It's in the Genes

Author: Cheryl W.

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or any rights to Dark Angel or Supernatural, nor am I making any profit from this story.

Summary: Crossover with DA and Supernatural -AU– It's the Winchesters who break Alec from jail in Hello/Goodbye and then they start road tripping together. No slash.

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Chapter 13

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Standing outside Medical, Max looked through the window, watched as the two younger brothers sat vigil beside their older brother, playing a silent game of cards. Sam's victory was only expressed by his wide, cocky smile, unwilling to wake Dean up as he lay still on the bed beside them, battered, bruised, but his chest was rising in a healthy rhythm.

As if sensing that they were being watched, that there might be a threat to his brothers, Alec quickly looked over his shoulder. When Alec's gaze fell upon her, Max instantly knew something had changed in his eyes, something she couldn't interpret. Then he turned again to Sam, quietly spoke to his brother then came to a stand, was walking toward her with the grace she knew even very few transgenics were gifted with.

Stepping back a few steps, she hovered against the far wall of the hallway, watched as Alec exited the room, crossed over to stand in front of her. "How's Dean?" she asked, surprised at how attached she had become to the Ordinary in the few weeks she had known him. But she also admitted the question was two pronged, knew that the answer would tell her how Alec was doing better than Alec would ever voice.

"Broken ribs, bruises everywhere but still stubborn enough to think he shouldn't be in the medic ward tonight," Alec smirked, with worry and deep affection.

She wanted to joke about Alec's matching stubbornness but Alec looked too raw right then for levity. So she offered what comfort she could. "I sent scouts to check out White's group, see if they were putting together a retaliation. But it seems that they have their hands full with news crews and getting inspected by another branch of the Federal government. We've been keeping an ear to the wall but so far the name Winchester hasn't been on the wire. I have double guards posted on this building, just to be safe."

She saw some of the tension seep from Alec's stance, heard the sincerity of his "Thanks Max." Nodding at his words, she wanted to tell him how tired he looked, wanted to brush her hands gently across his face, wanted to smooth away the pain flickering in his eyes that told her he had just barely survived his battle with White. His next words derailed her intentions.

"I won't apologize for what I did to get Dean back, Max," Alec boldly announced, eyes coming up to meet Max's. "White …I probably killed him." There was no regret there, only searing hatred.

"Alec, he took Dean…hurt him…would have killed him. If I was in your position, I would have done the same thing," Max defended, remembered her determination to save Tinga and the well of pain at being too late, failing to protect her family.

"I've probably ruined whatever good your part of the operation did, put all transgenics in greater danger and back on the monster list." Giving a bitter smirk, Alec shook his head, "I came to help and now I've only made things worse for your cause. Not to mention I almost got my brother killed in my place. Guess the only good news I have for you is that I'm leaving with Sam and Dean, soon as Dean's up to traveling."

Pain shafted through Max even as she cursed herself, told herself she knew this was coming, that Alec would choose his brothers over her, that she wanted Alec to have a family, to be loved. 'He is loved, by me, that should be enough,' Max's heart traitorously whispered but aloud she said, "You don't have to leave, any of you. We can protect you…." She broke off at Alec's small laugh and the bittersweet look in his eyes. "What?!" a touch of anger, of frustration in the one word.

Alec ran a hand through his hair as he met her eyes. "There's a lot of that going on today….protecting, promising.." but something shifted in his eyes, became sad, afraid. "For everything we are, everything we can do…sometimes it's not enough, sometimes it goes all wrong anyway."

Wanting to wipe away the look in Alec's eyes, his seriousness, Max joked, "Well there is that saying about the road to hell is paved with good…" but she broke off as she watched all color drain from Alec's face, watched him flinch at her words. "Alec, what's wrong?" her voice soft as she reached out to him, wasn't prepared for him to again skitter back from her touch, to shut her out with the fortifications Fort Knox would envy.

The word 'hell' echoed in Alec's head, gave his greatest fear voice, made him lose his tenuous grip on his optimism. Knew, just as he had when he left Dean in the helicopter, that he didn't deserve to be comforted by Max, to let her touch soothe him. Not when everything was wrong in more ways than he could have ever imagined. And the hurt in Max's eyes, that was just more coals heaped on his head. "Max…it's better if …."

