January, 19th 2014

I don't own any of the characters, CW and Eric Kripke do!

Beta for this Chapter: Ashqtara

A/N: Hey there my loyal readers :)

I'M f**ing late again and I'm so sorry. But last weekend I literally had no PC, I was flying home from LA on Friday moring and arrived on Saturday, because, you know, 9 hours gone when you fly to Berlin. Anyway, I went home with my parents because my interenet wasn't working and just returned this Wednesday so I thought "oh well, might as well do it this weekend then". Sorry about that, really. Life, such a time consuming thing, huh? ;P

The chapter is rather short, I'm thinking to release another one during the week to make up for last weekend? How does that sound? :)

Ky111: Yeah, that's the plan xD Zachariah is still a douche and always will be, I just didn't like how ALL of them that were on the show until now were dicks. I mean come on...

Girl-of-Action: Hehe, surprise! :D

Now please enjoy :3

Chapter 10

I don't know where I'm going but
I don't think I'm coming home

And here they were again, Dean in the driver's seat and Sam riding shotgun. Only this time, so many things were different. For once, they weren't alone. Abby was sitting in the back seat behind Sam and she was sparing Dean glances from her seat every few minutes, just like Sam himself was. They had gotten that call from Lisa and the minute he had calmed Lisa down a little and told her where to wait for them, he had gotten out of bed, grabbed his stuff and hauled them all into the car and off the motel room parking lot in record time without even asking where they were. He seemed to act on pure instinct, pissed and driven and it was freaking Sam out as well as worrying him.

Cicero was a few hours away from where they had camped up and Dean was driving far, faaar above the speed limit already. The impala was roaring and his brother was staring straight ahead, yaw set, full lips tightly pressed together. Now and then, he grumbled under his breath, cursing whatever had invaded Lisa's home.

Sam had his ideas of course. Demons or Angels was mostly the answer nowadays. God, he remembered the old days (even if it wasn't even that long ago), when they had just hunted ghosts or pagan gods, or even changelings, in Lisa and Ben's case. Sam remembered Lisa showing up in Dean's dream, induced by the dream root and he had visited her right before he thought he was going to say goodbye to this world, probably for good this time. So obviously, she still meant something to him. Not just something, it was more than that, he could tell. God, Dean had always wanted a family. And he knew that Dean had regretted, if only a little, to not have been able to stay with the two of them. Even if he was a full blown hunter, doing the bloody and dangerous job better than anyone Sam knew, Dean loved kids. Loved the idea of a home and family. It was funny, and sad, somehow. Because now that he had met their mum, if only fleetingly, Sam noticed how much Dean was like her.

His whole life, Sam had thought that Dean had his stubbornness and ability for endurance from their father. Never had he dreamed to find out their mum was a hunter and not only that, a pretty badass one too. She had held her own against angels, the enemies she didn't even know about until five minutes before facing one. And even if John was a good hunter later on, Mary was born into the life and she had wanted out of it. She was caring and had a big heart when it came to family but fierce when it went down to protecting what she held dear and she held a burning hate for all things evil that could put the good in the world in danger. God, Dean was so much like her in those aspects. (yes, Sam had tried to strife for normal. But by now he'd pretty much given up on it). If you looked closely, Dean even looked like her. The blonde hair, even if dean's was a bit darker, the bright green eyes... At the moments when Sam found himself thinking about this, he wondered if it had ever been difficult for their father. If it was at times painful to look at his oldest son and see the freckles that adored his face and the aspects of him that were so much like his deceased wife it was painfully obvious. He wondered if that was why John Winchester had shut off so many feelings concerning Dean (and him too, of course), because it was just too damn painful.

Abby pulled him out of his thoughts with a sudden touch to his shoulder. He might have flinched a bit there.

"Um, Sam? Can I ask where we're going, exactly?" she whispered, sparing a careful glance at Dean, making sure that she was quiet enough to avoid his wrath, even if it was not directed at her. Sam could imagine that the sudden rush was a little confusing, especially Dean's harsh and so extremely angry reaction.

"Cicero, Indiana. Lisa and Ben Braeden. It's…it's complicated. Let's just say her and Dean are very close. Ben's her son and we've saved them from changelings about two years ago." Sam didn't know much else, since his brother didn't like to talk about stuff like this. Well, feelings towards women he'd probably never see again, especially.

