Chapter 1: The kids are alright:
Alexandria's lips twitched into a smile when she heard traveling riverside blues coming up on the radio. She turned the volume up and stirred through the pans. Her smile turned into a chuckle when she heard the fast pitter-patter of her two year old son's feet on the tiles of the kitchen floor. Ryder loved this song just as much as her and his father.
His hands immediately shot up in the air and he looked at her with hopeful, expectant big green eyes. "Djance mommy, djance!" She picked him up and threw him in the air. He smiled at her with his pacifier still in his mouth and his little arms wrapped around her neck as she twirled around the kitchen.
The song came to an end and she sat Ryder in his highchair as she finished preparing supper. Alexandria couldn't help but notice how much her son was starting to look like his father. The green eyes, the brown hair, the same nose. The only thing that Ryder got from her were his curls. Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought of the man and the life that she ran away from about 3 years go. That last hunt with John and Dean Winchester.
Flashback:
"Lexi, baby you gotta tell me what's wrong." Dean cupped his girlfriend's chin when she was leaning against the Impala and had a distant look on her face. She hadn't been the same the last few days. She was one of the best hunters he knew and she had ben sloppy all through this hunt. Even his dad had picked up on her strange behaviour and told them that if she wasn't paying attention she might as well go home.
"Nothing's wrong Dean. I told…you. Just let it go." Alexandria pushed his hand away from her chin.
"Yeah right." Dean huffed and muttered getting pissed about her deflecting behaviour. What the hell was going on with her, they never had this drama crap. He leaned down to try and kiss her but she pressed her hands against his chest to stop him.
"What the hell are you doing?" She glared at him. Things were hard enough for her as it was, why did he have to make it so much harder.
"You know what I don't know. I try to kiss you, you get pissed. I try to touch you, you push me away. Hell you don't even talk to me anymore Lexa….Is it something I did?"
"No Dean. God why do you keep pushing this….Do you really want to know what's going?"
"Yeah Damn straight I do. I deserve an explanation." His green eyes were intensely staring into hers.
"I…I am…." No she couldn't tell him, she loved him and this baby too much to put them through such a hard time. Dean would never be able to stop hunting and if this baby grew up in the family it would be in so much danger. As a mother she had to protect her child, she refused to raise this kid as a hunter. "I'm seeing someone else." There it was, the biggest lie of her life.
Alexandria watched how hurt and betrayal filled the Winchester's eyes and he stepped away from her, rubbing a hand over his face. "What…When?" His eyes narrowed in anger "When did it start?"
More lies….He wanted specifics. "I met him about a month ago when you were hunting that werewolf with your dad." She saw how her words were wounding him. Then he did something she thought Dean Winchester would never do and it proved just how much he loved her.
Dean cupped her cheek. "Alexa we'll get through this. I love you, you know that."
Oh god, stay strong. She had to say it, say what would break both his and her heart "No we won't Dean. You see the problem is that I don't love you anymore. I'm not sure I ever loved you. You are always too busy hunting, I don't feel safe around you. I'm not happy with you, not with this life and Andrew…."
"Andrew….his name is Andrew?"
Wow way to go liar "Yes and he has this beautiful home in the countryside and he studies Biology and he makes me feel happy. He can give me a life that you can't Dean, a safe life."
"So what. You're just gonna bail on me and John, that it?" Her head and heart were both throbbing and aching but she had to leave.
"Yes….I'm packing my things as soon as we get back to the motel." Before either of them could say something else John walked over to them.
"Mommy sad?" A small hand on her cheek jolted her from her thoughts. It was only then that she realized that she had been crying. She smiled at her son through her tears. His green eyes showed such sincerity as he tried to comfort her.
"It's okay Ry, mommy was just thinking of your daddy." She often dreamed what it would be like if they had just been normal people. Dean playing with their son, the three of them having supper, she wishes life could have been like that but she settled for a life where her son was safe from those sons of bitches that roamed around in the dark.
She lifted Ryder out of the chair and sat him on her lap. "Daddy?" His little eyebrows pulled together slightly.
"Yeah Ryder, you've got the best daddy in the world. He's sweet and funny but also very protective and he loves Led Zeppelin. You are so much like him"
"Whewe is he?" Alexandria thought long and hard.
"You know those stories mommy tells you about monsters?" Alexandria knew that having the son of a Winchester was dangerous, they had made so many enemies along the road whilst hunting. So she taught Ryder about what was out there and what to do if anything bad ever happened but of course the stories were toddler proof.
Ryder nodded and she continued. "Well your daddy is brave enough to fight the monsters. He protects and saves a lot of people and…." She was about to continue her story when she heard a squeaking sound near the window. The radio gave a white noise and that was enough for Alexandria to know things were going bad. She had been a little suspicious the last few days, things had been different in Cicero Indiana. Freak accidents, creepy moments with kids.
