canon au } { 1404: mint condition

[mini_dean]

Ben: [he had seen Dean and Sam out to go deal with the weird assault via toy case. As the Impala disappeared down the street, Ben leaned against the railing outside the bunker's entrance. He didn't really feel like going back inside right away, but at the same time he didn't know where else to go. So instead he just stood there, relaxed with his eyes closed, face tilted up to enjoy the sun and breeze on his face]

Mary: [and she's swinging back in with actual honest to god groceries, enough to feed a small army, so when she pulls the truck up to the entrance, she sticks her head out the window] Hey. Think you could give me a hand?

Ben: [and he will look over to where the voice is calling, then nodded.] Yeah, sure. [and he'll head down to go help]

Mary: Thanks. [and she'll pass over bags of bread and meat and all snacks - however much Ben can carry - and start gathering some for her own trip]

Ben: [not nearly as many as he could have, but he's good at balancing bags along his forearm so that he can manages at least five or six per arm]

Mary: [good boy. Between the two of them they'll get it all in to the kitchen and Mary will flash him a smile] The boys take a case?

Ben: Yeah. Something about a Thundercat toy kicking someone's ass.

Mary: Thundercat?

Ben: I think it was a cartoon in the eighties? [shrugs]

Mary: Ah. Guess Dean wasn't old enough for it yet.

Ben: Maybe? I don't know, it was way past my time, I know that.

Mary: Guess I'll have to ask them when they get back.

Ben: [and he'll help her start to unpack] So, you been doing okay here? [he's actually trying to start a conversation outside of hunting. Give him a cookie.]

Mary: [she nods] So far so good. It's been good having Dean back.

Ben: Yeah, it has. One less person to actively worry about. Plus Sam'll actually get some sleep now.

Mary: Not for my lack of trying. Bela was better at it than I was, though that's not really all that surprising.

Ben: I used to be the same way. If Mikey or Liv were out on a supply run, I'd push myself to stay awake until they got back.

Mary: You worry about them. It's not a bad thing, exactly, but it's not great either.

Ben: [shrugs] It's what I was asked to do. Pretty much was my purpose there.

Mary: [her face softens a bit] You can't fulfill your purpose if you die of sleep deprivation.

Ben: I didn't need to sleep much back then. [there's a small smirk, remembering his past self] I was running on adrenaline and angel grace.

Mary: That doesn't sound all that healthy either.

Ben: [his brows furrow a moment, then he looks up at her] I know our first meeting wasn't really the best time, and I was scarce after that. I actually don't remember a lot about those few days after waking up. What have the others told you about me?

Mary: You're Dean's son, you have a girlfriend that you were living with in Beacon Hills and you were from some weird zombie apocalypse future.

Ben: [thinks a moment, eyebrows up in an almost perfect imitation of Dean] Yeah, that's the basics. [he goes to start helping put the non-perishables in the pantry since he knows how to do that] Basically, it was a world where Sam said yes and let Lucifer in to keep the devil out of his kids.

Mary: That sounds like a Winchester.

Ben: It does. I wasn't around for that part, though. At least not in the camp. I was still living with my mom. Or, I did until the Croats killed her while she was trying to get me somewhere safe.

Mary: I'm sorry.

Ben: [he just shrugs, but he's very interested in the cans he's holding] But yeah, I ended up finding Dean's came not long after that, staying there until Dean died. Hell, most of the camp died except for Bela, me, and the kids.

Mary: [she nods] And then that group got even smaller?

Ben: Yeah. When Bela died, the angels showed up. I thought maybe they'd finally do something, but they... [he looks over his shoulder to make sure they were alone] they wanted to kill Mikey and Liv. Trap the demon in Sam, single target... That wasn't happening on my watch. Hell, I was only sixteen and here I was, standing up to a flock of archangels telling them to kiss my ass. [grins]

Mary: As well you should. Archangels are assholes.

Ben: [laughs] True. So they made me an offer: they take the kids, or I fight for them. You can guess where that went.

Mary: I can't say I would make a different one. Then again, you're looking at the woman who sold her second born to bring back the love of her life.

Ben: Things you do for the people you love, right?

Mary: Or when you're desperate and losing everything you know. [she nods] My mother was dead, my father was possessed and dying and John was dead. It was either make the deal or be alone. I didn't know what I was signing away, either.

Ben: Kinda scary how us loners are scared of being truly alone.

Mary: [a small amused noise] Very human, though. I think that's why it gets used as leverage so often.

Ben: Well, anyway, I took the deal and the angels filled me up with grace and inked sigils along my side to keep the power in. Got my own archangel sword, and was charged to kill Sam when the moment presented itself. They figured either the grace or Sam's kids would draw Lucifer out of hiding. Until then, the three of us were on our own.

Mary: And you got the job done?

Ben: [sadly nods] Yeah. In the end, Sam came back to help save Liv from Lucifer, and I helped him finish it. He died knowing that his kids were alive and safe.

Mary: Good. I'm sure he appreciated that.

Ben: Anyway, it wasn't too long after that when the three of us got pulled through the portal to this dimension. The kids got both their parents back. Dean and I... we're trying to work on us.

