I think you and I are going to get along just fine.

A few hours later, they pulled into a familiar dirt parking lot. They were going to go to Seattle. They just had to make a small detour through Nebraska, more specifically, the Roadhouse. They wanted to run the intell they had gathered by Ellen and Ash. Before taking on villains this big and this well connected, it was best to have as much information as possible.

'The roadhouse: home sweet home' Jo thought as she pulled up. Bobby and the boys came up just a minute after. She led the way to through the door. It was 2 in the afternoon so the only people in the building aside from the five currently entering it would be Ellen and Ash, Jo's mother and her trusty red-neck computer genius.

"Hey, Mom! We're back!" She called out. The young hunter then walked casually over to the pool table and shoved the being that was lying unconscious on top of back and forth until it let out a mumbled string of curses and reluctantly awoke.

"Hey, Ash. Miss me?" She asked cheerfully when she saw her friend's eyes flutter open. He was clothed in a dirty stripped button up with the sleeves ripped off and not a button left on it. His hair was in his usual style, a mullet, and he reeked of day old beer. Good old Ash. She was about to introduce him to Alec when sleep claimed him once again. She patted his shoulder fondly before moving on. Just as Bobby, Sam, Dean, and Alec sat down on some barstools, Ellen bustled in from upstairs.

"Jo, baby?" She asked breathlessly. She locked eyes with her daughter, smiled, and captured her baby girl in a hug. Jo had only been away three days but in Ellen's book, that was far too long.

"Bobby, it's good to see you too." The older hunter was also subject to a hug. Then her eyes found Sam and 'Dean'. They were hesitant to approach her, hardly surprising considering the way their last meeting had ended. She moved slowly towards them and pulled them both in, that was as close to an apology either party was gonna get. The sweet moment was broken by someone clearing their throat.

"Umm, Ellen. I'm over here. " Dean said in a small voice and scratched the back of his head awkwardly. Ellen pulled away and stared at the man she'd just hugged. Then she looked over at Dean and back to the man in front of her.

"Boys, start talkin'." Her tone didn't quite sound angry or annoyed, more concerned. She considered every person in that room (excluding Alec) family and she was in protection (Mama Bear mode as Jo had come to call it)mode.

"Well, you see Ellen. Alec here is a genetic experiment that somehow used my DNA as a baseline. He's a friend." Dean explained with a smile. He had to admit, seeing people react to hearing that Alec was a government issued look-alike was pretty funny, especially when you give it to them cold. He watched as Ellen's face went from suspicious to concerned to confused as the information set in and finally to acceptance that he wasn't there to harm her or the ones she loved. They all sat down and gave her and the newly re-awakened Ash the details on Alec.

"You know as much as we do now." Bobby said after they finished giving the important details of Manticore.

"Did any of you ever wonder how this program got your DNA in the first place?" Ellen inquired. The others shot bewildered glances around at one another. Ellen sighed and resisted the urge to let her head fall into her hands. "I'll take that as a no. How about any ideas then?"

"Alec, you said that one of the familiars went rouge and that's how Manticore got it's start, right?" Sam paused and waited for Alec to confirm before continuing. "Well, we've been hunting them down for as long as I can remember. It also seems like they're so well hidden that no other hunter we've ever met has ever even heard of them. It begs the question, how did Dad find them? My guess is that they somehow got Dean and took some of his DNA before Dad could rescue him and that's how he caught their trail." Everyone nodded thoughtfully at this new theory except Dean who scoffed.

"I don't exactly remember getting kidnapped, Sam." He huffed.

"You may not have even known. These guys don't exactly look like our normal monsters. It could have been anyone at any point. I think they took you, took your DNA, Dad rescued you, and started tracking down the rest of the familiars, thinking that this guy was one of them instead of Manticore."

"So a little nick from you as a child and twenty some years later we get him?" Ash questioned, motioning to Alec while nursing his ever present beer.

It was Bobby's turn to pipe up. "I think Sam here might be on to something. I seem to remember John showing up one day asking for help tracking some sucker down. He seemed pretty wound up about it and I know Sam was there but I don't think you were, Dean. Yeah, I remember because t was the first time I had ever seen Sam here running around without his big brother. I didn't think much of it at the time but I that was the first time we stumbled upon the familiars."