She quickly stood up and ran towards the steel door that she had installed in the kitchen. Ryder was on her arm and she quickly descended the stairs to a small bunker that she installed with her father, who was a hunter as well.
"Okay baby boy. You know what to do right. You do not get out of this room. Monsters can't pass that door or threshold because its partially made of salt and all these silly drawings on the wall keep everything that's not like us out." Alexandria went over the rules and instructions whilst collecting her weapons that she had all locked away to make sure Ryder wouldn't play with them. How on earth do I expect a 2 year old to understand this….
She then got out a letter that she had once written for Dean and placed it on the little desk that had a picture of Dean and her when they were together. She gave Ryder a phone and set an alarm for half an hour later.
"Okay Ry if mommy is not back when you hear that alarm you have to call that number." It was Dean's old cell and she prayed that it wouldn't get to the point where her two year old had to make a call to the man she had tried to live without for three years.
"Owkay mommy." Alexandria pulled her little boy in for one last hug before heading upstairs and trying to kill the thing that had invaded her house.
Dean walked into the diner and looked suspiciously at Sam, who was quickly ending a phone call as he saw Dean approaching. "Hey. who was that?"
"Ah, I was just ordering a pizza." Sam answered a little too quickly and without thinking.
"Dude, you do realize that you're in a restaurant?"
"Yeah. Yeah. Oh Yeah, I just felt like pizza you know?" Sam tries to smile but his lips were tight and Dean picked up on his little brother's weirdness.
"O-kay, Weirdy Mcweirderton." He cleared his throat. "So I think I got something."
"Yeah?"
"Cicero, Indiana. Falls on his own power saw." Dean had been looking for another hunt all week. If he was going to die after this year he might as well smite as many evil sons of bitches as possible.
Sam raised his eyebrows slightly. "And? What, that's it? One power saw?"
"Well….yeah."
"And you think that this is a case?" Sam knew that Dean just wanted to hunt and was deflecting and distracting himself from the fact that he was going to hell in a year.
As if on cue Dean's phone began to ring. Dean was surprised, he had many different phones and phone numbers but this particular phone was only for the people that were or had been in his inner circle. Now who'd call this number. He quickly answered the phone, not knowing what to expect.
"Dean Winchester.."
"Hellooww?" Sam saw how his brother's eyes got wide in surprise and mouthed a 'what'. Dean held up his finger as he put his phone on speaker for Sam to hear.
"Uhhh… who is this?" Dean was sure that the voice he had heard belonged to a kid.
"Mommy said I hawd to call." Sam and Dean looked at each other and were alarmed to hear such a young voice.
"Alright buddy can you put your mom on the phone?" Dean tried to sound as soothing as possible. He put a hand on the phone for a second before whispering to Sam. "Sammy can you track where this call is coming from?" Sam nodded and quickly started typing on his computer.
"Mommy ish gone" Dean always had a soft spot for kids and to hear that someone had told a toddler to call him scared him, the only reason that people called him was for a hunt and this was something he had never experienced.
"Okay pal, stay on the phone okay. Are you in a safe place?"
"Yes."
Sam's mouth fell open when he read the address where he tracked the phone to. "Dude, you're not gonna believe this." Dean locked eyes with Sam "Cicero, Indiana." He turned the laptop for Dean to see.
"I need you to stay right where you are. My brother and I are coming to get you. You're gonna be okay just stay where you are." Dean quickly ended the call and gestured for Sam to pack up. "Sam we gotta move, now."
The impala pulled up in front of the address that Sam had tracked down. "Dean it's 4 in the morning. We can't just barge into someone's house at 4 AM." Dean ignored his brother's yammering and pulled out his gun. Something was wrong here, he could feel it.
Sam just shrugged and followed his brother's lead holding his gun at a ready as they walked to the front door. Dean knocked but as he did he discovered that the door was already open. "Oh that's comforting." He snorted sarcastically. The brothers were both on alert as they walked through the house.
When Dean reached the kitchen he could see blood and signs of a struggle. "Sam, get over here." Sam had checked the house and walked over to his brother. He pointed at the open window "It came through the window."
Dean rolled his eyes "thank you captain obvious." Sam stood there looking for clues as to what had come into the house when Dean walked over to the steel door and opened it. He looked at the stairs and descended them. When he got to the basement, there was another steel door but this one was slightly ajar. He smiled softly and lowered his gun when he saw a little head pop through it.
Dean crouched down and looked at the little boy with big green eyes and messy brown curls. "Hi little fella. It's safe. You can come out now." The little boy stared at him but didn't move towards him, instead he opened the door fully and stepped back with his eyes darting between Dean and the threshold. Dean slowly got up and moved over to the threshold and studied it as he stepped across.
The little boy seemed to relax and Dean looked around the room with his mouth open. "Okay, not what I expected." He saw sigils, devil traps, weapons, holy water everything a good hunter needed. "Sam check this out!"