Mary: Well, Dean takes after his dad, so I know that that can be easier said than done.

Ben: Yeah, well I guess I make three because I'm the same way. Plus I wasn't really big on social skills when I got here.

Mary: I think you have good reasons for that.

Ben: I got better with time. Linds helped a lot. How that woman puts up with me sometimes...

Mary: [she smirks] Sounds like she really loves you.

Ben: It's mutual. [smiles just thinking about her]

Mary: Good. That's how it should be.

Ben: Was it like that with you and John? [leaning back against the table, all the boxes and cans shelved]

Mary: [and that makes her smile softly] Sometimes. When we first met, I couldn't stand him.

Ben: [laughs] Well, if he's like me and Dean, I can see why.

Mary: We just got on like oil and water. But as I got to know him, he ... softened around the edges.

Ben: How'd he take you being a hunter?

Mary: [she shrugs] He never knew.

Ben: Not even after your deal?

Mary: [she shakes her head] I don't know if he ever found out after I was gone, but ... as far as I knew, he thought I was just your average housewife.

Ben: See, I can't imagine you in an apron and pearls baking pies. [teasing]

Mary: [she laughs] Oh, I wasn't. I was a terrible cook.

Ben: [laughs] I've been learning, but I'm no pro.

Mary: I made this ... terrible thing I called Winchester Surprise. Zero health benefits but sometimes it was the only thing your father would eat.

Ben: I think he tried to make that once.

Mary: [cringes] How'd that go?

Ben: Not good.

Mary: Yeah, that sounds about right.

Ben: He tried. Now Sam can cook, though he's been on this health food kick lately.

Mary: Nothing wrong with a little health food.

Ben: He made sprout burgers one night.

Mary: Were they good?

Ben: They might have been. I don't believe that anything made of vegetables should be allowed to call itself a burger.

Mary: [she shrugs] I think it doesn't matter as long as it tastes good.

Ben: Agree to disagree.

Mary: Fair enough. [she shuffles some more things into the fridge] So you going to stick around the bunker for a while?

Ben: Yeah. Linds and I talked and I... [rubs the back of his neck] I tend to be the angry one of my trio. Side effect of the angel grace. Dean and I never really connected and... after everything that happened, I don't wanna risk not actually knowing him - this him.

Mary: [she nods] Things like this have a way of snapping priorities into perspective.

Ben: Something like that. The Dean I knew growing up, he wasn't big on being a father. I got here and I felt it would be easier not to put any hope into us.

Mary: And that's changed now?

Ben: I exist in this world, probably in college somewhere. My mom's alive too, but I can't ever see her. And while I've got Sam, Bela, and the kids... they aren't my dad. I have a second chance here and I was an asshole instead of taking advantage of it.

Mary: That's ... well, I'm not sure if it's a Winchester thing or a Campbell thing, but it's definitely Dean's side of the family tree.

Ben: So I've been told. [thinks, biting his lip] I don't want to keep going through life this way. I want to get to know him. My family. I'm not an orphan here, so I need to stop thinking that way.

Mary: Good. I think it'll be good for both of you.

Ben: And... well maybe we could get to know each other too? If you're comfortable with it that is.

Mary: I would really like that.

Ben: [smiles] Good. Me too. I never knew any of my grandparents.

Mary: Neither did I - not really anyway. Downside of a hunter family.

Ben: First time for everything, right?

Mary: That is true. And hopefully if you or Michael or Liv have kids, Sam and Dean will get to be there for that.

Ben: They better damn well be.

Mary: I think they very much want to be. [she just knows from personal experience the world doesn't always work out that way]

Ben: And that means you too, you know.

Mary: [laughs] I don't know if I'm ready to be Great-Grandma Mary quite yet.

Ben: Then hope Michael doesn't marry Molly. She already has a kid.

Mary: That's different. I think. [it feels different, somehow]

Ben: The title still fits. You just get to wear it young and be the hip, kickass great grandma.

Mary: [she laughs] That's the other problem. I don't even look old enough to be Sam and Dean's mother, let alone a great-grandma.

Ben: I know, which is kinda weird, but at the same time, you can totally make people jealous about how well you've aged.

Mary: That is true.

Ben: Are you doing better with the guys? I know it was a bit rocky at the start.

Mary: [smiles softly] Yeah. It all evened out. I think I just needed a little time to catch up to how different everything is.

Ben: I know that feeling. I mean, aren't phones supposed to be used to call people?

Mary: It makes no sense. Though I do like Words with Friends.

Ben: Angry birds.

Mary: I can see the appeal.

Ben: Mikey and Liv got sucked into technology right away, but they're Sam's kids so it was no surprise there.

Mary: I missed a lot of that with Sam. Getting to watch him figure things out. Dean was a lot more straight-forward. He liked to build and he liked to smash.

Ben: I was a rock music and race car kid.

Mary: Well, I only had until he was four, so ... I didn't really get to see him refine those interests. [it still breaks her heart sometimes, how much she really missed]

Ben: True. But then again, if you had been there, they might not be the men they are now. Which would mean me, Mikey and Liv wouldn't exist here.

