This is your life - are you who you wanna be?

[mini_dean]

Ben sat in the corner of a jail cell in the main police precinct, waiting for a booking. He was resting his head on the cold bench that served as a bed, the coldness bringing down the heat in his body.

Drug possession was the reason he was there. Along with resisting arrest and attacking a police officer. The last of which also accounted for the bruises and cut on his face, joining the ones that were already fading from Jeff's attack on him over a week ago.

He was coming off another high, shaking and needing more. It was two days ago that he had snuck away from Sam Winchester's apartment, taking his few things and just disappearing into the streets of Manhattan. All he had wanted was to find a way home. But at the Greyhound station, a woman with blonde hair and a gentle smile wrapped her arm around his shoulder and led him away.

The last 48 hours were a haze after that, until the cops invaded the warehouse he had been in. The blonde had been wrapped around his waist, white power coating both their bodies... and now he was here having a bad withdrawal and just wanting to go home.

His cell phone had been confiscated, and the police had gone through the contacts. They came across [Dean - Dad] first in the list before [Mom] and so that was the phone number that was dialed so someone could come speak for the man who was, in the opinion, not competent enough to speak for himself.

Comments

[mini_dean]

"Just ask for me when you get here."

Hanging up the phone, he looked back at the security cam at Ben and shook his head. This is what happens when parents don't discipline their kids...

[jstliketherifle.livejournal.com]

Dean pulled on his jacket as he dialed the phone for a friend of the family, waiting for him to pick up. He knew that he was off hours, but Riley was a good guy, and it might help to have a lawyer to kick things off early.

"Riley Toth."

"Hey, Riley, it's Dean Winchester," Dean said with a small smile. "I need a favor."

"Oh, this should be good. You and Sam always have the most interesting favors."

Dean chuckled slightly before nodding. "My son just got picked up on some drug related stuff, I was wondering if you would mind taking the case."

"Drug related stuff?"

"Well -- that and some officer assault and resisting arrest?"

"Wonderful. I always do love it when my clients assault the people arresting them."

"You know, the sarcasm is not appreciated, dude. This is my kid. He did something stupid. Just help me get him out of it."

"What precinct?"

"Ninth. I'm heading down there myself."

"I will meet you there."

Dean said a quick thank you and hung up, before heading out to the car. Maddie was out at another one of those concerts with Anna and Beth was at work, thankfully. If she found out Ben wound up in jail, that'd be a whole other can of worms. He slid into his car and started to drive, heading over to the precinct.

[mini_dean]

The Detective was at his desk, working on the paperwork for Ben. When Dean got there, one of the officers at the front walked him back.

"Mr. Braeden, thank you for getting here this fast."

[jstliketherifle.livejournal.com]

"No problem," Dean said with a nod. "Can I see him?"

[mini_dean]

The detective motioned for Dean to look at the monitor on his desk. "You can, but I don't think he's in a mindset that will be of much use to you. I figure he's got about another hour before he's finished his crash."

Ben had curled up on the metal cot, shaking as his fist banged on the bench slowly, over and over again.

"The girl who was with him didn't look much better, but she was 18 and her mom nearly tore her apart dragging her home. You're boy is lucky on that because she just turned 18 a few weeks ago, otherwise there would be a lot more issues right now."

[jstliketherifle.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, yeah -- I'm sure," Dean said with a sigh, running a hand over his face. Waiting wasn't the problem, he had to wait for Riley to get here anyway. He also knew that the age of consent was sixteen in New York, but still -- he was glad that that was a can of worms they didn't have to deal with. "How much is bail going to cost?"

[mini_dean]

"The prosecutor will be here to talk with you and your son in a few. Do you have an attorney you want present? We'd ask your son, but he's not what we consider competent at the moment."

[jstliketherifle.livejournal.com]

"Attorney's coming," Dean said with a nod. "I called him on the way. Figured it would help if we were prepared to go ahead of time."

[mini_dean]

"Good idea. Sometimes you can make a deal and never have to go before the court."

The detective leaned back in his chair. "How long has your son been doing drugs? From the looks of him, it seems like he's got years on him. Most kids his age we find where he was, they don't even look that bad yet."

[jstliketherifle.livejournal.com]

Dean set his jaw slightly. "To be honest, I don't really know. I just kinda -- came back into his life recently. His mom would know better than I would."

