Dean Begins to Experience his Normal Life.
When the group got home, Lisa checked on him first, and had to quickly cover Dean so he wouldn't be embarrassed in front of his family. He seemed to forget how he was dressed at times, and ended up in front of someone in the wrong attire. Things would need to be carried into the room and put up.
Sam pointed out the letter and doctor's instructions to Lisa, as the rest of them carried in groceries, bags of clothing, laundry supplies, and games and toys.
Lisa read the letter, shaking her head in places at some of it.
Ben ran outside with Larry, as Sarah walked over to let Curly outside to play. Bobby showed up with a big potato salad he had made. "I thought we might barbecue. I went to town today and bought some chickens and a brisket. I found a great pit that can be mounted later at the cabin. I have all the fixin's. I bet Dean could eat some of it. I got the recipe for the potato salad from Watari so he could. Where is he?"
"Napping," Sam answered and filled their adopted father in on everything that had happened.
"I was here at the beginning of the row, but left before he did, I guess. So, he's gonna obey the doctor and you two now? How long has he been asleep? He won't sleep tonight if he sleeps too long. You're saying the doctor said naps."
"I think she's waking him up now. I suggested an ice cube if he doesn't want to get up." He grinned at that.
"She take one with her?" The scream from the bedroom was the answer to that. Cussing followed the scream and Lisa stepped out of the bedroom quickly.
"Damn it, Lis!" could be heard from the bedroom after she left.
Dean followed her forgetting what he wasn't wearing. She was glad, for his sake, that Sam and Bobby were the only two in the trailer.
Sam coughed. "Um...Dean? Feeling a bit of a draft there?"
Dean froze, a look of confusion crossed his features for a moment. He looked down, looked back up with a look of shock on his face, eyes scanning the room. "Shit!" He ran.
The group bit back snickers, heading outside to watch Ben playing with the dogs.
A few moments found Dean opening the door and looking out. He was barefooted, wearing the too large sweatpants he'd worn earlier, and a t-shirt. Stepping outside, he softly shut the door behind him and leaned against it, while watching Ben and the puppies
He saw the others in the yard, sitting in some lawn chairs watching the scene.
Lisa walked up beside, hugging him. "Bobby suggested a barbecue tonight. You have new clothes hanging the closet and in the dresser. Should fit better than what you have on now." She'd bought quite a bit for him, underwear, socks..even new tennis shoes and boots.
Dean turned into her arms, putting his around her, leaning his head against hers. "I'm sorry, Lis. Damn it, I'm so sorry."
"Enough, love. Forgiven." She kissed him. "Get changed. Ben's got a surprise for you."
"Okay." He kissed her forehead, squeezed her, and headed back into the trailer. Heading to the bedroom, he opened the closet, and stood there. There were jeans that were faded by the manufacturer. The t-shirts had rock bands and movies that he liked on them. 'Where had they found stuff this vintage?' he wondered. There were a lot of long sleeve shirts, some in plain colors, and others in plaid. There were some dress shirts and slacks. He looked and found two suit coats. He'd not expected this. There were several ties and some nicer shirts to wear with his jeans. He looked at the floor and saw the shoe boxes. There were a pair of gray western boots and some nice tennis shoes. There were tears in his eyes, as he turned to the dresser. There were a large number of boxers, plain t-shirts, and socks. There were dress and denim shorts to wear in the heat of the day. He found pajama bottoms in a lot of crazy designs. No tops. Sam had to be involved in that one. He grinned. He checked the other drawers and there were things for Lis. He looked in the other closet and was relieved she didn't stint on herself.
Taking out a pair of jean shorts, an AC/DC t-shirt, he reached up for one of several ball caps he found on the top shelf. He'd never had many of these. This one said Texas on it. He leaned down to get the tennis shoes when he saw the leather sandals. His eyes widened. 'Why not?'
Dean got dressed and headed back outside.
Ben bounced up to him. "Dad!!! I have a surprise for you. Wanna see?"
Dean put a hand on his son's shoulder. "Yeah, let's see whatcha got, son."
Bobby and Sam were seeing a Dean they both swore they'd never seen before. No long sleeve shirt over the t-shirt, sandals, and ball cap? He looked good and happy.
Bobby looked at the older brother, and murmured, "When was the last time you saw him wear shorts?"
