was captivated. Plus the fact that for a woman who could kill him 12 different ways with a twist-tie, Ziva could make some of the best pie he'd ever had.

"Dean! Hello?" Sam said, loudly.

Bringing himself out of the memory of the 5 berry pie Ziva had made last week, Dean looked over at his brother who was looking amused. "What, Sammy?" Dean asked with more of a snap in his voice than he'd intended.

But Sam wasn't bothered by his brother's tone. Turning the laptop computer so that it was facing Dean, he said, "I was saying you got an email." With a smirk, he added, "From Lisa."

"Who is Lisa?" Ziva asked, stopping what she was doing and turning to give Dean her full attention.

"She was an old flame from, like, 10 years ago," Dean explained, quickly. "Sam and I saved her son from changelings a couple years back."

"Which is why we got an invitation to Ben's 10th birthday party," Sam said, turning the computer back towards him. "It's in 5 days."

"We can make that, easy," Dean said after doing some quick thinking.

"You really want to go?" Sam asked, looking a bit surprised.

But Dean shrugged again. "Why not? Little downtime never hurt anyone. Besides, it might be fun."

Sam still looked incredulously at his brother as he said, "Are you serious? You think a 10-year-old's birthday party would be fun?"

"Hey, Ben's practically a clone of me," Dean pointed out as he watched Ziva cut up chicken thighs and place them in a bowl with some sort of marinade. "He's a cool kid."

"Okay," Sam shrugged, going to the email and drafting a reply. "I'll tell her we'll be there."

xxxx

Late that night, Ziva found Dean outside, sitting on the hood of the Impala drinking a beer and staring up at the clear night sky. "I thought you were coming to bed," she said as she joined her boyfriend/lover.

"Couldn't sleep," Dean replied, succinctly.

"If you're thinking about Lisa—" Ziva started, slowly. She didn't like the idea of Dean still pining for someone, but she could understand never getting over a first love.

"I was," Dean confirmed before looking at Ziva. "But not how you think." Taking a sip of his beer, he sighed. "When I first met Ben, I thought he was my kid. I mean he was so much like me it was scary." Looking at the woman he loved, he went on. "When I thought Ben was my son I thought… On the one hand, I found out about it right after I sold my soul and had one year to live. I thought 'At least there'll be something left of me when I'm gone'."

"On the other hand?" Ziva asked, turning to Dean.

"On the other hand," Dean said, sadly. "I kept thinking about the fact that I barely had a father growing up. How could I do that to my own kid?"

Ziva was quiet as she thought about that for a while and finally she said, "I always promised myself that if I became a parent I would not be like my father. I would not raise my children to be fighters." Thinking about Dean's situation, she went on. "But I also wonder if I would have any choice."

"What do you mean?" Dean asked, a bit puzzled by that.

"Growing up, my father always seemed to be preparing me to join Mossad," Ziva explained. "My mother tried to get me to be a girl. She wanted me to play with dolls, just be a child while I could. But in the end I followed the path my father laid out for me."

Dean thought on that for a while. He understood completely. As he and Sam grew up, Sam sometimes tried to get his brother to become less of a fighter and more studious—especially when it came to school. The last fight between John Winchester and his youngest son had been because Sam wanted Dean to come with him. But to Dean the idea of him going to college—especially Stanford—was laughable.

"May I ask you something?" Ziva said as she slid further up the hood of the Impala, lying back against the windshield.

"Shoot," Dean replied, finishing his beer before fishing two new ones out of the old cooler near the passenger door.

Ziva took the beer she was offered and twisted the top off, throwing it away before taking a drink. After hearing about Lisa Braeden earlier, the question had been building in her mind. Waiting until Dean was looking at her, Ziva asked, "When all this is over… When you have a chance to settle down, start a family… Do you picture yourself with Lisa or me?"

Dean didn't say anything as he lay on the Impala's hood next to Ziva. After taking a swig of his beer, he replied, "Two years ago I wanted nothing more than to have a normal life with Lisa. But after everything that's happened…" Turning to Ziva, he added, "After meeting you… I can't imagine being with anyone else."

It was those words that caused something very few people ever saw—Ziva blushed.

Cicero, Indiana didn't look any different than the last time Sam and Dean had come through. Although thankfully, the town did have a new mall not far from Lisa's house. Therefore, the group stopped and did a bit of shopping for Ben's birthday.

