"MOM! HAVE YOU SEEN MY CLEATS?!"

"Under your bed!" Lisa called back, standing at the foot of the stairs.

She waited, her fingers drumming against the stair railing.

"FOUND 'EM!" Ben called from upstairs.

Lisa smiled, shaking her head. Sometimes she worried her son would lose his head if it wasn't attached to his neck.

Ben was packing for college, and it wasn't a quite matter. He had been running around the house all day, grabbing whatever of his he could find. Staring down at the piles of stuff now strewn around his room, Ben thought it was amazing how much stuff a person could have. He hoped he would be able to pack it all, much less fit it all in a tiny dorm room.

Lisa had been helping Ben collect his things over the past few days, bringing him clean laundry and small pieces of advice. That morning, though, Ben had asserted his independence and had demanded she leave him alone to pack. Ben rarely acted like the typical American teenager, but Lisa figured it was his attempt to actual act his age for once before going to live with a bunch of other 18 year olds.

Dean stayed out of all it, the whole scenario of Ben going to college painfully reminiscent of when Sam had left him and their Dad for Stanford. Even all these years (and deaths and resurrections and hugs and hopes), the memory of it still pained him.

Instead, Dean was spending the afternoon under the shade of the majestic oak tree in the front yard, the branches falling over the driveway to create a natural umbrella against the hot summer sun. Dean was working on the Mustang again, having towed it to Illinois from South Dakota earlier in the week. It was quickly becoming his favorite car, second only to Baby, and he wasn't about to let it sit for the winter in South Dakota.

Dean had taken a quick trip back to Singer Salvage to tie up some loose ends. He had grabbed the rest of his clothes, and even a few hunting supplies. Dean couldn't deny his hunting instincts, despite leaving the life. Singer Salvage hadn't really proved to be much of a moneymaking business for Dean, the hunter never having learned proper business etiquette. At any rate, it proved to be a blessing in disguise, allowing Dean to easily close the junkyard while he spent the foreseeable future in Illinois with Lisa.

Dean wiped a hand over his sweating brow, deciding a cool drink was in order.

He walked into the house and grabbed himself a glass of water in the kitchen, staring out the window that hung over the sink.

Lisa had been bustling around the house doing some last minute laundry for Ben. She walked into the kitchen, laundry basket in hand. She abruptly stopped in her tracks, the sight of Dean in the kitchen taking her slightly by surprise. His back was facing her, and he didn't notice her entrance.

Lisa was suddenly struck by the simple fact that there was a man standing in her kitchen. A man, no less, whom she loved with all her heart. Dean still found it hard to believe that Lisa actually loved him, citing his flaws and mistakes every time she insisted on her feelings for him. She loved him because of his flaws, not despite them, and she was quick to remind him of that on a regular basis.

Lisa was also careful to let Dean say I love you first, knowing that his acknowledgment of that feeling needed to come from him first if this was going to work. Lisa knew it had taken a lot of effort on Dean's part (and a lot of nudging from Ben) for Dean to return to her. And she knew he wouldn't have done it if he didn't love her too. That was the thought that let Lisa put faith in their relationship and kept her patiently waiting for Dean.

All these thoughts quickly ran through Lisa's mind. Taking a deep breath, Lisa seemed to have made her mind up about something as a determined look appeared on her face. She placed the laundry basket on the floor and quietly walked towards Dean. She wound her arms around his torso in a sort of backwards hug, startling him out of his thoughts.

"Hey" She said quietly.

"Hey yourself." Dean replied, placing his arms over Lisa's.

Dean smelled of sunshine and motor oil, with a hint of Old Spice mixing in. Lisa breathed in his scent, letting it fill her up with memories, both new and recently renewed.

"Hey Dean?" Lisa asked, breaking the quiet.

"Mmm?"

"Do you remember, all those years ago, when you saved Ben from that monster that was kidnapping kids?"

"The changling. Yeah I remember."

"Do you remember what you asked me afterwards?"

Dean turned around to face Lisa, suddenly realizing where this conversation was heading.

"I asked you if you were sure that Ben wasn't mine. Lisa, what are you trying to tell me right now?" Dean's eyes burned with his need to finally know the truth.