Sam eyed his brother closely. He was grinning. "Can't remember, Bobby. Never? Hell, I can't recall a time. He still looks tired, though."
Bobby, seeing the grin, replied, "Yeah, he will for a while, but he looks happier then I've seen him in years."
Sam nodded, watching as his nephew ran to Dean with the bags. The younger Winchester grinned. "Let's head that way."
The little boy came back with several bags. In them were model kits to work on together. A drop cloth, paints, and everything they needed were there. "Uncle Sammy suggested this would be fun for us!"
"Aw, man! Yeah! These are muscle cars and sports cars, son That's our baby, right there. Sam, thanks, man."
"Welcome. Think it's a good bonding thing. Maybe I'll join you two if I'm allowed," he teased.
"Hell, yeah, Sammy. Bobby, you wanna join us, too? I'd like to build a nice cabinet for them and have it in the home office. What do y'all think about that? Course, if someone wants one for a room of theirs, no problems. We can always build more. This is a great way to hang together, guys."
All of them agreed, grinning at Ben's enthusiasm.
Dean looked at Lisa. "Lis, can we use the extra bedroom in the trailer? We can put some paint drop cloth over the carpet and set up a table and four chairs. I could hook up a sound system for music in there. It would be awesome. We could put a storage cabinet and some shelves to set pieces that are drying out of the way."
Lisa smiled and nodded. "Of course."
Dean hugged her and looked at the others. We got us a model car room, guys." He took out his cell and dialed the hard wear store. He'd added all of the local businesses into his cell for easy access. He ordered a large table, 4 padded metal chairs,, shelving, a storage cabinet, and a drop cloth. Bobby went to his truck and came back with a small stereo and a varied selection of cds.
"No cake hole on this one, Dean. This is a little of what all of us like. We were kind of hoping we'd all be included."
Dean looked at country, classical, easy listening, mullet rock, and some of the newer rock that Ben liked. He grinned.
"Good mix," Lisa commented.
Bobby got Sam to help him set up the new pit. They set it up near his trailer but close to where they were all sitting. Ben took the model supplies inside and brought out a football. Sam told him he'd toss with him once the pit was set up. Dean watched the boy and lowered his head. Soon, he thought.
Lisa handed him a glass of tea, smiling.
Dean smiled and reached for the glass. "Thanks, hon. He looks a little lonely. I wish Mello cold come play ball with him. I have no idea how his back is. Hey, Bobby! We ought to invite them to barbecue. You heard anything on Ryuuzaki?"
"Already have, and Ryuuzaki is moving around a little. Came to last night sometime."
"That's good news," Lisa commented.
"If he thought for one moment in his unselfconscious that he was still paralyzed, he might not have wanted to come out of it."
"It's possible," she murmured.
"Yeah, he was unconscious when Cas touched him. I came to and talked to him. At least I think I remember him being there. I think he made me go to sleep."
"He's a good one..a bit odd," she said, sipping her own tea.
"Yeah, I'd say Cas is a lot odd," Dean sipped his tea, and grinned, but he's a good guy. "I don't know if we'll ever see him again. Really don't know. We stopped our part in everything, but he's on the run now."
She nodded. "Hopefully you will."
Dean nodded, watching Sam head to the back of Bobby's truck. He stood up for a minute and started laughing. "That's the biggest damn bag of charcoal I've ever seen! Hey, Sammy, you need a wheel barrel or something to put that in? How much does it weigh? Fifty pounds?"
"It's a big pit," he called back.
"You're not barbecuing a cow, Sammy! You could bury a whole pig under that."
"We have a place to store the extra, goof," he teased.
"I figured that, Sammy, but a twenty pounder would have been plenty, unless we're barbecuing every night. If that's the case, I gotta go online and find stuff I can eat that's cooked outside. Then there's the stuff that would go with it."
"Watari gave us a list already," Sara said with a grin.
Dean's grin grew larger. ""Now that's fantastic!" He sat back down next to Lisa. "Is there anything we should be doing? Some kind of vegetable or something?"
"I have eggs on boiling for a chef salad, Sarah has dessert going. Watari is bringing more veggies," she grinned.
"Is there going to be a Caesar dressing to go with the chef's salad? Bobby said the potato salad is Watari's recipe, and it's good."