"You just leave," Max filled in the blanks, her voice carrying defiance instead of revealing her hurt. As she advanced toward Alec, there was a predatory gleam in her eyes But, to her relief, Alec didn't retreat further from her as she came to stand toe to toe with him, tilted her head up to meet his gaze. "I know your whole speech, Alec. You're a danger to the people you love, they get caught in the crossfire, it's better if we all just bail on you, leave you alone, let you go on thinking you're something we regret having in our lives instead of someone we treasure. But me, I think Manticore dished out enough lies, why should we be like them?"

Alec stiffened at Max's closeness, felt tension, fear coil around his heart. Felt vulnerable on too many fronts. Had fought too many battles lately with the knowledge that to lose even one fight meant to lose himself, forever. And now Max was waging another battle against him, wanted him to willingly drag her down with him. "I'm not lying, Max. Not now. Not about this. I am a danger to you, to TC after what went down today. The best thing I can do is leave."

"The best thing…or the easiest thing?" Max challenged, her eyes pinning Alec's as she dug in, decided that she wanted the best of both worlds: to give Alec what he wanted…his brothers and give herself what she needed, Alec here, with her.

"Leaving is the only thing I can do," Alec steadily countered back, unwilling to be drawn into a debate when he understood the picture so much better than Max did.

"You choosing to run, that's a novel idea," Max shot back, desperation turning into hurt, into anger. "I must have missed the class where Manticore taught us to use that tactic whenever we feel cornered."

Instead of defending himself, Alec shrugged and lightly returned, "Run away to fight another day." Then he turned around, intended to head back to Dean, to Sam, to where he belonged, wanted to belong. Max's words stopped him.
"Running away doesn't seem to be a Winchester trait," Max threw out, knew she had hit a nerve when Alec stopped. "But now running into trouble…that's hardwired into them….into you. You didn't have to go after Dean, take on White…"

Alec swiveled around so fast, Max took a step back. "Course I did! And like I said, I'm not sorry, no matter the consequences for…."

"For me or the other transgenics, right?"

Alec swallowed. "That's right. Dean is…..he's my brother, Max, and there isn't much I wouldn't do to save him." Thought about the threat Dean was under now, what he might need to do, what he would willingly do to save Dean that fate. "Maybe there is nothing I won't do to save him."

Catching Alec's present tense phrasing, Max tilted her head. "But you already saved him."

Alec turned around but Max sped forward, got in his way, put herself between him and his brothers. "Alec, what's going on? Do you think White's group will really come after Dean?"

"White's group is the least of my worries."

And she could see it was the truth. "This has to do with whatever Dean and Sam hunt, doesn't it? You think Dean's in danger…you're going with them as much to protect Dean as to protect me and TC."

"Wow, the way you tell it I'm quite the humanitarian," Alec bitterly returned, knew that he wasn't a hero, had never been a hero. Was simply a brother willing to do what he could to save his brother, to try and save his family, in all their many shapes and sizes.

"I'll help, I'll go with you," Max instantly responded, forgetting her responsibility to TC, to the other transgenics she had freed, to a cause that had claimed her it's leader without her permission.

Though Max's offer wasn't unexpected, Alec felt his heart trip in his chest. "No," he growled out firmly.

"Alec together we can…" Max persisted but Alec harshly cut her off.

"I said No!" he nearly shouted before he remembered Dean asleep in the other room, wounded, hurt, vulnerable and he dropped his tone to a hissed whisper of denial. "No," he repeated because enough people were in danger, enough people he cared about could be lost. He wouldn't add Max to that tally. Couldn't. For so many reasons.

"You're willing to risk Dean's life on ego, thinking you can take on everything alone. Well, maybe this time you'll need help, need my help," Max accused, challenged, sensing a desperation, a fear in Alec she hadn't before and it scared her.

"I might…but I can't ask for it," Alec quietly admitted, eyes meeting hers unwilling to bend on this issue.

Max instantly railed against Alec's words, his motives. "Why? Because this is your stupid way of protecting me?!?!"

"Yeah…and to protect Dean and Sam. The less people involved, the better at this point."

"You're not making any sense!"

"They are my brothers, my family! And no matter how I feel, about you, about trying to get the transgenics off the wanted list…I'm not going to lose them, Max. I'm just not," he insisted but the conviction of his words was shredded by the catch in his voice.

For a moment, Max said nothing, looked into Alec's eyes, tried to connect with him, to find where she belonged. "Ok. I'm not going to stand in your way. Whether you believe me or not, I want you to be happy, Alec. I want you to have a family. But…" and she raised her finger, jabbed it into his chest, "you owe me a romantic dinner and some roses when this is over and you come back. And Dean has to finish his poker lessons to the kids and Sam has to show Joshua how to slam dunk a basketball or something. All three of you will owe me."