When Dean pulled up to Lisa's house, he glanced over at Ziva who didn't seem bothered by the situation at all, despite the fact that for the past hour Fiona had been insisting that introducing you current girlfriend to your ex was a bad idea in more than 20 ways.

As everyone got out of the car, Fiona offered to carry the gifts, much to Dean's surprise.

He was even more surprised when Fi joked, "What good is it being in a wheelchair if you can't play pack-mule every one in a while?"

"Dean," Lisa said, as she came around front from the backyard. "You made it," she added with a delighted smile.

"Yeah," Dean said feeling a bit embarrassed. When he heard Fiona clearing her throat, he said, "Uh, you remember my brother, Sam?"

"Nice to see you again, Sam," Lisa said, shaking his hand warmly.

"And this is Fiona Brendon," Dean said, indicating Fi. "Sam and I have known her since we were kids. Her dad was in the Marines with my dad."

"Nice to meet you, Fiona," Lisa replied, honestly, shaking Fi's hand. Looking to Ziva, however, she hesitated a moment before asking, "So, are you a friend, too, or…?"

Figuring the best thing to do was bite the bullet, Dean said, "Uh, Ziva and I have been together for a couple months now."

Lisa seemed genuinely disappointed as she said, "Oh. Right." She quickly covered by saying, "Uh, come on around back. I'll show you where to put the presents."

Fiona followed Lisa, the others behind them and Fi set the gifts down on a table nearby. "So when's the party starting?" Fi asked, glancing at her watch.

"In about 3 hours," Lisa replied. "You guys got here a bit early."

"Sorry," Fiona apologized. "I insisted we get here early."

"Well, can I get you guys anything to drink or…?" Lisa asked, looking at the others.

"Uh, actually, I think we're going to quick grab a couple motel rooms for the night," Sam replied, sparing Dean from making small talk.

Surprised that they weren't staying, Lisa just gave the group a small smile. "Well, thanks for dropping the presents off, anyway."

"We will be back," Ziva assured her. Looking at Fiona, she added, "In fact, Fiona and I can help you get ready for the party."

Dean and Sam exchanged a look before looking back at the ladies. Both brothers knew that it was a bad idea but there was no way to refuse without making it clear that they didn't want the ladies gossiping about them.

"Alright," Dean said, with what he hoped was a sincere smile. "We'll catch up with you ladies later."

Once the Winchesters were gone, Lisa sat down on one of the nearby chairs, looking utterly bewildered.

"Ziva, why don't you grab a couple sodas or something?" Fiona suggested. Once the other woman was gone, Fi said, "Not as over Dean as you thought?"

"Is it that obvious?" Lisa asked looking up at Fiona.

Fi smiled warmly as she leaned forward and said, "First time I saw Sam in 5 years I kissed him like he was the last man on earth."

Lisa nodded, knowing what Fi was trying to say. "It's not like I haven't dated since I last saw Dean. But I just can't stop thinking about him, you know?"

Fiona sat back when Ziva came out holding three bottles of soda and handed them around before sitting down as well. "That's the Winchesters for you," Fi said with a smile. "Once they're in your system, they're there forever."

xxxxxx

"This is a friggin' nightmare, man!" Dean exclaimed as he and Sam headed for the motel.

"Dean, you're the one who invited Ziva to come along," Sam pointed out. "And what's with the two of you lately?"

"What do you mean?" Dean asked, a bit confused by the question.

"You guys haven't spent more than a week apart for the past month," Sam replied. "We're spending more time on pointless cases around DC and less time trying to find the Colt." Seeing that Dean wasn't taking that very well, Sam added, "Look, I'm not saying it's all bad, okay? I mean with Ziva's cooking we're not hitting diners so much. And you've been drinking a lot less. I'm glad you're happy, Dean. Really, I am."

"So what's the problem?" Dean asked, wanting his brother to get to the point.

Sam sighed as he thought about everything that was going on. "Look, just promise me that your head's still in the game, okay?"

"I'm not losing focus," Dean promised, although he wondered if that wasn't a lie. "It's just with Ziva… I don't know. It's like all the knots are finally coming loose, you know? Like things are back to how they used to be, before…" He didn't say before what—rather, he left the statement open to let Sam fill in the blank on his own.