"I bought several kinds, that one included since Sam said you liked it so much."
"Thanks, Lis." He put his arm around her. "Sure wish I could toss that ball with Ben. Don't get rattled. He looks lonely over there. I know I can't."
She smiled and called out to Ben. "Go get the checkers!"
Dean leaned over and kissed Lisa, "That's why I love you so much. You got all the brains." He headed over to the picnic table area to wait for Ben.
The little boy bounced up with the unopened box. "Dad's gonna play with me?"
Lisa pointed to the tables where Dean was drinking his tea and waiting for his son. He saw them look his way and waved to the boy to come on.
Ben rushed to him, setting the box on the picnic table and sitting in front of him.
Dean began to open the box and set everything up. "You do know how to play checkers, right?"
"Yup!"
"Okay, you go first."
He stared at the board, then moved the first piece. Dean moved and watched the boy concentrate on the board.
Ben was a fairly good player, moving in ways to set up traps to get his dad. After losing two pieces to the boy, Dean sat up, more alert, and began to watch the board closely. The kid could play.
Mello and Matt drifted over after finishing their case load for the day, watching as Ben continued to thrash his dad.
Checkers was a lot different from poker or pool, and Dean had gone in thinking it was a child's game. He began to realize that it required strategy. He was fixing to lose the game because he had underestimated Ben.
It didn't take long before the nine year old had won, grinning at his dad. "That was fun!"
"That was an eye-opener! Another one?"
He bounced and nodded, grinning wider at the cheers from the two geniuses. The boy noticed that Bobby, Sam, and Watari were setting up a tarp of some kind too.
Dean's gaze followed Ben's. "You think they need help? They're not gonna get mine. The don't want me doing that stuff right now, more's the pity, but it's the doc's orders. Lis can be a drill sergeant" He grinned while saying it.
"Think they have it. 'Sides, you're playing with me," he grinned.
Matt chuckled. "They're getting it up so Near can come out."
"Now that's great to hear. How's Ryuuzaki?"
"The doctor said he could be up tomorrow...after a long lecture on his insomnia habits," Mello snickered.
"I love it. Finally, another one bites the dust. It's not just me, then."
The two geniuses looked at each other and shrugged. L was L and would always be that way. His habits, though not the most healthy, wouldn't change without major coercion..and it wouldn't be easy to find someone who could do it.
Dean looked at them, reading their minds. "He minds Watari, doesn't he?"
"Nope, not really," Mello answered.
"I'll talk to him."
"It won't do any good, Dean," Matt pointed out. "Ryuu is Ryuu and will never change. There's things about him we don't know. Watari said there's reasons for the habits."
"Yeah, there were reasons for mine too. He's been having me deal with a lot, you know.. Maybe he should too."
Near, who had emerged with a laptop in hand, had heard that part. "Near would not recommend it."
"Okay, I'm biting. Why?"
"All of Ryuuzaki's actions have a logical twist that most normal individuals would not understand."
"Near, I realize that he's incredibly logical, but going without sleep for days on end, and living on 95 percent sweets is not logical. I seem to remember Watari telling me my diet and sleep habits were bad, and they don't even begin to compare to his."
"IQ tests were given to Ryuuzaki both on and off of sugar, rested or not, as well as in sitting positions. There were notable differences each time."
"That's not normal, Near. You're saying that by breaking every health rule he's enforced on me, makes him a genius? That does not compute."
"No, Ryuuzaki is a genius nonetheless but given Ryuuzaki's position, Ryuuzaki refuses to lose even a percentage."
Dean was not satisfied but let it rest for the time being. He liked L and if L wanted to screw with his own health, so be it, but he'd keep an eye on him.
Near sat down, opening the computer and worked as Matt and Mello watched Ben play Dean again. Dean monitored every nuance of the game this time. He plotted possible moves, and what the response would be to them. The game was more even this time.
Ben was still coming out ahead at times, and the geniuses were enjoying themselves watching the game.
The boy gave him a wide grin. "I have Chinese checkers so Matt and Mello can play with us."
Matt and Mello recognized the trapped look on the hunter's face, but Dean smiled and said, "Go get it, Son."
Ben bounced and ran for the box, while the two geniuses grinned at Dean. "We won't go too hard on you, promise."
