"Max, this is Alec," Dean said, looking down at his little boy sleeping in his arms.
Max frowned, "You named your son Alec. That's pretty weird don't you think?" She looked around again, waiting for her Alec to pop up out of nowhere while he and Sam shared a look. "Seriously, where's Alec? Did he not come with you?"
"Max, can we go somewhere to talk?" Sam asked gently. "We've got a lot to tell you…"
"Where the Hell is Alec?" Max asked, edging towards hysterical, her voice steadily rising. "You said he was ok, so where is he?"
"Calm down, you're gonna wake him," Dean hissed. His arms tightened around Alec and he held him closer. He wasn't sure how freaked out Max was going to get before they went somewhere else, but he didn't want Alec to wake up and get scared.
"Dean, do you think we should go to the house and put him down for his nap?" Sam asked him.
He shot a glare to Max and said, "If you keep yellin' we'll have to."
"If we go somewhere, you'll tell me where Alec is?" Max asked.
Dean sighed, but nodded, "Yeah, we'll tell you everything."
"Ok, we'll go to your place. Mine's a mess right now and not really set up for a baby," Max said, giving Alec a slightly repulsed look.
He was having huge second thoughts about this entire trip, but he couldn't take off now. They were already in too deep, so he'd just have to try to convince her that his Alec was also her Alec.
"Dean, you want me ta put him down while you all talk?" Bobby asked him as they walked to the house they usually stayed in when they visited.
"No, I want him with me," Dean said, shooting a side glance to Max who was walking beside him. She kept looking around for her Alec, and she was completely avoiding looking at his Alec. "Did we bring his blankie though?"
"Yeah," Bobby said, holding out Alec's blankie, sippy cup, and Teddy. Bobby had come prepared.
"Grandpa Bobby for the win," Dean teased. Alec probably wasn't cold, but he loved his blankie; he liked feeling the soft material against his skin and it made him feel safe. He carefully wrapped Alec up in his blanket, and then held onto his Teddy and sippy cup for later. They were going to have to get juice or milk from the Mess later, but until then Alec could drink some water.
"Just lookin' out for my little grandson," Bobby said.
"Who's his mom?" Max asked, sounding reluctant, but curious enough to ask.
"Max, this is Alec," Dean said again. "I don't know who his mom is any more than you know who your mom is."
Max huffed, "Fine don't tell me, but you didn't have to bring my mother into this."
"Max, you're not listening," Dean said. "This. Is. Alec."
Max rolled her eyes and walked further ahead. Bobby nudged him and said, "Best wait 'til we're inside."
"How am I gonna explain this to her?" Dean whispered.
"Just tell her what happened," Bobby suggested. "You can't make her believe ya."
"She doesn't even like my Alec," Dean muttered, offended by the way she'd looked at his boy.
"Dean, let him work his magic. He is the cutest kid and he'll easily win her over when he wakes up," Bobby reassured. "Besides, she's gonna be pissed at ya for not tellin' her sooner, so you might want to let her be mad for a bit."
"As long as she's not mad at Alec, then I don't care," Dean said.
Sam held the door open for them, and Dean immediately headed for the sofa just in case Alec wanted to lie on the cushions. But he knew Alec would want to stay with him if he woke up. He was in a new place and there was a new person here; he was going to be shy and hide against him until he figured out the new situation.
Sam sat next to him on the sofa to give him support and Max and Bobby took up the two recliners. Max looked at him expectantly, but he really didn't know how to tell her everything that had happened.
Luckily, Sam knew him and he knew he was lost. "Max," Sam started. "I know it doesn't seem possible, but this Alec is the real Alec."
"You're right, that's not possible," Max said.
"We were hunting, but we didn't think the place was actually haunted," Dean said. "We split up to search the house, and we just found him like this."
"So I'm supposed to believe that something turned my boyfriend into a 3-year-old?" Max asked in disbelief.
"We actually think he's 2…" Dean muttered under his breath.
"It doesn't matter!" Max yelled. He pulled Alec closer and glared at Max. "Why didn't you try to change him back?! What the Hell are you doing?!"