There were some heavy footsteps on the stairs and they scared little Ryder so he quickly got behind Dean who he for some reason unknown to himself, felt safe with. Dean felt how the little guy's hand was gripping his jeans and bend down to pick him up.
Sam walked into the 'bunker' and was just as surprised as Dean. "Wow, dude these people know their stuff."
"Yeah so much for white picket fences and apple-pie life." Sam's eye then landed on the toddler that Dean was carrying on his arm. The two year old boy had wrapped his arms tightly around his Dean's neck and was observing him. Sam was shocked when he locked eyes with the green orbs of the toddler and Sam's eyes darted from the toddler's to his brother's face. The resemblance was uncanny.
"What?" Dean saw the look on his brother's face.
"No it's nothing." Dean shrugged and smiled at the toddler on his arm.
"Hi buddy, I'm Dean, this is my brother Sam. We're gonna help you get your mom back but can you first tell us your name."
"I'm Ryder. I'm two." He held two little fingers up with a smug little smile on his face that made Dean chuckle. Ryder, that's what he would've named his son if he would've had one. He quickly brushed it off.
Whilst Dean tried to get Ryder to tell them what had happened Sam wondered around the room. He spotted some pictures and he curiously walked over to them. His eyes went wide when he saw a picture of his dad, Dean and a petite blonde girl with blue friendly eyes. "Dean you need to see this."
Dean walked over to Sam who was staring at a picture on the wall. Sam saw how his brother's face paled and his green eyes were filled with sadness. "Dude, who is that. I don't know her….Why does she have a picture with you and dad, did you save the girl?"
Ryder's hands shot out to the picture and he pointed at the blonde woman exclaiming "Mommy, mommy" This send an even bigger shockwave through Dean. Alexandria has a kid now. When he saw the picture he had an instant jog of memories and flashbacks of her. Dean had always been a ladies man but those three years with her he had been loyal. He knew it for sure back then, she was the one for him but then she broke his heart by betraying him. The sting that he hadn't felt for a long time returned instantly.
"Her name is Alexandria." When Dean mentioned his mom's name Ryder pushed of off his chest and smiled at him before hugging him again. Dean rubbed his hand over the toddler's back and continued. "That girl is one of the best hunter's I ever met but she quit." Sam walked over to the desk and saw another picture this one of Dean and Alexandria together. Dean was standing behind her, arms wrapped around her waist and was bending down, pressing a kiss to her temple whilst she smiled happily into the camera.
"Yeah looks like she was more to you then just a good hunter." Sam held up the picture frame and Dean walked over to him taking the frame from his hand and putting it back on the desk with a scowl. His eye then fell on an envelope with his name written on it in her handwriting.
He looked at Ryder who had fallen asleep on his shoulder and carefully lifted him up holding him out to Sammy all whilst trying not to wake him up. When Sam cocked an eyebrow Dean whispered "Sam hold the kid." Sam took Ryder from him and held him a little uncomfortably and watched how Dean ripped open the envelope and pulled out a letter.
Dean Winchester.
Dear Dean, I have no idea how to start this letter and chances are that you will never get to read it. I hope not because if you do things have gotten pretty ugly. I want you to know that I am sorry that I lied to you. It's the only lie that I ever told you and the biggest lie I've ever told in my life.
I was scared, scared to tell you the truth, scared what would happen if I would stay with you in the life we were living. Truth is, I never left you for another, there was no one I would leave you for, no man that I could ever love as much as I loved you, with one exception, our son.
Dean paused for a moment his eyes shooting to the little boy on his brother's arm. His son, Sam was holding his son. Sam saw the tears in his brother's eyes as he read the letter. "What?" Dean simply held up his hand signalling for Sammy to wait as he finished the letter.
Your son, our baby boy is lying next to me right now. He is turning one today. It's December 5th, yes he shares your mom's birthday. I named him Ryder John Winchester. Take care of him Dean…he's a fine boy. He reminds me so much of you. Green eyes, brown hair, trouble maker already and just like you allergic to cats, so keep him away from those little fur balls.
Dean smiled through his tears.
I'm really sorry Dean. I hope that you can understand why I left you, I had to keep our son safe. Away from the hunting life, away from the monsters as long as possible. And I hope that one day you will be able to forgive me. I love you and I never stopped loving you. Well that was the best I can do.
Take care Winchester, give my best to John and Sammy and stay safe.
Dean was flabbergasted as he lowered the letter and locked eyes with Sam. A tear rolled down Dean's cheek when his eye fell on Ryder peacefully asleep. "Dean you're scaring me. What is it?"
Dean wiped at his eyes and cleared his throat. "Well Sammy it appears that you are holding my son." Sam looked from Dean to the sleeping toddler and smiled.
