CHAPTER 15

"I'm hungry," Said Sam, oddly calm. "What's with the touching? Each time he did it, I felt calm and… and healed."

"I don't know." Dean had a funny look on his face. He, too, felt calm and the fresh heartache over the lost child had faded into a memory.

"I'm surprised you're hungry, you booted up everything you've eaten today, and then chased it with booze. You should be pukin' your guts out some more; idjit." Bobby got up to move to the door. "I'm going next door to call Lily, then we can go get somethin' to eat." He moved to go through the door and paused. "How do you guys feel about taking Lily and the boys out to do something tomorrow? It's Sunday, but I had an idea where we could go and if the place is open, we could maybe get to know them a little better.

"Yeah, Bobby, that sounds great." Dean smiled at him as he left.

Dean looked at his brother over his shoulder; Sam was getting off the bed to get cleaned up. "Listen, Sammy…" Sam turned around to look at him.

"Dean, not yet." Sam turned and went into the bathroom.

SPNSPNSPN

In his room, Bobby was dialing Lily's phone number. He let it ring a few times, and Lily finally answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, darlin', how're ya feeling?"

"Nervous." Lily laughed, "I'm gonna tell the boys tonight and I'm a little scared. So to stack the deck in my favour, I'm making their favourite meal. Does that constitute bribery?"

"Yes, yes it does."

Lily laughed.

"Hey, the boys and I are going to get some dinner. Call me later and tell me how it went, okay?"

"Yeah, I will. Is Sam alright?"

"Yeah, Chuck came back, but they didn't talk about Jess, yet. Chuck touched him and Sam said he felt better."

Their conversation paused for a moment while they both thought about exactly who Chuck might be.

Bobby took a deep breath, "Hey, if things go okay tonight, the boys and I were thinking of taking you and your boys somewhere tomorrow. We've been communicating by phone and email, but I thought it would be nice if we could do something together; you know, in person."

"That sounds fun! What were you thinking?"

"Is the archery field open on Sunday? Have your boys ever fired crossbows?"

"I think so. Crossbows, huh? So no one wants to go to the mall?"

There was silence on the line as Bobby tried to think of something friendly to say.

Lily laughed. "I'm kidding! I've actually always wanted to try a crossbow! Have you ever used them?"

"Well, I've probably used a crossbow maybe once or twice. I don't know if Sam and Dean have, though. So I thought it would be an even playing field, ya know?"

"Excellent! I'll let the boys know. You know, use it as further bribery. Think it'll work?"

"They're teenage boys. You're appealing to their stomachs and their aggressive natures; should work perfectly."

Lily laughed again. "Well, I'll let you get to dinner. Feed your boys and I'll feed mine."

"Yeah alright, call me later, Babe."

"I will. Bobby… uh, bye." Lily wanted to say something else, but not over the phone.

"Bye" Bobby hung up the phone and got ready for dinner with his boys.

Lily hung up the phone and immediately the butterflies started up again in her stomach. She had been rehearsing in her head different ways she could tell the boys her condition, but they all sounded cliché. In addition, she was supposed to be a mature, responsible adult and mature, responsible adults did not fall into bed with someone within hours of meeting them!

She was a mom for crying out loud! She would kill the boys if they pulled a stunt like this! Well, at least at first. Then she would be understanding and supportive. As she was pondering all of this, she finished making dinner. She went to the door and called the boys to the table.

As they ate dinner, they talked about the party they had been to and getting a ride in The Impala. Sam was telling her all about the intricacies of the motor and expressed his disappointment that Bobby wouldn't show them the infamous trunk. She listened and made appropriate comments, but Dean was watching her and he could tell something was up.

"Mom, is something the matter?" Dean interrupted Sam in the middle of a comment about seeing if the older Dean would show it to him instead.

Lily looked at her younger son and smiled. "No, nothing is the matter, sweetie."

"You aren't eating. You like this meal, too, don't you?"

Lily took a deep breath, "Yeah, I like this meal, too, but I have something to tell you and I'm a little nervous." She smiled at him. "Finish up and then help me clear, okay?"

"Is it bad?"

"No, honey, it's not bad. I think it's pretty wonderful myself."

Dean and Sam were silent after that; they finished their meals and helped their mother clear the table. While they were clearing and cleaning, Lily told them about Bobby's plans for the next day. They were really excited about it.

When the table was cleared and the dishes placed in the dishwasher, Lily moved into the living room. The boys sat on the couch and she sat on the coffee table in front of them and took their hands.

"I, uh, I have something important to tell you."

"Are you going to marry Bobby?" Dean guessed.

Lily looked nonplussed. Bobby and she hadn't discussed it and until that minute it hadn't even crossed her mind.

"Uh, no. I don't know, really. I, uh, I'll have to get back to you on that…" Lily took their hands. "I did something last May and uh, my actions had consequences. Sometimes things happen! I don't want you to think you can just do stuff like that and get away with it! Just so you know…" She knew she was making absolutely no sense. She let go of their hands to rub her face and collect her thoughts.

Sam was looking at her funny. "Mom, what are you talking about? What happened last May?" He was starting to feel nervous. "Mom, are you talking about when we were at the camp?"

Lily nodded, grateful for a good starting point, "Yeah, yeah; you were at camp and I had the boys stay over as guests. It was cheating, I suppose, but still, you weren't here and I didn't want to be alone in the house! Sam and Dean stayed in your room, I told you that."

She took a deep breath and changed tack. "You remember when I told you about my dream visit with Chuck? And the things I said he said?"

"You said he told you they would be coming, that they would be important and that you should treat them like brothers." Sam's memory for details was good.

Dean added. "You said Chuck told you to treat the younger ones like brothers. You never told us what he said about Bobby." His memory for details was scary.

Lily nodded, "I also told you Chuck said they were trying to make things right. I saw Chuck again today. He was here in person this time. Castiel was here, too."

"He revealed some things to me, well, to all of us..."

She paused for a long time and the boys started to get nervous.

"Well, what is it?" Dean demanded.

Lily let go of them and sat up. She took a deep breath, "I have wonderful news. Guys, I'm pregnant. You're going to have a baby sister." She gave them a tremulous smile.