Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Dark Angel or Supernatural characters. For this fic I changed the DA time line. The pulse has already hit and Alec is out of Manticore in 2009. The characters of Lexi, Jake and Jackie are from a Supernatural AU Verse that I write. This is my first DA fic so please be kind. I hope you like it. Thanks to everyone that has been reading this story and thanks for the reviews. Reviews would be great!

Chapter 21

March 12th

It was an usually warm day for mid March in South Dakota, 71 degrees to be exact. The snow had melted and the wind carried the promise of spring with it. Dean had dragged some old lawn furniture that Bobby had stacked in the basement out front so Lexi could sit out in the sun. She sat on the old lounge chair book in one hand as the other shielded her eyes from the sun. She was calling to the boys, reminding them to stay in sight as the three of them played tag.

Ben and Alec stopped running momentarily and glanced at their mom saying, 'Okay.' Alec then took the opportunity to poke Ben with a shit eating grin on his face before yelling, 'You're it!' and running in the opposite direction. Dean watched Ben take off like a bullet after his twin brother who was already half way to the tree line, it still boggled his mind how fast those boys could run. He shook his head, a small smirk on his face as he tracked their movements. The twins were now caught up in their game of tag trying to out do the other. They had completely forgotten that they were supposed to be playing the game with their little brother. Jake didn't seem to mind though. The three years old was now sitting in the grass watching the twins chase one another and every time one of his older brothers would blur past him, Jake would clap his hands and shriek in delight.

Dean chuckled while he shrugged out of his jacket and rolled up the sleeves to his denim shirt before turning to the task at hand. He began pulling up the porch's rotted floorboards wondering how Sammy had managed to weasel his way out of this project. Sammy had said something about an important lead on Lydecker and more research. Fact was, the trail for Lydecker had gone cold months ago but Sammy being Sammy still continued to turn up every rock no matter how obscure. Dean knew that they weren't going to find the man until he wanted to be found but before Dean could argue this fact with his younger brother, Sammy had snaked the keys to the Impala and was sprinting out the front door with Jackie in tow. Dean let Sam's escape slide for the time being, in all honesty, he figured it was probably best that him and Bobby tackle this project alone. He knew damn well that him and Bobby would only end up fixing Sam's work anyway.

Dean hummed to himself while he pulled up the old wood. He always loved working with his hands, whether it be automotive repairs or turning an old Walkman into an emf, the task always helped him to take his mind off of the shit storm he was currently in and focus his attention on something that he could actually fix. With the warm sun beating down on him and the distant laughter of his boys, he felt more relaxed than he had in a long time. He looked up suddenly feeling Bobby's eyes on him, "What?"

"Just wondering how you are." Bobby shrugged while eying Dean carefully, "You haven't said much lately."

"Not much to say, still looking for Lydecker."

"And Lexi?"

"Doctor said yesterday every thing's a-oh-k. Stitches come out in six weeks and then Stella can come at anytime after that."

"You ready for that?"

Dean looked up at the sky squinting before turning back to Bobby with a small smirk, "For a daughter? Hell no, I'm not ready for that at all."

"You're an Idjit,ya know that."

Dean chuckled rubbing the back of his neck as he returned to the task at hand. The thought of him having a daughter still scared the hell out of him. Truth was though, he couldn't wait to hold his little girl. The more he thought about it, the more excited he got. He knew one thing for sure, he was gonna protect his little girl until his last dying breath. He sat there pulling up the rotted boards his mind still on Stella and his expanding family when he heard the crash and the cry of pain. Dean's head jerked up not paying attention to what he was doing as he was too concerned with finding the source of the crash. Suddenly a jolt of pain shot through his left hand causing him to drop the crow bar he was holding, "MOTHER FUCKER!"

Lexi turned her attention from Alec who was already walking off his injury to Dean. Her eyes wide as she rushed over to her husband who was cradling his left hand, "Let me see."

"Lex, you're not supposed to be on your feet..."

"I'm fine, Dean. Let me see your hand."

She took his left hand gingerly into hers and she inspected the damage. She whistled shaking her head, "This is bad. Come on, inside now. Bobby can you get my medical bag from the closet and meet us in the kitchen?"

She led Dean into the kitchen motioning for him to sit down while she took the chair across from him. There was a piece of rotted wood about six inches long and two inches wide sticking out of the palm of his left hand. "Well," she said turning over his hand to inspect his injury, "good news is it didn't go all the way through."

Dean grunted rolling his eyes, "Always the damn optimist." Lexi didn't respond, instead she put on a pair of gloves, grabbed a pair of forceps and yanked the wood out of Dean's palm. He howled in pain glaring at his wife, "A little warning next time would be nice."

"Sorry, it would've hurt more if I took it out slowly." She reached into her bag pulling out a pair of magnified glasses. She put them and checked Dean's wound for any stray pieces of wood. She pulled out the remaining splinters, then irrigated the wound. "Flex and bend your fingers for me."

Dean winced as he did this but still tried to manage a smile, "So how bad is it, Doc?"

"You'll live. Luckily, the wood didn't penetrate too deeply but you need stitches." Lexi pulled a prescription bottle out of her bag and took two pills from it. She handed them to Dean and got up to get him a glass of water. He quirked his eyebrow at her. "It's Oxycontin. Take them and no alcohol today or tonight, okay."

