Good Times
"It wasn't, but it wasn't for Sam either. Oh, and if I act like a fool or a big kid, and I embarrass the daylights out of you, it's because I never got to be a little one and sometimes the little guy escapes. Just....at the most inopportune moments." Dean winked at his brother.
She laughed. "Not a problem."
The man on the couch beside her murmured, "Don't bet on it." Dean started laughing hard.
The girls giggled at that.
"You've been forewarned by the culprit and the brother who has had to deal with it."
"I'm sure Sam gave it back just as much as you gave it," Sarah grinned.
Dean looked sad and said, "Only once in a while. Wish he had though."
"We'll make sure he does then."
"No super glue."
Sam started laughing at that.
"Hey, you won fair and square with that one. I'm only admitting it now. It's fun to think back on though. You and the itching powder. Man, I thought you were going to strip in the restaurant. But super glue to the beer bottle? Hell, I still check beer bottles before I pick them up."
The laughter grew louder at that.
Dean felt at peace for the first time in a long time. "I have to start walking according to the doctor. Would you guys like to walk with me and start looking over the property?"
"Sure," Sam said with a grin.
"Lisa, Sarah? Or are the snakes too scary?"
The two women looked at each other. "You are going armed..right?"
Dean looked at his brother, knowing they would both be carrying guns with bullets, and with rock salt. "Yeah, we'll be armed."
"Then we'll go with you. We see a snake though, all bets are off," Lisa said.
"I'll protect you, Lis."
"Darn well better," she grinned.
"Of course I will. I thought early in the morning before it gets too hot."
The walks became a daily habit for the foursome. Ben would join them at times, but had his own interests also. Six months passed, along with a number of changes. The cabin was almost finished. Everyone was healthy. Dean and Sam had opened Winchester's Garage and Car Lot on the main highway that fronted their property. It wasn't long before people in the surrounding areas discovered them. Dean was honest about repairs, and an honest mechanic was a rarity in most peoples' minds. Sam was running the office and Bobby was doing the sales, helping Dean when he was backed up.
Dean had scheduled some things. They needed furniture, dishes, and a large number of things. He'd done another hunt for L. He and Sam met Mello in Philadelphia. A serial killer had had a strange M.O. L asked the boys to investigate it. Mello was their partner and liaison. It ended up being a shape shifter who had turned to cannibalism. The pay had been excellent, and Dean had plans for it.
L had checked up on both of them, as had Watari, and followed up with counseling whenever the two felt they had needed it. He could say that the two were doing very well.
Dean had started school online, but was also taking a course on diesel mechanics twice a week in the city. The course required that he be gone all day on the Tuesdays and Thursdays. Lisa learned automotive sales and covered for Bobby who covered for Dean.
Dean told everyone they were were going to be closed on the weekend and going to the city where he and Sam originally met L. He sat down with them on Thursday evening after he'd gotten all the grease from the diesel engines washed off.
"We need to make a list of everything needed, guys. I mean everything. Bobby, I know you have money, but don't stint if you need something. I get paid very well by L, and Ryuuzaki sees to it there's plenty. Sam gets good pay for the hunts also. We're all going shopping. We will leave after I clean up tomorrow afternoon. I promised Mrs. Heming I'd have her van ready. That's if there are no calls or emergencies. How's that sound to everyone? "
The group nodded, agreeing with Dean's plan.
"That sounds great. Lis, can I help with dinner? I have no idea what was planned for tonight. I'll be glad when this course is over and you don't have to work unless you want to."
"We're making lasagna and salad tonight," she told him. "So be ready to eat by six. Will that do?" She'd planned for a family dinner tonight and Sarah had been helping.
Dean grinned. "You found whole wheat lasagna noodles. Where?"
"The grocery store started stocking them for me after I asked them too. I explained the needs and seems that others had been asking for it too," she grinned.
"That's fantastic, hon. Hey, guys. Let's set the table and get out of their hair. Model cars?