"What?" Dean said his voice laced with annoyance at Sam's smug smile.
"I knew the resemblance wasn't a coincidence." Dean rolled his eyes.
"Shut up Sam."
"Dude he's like you mini me except for the curls."
"Yeah he got those from his mom. So uncle Sam, can I hold my son." Sam smiled as he handed the toddler back to Dean. One second it was just him and his brother and the next he had a little nephew. The smile on his face widened when Dean softly caressed Ryder's chubby little cheek with one finger and pressed a soft kiss to his little neck. Dean's finally found something to fight for again. Sam was filled with new hope.
Dean woke up when he felt something softly slapping his arm. He opened one of his eyes and couldn't hold back a chuckle when his son was standing there with a bright smile on his face and was trying to climb on the high bed but struggling to do so. He leaned out of the bed and encircled Ryder with one arm, lifting him on the bed with ease.
"Good morning little man." Ryder sat on top of Dean's chest. Dean was still getting used to the idea that he had a son. Well he only learned about Ryder about 4 hours ago but he was already growing fond of him. Ryder on the other hand had immediately taken a liking to Dean and was very comfortable around him. Dean had not yet told him that he was his dad, he wasn't sure the two year old would understand.
Dean's eye fell on a toy that was wrapped in Ryder's little hand. "What do you have there Buddy." Ryder showed his favourite possession with pride and Dean smirked as he saw a small 1970's dodge charger in his hand. Alexandria had always teased him about how she thought her dodge was better than his chevy.
"Well mommy always had a sucky taste in cars. I'll give you a real toy soon." He then sat up, stretched and got out of bed carrying Ryder on his arm. "How about we go wake up uncle Sammy and then we go find your mom."
Dean refused to believe Lexa was dead. He had seen the blood on the kitchen floor but deep down his gut he knew she wasn't dead, she couldn't be. Lexi, however cute and cuddly she looked, she definitely knew how to take care of herself, especially around the supernatural or at least she did.
After waking up Sam and having some breakfast the boys were ready to head out to investigate. Ryder's hand was wrapped around two of Dean's finger's as they walked out of the house and over to the Impala. Dean couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Alexandria's old dodge parked in front of his car. How hadn't he seen it last night, probably because he was otherwise occupied.
Ryder saw the beautiful black glimmering car they were walking over to and let go of Dean's hand, wobbly running over to it and staring at it with a smile and white eyes. He put his hands against the Impala in an attempt to hug it. Sam and Dean stopped in their tracks to look at the two year old in front of them.
Sam shook his head with a grin "What do they say, like father like son?"
Dean felt pride fill his heart and smiled smugly. "Shut up Sam." The smile dropped when he noticed how many of the neighbourhood's kids that were outside were creepily staring at his son. He jogged over to Ryder and picked him up holding him close to him.
"Dean you don't have a car seat for him." Sam looked at Dean who then looked at Ryder for a moment. Ryder pointed at the dodge "Mommy cawr." Dean took the car seat out of the dodge and quickly installed it in the Impala.
He struggled with all the buckles that needed to be used to secure Ryder in the seat. "How does this damn thing work." He muttered under his breath as he puzzled with the loose ends of the buckles. "Alright that's it, we're losing valuable time." He grabbed each end of a buckle and tied them together. He yanked the seat back and forth a few times to see if it wouldn't get loose and when it didn't he smirked. "Works good enough for me."
They started driving to the house of the victim they had read about. Dean rang the doorbell and it was opened by a girl with brown hair and brown eyes.
"Hi there little girl, is…is your mom home." Sam asked but looked at Dean mildly confused when he saw how the girl was simply glaring at them. "Katie? Katie who is at the door honey." They heard footsteps approaching and a woman somewhere mid-thirties appeared.
"Oh hi there." The woman smiled friendly at the duo and she cooed at Ryder. "You must be Alexandria's husband." The lady looked between Dean and Ryder. "Alexa was right, he does look a lot like you….God, she must be so happy that you're finally home. It's an honour to meet a marine."
Dean was stunned for a moment before quickly playing along with it. "Yeah, it's great to be back. I uh came here to offer our condolences. Me and my wife wanted to let you know that if you ever need someone to talk to or borrow a cup of sugar from, our door is open" He flashed an irresistible smile and Sam rolled his eyes.
Sam's eye then caught Katie's reflection in the glass of one of the windows. He nudged Dean's elbow and Dean saw it as well. Katie's reflection was that of a monster with grey veins, black holes instead of eyes and huge sucking mouth with at least a hundred teeth.. Ryder noticed too and was so scared that he tightened his grip around Dean, almost strangling him and started to cry.
Dean tried to rock him whilst trying to breath. "We uh we gotta go" He gestured at his son and the woman shook her head. Sam saw an odd bruise on the back of her neck.
"No, Yeah of course, thank you for stopping by."
