canon au } { post-1413, of unexpected mothers and paternal complications

[patrols]

Lindsay: [the living room is covered in bridal magazines, laptops, and other various and sundry information. Lindsay raises an eyebrow before looking back at Buffy] Shouldn’t you be using this energy to plan your wedding?

Buffy: You say that like I'm not going to have a stealth wedding so demons won't crash it. [you may think she's kidding. She is not]

Ben: [and he will come home during this, exhausted because he drove straight through, anger fueling him. But he will stop when he walks in the door] Wow, you weren't kidding about the magazines.

Lindsay: [looks up when she sees him and smiles] I never kid about wedding planning.

Buffy: Hey, Ben. How're things back in Winchester Land?

Ben: [sighs, heading for the kitchen because he needs coffee to stay awake] Different day, different apocalypse.

Buffy: Story of our collective lives.

Lindsay: Are you sure you want coffee right now? I have to work tonight, maybe you should just crash.

Ben: [stops making it] I could. I thought you'd still have time to just catch up.

Lindsay: Yeah I do. [she looks down at her watch] I've got a couple hours, but just a couple hours.

Ben: That is, of course, if you guys are done...?

Buffy: [glances between the two of them before holding up her hands] Alright, alright. I can take a hint. We still on for Saturday, Linds?

Lindsay: Yeah, I'll text you with a time.

Buffy: [nods and up she goes to make her way to the door. She stops, pulling open the sliding door and finds a woman on the other side] ... Mrs. Miller?

Moira: [presses her lips together in a thin smile when she sees the blond] Hello, Buffy. [ her eyes roam out over the mess in the living room] So nice to see you again.


Ben: [blinks, going to look at Linds because what is happening?!]

Lindsay: [also looks equally confused, and peers around the corner to see the door] Mom?

Moira: [brightens when she sees her] Hello, darling. I see your home making skills are as chaotic as ever.

Lindsay: ... What are you doing here?

Moira: I'm here to help with the wedding. [steps past Buffy and turns all that WASP rich mom energy on Ben] You must be the fiancé. Forgive me, but Lindsay neglected to put your name in her text. [holds out a hand] Moira Miller.

Ben: [and he will take it and shake it] Benjamin Winchester. Pleasure to meet you.

Buffy: Well. I'm going to keep leaving. See you all later. [and she disappears out the door]

Lindsay: [holds up a finger, and gets up to head over to her mother] Wait, you're both coming to and wanting to help plan my wedding.

Moira: Lindsay, honestly, did you really I would miss my own daughter's wedding?

Lindsay: Considering how we left things when we last saw each other, yes.

Moira: [swallows] That was a long time ago. And however our feelings on your ... lifestyle, that doesn't mean I want to miss the milestones.

Ben: [looking back and forth] Um, I'm going to go clean up quickly while you catch up. I just got off the road from a job and probably smell like the highway. [he's going to reach back and start the coffee though because um, yeah he’s really going to need it] Excuse me.

Moira: Of course.

Lindsay: [nods and gives him an apologetic look as he passes her] Can I fix you a drink, Mom?

Moira: [mock surprise] She does have manners after all.

Ben: [she will get a kiss on the cheek as he passes, his eyes completely understanding. He'll also shower quickly, using the cold water to wake him back up. He'll come back out in clean jeans and one of the few nice polo shirts he has from trying to find a job. It's black, but it's a polo shirt so it counts, right?]

Lindsay: [and she and her mom have settled. Moira's nursing a martini, and is flipping through one of the bridal magazines. Lindsay hands him a cup of coffee that finished while he was showering] So. Mom. How long are you staying?

Moira: However long you need. We hadn't received the Save the Dates yet, but I'm assuming that's because you haven't picked a venue. Do they have any halls in a town this small?

Lindsay: They make due.

Moira: Don't worry, I have a hotel. I won't be taking over your space.

Ben: We also have friends who own a part of the nature preserve. So if we wanted to do an outdoor ceremony, we could.

