Chapter 17

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, following and has added it as a favorite story. Reviews would be great.

December 31st

Dean went back up to his bedroom after bringing Lexi's breakfast dishes down to the kitchen to keep her company. Only a week has passed since she was put on strict bed rest and he could tell that his wife was already sick of it. He was trying his best to make sure she wasn't feeling left out and isolated which was harder then he thought it would be given that he also had three boys to take care of. Ben really wasn't an issue, the kid was a good seed. But Alec and Jake? Well, those two were mini Dean Winchesters through and through. To say they were a handful didn't even cover it. Dean really didn't get how Lexi seemed to be able to corral them without even breaking a sweat. He was already exhausted and the kids had only been up for three hours.

He expected to find his wife sitting up in bed watching television or reading a book, he didn't expect to find that she had went back to sleep. Dean raised his eyebrow wondering if something was wrong but then he remembered she had mentioned during breakfast that she had a hard time sleeping last night. He turned the television off before grabbing Lexi's laptop and settling himself on the bed next to her. Dean figured she must be exhausted and while she slept he could do some research on Lydecker. Maybe him and Sam had missed something during their first search. They worked harder cases than this and besides Donald Lydecker was just a man, he would slip up. And when he did, Sam and Dean Winchester were going to be there locked and loaded.

After hours of research, Dean sighed while running his hands down his face and closing Lexi's lap top. He'd been at it all day looking for anything on Lydecker. When that turned up nothing he began searching for odd or miraculous events involving children and teenagers in the last five months. Boy did he hit the mother load with that one. He must've found at least thirty articles that could have involved former Manticore soldiers. He crossed his bedroom over to where he had a map of the United States taped to the wall. He started adding red pins to mark the locations of where these events have occurred. He figured that Lydecker had to be keeping track of the same stories in order to round up the missing Manticore soldiers. If that was the case, then each one of those red pins was a possible lead or location for the man.

"Dean?"

Dean turned at the sound of his wife's voice, crossed the room in two long strides then helped her to sit up. He fussed with the pillows, propping them up against the headboard before sitting on their bed and asking, "You need something, Lex?"

"What time is it?"

"About four. Why?"

"Why'd you let me sleep all day?"

"Cuz I'm an awesome husband and you told me this morning you hardly slept last night. Figured you must've needed to sleep. Bet you're hungry." Lexi nodded as Dean wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "What do you want to eat?"

"Grease."

"Grease, uh? Um, baby girl, you're gonna have to be a little more specific then that."

"Bacon cheeseburger, medium, onion rings and a cherry coke."

"I'll go run to the diner and Bobby can watch the kids while I'm gone."

"Where's Sam and Jackie?"

"They went into town to ring in the new year."

"Why didn't you go?"

"Cuz I want to ring in the new year with my girls." Dean smirked before brushing his lips softly against hers, "Besides the best part of new years is getting to kiss you at midnight."

Dean made his way downstairs to check on his boys before heading out. He tilted his head when he got to the bottom of the stairs. It was quiet, too quiet for Dean which meant the three of them were probably into something they shouldn't be. He really wasn't in the mood to have to dole out punishments or to have to listen to Bobby go on about Winchesters running wild in his house. Dean opened the basement door to check that the boys weren't down there before looking in the library. He found his three boys sitting on the floor in a circle talking in hushed voices. Dean crouched down next to where the three of them were playing with their erector set on the library floor. "Hey."

"Hi dad."

"Listen up. I'm gonna go make a dinner run and the four of us are gonna go eat upstairs with your mom, ya know keep her company and then watch the ball drop."

"Why?"

"Cuz it's New Years Eve and your mom is kinda down."

All three boys nodded their understanding before going back to constructing yet another sky scraper. Dean couldn't help but smile. Ben and Alec have come so far in such a short amount of time that occasionally he forgets that they aren't normal boys. He was worried at first with how Ben and Alec would handle being around Jake but now as he watches the three of them together he doesn't know why he was concerned. They were awesome older brothers and were always seeking Jake out to play with them. Jake looked up at his dad with big eyes, "Daddy, I come wit you?"

"Nah, not this time, buddy." Dean smiled down at his youngest boy while ruffling his blonde hair, "You stay here and play with your brothers."

An Hour Later

Dean came back from the diner to find all three boys piled in bed with Lexi. Jake was in her lap leaning his head against her chest while Alec and Ben were sitting on either side of her. Alec had the remote and was flipping through the channels pausing every few seconds to get his brothers' opinions before moving on to the next channel. Dean walked further into the room carrying two bags full of take out from the local diner. He quirked his eyebrow at the boys asking what they were doing.

"Watching television and keeping Mom company." Ben responded promptly before gesturing to the map full of pins on the opposite wall,

"What's the map for Dad?"

"I'm trying to find your old C.O. so I can take him out."

Alec turned his attention from the cartoon he was watching to his father. He sat up straighter staring at Dean with wide eyes, "I wanna help."

"You can help me and your Uncle Sammy with the research."

January 1st

Alec sat at the kitchen table with his dad and his Uncle Sammy looking through newspaper articles his father had printed yesterday. He was putting them into two piles; one for possible Manticore solider involvement and the other for ordinaries. His dad told him this job was a very important one since it will help him narrow down his search area. Alec felt his chest tighten and warm when Dean ran a hand through his hair telling him he was doing a good job. He smiled cheekily at his dad, "Whatta expect? They cloned the better hunter."

"Yeah they did and the handsome one to boot."