Lisa seemed to have lost her voice, suddenly unable to tell Dean what she wanted him to know. Lisa locked eyes with Dean, her expression pleading.

"Lisa…" Dean gulped, "Lisa, are you telling me that Ben really is mine? Are you- Are you telling me that Ben is my son?"

Lisa nodded. "Yes Dean. Ben is your son. He's our son."

Dean felt the truth of it hit him hard, taking a few steps back from Lisa before running into the kitchen counter. He ran a hand over his face, a nervous habit that Lisa knew all too well.

"Why… Why did you lie to me when I asked you before? Why Lisa?" Dean was staring as Lisa, his face begging for an answer.

Lisa took a deep, shaky breath.

"I lied back then Dean, because I knew it would only make your life more difficult. You needed to be hunting, with Sam. I knew if I told you that you had a son, you would want to stay. But that would have torn you apart Dean. It would have. So, I lied."

Dean was staring at her, trying to make sense of Lisa's logic.

"I'm sorry Dean. I'm so sorry." Lisa said quietly.

The two of them are quiet, thinking. The silence is broken only by the occasional bump or knock from upstairs from Ben's frenzied packing.

Dean's shock was quickly wearing away, replaced now with a strange relief. He had always thought of Ben as his own, despite knowing the he wasn't Ben's biological father. But now, now Dean knew the truth. And it made him happier than he ever thought it could.

Lisa was waiting in trepidation for Dean's reaction, the man standing across from her having remained silent.

Dean suddenly took a deep breath.

"So…So Ben is my son. We have a son." Dean said breathlessly, his words both a question and a statement.

"Yes Dean. We have a son." Lisa reaffirmed.

Dean suddenly grabbed Lisa in a bone crushing hug, a new found happiness emanating from him. It was as if Lisa had just told him she was pregnant, except that she was 18 years late in letting him know.

Still holding Lisa tight to him, Dean mutters a question into Lisa's ear: "Does Ben know?"

"He suspects. But no, he doesn't know."

As if right on cue, Ben walked into the kitchen.

"Hey Mom do you know what time I'm supposed to check into housing tomorrow? I can't find my orientation informa…" Ben stopped short, startled at finding his mother and Dean in what was obviously an intimate moment.

"What's going on?" Ben asked hesitantly.

Dean broke away from Lisa, taking a few swift strides before engulfing Ben in hug.

"Unmpfh. Geesh Dean what's going on? You're scaring me." Ben said through Dean's tight hold.

Dean released Ben, a huge smile on his face. "No Ben. It's good. It's really good." Dean said. Dean exchanged a glance with Lisa, as if asking for permission. She shrugged, a smile on her face. Go head, her expression said.

"So, um, Ben. I really don't know how else to say this. I've, uh, never really been much for tact."

Ben's eyes darted from Dean to his mother and back to Dean again, a puzzled expression on his face. Unconsciously, he was bracing himself for bad news.

"Ben…I'm your dad."

"Ex-Excuse me?" Ben was flabbergasted.

Ben looked to his mother, seeking confirmation.

"It's true Ben. I know you've wondered it for so long, but now you know for sure."

"Holy shit." Ben said under his breath.

"Yeah, you could say that again." Dean said, rolling his eyes slightly.

"Holy shit!" Ben repeats, louder this time. A huge smile crept up on Ben's face. Dean and Lisa laugh.

Ben grabs Dean in a brief hug before pulling back suddenly.

"I don't have call you Dad now or anything do I?" Ben asked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Dean barked out a laugh, Lisa grinning behind him. "Please don't. It makes me feel old."

Ben laughed.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The next day, Dean and Lisa dropped Ben off at college. Dean and Ben drive the three hours together, Lisa following in her own car. Ben had been imaging this day for a few years, his Mom waving enthusiastically as she drove off. He had never imagined having both his mother and father there. It was strangely wonderful.