Dean kept smiling, but replied through gritted teeth, "Like hell you won't."
Mello poked him. "We won't want to frustrate Ben."
"Ben can hold his own. It's me I'm worried about."
Matt chuckled. "Just try to have fun."
"I plan to. I'm playing this to have quality time with my son. You two are an added pleasure, because I like you guys...even if I am fixing to be run through the ringer."
The two laughed, then Mello grinned deviously. "It could be worse."
"I don't play for money with you two."
"He could be playing," the blond pointed at the working Near.
"Well, let's ask him. The more to make me realize I'm dumb, the better." Dean was grinning when he said it.
Matt groaned. "He'll kick all our butts, you know that."
"No, I had no idea. He's better at a game then you two?" Dean started laughing.
"It's always been close but yeah, he beats us at strategy games for the most part," Mello told him.
"I got to admit, I almost want to see that."
Ben put the box on the table as he arrived. "See what?"
"Near beat Mello and Matt, but this is for everyone, so that will be another day. But, if you don't mind getting beat, Ben, I'd like to ask him. He gets left out of a lot of things. I'm gonna be creamed."
The boy frowned for a moment. He wasn't as close to Near as he was the other two. "I guess."
Dean saw the frown with worry. He loved both boys and so wanted them to get along. Ben was only nine and Near was different, but he wanted Ben to understand that there was nothing wrong with being different.
Ben shrugged, setting the game up. "Up to you, Dad."
"It's okay, Ben. Another time." Mello and Matt could tell that Dean was bothered but he quickly covered it.
Near had noticed as well, quietly closing the laptop. "Near has a call to make and will return shortly." He padded off to a private area, cell phone in hand.
Dean watched him go out of the corner of his eye, an ache in his heart.
"He'll be all right," Mello murmured.
"Yeah, sure he will."
"Dean, remember he doesn't feel things as we do," Matt said quietly.
"It's different with me."
"Give Ben time," the red head said. "He's wanted to have you around. It's gotta be hard to share you."
"That's why I didn't push it. I'm afraid Near will distance himself."
"Hard to determine his actions at times," Mello responded. "Have to wait and see."
Dean sighed, and finished opening the game and setting out the board and marbles.
The two geniuses took their places, teasing Ben and Dean.
The game was a wild one. Everyone, except Ben, was surprised when Ben won. Dean stared at his son and then at the two geniuses, his eyes questioning them silently.
Matt and Mello gave a quick smirk, telling him that they'd not played as aggressively as they would have.
"Well, there may be things we should be doing to help out around here. You guys want to toss the football with Ben a bit. I can't and Sam's still busy. Too nice an afternoon to waste. I'll go peel eggs or something to help Lis. That okay, Ben? You can come in and we can talk if you'd rather? While I'm helping that is."
"I'll go play," he said, needing to move.
Dean grinned and tousled his hair before heading to the kitchen. Lisa saw him enter.
"Hey Dean, wanting to help?"
"Yeah, I thought I would."
She smiled and pointed at the eggs, which were cooling under water. "Start peeling!"
Dean turned on the water and began shelling the eggs under the cool stream.
Lisa went on preparing the salad. "How did the game go?"
"Ben's real smart for a nine year old, Lis. He beat me, and Matt and Mello didn't try as hard, and he beat them."
"He's very intelligent for his age," she smiled. "I've kept him on work at home things for extra study to help him."
"He reminds me of Sam at that age. He's gonna be able to do whatever he wants when he hits college age."
"We keep him sharp and focused, he definitely will go far."
"Exactly."
"I picked up more tutoring supplies for him, so that'll help while summer is going."
"What subjects and grade levels?"
"Maths and sciences right now, he's working on middle school levels."
"I used to help, Sammy. I'll do what I can. You know? I've got a brilliant idea. Near could teach what none of us could. That's if both boys would be willing."
"If Near has time," she said. "I noticed Ryuuzaki has the boys rather busy..at least Near seems to be."
"I'll ask him and then talk to the boys. Lis, I want Ben to get to know and, hopefully, like Near. I think he may be jealous, and I don't want that. I hoped this might help."
"Give him time too, Dean. You're finally in his life. He may not be ready to share you yet."