Sam rolled his eyes but ignored his brother and nephew. Yeah, Sam thought of Alec and Ben as his nephews. He now believed the same as his older brother; it didn't matter how Alec and Ben got here, they were here and they had Winchester blood. Those boys were as much Sam's nephews as Jake was and he would die to protect them. Dean and Alec could tease Sam all they wanted. He knew that his older brother was the best hunter Sam has ever come across. He thought Dean was even better than their dad. His brother would deny it but Sam knew better. Dean was more intelligent than he gave himself credit for. So Sam would sit back quietly letting his brother run the show as he watched and listened. He was grateful he was able to benefit from his brother's knowledge and expertise. It wasn't that he didn't learn from his father but at the time Sam didn't want to accept the fact that he was different from other people. Sam turned his attention back to the email he had received from Victor a few minutes ago. He stared at the screen his eyes wide with disbelief, "Dean."

"Yeah, Sammy?"

"We got the son of a bitch."

Dean jumped up from his chair and was behind Sam's in a blink of an eye. He looked at the picture that Sam had enlarged, his face breaking out into a huge grin, "Pack your bags, Sammy. We're hitting the road."

Before they left Dean had taken Ben and Alec aside and brought them into a clearing in the woods. He made sure they were deep enough in the woods that Lexi would not be able to hear the gunfire from the house. He opened the duffel he was carrying and carefully took out the guns and ammunition, then he set up targets. He handed Ben Sam's Taurus PT-92 9mm gesturing towards the targets. Ben looked from the gun in his hand to his dad not bothering to hide his confusion, "Dad...I thought Mom didn't want..."

"She doesn't and I really don't either but I'm leaving to go after Lydecker and I need to make sure you boys can handle these guns. If someone comes here after you, it's only Bobby and Jackie. I need you two to get Jake and your Mom and protect them and yourselves. You know where the guns and ammo are. I'm counting on you boys."

January 3rd

Riverdale, NY

Dean hung up his cell after checking in with Lexi and the boys. He thought they were safe but he wouldn't be able to do his job without knowing for sure. After hearing his wife say everything was okay except for the fact that Alec nearly burned down the kitchen, Dean could focus on the job at hand. He put his cell back into his pocket before smacking Sam on the shoulder to get his attention. Sam tore his eyes away from the food market he had been watching with his eyebrow raised, "Everything okay at Bobby's?"

"Yeah, everything's fine. Colonel Douchebag come out yet?"

"Nope. He's still inside."

"Well, I dunno bout you Sammy," Dean smirked as he slapped his younger brother's knee, "but I'm in the mood for some Twinkies. You think they have any?"

"Dean, this isn't Zombieland."

Dean shrugged pulling a face, "Maybe I just want some damn Twinkies."

For once Sam just wished his brother would take something seriously. This job wasn't a joke, they weren't hunting monsters, they were hunting a man. Sam huffed rolling his eyes, his bitch face firmly in place, "No you don't. If you said pie that would be more plausible."

"You just don't appreciate my pop culture knowledge."

Foodtown Supermarket

Riverdale, NY

Dean grabbed a carriage while telling Sam to go in the opposite direction. Sam glared down at Dean trying hard not to huff, his lips in a straight thin line, "Victor said to wait for him."

"I'm not waiting anymore. I'm gonna draw this bastard out and you get the drop on him. Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it." Sam began to walk away before turning back eying his brother, "You do realize this is the vision Lexi had, right?"

Dean quirked his eyebrow and stared at his brother. Sam couldn't possibly thing he was that dense. Then again, it was his little brother who always assumed that he never paid attention to any conversation unless it centered around food, sex or ganking evil sonsofbitches. "Yeah, Sammy, I do and that's why I know this will work."

Dean headed for the produce section since it was the biggest open space in the store. He wanted to make sure Lydecker got a good look at him. He took his time walking around the section going to each bin and checking out the contents. From time to time he added random items to his carriage so not to appear suspicious. Dean was starting to get impatient. This was taking too long for his liking. He knew Lydecker hadn't left yet and was just about to go up and down the aisles in search of him when he heard a man from behind him calling his name. He turned around slowly and came face to face with Donald Lydecker. Dean quirked his eyebrow at the man asking, "Do I know you?"

"You probably don't remember me." Lydecker smiled at him while holding his hand out for Dean to shake, "Colonel Donald Lydecker. I'm a friend of your dad's."

Dean glanced down at the proffered hand and plastered a smile on his face. He pumped Lydecker's hand with enthusiasm when what he really wanted to do was to take out his Colt 1911 and empty a clip in him on principle alone. "Right, Lydecker. How are you?"

"Good. How's your old man?"

"Dead."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yeah, thanks."

Lydecker let the conversation lag for a moment as he studied Dean. He had filled out quiet a lot in the last decade and if that was any indication on how X5-493 and 494 would turn out, well, he had done well when he chose their donor. Lydecker's eyes fell upon the younger man's left hand. There was what appeared to be a platinum wedding band on his ring finger. He raised an eyebrow asking, "How's the wife and kids?"

"How'd you know I was married?"

"Wedding band."

"Oh, right." Dean nodded. He knew exactly what this douche nozzle was trying to do. He was trying to snuff out whether or not Ben and Alec were with him. There was no way Dean was going to fall for it. He lied professionally for Christ's sake, it was a natural gift and he was going to use it to his advantage at the moment and spin a tale for the man. "Wife's fine, a little under the weather, that's why I'm here. And it's only kid, not kids."

"Boy?"

"Nah, I wish. Little girl...pistol like her mom. I need to get home...promised the wife I wouldn't be gone long. It was nice seeing you again Colonel."

Dean smiled at Lydecker, shook his hand and walked away. He turned down the cereal aisle adding a few more items so that it appeared he really was there shopping for groceries. He then sent a text to Sam that the plan was a go and to meet him outside before he headed to the checkout line.