Moira: Oh, that sounds lovely. I'll have to go visit and see if there's enough space.

Lindsay: No, Mother.

Moira: [she looks up] Your father ...

Lindsay: Is not going to take over the guest list of this wedding. Especially since my lifestyle, as you like to call it, is probably going to be a major factor.

Ben: We were hoping to keep it small and intimate. [is so confused but good at not showing it]

Moira: He's not going to be happy.

Lindsay: Oh, I'm sure he'll be very disappointed that he can't use my wedding to show off for his business partners. But I'm also sure that he would prefer to keep it a secret that his oldest daughter hunts vampires for a living.

Moira: [visibly stiffens at the "v" word, before swallowing] Right, well. Let's talk wedding party. Have you picked a maid of honor?

Lindsay: I'm narrowing my options. Jordan's probably my best bet.

Moira: She a good friend?

Lindsay: He is a very good friend.

Moira: [another long sip of her martini] Oh.

Ben: [and he is just going to smile from behind his cup of coffee. Because Jorden as the Maid of Honor is perfect]

Moira: Any bridesmaids?

Lindsay: ... Chelsea can be a bridesmaid. But if she is an asshole to anyone, tell her I will put her in the most hideous dress I can come up with.

Moira: [gives her a look] Lindsay. The pictures.

Lindsay: Hideous. So much taffeta, she'll be swimming in it.

Moira: Fine, fine. I'll tell her.

Ben: Don't tell Olivia that, or she might kill you.

Lindsay: I won't inflict that suffering on your cousin. Just my sister.

Ben: Oh good.

Moira: Is this cousin going to be in the wedding party as well?

Lindsay: She can be. You'll need two guys on the other side to even it out, Ben.

Ben: Well, Mikey's my best man. And I'm thinking Jack would be the other since he's like a brother.

Lindsay: So if I've got Jordan, Chelsea and Liv on my side then you'll need one more.

Ben: Probably a tossup between Hal or Stiles. [gives her a grin on if she wants to inflict Stiles on her sister, or Jack]

Lindsay: We'll give Chelsea to Stiles. Jack is too good for her.

Ben: Jack would probably prefer Liv anyway.

Moira: Good to see that you and Chelsea have kept your sibling squabbles alive after all this time.

Lindsay: I honestly don't know what you expected, Mom. I haven't talked to her since I last talked to you.

Moira: [sighs] Fair enough.

Ben: So, since I was out of town, I've haven't been too involved yet in the planning. But I do know we asked Buffy already for help. Are we not doing that anymore? [looks at Lindsay]

Lindsay: I don't know. Can you play nice with Buffy, Mom?

Moira: Do I have to?

Lindsay: You do if you want to help plan the wedding.

Moira: [takes another sip of her martini] Fine.

Ben: I mean, if not, Linds and I can just elope and save everyone the trouble.

Moira: [looks ... horrified]

Lindsay: Don't tempt me.

Ben: I mean, we do know the Sheriff.

Moira: I can't tell if you're messing with me or are actually being truthful.

Lindsay: [shakes her head] Don't worry, Mom. I want to at least give the full thing a try once. We'll keep eloping on the backburner. [glances at her watch] But I have to get ready for work. Are you two going to be okay?

Ben: I'll be awake as long as I keep downing the coffee, but I've been driving for 36 hours.

Moira: Oh, no, don't feel like you have to stay up on my account. I should probably go finish settling into the hotel anyway. But maybe we can have dinner later this week? Really get to know each other, the three of us.

Lindsay: [glances over to Ben] Nothing too fancy?

Moira: It's not like there's a Zagat guide for Beacon Hills. I'll take your recommendations as long as it's not a McDonalds.

Ben: I'm good for dinner.

Moira: Fantastic. Let me know when and where, and I'll be there.

Ben: Okay. But don't count out our McDonald's... they're pretty good out here.

Moira: [just gives him this ... very skeptical look, before downing the last of her martini and getting to her feet] Well. It was lovely seeing the both of you. Please give my regards to Buffy.