"I know that, hon. That's why I'm not asking him to share me, but to share himself...to learn from one of the smartest people here."
She nodded, taking the eggs and handing him a knife and several blocks of cheese. "Cube the Colby jack, then slice the rest for a relish tray please. And I know, love. Just remember he's nine and though he's intelligent, he's still a boy."
"I know. I don't plan on pushing anything. I'll take it slow." Dean began to cube the Colby jack cheese. He sliced the other cheeses and set them aside. Lisa noted that he was fast with a knife. She didn't think she wanted to know how he'd learned the techniques. He leaned over and kissed her after he'd finished the cheeses. "I love you, Lis."
"Love you too, Dean." She handed him some cucumbers that had been scoured already.
"You want them completely peeled or just areas? Sliced, diced, or stripped?"
"Stripped and sliced please," she grinned. "You're making this go by fast."
Dean returned the grin. "I like doing this together. After I start working, we can do this on my days off. It's fun to share things, even little things, Lis. This is home to me. I've never had it. It means a lot to me."
"You know how to cook?"
Dean turned red again. "I picked things up here and there. Mainly from watching people. I would get up at night and watch a cooking show when Sammy was asleep. If I liked something, I saved it on the computer. Just a little file. I don't think Sam every noticed it. If he did, he never said anything. I learned the basics for a while. When we were at Bobby's or even at Missouri's, I watched."
She smiled. "Good, you can learn more as time goes by and help me teach Ben to. I believe in everyone being somewhat self sufficient in the kitchen."
"That'd be fun." Lisa had no idea that Dean had a plan in mind . He had been looking at the calendar, trying to put dates in that were important. He'd found out everyone's birthday, but also discovered that Mother's Day was in a couple of weeks. Sam's birthday was next week and Mother's Day about a week after. He wanted to do something special for both days.
"I have beginner cookbooks for you two to share," she smiled wider. "It's a good practical application for measuring for Ben."
"Sam will twenty-seven next week, Lis. I'd like to do something special for him"
"What's his favorite flavor of cake?"
"Hell, I don't know. We never really had much of a chance to have things like that. I learned about apple pie at a restaurant once. Shared a piece with Sammy. He tends to not eat junk food much. I don't know. I'd like to find something really nice to cook, but the cake, I guess, chocolate?"
"See if you can get Sarah to find out. I can get a recipe and help you make a cake for him. Maybe have a party."
"I'd like a dinner party for him. I'd like to make a pot roast. I've never done one, but it would be a real family meal. Sam's never had one. Not a Winchester one, any way."
She tilted her head thoughtfully. "I have a recipe that's really tasty you can use."
"That's a great idea. I'd love to try it. We got to keep it a secret."
"We can have Sarah take him out for part of the day, give us time to decorate and get things ready. Did you want to invite Watari, Ryuuzaki, and the others?"
"Yeah, I'd like too, Lis. They've done so much for Sam and me. You have no idea what all they've done. I need to tell you some time."
She handed him more veggies to slice and chop up for the salad. "I'd like that."
"Some of it is really nice stuff, but some of it was really hard. I had a really bad life. That one thing about the rape when I was a teenager, well, it's just a small part. They helped me learn to cope with my past and how to continue to deal with it when it tries to sneak back up."
Lisa pressed a hand to his back, stroking comfortingly.
"I sometimes have relapses on things. The problem today was one such time. I'm better and getting better daily, but I will slip sometimes. Okay? I love your hand there."
She smiled. "I'm glad you do, love, and I'll help where I can."
"That's all any man could ask for, Lis. I want to be there for you too."
"You will be," she nodded. "All we have to do now is toss the salad."
"You got something that does that, or do I just dig my hands in?" He winked at her.
"Dig in," Lisa laughed.
Dean dug his hands into the vegetables and tossed the salad for a number of minutes. When he had it tossed well, Lisa covered it with a lit and put it in the refrigerator, while the man beside her washed his hands and arms under the tap water in the sink.
"I've got some toppings to put out when we bring everything out. Now let's see...we need a healthier dessert knowing Mello's tendencies for sweets."
"I thought Sarah was bringing the dessert."
"And what do you want to bet he bribed her into chocolate?"
Dean grinned, questioning her, "Mello, or Sam?" He started laughing. "I don't mind chocolate as long as it's a Watari special. I'm not supposed to have the sugar."
