Episode: Season 7 - Of Grave Importance Pt. 3  

The words hit me like a bomb just went off, stunning me into silence completely. I still hadn't spoken by the time Dean came back with the food. He was concerned but said nothing, letting me sort things out on my own. Normally, I'd appreciate the gesture - I'd always hated being coddled. But this time? I didn't know what I needed. No, yes, I did: I needed answers.

The next night, we headed back to the old abandoned house we'd visited previously to try and solve our case. I waited on the steps beside the two brothers, avoiding Sam's lingering gaze. Finally, Dean managed to open the double doors, themselves an architectural treasure of glass and wood. As we stepped inside, I let my hand trail across the side of it, fingers finding the crevices in between the little dragons carved into the wood there. The house was old - so old you could see dust mites floating in the air where Dean shined his flashlight. But that wasn't what caught my attention.

No, instead it was the voice - that achingly familiar voice - that popped up from the darkness.

"Hi, guys."

Instantly, my head snapped to the sound and my eyes locked on a sight I thought I'd never see again in my life.

"Bobby?" I breathed out in surprise.

Bobby's eyes widened considerably as he stared back at us.

"Wait...you can see me?" he asked in disbelief.

Silence engulfed the room then, no one daring to say a word as we stared back at one another. He looked just like I remembered him - same trucker's hat, worn brown jacket, scuffed shoes...

"You're staring, you know," he said suddenly, the hint of a smile on his face.

The three of us looked away uncomfortably as he continued, "Annie's here too, by the way,"

We all mumbled a greeting to her, glancing around the darkened room to no avail.

"She says you both look uglier than she remembered," he joked, directing his words towards the brothers, "But she says you look even prettier, Parker. And you do, you know,"

A faint blush dusted my cheeks as I smiled at the ground wordlessly before meeting his gaze, tears having filled my eyes by now.

"I missed you," I admitted, sniffing.

He nodded at my words, smiling sadly, "I know, kiddo,"

"Bobby, how-how'd you stay here?" Sam asked him.

"Yeah, well, um..." Bobby trailed off before walking over to a desk on the other side of the room.

He opened one of the dusty drawers then and retrieved his old, tarnished silver flask before tossing it to Dean who caught it deftly in his hand.

"That's why you never answered me. I tried calling you - the Talking Board, the works. But I was always alone," Sam explained to him, realization dawning in his eyes before he gestured to his brother, "Dean always had that thing in his pocket. That's why the EMF only went off half the time. We thought we were going crazy,"

"So-so, what happened? Did you get stuck or what?" Dean asked, that same uncertain expression when his eyes first landed on Bobby still on his face.

Bobby shrugged, "I wanted to stay,"

"Bobby," Dean admonished him.

"I need to help!" he protested.

Silence ensued then and I bit my lip, feeling sad that Bobby had been stuck here this whole time.

"Not if it means you have to be this." Sam told him gently.

Bobby didn't seem to care though, only happy to be back with us. Together with him and Annie helping, we managed to find all the bodies and burn them. But as we walked back out to the Impala, I knew there was a lot left unsaid between us and Bobby.

"I'll miss her," Bobby said suddenly, referring to Annie.

Both boys nodded, muttering an agreement with his statement.

But Bobby only made a face in response, "Well, you didn't know her like I did,"

A beat of silence ensued before Dean broke it with a chuckle, Sam making a sheepish face. I felt Bobby's eyes on me then and glanced up meet his gaze. A wave of sadness washed over me suddenly and I bit my lip.

"Bobby, I-" I started but he cut me off gently.

"Parker, don't. Don't even say it. You have nothing to be sorry for, honey," he told me, his words soft and fatherly like they'd always been in life.

My sniffle penetrated the quiet of the night as I blinked back the tears, "But I wasn't there! I should have been there for you,"

He stepped closer then so that we were face-to-face now and I sniffed again.

"You were there with me..." he told me gently before pressing a hand to his heart, "Right in here. Just like you've always been. And always will be."

I smiled through the tears in my eyes at his words, feeling my heart swell. Right about now, he'd be pulling me into a hug and I'd breathe in the scent of alcohol still clinging to his clothes. But we couldn't touch each other and his words were more than enough.

"Well, uh," Dean began, changing the subject as he rummaged through his pockets for Bobby's flask before lifting it up to the moonlight.

"Here's to Annie. She got the hunter's funeral she wanted," he continued before taking a swig, "Kind of like the one we thought we gave you,"

My jaw went slack and I punched my boyfriend in the arm as Sam said in a warning tone, "Dean,"

"What were you thinking, Bobby? You could be in heaven right now, drinking beer at Harvelle's, not stuck-" he began before Bobby cut him off angrily.

"-stuck here with you? We still have work to do. I just thought that was kind of important, Dean," Bobby said gruffly and I could see the mixture of anger and hurt flash in his eyes.

"It's not right and you know that," Dean said, tears glistening in his eyes despite his harsh words.

"Sorry. You're right. What was I thinking?!" Bobby snapped sarcastically before abruptly disappearing before our eyes.

I shared a look with the guys before we all trudged back to the front of the Impala, climbing inside. It was clear none of us knew what to do. But one thing was clear: it wasn't right. I loved having him back with us more than anything in this world but...it wasn't right. And we all knew it. Dean drove the rest of the way to the hotel in silence and no one said a word until we'd arrived back.

I shrugged off my jacket as we all piled into the room and Dean took off to the bathroom for a shower. A tired sigh escaped my lips then as I sat down at one of the chairs by the table and pulled off my boots. It had been a long and hectic day. With a lot of hiccups and shocking revelations along the way. A lot. I chewed the inside of my cheek in thought then when I felt Sam's hazel eyes on me once more.

"What is it, Sammy?" I asked in frustration, suddenly sick of his constant badgering.

He waited until we could hear the water running in the bathroom, indicating Dean had began his shower before he pulled something out of his back pocket.

"I think you might want to take this," he said softly as he handed me a small, rectangular box.

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion as I looked down at it before it finally clicked in my mind what it was. A pregnancy test. Wordlessly, I stuffed it into my backpack by the door and other suitcases before finally meeting my best friend's gaze once more.

"Thanks..." I said quietly and he nodded before walking over to his own bed, leaving me with my thoughts.

I burrowed into Dean's bare chest that night as we lie in bed, his warm skin giving me the shivers as my hand rested on his side, the other tucked between us. With my fingertips, I caressed the delicate skin there and he smiled, pulling me even closer to him. I could hear his heartbeat thumping in my ear as my eyes fluttered shut, just enjoying the closeness. This was my favorite part of our cases - coming back to the hotel room and being in Dean's arms. I felt so safe - like nothing could touch me, like he could protect me from the world.

"Good night, short-stack," he whispered into my hair as I snuggled closer to him, my nose brushing against his neck gently.

"Good night, dirt-bag." I whispered back, pressing a sweet, lingering kiss to his pec before cuddling him closer as my eyes slid shut.

A few minutes later, I could hear gentle snores coming from above me and I couldn't help but smile. But as the minutes passed, sleep evaded me as my thoughts persisted. What was I going to do if I really was pregnant? Would Dean be mad? Would he...leave me? My heart clenched at the thought and instinctively, I burrowed into Dean even more.

If the test came back positive, I'd have to tell him. Dread filled me just thinking about it. But deep down, I knew what I had to do.