"Daddy?" Alec asked sleepily.
"Hey baby, everythin's alright," Dean reassured.
"Daddy…what's going on?" Alec asked, slowly walking up. He saw that he was in a new place and it scared him.
"We're at my friend's place," Dean said. "Uncle Sammy and Grandpa are here too." Alec hid his face against his chest just like he expected him to. "Do you want Grandpa to go put you down in another room? You can nap some more, and then we'll find some food when you wake up. How does that sound?"
"No Daddy," Alec mumbled against him. "I wanna stay with you."
"Ok baby," Dean whispered, kissing the top of Alec's head.
Alec stayed where he was hiding against him, his little first holding onto his shirt. Max was looking at him, but he couldn't tell what she was thinking. She still looked mad, but she looked like she was sad too.
"Max, I know this doesn't make sense," Sam said. "But…once you see how happy he is-"
"You think I'm just going to accept this?" Max asked. "He used to be my boyfriend. Now someone has to change his diapers and feed him and I don't even know what else."
"He's not helpless," Dean said. "He can go to the bathroom and feed himself just fine."
"He's a baby now. He's not my Alec," Max said.
"Well, you better get used to it. We don't know how to change him back and I'm not looking for a way to change him," Dean said. "He's my little boy and there's nothin' that's gonna take that away."
"He used to be your little brother," Max spat.
"I'm going to take a walk," Dean suddenly said, standing up with Alec in his arms. He dropped Alec's blanket and Teddy, but he kept Alec's sippy cup with him. He couldn't listen to this anymore. He didn't know how to convince Max that this was a good idea and he didn't want to argue with her. Alec didn't need to listen to this either and he was probably thirsty.
He walked out without looking back. Sam and Bobby were still in there with Max, so maybe they would find a way to convince her.
"Daddy?"
"Yeah baby?"
"Was she a princess?" Alec asked. His little boy looked up at him with his big green eyes; he liked action movies, but Dean had slipped some kid's movies in there too. Alec would get excited and jump around in Aladdin when the Genie was on and he knew all the words to The Little Mermaid. He was also in love with Belle and thought she was the prettiest princess in the world. And Max sort of looked like Belle with her brown hair and brown eyes, so he could see where Alec got the idea that she was a princess.
Dean chuckled, "No, she's not a princess."
"Oh…"
"Did you think she was a princess?" Dean asked.
"She was really pretty," Alec whispered.
"Yeah, but she's not a princess," Dean said. "She's a real pain in the butt actually."
Alec giggled, "Daddy, you said butt."
"I know I did," Dean laughed.
"Why was she mad?" Alec asked.
"Well, she doesn't agree with some of the choices I've made," Dean said. "I made some choices that affect her too, but I didn't ask her what she thought before I decided."
"Oh…"
"But we're gonna let her cool off a bit. We're gonna find some juice and maybe a snack, and then we'll see how she's doin'," Dean said.
"Apple juice?" Alec asked.
"I hope so! Apple juice is your favorite, so they better have some," Dean said, tickling Alec's tummy.
Alec giggled and tried to tickle him back. He held Alec up high though, so he couldn't reach. "Daddy!" Alec yelled. "Daddy, put me down!" He dipped Alec as low as he could, and Alec giggled and squealed with laughter. "Daddy no!"
"Daddy yes!" Dean replied, bringing Alec back up and holding him again. "I'm your Daddy and I can do what I want."
"Daddy," Alec whined.
"Ok, ok," Dean relented. "Let's go get some juice."
He walked to the Mess, but he froze when he saw that there were quite a few people in there. He forgot that more than just Max lived here.
"Dean!" He turned and saw that Rocky was coming towards him. His eyes widened when he saw Alec and he asked, "Who's this?" Alec squeaked and quickly hid his face against his neck.
His heart pounded, but he said, "Um, this is Alec…"
Rocky frowned, "What?"
He took a deep breath and said, "This is Alec."
"Really? 'Cause the Alec I knew was a little over six foot tall and wasn't too keen on being carried," Rocky said.
"Something happened and now he's a kid," Dean said as fast as he could. "He's my son."