Hope…a future, it was what Max was offering him, was offering his family…and Alec knew instantly then and there that he loved Max. Without warning, he swooped down and kissed her hard but the way she melted against him, slid her arms around his neck and moaned in pleasure, she wasn't protesting. Pulling back, Alec met Max's eyes as he tenderly caressed her cheek with his left hand, "You got yourself a deal, Max."

"Darn right I do, now shut up and kiss me again, stupid," Max returned with a saucy, hungry smile as she pulled Alec forward again.

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"You done with your love connection?" Dean drawled, opening his eyes and resting them on Alec as the younger man sank into the chair he had occupied for the past few hours.

Looking to Dean, Alec shot back, "You're supposed to be sleeping," chagrined that Dean's possum routine had fooled him. But it couldn't exceed his worry, his need to assess the older man's pale features, to measure the tempo of Dean's words, to try, with every sense that Manticore had heightened in him, to gauge how Dean was faring.

"I would be if I was in my room, sleeping on a real mattress," Dean countered, shifting on the medic bed, pretending the discomfort that flashed on his features at the movement had everything to do with poor mattresses and not hurts accumulated in a 'winner takes all' brawl with a superhuman Fed with a nasty bent toward not playing fair.

Though Sam wasn't fooled, he knew if he voiced his concern Dean would only mock him so he turned to Alec, offered up a complaint, "I told you the whining wasn't over."

"I'm not whining," Dean objected even as his voice climbed into the whining range.

For a beat, Sam let Dean's reply stand before he threw caution to the wind and leveled Dean with an open look of concern. "So how are you feeling?" he ventured, his voice quiet and asking for the truth.

"Fine," Dean answered, holding Sam's eyes unflinchingly, needing Sam to believe him, to not make him drop one of the few barriers he had managed to maintain that day, a barrier he preferred to keep intact. For Sam, for Alec and mostly for himself because a guy had his pride, though he had little left. White had decimated most of it and Alec and Sam…he had surrendered it for them, to let them in his head. His little brothers had both claimed Texas size claims in his heart but letting them coerce him into talking about the deal, about rethinking his plans, accepting the outcome…it had not come easily for him. Had come hard because it was loosening his protective detail, was shifting the weight from protector to protected and he hadn't had that for a long time, way before Dad and he split up for jobs. He felt like his Dad hadn't had his back since the first time he had left a child Sam in his care while he headed off on a hunt.

Not willing to have Dean downplay his pain, Alec challenged in disbelief, "Yeah, you're fine."

Skilled in the finer acts of deflection, Dean gave Alec his big brother worried look. "And how are you doing? White got in some good shots," noting the strain on Alec's face, the careful way he had sat down, as if he expected pain when his back met the chair's back.

Alec smiled cockily. "He barely laid a glove on me."

Before Dean could refute the statement, Sam spoke. "You're both liars," frustration but no anger in his tone, his eyes swiveling from Alec to Dean, daring either of them to cry defamation of character. Instead he was greeted to matching 'yeah and proud of it' smiles from both of his brothers. It generated a smile of his own and he absently returned to shuffling the cards as a comfortable silence fell on his family.

But Alec couldn't let the silence stand, couldn't get the words that he had overheard out of his head. Couldn't bare to let the pain of those words remain with Dean..or Sam. When he began to speak, he bent his head down, afraid of his brothers' reactions, that he was crossing a line he had no right to cross…regardless of the pinch of shared DNA, of his brothers' obvious love for him. Some things even love didn't allow. "I know it's none of my business and I didn't know your father but…I know about being manipulated." Here he looked up, saw Dean and Sam's opaque eyes were fixed on him, making it harder to continue. But love gave him the strength to risk his brothers' anger. "I know about being told so many lies that it's easier to accept everything as a lie instead of anything as being the truth."

Meeting Dean's eyes, seeing how still Dean was lying, like he was holding his breath, Alec plunged forward, prayed he was about to help Dean, not hurt him more. "You are probably right, Dean. In Hell they did tell your father about your deal." Noting Dean's sharp intake of breath, he quickly pressed on with conviction, needing Dean to believe him. "But he didn't believe them, Dean. Couldn't. Not for a second. Because then they had the means to break him. And when he saw you and Sam together, he would have thought it was all a lie…like the thousand others they had told him."

Sam's breath caught in his chest and he looked to Dean, also noted the stillness in his brother, like Dean was standing on an edge and to move…to accept hope was to lose his footing, to fall forever. "It makes sense, Dean," he gently agreed, felt vulnerable when Dean's look shifted from Alec to him. "We both know what Dad did to stop you from dying, I can't imagine what he would do to keep you from going to Hell."