Ben and Sam grinned, Bobby agreeing as well. "Just..no more Metallica, OK?" The older man asked. "You nearly blew my ears off last time."
The men quickly set the table, and headed towards the model room. Dean grinning replied, "Your choice tonight, Bobby."
He threw on some soft rock..oldies style, and took a seat to start working with his boys.
Dean was tired from the school and the long drive back and forth, but was happy to be home, and to see his plans coming together. As they worked, he started humming with the music, and was soon singing along with it.
Ben was chirping in time too, grinning as he worked with his favorite male adults.
Sam and Bobby exchanged glances, each realizing at the same time that Ben had inherited his father's singing abilities.
Both were grinning, trying not to laugh.
Simon and Garfunkel's 'A Bridge Over Troubled Water' began. Bobby's eyes opened wide, and he excused himself, saying he needed to go take a leak. He quickly exited the room.
Sam went after him. "You okay?"
"I am not gonna listen to Dean try to hit those notes. I'll be out of the restroom in about four and a half minutes."
"You could fast forward it," he pointed out.
"I'm not gonna ruin their fun. I can handle most stuff he sings, but think about it, Sam. Art Garfunkel has an incredible range. Dean doesn't even have a mediocre voice. Ben has inherited it. The boy loves to sing. I'm not gonna ruin his evening by fast forwarding the song. I can stand out here and talk to you til it's over."
Sam winced at the loud racket. "Oh God, Ben's even trying this."
Bobby stared at the younger man, "Point taken."
He shuddered. "Yeah, we'll wait."
"I knew you had brains, boy."
At that point, Sarah walked up. "What is going on? I asked Lisa if there were some wild cats around that I didn't know of. She's now sitting in a chair, wiping the tears from her eyes, she's laughing so hard."
"Your nephew and future brother-in-law," Bobby informed her.
"Is that singing?"
"Or what they think passes as it," he said with a wry grin.
"What are they butchering? I can't pick out the tune."
Sam answered. "Supposed to be Simon and Garfunkel."
"Really? What song?"
"Bridge over Troubled Waters," he said, then winced at the horrid pitches coming from the room.
Sarah had to cover her mouth. "I think I'll go back and let Lisa know what the men in her life are singing," she replied faintly.
Sam looked worriedly at Bobby, "You don't have MacArthur Park on there do you?"
"No, thank goodness."
Piercing laughter could be heard in the kitchen. "Lisa has a good sense of humor over it. Maybe she's tone deaf," Sam commented, as the singing stopped.
"Or selectively deaf," he told his adopted son.
Sam sighed as they headed back to the room, "Aren't we all?"
"Not enough," Bobby said with a grin.
It had quieted down in the model room as Dean was explaining the need to paint certain engine parts certain colors.
The two came back in, heading to start painting as well. Bobby changed cds, going to a Celtic one to save their ears.
Dean had Ben lined out and went back to work on the '57 Chevy model he'd recently bought. "Hey, guys. I found a guy who has three cars sitting in his back pasture. I looked at them yesterday and gave him a bid of $750. The bodies are in good shape as far as no rust, but there will be dents and things to come out. Two have no engines and the third has an engine that will need a lot of work. He will have the titles ready to sign over tomorrow. I thought during lunch, we'd take the wrecker and haul two at a time. Two Fords and a Chevy."
Bobby grinned. "Revamp for personal use or to resell?"
"I thought that Sam could pick between a Ford Taurus and a 3/4 ton Chevy pickup for Sarah and him. The other Taurus will be for Lisa. Whatever is left, I'll sell."
"Sounds good," he grinned. "I may want one too."
"You're welcome to whatever the third one is. I wanted to get family taken care of, then I will start rebuilding for sale."
"I love the idea," Bobby said.
"Whatever Sam picks, you can have the other."
"I'll work under the hood with you," he said softly.
"I'd love that, Bobby," was the soft answer.
Bobby grinned at that. "So would I."
Lisa stuck her head in the door and told them that supper was ready.