The rest of the drive was in silence. It was truly excruciating, since none of them really dared to talk. Dean was giving this vibe that when somebody actually spoke to him, he was gonna blow. Sam could always sense Dean's moods and this wasn't a good one. Lucky for Abby that she was able to sense it, too. At some point, Sam couldn't stand the eerie silence anymore and turned on the radio, immediately dropping the volume to at least have some background music playing.

Finally, Cicero came into view. They stopped a block away from Lisa's house. Dean opened the trunk and Abby whistled. Sam hadn't thought about it, but she hadn't seen their arsenal before.

"Clever." Was her comment on the secret department under the normal trunk of the car. Dean didn't react and pulled out his shotgun as well as a few blades, including the angel blade. He handed Sam the demon knife and wanted to give another one to Abby but the huntress refused.

"Thanks. I'll stick to my shotgun." She said, smiling. Dean nodded and in the next second, they were on the way. Wow. Sam had never seen Dean slam the trunk shut that hard. He almost winced, wondering what was wrong with his brother. Normally, an act like that from Sam would have ridden him of the privilege to drive for at least a week. He had to be truly mad or extremely distracted to not notice.

"Lisa." He stated when they were two houses before the home of the Braedens. Dean had told Lisa to wait two houses over, not go in under any circumstances and watch the house from a distance, call if anything changed, etc. etc.

The brunette turned and ran to them, closing Dean into a tight hug Sam hadn't expected. From the sight of it, Dean hadn't counted on it as well but he returned it, maybe even with a little smile? The younger Winchester couldn't be sure.

"Nothing changed. They're still in there." She had calmed down now, her voice was level but there were tear tracks on her cheeks. She was standing inches away from Dean now and talked in low tones, but acknowledged Sam's presence with a nod. Sam wasn't sure if she even noticed Abby. Dean nodded.

"Tell me exactly what happened." He demanded in a relatively calm tone. Now that Lisa was before him, obviously unhurt, Dean seemed far calmer. He was holding her shoulders and looking her directly in the face in an attempt to help her along with the telling of the story. Lisa nodded, lips pressed together.

"I came home from work, Ben was already home from school. I was almost at the door, when suddenly there was a man in the living room, I could see him through the window from the front. I heard the door click, signaling the close and a woman was suddenly before me, staring at me like some body guard. I- I wanted to make her move, first politely then…violently but she didn't budge, didn't even react. I tried to sneak in from the back as well but every time I tried to enter there was something stopping me, like some...force or something." She explained, her hand symbolizing a wall she couldn't pass. Then she looked Dean in the eye, her coffee brown eyes pleading. "Ben's still in there, Dean. I couldn't see much but they've forced him into a chair and they had knifes…"

Dean nodded while she was explaining, trading occasional glances with his brother. Finally, he held out the knife from inside his sleeve.

"Knives like these?" he asked, holding up the angel sword. Lisa's eyes widened.

"Yes. Yes, exactly like that." Lisa said. She also seemed calmed, now that Dean was around. "Who are they?" she asked, obviously seeing that Dean knew what was going on. "Or rather, what are they?" she specified. Abby next to Sam looked stunned. Maybe she hadn't thought that Lisa actually knew about Dean's hunting life. Well, after what happened with the Changelings, there hadn't been that much choice, right?

"Angels." Dean growled. Sam saw Lisa's eyes widen.

"Like that guy in the trenchcoat that was with Sam? What was his name, Castiel?" she asked. It was Dean's turn to look puzzled. He stared at his brother for a second, then seemed to have understood what had been going on and nodded.

"Yeah. Like him. Just…less friendly." He explained, then finally let go of Lisa and let his hand go through his hair, obviously thinking.

"Sorry, but what the hell do angels want with my son?" Lisa asked, obviously confused as well as angry now. Dean, still in thought, answered on instinct.

"They're looking for me."

"Wait a second. Hold up." Sam interrupted Lisa before she could even open her mouth. But this was going somewhere he hadn't expected and he needed an explanation. "Dean. How do you know that for sure?" he asked, vary and…well, scared. Because how would Dean know that unless…no, he couldn't have. Something flashed across Dean's face. He turned to his brother with a guilty expression.

"I..I kinda had a dream message. A warning. To give myself over. While I was knocked out." He sighed. "The angel said they had been looking for a substitute for me but Adam was protected against them and wouldn't answer them and…" he trailed off, his head now slowly turning to Lisa. Suddenly, his face was white as a sheet, his freckles standing out. His green eyes stared at the brunette woman before him through his long lashes and Lisa blinked, confused and a bit scared.

