ben braeden-winchester. (littlepimp) wrote in parabolical, @ 2009-11-23 22:49:00 |
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Entry tags: | ben braeden, dean winchester, mary winchester |
WHO: Dean Winchester Father Dean Wesson, Ben Braeden, Mary Winchester.
WHERE: Father Dean's church.
WHEN: Thursday, November 23, 2006; evening.
WHAT: Finding Dean.
RATING: PG-13.
STATUS: log; incomplete
This was it. A week plus after he had last seen his dad, Ben was now seconds from finally seeing him. It had been a time filled with frustration and fear and determination and even tears, but he had somehow survived it all. He had had to, because if he didn't there would have been one less person scouring the LA streets every single day trying to find his lost family, because his grandma needed him, because his dad would have expected it of him, and because he couldn't give up hope, even if that hope had been greatly shaken more than once since this nightmare had begun. Ben couldn't remember the last time he'd been in a church, but he was supposed to have been all dressed up in a retarded monkey suit and in a church in the last week. He was supposed to have a dad and a stepmom right now. He was supposed to have his whole family. Supposed to didn't mean much in Los Angeles, California. But he was one step closer to that family, right here and right now. The failures of convincing Eve and his Uncle Sam and both Claires were still present and painful, but he had to make himself look at those as temporary losses, not permanent ones. He also knew he had to listen to anybody who told him that this was not likely to go any better at first. But it had to, this was his dad. Maybe he hadn't been able to make Eve want to care about him again, maybe his hadn't been able to make brunette Claire love him again, maybe he hadn't been able to make his uncle Sam believe in him again, but this was his dad. Things were different between fathers and sons, weren't they? Swallowing, Ben squared his shoulders and marched to the front of the church to ask the priest at the front where he could find a man named Dean. Mary followed almost helplessly behind her grandson as he marched toward the front of the church with determination that many men twice his age would envy. It was fitting that they were in a church, because these days things seemed so desperate and bleak that only heavenly intervention would help. Was it really too much to hope that Dean was only confused or held hostage the same way Ben had been. She really couldn't handle seeing someone else taunt Ben and use his emotions against him, or try to lure him into some trap. The back of the man in the priest's clothing seemed familiar, but Mary wasn't prepared to think that the man who was readying supplies for mass could possibly be her son. He was far more likely to be sipping the wine used for communion than anything else. With the memory of last night's debauchery still fresh in his mind, Dean felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. He felt so filthy, and in the light of day the thought that anyone could care enough about blackmailing him, a simple man from Texas who came to LA to minister to the lost, sounded ridiculous. He was just a priest, and not even a powerful one at that. He was only just starting out. The temptress had spun a web of lies and intrigue that was better than any Hollywood production, then she used it to trap him and lure him into giving up his virginity. He heard footsteps behind him and flinched, wondering for a moment if it was -her- again, but he relaxed when he realized it couldn't be. The footsteps he was hearing came from normal, everyday shoes, not high high heals. He turned around, looking curiously at the woman and little boy. He looked determined, like many of the children did when they came in to please their parents about something. He'd likely be rewarded after this was over with a nice meal out or trip to the circus. It warmed Dean's heart to see children brought in to the Lord's house so young. "Hello, my child. May I help you?" Poised to open his mouth to ask his question, Ben was left gaping up at the man - HIS DAD - as both a slightly hysterical giggle bubbled up his throat and the fierce urge to hug him overcame him. His dad was here, as he was supposed to be. His dad was a priest, just like Mirta had said. Ultimately, even if every single person in Los Angeles had told him Dean Winchester believed he was a priest, Ben would still have needed to see it to let it sink in. But now he was seeing it. He'd found his dad. The giggle wasn't yet given full freedom, shaking his chest in silent laughter, but one word slipped around the knot of laughter. "DAD!" That word, once uttered, became a joyful repetition as he tackled hugged Dean, putting both a jump and forward motion into the act to leave him half-hanging off his dad as he held on. Then the joyful repetition turned to honest, joyous laughter as it all sunk in. He had his dad back. His dad was