Dean smiled as he sniffed the aroma coming from the kitchen. He had not told anyone, but he'd emailed Watari, explaining that move in would be in a few days, and that the furniture needed to be selected. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years were on the way, and he had plans. Could they come and stay awhile?
An answer had been sent to Dean's inbox for him to check tonight after he'd finished spending time with his family. L had agreed for the group to visit.
They sat down to a wonderful meal. Lisa kept beer for everyone who drank it, but Dean was still abstaining from it. He had a large ice tea.
Lisa had poured milk for Ben and tea for those who wanted it before serving plates for the group.
Dean was finally eating properly. He was not eating like he used to, but he had a healthy appetite. Lisa had the instructions from his doctor, who knew the man's physical activities and had designed the diet appropriately. Her fiancee had put on the needed weight and seemed to be staying at that level. He worked hard and she usually had to make sure he ate. Sam and Bobby, being at the shop, kept at him. Three meals and three snacks, healthy ones, were a problem to get him to eat at times. Sam could remember being embarrassed by his brother's inability to not eat what was in front of him He smiled as he watched the older man enjoy his meal, but with moderation in how he consumed it.
It was definitely a great change in Dean, and it was one they were really pleased with. His last doctor visit had turned out to be improved thanks to his devotion to his diet.
After the meal was over, Dean picked up his dishes and headed to the sink "You want them scrubbed before the dishwasher, Lis? I'll help with these, but I'm going to get to bed early tonight. It was a long drive to the city and there's a lot to do at the shop tomorrow. I need to check my email and online classes before bed."
"Just rinse them off and load them," she answered as she put the left overs away.
Before long, everyone was helping in the kitchen. When the kitchen was clean, Dean hugged both women, and thanked them for the meal. He hugged Sarah real tight, knowing she'd done most of the meal with Lisa working at the shop on his school days in the city.
Sarah hugged him back, ruffling his hair playfully. "Welcome."
Dean grinned in response, still trying to figure out why both girls liked to play with his hair since he'd let it grow out. He hugged his brother and Bobby, then picked up Ben like a tow sack under one arm and hauled him to his room. "All right, son. Your homework done?" Ben was being home schooled, but they had him actively involved in a large number of sports and other events to give him interaction with other kids.
"All but reading," he giggled under his dad's arm. "You promised to read with me so I was waiting."
"You're right. I did promise. Aren't we starting a new book? What did your mom get you?"
"She got me a couple to choose from," he answered. "They're on my shelf."
Dean walked over to the shelf and looked at the new books. "Tom Sawyer and The Call of the Wild? Which do you like?"
"I don't know. Never read any of them," Ben said, plopping onto his bed.
"The Call of the Wild deals with sled dogs and wolves and stuff up in an Arctic wilderness, if I remember right. I never read the book, but I saw the movie. Tom Sawyer is fun and a good book for your age. I'd pick it."
"Let's try it," he bounced.
Dean grabbed the book and both of them sat on bean bags on the floor in Ben's room, while the boy read to his father. Lisa, having said good bye to everyone, went looking for them. She had not seen Dean cart their son off earlier. She started checking rooms, suddenly hearing the boy's voice behind the closed door of his room. Listening, she heard the words of Mark Twain. Once in a while, Ben would stop and ask a question. Surprisingly, Dean's answers made sense, in a man's way. The answers were not what she would have given, but to a boy, Dean's were the correct way to go.
Mark Twain was a twitchy subject for anyone Ben's age due to the time period his novels had been written in. Dean was being very tactful in regards to the use of language and other references to the bigotry of Twain's time period.
She loved Dean's responses in answer to Ben's questions about all the things Tom did and why he did them. She grinned, imagining that Dean would have outdone Tom if he'd had the chance to be a kid. He still had the heart of one and great understanding of childhood.
Ben was obviously eating it up, listening to his dad's explanations as well as the story. It was so much fun reading with him.