Dean swallowed, bowed his head and Sam and Alec weren't sure if it was in acceptance or denial, were both surprised by his next words. "That's what worries me."

With a confused tilt of his head, Sam asked, "What worries you?"

Raising his head, Dean leveled his look at his two brothers. "What you two will do to try and save me. I don't want to be saved at the cost of your lives or souls."

Alec smirked, shifted lazily back in his seat, "Actually it's still up for debate if I have a soul to barter with…"

"Don't," Dean's gravely voice sliced across Alec's words. "Don't joke about this. There aren't going to be any more deals or trades or bartering. I'll gladly go to Hell before I let either of you do that for me. We clear?" he demanded, forged steel in his tone, fierce determination in his eyes.

Simultaneously, Sam and Alec instinctively responded to the order in Dean's voice with a "Yes" barely managed to not tack on "sir". Chagrined at their reactions, Sam and Alec exchanged embarrassed glances. Yeah, they were great at disobeying Dean, were going to do a fabulous job of keeping secrets from him about their plans to save him.

Reveling in his siblings' obedience, Dean smugly smiled, settled back more firmly in the bed and drawled, "Good. Now you two get out of here. And Sam….I could tell by the way you moved the cards in your hands that you were bluffing."

"You could not," Sam protested with a whine, look searing into Dean's laughing eyes.

"Well, now that I know your tell, let's up the stakes," Alec drawled, pulling his wallet from his pocket.

"That's more like it. Deal me in," Dean said, starting to sit up but Sam's big hand landed on his shoulder and pushed him back onto the mattress even as he felt Alec's fingers wrap around his leg, also bringing his motion to a halt.

"You can be our loan shark," Alec suggested but his brazen smile was condescending.

"Bankroll either of you?" Dean snorted but he grimaced as his ribs protest that action. "Not happening. I don't throw my hard earned money away."

"Hard earned?!" Sam scoffed. "You got it playing pool."
Before Dean could defend himself, Alec calmly stated, "Pool is hard work."

"See? You're outnumbered on this one, Sammy. Now deal me in," Dean ordered, hand reaching to forcefully remove Sam's meaty paw from his shoulder.

"Sure," Alec drawled in agreement but his eyes were serious when they clashed into Dean's. "And since you're feeling up to playing poker maybe we can discuss you planning on ditching Sam and I."

"Hey I didn't tell him," Sam instantly defended but Dean didn't even look his way, never leveled the accusation at him, was too busy dealing with Alec's displeasure.

Dean shrugged, fought down the flinch at the action, tried to make his words light, inconsequential, like his actions wouldn't have ripped out his heart and soul. "I thought it was the right thing to do. Would makes things easier on Sam, on you not to be there at Ground Zero."

"Where else would I be, Dean?" Sam exclaimed, couldn't believe Dean thought he would choose to be anywhere but at his side, fighting for his life.

"Safe," Dean answered solemnly, saw Sam shake his head in frustration and anger.

"Safe is overrated if you ask me," Alec entered the brotherly fray. "Boring even. I wasn't bred to be an accountant and you two weren't trained to be captains on Wednesday night bowling leagues." Shaking his head, he smiled a bittersweet smile, "I've gone it alone before and I gotta say, I rather be fighting at your backs, fighting the worst odds any day over sulking in a bar where no one even knows I'm alive."

Meeting Alec's gaze, Dean knew they understood one another on that account on a level that maybe Sam never would. "Least in the bar, they would be the chance to hook up with some hot chicks," Dean joked, didn't want to actually acknowledge the raw hurt of loneliness he and Alec apparently shared.

"Seems I already got my hot chick. Next business at hand is family business," Alec firmly stated, resolve in his eyes like Dean had seen him wear in the warehouse before he took on White.

"Well then you're in luck," Sam drawled, returning to shuffling the cards, "Our specialty is family business," and there was a deadly resolve in his words as well. No way was he losing Dean. 'I'll die first,' echoed in his head and he knew the words weren't original, were Dean's…but were now his own.

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The argument had been raging for three days but none of the combatants had lost any of their fire. "This is stupid! I should be going with you!" Alec growled, stepping into Dean's path as they headed down the corridor toward the outside world.

"Yeah, and I disagree," Dean shot back, trying to side step Alec but the transgenic only stepped closer to him.