Rocky was silent for a minute, but then nodded, "Well he sure is cute. Look how little he is!"
Dean chuckled, "Yeah, he is cute. Cutest kid on the planet actually."
"He's shy," Rocky said, turning his head to try to catch Alec's eye. Alec was peeking out at Rocky every so often, but he'd hide again as soon as Rocky looked at him. "Wouldn't expect him to be so shy."
"He'll warm up to you after a while," Dean said. "He's just shy at first."
"How old is he?" Rocky asked.
"Twoish," Dean said, rubbing Alec's back. "Do you guys have apple juice? It's his favorite."
"Yeah, follow me," Rocky said. "And I think we found some pudding the other day. Can he have some of that?"
"He loves pudding," Dean said, following Rocky to the food line. Rocky grabbed a bowl and a spoon and plopped a big serving of pudding into the bowl. Dean's eyes widened with the amount, but he didn't say anything. He usually only gave Alec a little bit of pudding so he wouldn't be so energized. Sam would throw a fit though if he saw this. Alec usually only got this much pudding when Bobby was in charge.
"Wow!" Alec said, seeing the pudding. "Is that all for me?"
"We're gonna share," Dean said quickly. "That's a lot of pudding, isn't it?"
"I think I could eat it all," Alec said matter-of-factly.
"We'll see," Dean said.
Rocky chuckled and led them over to a drink area. "Here's the apple juice. We also have milk, water, tea, Gatorade, and some soda but not a lot."
Dean maneuvered Alec so he could pop the top off of his sippy cup, and then carefully filled it up. He handed it to Alec once he got the lid on again, and Alec immediately started drinking it.
"So this is really Alec?" Rocky asked as they sat down.
"It's really him," Dean said, sitting Alec on his lap and giving him the spoon. He pulled the pudding closer so Alec wouldn't get it all over his clothes. Alec was staring at Rocky though; he was out of his hiding spot, but he didn't seem as scared as he had been. Rocky had given him pudding, so that made him ok.
"Daddy?" Alec asked, putting his sippy cup on the table.
"Yeah?"
Alec waved him closer, so he leaned down some so Alec could whisper in his ear. "Who is that?"
"That's Rocky," Dean said. "He's another friend of mine."
Alec's eyes lit up, "Like the boxer?"
Dean chuckled, "Yeah, like the boxer."
"He looks like a boxer," Alec said.
Dean looked up at Rocky and saw that he was smiling. "We watched Rocky recently," Dean said. "He really likes movies."
"He always did," Rocky said.
Alec took a big bite of pudding, and then looked up and smiled at him real big. He chuckled seeing Alec's teeth covered in pudding. "Alec! What are you doing?"
Alec swallowed the pudding and asked, "Were my teeth all dirty?"
"Yeah, they looked disgusting," Dean said.
"Good!" Alec said. He took another big scoop and stuffed it in his mouth.
"Alec, smaller bites," Dean said, running his hand through his hair.
Alec scowled and stuffed another big bite in his mouth. "But I like it," Alec said with his mouth full.
"And don't talk with your mouth full," Dean said, trying to hide his smile.
"He's so cute," Rocky said. "Where can I get one?"
Dean laughed, but then said, "I don't even know how it happened, but I don't know what I'd do without him now."
Rocky nodded, "Fatherhood suits you."
"Max doesn't think so," Dean mumbled.
Rocky's eyebrows rose in surprise, "I guess she didn't take this well?"
"Alec's her boyfriend and she doesn't want him to be a two-year-old," Dean said.
"It'll just take some time. She'll love him once she sees how cute he is," Rocky said.
"Daddy, can we go play outside?" Alec asked.
"After you finish eating," Dean said, running his hand through Alec's hair.
"You know what you should do," Rocky said. "You should go see Gem and baby Eve. I don't know much about babies, but she's bigger than she used to be. She might be able to play with Alec."
"Daddy?"
"Yeah baby?"
"Can Rocky play too?" Alec asked.
Dean glanced up at Rocky and said, "He wants you to play too…"
"Of course I'll play," Rocky said with a wide smile.