Lisa did not leave. She stood outside the door, listening to the two, enjoying their time together as much as they did. She heard Dean yawn, and knew it had been a long day for him. He'd gotten up at 4 in the morning to be at class at 7. He was not getting the breaks for snacks and other needed things while taking these courses, so he drained himself twice a week. He usually got off at 4 and had found back ways to get out of the city before the traffic got bad. He got home by 6:30. It was almost 10:30. She still guarded his need for rest, making sure he had plenty. She knocked on the door.
Ben called out. "Come in!"
Opening the door, Lisa stepping in carefully, never knowing what she'd find lying around. "Hi, guys. You been reading? How was it?"
"It's good...I want to go sailing, Mama, can we?!"
Dean looked at Lisa. "We could go to New Orleans some time after Mardi Gras. they have a riverboat we could take, or we could go to Corpus Christi and hire someone to take us out on a real sailboat. We could plan, and I'll arrange time off. It'll be next spring, early summer, Ben. That work with you, Lis? I don't think I want to raft the Mississippi."
"I think that'd be great. He should read Huck Finn before we do that," she laughed.
"The Mississippi? Yeah. He should. We'll see if we can find it for him. He'll love it too. The sailing would be fun, Lis. There's a lot to see and do in Texas. I'd like for us to do some camping, too."
"Well, we can talk about it, later, boys. It's bed time for both of you. Ben, showers. Dean, hug your son good night and you do the same. I'll tuck him in tonight."
Dean started to argue and thought better of it. He was tired, and still had things to do before he could rest. He grabbed Ben and pulled him into his lap, tickling him for a few minutes. Then he hugged him and told him he loved him. He planted a big kiss on the boy's forehead, and let him go. He got up, hugged Lisa, winked at her, and headed to the opposite end of the trailer.
Dean had showered earlier, washing off grease, oil, and diesel. He stripped off his clothes and got into the shower a second time, letting hot water work on tired muscles. He hurt this evening.
Lisa came in after Ben was put to bed. "How're you feeling, love?"
Dean had toweled dry and had on boxers and a t-shirt. He sighed. "I'm learning a lot from these classes, Lis, but the hours, the labor, and the book learning are rough. The college on top of it, plus the job, is hard sometimes. I just get really tired. We were all involved in moving diesel parts today. I hurt where I haven't hurt in a while. " Dean grinned. "I'm moaning and griping aren't I?" He shook his head, grabbed his laptop, and climbed onto the bed. "I know I should sit at the desk, but I don't want to sit on anything else hard today. Besides, you can sit next me and that's a plus."
Dean looked up at her standing and staring at him. "I may gripe and moan, Lis, but I wouldn't trade it, you or Ben for the entire world."
"I know. If you did, I'd smack you," she teased.
Dean moved suddenly, grabbing Lisa by the waist pulling her into his lap, the computer sliding onto the bed. He nuzzled her neck, and she could smell the fresh smell of soap and shampoo on him. "I can still move faster then you, love, so smacking wouldn't work well." He nibbled her neck, leaving a slight red mark, but no bruise. He let her slip out of his arms so she could go shower, whispering, "I love you," when he did so. He reached down and picked up his computer.
After showering, Lisa donned baby doll pajamas, and she picked up her book and started reading, giving him company as he started studying.
Dean finished his readings and assignments, pulling up his email account, he found the letter from L. Opening it, L told him they would be there on Sunday and would stay at least through New Years. Everyone was looking forward to some time off, other then regular online cases. They wanted to make sure everything was done the way they wanted in their area of the cabin. L knew Dean had designed the solarium and the gardens and told him Watari might want to make changes. Dean wrote back saying he'd be glad of any advice Watari could give. He was finally finished, looked at the clock, seeing it was 1 in the morning. He set the clock for 6:30, knowing he'd be rushed to be at the shop by 7. It didn't open til 8 but he needed the extra time. He yawned and lay his head in Lisa's lap while she read, falling asleep as soon as he touched her.
Lisa put her book away and then lay down against several pillows, turning the lights off. She let him sleep as he lay, knowing he'd be comfortable this way.
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