"Just doing our neighbourly duty ma'am." He then quickly turned with Ryder who was crying even louder and walked over to the car. Ryder's eyes were wide as he looked over Dean's shoulder and saw how Katie was still glaring at them.
Ryder kicked and twisted when Dean tried to strap him into the car seat making the task nearly impossible. "Mommmyy…..MOOOOOOMMMMMAAAAA" He screamed his voice now reaching a pitch that was deafening to both Sam and Dean. The only thing he wanted right now was Alexandria.
"Dean make him stop, people will think we're trying to kill him." Sam saw how some of the people on the sidewalk were staring at them. Who knew toddlers could scream that high.
"Dude I'm trying okay. It's not like I had any training on how to treat a toddler that just saw a freakin monster."
Ryder continued screaming and turning even though Dean softly talked to him. "Hey, Ryder it's okay. I promise you'll see your mom soon." Dean felt helpless and frustrated when he realized that he wasn't even able to calm down his own son. He still had no lead on where Lexi could be and he had no idea how to take care of this little boy. He was failing both of them and his frustration was at an all-time high as he heard his son screaming for his mother . "SIT STILL DAMNIT."
Ryder was so shocked by Dean's raised voice that he stopped crying instantly and froze in his seat. Dean saw how the big green eyes filled with fear and immediate guilt stabbed into his heart but he seized the opportunity to strap the toddler into the seat.
He then slammed the door shut as he climbed into the driver seat next to Sam. He looked in the rear-view mirror and gripped the wheel tightly with a clenched jaw as he saw how his son's eyes were still wide in shock, with tears silently rolling down his cheeks. Way to go Winchester, now your own son is scared of you.
Dean leaned over the crib that his son was sleeping in. He softly brushed a hand through Ryder's curls. "I'm sorry." He whispered to the sleeping two year old. He had felt guilty ever since his outburst. "I promise you, I'll get your mom back. You need her and I need you both to be safe." He pressed a kiss to Ryder's temple before walking back into the living room where Sam was doing research.
"Hey you know that when he's going to wake up he has probably forgotten all about it."
Dean shook his head. "Doesn't matter Sam. What kind of a father am I if I yell at my two year old?"
"An inexperienced one…..Dean you gotta cut yourself some slack man. Yesterday you didn't even know that you had a son." Sam tried to get Dean of off the guilt trip but knew how stubborn his brother was.
"So what ya find out?" Dean said ignoring Sam and focussing on getting Lexi back as soon as possible.
"Well, what do you know about changelings?"
Dean cocked an eyebrow. "Evil monster babies."
"No, not necessarily babies."
A look of realization crossed Dean's eyes. "They're kids. Creepy 'stare at you like you're lunch' kids?"
"Yeah and this is what they are supposed to look like." He turned his computer and showed Dean the resemblance between Katie's reflection and the image on the screen.
Dean started to make some torches whilst Sam continued reading the lore. "So changelings can perfectly mimic children. According to lore, they climb in the window, snatch the kid." Dean paused making the torches and looked up at Sam with a pale, worried face before looking at the door that led to Ryler's bedroom.
Sam saw the expression and knew exactly what his brother was so stressed about. He had never seen his brother move as fast. Sam followed Dean into the bedroom and found him looking at the empty crib completely mortified. Oh god no. Sam looked at the window and saw some red stains. "Is that blood?" Dean looked at it and flipped.
"SON OF A BITCH" He punched his fist into a wall. Sam saw how his brother was getting out of control.
"Dean calm down."
"Damn it Sam don't you tell me to calm down. It's my fault, I didn't check his window! We lost mom, We lost Dad…I refuse to lose my son to any evil bastard" Sam pushed Dean up against a wall.
"We will get him back Dean, Alexandria too. They are family now." Dean saw the determination in Sam's eyes and that drove him back to sanity. He pulled himself together and went full blown hunter mode, if he wanted to find Alexandria and his son he had to be at his best.
"What else did you find about their victims."
"Okay so according to lore, they stash the real kids underground somewhere."
Dean walked closer to the window and inspected the stains. His chest loosened slightly relieved "I don't think this is blood and I think I know where they are."
Alexandria pressed her hand against the stab wound in her lower abdomen. She always thought changelings were kids or babies, to fight an adult had taken her by surprise. Lexa was cold, tired , dehydrated and locked in a cage. Ryder and I lived without any supernatural interference for over a year. He didn't remember that night back when… She stopped herself from thinking about that. She wanted to close her eyes so bad but if she did she might not wake up again.
"I'm scared miss Blanchard." Alexandria turned to the real Katie. "Me too." She looked at Ben…another one of the kids that had been taken.
"Katie…..Ben" She gasped in pain when she stretched out to grab their hands. They were about the eldest kids in here. "We are gonna get out of this and from now on start calling me Lexi or Alexa, I'm 25 not 80." She earned a laugh from the kids.