Alec finished his pudding and they ran outside once he was done with his juice. He put his little boy down, who immediately started running.
"Chase me!" Alec yelled.
He went after Alec, but his boy ran to Rocky and hid behind his legs. Rocky laughed and grabbed Alec, making him squeal. He wiggled his way free and took off again, running between him and Rocky. Alec would slow way down so he would catch him, just so he could get free again.
Alec looked back at him as he ran, so he didn't see Mole until he hit his legs and fell back on his butt. His little boy looked up at the lizard man and gasped. Mole looked down at Alec and growled at him.
"Who the Hell are you?" Mole asked.
Alec's eyes were wide and his voice was tiny as he replied, "My name's Alec."
Dean started forward so he could intervene before this got further out of hand. He hadn't wanted Alec to meet Mole until the last possible second, but that didn't work.
Mole crouched down and cocked his head to the side, "Y'know, I know someone else named Alec, but he's a pain in the ass and he's a lot bigger than you."
"You said a bad word," Alec whispered. "Daddy said you're not supposed to say that word."
"What word?" Mole asked. "Ass?"
Alec giggled and nodded. He hesitated before he asked, "Why does your face look funny?"
"You think my face looks funny? What's wrong with my face?" Mole asked, trying to hide his smile.
"It's all bumpy," Alec said. He reached out to touch Mole's face, but Mole pretended to bite at him, making him quickly pull away and giggle. Dean slowed down, and decided to watch how this played out.
"Those are scales, kid," Mole said. "You ever seen a life-sized lizard before?" Alec shook his head no, so Mole said, "Well, you're lookin' at one."
"Do you have a tail?" Alec asked curiously.
"Do I look like I've got a tail?" Mole growled.
Alec giggled instead of backing away and said, "No."
"Then I don't have a tail," Mole said.
"But lizards have tails," Alec said.
"Do I look like a lizard or not?" Mole grumbled.
"Yeah," Alec said.
"Then I'm a lizard," Mole said.
Alec nodded his ok, and then asked, "Do you want to play tag?"
"Depends," Mole said. "Who's it?"
Alec smiled and hit Mole's arm, "You're it!"
Alec jumped up and started to run, but he looked back to make sure Mole was following him. Dean smiled when Mole ran after him. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all. Max still didn't like Alec, but his little boy wasn't as afraid as he thought he'd be and so far he seemed to be having fun. Maybe this would be good.
Max didn't know what to think; one minute she had a boyfriend and the next, her boyfriend was a two-year-old child. She didn't understand why Sam and Dean didn't even try to get him back. Alec was their brother, and they should want to get him back to normal. She was mad at Dean and Sam, and she was even mad at Alec.
Obviously it wasn't Alec's fault, but she didn't like this situation. She wanted her boyfriend back. Sam and Bobby had tried to convince her that Alec was happier now and that if she gave it a chance she would see that. They went on and on about how cute he was and how happy he made everyone, but she didn't care. They didn't even tell her what was going on. She didn't get any say in how they were going to handle this, which was the worst part.
She had left Sam and Bobby after she'd gotten tired of what they were saying. She was looking for Dean now, so she could try to talk some sense into him. She'd found Rocky, who was pro-baby Alec, and he'd told her where to find them.
She was in front of Gem's house, but she was working up the nerve to knock. She didn't want to see Alec as a baby, but she did want to start convincing Dean. She finally knocked, and Gem let her in a few minutes later. Gem was holding her sleeping baby in her arms when she let her in, but she smiled and led her further into the house.
She froze when she saw Dean holding Alec in the rocking chair, both of them fast asleep. They weren't cute. They weren't. She had to keep telling herself that so she wouldn't cave right then and there. She wouldn't let baby Alec change her mind even if he looked just like what their kid would look like if they ever started a family. She wanted Alec as her boyfriend, not a baby.
"They're cute, huh?" Gem asked, taking a seat on the sofa.
Max huffed, and sat down with her arms crossed over her chest. "If you like that sort of thing…"
Gem smiled, "I guess you don't like baby Alec?"
"I want my Alec," Max said, pouting.