a priest. A freaking priest. This would be the easiest fake life to break! Ben was certain he could convince his dad that he was Dean Winchester, everything a priest wasn't. Seeing Dean turn around was a shock even to Mary, who had steeled herself for this very moment. Hearing what to expect and seeing it in person were two very different things. She winced when she saw Ben throw his arms around Dean. The priest looked uncomfortable, uncertain, and the only thing Mary was entirely sure about was that he had no memory of this boy. This was going to end very, VERY painfully. Dean shook his head. He wasn't sure what this boy's affliction was, but clearly something was out of the normal with him. Perhaps this was his first visit to a church. Perhaps he had some sort of mental illness, or was simply a misguided boy who took words too literally. It was odd, being all but attacked boy the boy into a very tight hug, and yet, Dean couldn't force himself to think of the experience as a bad one. "It's just a saying," He explained, lightly patting the child's back but not putting his arms around him. "We're all God's children, and he is of course the eternal father. Now, little boy, can you tell me why you came here?" After a few moments of laughter, Ben did a slow triple-take between Dean and his grandma, his face the perfect picture of 'you've got to be kidding me' each time it moved back to Mary. He was certain of one thing, and that was that this was never, ever getting forgotten and Dean was never, ever going to be able to live this down. Hilarious and easy. Maybe God really had heard his prayers. Composing himself enough to level a serious look at Dean, Ben nodded. "Yeah, dude, we gotta talk. It's really important." He released Dean, but it was only so he could get his feet back on the ground and take his dad's hand. "We can go get bacon double cheese burgers and fries and pie. Definitely pie, you like that, a lot and I bet you're all "crap, how does this kid know that!?", right? Well, I'm gonna tell you. So let's go." The car was outside, that would have to wake up some memories. Mary was so proud of Ben, the way he was handling this, the way that he was staying so together...all of it. He was very much his father's son. Memories of happy times, sad times, entire LIVES might be gone, but she was as hopeful as Ben that lifelong loves like pie and double bacon cheeseburgers and most of all, the Impala, would still be there. It would certainly help. Dean was surprised at the way his stomach grumbled at the mention of pie and double bacon cheeseburgers. He felt like he could eat ten of the burgers and a whole pie right now, but that was ridiculous as he had just had some of Sister Catherine's delicious vegetable stew and a small slice of cake. Gluttony was a sin, he reminded himself. He could afford to be human on occasion, but losing his virginity to a whore in lawyer garb with red-- Dean shook his head. He was human enough for a while. "Thank you." He said politely. "But no. I just ate. But enough about me." His voice turned, taking on a professional, somewhat patronizing tone. "There's no need to put it off any longer, son. Why don't you tell me why you came. Is this your first time in church? Did your family just move to town? Mass is in a few hours, and you're more than welcome to attend. If you're here to learn more about Confirmation, I have a few pamphlets and I would be more than happy to speak to you and your mother about that." For a moment, Ben literally facepalmed, biting back the string of curses into something much more muffled and indistinct that outright shouting. This was so crazy. Uncle Sam thinking he was a Watcher, well that was close enough to hunting knowledge that it at least sort of fit. Eve thinking she was a witchy-demon? True, since she was before she'd been all angelfied. Both Claires thinking they were scary badasses? Slightly crazy, even if they could be scary and they could be badass. But his dad as some super religious guy? SO CRAZY. "She is not my mom, she's my grandma, and you're my dad, as in the dude who had sex with my mom and made me," he finally said with a growly sigh. "Yeah, I know, that's crazy, this is a sick joke, I'm a horrible rotten awful kid for being a brat and wanting my family back. I've heard it all before, dude, from everybody from blonde Claire to Uncle Sam, and I don't freaking care. You're gonna believe me the way they didn't because you're my dad and you're..." He gestured to Dean's clothing and then to the church, "dude, you are so far from you that you're probably in some kind of freaking quadruple withdrawal." Serious now, the laughter gone, he stared up at Dean. "Just come outside. Your car is out there, which is, like, the non-person thing you love most in the whole freaking world. Just come see her, please?" And while 'father Dean' was looking, Ben would crack the windows further and let the burgers and pie do their job. Ben was quite persuasive when he wanted to be, and though