Dean and Lisa were starting to settle into their life together. Lisa no longer worked such long shifts, opting instead to spend her evenings with Dean, the two of them simply talking or taking long walks together. Dean had found a job as a mechanic to help support them, as well as to give himself something to do during the day. It was a simple life, and afforded Lisa and Dean the time and energy to build a foundation again. It was difficult, especially considering the supernatural aspect of some of their discussions, but they did it together. And it worked.

One Friday night in early November found Dean at home alone. Lisa was enjoying an evening out with her girlfriends at Dean's insistence; she had been spending more time with Dean than anyone else, and Dean had urged her to get reacquainted with old friends. Secretly, he also didn't mind being home alone for a change.

Dean had fallen asleep on the couch in front of the TV, the room dark save for the screen illuminating his face. He was lightly snoring, a half empty beer held loosely in one hand.

Dean's slumber was interrupted by the peculiar feeling of someone staring at him. His eyes shoot open, hunter's instincts and reactions kicking into gear. There, standing before him, was a very familiar man.

"Hello Dean."

"Jesus Christ Cas!" Dean exclaimed, spilling his beer on his jeans in surprise and jumping up as the wetness hit him.

"I didn't mean to startle you Dean. It was comforting to watch you slumber so peacefully." Cas said calmly.

"Yeah well… it's creepy." Dean said, attempting to wipe some beer off his jeans. Dean quickly gave up, the realization that Cas was indeed standing in front of him suddenly hitting him hard. In a few quick steps, he had the angel in a bone crushing hug. Dean released him quickly, leaving a hand clasped on the angel's shoulder.

"Cas where the hell have you been man? I haven't seen you in years! I prayed to you! I prayed every damn day! Why didn't you answer me? Why didn't you answer my prayers?!" Dean suddenly felt like Lisa probably had on the night Dean had come back to her: confused, frustrated, and angry.

Castiel sighed, expressing a rarely seen human emotion from the angel.

"I was… busy Dean. I needed to aid my brothers and sisters in reorganizing after Ezekiel's death. They were panicking and potentially very dangerous. If things got out of hand, or if the wrong angel attempted to lead them, things could have been much worse than what Ezekiel had planned. It took longer than I expected to bring some semblance of peace and purpose to them all."

"So what, you're the new leader of angels now?" Dean asked, incredulous.

"In a way, yes. They do not answer to my command, but simple ask for my guidance on certain affairs. You could say I am their…advisor. But I do not lead them. I am not the angel meant to bear that responsibility." Castiel replied patiently.

"Yeah, you could say that again." Dean said, scoffing. They both knew that the last time Cas had attempted to become the leader of heaven, the Leviathans had escaped from Purgatory.

Cas suddenly looked a thousand years old, sadness and self-disappointment weighing him down.

"I'm sorry I did not answer your prayers Dean. I heard them, but I knew I could bring you no comfort. So I stayed away."

"Well you ignoring me didn't exactly help either. I just needed someone to talk to Cas. I needed…I needed my family." Dean admitted.

"I know that. So I gave you a family again." Cas said.

"You what?" Dean asked, puzzled.

"Please don't be angry Dean. I orchestrated your reunion with Ben and Lisa. You would never go back to them on your own, not even on Sam's instructions. So I gave Ben back his memories of you while he lay unconscious in the hospital after his accident. When you returned to Lisa, I gave her her memories back as well, contingent upon the two of you kissing. You kissing her would signal your desire for this life."

"Wait so, you did this? All of this?"

"I allowed for it to happen. You made the choices Dean."

Dean was quiet, processing Cas' words. The sound of a football game on TV in the background stood out in stark contrast to the seriousness of their conversation. Cas noticed it, and with a wave of his hand he shut off the TV, plunging them into darkness.

The opening of the front door pulled Dean out of his reverie.

"Would you like me to leave?" Cas asked quickly.

Before Dean can answer, Lisa walked into the living room, flipping on the lights.

"I hope you weren't too lon - Dean who's this?" Lisa asked, stopping mid step as she notices Castiel.

"Oh um. Lisa, this…this is Castiel. Cas." Lisa eyes the angel with deep curiosity. "You remember me talking about him, right?" Dean said nervously.

In a few light steps, Cas closes the space between Lisa and himself. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you." Cas says, offering a hand.