"Max, I hate to disagree with you, but you haven't seen him," Gem whispered. "He's genuinely happy and he's not afraid to show it. Dean said he only remembers a little bit from Manticore, and he used to cry and flinch whenever anyone got close to him, but now he doesn't. He said he's got friends at home who love to play with him and he's got his own room."
"He could have his own room here," Max snarled.
Gem sighed, but she didn't reply. Max wasn't even sure why she was still there; Dean was asleep, so she couldn't try to convince him. She didn't want to hear how great baby Alec was and how much happier he was now.
She jumped when there was a sudden knock on the door. Gem got up before she could, and then Original Cindy was walking into the room.
"I hear there's a new baby in the valley," Cindy said. Her tough friend was scowling until her eyes landed on Dean and Alec. Max couldn't help her eye roll when OC's scowl turned into a warm, soft smile. "Now that is cute!"
"Not you too," Max groaned.
"Sorry Boo, but your boy is cute as hell right now," Cindy said. She walked over and sat beside her, while Gem took her seat again. "So, how'd our trouble makin' boy get turned into the cutest kid, huh?"
Max shrugged, "Sam and Dean don't know what happened. They said they found him like this when they were on a hunt."
"Ok, so, why're you all sour 'bout it?" Original Cindy asked.
"They don't want to change him back," Max said. "They're not even looking."
"Girl, lemme ask you somethin'," OC said. "Do you want Alec to be happy?"
"Well yeah, but I want him to be happy with me," Max said.
"But he hasn't even been with you in a while. When Alec was big, he traveled with his brothers. He chose to stay with them. He loved you, but he wanted to stay with his brothers because they made him happy," Cindy said. "And I know it's hard to hear, but his brothers accepted him way before you did. Maybe they know him better and know this is what's gonna make him happy."
Max was stunned; it was everything she'd been trying to ignore laid out right in front of her. Sam and Dean had accepted Alec before she'd even considered him a friend. Alec chose to leave with them even after they'd started getting along and dating. They knew him, and now that he was a baby, they were taking care of him too. Maybe she didn't have a say in how they raised him or if they chose to change him back.
"Just somethin' to think about," Cindy said when she didn't answer. "But either way, your boy is tiny and cute and I think you should be enjoyin' this while it lasts."
Max nodded, but she still didn't feel like agreeing more than that. Gem broke the silence though and asked, "Do you guys want anything to drink?"
"I'll get it," OC said before Gem could get up. "You got that baby and all. You do not need to be servin' us."
OC walked to the kitchen, but Max looked back over at Alec. She couldn't deny that he was cute; he was identical to Dean, just the tiny version. His hair was a lighter blonde than Dean's and his freckles were darker, but that just made him cuter.
Alec suddenly frowned and rubbed his face against Dean's jacket. He looked up at Dean, but then rested against his chest again when he saw he was still asleep.
"Alec, do you need to go potty?" Gem asked.
"No," Alec whispered.
"Do you want your sippy cup?" Gem asked. Alec nodded, so she called out, "OC, could you grab Alec's sippy cup. Dean put it on the counter earlier."
"It's empty," Cindy said. "What's he want?"
"Juice if it's in the fridge," Gem said. Original Cindy came back with three drinks and a sippy cup, passing them out as she went. "He's shy," Gem warned.
OC walked over to Alec, but he hid against Dean's chest. "Now you know Original Cindy did not go to all that work just so you could hide from her. Come on out and take your little sippy cup," OC said.
Alec peeked over at her and reached out a tiny hand for his cup. Cindy gave it to him and he whispered, "Thank you…"
"You're welcome, honey," Cindy said, coming back over to sit by her.
Alec took a drink, but looked around. His eyes widened, and he hid again when he spotted her. He hid for a moment, but then peeked out again to see if she was looking at him. He immediately hid when he saw that she was watching him. She could just barely see his cheeks turn pink as he hid from her. He would barely look at her, but instantly hide again when he saw her.
Gem laughed after he did the same thing about six times. "I think he likes you," Gem said.
"What? How can you tell?" Max asked. "He keeps hiding every time he sees me."