she knew it was likely foolish to hope so much, she found herself hoping, nearly praying, that Dean would be persuaded to come out with Ben. She opened her mouth, almost ready to back the boy up on his story, but her throat felt tight. She had the unmistakable feeling that if anyone could get through to Dean now, it would be Ben. Dean didn't understand what the boy's fixation was with going outside, but he was obviously confused. "Child." he said gently, kneeling down so that he was on eye level with the boy. "I am no one's father. I have ne--" he cut himself off. The words came out almost automatically, explaining that he had never laid with a woman, but they were not the truth anymore, and Dean had enough sins on his conscience to add lying to the mix. "I never fathered a child. Now, if your m--grandmother would like to come with us, we can talk about what you came for outside, but I promise I'm not forgetting. I'm sure you're here for some purpose, young man, and I'm making you stick to it." He cast a look at the silent grandmother, hoping she'd speak up and keep the young man to some sort of reality, but she remained silent. He looked away. Her almost desperate stare was unnerving. This was better. His dad couldn't look him straight in the eye and believe anything but that he was telling the truth. It was harder, because Dean thought he was one of the regular people in LA, who didn't know anything, but maybe it didn't have to be impossible. Not with this priest stuff in play making parts easier to believe. "I know you think you didn't forget anything, but you forgot everything." Ben said seriously, placing his hands on Dean's shoulder and staring him straight in the eye, unflinching and honest. "It's still in there, it's just under this-" He paused, growled with frustration and began again, trying to lead up to the 'your life is all magically fake' part. "-Okay. You're think you're Catholic, right? You and Grandpa said Catholics always took the idea of demons more seriously, even if they didn't really know the whole truth. It's why hunters were also priests sometimes, including this one guy you knew back home." Glancing to his grandmother, he gave her a nod, as if trying to communicate that he had this under control, then returned his attention to Dean. "You believe God's real, right? And you believe in angels, and that Lucifer was an angel who defied God and was sent to Hell, where souls go and get punished for eternity, but sometimes those souls - demons - can be on earth and possess people and use their bodies for bad things. Do you believe that?" He just had to keep going, keep talking the angles, show and tell all his proof. It would work. Dean nodded. Finally, he thought with relief. Finally they were getting somewhere. The boy was speaking more about facts from the Bible rather than his own imagination, and that was a good starting point. "Yes, young man. I am a Catholic priest. I do believe in the Holy father, in angels and demons, heaven and hell..." he trailed off, thinking of the woman from yesterday. "Demons..." He frowned heavily, wondering if he didn't know where this was going. "Child, if you've seen a scary movie, I'd like you to know that while demons can be very frightening, malignant creatures, they are not so common as you might think. If you are good, and do as you should, and follow the guidelines set down in scripture, and most importantly, as long as you do not take measures to provoke them, you have nothing to worry about." Feeling almost amused, he looked from Grandmother to grandson. "Isn't that what this is about? Bad dreams? Bed wetting or night terrors or fear of certain places?" Had this been anything other than a member of his family, especially his dad, Ben would have made with a punch in the face at the suggestion he wet the bed in that patronizing way of saying stuff that so pissed Ben off when people did it to him. As it was, it nearly overrode the satisfaction of at least knowing that part of this wasn't a struggle, that if Cas still neded to be called in, the busting out of the angel wingspan and mojo would at least go down without Dean passing out. But this just couldn't go without being remarked on. "Holy shit," he said, turning to stare at Mary, though his grip on Dean's shoulders remained. "This freaking spell's making Uncle Sam and Dad into douchebags! I don't believe this!" "Language." Mary and Dean said simultaneously. Mary blinked, shocked for a moment at how much the man in priest's clothing sounded like her son. Her Dean. It almost sounded like he was back, really back for a moment, but the confused look he had a moment later shattered that delusion. He really was still confused, still in the middle of his fake life. Swallowing a groan of disappointment, she tried again. "Language, Benjamin." Dean blinked in confusion. While he normally would have said something about the purpose of not cursing, the scripture behind it or something else that was less snappish and more