It Came Upon the Midnight Clear

[jstliketherifle]

When Dean woke up, it was dark. But not the comforting kind of dark where you can make out the edges of shapes in the darkness. It was the oppressing kind, that pressed down on your chest and made you feel as though you couldn't breathe. Which would have been just fine, except for the fact that Dean could breathe. He was breathing quite a bit

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[mini_dean]

Ben was fast asleep in his room, curled up in the quilt on his bed at Bobby's place. Alec had insisted on them having a Christmas together, and Bobby had grudgingly agreed to let him decorate the place as long at they kept it in the living room only. So the room had been cleaned up, books moved, and a large tree was by the fireplace. There were a few presents under the tree, stocking over the fireplace.

Literally looked like a story time Christmas, right to the milk and cookies left for Santa. Which Bobby took as he went to bed because it was his house.

But it was last at night and Ben whimpered in his sleep, something trying to break through his shields. There was a power growing, waves reverberating along the psychic planes. And finally it hit, a wave of power that knocked Ben out of a sound sleep and had him sitting up, screaming as he held his hands over his ears, trying to stop the pressure.

Then as fast as it had been there, it was gone and left him panting in bed, not sure what happened. Finally, he closed his eyes and reached his senses out, trying to find what had happened.

Bobby was stirring from hearing Ben scream. Alec and Jinx were halfway up the stairs to him. There was a looming essence of power hovering somewhere between here and his father's grave...

And then he felt another presence. His eyes opened wide, knowing the mind even though he had only felt it once since getting this power. But he would never forget it.

"Dad," he gasped, struggling to get free from the quilt and taking off past Alec without even acknowledging him, bursting past the front door and into the snow with just his tee shirt, flannel pajama pants and socks on.

He didn't feel the cold anymore. Or the wetness that was soaking into his socks. He was just running as fast as he could to where he could see a shadow moving in the bright starlight.

[smart_alec494]

Alec wasn't sure which had woken him from his nest of blankets and dog half way under the lit Christmas tree. It could have been the supernova of light that slammed through the world around him or Ben's wail. Either way it was Ben he responded to first.

Of course he had to change directions half way up the stairs as Ben shot past him going down and out. Alec simply spun and followed. He paused at the door though to cram his feet into his boots and snatch up Ben's. Junk yards were not a safe place for an Ordinary to be in without protection. He took off again and blurred to catch up with Ben.

He could see the flair of power and life looking ahead. Life where there had only been his father's grave hours before. He stopped. Stunned. And then common sense took over because that's what kept him and other people alive. He bolted forward and wrapped and arm around Ben's waist and lifted him off his feet. "Shoes. Now." He dropped Ben's boots at his feet. The fastest way for Ben to move forward was for him to comply. He knew it would make his brother angry but he didn't want to loose him to something stupid like blood poisoning. Jinx circled them nervously.

[jstliketherifle]

After a few minutes of lying in the snow he realized he was starting to get a little freezing. Just like suffocating in the box wasn't an option, freezing to death? Also not. He took a deep breath, before pushing himself up, trying to get some kind of hold on the ground beneath him and pushing himself up, all the while glancing around and make sure that he wasn't walking into any kind of trouble.

He didn't recognize where he was right off the bat -- it was too dark -- but he could hear people moving through whatever the area was, and silently prayed for friendly faces as oppose to not so friendly ones. He wasn't looking to fight his way out of anything, to be perfectly honest. He just wanted somewhere warm, a beer, Bobby, his brother and his kids. Minus any demonic influence. And yes, that included Ruby.

He pushed back so that he was sitting in the snow, starting to pull his legs free from the whole. He glanced behind him and saw that the tree that he assumed had previously been standing there lying on it's side as though ripped from the ground by it's roots. He just frowned slightly, before continuing to look around and try and make sense of everything.

What the hell happened here?

[mini_dean]

Ben struggled against his brother, but he knew that would get him nowhere fast. So just shoved his feet into the boots, not lacing them. Not caring.

He needed to get to the top of the hill, and he couldn't tell Alec why. he had to know. Had to be sure.

Pushing himself free he took off again, struggling up the hill and he didn't even realize he was crying until he saw Dean sit up and he pushed his body to run just that much faster.

He couldn't scream out his father's name or title. He just got into the clearing with the starlight and stood there, panting as he looked at Dean a few feet away. He was scared, confused and damn happy all at the same time, and was afraid to cross those last few feet to hold him in case he was just a dream and would disappear.

[smart_alec494]

Alec didn't try to hold Ben once his feet were safe from whatever the hell was under the snow. He just let go and paced his brother up the hill.

He didn't think he should be surprised by anything any more.

But he was.

Even though he's seen that flair of life. Much missed life. Seeing that wasn't the same as seeing his father's face. Seeing his father. Alive. He skidded to a stop for a second next to Ben and stared.

