After the End

Chapter Ten

They were the firsts ones in the dining area this morning, most likely arranged by John himself. They wrapped up their breakfast, which was a helping of eggs and a side of fresh fruit, and then set off down the block for more walking. John explained a few things as they walked down the street, including that they grew their own food and raised livestock to have a steady food supply. It was limited, but they managed to build up their resources over the last ten years. John explained how the education worked, but there weren't many children old enough to be educated yet. Once kids turned sixteen, they were put to work with the rest of the neighborhood.

After a fifteen minute walk of John explaining things about the neighborhood, they finally came to a stop in front of a small brick house. John led them up the stairs and they waited on the porch after he knocked a couple times. Dean felt anxious, knowing he was about to see Bobby after ten years of thinking the old man was dead. He was afraid their relationship wouldn't be the same as it used to be, but he knew he was just being stupid. As Dean worried himself into a slight panic attack, the front door creaked open, revealing an older woman with a serious expression set on her face. For a moment, she stared at John, and then her eyes wandered to Dean and Sam, and then Castiel and Jack behind them.

"John," she greeted, her smile warming up a little. "What's the occasion?" She opened the door even further, inviting them in without actually saying anything. John took that as his cue and walked through the door, the others following close behind until they were all inside and the woman had shut the door before rushing around them to stand in front of the five of them. "Bobby just sat down for his morning coffee, if you boys want anything?"

"Ellen, who's at the door?" came a voice from the other room, and Dean's heart clenched at the sound of Bobby's words.

Ellen smiled apologetically, most likely because of Bobby's rude manners, but Dean only chuckled, relieved that the man hadn't changed much since they last saw each other. Dean inched past the others, following the sound of Bobby's voice until he was standing in the doorway of a kitchen. Bobby had his back to Dean, sipping a cup of coffee as he worked through a crossword puzzle.

"Is that any way to greet your guests?" Dean asked fondly, leaning against the doorway as the older man whipped his head around to meet Dean's amused grin. His eyes widened while he slowly sat his steaming cup of coffee back down on the table with a thud. Dean shrugged his shoulders, playing off his excitement as less than it was. Bobby was still speechless, just staring in shock. "Good to see you too, Bobby," Dean chuckled.

"Dean?" Bobby finally spoke, his chair scraping the floor as he stood up, studying Dean as if he wasn't sure this was real. "Are you- how are you here?"

Dean took the first leap, reeling Bobby in by the shoulders, wrapping him in a tight hug for a few seconds before they both pulled away. "Sam and me, we've been hiding out this whole time. When everything calmed down, we set out to find somewhere with more resources, ended up running into someone named Jody, and now here we are." He figured the sweet and short version was much easier than going into all the details about how they ended up here, and Bobby seemed to grasp it easy enough too.

"And Sam," Bobby continued, looking behind Dean. "He's here too?"

"He's here," Dean confirmed, stepping to the side as Sam all but threw himself into Bobby's arms, a smile lighting up his face as they squeezed each other. When Sam pulled away, the three of them stood there for a moment, just letting reality sink in. They were all together again, after ten years. Dean never thought he'd be able to be this happy. When he met Cas, he thought that was the happiest he could be. Now, he had Bobby, Cas, Jack, his brother, and a place to call home. This was it for him. He couldn't ask for more.