instructive, the single word warning had all but flown out. He couldn't understand what the boy was so upset about. He was at an age where bedwetting could still be considered a very real concern. "I'm sorry if I offended you, Benjamin." He said, picking up on the woman's use of his name. "Why don't you tell me what you're afraid of. That's a good starting spot, right?" "BEN." The correction was fast, emphatic and with enough force to clearly say how very much Ben didn't like Dean calling him Benjamin. His dad didn't do that, rarely even when he was in trouble enough to get his full name used, and having him call him that felt wrong right now when so many things were just as wrong. "Screw this," Ben said, letting go of Dean with one hand, which he held out to Mary. "Grandma, can I have the pictures, please? Or just that one of me, Dad and Claire for now. He's gotta see it, he's gotta hear the whole truth whether it breaks his brain or not." It was selfish, the desire to reveal everything all in one big lump, but Ben didn't care. He wanted his dad back. Mary reached into the folder she had, pulling out one of the many pictures of Dean, Claire and Ben. They were a cute family, even if they weren't a traditional family by any means. Her thumb went over the picture, caressing each face in turn before she handed it to Ben. It had to work. She knew it did. It might just be three people carving pumpkins, but the happy smiles, the pumpkin Dean carved with AC/DC in the side...something in there had to reach him. Dean shook his head. He wasn't going to look at any pictures. The temptress might have tricked him, but that didn't mean that he should automatically discredit all of her ideas. While he was a computer dunce according to Sister Catherine, he did know that technology could do a wide manner of things. One picture couldn't prove anything. "Son, I think you're mistaken. I'm afraid I don't have time to play games and look at the pictures you made on your computer. Now, if you'd like to come back to mass in a few hours, you're more than welcome to, but I don't have time to play pretend just now." Ben just shook his head at Dean and took the picture. After looking down at it, he turned it around and stuck it right in his dad's face. "This is me and you and Claire. You're Batman, not 'cause you're really Batman, but 'cause you're an awesome guy with no powers who uses stuff to fight evil guys. She's your Supergirl because she's got a DNA thing that makes her more special than normal people and she can heal from anything superfast. You were supposed to marry her the other day, and we were gonna be a family on paper like we already are every way else." Ben hadn't wavered from looking at Dean, even with the picture held between them. There was no deception in those wide eyes now glittering with unshed tears, only honesty. "It's not pretend. Magic is real, just like angels and demons, and magic made you forget who you really are. If you can believe in angels and demons, why can't you buy that magic can be real? But even though you don't remember right now, I know who you are, Dad, and nothing the freaking Senior Partners and Wolfram & Hart do is gonna change that you're really my dad underneath all of it. We can't let the bad guys win, that's not what Winchesters do!" Chest heaving, because he wasn't going to cry, he wasn't, Ben set aside another part of his pride to beg. "Please. I'm not lying just because I'm a kid. I can prove everything I'm saying. I can. Please." Dean looked down into the wide, earnest eyes, and felt his heart ache for the boy. It was clear he wasn't trying to pull some trick, he honestly believed his story, but how? Who found a priest and decided that he was a father material? "I'm not." he said gently. "I'm not thinking you're lying just because you're a kid. I'm just saying that the story is very hard to believe, and I've heard stories that make me cautious. Magic? Certainly you know how...how dingo ate my baby crazy that sounds." He reached out, taking the picture from the boy. It was uncanny, the things that technology could do. The actress looked just like Sandy, and the actor looked exactly like him...the only element that he couldn't place was the child. How did they make him earnestly believe all of it? Maybe they found an orphan and convinced -him- of magic. Children were not stupid or liars, but they were very suggestible. "What other proof do you have, other than this picture?" he asked patiently. "Pictures can be staged so easily." Mary held her breath, watching. She could jump in, but she figured the boy would be far more believable than an adult with ulterior motives. Besides, Ben and Dean were so much alike, practically clones. Ben would be able to reach Dean when no one else could. Hopefully he could do that now again. Though the unshed tears didn't magically melt, there was something in all that was said that gave Ben hope, and it wasn't the willingness to listen to the list of proof. It was the randomly used 