Then he threw himself at Dean, arms wrapping around him and taking them both over into the snow.

[jstliketherifle]

Dean had started to hold up his hands in some form of surrender when he heard the footsteps coming up on him, not wanting to start any kind of trouble, just wanting to get home. It was a second before he processed the two faces, two identical faces, recognized them, and felt himself let go of some kind of breath he hadn't realized his was holding. His kids. His boys.

Oh, thank God they weren't dead.

He could see that they didn't know what to think, and frankly he didn't either, and half expected one of them to deck him for something, anything, but they didn't. Instead, he found himself being knocked over by Alec -- at least he was pretty sure it was Alec. Once he'd gotten over the shock of having the wind knocked out of him, he tightened his arms around Alec, pulling him closer and trying to get his voice to work. It took a minute, but eventually he managed to rasp out something.

"Where am I?" Maybe not the words they were wanting to hear, but what he needed to ask. This could be another trick from the lovely members of the Underworld -- it didn't seem like it, it felt and smelled genuine -- and he didn't want himself getting caught.

[mini_dean]

Ben watched Alec race forward to hug Dean and wanted to join him. Wanted to so badly. But there was a fear in the back of his head he couldn't shake. Something was wrong here. There was a power still hovering around, and that kept him nervous.

"Bobby's." Ben said, inching forward a bit.

[smart_alec494]

Alec was glad Ben answered because he couldn't. He was crying. Again. It was getting to be an embarassing habit. As soon as Dean hugged back he pressed his face into his father's shoulder and breathed in. Dean. Dad. Family. But there was something else clinging to the man. Pain and blood and sulfur. Not like Dean was a demon, but like he'd been surounded by them. And something else. Something so clean it burned.

And it burned enough that he peeked up and over Dean's shoulder. The myst of death he knew from Nancy was rolling away from Dean like it was afraid. Like it was making room for some thing else.

Jinx was totally with Ben on this one. He tensed like he was waiting to have to defend the family. He'd grown a lot since Dean had seen him last. And he'd meant to keep his distance since Dean didn't like him much, but he suddenly wanted them all together. He nudged Ben closer to the others.

[jstliketherifle]

Bobby's. That lifted a load of relief off his shoulders. Bobby's was safe more often than not, and at least he wasn't far from family. That was what he'd worried about the most, the fact that he was going to be in the middle of nowhere, stranded, no where to go.

"Bobby's. Good," he strained out again, feeling his voice starting to come back, but still cracked and hoarse. He was thirsty as hell. But that could come later. "What day is it?"

[mini_dean]

Ben bit his lip, pushing Jinx away. But he got the idea and walked over, kneeling down next to his father.

There was a hint of a smile now as he gave another answer. "Merry Christmas."

[smart_alec494]

Alec was smiling like a loon even though he was still crying like an idiot. He stopped clinging to his father and moved to the side enough to give Ben room, though he wasn't going to let go any time soon. "Best Christmas I've ever had." He blinked. "Only Christmas. Next year can't top this."

Jinx thought they were all great and would have loved a pet, but he kinda wanted them all back inside Bobby's house. Safe from whatever was coming. He settled for circling them protectivly.

[jstliketherifle]

Dean just chuckled slightly, letting go of Alec with one arm and moving to come down on Ben's shoulder warmly, looking back and forth between both of them. Merry fucking Christmas.

He wanted to stay there for a while, just sitting with them. Hell, he was even managing to completely ignore Jinx for the time being. But what he couldn't ignore was that he was almost completely soaked from the snow, it felt like it was around fifty below, and his throat felt like it had been rubbed raw by sandpaper. He needed to get out of this weather.

"So what does a guy have to do to get a beer around here?"

[mini_dean]

There was a major word in Ben's head at the moment. HOW? But he kept it quiet as he let Dean pull him into the father and son moment that was going on.

And Ben was feeling the cold too now that the adrenaline was settling. "Think you can make it inside? There's a case there you're welcome to."

[smart_alec494]

Alec felt the cold but not as much as the other two. "A fire to." Yeah Alec wanted to loll in the family moment. "We should call Sam." He wanted to stay oblivious and happy, but he could feel building, even if he couldn't see it quite yet more than at the corner of his vision. He figured it was the same wholely animal instinct that made Jinx act like he was going to have to take something apart any second now.

[jstliketherifle]

"Sam's not here?" Dean frowned, starting to pull himself to his feet more. He was a little shaky with holding his own weight at first, before he found his balance again, looking between the boys with a look. "If he's not here, where the hell is he?"

[mini_dean]

"Not far. Just down the road at the motel. The house was a bit too... decorated for him."

Ben would be there to help Dean walk if needed as they made their way back to the house.