"I need you two to be brave okay, I will find a way to get us out of this but I'm going to need your help. Can you do that for me?" The two kids nodded and Lexi suddenly heard a familiar voice.
"Mommy?" She saw how the mother changeling that had taken on her form was carrying Ryder on her arm.
"Ryder!" She yelled. The changeling mother opened her cage and roughly tossed Ryder into it. She saw her son's confused little green eyes and pressed him against her in a tight hug. "Mommy?" He was crying now.
"Shhhh it's okay, it's okay. Mommy's here" Some of her blood stained his pyjamas. She ignored her pain and focussed on her son's upset sobs. That's when she softly started to sing a song, simple man by Lynyrd Skynyrd and Ryder stopped and listened just like all the other kids.
Dean drove and parked his impala outside of the house that was still under construction. They both got out of the car and Sam walked over to a mound of dirt. He picked some of it up and rubbed it between his fingers. "Red dirt. That's what was on the window."
Dean wasn't wasting anytime. "Ah you take the front. I'll go around."
They both cautiously walked into the building and started to wonder around using they flashlights to see in the dark house. Suddenly his ears caught sound of a soft voice.
"Forget your love, for the rich man's gold All that you need is in your soul"
He recognized the voice once he got closer. It belonged to her, Alexandria. Lord how he had longed to hear it, if only it could be under other circumstances. He smiled when he heard what song she was singing. No flashbacks, I need to stay focussed.
"And you can do this, oh baby if you try. All that I want for you my son is to be satisfied."
Lexa stopped singing when she heard footsteps through the hall and she noticed how a source of light was brightening the room. She could only see the shoes and part of the jeans of the person that came in but she recognized him nonetheless. Impossible…. She smiled and ruffled Ryder's curls as she slightly relaxed. They were going to be saved.
Dean shone his light into the room and found cages with children in them. He searched through them and his chest tightened when he still hadn't found who he was looking for. He shone his light into the last cage and was both relieved and horrified at the sight.
Alexandria put a hand up against the bright light that suddenly fell into the small cage. "You trying to blind me Winchester? I always thought your looks were enough for that…"
"Lexi." He just gaped at her and then smiled at Ryder. "Hi buddy." He saw the blood stain on Ryder's pyjamas and was instantly flooded with worry. "Alexa he's bleeding!" Alexandria had never seen Dean as worried as he was and in that moment she knew that he knew Ryder was his son.
"No Dean, he's fine. It's my blood." Dean crouched down in front of the cage and looked at them. "I'm gonna get you out of here okay?"
"Dean wait" She touched his hand and he looked at her with a frown. "You need to be careful, there's a mother….she looks like me." He shook his head at her, still so careful and concerned about him.
"It's okay Lex, I got Sammy with me. First we need to get you out of here."
Dean slammed the lock of the cage with Alexandria and Ryder. "Here, take him." She handed Ryder to Dean and he hugged his son tightly burying his face in the curls. He felt that the chubby cheeks were wet and petted Ryder's hair whilst looking him in the eye. "I got you now. Your gonna be okay"
Alexandria climbed out of the cage and staggered a little but Dean grabbed her around her waist with his free arm before she could fall to the floor. "Wow….Baby, you alright?" He wasn't even aware that he had automatically called her baby. God how she had wanted to hear those words.
He looked her over and noticed the bloodstain in her shirt by her lower abdomen and tightened his grip on her. "Lexa, you're losing a lot of blood." She shook her head taking Ryder from his arm and set their son against the wall. "Ryder, promise mommy you'll sit here until I say you can move okay? Mommy and Daddy need to help the other kids too."
Daddy….."Lexa, what are you doing?" Dean walked over to her and slowly lifted her shirt to see how deep the wound was. It was deep and bleeding quite heavily. Alexandria swatted his hand away and put her hand on his cheek.
For the briefest of moments they locked eyes and an instant spark travelled through their bodies but neither gave into it. "First worry about the kids, then we'll worry about me." She grabbed a crowbar out of his bag and started to break the chains of the cages. Dean did the same and together they pulled all the kids out.
"Alright come on girls! Come on! Keep moving, keep moving." They had all the kids out and gathered them near the window. Alexandria quickly walked over to where Ryder sat and lifted him in her arms. "Well done sweetheart."
"Okay everybody back, everybody back." She moved the kids away from the window as Dean cleared the windowsill to smash the glass. "Okay kids cover your eyes" She pressed Ryder against her and turned her back to the window as Dean slammed it.
Dean started to brush the glass off and Lexi shook her head at what he was trying to do. She handed Ryder to Katie and took of her jacket, now exposing her white shirt, from which the lower half was soaked through by blood. "Here use this."
