It was four a.m. when the Russo loft heard all manner of banging and breaking doors. Justin ran and hid under his bed, and Max was still sleeping, but Alex came racing out, flipping lights on.
"You're here!" she said happily, racing towards them.
She embraced them both at the same time, and they both hugged her tight, dropping kisses on the top of her head, then looked her over assessingly, as if reassuring themselves she was okay.
"I'm fine." she whispered. "Glad you're here, though. Hi, Bobby." she smiled, and he pulled her into a hug too.
"Let's go." Dean began, but Jerry and Theresa came downstairs, pulling on bathrobes.
"What is going on? Are we being robbed?"
"No, it's just my family come to pick me up!" Alex called. "Bye, Mr. and Mrs. Russo!"
"Well, wait a second... don't you think we should talk a second?" Theresa said to Sam and Dean.
She watched as they yanked Alex behind them, completely blocking her from view, standing like fierce bodyguards, and she couldn't help feeling good there. She was loved... Megan may have taken her away, but she very obviously sent her to a place of love.
"Sam, Dean... no one is going to harm anyone." she said gently. "And, no one is going to try to keep anyone here."
"We're not stupid; and the council are obviously a bunch of jackasses to piss of Winchesters of all people and leave me, an ex wizard to deal with it." Jerry said, rubbing his face groggily.
"Ex wizard? You can give your powers up?" Sam demanded.
Jerry yawned. "Yes. You have to if you marry a mortal." he said. "But, I don't regret it for a second." he smiled, pulling Theresa down next to him on the couch.
"Wait... you've heard of us?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Dude, it's so awesome." Alex said bouncily. "We have a rep with all supernaturals. We're like, feared."
Dean grinned. "Sweet..."
"Well, we knew we had targets on our foreheads..." Sam muttered.
"Come on, Sammy; gotta feel a little good to know that they know... we're badass." Dean said cockily.
"Lookit... we do need to discuss the wizarding thing a little bit." Jerry said. "She... her powers ought to be calmed down by now. They come in around 12, and then it takes anywhere from three-to-fourteen days to be more controlable. I can teach her--- ah, remotely." Jerry said, suddenly nervous at the click sounds he heard. He couldn't see weapons, but thought maybe he could hear them...
"Listen, until yesterday, we thought she was dead. That isn't our fault, it isn't your fault." Theresa said. "She's welcome to visit, if she likes. No one is going to make her, but we want her to know that she is always welcome, and you are as well. You are her family, I know that... We would never come between. Promise. Just... we'd like a chance to get to know her some, too. That's all."
"If... she wants to visit sometime, when we're swinging through town, 'cause we travel alot..." Dean fumbled, unsure of how to handle this.
He couldn't hate them--- he wished he could. It'd be so much easier... He felt bad for what they had lost, he truly did. He just... Alex was theirs. Plain and simple...
"Just... not alone. It's not we don't trust you--- but we don't know you." Sam finished for him.
"Look, we can--- email some of the lessons. Mail some of the books to help her." Jerry offered.
"Like we said, dude, we travel alot..." Dean said uncertainly. "How ya gonna know where to mail 'em?"
"Wizard mail, finds ya anywhere." Jerry admitted.
"All right, whatever, we'll see... gotta get out of here." Dean said gruffly. "C'mon, Cupcake." he said, and Alex slid her hand into his.
"I should... change..."
"Oh, honey, you can keep it." Theresa said, referring to the nightgown she had loaned her for the night.
And, Sam pulled her up onto his back and they walked out of the door.
Theresa looked at Jerry. "You think she's ever coming back?"
"I don't know, Theresa... I really don't know..."
Once they got into the van, it seemed Dean couldn't get it cranked and out of the parking spot fast enough. He sped down the empty road back towards Bobby's, which was going to be a long trip. But, Alex didn't mind, and she curled up in Sam's lap, yawning.
"Get some sleep, Cupcake." Sam murmured into her hair.
"We'll find a hotel probably a little after dawn, stop and get a nap before we go back to Bobby's and work on the car." Dean said. "Soon as we get the car back goin', we're good."
"They show ya any of that magic stuff?" Bobby asked curiously.
Alex nodded. "Yeah, they have a whole room where they teach their sons that stuff. They've even got wands, which, seems so stupid to me. Harder to hide if you're using a wand; not something you'd want to draw attention to."
"Prol'ly just helps 'em focus it. Aim... enhance, that sorta thing."
"You've got a book them, don't you?"
"Four." Bobby admitted.
"You... don't have to talk to them if you don't want to." Sam said. "I mean... we're not gonna stop you, but... if you don't want to..."
Alex shrugged. "I dunno. I mean, they seem like perfectly nice people and all, they're just... well, they're not you guys... Not... mine."
"Well, what were they like, then?" Dean asked, sounding suspiciously raspy.
"Um... she cooks like, regular family meals; they work in a deli together. The older boy is kind of twitchy, the younger one... kind of naive." she shrugged.
Dean cleared his throat and pulled into a hotel parking lot.
"Come on, got a long drive ahead of us tomorrow..."