"I was thinking an apple crumble," she said.
Dean got a soft smile, and a hopeful tone to his voice, "Kind of like Watari does his pies?"
"Heat the oven to 350, Dean, and get me the bag of apples," she smiled.
Dean was excited like a child would be. He turned the oven on and grabbed the apples. "What should I do?"
"Wash them well," she answered as she pulled out the other ingredients.
Dean used a vegetable brush and scrubbed the apples under warm water.
While she treated a baking dish and measured the ingredients out, Lisa coached him into how to core and peel apples. Dean set to work, using the corer, she watched the muscles bunch in his arms as he pressed the corer down on each apple. He used a peeler and she found him eating the skins as he pared each one. She laughed at that, watching him work.
Dean soon had the work done, and smiled at her. "If I can do anything else, I want to, Lis, but I gotta sit down. Starting to get tired."
She pointed at the stool. "There you go."
Her tired helper sat with a sigh, and asked what she needed done next.
"Slice the apples please and put some in a layer in the pan," Lisa asked him, mixing ingredients. Dean sliced and layered apples, and she was proud of him, because he only ate one or two slices.
Lisa put the mixture in between layers, then put the crumble layer on top. "Ready to put it in."
"You want me to put it in for you?"
"That'd be nice, thank you."
He hopped off the stool, picked up the baking dish and placed it in the hot oven. "What time do you want the timer set for?"
"Thirty minutes, please."
He set the timer, and turned. "We done for right now?"
"We're done," she smiled. "Want something to drink?"
"I'd love something." He sounded tired. She watched him turn on the ceiling fan in the living room and sit in one of the recliners and pushed it into a reclining position. He had the fan on high.
Lisa poured him a glass of iced tea, bringing it to him.
Dean reached for the tea, but put his arm around her waist, pulling her on top of him, holding the tea in his other hand. He helped her settle next to him on the recliner, leaning back and enjoying the breeze from the fan.
"I never, in my wildest dreams, dreamt of this," he sighed in contentment.
She kissed him softly. "We should probably make sure Ben hasn't tried to tie Sam up somewhere."
He sighed softly, "Okay, hon. You need to stay and watch the timer. I'll go keep an eye on him." He let her up and pulled the recliner back into a sitting position. He slowly got up and headed for the door.
"I can hear it if we sit on the porch with the door open," she told him. "Okay," he murmured. He opened the porch door and sat down on the porch floor, back against the wall, legs stretched in front of him. Lisa sat beside him, cuddling as she watched the boys.
Sam had joined Mello, Matt, and Ben, playing touch football. Dean smiled as he watched His head laid over touching hers.
She ran her fingers through his hair, watching with a smile. Watari was working with Bobby at the grill, and it seemed that Ryuuzaki had emerged..albeit shakily..and was sitting with Near.
The fingers through his hair was comforting and stimulating at the same time. As tired as he felt, Dean settled for the comfort. One hand moved into her lap, touching her leg in a soft gesture of contentment.
Lisa continued with the motion, just watching their family at play.
Dean started to doze and caught himself, jerking awake.
"Rest," she murmured. "I'll keep watch."
"I slept several hours before you guys came home. That should have been enough, shouldn't it? I can't sleep now with all this going on. It wouldn't be right." She could hear the tiredness in his voice and it was so soft and raspy. She knew he'd stood in the kitchen for a long time, helping.
"You've also been working," Lisa pointed out. "A quick nap won't hurt anything."
"You're the boss, Lis. What do you want me to do?"
"Cat nap, it'll be all right."
Dean slowly dozed off, his body steadily coming to rest against hers. She carefully eased him until his head was in her lap, and continued to play with his hair, watching their family.
Time passed slowly and eventually, Lisa had to get up to pull the crumble out of the oven. She eased out from under the young man's head and allowed him to lay on the porch as she went to take care of the dessert.
Near kept typing on the laptop, occasionally conferring with L. He'd seen Dean fall asleep and had motioned at Mello to keep the others away from the porch to allow the man his rest. By the time Lisa came back out on the porch, he was on his stomach, head on one arm that was curled under it.
Lisa stayed beside him, humming softly as she watched the others.
