Ben stopped struggling long enough to stare loathingly at Dean. His once youthful face was that of a child that was forced to grow up too soon. Dean knew what that felt like.

    Claire stood in front of Ben, blocking Dean from his gaze. "Ben, Dean isn't a demon!"

    "Not anymore, at least," added in Dean.

    Ben's glances from Claire to Dean implied that he didn't know what to believe. He yanked himself away from Castiel's grip. "How do you know my name?" he asked Sam, ignoring Dean.

    Sam shifted his weight between his feet. "Well, uh-"

    "I can restore his memories," announced Cas. He looked at Dean. "If you'd like."

    Dean didn't hesitate. "Do it."

    Cas's blue eyes intensified, and his palm shone like the sun. Panicked, Ben shrank away. "Claire? Claire! Hel-" he stopped shouting once the glow faded. He straightened, blinking. His eyes found Dean.

    "De- Dean!" Ben tackled him yet again, but instead with a hug. Dean wrapped his strong, leather-bound arms around the boy, closing his eyes, pulling him tighter. Ben broke away. "What happened? Why did I forget you? Why were yOU AT THE CROSSROADS?"

    Dean put a strong hand on Ben's shoulder. "Son, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. Cas, here, had to erase your memories of me. I was putting you in harm's way. Hunting isn't a family lifestyle."

    "Our's was," whispered Sam. Dean glared at him over his shoulder. Ben was still dumbstruck.

    "But that still doesn't explain-"

    "Yes, I was a demon. Do you understand now?" Dean raised his eyebrows fatherly. Ben nodded. Claire stood with her arms crossed, her eyes darting between Dean and Ben.

    "How do you know each other?" she asked. Dean opened his mouth, but Ben spoke instead.

    "He was my mom's boyfriend."

    Dean smiled. "Yeah, how is Lisa?" Ben's face fell. Claire came to his side and put an arm around him.

    "She passed away last year, after you refused to help me."

    Dean's stomach dropped. The weight of his actions finally hit him like a truck. The cavern was silent. Dean tried to speak, to ask if there was anything he could do, to say he was sorry, to scream and curse God for taking Lisa... but his vocal chords refused to work. He reached for Ben, but he shot him a look that could have killed the Wendigo without a flamethrower. Dean's arm fell to his side, defeated.

***

    "You're hunting?"

    Cas's angry voice could be heard through the trees. Sam, Ben, and Dean were packing the camp, trying their best to ignore the argument that had broken out about fifteen feet away. Sam and Dean shot each other a look that said Whoa, Daddy's upset.

    "Why do you care?"
    "It's too dangerous."

    "I have Ben!"

    "Oh, and is he supposed to protect you when you're surrounded by demons?"

    "What, like you would?"

    "You didn't want any help!"

    "Because you're not my dad! YOU'RE JUST WEARING HIS SKIN!"

    Ben shuddered. Claire stormed into the camp, wiping her eyes and smudging her eyeliner. Ben embraced her. Cas arrived shortly after. His hands were in his coat pockets. He noticed Sam and Dean watching him expectantly, and shrugged, walked over to them.

    "Despite anything I could tell her, I know she's going to continue hunting," said Cas. He each brother in the eye, "I'd like you to teach her how to hunt; so she'll be safe."

    Sam glanced at Dean, then said to Cas, "Are you sure?"

    "She'll do whatever she wants to do. Why are they so rebellious around this age?" Cas rolled his eyes in an exasperated manner.

    Dean handed Cas a twenty. "Why don't you go rent a room at a motel so we can spend the night?"

    Cas cocked his head. "We-?"

    "Sam. Sam and I. Us," Dean said rather quickly. Sam gave him a look. Cas disappeared with the sound of flapping wings.

    "Dean," began Sam once they were alone. "You never told me you saw Ben."

    Dean closed his eyes and rubbed his chin. "What, you've never been ashamed of anything?"

    Dean started to pack up the misshapen tent Cas had taken so long to set up. Sam put his hands on his hips. "All I'm saying is that I think you're still being haunted by being a demon. If you want to talk-"

    "Ok, that's enough sappy talk, Sammy."

    Sam pursed his lips and turned his head away. He headed over to Ben and Claire to help with their own camping supplies. Dean watched them work with minimal conversation. He jammed the collapsed tent into the backpack aggravatedly.

***

    "Where are you staying tonight, Ben?" Dean asked. They were in the parking lot of the shady motel Cas had called them from.

    "Claire and I usually sleep in the car," Ben said, jabbing a thumb at the Ford Pinto that made Cas's pimp car look like a Rolls Royce.

    "You will not," came Cas's gruff voice from the door of the motel room. "Your separate bedrooms are waiting for you." He gave them each keys that belonged to rooms on either side of the motel.

    Claire glared at the keys. "Gee, thanks." She turned and stalked off to her room. Dean noticed Sam make his way to Cas in the doorway. They were having an intense but quiet conversation. Dean couldn't shake the feeling that they were keeping something from him, but he figured that they were just worried about the Mark of Cain, so he let them be. Ben stooped down and pulled something furry off of the floor of the backseat in his car. He held up a Grumpy Cat plushie for Dean to see. "Claire forgot this. She likes to sleep with it."