"What? What is it?"

"Lisa. Is there something you haven't told me?" he asked, his voice low. Sam wanted to protest, wanted to demand why the hell his brother hadn't said anything about that warning before. Then again, Dean had probably thought he could ignore it because they couldn't be found anyway. Just like he had tried to forget about Lucifer's dream visits. But he hadn't gotten those in a long time, too. He wondered what happened. Not that it bothered him. It was rather the opposite. He was so very relieved that he'd like to know what kept that ass from visiting his dreams and he'd like to send them a fruit basket.

Lisa on the other hand seemed bewildered.

"What? No? What do you mean?" she asked. Dean leaned forward now, grabbing her shoulder again. This time, it was urgently though, nothing gentle about it.

"Lisa. Is Ben my son?"

Wait- WHAT?!

Sam wanted to ask if his brother had lost his mind, when his own mind started to do the math. It had been Ben's ninth birthday, back at the Changeling incident. The thing with Dad, him and the Banshee hunt had been back in 1999, eight years bordering on nine from their next visit in Cicero. They hadn't talked much about Ben and Lisa after leaving but during their stay, Dean had let a comment loose where he would admit that Ben had so much in common with him that it was almost spooky. Now they were talking and looking like they had had this topic before. Maybe Dean had asked but Lisa had declined and Dean had forgotten about it and moved on with his life, his mind still lingering and wondering, maybe just a little.

And then suddenly, it snapped. If Ben was Dean's son. Then Ben was part of the Winchester bloodline. The bloodline that could hold Michael as a vessel.

Oh god, no.

Lisa's face was a story in itself. First shocked, then defensive, then confused, finally guilty. So guilty. She dropped her gaze and breathed in deeply.

"Dean, you have to understand. I didn't want…I knew you would leave again. I couldn't just force you to stay, with the job you have. I-" she paused "You shouldn't have felt responsible for something I decided by myself. Ben is my son, I decided to keep him and I didn't think you would ever just show up at my door like that. I got desperate. Dean, I'm sorry. Ben would have been crushed to finally meet his father just to have him leave again. I know I lied but I-"

"It's okay, Lisa. It's okay." Dean interrupted her babbling. Newfound tears had welled up in her eyes and Dean sounded so defeated right now it was almost frightening.

"Not your fault. I understand." He clarified, voice becoming stronger again. But Sam could read the guilt on his face. If this was true, if Ben was Dean's son, then the angels had captured him because he was Dean's son. And no matter how much that wasn't Dean's fault, his big brother would find a way to take the blame, like he did for everything. Dean dropped his hand from Lisa's shoulders again, taking a shaky breath.

"Why is this important to what is happening right now?" Lisa asked, her voice quiet. Like she didn't want to spook Dean or like she maybe just knew that she wouldn't like the answer to that question. The older Winchester took a deep breath, turning back to Lisa after gazing to the heavens for a short moment, probably trying to get it together for now.

"If Ben's my son, he's a Winchester." Dean saw Lisa open her mouth, maybe to protest or to say something else, but Dean lifted his finger, not finished yet. "I mean that he's in the Winchester bloodline, making him a potential vessel for the archangel Michael. The one I'm supposed to be the perfect gig for." He explained. Lisa tilted her head, not fully understanding. Sam nodded and Abby just looked generally concerned. Sam had explained her how most of the angel business worked but he had left out the thing with him and Lucifer for now. 'Cause that wasn't something you just shared over breakfast and also something he tried not to think about too hard. Dean closed his eyes and rubbed at the eyelids with his thumb and index finger. A sign of stress. Well, that wasn't much of a surprise there.

"Which means, the angels are only here because he's my son. Because they want him for their war. I have no idea how they found out, maybe they knew all along. God, even without knowing I'm messing up that kid's life." The last part was obviously not meant for any ears but Sam guessed that all of them heard. Lisa now looked completely miserable. She probably wanted to tell Dean that it wasn't his fault, that it was hers, but how could she ever guess something as love-driven as keeping Dean's child would have consequences as dire as this?

Dean's child. His son! God, Dean was a father! Sam just couldn't get his mind around that. Dean. His brother. A father. The guy who behaved like someone stole his favorite toy when they even looked at his car funny. The one who asked his little brother for pie every time he went out grocery shopping and threw a temper tantrum when he didn't get any. That Dean. Was a father.