Dean slept until the truck from the hardware store delivered the furnishings and supplies for the modeling room. He woke with a jerk when the noise of the vehicle following the dirt road became louder then people around him.
"Sleep well, love?"
Dean rubbed his face, and pushed hair out of his eyes. "Yeah, I did. How long was I asleep?" He looked at the truck and perked up.
"A little under an hour," she answered. "And the stuff you ordered is here."
He watched everyone heading towards the truck to help unload it. "I guess I will just wait on them, huh?"
"You can go supervise since you know how you want it to look."
Dean opened the door and headed to the room they were going to turn into the craft and modeling room. He opened the door to it, and turned on the overhead light and fan. Heading back outside and over to the truck, He asked that the large drop cloth be brought inside first, followed by the shelves and the cabinet.
The workers followed his instructions carefully, getting everything set up the way he wanted it to be. Matt had found a screwdriver and screws for mounting the shelves. The last thing brought in was a table and chairs. Matt mounted the speakers for the small stereo and it was placed on one of the shelves.
The red head was busy with the electronics and grinned once he'd finished with it. Dean asked Ben to bring in the bags of modeling supplies.
Ben ran in, bringing the bags with a bright grin. His dad removed the paints, spray cans, sprayer, knives, brushes, and glues and put them in the cabinet. The model kits were placed on a lower shelf in the cabinet. He put the drop cloth Sam had bought on the table. He noticed a set of coasters in the bottom of one of the bags, and grinned. They had NASCAR emblems on them. He set them on a small table he'd ordered that was placed near the work table. They all stood back and looked at the room, Dean with a major grin.
"Cool!" Came the cry from the boy.
"Matt, Mello, thanks for helping. We ought to go check and see how that brisket's doing. Did Bobby put the chicken on yet?"
"A bit ago," the blond answered.
"Well, let's see how close it is to being ready. We'll know when to bring the food out."
The group nodded, following him out. They found Bobby sitting at one of the picnic tables, under the tarp, drinking a beer. Dean's eyebrows raised at that. Sam looked at him. "You know beer's gonna still be around, Dean. I like one once in awhile. You gonna drink or try to stay away from it?"
"It won't be more than a beer if I decide to, but for right now, I'll have tea. Alcohol isn't really good for me at this time."
Lisa brought him a glass of tea, kissing him before going to check on the boys. L and Watari watched the older Winchester stare at the beer and saw Sam speak with him. They'd seen him shake his head. Both men knew that Dean had other health issues that required the changed diet. They were both pleased to see him say no, and take the offered glass of tea.
"Food about ready, Bobby? Do we need to bring out the other stuff yet?"
"Chicken needs a bit longer," he answered.
Dean joined the others at the picnic table. He moved over by L, speaking softly, "How you feeling?"
"I am surprised I slept so long," the detective answered.
"You have a weird metabolism, L. For your daily life, it does well, but your body went through massive shock and trauma. It wasn't rested enough to heal mentally, emotionally, and physically. I've been dealing with exhaustion since the queen's chamber. You know how bad it's been. They tell me, if Cas hadn't shown up, you'd be a quadriplegic, and I'd be dead. He just didn't have enough mojo to heal us completely. That's why you slept so long, and I should have."
"So I have heard," he answered.
"Did the doc say how long til you're back on your feet?"
"Not yet," he murmured, changing screens on the laptop. "I am being held under watch at the moment."
"If I'd known she was after you too, you wouldn't have been in the building, L."
Dark eyes looked into his. "Yes, I would have. You needed the extra manpower to get the job done.
Dean sighed, knowing L was right. "I know, L, but it wasn't right. I am so grateful you were able to hold out long enough to give Mello the time he needed. I lost too much blood and had too much damage inside to do any more. I tried to keep her away from you as much as I could. There was no way I was gonna be able to use the colt, but if I was down and she was focused on you, Mello could. I'm sorry I had to use you that way."
"It was a logical step to take. I realized it and took the beating as best as I could, trying to protect myself."
"I know. It wasn't supposed to go down like that, but she was not going to give me time to use the colt. I had to be out of the picture in her mind for Mello to do his thing. It's why I kept at her, trying to keep her away from you and drawing her attention. She had to be major pissed at me, and she was. You still had enough in you to keep her busy at that point for Mello to do his thing. I want to thank you for teaching that boy to shoot like that. If he couldn't, we'd all be dead."
