Chapter 10

Dean returned to Romans house and was welcomed by a delicious smell once he crossed the threshold. "Lilly." he whispered and walked into the kitchen finding his girl at the stove. The others were absent.

Dean put his arms around Lilly's waist and she jerked a little but calmed immediately after she realized it was him.

"It smells delicious. Seth wasn't so wrong, I gained a couple pounds because of your cooking." Lilly laughed. "You could use them. You smell like you just came out of the pub."

"Because I have been in at least ten pubs. Sorry, I will change. Where are the others?"

"Seth and Claire are in the living room but I wouldn't walk in there if I were you. And Roman and Alex left because Alex had to grab some stuff from her home and the precinct. They should be back in time for dinner...in about half an hour."

"Sounds good. Well in that case let me grab a shower. I'll be back in five."

Dean left to take his shower and Lilly continued preparing dinner.

Seth and Claire sat in the living room and Seth felt useless. Claire crawled on his lap, straddling him and running her hands through his hair, gently running her nails over his scalp. "You are not useless and you know it. You are just itching to do something. And you will, give those e geeks time to find those guys."

"I just wish I could do something..." he growled and Claire laughed softly. "You can always kiss me you know and put those hands to work."

"I can do that..." Seth agreed and put his hands under Claire's shirt and kissed her. His fingers just worked on the clasp of her bra when the door was opened. Dean stood there smirking, freshly showered it seemed in some jeans, a t-shirt, his boots and his hair was still wet.

Seth sighed and hid his face on Claire's shoulder.

"You can set the table when you are done here." Dean announced and closed the door again.

"Would you understand when I tell you that sometimes, just sometimes I wish for the old Dean to come back? This version is full of mischief."

"Because he is happy for the first time in his life and maybe he acts a little childish because he never had the chance otherwise. We should feel special that he is acting so carefree around us because it means he trusts us."

Seth put Claire on her feet and got up as well adjusting himself and his pants.

"Or he hates us just so much..." Seth growled and left the living room.

He found Dean in the kitchen and the two men playfully wrestled with each other.

"Set the table boys." Lilly told them laughing and threw a towel at them.

Minutes before dinner Roman and Alex returned and sat down at the table.

Alex took one bite of Lilly's meal and smiled hugely. "This is great."

"Thank you. Well Alex, why don't you tell us how you became a cop, at the cyber department nonetheless."

Alex chewed her bite and looked at everyone. Their eyes looked at her expectedly.

"That's what you all want to know yet Lilly has to ask it?" They nodded but Dean said with his mouth full:" I would have asked but I wanted to finish first."

"Well, I wanted to become a cop all my life. My dad is a cop. Unfortunately I was always small for my age, I didn't grow like other kids and I was always small. My dad put me into a judo dojo when I was four and I learned quickly and gained self-confidence. And, when some of the boys used to make too much fun of me or got in my face.." she looked at Dean and Roman now who chuckled, " I could put them on the ground in seconds. I was really good at judo and later jiu jitsu. With 12 the doctors told my parents that I would never be taller than 5 feet and we all made the decision to try leg lengthening. They break your legs countless times and the gap is filled with new bone material and you grow. I gained four inches, I am 5'4 now. I was bound to the house and the bed for over a year and I couldn't do sports. My dad got me a computer and that's how I got hooked. I was really good and for the first time size didn't matter at all. I picked up sports again after my legs were healed but the computer was my love now. I went to college taking every computer course available and applied to become a cop, telling them that due to my height and my expertise I would do best in their e department. I can go out on active duty but I rarely do. The reason why this case is so important to me is that I have Crowe on my watch list for over year, I know him from back in the day when I used to hack a little here and there. So I want to put him behind bars. And I want Josh back with you guys safely because back in the day when I was running with the wrong crowd it was my dad's partner who put me back on track. He saved me and no child should suffer for stupid mistakes."

"Does it hurt lengthening your legs?" Dean asked fascinated. "Like a bitch." Alex explained laughing and Dean's eyes shined. "Cool. I dig you Alex. If I wouldn't have Lilly and Roman wouldn't plant my ass in the ground I would make a move on you."

"Well, I like my men dark and stoic. You wouldn't stand a chance Dean."

"Plus I would castrate you." Roman told him and Lilly grabbed Dean's hand. She wasn't concerned about this because she was just glad that her man liked a cop and if it ever worked out between Roman and Alex the three couples could spend time together, something that was never been possible with Dani.