Mary: [maybe not as they are now, but at the same time, maybe it could have been different. better. they'd get more of each other's lives. but she also knows "what if" can be a dangerous path to go down, so she stops herself from trying] Doesn't stop me from being sad for the things I didn't get to do or see. You know, first little league games. Prom. Weddings.

Ben: None of us got to see Sam and Bela's wedding.

Mary: Yeah, well, I wasn't around then. And he would have been in much bigger trouble if I was.

Ben: [laughs] I don't doubt that.

Mary: [grins] Hopefully you and your cousins won't be so withholding.

Ben: [smiles a bit, trying not to blush] I don't know about Liv or Mikey's plans, but I'm pretty sure if I tried that with Linds, I'd be killed, resurrected, and killed again at least a dozen times.

Mary: Good. I knew I liked her.

Ben: Oh, I wasn't thinking about Linds. I'm thinking about Buffy.

Mary: I didn't know Buffy felt that way about marriage.

Ben: It would be more because the extended family wasn't invited to celebrate.

Mary: Ah. So she likes a good party.

Ben: Yeah, but also to celebrate the good things since we see so much of the bad.

Mary: That's true. I assume that's why she insists on the big Thanksgiving dinner?

Ben: Pretty much.

Mary: That's smart. Get everyone together at least once a year.

Ben: Celebrate the good, relax with family, and just take a day off and refocus. Remember what we're fighting for.

Mary: Well, I'm looking forward to attending this year.

Ben: You should. I can promise at least one surprise moment.

Mary: Oh really?

Ben: [licks his lips, then reaches for his back pocket] Yeah, but you have to keep it a secret. [and he pulls out a small velvet bag and shakes out a ring]

Mary: [her eyes widens as she leans closer to get a better look] That's beautiful, Ben.

Ben: Thanks. It took me forever to find one that I felt would speak to our relationship. The trinity knot was something my mom always liked, and I've been thinking about getting a normal tattoo of it to remember her. So that's for me, but the ring is also pure silver to speak to the hunter part as well as her slayer calling. And I wanted the diamond set in and flat so that it wouldn't get in the way of handling weapons for her job.

Mary: Smart. Silver's a soft metal though, so it's probably best you get reinforced.

Ben: I didn't think of that.

Mary: Should be easy to fix if you find the right jeweler. You've still got time.

Ben: Good. I think the guy I got it from will know what to do.

Mary: Good. Otherwise, it's lovely. I think she'll really like it.

Ben: [grins] Good. I still don't know how to even ask.

Mary: Simple and straight forward usually works. I know there's a lot of grand gestures these days, but I've always thought that straight to the point is best.

Ben: You don't think she'll want something bigger? I mean, I don't think she would, but I've also never been a girl, so...

Mary: [laughs] No, I think it's pretty but practical - a lot like the girl herself.

Ben: [grins] Awesome. [and he will carefully put the ring back in the bag, and then in his pocket]

Mary: I'm really happy for you.

Ben: Thanks. I'm just hoping I don't screw this up.

Mary: You won't as long as you speak from the heart.

Ben: See, when I do that, I usually get slapped.

Mary: [her eyes narrow] There's a difference between speaking from the heart and being crass.

Ben: I'm not crass... much. I just not as educated as most people and have a hard time with words.

Mary: But you do know which words not to use, don't you?

Ben: Not the crass ones? [smirks]

Mary: Exactly.

Ben: I think I need a beer. You want one? [heads towards the fridge]

Mary: Sure. I'm almost done here. [with the groceries]

Ben: [and he will grab them both bottles and take a seat at the table] So, I realize I've been the one asking most of the questions.

Mary: It's fair enough. I am a bit of a mystery.

Ben: You are. I mean, you literally walked out of a bush.

Mary: I've always been good at making an entrance.

Ben: [chuckles] So, so far I've got that you grew up a hunter, made the deal to save John, left the job to try and have a real, normal life and then the deal came back to kick everyone in the ass and took you out.

Mary: That pretty much sums it up.

Ben: You have any questions for me?

Mary: [she takes a deep breath, because she has ... so many. But she doesn't always know where to start after missing so much] That's ... a bigger question than I have an answer for at the moment.

Ben: [laughs] Trust me, I'm not that complex.

Mary: It's not that. It's just that I have ... so many that they all tend to drown out the others? Does that make any sense?

Ben: Yeah. I mean, I was the same way when I got here, and too stubborn to actually ask.

Mary: Yeah, stubborn isn't really my problem. But more ... knowing where to start.

Ben: ... So I was born on October eleventh, nineteen ninety-nine.

Mary: [she laughs] You've seasoned well for a twenty year-old.

Ben: So I've been told. I don't know the exact date, but we were somewhere around twenty thirty when the portal opened to bring us here.

Mary: Must have been strange, going back in time like that.

Ben: It was. If it wasn't a zombie apocalypse, i could have remembered who won some Superbowls and made a fortune.

Mary: Probably for the best. They do always say that knowing the future changes it.

Ben: Pretty sure my existence here changed it already.

Mary: Maybe it did. Which means your Super Bowl predictions probably wouldn't have been any good anyway.

Ben: Guess we'll never know.

Mary: Guess not.