Father Knows Best (Book 2)

Chapter Four

At the bunker Sam immediately started talking about ways they could find and catch Lucifer. Dean interrupted him.

"Sam, man, I know we have to deal with Lucifer, but right now I need to have a talk with my daughter. Can you all clear out and give us a bit?" He said.

"Sure Dean" Sam said

Everyone began filing out of the room. Dean glanced over at the Alcohol cabinet and saw that Crowley was still sitting there drinking the Scotch he had found in the cabinet.

"Crowley!" He said

Crowley looked up, "Alright, I'm going!" He said, annoyed.

Jo sat at the table, head down, hands under her legs, fear running around in the pit of her stomach. Dean turned to face his daughter.

"Jo? Tell me what happened today" He said

She looked up at him, tears forming in her eyes.

"I was going to tell you." She whispered, "Today. I was going to tell you today. And then she...she just...transformed, and then I was in...in Hell, and they were torturing me." She blurted all of that out, and then went quiet.

Dean looked at her. He was at war within himself. Part of him wanted to clobber her for disobeying him after everything that had happened a month ago. The other part of him saw how vulnerable she was and he wanted nothing more than to pick her up and hold her like she was little again. He knew however that neither of those things would do any good. One would only serve to push her away, and the other would serve only to spoil her. He decided he'd do his best to balance it out.

"Jo, your actions over the past month were careless. What were you thinking?" He said, calmly but sternly.

"I thought my spell had worked. I thought it was really Mom. She showed up the night I had been turned into a vampire and then turned back." She told him, "I just want to see my Mom, my real Mom, one time" She said.

Dean got down at eye level, "I understand that Jo. I really do. But bringing things back from the dead is never a good idea" He told her.

"You've done it!" She exclaimed, Dean looked at her surprised. That was not a story he had told her.

"How'd you hear about that?" Dean asked.

"Mom...er...Lucifer" She replied, "He um...also told me how Mom died"

She looked at Dean to see his reaction, and saw his face crumple.

"Dad? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you" She said.

"Its fine" Dean said, wiping at his tears. "It's time for you and Bobby to know the truth. Why don't you go get your brother?"

She stood and left the room. Dean sat there, playing that day through his mind. The fear he felt as he searched for his wife. The anguish he felt when he finally found her, her body cold and already going into rigor. Watching her body, covered in the white sheet, burn as he gave her a hunter's burial. He missed her so much, even sixteen years later, it felt like it was only yesterday.
Fresh tears started to fall, and he placed his face in his hands and let the emotions take over.

Jo and Bobby came into the room. Bobby saw their father crying and looked at Jo. Then he went to his father.

"Dad?" He said, as he placed a hand on his shoulder. Dean took a deep breath, and wiped away the tears again.
"Hey Slugger, have a seat. I need to talk to you and your sister" He said, regaining his composure.
Both Bobby and Jo sat down.
Dean proceeded to tell them the real story of how their Mother had died. How he had left her alone, and had ignored her call because he was too busy to answer on his own end of the investigation. How it had taken him a day and a half to find her, and how he still hadn't found the wraith that had done it. To hear him tell it you would have thought that none of the decisions made that day were their Mother's, like somehow it was all Dean's fault. Jo felt sad to hear how much guilt he still felt over it. She reached over and laid a hand on her father's.