So, this took a while because I was trying to figure out what to do. Should I end it here and ignore the season with Mary or carry on? I decided to carry on and already have the first chapter of the final series done and ready to be published. Working on the second.

Well, read and enjoy!

...Also, sorry for the long wait.

Sam, Castiel, Crowley and Rowena practically ran out of the bar they'd broken into and to wait to see if their plan worked when the sky brightened and the sun shone in its entirety. Dean did it. They had a moment of relief and happiness then Castiel asked about Dean. The good mood plummeted.

Ben.

Oh, god, Ben. What is he going to tell his newly orphaned nephew?

Sam blinked back a sudden rush of tears. A weight of responsibility he never felt before settled on his chest and shoulders, squeezing his heart and lungs without mercy. He has to take care of Ben now. It's his job to make sure Ben lives the life he wants to live. He'll have to be there for whatever his nephew wants, for whatever dip or crack in the road, Sam will be there to help him out should he ask. He's just going to have to wait for Ben to forgive him for letting his dad die without him saying goodbye.

Ben never got to say goodbye...

Fuck. How is Sam supposed to explain to Ben why what happened happened the way it did? It might be best if Castiel takes majority care of Ben. Sam'll be Cas' support system while he raises Ben. Not that Ben needs raising. The boy should be off to college soon. He and Cas can set up a college account for him. If he wants to do that, he'll have the money, and if not, he'll still have the option at a later date.

"What do I tell Ben?" Sam asked Castiel, the only one that mattered in their foursome. "What do we do, Cas?"

Castiel's eyes closed in despair and grief. "Do you want me to talk to him? He should still be asleep."

He is so tempted. So tempted. It's what he wants. Ben already hates him, and he doesn't want his relationship to worsen but he has a feeling that'd be the worst option. Ben needs to hear it from Sam. So...

"No," Sam said, shaking his head. "I got this. I'll do it."

"We'll do it together," Cas said firmly.

"Okay."

Sam scrubbed his face with both hands then ran them through his hair, gripping his long locks tightly. Oh, Ben, I'm so sorry.

He can't even mourn right now. He has to get everything under control so he could have this particularly hard talk with his soon-to-be grieving and newly orphaned nephew. Sam wants to rage against Amara and God because this is truly not fair. He should have asked Chuck why their family is cursed. There has to be an explanation that isn't all those mirrors he and Dean broke years ago. The Bloody Mary case. That happened not long after he lost Jess.

Castiel laid a hand on his arm, and Sam fought the urge to cry into the angel's arms. He can't lose it yet. Not until he's told Ben.

"Let's go," Cas said gently. "Will you two be okay?" he asked Rowena and Crowley.

"We'll be fine. Go tell the boy what transpired here," Rowena told them. "You tell him his dad is a bloody hero and should be remembered as such. No father ever loved a son as much as Dean Winchester loved him."

Sam blinked rapidly and bobbed his head. "I will," he said thickly. Rowena reached out and placed a hand on Sam's cheek, rising on tiptoes to reach it.

"You can do this, Samuel. You learned from the best."

Leave it to Rowena to break his fragile hold. Tears fell at a rapid rate but not a sound escaped him. He let that happen until he's alone. Castiel gripped his shoulder and gently turned Sam away from them and towards the Impala. They have a the hardest drive ahead of them. Castiel opened the passenger door and gently shoved Sam inside then jogged over to the other side, hesitating slightly before sitting down in Dean's usual seat.

It wasn't until Castiel put around ten miles away from Lawrence did Sam let those pent out sobs come out. His entire body shook from powerful emotions Castiel only partially understood. His own pain at losing Dean is shoved back to deal with a later date. Sam needs him now.

Ben will need him.

Sam managed to pull himself together by the time they arrived at the Bunker. He searched his face in the mirror for any traces of grief or tears and saw a losing battle. It's probably better this way anyway. Ben will take one look and know what happened. He'll know his dad is dead. And then he'll probably say something incredibly debilitating that'll ruin Sam forever. He can feel it.

So if he took small steps towards the Bunker, he'll say it's because he's trying to figure out what to say to his nephew, and not because he's scared of said nephew.

Cas nudged Sam forward, gently ushering him to hurry the hell up.

Yeah, yeah, he's going. He's going.

Reaching into his pocket, Sam pulled out the Bunker key and unlocked the front door. He doesn't see Ben waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs or in the library. Sam took a detour at the liquor cabinet and took a swig of bourbon, offering the rest of the drink to Cas, who took the bottle and downed it in two swallows.

Sam made eye contact with Cas, and the angel nodded. Time to go let wake Ben up. Shit.

A bright, sudden flash of light has Sam flinching away, and when he opened his eyes again, Cas was gone.

"Cas!"

"Hello, Hello," a female British voice greeted him. A blonde woman is standing with her hand dripping blood, telling Sam she was the one that banished Cas. He took a threatening step forward but she pulled out a gun and pointed it at him.

"Sam Winchester," she said, then introduced herself. "Toni Bevell. Men of Letters. London Chapter house." At Sam's confused look, she added, "Oh, you won't have heard of me. Us. We're very traditional. We keep out of the way, keep to our studies."

Sam scowled, not feeling up to talking things over with another MoL. He has a nephew to check on.

"Where's-"

"Benjamin Braeden-Winchester is fine. He's still asleep in his room, or Dean's room," Toni informed him. "I haven't touched a hair on his head." She smiled at him like he should be thanking her. "They sent me to take you in."

"To take me in?" Sam repeated incredulously.

"Assuming the world didn't end and - yay," she said with a sarcastic shrug.

Sam felt his anger build and he took a step forward. This is not happening, dammit. It's not. Not now. Not when he just lost his brother, and a vulnerable nephew lay sleeping with who knows how many of this woman's people in the Bunker, waiting for her signal to grab them both.

"Lady," Sam started but Bevell interrupted.

"We've been watching you, Sam. What you've done, the damage you've caused - archangels, Leviathans, the Darkness, and now well - the old men have decided enough's enough. I mean, let's face it, Sam, you're a jumped up hunter playing with things you don't understand and doing more harm than good. Now, where's Dean?" Toni turned her head looking for him.

Sam swallowed, grief warring with anger when he answered, "Dead."

How dare this woman come into his home and banish his friend, and be alone, for who knows how long, with his slumbering nephew.

"Look, lady, I don't know who the hell you are or what the hell you want." Bevell flicked the safety off her gun and pointed it again at Sam when he moved forward a couple of steps.

"Stop," she said, cocking the gun.

Sam smirked. "Put the gun down. We both know you're not going to pull the trigger."

Bevell shot him the leg, and once he was on the ground, she kicked him once in the head to knock him out. Letting out a long, low whistle, a man and a woman, emerged from within the Bunker, Ben lay in the woman's arms still asleep.

"Take him out to the SUV then come back and help carry the other," Bevell ordered. The woman nodded and carried Ben up the stairs and outside while the man grabbed Sam's top half.

Bevell moved further into the Bunker to find a First Aid kit and took care of the cut on her hand, cleaning it out and then wrapping it in gauze. She came back into the war room and saw Sam already loaded up. Good. One less thing to worry about. She has a job to do and she has a feeling Sam Winchester will not make it easy for her. At least she has the boy as leverage.

Dean Winchester's son. He's perfect for their plans for America and its hunters. They'll follow the boy because of his heritage and the younger hunters will be more likely to have an open mind if they see someone their age following the British Men of Letters.

But first, they need to know what Sam Winchester knows about hunters hangouts in America, and who the most respected are. Once those hunters listen, the others will surely follow.

The pedigree of Ben Winchester will ensure it.