"Tough. I'm coming with you guys," Alec refuted, his stance stiffening as if gearing himself for a physical confrontation that had been building ever since Dean had the audacity to tell him that he couldn't leave with them, that they would call him when they needed him.

"No you're not!" Dean thundered back, unwilling to waiver on this issue, his hard eyes slamming into Alec's stubborn gaze.

"Why not?! I mean, give me a good reason this time!" Alec challenged, certain that there wasn't a reason on earth that would justify him letting his brothers leave without him. That would make him rethink his decision to go with them, to willingly face whatever fate had in store for them. For all of them.

"Because I'm the oldest and I say so," Dean nearly shouted back, stepping closer to Alec.

"Yeah and I'm the strongest and Sam's the tallest. So what?!" Alec countered, done taking orders that could decimate his heart, what constituted his soul. He was not a soldier right here, right now. He was Dean's brother and that role came with a whole different set of rules.

Standing behind the two combatants, Sam almost smirked at Alec's comeback to Dean's standard reasoning. 'Crap these two were so alike. This fight could go on indefinitely.' "We need an ace in the hole," he quietly interjected which earned him Alec's blazing eye contact. "They know us too well, know our plans before we make them. But you, you they don't know, Alec. We have no weapon but the Colt and that seems a little light even by my standards."

Alec's look swiveled to Dean as his oldest brother spoke now without anger, with compassion. "This isn't about protecting you…" At Alec's glare, Dean sighed, modified his words, "Fine, part of it is but a lot of it is about us needing some advantage."

Alec shifted on his feet, felt a weight settle heavily on his chest. "And you think I'm that?!"

"You have been so far," Dean honestly said, affection and pride in his tone. "Besides, you're a Winchester and you can't have too many Winchesters waiting in the wings for reinforcements. Dude, you're our ace in the hole and I don't make it a practice to show my cards until it's time."

Sam stepped closer, drew both of his brother's attention to himself but his look settled on Alec. "Alec, I promise, soon as we have a game plan or locate who holds Dean's contract, I'll call you."

For a moment, Alec held Sam's eyes, trusted that Sam was trying to do what was best for Dean, wouldn't side line him if he didn't think it was the best chance they had to save their brother. "I hate this friggin' plan," he grumbled but felt warmed as Sam gave him a soft, sad smile.

Giving Alec's cheek a proud pat at his obvious capitulation, Dean lightly accused, "Now you sound like him," nodding his head to Sam.

"Yeah, and you don't listen to either of us," Sam grumbled good naturedly before a heavy silence fell between the brothers as they looked at each other. Not for the first time, Sam wondered how he had ever walked away from Dean, to go to Stanford, to head to California, to track down the other physic kids…because the thought of leaving part of his family behind, even newly found and formed family, it was agonizing.

Though he had been raised in a military organization, Alec was the least emotionally reserved of the brothers, didn't hesitate to step forward, enclose Dean in a hard, desperate hug. "No more kamikaze routines, dumbbehind," he growled affectionately by Dean's ear, warmed as Dean's arms came around him, hugged him tightly back before releasing him.

"Says the guy who willingly goes up against a secret government agency. I'm not going to be around for awhile so watch your butt, little brother," Dean ordered, didn't release his stern eye contact with Alec until his brother nodded his head, made the vow.

Turning to Sam, Alec found Sam met him half way, was willingly drawing him into his arms. "Don't try and do this on your own, Sam. I'm not interested in burying you anymore than Dean."

"I won't do it without you, Alec," Sam pledged, pulling back, finding his eyes shining as they met Alec's own watery depths.

"Come on, Sam, we're losing light," Dean falsely groused, gave a smile to Alec that didn't reach his eyes as Sam came to his side.

Sam's smile was sad as he gave Alec a nod before he turned around, matched Dean's gait as they walked away, together.

Alec's hands fisted at his side, cutting off the blood flow as he watched his brothers walk away, leave him behind. Being pulled away from the explosion that he had thought killed Rachel, watching as Manticore, the only home he had ever known, burned, walking away from a comatose Rachel, leaving Max behind when Sam and Dean had originally busted him out of jail…it had all been hard, brutally hard. But this, this was akin to a part of himself dying.

He didn't even hear Max's approach, didn't sense her presence until she spoke. "You alright?"

"No," Alec murmured as Dean and Sam turned the corner, slipped from his sight, walked away from him, took more of him with them than he thought he could live without. "Not even close."

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TBC

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Thanks for reading and for your wonderful reviews for last chapter! Sorry it's been such a wait for an update.

Have a wonderful evening!

Cheryl W.