But after a while, Sam looked over at Dean who had a smile on his face as he drove. "So things are really that serious with you two?"

"I don't know, man," Dean said, with a shrug. "Maybe."

xxxxxx

"So, do you mind me asking what happened?" Lisa asked Fiona as the two worked on finishing setting up for the party.

Fi knew what she was asking about and after fixing the decorations on the refreshment table, she said, "I was possessed by a demon and stabbed myself to kill the thing."

"Oh, my God," Lisa replied, horrified. "So… I mean, what happened, exactly?"

Fi sighed and shrugged. "I have this knife that kills demons. I stabbed myself in the gut, but I guess I went a little far. Blade hit my spine and I ended up paralyzed."

Lisa wasn't quite sure what to say to that, but finally, she said, "It's gotta be hard on you."

"Some days it is," Fi admitted. "I mean, I… I was a Marine for 16 years. I'm a hunter. And then suddenly I can't move or feel my legs. The worst part is that Sam and Dean don't know the half of how bad it really is sometimes." After a moment, Fiona let out a dry laugh. "I-I-I don't even know why I'm telling you all this." When Lisa didn't say anything, Fi let out a long sigh. "The truth is… sometimes I think Sam and Dean are dealing with this whole thing way better than I am."

xxxx

When the brothers got back, Sam offered to help Lisa and Ziva finish with the food prep while Dean went upstairs to talk to Ben.

The 10-year-old way lying on his stomach on his bed reading a paperback novel and after a moment, Ben looked up, quickly trying to hide the book before Dean saw the cover. "Dean," Ben said, surprised. "Hey."

Dean wasn't fooled and he quickly grabbed the paperback. "Your Mom know you're reading this?" He asked, holding up a copy of 'Supernatural: Time Is On My Side' by Carver Edland.

"Yeah," Ben replied, a little too quickly. But catching Dean's shrewd look, he sighed. "Don't tell Mom?"

Dean hesitated but finally he smiled. "Secret's safe with me." Flipping the book open to where Ben had marked his page, Dean stopped as he skimmed part of the page. "No way," he said, softly, reading a bit more.

"Dean?" Ben asked, keeping an ear out for his mom. "Uh… Can I have my book back, please?"

"Huh?" Dean said, distractedly. "Oh, right." He gave Ben the book back, but his mind was already thinking of how to use the information he'd just read.

xxxx

The party was in full swing and while Sam, Dean, and Fiona discussed what Dean had read in the 'Supernatural' book, Ziva and Lisa were taking a moment in the kitchen. Both ladies were surreptitiously watching Dean through the dining room window. "So you and Dean are really close, huh?" Lisa asked as she sipped her coffee.

"It was not something either of us planned," Ziva assured Lisa. "At first it was just sex. I got the feeling like Dean needed to blow off air."

"Yeah, Dean's definitely a blow off steam kinda guy," Lisa agreed. Leaning towards Ziva, she added in a conspiratorial voice, "When I first met him, you wouldn't believe the kind of stamina he had."

But Ziva knew all too well the kind of lover Dean was. She knew she could be wild in bed—something that seemed to turn most guys off. But Dean could be just as wild, something that Ziva found extremely appealing. "I know how it feels like to see someone you care about with someone else," she said, sensing the awkwardness between them.

Lisa had been about to argue, but she could see in Ziva's eyes that the other woman knew all too well about lost loves. "I'm happy for you and Dean," she said, sincerely. "Really. I get the feeling Dean doesn't get to be happy all that often."

Thinking of lately when Dean would surprise her on their dates, Ziva smiled. "Not often, but it does happen."

xx

"So this demon—Crowley—has the Colt?" Fiona asked, eagerly.

"Well," Dean said with a shrug. "Chuck's a prophet and that's what he wrote. I figure it's as good a lead as any."

"So first we have to find this Crowley," Sam said, looking at the others. "Then I guess we go from there."

Fiona thought about the situation and the lack of an actual plan. But she knew that lately plans had a tendency of going south quick. "Okay," she said to the boys. "Then let's do this thing."

A/N: Next chapter will cover the episode 'Abandon All Hope' which will end very differently than the canon episode. Also, Sam and Dean find out what Fiona hasn't been telling them about the death of her mother.