He watched as she made neat little stitches to close his wound. Her touch was gentle and his hand only tinged slightly with pain. He knew when the skin healed there would only be a faint scar. He couldn't help but smile at her when she had finished placing the sterile bandage over his stitches. "All done."

"Kiss it and make it better?"

She laughed shaking her head but she still lifted his hand, palm side up, to her lips placing a soft kiss on the sterile bandage. "Better?"

"Yeah."

Later that day

Sam and Jackie returned from the library in time for dinner and to hear Dean's very loud complaints over that night's meal. Sam found his older brother's outrage over the meatless meal to be quite amusing. He sat across from Dean smirking while he grumbled under his breath about how he was going to die from meat deprivation and how warriors such as himself needed meat to survive. Dean continued to push his food around on his plate before throwing his fork down, "What the hell is this slop anyway?"

Bobby raised his eyebrow at Dean then sat straight in his chair before proclaiming, "The French call it Ratatouille."

"Well that explains it then." Dean snapped.

"Boy," Bobby growled making a move to snatch Dean's plate of ratatouille, "if you don't like it, don't eat it."

"You know," Ben interrupted as he looked directly at his father, "a vegetarian diet is much healthier than a meat based diet. You can get your needed protein from plants."

Dean pulled a face and shook his head, "Benny do you know what vegetarian means? It's Indian for not a good hunter."

Alec and Dean roared with laughter as Ben and Sam both huffed in disbelief. Sam's mouth was a rigid straight line, his bitch face firmly in place, "Dean, that's not funny at all. In fact, that is so dis..."

"Shut it Sammy. I don't really wanna hear another lecture about my political correctness or lack of it. Cuz ya know why? People are way too damn sensitive now a days and I'm gonna say what I wanna say."

Bobby cleared his throat ending Sam and Dean's argument before things were said that the children sitting at the table shouldn't hear. Sam huffed glaring at his brother before stating, "So I think I found something on Manticore. Dean, what happened to your hand?"

"Never mind my hand. What did you find?"

"I think I found their dummy corporation."

Dean eyed his brother for a moment, dug a cigarette out of his front pocket and lit it. "And what makes you think that Sammy?"

"Well, for one, they have a Manticore on their letter head." Sam coughed and glared at Dean while waving the cigarette smoke out of his face. Dean smirked around his cigarette taking another drag gesturing for Sam to continue. "And two, they're a bio-genetics research company."

"Ok and that helps us how?"

"We follow the money and hope it leads us to where they set up camp."

"You think they're set up somewhere else?"

"Absolutely. A big government program like that has to have a contingency plan. Plus, Lydecker's rounding up soldiers. He has to be bringing them somewhere."

Dean nodded stubbing out his cigarette before rubbing his face. "Yeah, that sounds about right. You better call Victor see if he can dig anything up on this corporation on his end."

Later that night

Dean kicked off his boots and began to undress as he eyed Lexi. She was sitting up in bed reading her mother's journal with such intensity that she didn't even look up when he entered the room. He flopped on the bed laying on his stomach his eyebrow arched, "Whatcha doing, babe?"

"Reading..."

"I can see that." He smirked while craning his neck to see the page she was staring at, "Why are you reading your mom's hunting journal?"

"Since you are so dead set against me using my powers to find Lydecker I thought we could use a locator spell instead."

He nodded taking the book out of her hands and placing it on the nightstand, "Bobby probably has one. We can start looking tomorrow. It's late Lex, let's go to bed, hmm."

Dean turned off the light then laid his head on Lexi's chest. She looked down at him a slight smile on her face as she carded her fingers through his short hair. "I thought you don't cuddle."

" 'M not cuddling. Hand hurts and you smell good."

"If this isn't cuddling what is it?" She asked lightly as she continued to play with his hair.

"It's called 'm injured and 'm enjoying the benefits of your larger than normal pregnancy rack."

"Ok." She whispered somewhat amused. Then she thought she better check to see how many Oxycontin pills were left in the morning before she fell asleep.

Dean's tongue dances lightly across her bottom lip before he leans down on his forearms, his eyes locked on hers as he pushes slowly into her. Lexi gasps digging her nails into the soft skin of his biceps waiting for him to move. He leans down his lips and tongue gliding over the top of her breasts as his three day scruff leaves small red marks across her skin. He looks up at her whispering, "You okay, Lex?"

"Hmm hmmm."

"I'll go slow..."

Then he starts moving, slow and deep. He sets up a deliciously slow rhythm that has her arching her back and pressing her hips against his wanting him to go harder and faster. He speeds up, eyes closed as he bites down on his bottom lip saying under his breath, "Fuck...hmmm Lexi...fuck, fuck fuck."

Lexi's eyes flutter closed while she lets the sensation roll over her, she can already feel the tension building inside her. She opens her eyes to find Dean and their bedroom gone. She's now in a long tiled hallway. It smells of floor wax and antiseptic. She follows the hallway, follows the twists and turns, her footsteps not making a sound, until she reaches the end. There's a metal door, the rest of the wall in front of her is made of glass. Her heart begins to hammer in her chest and she knows she has to see what's behind the glass. She walks up and peers in...

Lexi screams and Dean lifts his head off her chest. In an instant, he's fully awake and sitting up. He gathers Lexi up in his arms and whispers soothing words in her ear. She's still screaming as he pulls back and cups her face in his hands, "Lexi! SHHH! Baby girl, what's wrong? Did you have a vision?" She takes a shaky breath, her eyes wide as she nods."What did you see?"

"Lydecker...we have to find him before..."