Chapter Text
The atmosphere at the kitchen table was strained.
Dale kept his eyes on Sam, willing his uncle to tackle Dean and persuade his older brother to share what Dale was convinced existed, a back-story which Dean didn’t want him and Matt to know about.
Dale reckoned it was something big, something….he could feel goose pimples forming on his skin…..so dangerous….that Dean was trying to keep them from finding out about.
“So," Dean said taking a huge slurp of his coffee, “Did you sleep okay?”
“Yeah, I slept fine but I can’t get rid of the feeling that you’re not telling Matt and me how things really are. I wish you would. Whatever it is, it can’t be any weirder than us finding you through Matt’s ‘visions.”
He watched with interest as the two men exchanged glances, Sam tilted his head and held his brother’s gaze for a long time while Dean pursed his lips. They were doing that strange thing again where they seemed to have an entire conversation with their eyes.
With a shake of his head, Dean looked away first, turning his gaze on Dale as if assessing him.
It was completely fascinating to the teen. It seemed they were more than mere brothers though Dale hadn’t the faintest idea what that could mean.
Just then a sleepy-eyed Matt came strolling into the room and with a slurred "Good morning," he slumped down onto a chair.
“Dude," Dale grinned, “you look as if you’ve been dragged backward through a hedge.”
Matt shrugged. “I tossed and turned in bed most of the night. Had these weird nightmares."
Sam’s ears perked up immediately. Nightmares were his specialty, though thankfully they’d calmed down since he'd retired from hunting, but occasionally the memories of Lucifer, the Cage, and of the suffering he’d been through, would make themselves in his in his dreams.
“Like what?" Sam asked.
“Monsters, I guess," Matt replied frowning, as he tried to remember, “Vampires and stuff, though it’s all faded now.”
Sam exchanged glances with his brother. “Listen, “ he said to the teens. “I need to talk to Dean. You kids finish eating.”
Dean scowled at his brother. “Dude… I still have to finish my coffee. “
“Dean… outside. Now!”
With a huff, Dean slipped on his shoes and followed his sibling into the yard.
“Fuck, Sammy. What’s so urgent that you have to drag me away?”
“You know what, Dean, even if you’re trying your best to ignore it. Those are our kids back in there. Winchesters. The only way we can protect them is to tell them about monsters before they find out for themselves and maybe decide to do something about it. Without training, they’d just be a juicy snack.”
“Sam, we’ve got an on going truce with monsters. We leave them alone and they leave us alone. When the kids go back to their families we’ll include them in the truce. Send out an all-points bulletin to leave them be.”
“And you believe monsters are gonna keep their word? We don’t get bothered because they know going up against us isn’t wise, but two defenseless little Winchesters are an inviting prize.”
“No Sam! We send them back without telling them anything. No one knows they’re Winchesters. They're perfectly safe.”
:
Unfortunately, while Sam and Dean were arguing out in the yard, Matt was browsing through some of the old books he’d seen on the shelves the night before.
There were annotations at the side of some of the pages of one with pictures of various monsters. As he flipped through them, vampires, ghouls, werewolves and a myriad of unknown creatures stared out at him.
In a moment of clarity, he understood. This was the secret. He glanced quickly at spines of the other books. They were all to do with the occult and urban legends.
With the book in hand, he ran back to Dale and placed it in front of him. “I’m guessing this is what they don’t want us to know, “ Matt said excitedly.
Dale turned the pages and when he saw what he was looking at, he glanced up at his cousin. “You serious? Monsters? Really?”
The skepticism in Dale’s voice was clearly audible.
But Matt was on a roll. “Yeah. That’s why they want to send us off home. They don’t want us to know.”
Despite his skepticism, Dale had to give due attention to Matt’s words. After all the kid had visions for fuck’s sake. Something weird was going on, for sure. But monsters?
“There’s only one way to find out. We need our dads to tell us the truth.”
:
Out in the yard, Sam and Dean were still battling it out when Dale and Matt appeared at their side.
“I thought I told you kids to stay inside, “ Sam scowled. He was already riled up by Dean not wanting to listen to reason.
The two teens glanced at each other. “We know." They chimed simultaneously.
Dean’s eyes grew dark. “You know what?”
Again the teens exchanged glances. Dale lifted his head in defiance. “Monsters are real.”
Sam let out a tired chuckle. “What did I tell you, Dean? “
But Dean’s reaction surprised him. Turning on his heel the older man walked off towards one of the outbuildings and disappeared inside.
“Well, that went well,” Sam sighed, smiling weakly at the two teens.
“He’s pissed, “ Dale declared. “So it’s true? Monsters do exist.”
“Yeah. I wanted to tell you about us, about who and what we are, but Dean didn’t. He just wants to protect you, that’s all.”
“But instead, you think we should know for that same reason, to protect ourselves?” Matt said.
Sam nodded. “If you’d never found out about us then there wouldn’t have been anything to explain, but now that you have, you should at least know what’s out there, even if I hope you never have to experience it yourselves."
A frown stamped itself on Dale’s brow. “Sam, did my mom know about ... monsters?" he asked. "Dean said they spent months together….?”
Sam nodded."She did."
” She knew you too, didn’t she Sam?“ Dale continued. “That’s why she was so pissed when Matt showed up, he’s your spitting image.”
“Maybe. I think Lisa kinda blamed me for Dean not staying with her.” Sam held up a hand. “But it’s complicated. Dean had to make a choice and to his defense, he didn’t know your mom was pregnant, and she never let him know you were born. Not that I can blame her.”
“What about my mom? Did she know about monsters?” Matt asked.
“No. Amalia didn’t. Nor had she ever met Dean.”
Dale stared over at where Dean had disappeared. “Where’s he gone?” he asked.
“When he needs to cool down, that’s his go-to place,” Sam replied with a wry smile.
Dale nodded before making his way towards the wooden building.
Pushing open the door, his mouth dropped open as he saw the shining black muscle car sitting there. His father was leaning on the roof, his head buried in his hands.
“Hey. Are you still pissed? “Dale asked, loitering in the doorway, uncertain if he should enter or not.
Dean looked up and Dale could have sworn there were tears in his eyes.
"I'm not pissed. It's just that Sam and I didn't need this complication."
A wave of anger rolled over Dale. "So, That's all we are for you....a complication?"
"I didn't mean it like that, dude." Dean passed a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry. It's not every day you get presented with a son you knew nothing about."
Dale nodded. He could understand how Dean must have been shocked by his arrival. He'd been equally shocked at the revelation of having a father.
"Can I come in?" Dale asked.
“Why not? Might as well introduce you to my baby,” Dean said with a proud smile.
He lovingly caressed the roof. “ She doesn’t get out so much, but I still take her for a spin now and then."
“She’s beautiful, “ Dale said awed.
An engaging grin appeared on the older man’s face. “That she is, “ he replied.
“Can I sit behind the wheel?”
“Sure.”
Dale took his place in the driver's seat.
Inside she was as well kept as the exterior. The car clearly mattered a lot to his dad and he could understand why. He thought back to his old Ford Fiesta and he sighed.
Dean was standing by the open door looking down at him.
“What am I going to do with you, Dale? Huh? I never expected to have a kid but I’m glad Lisa’s your mom and that Ben’s your brother.”
Dale ran his hands over the wheel then looked up at his father. ”We’ll work something out, Dad. We ended up here for a reason and whatever that is, we’ll deal.”
Smiling down at the son who was his image, Dean smiled. “You know. I think we will.”
The End.