Lisa tentatively takes Cas' hand, shaking it. I'm shaking an angel's hand. I'M SHAKING THE HAND OF AN ANGEL, she screamed internally.

"It's…it's nice to meet you too. Dean's told me a lot about you." Lisa says nervously.

"Dean has told me nothing about you. But I believe that is because he loves you. And Dean does not like to talk about love." Cas replies.

Lisa can't hold back a laugh.

"You know, I think that's probably true." Lisa said, giving Dean a quick wink. Dean was nervously watching their interaction, hands in his pockets.

"I believe I will leave you two alone. I have many matters to attend to." Cas says.

"Wait Cas! You'll stop in from time to time though, right?" Dean asks.

"If you would like me to, yes, I will." Cas says with a smile.

"Yeah. You know, that would be great. You're my family too Cas." Dean says sheepishly.

Lisa could have sworn she saw the angel blush.

"I will see you both soon." Cas says with a slight nod of his head to each of them. A quiet flutter of wings, and Cas was gone.

"So, that was Cas." Lisa said, walking over to Dean. She shrugged out of her jacket, and dropped it on the couch.

"That was Cas." Dean repeated back.

"He seems…interesting."

"That's one way to put it." Dean said affectionately.

"What happened to your pants Dean?" Lisa asks, noticing his beer soaked jeans.

Dean glances down, suddenly embarrassed. "Oh, uh. Cas kind of scared me when he showed up. Made me spill my beer. He has a tendency to appear out of thin air, what with being an angel and all."

Lisa laughed quietly, leaning up to kiss Dean. Pulling back slightly, Lisa whispers against his lips, "Let's say we get you out of those wet jeans."

"That," Dean wraps his arms around Lisa, ",sounds like an excellent idea." Dean replies with a cheeky grin, before capturing Lisa's lips with his own.

That night, for the first time in years, Dean tells someone he loves them.

And, for the first time in a long time, Dean hears someone repeat it back to him.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

A few weeks later finds the small family celebrating Thanksgiving.

Ben was home from college for the holidays, and was helping Dean carve the turkey. Ben it seemed, knew more about than Dean did. The last time Dean had been with the Braeden's they had gone to a friend's house. So this was Dean's first time cooking Thanksgiving dinner from scratch, and he was enjoying the art of turkey cooking immensely. It was a big change from his usual Thanksgiving of a bucket of KFC in a motel room with a couple beers and bad TV.

Dean walked to the living room to grab himself a whiskey from the liquor cabinet Lisa kept there. From where he was standing, Dean could hear Ben in the kitchen enthusiastically telling Lisa about his friends and classes at college. Dean smiled to himself.

He took a sip of whiskey, suddenly reminded of Sam. Dean still missed Sam, the pain of losing his brother an ache he would carry forever. But with Lisa and Ben in his life again, the hole that had resided in Dean's life after Sam's death seemed much smaller. It was something that never would never have happened without Cas' help.

"Thanks Cas." Dean muttered, glancing skyward.

A small, warm breeze swept through the room, gently nudging Dean.

If Dean didn't know any better, he would have dismissed it as a fluke. But he knew, somehow, that it was Cas.

You are very welcome my dear friend, the breeze seemed to say.

Dean huffed out a small laugh, and headed back into the kitchen with whiskey in hand.

The three of them sat around the round kitchen table, sharing stories and laughs.

Lisa cleared the plates, and brought out dessert.

"This looks amazing Lisa." Dean said enthusiastically.

Lisa smiled down at him. "What does?" indicating the selection of pies on the table.

"Everything." Dean said with a smile. She kissed him quickly, handing him a slice of pie.

Dean took a hefty bite of apple pie.

Dean had finally gotten his apple pie life, and eaten it too.

A/N: I know I know, kind of a cheesy ending. But I just had to :P I hope you enjoyed reading! Please review and let me know your thoughts! :)

I already have another story outlined, centered around Sam at Stanford and needing to call Dean for the first time in two years when he is gravely injured on an unexpected solo hunt. It won't be posted for a while yet though, as my life in the next month is going to be a bit crazy. But I'll be back!