Jack Russells and Barbecues.
Dean came around from behind Bobby's trailer only to be met by a worried fiancee and brother. He froze, eyes going from one to the other. He started thinking, 'Was there some rule he didn't know?'
Sam grinned. "There you are. We were worried you'd tried to meander too far."
The relief on Dean's face was almost laughable, but the concern in his voice wasn't. "You're not mad at me for something? I didn't break some rule I wasn't aware of?"
"No, we trust you," he laughed softly.
Dean closed his eyes in relief and swallowed hard. He nodded. "I was just gonna find my tea over by the picnic tables, and then Mello may join me on the porch. You guys care to come too?"
"Sure," Lisa answered, taking his hand.
Matt was teaching Ben how to play soccer. Dean and Lisa walked over and got the tea. Dean nodded at L. They headed over to the porch to sit down. He sat with his back to the trailer and stretched his bowed legs out in front of him, sighing. "I like this."
"It's nice and quiet," she murmured. "You picked a great spot, Dean."
"I know it's not a big city or a fancy suburb somewhere. It's wild and seems untameable. I like that. It soothes me inside. Is that weird? I know it's desert and mountains, but there are beautiful trees behind the cabin. It calls to me."
"No, not weird. As long as we have the animals to protect ourselves from wildlife, I'm happy to have this place."
Sam said he took a call from a breeder of Jack Russells. They have three litters ready to go to homes. They are coming with a special trailer to let us see them." At this time Larry came up and lay down next to Dean, his head across one of the hunter's ankles.
"You're sure they don't have to be trained?"
"From what I understand, it's just instinct. If you find the instinct in a dog, you breed it to another that has it. It's the instinct to grab a snake and shake it til it dies. They will get bit at times. We got to have stuff for them and a good vet nearby.. I think we need a pack, but I don't know about breeding them. It would be easier if we got a female from two litters and a male from the third. We breed, sell, keep what we want. Thing Is I won't have time for that and I don't know that you and Sarah want to be involved in all of that."
Lisa laughed. "Wouldn't hurt to ask, hmm?"
"Okay. SARAH!!!"
"What?!"
"How would you and Lisa like to breed, sell, and keep Jack Russell terriers? They aren't an AKC approved breed, but they kill snakes. I want to buy a male and two females from a breeder who breeds for this purpose. They have three litters that are ready for homes. We can choose one from each letter, and we can breed."
There was a playful gleam in her eyes. "What makes you think I want to clean up after your mutts?"
"This is west Texas, and they kill rattlesnakes?"
"Again, why should I be picking up dog poop?"
"It's okay, Sarah. I imagine you probably can't handle Curly either. I hope Sam remembers to housebreak him. You haven't seen dog poop yet. I'll handle the pups. Lis is afraid of snakes."
Watari laughed softly. "A groundskeeper could take care of that issue in regards to waste."
"I'm looking forward to taking care of a yard, Watari. What's a little more. I really don't want to pay for a groundskeeper."
Mello walked towards him, leaning down. "You realize that this is sorta community property? A grounds keeper would keep the bulk of the work down, still leaving you time to study and you'll be able to do yard work too."
"You guys do understand that this is desert? The grass is very sparse in the back of the cabin because of the trees. It's mainly sand, wild grass, cactus, rocks, and a few mesquite trees. What is there for a grounds keeper to do other then to pick up dog shit?"
Mello laughed. "The green houses you planned for one."
"Oh! And the indoor solarium thing for Near and everyone to enjoy when it's too hot outside."
"Exactly. Those take a lot of work to maintain."
"I thought it would only take one day of hard work a week. You're right. I'll have the shop open at least five if not five and a half days a week, plus there's school work too. I can't do it."
"So..we find a horticultural genius that you and Ryuuzaki trust and go from there. We can plan a small garden for you to putter in if you want too."
"I'd like that, but not til I'm finished with school. I'll have a business to run and a family to be with."
"I'll let Watari know later then," he said, plopping beside Dean.
"Thanks, Mello, and I'll take care of the terriers."
"I think we'll all pitch in when we're here," he said, stretching. "It's to keep the grounds safe after all and I don't mind dogs."
"Yeah, well, y'all travel all over the world, and I'll be living here full time, and it will need to be done. They have to have attention so they don't have a bad pack attitude. It'll be my job."
"And Ben's," Lisa added. "He needs to learn responsibility too."
"Yeah, it will be."
She cuddled into him, smiling as Ben kept playing with Matt.
Dean sighed, pulling her in close. He was tired, and it was aggravating that he was.
Bobby put out the call that dinner was ready, laughing as some of them made a bee line to get food out onto the tables.