[mini_dean]

"Ah. That makes more sense then." The Detective nodded to himself. "Sorry, I volunteer down at the mission helping men get their lives back together from addictions like your kid. Most of them lack a strong male figure in their life."

[jstliketherifle.livejournal.com]

"It wasn't exactly by choice," Dean said, gritting his teeth. "But yeah. I can see where that would be a problem."

[mini_dean]

"Never too late, though. He's still young, and if you've never been around, part of him probably is screaming for your attention even as he pushes you away."

The detective shrugged. "Got two boys of my own."

[jstliketherifle.livejournal.com]

"Sixteen year-old girl," Dean said with a slight smirk. "I think I would have preferred two boys some days when it comes to dealing with her."

[mini_dean]

The Detective laughed. "God Bless you, son. It's only just beginning from what I hear."

There was a buzz at the desk, the officer announcing that the attorneys were there wanting to come back. "Send them back, and see if you can bring Mr. Braeden into interrogation room B. I'll bring the attorney and his father back, and then talk to the prosecutor."

[basementlawyer.livejournal.com]

Riley made his way into the bullpen, placing a hand on Dean's shoulder as he got closer, before giving the detective a small smile. "Riley Toth, public defender's office. Where's my client?"

[mini_dean]

"Interagation room B. Toughton will take you back there while I go talk with the prosecutor."

He motioned to the young officer who approached, who nodded and waved for Riley and Dean to follow him.

Ben was sitting in the corner of the room when they got there. He saw Dean enter and pulled his arms tighter around him. "Where's my mom?" he asked, his voice cracking from being dry.

[jstliketherifle.livejournal.com]

"Back at Sam's," Dean said with a sighed. "She doesn't know you're down here. I was going to tell you once we got you out of here."

Riley glanced back at Dean for a moment, before moving to sit down at the table across from Ben. "Ben, my name is Riley Toth, I'm going to be your lawyer for the duration of this case."

[mini_dean]

Ben looked at Riley, then back at Dean. "Friend of yours?" he asked Dean, then looked at his lawyer, effectively ignoring Dean now. "When can I get out of here?"

[jstliketherifle.livejournal.com]

Dean shifted slightly on his feet, before moving to the back of the room and leaning against the far wall.

"Well, yes, but I also work for the public defender's office, so you probably would have gotten me either way," Riley explained, since Dean didn't seem to be the one Ben wanted to hear from at the moment. He sighed slightly, before looking over the file in front of him. "I talked to the prosecutor on the way in -- he agrees that since this is your first felony, and the charges here aren't as serious, he's willing to talk a deal."

[mini_dean]

"What kind of deal?" Ben asked. "I wasn't doing anything wrong. I mean, I was just there. This girl told me that they could make me feel better, and then everything's fuzzy..."

[basementlawyer.livejournal.com]

Riley sighed. This wasn't anything new -- a lot of drug defendants came in this way.

"Well, allow me to unfuzzy it for you," Riley said slowly, before flipping the file open. "You're being charged with drug possession, resisting arrest, assaulting a police officer and carrying an unregistered firearm. These are all pretty serious felonies, but contrary to popular belief, the ADA isn't completely heartless and he's willing to let you off with community service in exchange for entering a thirty day drug rehab program. You sober up, you don't have to do hard time."

[mini_dean]

"Doing time either way."

He rubbed the back of his neck, scratching at the skin there. It really was a no brainer and he knew it: he wouldn't do good in jail. But rehab? It would be admitting he had a problem and having to talk to people and come to terms with his "feelings" and all that crap.

He wished his mom was there to tell him what to do. Sometimes it was easier that way. It was easier when he didn't have to think for himself and have others tell him what to do. Then he didn't get hurt when he did things others didn't want.

After a moment he just lifted his head and looked at Dean. Trusting the man who didn't care about him until now to know what to do to help him. He didn't want to make the wrong choice.

[jstliketherifle.livejournal.com]

Dean watched him back for a moment, before turning back to Riley with a nod. "He'll take the deal."

Riley sighed before nodding. "Good. Makes things much easier this way." He started to push himself up, closing up the file in front of him. "Do you have any more questions for me before I go inform the ADA of your choice?" That question was more towards Ben than Dean -- Ben was the client after all.

[mini_dean]

Ben licked his lip and looked at the table. "Can I see my Mom? Before they take me to this place?"