    He started to walk towards her room but Dean spoke up, "Ben, hey."

    Ben turned around with his eyebrows raised. Dean swallowed, his determined expression unwavering. "You know that I had to do what I had to do, right?"

    "Are you talking about leaving us, or letting my mom die?"

    "You shouldn't blame me for that. I loved your mom, and you, so that's why I had to leave. You're a hunter now. So you know how dangerous this life is."

    Ben turned the full way around to face Dean, man to man. "You could have saved my mom! If you would have just let me-"

    Dean raised a hand to stop him. "When I was a demon, I wasn't myself. Maybe if you caught me in the right mood, I would have made a deal. But that would mean that you would've only had ten years to live. Take it from someone who's actually been to hell, it's worse than you think. I've done things down there that I am ashamed of, and I was human. There was no demon side of me to blame. And if you stay down there long enough, you become what I did."

    Ben was silent. Dean continued, "Look, your mom would never have wanted you to give up yourself for her. In fact, do you think this is the life she wanted for you?"

    The parking lot was silent save for the faint buzzing of the neon light motel sign. Ben piped up. "I know she never wanted this for me, but I did."

    Dean was stunned. He could only manage a few stuttered before Ben continued. "I always wanted to be like you. You're the closest thing I've had to a real dad, and I looked up to you!" He looked away to hide his flushed cheeks from the yellow glow of the street lights. Dean didn't know whether to be flattered or ashamed that there was a new generation of hunters, and it was his fault.

    "Did I ever tell you about my dad?" Dean asked. Ben shook his head. "He was a real sonovabitch. I looked up to him, too, but now I know that he wasn't all he was cracked up to be. He's the reason Sam and I started hunting." Dean patted the trunk of the Impala, so Ben leaned up against it with him. "Ya know, this life isn't for everybody. It's beyond dangerous and it's lonely. I don't want you to make the same mistakes I did."

    Ben rolled his eyes. "You want me and Claire to stop hunting."

    "No," Dean said. "I want you to stick together. My dad drove a wedge between my brother and I. I- I'm actually proud of you. Welcome to the family business."

    Ben looked at Dean and smiled. For once, his youthful joy returned to his eyes. Dean pointed to the Grumpy Cat plushie. "I'll take this to her. I want you to stick together, but I'm sure you wouldn't want Cas's heavenly wrath raining down on your ass." Ben gulped, and handed the toy over. Dean gave him a winning half-smile and walked over to Claire's door.

    Dean knocked on the door. When Claire answered, Dean peered in to see books and an open laptop on the bed and her dirty jacket laying on the chair next to the bathroom door. Her hair was braided down one side, like she was halfway finished before Dean knocked. She crossed her arms and leaned in the doorway. "What do you want?"

    Dean showed her the Grumpy Cat doll. She blushed and cautiously took it out of his hands. "Ya know, you're pretty hard on Cas."

    She stared at him unhappily. It was unnerving how much she resembled Jimmy. She had the same jaw and the same eyes, but no... her eyes were more of an unforgiving ice blue, and Cas's were deep, and rich like a dark ocean...

    Dean mentally shook himself. "All I mean is that he cares about you. And he changed his mind. He says you can hunt if you want, but he wants you to be careful, so tomorrow I can show you a few tricks."

    Claire was struggling to keep the look of disdain on her face. "R-really?"

    Dean smiled. "Yeah."

    Claire shifted her weight to the other foot, looking around, but not really at anything. "Oh, ok, yeah." She paused, then took a small cardboard box out of her back pocket. "Want one?"

    "You smoke?" Dean asked incredulously. Claire rolled her intimidating eyes. "Ya know, those things will kill you. How embarrassing would that be to hunt all these monsters to have your own lungs take you out?"

    "You should talk, Mr. Double-Bacon-Cheeseburger."

    "You're a double-bacon... cheeseburger."

    Claire gave him a real, genuine smile. Dean smiled back, then headed back to his room. Sam was sitting at the two-person table by the window, and Cas was rummaging through the mini fridge. Dean closed the door behind him. "You don't have to eat anymore, right?"

    Cas reemerged with a beer. "It's for you." Dean accepted and sat down across from Sam. "I thought we might show Ben and Claire the ropes tomorrow then we head back to the bunker. How's that sound, Sammy?"
    Sam wasn't paying attention. "Is she smoking?"

Claire was standing under the orange traffic light at the edge of the parking lot, a small cloud of gray smoke exiting her mouth. Cas stalked over to the window. "She's what?"

"Cas, let her be. If you keep trying to control her, she's just going to act out," said Dean. Sam raised his eyebrows. "What? I can't know anything about parenting?"

Suddenly, an ear-piercing shriek sounded from the woods near by. Claire whipped around, dropping her cigarette and drawing her knife. She ran into the shadows. "Claire, no!" Sam yelled. But it was too late. A blur burst from the woods, snatched her up, and carried her off. Cas was already out the door, and following close behind as Ben. Ben started to pass him, but Cas grabbed his shoulder, and they disappeared with a loud flapping of wings. Sam rummaged through the duffle bag, muttering obscenities under his breath, then tossed Dean a flamethrower. They bolted out the door and into the woods.