Dean grabbed the potato salad that Bobby had brought over, and the chef's salad. He put a platter between them and stacked them, heading towards the picnic area.
Lisa was carrying the dessert, keeping it out of reach of certain geniuses.
Sarah brought a huge platter of chocolate brownies and a relish tray.
Mello went and came back with a bowl of corn on the cob while Matt had two platters of green beans and squash.
Dean looked at the vegetables and was grateful. He wasn't sure how hungry he was, but he had actually learned to enjoy vegetables. His appetite had not returned since Ruby. He would eat because he'd force himself. It all smelled good, so he was hopeful he'd eat enough to help him.
Someone went to the clinic and invited the doctor and nurses who stayed full time.
The meat was cut up and put onto platters to help make serving easier and while the girls poured drinks, Watari and Mello took L and Near's laptops away so they would focus on eating.
Dean grinned at the expressions on both of the geniuses' faces. He wasn't the only one being force to do what he didn't like to do. He felt better about it.
Food was passed around, same as drinks, everyone taking generous portions of the main foods. Desserts would wait for a while.
Sam watched Dean putting small amounts of everything on his plate. Some were only one or two bites. He frowned when he saw this. Dean was still eating like he had when he was badly laid up with his shoulder.
Lisa solved it by adding more to his plate, encouraging him to eat more.
Dean's stare was priceless. Sam knew that Dean would think it bad manners to not eat what was put in front of him, even if he didn't like it. That had come from Pastor Jim.
She smiled sweetly at him, then went back to eating her own meal. Dean slowly took a bit, enjoying the flavor of the brisket. He didn't shovel food in like he used to which could be why he wasn't eating as much.
"This is delicious, Bobby," Lisa told the older male.
"Thank you. I haven't done this in years and I really enjoyed it."
Dean smiled at the older man, but was already beginning to feel full. The amount on his plate was more then Watari normally brought him. He was struggling but didn't want to worry anyone. He was not ill now and should be able to eat more.
"If Dean is full, then stop." Near, who was sitting not too far from Dean, had seen the struggle.
Dean froze after Near's comment. Everyone turned to look at his plate. He closed his eyes, wondering, 'What next?'
The doctor was sitting next to Watari and spoke softly to the other man, nodding towards the hunter. Dean had looked up and seen what the doctor had done, and he winced.
"You did good to eat all that, Dean," Watari told him, then guided the conversation to something else, taking the attention off of him. Sam watched his brother, take up a glass of tea with a shaking hand, take a sip, replace it, and then lower his head.
Lisa tried to draw Dean into the conversation, hoping to bring him out of that. The older Winchester started listening, having no idea what had been said before this.
The conversation soon turned to the house and ideas were batted around. Dean spoke about putting in cedar flooring and that he'd found a good place to buy it and had ordered it. He spoke of the painter Watari was going to investigate.
Ryuuzaki listened to him, nodded at some points. The flooring being non carpeted was a good idea. No carpet reminded Dean of the reasons for it. Dean smiled, thinking of the possibility of having another child and being able to see all of its life. He looked over at Ben, his eyes filled with love, and the smiled deepened.
Matt told the others he didn't care too much about his room, just so long as he had his computers and gaming equipment.
"Aw, come on, Matt. Not even one poster of a model in a string bikini?" Dean teased.
The red head threw a roll at Dean, and Mello cracked up. Dean ducked and laughed also.
Lisa, trying to draw the quiet teen into conversation, asked Near about how he wanted his room. The white haired genius looked up from where he was stacking the cheese on his plate. "Near does not have any preferences."
Dean spoke softly, "Yeah, you do, Near. I'll find someone who can design your room, but you are gonna live in Lothlorien when you are here."
Near's eyes widened at that and Sarah grinned. "I love Tolkien. That'd be an awesome room!"
"Sarah, a designer might not understand Tolkien....especially Lothlorien. You love Tolkien. Can you create it for Near?"
Her face lit up. "I'm not very good but I'll definitely try. The trees and lighting, right?"
"Yeah, the bed needs to be in the trees. They lived in the trees. The trees are called the Mallorn and are bigger then the redwoods. They have a silvery gray bark and big yellow leaves. Tiny fairy lights are throughout the trees. Or, you could make the bed out of the bark and have it look like a large canoe. They built their canoes of that bark."
She ran to the trailer and Sam laughed. "She's gone to get her sketch pad. Sarah says she's not good but honestly, she doesn't give herself enough credit."
"I hoped that was the story. What do you think, Near? That a preference?"
His eyes were large. "Near..would like that."