He gave a small smirk at that. "Mello is good at what he does."
"Yeah, he is, and I ought to be eating crow right now. I seem to remember telling you I didn't need kids on a hunt. I was way off base there, but I didn't know or understand what they were capable of. I apologize."
"We train beyond exceptional children," he answered softly. "That's why I insisted the two come with us."
"Well, I always felt Sam was one. He could do almost anything he put his mind to, but there were things he wasn't quite as good at....maybe because he didn't wanna hunt. Your kids are exceptional and I'd hunt with them any day."
You should tell them that," L told him. "There are times when Mello and Matt do not hear compliments enough, caught up in being frustrated at being right behind Near."
Dean leaned over to where Near was. "Near, I want to thank you for being there again. I was pretty sure I was gonna die. Knowing you were in control and could get everyone out, made it okay for me, if it happened. You and Sam were fantastic, but you were the controller and I'm grateful for what you did and for your soft voice that made me feel that everything would be all right."
Gray eyes looked up from the computer screen. "Near was doing the job Near was told to do."
"No, you were also being my friend, and you saw me through, knowing inside I was dying. You knew. You had us monitored. Thank you for just being there, and for seeing to it that everyone got the job finished when I couldn't."
It was obvious Near didn't quite see it the way Dean did but the teenager simply nodded, accepting the thank you even though he didn't understand.
Dean left the picnic table and found Matt over at the pit with Sam, checking the coals. "Matt, can we talk a minute?"
The red head looked startled. "Yeah, we can."
They walked a ways from the group and Dean turned and faced the red head. "First off, I owe you a big apology. I was wrong. You'd make a great hunter. You were great the first time as back up with Near, and you were smart enough to get a warning out the second time. Then this last hunt, you were alert, you kept your cool even when you couldn't get to us. It could have been worse if you'd lost it and the demons found you and Bobby. You did a fantastic job of cleanup. C4, man? You left nothing to chance. I'd fight by your side any day. Thank you."
Matt grinned. "What can I say? I like things that go boom."
"Well, you make one hell of a hunter. I'm glad you were there." Dean held out his hand to Matt.
He took it, shaking it. "Well, you ever need backup on missions from L, let me know. I'm sure he'll spare us."
"Oh, I'll request you." Dean grinned and turned to search for Mello. Matt grinned and headed back to help Sam.
Dean found Mello walking by himself behind Bobby's trailer. "Hey, Mello. It took a while to find you."
"Yeah, had to think on some things with a question Ryuuzaki threw at me. What's up?"
"I needed to talk to you. I wanted to first say I'm sorry. I can be an ass when I'm tired, angry, and worried. That first time we met, I was all three. I was wrong."
He blinked at that. "I'd forgotten about that, honestly."
"I won't lie to you. I worried about you, but it was because I was afraid you'd let what was happening to L break you and you'd draw attention to yourself. When everything went wrong, you were my only hope, Mello. I was told you could shoot, and damn!....Can you ever shoot! You kept quiet, while I tried to draw her fire. The reason I did that was so she'd take me down and forget I was there. That's when you could get the colt. It required that L take her on after me. You held kept quiet and stayed still, and I know it was hard. You are one hell of a man, Mello. You did just as good as any hunter I know. I'd love to keep you for when we have to hunt, but that's out of the question. I just wanted you to know that you are no kid, and I'd be proud to have you have my back any day. Thank you." Dean held out his hand.
Mello took it, shaking it. "I'll be there if L finds cases for you and you need backup. And yeah..we've covered hostage situations before and the like. We learn how to handle ourselves."
"I know you guys know that I think of Near as a son, and I do, but I think of you and Matt as brothers, equals. I'd like it to remain that way."
He gave him a smile. "Brothers...that'll work."
Dean grabbed him and hugged him, "Awesome! If you're needing to think, I'll go."
He hugged him back. "I'm good. The answer came to me a moment ago so yeah, I can give it to him and then see what needs doing."
I think I'm still overdoing things, but I feel good inside. I think I'll go find my tea and a chair somewhere, or maybe my porch. I kinda like sitting on it. You're welcome to join me if you want to."
"Think I will," he said. "I'll join you in a few."
No comments:
Post a Comment