Lindsay: Of course, Mom. Let me walk you out. [and she will do that, walking her mother to the door and closing it behind her. She exhales and looks over at her fiancé] .... Well shit.

Ben: So you didn't know she was coming?

Lindsay: No idea. She didn't tell me. She didn't even respond to my "Hey I'm getting married" text.

Ben: I don't think I'll ever understand parents.

Lindsay: I think our parents are extreme cases.

Ben: Maybe we can tell them the wrong location for the wedding.

Lindsay: We can't. My mother has a sixth sense for these things. [she frowns at him] Why are we excluding Dean from the wedding?

Ben: [sighs as he melts back into the couch] Because he's an asshole.

Lindsay: Well ... that's not new information. Is there more context?

Ben: He took a goodbye tour aaaand tried to sneak out of the bunker without even bothering to say goodbye to me. I called him on it, we fought, he still left.

Lindsay: I think you're making a lot of assumptions there.

Ben: Sam brought him back and he'd built this coffin looking thing. Heard it's supposed to keep archangels trapped.

Lindsay: Okay, but how do you know he wasn't going to say goodbye? Just because you weren't first doesn't mean it wasn't going to happen.

Ben: i just know.

Lindsay: No, you don't know. [Lindsay sighs as she pushes up and makes her way closer, sitting on the coffee table across from him] Dean may be a dick, but he doesn't leave unfinished business. That's how we get vengeful spirits.

Ben: ... Sam said Dean wasn't planning on telling any of us. Something about a reaper telling him what to do and not wanting to be talked out of it.

Lindsay: Not telling you when it's in progress is not the same as not saying goodbye.

Ben: [and he's going to rub his eyes, trying to push memories away. Memories of his actual father sneaking off to take on Sam alone. Never said goodbye. Never getting to really know him and left to fill his shoes when he was still a kid.]

Lindsay: [takes a breath and moves to sit next to him] Look, Dean's not a perfect guy. He never has been. And I'm not going to make excuses. But are you sure this was all on him?

Ben: Of course, it was. [mostly]

Lindsay: [and there's a good long look at that]

Ben: There may be two of them.

Lindsay: [frowns] Two of who?

Ben: [sighs] Two Deans.

Lindsay: ... Dear God. Wait, really?

Ben: [looks over at her] My actual father.

Lindsay: Oh. Not ... simultaneously, in this universe.

Ben: No, not here. Mine died when I was still a kid.

Lindsay: [nods] Yeah, I remember.

Ben: He didn't say goodbye either. He knew going in he wasn't going to survive. He was trying to get Sam to get control enough to do something. None of them came back.

Lindsay: That doesn't mean that this one won't.

Ben: But it gives a good percentage towards it.

Lindsay: I've seen the Winchesters get out of worse scrapes.

Ben: I've gotten out of worse scrapes. But this is different.

Lindsay: Different how?

Ben: He promised he was going to try. He said he wanted to figure out this father/son relationship. You don't do that to a kid. I've already dealt with that once, and I can't do it again, Linds. I can't. There's only so many times I can let him hurt me.

Lindsay: Promising to try doesn't mean making you privy to every single one of his decisions, Ben. Maybe some of them had already been made, maybe they hadn't but you have to let him meet you in the middle. [she sighs as she shifts in next to him] I know it's not easy, but having an archangel riding shotgun is a lot. He may have needed time to figure out what to say or what to tell you. Some things don't come easy, even when you don't have Dean's levels of emotional constipation.

Ben: [he just shakes his head and stands up] I'm too tired to have this conversation. [and he rubs at his eyes]

Lindsay: Okay. You go to sleep, I'll go to work, and we can try again later. [because they shouldn't drop this completely, at least not in Lindsay's opinion]

Ben: [well, he's going to avoid bringing it back up, or bringing up Dean in general]

Lindsay: [yeah, well, too bad. she loves you and if the Winchesters are throttling towards another apocalypse, things are only going to get worse before they get better if someone doesn't intervene]