"I love you as well darling." Lilly told Dean in a sweet voice and he turned around towards her. "You know what I mean." He defended himself and she smiled. "Yes, I know that you mean that you will do the dishes…alone. Don't take too long, lover." She got up and kissed his head and left for the living room. The other four joined her and Dean was left to himself and the dishes.

After midnight, when they literally couldn't work anymore on the case because there was no break in sight and they were all tired, Seth and Claire as well as Dean and Lilly retired to the guest bed rooms.

Roman and Alex were left alone in the living room and Roman didn't want to give up even though his eyes fell shut every couple of minutes.

"You should get some rest Roman. Your son needs you fit and awake in the morning. Get some sleep. If there are any news my precinct will give me a call."

Roman rubbed his tired eyes.

"If I get rest you will get some as well. You can sleep in my bedroom, I will take the couch."

"Oh no. You would just work. Go to bed, I take the couch. I fit on it perfectly."

"Show me." Roman called her out and Alex put her legs onto the couch wiggling her toes in her socks.

"Not good enough." Roman growled and pulled her legs towards him and put them over his legs. He ran a hand up and down her jeans clad legs.

"I can't imagine someone going voluntarily through this pain to gain a couple of inches. Don't get me wrong, I understand your need to be taller, but to go through with this? The pain? The year practically bound to the bed? You are a brave woman Alex."

"I am not brave, just vain. I still wish I had Lilly's model height, or at least Claire's average height. People will always look down on me. That's why I started hacking. Behind a computer screen size doesn't matter and you can become someone big. I realized just in time that it isn't the right way to prove myself to the world. But I was close to fall. That's why I care about your son so much. We all make mistakes. He can be proud that he has a father like you."

"Still, I feel like I failed him." "Do you? Because I see you working your ass off here to the point of exhaustion. You do your best." "What if my best isn't enough?"

Alex sat upright, her legs still over Roman's lap and she grabbed his face into her hands.

"It will be enough. Just believe it. Giving up isn't an option and you have to believe that everything will be alright. If your son has got anything from you inside of him, he will stay strong, play it safe until he gets a chance to escape or contact us."

Roman said nothing. He just stared into Alex green, green eyes and was mesmerized by her beauty. "Don't get me wrong Alex, I want to explore this between us, but I lost a woman I cared deeply about not too long ago on a mission. I…I would rather like to see this through at first. But I promise you, after this is over, and Josh is back to be a pain in my ass, we do this." He leaned in and kissed Alex, softly and caring. She never let go of his face and was a little disappointed that his kiss ended so soon.

"Wow, I am rarely speechless. I will take you up on this promise Roman. Believe that."

"Oh I believe it. And I believe that you will go upstairs now and sleep in my bed. I will stay down here. No arguments. Go."

Alex pouted but got up, squeezed his shoulder and went to his bedroom.

Roman waited a couple of minutes, then he got up as well and walked into Josh room and lay down in his sons' bed. He needed to feel close to him right now, and he felt close to him in here.

Sheamus looked up from his work when his man Drew walked in.

"How is the lad doing?" Sheamus asked and Drew smiled. "Dude likes his toes it seems. He is working." He shot a side ward glance to Crowe who was still sitting on the couch looking bored by now.

"Well, Wade will be disappointed. Maybe I will let him have some fun with the boy after he is done with his work."

Sheamus got up and nodded towards Crowe.

"Lock him into one of the guestrooms. I have to go check on Paige, she doesn't like to be kept waiting."

Drew chuckled. "That's true, shrieks like a god damn fury when she is angry."

"Not only then." Sheamus told him winking and left the room.

"Let's go boy." Drew told Crowe and held out his hand.

"Listen man, can I go check on Josh? Maybe he needs help with the code or stuff."

Drew shook his head firmly no. "The boss wants you upstairs and that is where you will go."

As Crowe was escorted upstairs Josh in the cellar rubbed his tired eyes. He was making good progress with the code but he needed some rest.

He switched the computer off and walked over to the simple bed to lay down. His ribs hurt from the blow Barrett had sent to his torso but he refused to acknowledge it. Pain was a state of the mind more than of the body. SEALs could turn off their pain, Dean had told him that. Well right now he didn't believe that because as much as he tried to ignore it, the rib hurt. Dean was maybe just some sick bastard who got off on pain. If they were looking for him right now? Did his dad care enough to search for him?

"Dad..." he mumbled longingly and angrily brushed a tear away.