Then again…it wasn't that strange. Dean had always been good at taking care of…well, Sam. And Dad. He had gotten along with every damn kid they ever came across as soon as he was out of his teens himself, now that Sam thought about it. Was he actually warming up to that theory right now? Now of all moments? Wait, that made him an uncle, right? Uncle Sam. He tried not to snort at the thought.

With Dean's next words, he shook away these thoughts completely. They had to save Ben first before they could do anything else. But if the angels were still searching a vessel…At least that means my suspicions have been wrong, he thought, silently grinning to himself, he was just so damn relieved.

"I'm going in. You guys stay here."

"No way, Dean. I'm not letting you in there alone. I'm coming with you."

"Sam. This is not a discussion! The angels are here because of me and I'm going to be the one to get them to leave. They are here because of my son. Do you get that. I didn't even know about this and they're using him. Do you know how fucking mad I am right now?! You are not coming in there, I'm not risking the angels ganking your ass on top of everything else. Same goes for you two. I know you wanna help. But this is on me. You got that?" oh yeah, he was mad alright. His green eyes were sparkling in the light of the soon setting sun and he was pointing to the ground, making his point more than clear that he was not tolerating any disagreement. He pointed at the two women in their little group and Abby nodded as well as Lisa, obviously seeing how important this was for him. But they didn't know angels that well yet. Didn't know what they could do.

"Dean, you're not doing this on your own. They could just take you and be on their marry way! They've been fucking looking for you for so long now, and now you just wanna walk right into there? It's a fucking trap, Dean! Same was the green room and look how narrow that turned out! You willing to risk that again?"

"Sam. Listen to me. Do you remember what even happened in that room? They harmed you and they got through to me. Now what's gonna happen if we walk in there, mh? You're nothing to them. Wasting you wouldn't even be bad for them, it'd be a win. Me on the other hand, I'm save. Worst case scenario they hurt me and then heal me again. And that's a risk I can take." Of course, Sam wasn't going to just go with that. He didn't care what they were doing to him, everything was better than losing Dean. Again. But before he could say anything, Dean interrupted.

"No. Sam. I'm being serious here. Please?" and that made Sam's protesting face fall. Please? Dean Winchester never said please. That was when he looked at his brother closely and finally decided that yeah. This was important to him. And he was right. The angels wouldn't harm him. Maybe take him. But they couldn't force him to do anything he didn't want to. If Cas would be here, Sam would have send the angel with Dean right now. But he wasn't. The younger Winchester still wasn't okay with this but he sighed.

"Alright. But if you're not out of there in ten minutes, I'm coming in." he clarified. He made Dean check if he had his cell with him, let him leave the shotgun –what good was it against angels, right?- and double checked if he had the angel blade in his sleeve.

Abby and Lisa hugged him, while Lisa added a gentle kiss to the cheek and a whispered 'good luck' and 'be safe'. If it was any consolation, Sam was hoping exactly the same.

Finally, Sam watched Dean walk down the street, over to the house of the Braeden's. His walk was steady and he was rolling his shoulders in preparation, as if his back was bothering him. Strange. Dean's back had never bothered him before. Wait, was that a flicker of shadow he just saw? No, he must have imagined it.

And with a very bad feeling in his stomach, Sam watched his brother walk to the front steps of the house, baldly knocking on the door with full force.

~.~.~.~

I don't know where you're going
But do you got room for one more troubled soul
I don't know where I'm going but I don't think I'm coming home
And I said I'll check in tomorrow if I don't wake up dead
This is the road to ruin
And we're starting at the end

Say Yeah
Let's be alone together
We could stay young forever
Scream it from the top of your lungs

~ Fall Out Boy, Alone Together

Dudun. Yeah I know, I'm sorry xD. I hope this last bit was reasonable? I wasn't sure if I'd let Sam go for it or not but for my story to work he has to. He did already subconsciously suspect something so...yeah.

Plot twist! Ben is Dean's son. I...I dunno, I always wanted him to be. They were so cute in the changeling episode and if I were Lisa, I'd totally have said the same. I mean come on, she didn't suspect him to show up again out of the blue. And to tell him Ben was his son would just add to all the responsibilities that Lisa probably suspected he had. I mean she's not stupid, she can read him better than he thinks (at least that's what I always see when she looks at him. And come on, in Season 6 it's made really clear she knows him quite well). So yeah. She lied. She had been able to handle Ben for 8 years and planned on doing so in the future.

Sorry about the rant x'D. What do you think? Like it, hate it? TELL MEEEEE :o

Please? ._.