"One mystery solved...mostly. Now we just need to figure out how to take down these SOB's once and for all. I suggest we stay here for the night and hit the road to Seattle in the morning." Jo glanced around the table at the slow nods of acceptance of the plan from all except her mother who was giving her the glare Jo as a child referred to as the "it's too dangerous. I'm not letting you out of my sight" look. "Mom, I'm going on this hunt. I'm the one who found Alec, I'm a part of this. I'm going to see this through and you're not going to get in my way."

"Now Jo baby, Bobby and the boys are more than capable of handling this one on their own. Plus, from what I understand, Alec is a very useful ally to have on our side. They can take care of this." Ellen reasoned in her "I'm right. I'm just waiting for you to realize it" tone.

"I'm going. I'm not a little girl anymore. I can do this. I'm going to do this." With that, Jo stood up and hiked up the stairs to pack without another word or glance to anyone at the bar.

"Aww, she's just like you, Ellen." Bobby said with a small laugh.

Ellen spent the evening packing provisions. Dean's M&M stash could only get you so far. As she was making the sandwiches, she had accepted her daughter's decision. She was even a little proud of her for standing up for herself and working hard to help a friend. Ellen was also surprised at how quickly Alec had become a friend in her own eyes as well. The charismatic transgenic had wormed his way into her heart, just like his DNA donor had before him. Ellen glanced out from the kitchen and saw Dean playing a game of pool with Jo. They were smiling and laughing as Jo took her shot. Ellen could see the spark between them even if they couldn't. It was in the stolen glances when each thought the other wasn't looking, the mild awkwardness after seeing each other for the first time after so long, the sparkle in Jo's eye when Dean entered the room, and the way Dean's smirk melted into a genuine smile when he was with her, all leading back to that electrically charged tension that filled the air whenever they were near one another: it was plain to see that there was something there.

Dean sunk the ball after it ricocheted off the side and into the corner pocket. He stood up and smiled and looked for his next shot. It was nice hanging out with Jo. Something about it just felt right. He had intentionally avoided the Roadhouse and more specifically, Jo for the past few months and hadn't seen her since they found out about his father's role in her dad's death. He could admit, if only to himself, that he had missed seeing the spunky blond from time to time. Apparently since he'd last seen her, she had thrown herself into hunting with guns blazing. He respected her for that. She went for it and from what he'd heard, succeeded at it. With Jo, he could just relax and enjoy her company and not worry about anything else. He knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself.

While Dean and Jo amused themselves, Alec walked over to Ash who again had a beer in hand.

"Hey, man." He said in greeting.

Ash simply nodded to him in response. "You want one?" He asked raising his bottle.

"Nah, doesn't do much for me anyway." Alec mentioned casually while checking out the scene unfolding over by the pool table between the two hunters. Now, there was no doubt in his mind about Dean and Jo. He would bet money they'd be together within two months. Ash's slightly slurred voice pulled him from his thoughts.

"What d' ya mean 'doesn't do much for ya?'"

He shrugged. "Downside and upside, but mostly downside, to being a transgenic. It is nearly impossible to get drunk."

Ash laughed. "Well, man, nearly impossible ain't the same as downright impossible." The computer genius said in his distinctive accent and moved behind the counter and started pouring. "Here. Drink up." He said a minute later, he handed Alec a glass of something tall, dark, and no doubt incredibly alcoholic. "Cheers, man."

Two hours later, Ash was practically passed out on the bar while Alec was feeling a pretty decent buzz and downed the last of the final drink Ash concocted for him before he had fallen asleep on the counter.

Bobby and Ellen had turned in about a half hour back and Dean and Jo were having one last 'winner takes all' game. Sam had been talking to Bobby and Ellen before they left, but after that, entertained himself with watching Alec and Ash go at it, and finally settled on observing Dean and Jo. Every few minutes as he watched, he would laugh to himself at their antics. He didn't know what they were playing for, but he knew Dean was winning. Sometime past midnight, Sam decided to go ahead and catch some sleep. Within twenty minutes after his departure, the others followed suit and the bar was quiet.

A/N: Thank you so much to all the wonderful people who reviewed the last chapter. Just because I love you guys, I'll send a short little "Missing Moment" to anyone who reviews this chapter. Thanks again, guys. God Bless.

-Kate