Dean placed it over the glass and turned back to the group. "All right, Ryder. Come on, come on." Alexandria took Ryder from Katie and handed him over to Dean who quickly lifted the toddler through the broken window and onto the grass outside.
"You next Lexa." Alexandria shook her head.
"Kids first Dean" She pushed Katie forward and Dean lifted the girl up and she climbed through the window. "Ryder honey, stay with Katie and Ben." Dean and she both smiled as they heard "Owkay mommy." From outside.
Another male voice filled the room "Dean, there's a mother! She looks like…." He paused when he saw Alexandria standing next to his brother, keeping the kids calm.
Alexandria turned to see a tall guy with brown hair run into the basement and smiled when she recognized him from a photo that Dean had once shown her.
"Alexandria?" Sam asked and she nodded.
"Hi there Sam, heard a lot about you." She gave him a soft smile that didn't reach her eyes and Sam noticed how she was clutching her stomach with one hand.
"We got to get these kids out of here quick" She said but the words were just out of her mouth when one of the kids screamed and saw the mother changeling looking like Lexi behind her.
The mother changeling charged for Alexandria but Dean quickly moved in front of her taking both himself and the mother changeling down. "Dean!" Lexi bit her lip as she saw that the changeling mom was kicking both Sam and Dean's asses.
"Get these kids out of here Alexa!" Alexandria turned around and looked at the scared children standing in front of her.
"Okay kids, you heard them. I'm getting you out of here. She ignored the shot of pain when she lifted the first girl. She herself was only 5'4 and had to completely stretch to get the kids through the window. She could feel that she was losing more blood with every child that she lifted but she didn't falter. She saw the changeling mom charging for her again but Dean managed to tackle her.
"Alright last one, come here sweetheart. Ben reached down through the window and helped her pull the girl out of the window. As soon as the last child was through the window Alexandria knew the most important thing was done and she leaned against the wall. She turned around to Sam and Dean and saw how the changeling mom was still attacking them.
"Lexi get out of here!" Dean saw the pale, painful look on her face and needed to be sure that she would be safe. His green eyes stared into hers and she went over to grab one of the large buckets to use it to climb out of the window.
She balanced on it and reached up but didn't have enough strength to pull herself up. She fell backward, her head hit the floor and she felt herself slipping away.
Dean kicked the changeling mother through the room and saw from the corner of his eyes that Alexandria wasn't able to pull herself up anymore. "Lexa!" He yelled out her name as he saw her fall and lose consciousness.
Sam was already back up and had collected the torch. Dean watched as Sam torched the changeling mom. When he was sure everything was safe he ran over to where Alexandria was lying, she didn't move and it scared him to see her like that.
He kneeled next to her and brushed some blonde curls from her sweaty face. "Lexi, baby please." Sam knelt down next to his brother as Dean kept talking to her. "Come on, wake up." Sam quickly checked her pulse, it was there but it was weak.
"You're not gonna die on me now…..come on damn it." He took her beautiful, round face in his hands and shook her head slightly. "Come back to me baby."
Her blue eyes fluttered open slightly and she gave him a painful smile. "It always took a lot of effort to get you on your knees"
"Hang in there baby, stay with me okay." Dean wasn't in the mood for jokes when he saw that the blood from the wound had reached her mouth.
"I-I'm sorry Dean….I'm so sorry. I-I need you to forgive me….I just need to hear you say it." She was about to lose consciousness again when his hand firmly cupped her cheek.
"Don't you dare talk like you're gonna die. You're not gonna die, d'you hear me?" She nodded slightly and fought to keep her eyes open.
"Dean, she's lost a lot of blood. We need to get her to a hospital" Dean easily lifted her of the floor and into his arms. If only I was holding her like this for another reason. They walked out of the house and looked at the kids and then at each other.
"Sammy, I gotta get her to a hospital now."
Sam quickly nodded at Dean. "I'll make sure these kids get home." Dean put her in the backseat and placed his jacket over her when he felt how cold she was. Suddenly she grabbed his hand strongly. "R…ryder." Dean understood and went to grab his son.
Sam looked at what Dean was doing. "Dean, I can take care of him."
"No Sam, she needs him right now." He walked back to the car with his son in his arms. He strapped the toddler into the seat, which he miraculously succeeded in in under 15 seconds and got in the driver seat.
As he drove his eyes shifted between the road and the rear-view mirror. He saw how her eyes were closed. "You don't get to die on me Lexa." He muttered under his breath. He then locked eyes with his son. "Ryder, I need you to keep you mom awake. Can you do that for me buddy"
He got a nod in conformation and focussed his eyes back on the road but his lips twitched into a tight smile when he heard his son's soft voice babbling from the backseat. "Mommy, wake up mommy…"
Lexa opened and she stared at an unfamiliar ceiling and waited for her eyes to adjust to the light. She turned her head to the left and the sight that she saw warmed her heart in a way that she had never felt. She felt complete. A smile crept up her lips as her eye fell on Ryder sleeping on Dean Winchester's chest. Dean himself was asleep too but had one arm wrapped firmly around his son.