"He's playing a game," Gem said. "And Dean said that Alec thought you were a princess."
Alec peeked back over at her and she smiled at him. He squeaked in surprise and quickly hid again. His cheeks turned a darker shade of pink and he tugged on Dean's jacket.
"Daddy," Alec whispered.
"And you're tellin' me that ain't cute?" Cindy whispered to her.
She ignored her friend as Dean jumped awake. He relaxed after he looked at Alec and rubbed his back. "Yeah baby?" Dean asked, his voice heavy with sleep. Alec didn't answer, so Dean asked, "What's wrong? Do you have to go to the bathroom?" Alec shook his head no, peeked at her, and then hid again. "Oh," Dean said knowingly. "Are you afraid of Max?"
"She's really pretty, Daddy," Alec mumbled.
"Don't you wanna say hi?" Dean asked. Alec didn't say anything, so Dean stood up and walked over to both of them. "Max is gonna hold ya while I go to the bathroom, ok kiddo?"
"Daddy, no," Alec said, clinging to Dean.
"Just for a minute, Alec," Dean said. He carefully pulled Alec's hand from his jacket and held him out to her. She took him after a moment's hesitation and sat him on her lap. He barely weighed anything since he was so little; she wondered how anything so little had managed to survive in Manticore even though she had been through the same thing. It just felt like Alec should have never been put through any of that.
Dean gave her an encouraging smile before he left the room.
"Um, hi," Max said. Alec looked back at her with his big, green eyes, but he didn't say hi back.
Instead, he asked, "Are you a princess?"
"No, I'm not a princess," Max replied. "Why do you think I'm a princess?"
"Because you're pretty like a princess," Alec said. She smiled, but then scowled when Alec said, "Daddy said you're a pain in the butt."
"Really?" Max grumbled. "He said I was a pain in the butt!"
Alec giggled and nodded, "You said butt!"
"So did you," Max pointed out.
"Daddy said butt wasn't a bad word," Alec said, standing up on her legs. "Uncle Sammy said I shouldn't say it since it's not a nice word. I said it wasn't a bad word because Daddy said so and that made Uncle Sammy make his growly face. It was really funny. Daddy said I just couldn't call Uncle Sammy a butt face since that wasn't very nice. He said it wasn't bad, but it hurt Uncle Sammy's feelings." He bounced up and down a little, putting his tiny hands on her shoulders to keep himself steady. "Grandpa says bad words and Uncle Sammy says he's setting a bad example. Daddy said Grandpa could say whatever he wanted and he would just tell me not to say them. Uncle Sammy still makes a funny face when Grandpa says a bad word and I tell Grandpa it was a bad word and he laughs and tells me not to say it in front of Uncle Sammy. And Daddy says I shouldn't say them until I'm older."
Alec could still talk, that hadn't changed at all. "Wow," Max said, unsure what else she could say but knowing she needed to say something since Alec was looking at her expectantly. "So you have a lot of fun with Grandpa and Uncle Sammy?" She asked, trying to get him to start talking again.
"Uh huh," Alec said, nodding. "Grandpa lets me help him with cars and Uncle Sammy gives me piggy-back rides any time I want them. I get to go to the park and play and go swimming and Daddy said he'd take me to the ocean."
"That's right I am," Dean said, walking back into the room.
"Daddy!" Alec yelled. He launched himself off of her legs and into his arms. "Daddy, Max said she wasn't a princess, but she got mad when I told her you thought she was a pain in the butt. I think she's still a princess. She's really pretty and she's really nice too."
"Well, if you think she's a princess, then maybe she is," Dean said.
"Daddy, can we play with Max and Uncle Sammy and Grandpa?" Alec asked, playing with Dean's collar.
"Max might have to go to work again," Dean said.
"Oh," Alec replied sadly.
"I can play for a little while," Max said.
"Yay!" Alec yelled.
Max smiled; she wasn't totally on board with this, but maybe OC was right. Maybe this was better for Alec; maybe he really was happier now. Maybe she shouldn't jump to conclusions, and should just let this play out.
More soon...