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The phone call was… awkward, to say the least. “Your girlfriend? But Mom, I thought you were straight!”
Mary couldn’t exactly be surprised that John hadn’t mentioned to their sons that Mary was bisexual, although with both sons being some flavor of not-straight and John being the straightest man Mary had ever dated, she’d have thought they’d at least be not shocked at the idea. “Sorry if John forgot to mention that between the… not mentioning me at all to Sam unless it was to score a point in arguing over the importance of hunting and trying to make sure you remembered me as perfect,” she snapped. “I prefer men, but sometimes I meet a woman who’s just exceptional. I met one, and I want you to meet her.”
“All right, fine.” Dean confirmed the diner they were meeting at and then hung up. Mary settled back to wait for them, snuggling into her girlfriend’s side.
When Dean and Sam arrived, Mary waved. Dean started over, skidding to a stop when he caught sight of the woman in the booth with Mary’s arm around her. His voice was lower than Mary could remember hearing it and rough as he whispered, “Lisa?” Sam had a hand on Dean’s back, face torn between sympathy, frustration, and amusement. It made no sense. Dean cleared his throat, voice sounding a little more normal as he looked away from Lisa to stare at Mary. “She’s your new girlfriend? Her? Lisa Braeden?”
“You… know each other?” Mary looked between Lisa and Dean. Lisa’s eyes were wide as she stared blankly at Dean, no sign of recognition there. Dean, on the other hand, looked like his entire world was collapsing on him. The only thing Mary could think of was that Dean had been using a different name when they got together, but being here meeting face to face, he should look familiar. Online, maybe? But that wouldn’t explain how devastated by this development Dean was. She’d almost think this was some sort of mistaken identity, if Dean hadn’t gotten the name right. “Dean, I think I need some explanation here. You know Lisa, but she has no idea who you are. Right, babe?”
“Yeah.” Lisa got up as best she could in the booth, hand extended. “I know you’re Mary’s sons, but I don’t think we’ve ever met…”
“You, uh… you don’t remember,” Sam explained, leaning around Dean to shake Lisa’s hand. “There was a changeling in your neighborhood, Dean and I came through to take it out. Your son Ben…” Sam trailed off as Lisa’s eyes closed and she buried her face in Mary’s shoulder.
Mary stroked her hair, whispering softly, “Are you okay? Can I tell them?” At Lisa’s nod, Mary looked up. “Three years ago, a kitsune boy came through. He enrolled at Ben’s school and befriended him, lured him out into the woods with stories of looking for a monster, and then killed him. He used Ben’s phone to call Lisa and give her a message for Ben’s father – he was practicing, and he’d be coming.”
Dean’s flinch, that Mary could understand. Sam pulling away from Dean and shoving his hands into his pockets, jaw tensed in anger… that was another bizarre piece of the puzzle. “One of you two want to explain to me what the hell is going on here, then?” she demanded when neither of them volunteered anything.
“Not really,” Dean said, shooting Sam a warning glare. Hoo boy. “What happened to that kitsune? Three years, he should have found his target by now.”
“Maybe, maybe not, but it doesn’t matter now,” Mary said. “Lisa got into hunting to track that son of a bitch,” Sam’s hand’s twitched and Mary hesitated before continuing, “and she finally caught up to him just outside Lawrence. I was hunting him too, having noticed some unusual deaths in the area, and we hunted him down and took him out. He’s dead.”
“Happy now, Dean? That’s two dead kids, one dead mom, and one mom dragged into the shit you were trying to keep her out of, all because you just have to be right all the time and can’t deal with your own shit in any other way,” Sam snapped.
“What, you didn’t say a damn thing at the time, you wanna question me now? Really?” Dean got into Sam’s face. “What I did, both times, I’d do again in a heartbeat. Had to be done.”
“No, Dean. It didn’t. It was about the stupidest way to handle your shit with Lisa, and even you admitted later you were wrong about Amy, so what the hell is your problem now? Or were you lying about Amy, because Amy was my judgment call and Benny was yours and we all know how much better your judgment is?” Sam closed his eyes, turned away from Dean with a great effort, and put on an awkward smile. “Lisa, it’s great to see you again, although the circumstances are the last thing I’d have ever wanted. Mom, I hope things work out for you, but right now, I need to get out of here before I do something really stupid.”
As much as Mary wanted to go after Sam and get some damn answers, she couldn’t. She couldn’t leave Lisa alone with Dean. “Okay, Dean, it’s not a request anymore. What. Happened.”
“That kitsune kid, his mom was an old friend of Sam’s. She started killing people, I put her down, kid witnessed it and decided to come after me. No idea why he thought Ben was my kid.” Dean took one long look at Lisa, and then turned to go. “I should probably go catch up to Sammy. Sorry this didn’t go the way you hoped, Mom.”
After Dean left, Mary took a moment and then turned to Lisa. “I am so, so sorry about that.”
“Don’t be. You had no way of knowing.” Lisa shook herself. “Sorry for not really saying anything, but… I was kind of dealing with a flood of memories there. Dean and I… used to be together.” Lisa winced, but Mary just wanted the explanation. “After Sam jumped into Hell, Dean came to me. We’d had a one night stand years before, never stopped thinking about each other, he needed a soft place to fall without his brother, and I took him in. Eventually, Sam came back, monsters started coming around, and I told Dean to leave because my son was in danger. He left, we got attacked which drew him back, and apparently he decided to have his angel buddy wipe our memories of him instead of finding a way to actually protect us.”
“What? That has to be the stupidest… I’m surprised the kitsune boy was the only one who came after you two! All you not remembering him would do is make it impossible for you to know you need to be on the lookout for things!” Mary was sorely tempted to go after Dean and beat some sense into him.
“Yeah, I know.” Lisa leaned over and kissed Mary’s cheek. “I don’t blame you. You didn’t get the chance to raise them better than that. It’s going to be awkward, but if you’re still in, I am.”