She looked at the alarm clock, 8:45 AM. She turned in her bed and reached out for the cup of water on her night stand but gave a light yelp when she felt a shot of pain through her stomach. Stupid wound.
Dean had woken up from the yelp and noticed how she was trying to reach for the cup. "Let me get that for you." He said in a hushed voice trying his best not to wake the sleeping toddler in his arms. He handed her the cup and she eagerly drank the water. There was an awkward silence in the room as they stared at each other.
"So were you ….." "Dean I…" They spoke at the same time but she saw a look on Dean's face that she knew didn't promise much good.
"You first." She gestured for him to get it out there.
"Were you ever planning on telling me that I had a son or were you just going to keep it all to yourself." She noticed the accusatory tone and hadn't expected anything less than that. Dean had always been a family man and she had had so many times throughout the last two years that she wanted to call him and tell him that he had a son.
"and what would you have wanted me to say hmmm? Oh hey Dean, sorry I broke up with you and told you those lies. You have a son….come and meet him."
Dean rubbed Ryder's back "Yes. Well a little more subtle would have been nice but I think I had the right to know that I was going to be a father….that I had a son."
"I don't disagree with you. I did think you had the right to know that I was pregnant, that you had the right to choose what to do but John convinced me otherwise." Dean's eyebrows rose as anger bubbled up within him.
"Dad knew that you were pregnant?"
"I think John knew before me. The dizzy spells, the morning sickness. He was the one that took me to that doctor appointment remember?"
Dean's eyes grew wide with realization. "Yeah, Dad send me off to a hunt on my own. I didn't want to go because you were so violently ill but he pushed me to do it and said that he would take you to the doctor."
"I learned that I was pregnant that day. I, I tagged along with you and John for another month throughout which I had many talks with John about whether or not to tell you and what to do with the child. Well you know your dad, Dean. He was very realistic, didn't sugar coat it."
"He told you to leave me?" She saw how hurt he looked.
"No, he gave me a choice. If I wanted to stay and live a life with you I had to have an abortion. He said he didn't want to have a grandchild of his being sucked into a life of supernatural hell. So the second option was leave. I could have our child but I had to go and live far away from you. Break all contact…..I knew exactly what I had to say to you in order for you to let me go"
"You could've at least let me know that I was going to be a father." His gut twisted as he thought of the deal that he made with the crossroad demon. Yes he would die for Sammy, it was his duty as a big brother to protect him but now he was leaving behind a son, a boy that would grow up without him there for protection.
"And then what…Let's be realistic about this Dean. We both know who you are. You wouldn't have been able to walk away from your own kid and well hunting is a big part of your life too. John and I, we both wanted to tell you so bad. You should've seen how relieved and happy he was when I decided to let this baby live. He was so proud, His grandchild…Your son…."
"That's damn right MY SON!" The little buddle in his arms stirred and was woken by Dean's rather loud voice. Ryder looked from Dean to his mom and his eyes twinkled with happiness when he saw that she was awake.
"Mommy!" He moved so quickly that Dean almost dropped him. Dean sat him on the hospital bed and Ryder crawled on top of Lexi hugging her tightly. Alexandria gasped and her brows furrowed in pain when Ryder dropped his butt into her stomach.
"Wow, easy there bud. You don't wanna send your mom into a coma." Ryder quickly moved of her and pressed a sticky kiss against his mom's cheek.
"Hey Ry, do you remember those stories mommy told you about your daddy?" Ryder nodded with a smile. Dean looked at his little boy and was curious about what Lexi told Ryder. At least she had told their son about him. She pointed at Dean. "That's your daddy."
"No that's Dijean not daddy." He shook his little head and his loose curls bounced. Dean and Alexandria both chuckled at him.
"Yeah sweetie you're right. That is Dean but Dean is your daddy too just like I am both Alexandria an your mommy" She had just gotten down to explaining why people called her Alexandria and not mommy last week.
His green eyes then moved from his mother to Dean. "Hi daddy." He said with a goofy smile on his face and he reached his arms out for Dean to pick him up.
Dean got tears in his eyes as he heard his son call him daddy for the first time. "Hey Ryder." Dean pressed a kiss against Ryder's neck.
Their moment was interrupted when Sam walked into the hospital room. "Everything okay in here?"
Alexandria smiled at Dean who was still smiling and focussing on his son. "I think we're good."
Sam dipped his head a little and then also saw how Dean was playing with the two year old in his arms. Sam was the one that asked the question that was in all their heads. "So…..What now?"
Hi everyone, thanks for reading….Feedback would be much appreciated. Please review and let me know if I should continue the story and where you'd like it to go from here. – CWawesomeness