"All right, we are building Lothlorien. Ben, you still haven't told me what you want in your dream room. I can't build it, if I'm one hundred percent sure what you'd like."
"Water..I want the ocean," he answered. Lisa leaned in and reminded Dean of the dune buggy bed idea they'd had. Sarah came back with a sketch pad and box of pencils. She pushed plates out of the way and began working.
"I thought that was what you wanted. Sarah, can you design a dune buggy bed? If you can design it, I can build it. How good are you at painting murals? An ocean scene and the local mountains with a storm at the top?"
"I can try to design it...come up with ideas and let you choose," she murmured absently, pencil flying over the pad.
"I have this woman in New England, but I'd rather keep it in the family. It would mean more."
Sarah didn't even look up from her work but her comment had the group laughing. "That doesn't even sound right, Dean."
"Force of habit, Sarah. I'm used to having women everywhere, but once you find the right one, you forget those words could mean something else."
"I'm just giving you a hard time. Near enjoys puzzles and toys, right?" She didn't know the boy as well.
"Oh, yeah, he does."
"What do you think of hiding the shelves for them in the wall and having doors that come out rounded, painted like Mallorn tree trunks? They can slide into the wall and back out?"
"That's an awesome idea! Dang, I'd like that room." Dean grinned.
She blushed at that and kept drawing. "What about the rest of the bedrooms? Ryuuzaki's and the rest?"
"Watari, I would imagine an English gentleman's room. Ryuuzaki, tends to like neatness, and is very single minded on his job. A clean, precise room, but with maybe some oriental styles. Matt is gaming and electronics. Mello is very much sports. I'd ask though."
"I think I will," she mumbled.
"Okay." Dean picked up his plate and took it to the trash, and headed back to the porch to stretch out. He was really feeling tired. He knew the new dogs would be coming.
The clean up went well, though the desserts stayed on the table, waiting for room to be made so they could be enjoyed.
Sam came up to Dean and sat down next to him. " I called and the dogs will come tomorrow."
His brother looked over at him. "Why?"
"Because you're too damn tired, Dean, and you seem to think this has to be done alone. I'll work the dogs with you and help with clean up. It's not your job alone."
Dean stared at him. "Okay."
A plate of apple crumble and a cup of tea was handed to Dean by Watari. "Enjoy." Desserts were passed around and Mello went after the chocolate with a whoop of joy.
Lisa watched from where she was sitting to see how the man in her life liked her apple crumble. He had taken a large bite. She could watch how his mouth moved and his tongue kept slipping out, catching crumbs. His eyes closed for a moment and he smiled a big smile.. "This is good, Sammy."
"I know," he was munching on some of his own. "Very good."
"You're eating apple crumble instead of brownies? Wow! Oh, while dessert is the discussion, what is your favorite cake?"
"Chocolate cherry, and I sorta cheated. I got both," he grinned.
Dean winked at him. "There was a time when I would've gotten both and went back for seconds, if not thirds. Are the brownies good?"
"Mmmhmm," he sighed around a mouthful of brownie, then snuck his brother a piece so he could try it.
Dean chewed it, groaning, "This isn't fair."
Sam winked. "That's why I snuck you some..so shh."
Dean nodded, taking another bite.
The boys were nibbling on desserts as well with Ryuuzaki, Mello, and Matt complimenting both girls on the sweets that had been made. Matt nudged Mello and pointed to Dean who was on his last bite of brownie. Mello grinned. The two said nothing, glad he was having fun.
Dean was rubbing the chocolate off the plate, so that Lisa and Watari would not see it. Neither brother considered the idea that chocolate brownie would stick in teeth.
Mello chuckled, then handed him some bread. "Cover the evidence," he whispered.
Dean looked confused for a second and asked, "What?" Realization suddenly showed in his eyes, and he began eating the bread, mumbling, "Thanks."
He grinned. "No problem."
None of the boys realized that Dean was being watched carefully. Due to his health issues and doctor warnings, Watari and Lisa were keeping a close eye on him. The doctor and his nurses watched also. Typical of his nature, so was L. Sam, Dean, Mello, and Matt thought he'd gotten away with it.
Near knew he hadn't but the chances were good no one would speak of it considering the nature of the meal together.
Dean set his plate down, feeling more relaxed then he had in a while. He'd broken a rule, and had three conspirators involved, and it would seem that no one knew. He enjoyed every second of it. The extra food on his plate had bothered him. Sneaking brownies had helped.
Lisa laughed softly, keeping the knowledge to herself and came up to hug him. "Get enough to eat?"
"Yeah, hon. I had plenty. More than enough. Thank you for asking."
She hugged him again. "All right."
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