'pop culture' type reference of 'dingo ate my baby crazy'. No priest would talk like that, but his dad, Dean Winchester, would. All along, Ben had believed that the magical whammy on people hadn't erased who they were, only covered up the real them with this fake stuff. It hadn't changed Eve, she was still an angel, even if she didn't want to believe it. His dad was still his dad and maybe after a week, things weren't so locked tight like then been before. Maybe stuff was getting through now! "We've got tons of pictures, we've got videos, we've got the car, we've got the houses, we've got our freaking TV SHOW, I've got the paternity papers from forever ago." He squeezed Dean's shoulder. "Dude, we can even do ANOTHER paternity test and prove it if you want!" That would actually be good, real scientific proof, but it would take time. Ben wanted this to happen now, not another week from now. Mary took a step back from them, going to sit down in a pew a few feet away from them. She felt almost like she should give the boy and his father some privacy while they discussed the matter of his paternity. Telling a priest he had a son was hard enough, but telling him he had an illegitimate son would be infinitely harder. If things started going poorly, she'd intervene to protect Ben, but in the mean time, she thought they deserved a moment. She could see them from where she was sitting, and at this stage in her pregnancy, she was always looking for a place to sit down and rest her feet. Dean had a minor 'aha!' moment when Ben mentioned the show. Children often took things they saw on television as fact, and it was no small wonder this boy so obviously yearning for a father's guidance took a show's story to heart. "It's just television." he said gently. "Television shows often come with marketing campaigns, sometimes even viral marketing campaigns where they put out documents and videos and photos that look very real. I am sympathetic, they can be quite believable, but I don't see anything here that can convince me that I fathered a child. And what do you mean, paternity papers? Why would you have had that done before if you're already certain I'm your father? No, young man, I'm afraid you're confused." "Why? WHY?!" Though he'd never really been angry at Dean in any lengthy manner, he'd been angry at his mother. But right now, the frustration of being dismissed and knowing that parts of his story would sound INSANE to anyone who didn't know that fictional people were real... it was just so great. Ben couldn't help the angry words that came next. "'Cause you slept with a different chick every week and knocked up my mom and went on your way and 'cause you never stayed in one place my mom lied about who my dad was to protect me. Then I got yanked here to LA, just like our whole family had, and everybody saw I was just like you and I got kidnapped by a demon and you took me to take the test and we took it and it said you are my dad." Without realizing he was doing it, Ben shook Dean, angry now even though it was just as honest, but angry at the Senior Partners and what they'd done, not his dad. "It's not just a fucking TV show, it's your life, it's Grandma's life, it's Uncle Sam and Grandpa's life. There are beings with enough power to pull people out of their own dimension and stick them here where their lives are TV shows or books or movies. I don't care if you think I'm crazy, IT'S THE FUCKING TRUTH. There's a TV show called Supernatural and it's already covered a year and some of your past, and you got pulled here after an angel rescued you from Hell where you went because you sold your soul to bring Uncle Sam back to life, and that same angel brought Grandma from Heaven to here for all of us, that's why she doesn't fucking look old enough to be anyone's mom but mine, because SHE WAS KILLED BY A DEMON WHEN YOU WERE A KID AND I CAN SHOW YOU." Pushing away from Dean, he moved to Mary, snatched up the DVDs and brought them back to Dean, where they were summarily slammed into the amnesiatic priest's chest. "First episode. SHE DIES. Why the FUCK would I MAKE THAT UP?!" Dean glanced down at the DVD's, then shook his head at the boy's tantrum. "Young man," He said, his voice shifting to a note of authority. "You are in the Lord's house. Language like that will not only not get you your way, it will also damage any chance that I can take you seriously. Tantrums like these will not be allowed in this holy place." He took a deep breath, raking a hand through his hair and giving the boy a helpless look. Although he didn't trust the temptress, it would be foolish to so blindly trust the boy as well. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place, and, as a minister, he had to err on the side of caution. "Your grandmother looks very much alive, which you should be thankful for. While the resemblance between you two and these characters may be uncanny, they are only fictional characters. You must not forget the line between fantasy and reality. |