The Family Business

Finish Line

A dreadful sense of Deja vu washed over Dean and he leaned forward in his chair resting his elbows on his knees.

"Come on, Ben," he mumbled with a sigh. Dean's head dropped down as he was brought back to the time when he sat beside Lisa while she fought for her life. Even though the situation wasn't the same he still felt it.

The helplessness, the guilt, the sense of failure all ate away at him. Fathers were meant to protect their children. Here his was unconscious after a battle he never should have been a part of.

"He's going to need a little bit of time to recuperate," Castiel said when he had joined Dean in the warehouse. Jack had done an amazing job healing Ben, but the blood loss was extensive.

Even though it was just a few hours ago it felt like days.

Dean's head snapped up quickly when Ben let out a loud gasp then sat straight up. He jumped up and sat on the edge of Ben's bed as the boy frantically clawed at his chest.

"Ben!" Dean called out then grabbed his son's hands. "Kid! come on calm down it's fine, you're fine."

Ben froze and locked eyes with Dean, "Dad?" he croaked.

"Yeah kid," Dean answered with a nod of his head. Ben sagged with relief as Dean snatched the back of his neck and pulled him in for a tight hug.

"You scared the shit out of me," Dean mumbled.

Ben clung to the older man for a few minutes before pulling away quickly and looking around the room.

"Krissy?" he asked worry evident in his voice.

"She's fine," Dean answered. "She was covered in blood, so I made her go take a shower."

Den watched as Ben leaned back against the wall. He looked lost and confused still, kind of like the first time Castiel had brought him back. It was a natural reaction to the process.

"I know your..." Dean began just as Ben said, "I had the wildest dream."

"Oh?" Dean asked.

"At least, I think it was a dream," Ben mumbled. "I was at this bar on a beach. I've never seen it before so I couldn't tell you where it was. But mom was there."

Dean tried to swallow the lump in his throat as he moved back to the chair beside the bed.

"She looked great," Ben continued with a smile. "She told me she was proud of me. That even though she imagined my life much differently, she was happy I was happy.

"Although, she was annoyed I was so careless," he added with a chuckle. "She told me she loved Krissy and was so excited I found such an amazing, strong, and smart woman to be with."

Dean wiped his hand down his face as Ben continued.

"The weirdest part though was that she said to tell you she was sorry. That she wasn't mad about the mental block and she understood why you did it. She encouraged me not to be mad at you anymore because you were only doing what you thought was best for us. Mom reminded me that it wasn't your fault you weren't around, it was hers.

"Why would I dream something like that?" Ben asked in almost a daze.

"Ben," Dean began pausing until his son's undivided attention was on him. "When I go to you on that warehouse floor you had already lost so much blood."

Dean's eyes clouded over as the image of Ben's body flashed before them.

"It was almost impossible to find a pulse," he said and took a ragged breath. "I could barely tell you were breathing. I thought we were too late. I think..."

Dean paused and looked Ben in the eye as he continued, "I think you met your mom in heaven."

The two looked at each other and let the thought sink in. Neither one was sure if they wanted to acknowledge what that actually meant.

"But..." Ben said then shook his head. "You know what, I don't even wanna know. I'm happy I got that moment with her."

"There, I took a shower. Are you happy now?" Krissy snapped as she stomped through the doorway.

Dean leaned back in his chair and turned to look at her. Her still-wet hair soaked the shoulders of what he assumed was one of Ben's shirts. Her face was pinched in annoyance. He smiled at her which made her huff, then looked at Ben (who was wearing a goofy smile) and back.

Dean watched as she looked over to the bed. The moment she saw her boyfriend sitting up and awake all the aggravation and annoyance seemed to drain right out of her.

"Hey, Kitten," Ben said with a smirk.

Krissy bolted from the doorway and straight onto his lap. Her lips instantly pressed against his halting any further conversation. Ben wrapped an arm around her hips and pulled her closer.

Dean cleared his throat to remind the young couple he was in the room, but he wasn't sure it worked.

"Hey!" he said loudly to get their attention.

Ben slowly pulled away from Krissy while flipping Dean the bird. The older man chuckled a bit until he heard Krissy sniffle. Ben cupped her face with his hands then kissed her forehead.

"I'm okay," he said gently.

"But you weren't," she sobbed softly.

Dean caught Ben's eye then motioned to the door. The vibe had changed in the room and he wanted to make sure Ben was able to comfort his girlfriend without having to worry about watching what he says or does because his father is in the room. He stood up and stretched then made his way to the door.

"Marry me," Krissy said with a sniffle. Dean halted his exit and snapped his head to look at them. Ben was studying her face and wiping away her tears with his thumbs.

"Kris."

"No," she said shaking her head. "I almost lost you. When you asked me before, I was terrified. We're young, I thought. We have our whole lives. The next thing I know I'm drenched in your blood begging you to hold on. Not knowing if you would ever open your eyes and look at me like you always do ever again. Like I'm the only girl in the world. All I could think was that you were going to die thinking I didn't love you as much as you loved me."

"Kris, I never thought..." Ben began but she covered his mouth with her hand.

"I've known for a while now that I want to spend the rest of my life with you," she continued as she moved her hands over his heart. "This belongs to me. I want everyone to know it. I want to bare your last name and someday your babies. I don't want to ever regret anything ever again when it comes to you. I'm all in Ben, I love you."

The room was so quiet a pin could drop, and it would sound like an amplifier had been plugged in. Krissy had laid it out on the line and Dean was proud of her. He thought back to those moments when Jack and nudged her out of the way. The devastation on her face as she watched the man she loved, slip away.

Dean had wrapped her uptight and let her cry into his chest. Her tears changed to relief when Ben's breathing had begun to deepen. They both knew deep down that Ben was going to be okay.

Dean smirked as he watched a slow smile spread on Ben's lips.

"Okay," Ben said.

Krissy sniffled and a small, "What?" squeaked out from her.

"Yes," Ben said and gave her a quick kiss. "I'll marry you."

Dean nodded his approval even though they couldn't see him then stepped out of the room. In just a short time his life was flipped upside down. Finding Ben at that job was the last thing he ever expected to happen.

No, finding out Ben was his, was the last thing he expected. A part of him always knew though. There had been a nagging deep down that he was terrified to poke at. It's why he never pressed Lisa for more information. It's why he never requested a DNA test.

Ben grew up right where he needed to. Lisa gave him an amazing life. Every day he regretted leaving, but he couldn't imagine where they would be if he had. Maybe Lisa would still be alive. But, would Ben ever had met Krissy?

Dean never believed the family life was possible for a hunter. However, he was determined to make sure his son had one. If Ben chose to keep hunting and raise a family, Dean will make sure he gets just that. It's the least he can do. It is after all... The Family Business.



The End.