Author: Restive Nature
Genre: Crossover
Type: WiP
Shows: Dark Angel and Supernatural
Disclaimer: Neither show represented in this fiction belongs to me. Dark Angel is the product of Cameron/Eglee and Fox, whereas Supernatural is the product of Kripke and The CW. No profits are made from this fiction and it is intended for private enjoyment only.
Story Rating: PG-13 up to NC-17 for language, violence and sexual situations. (All higher rated material will be contained in its own chapter and clearly marked at the beginning of the chapter. PG versions of these chapters will also be available.)
Chapter Rating: PG-13 for language.
Timeline/ Spoilers: This story takes place predominantly in the Supernatural timeline. This means that the Dark Angel structure of post-pulse America does not fit in. The massive changes will be that Manticore is decades ahead of itself and the characters from DA are born much earlier than portrayed on the show. There is no Pulse occurring. Any other changes to the structures or episodes of the shows will be (hopefully) explained within the story itself.
Pairing: None at this time. (The pairing will become evident as the story progresses, but much further down the road.)
Summary: Change can be a choice and you never know where the road you choose to take will lead you.
When It Changes
Chapter Fourteen
To Evade Is Divine
I’m bored,” Max whined. It was about the third time she had said it. Dean rolled his eyes once again and Sam never even looked up from the book he was reading. Reading was what she should have been doing. The only trouble was that the rest of her books were already packed away in one of the few boxes that the Winchester’s were taking with them. Those boxes were currently in the trunk of the Impala. The book that was resting beside her, she’d already finished. And unfortunately, with her photographic memory, Max knew the entire contents of the book front to back. Maybe in a few years she’d pick it up and read it again. There were few books that she’d found so far that she felt like doing that with.
“Read your book,” Dean grunted again, for the third time.
“I’m finished it,” Max informed him loftily.
“Then read something else,” he muttered, flipping a page in the magazine he was leafing through.
“There is nothing else,” she groaned. She looked over to Sammy to see how far he was through his book, wondering if she could borrow it from him. But he was only through the first part and Max knew that he probably wouldn’t want to trade her for the book that she’d just completed. “What time is Dad supposed to get here?” she demanded. There was still no movement from Sam but the flickering of his eyes as he moved them over the words.
Dean rolled his arm to glance at his watch. “Any time now,” he answered shortly.
“And he’s bringing burgers? Right?”
Dean flopped the magazine down to his lap. He nudged at Max, sitting on the floor before the sofa, between Dean and his brother. “Yes Max, he’s bringing food, just like he told us this afternoon before he left, when he didn’t give us an exact time he would be back because he didn’t know exactly what the guys from work had planned, but since he doesn’t like us to be alone too long, even though some of us are eminently qualified to kick the crap out of whatever is out there, and does that answer any other questions you have that you already know the answers to?” The words ran together and Dean sucked in a mouthful of oxygen, staring the girl down. He groaned silently when the corner of her mouth tilted up.
“No,” she grinned. Dean pinched the bridge of his nose, waiting for the next onslaught. “Can we play cards?” Well at least it was a new question this time.
“Uh uh,” Dean shook his head. “That pack got so dog eared that I threw them out. I was gonna pick some up next town we’re through.”
“Why not just get some at the store?” Max demanded. She knew that Mrs. Gallagher carried stuff like that.
“She was out,” Dean answered quietly. Like the rest of the family, he’d become a loyal shopper at the local store.
“Dean?” Max whimpered. He ignored her. She poked his leg. “Deeee-an!” He kept ignoring her. She poked him in a few places. He shifted his leg away from her. “Dean Dean Dean Dean!” She started to chant and poke playfully. Finally he gave up.
“What!” he exploded, slamming the magazine shut. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a smirk tempting Sammy’s lips. He glared down at Max, severely annoyed with her. All he wanted to do was relax before his father got home with the food, eat, pack the car, and relax some more then head to bed. They were leaving extremely early in the morning and Dean didn’t want to have to sleep in the car.
“Can we play another game?” Max asked sweetly. Dean could have sworn that she’d already come up with a game entitled ‘number one game to drove my brother nuts’. And the bad thing was, she was definitely winning. Well, time to turn the tables on her.
“Sure,” he smiled broadly, throwing her off track. She did look surprised at his sudden surrender. “What do you suggest?”
“Ooh,” she breathed out quickly, clambering up to her knees. “Escape and evade!”
“Huh?” She lost him on that one. Was it some kind of board game? He knew they definitely didn’t have that one.
“You know… escape, and then evade,” Max spoke slowly, like she was talking to a two year old.
It wasn’t like Dean hadn’t heard the term before, but this was one game he’d never heard of before. “Yeah I get it,” he muttered impatiently. “But huh?”
“Hide and seek man,” Sam finally piped up. He’d put his book down to watch the drama unfolding between his siblings and there was definitely an amused glint in his eyes. The younger boy glanced at Max, communicating with their eyes. Max just seemed glad that someone was on her side. Before Dean could say anything else, the two of them shouted in unison, “1-2-3! Not it!”
And then they disappeared from the room. Dean stared at the doorway to the kitchen, open-mouthed. Did he just agree to play hide and seek? Apparently those two thought he had. And then an evil little grin settled on his face. Sure, he’d play hide and seek. They could hide and he would seek… eventually. He picked up his magazine once again and flipped through to the article he’d wanted to read. He did keep one ear open though, especially when he heard bumps and thumps coming from the basement. He glanced over and saw that Sam had taken his book with him. At least he knew the routine. He just wondered how long it would be before Max caught on to Dean’s game.
It was perhaps half an hour later that Dean finished with his magazine. From cover to cover. He’d even forced himself to read all the advertisements and captions under the pictures. He threw the magazine down and glanced at his watch. He was starting to wonder himself where their father was. It must have been some going away party that his father’s co-workers were throwing him. Dean smirked a little at the thought of John trying to drive them tomorrow with a hangover. But knowing his father, he’d be letting everyone else doing the drinking.
He rose from the couch and stretched his six foot frame as high as it would go, then decided he better search out the kids. He headed for the basement first, knowing that one or possibly both were down there. As he opened the basement door and flipped on the light, his ears tuned to even the slightest noise, he heard a muffled grunt. Sounded like Sammy.
“Ready or not, here I come!” he called out. He thumped down the steps as loudly as he could. Sammy had gone silent at his older brother’s approach. But Dean knew what little clues to look for. He almost hated to find the kid, because the silence for the past while had been nice. But there was the clue he was searching for. A sheet that hadn’t belonged to them, that had been in the house when they’d moved in, was now lying over the gap between the washer and the dryer. Dean crept over and yanked the sheet away, not really surprising his little brother.
“Took you long enough,” Sam groused as he tried to shift from his squashed up position. He winced as he got an arm out. “I think my legs are asleep.”
“Your own fault for hiding there,” Dean lectured remorselessly. He wrinkled his forehead. “How the hell did you get yourself in there anyway?”
“It wasn’t easy,” Sam confessed, moving inch by inch to make his way out.
“Good thing you didn’t have another growth spurt while you were down here,” Dean chuckled. “We’d never get you out.”
“You might not anyway,” Sam complained. He seemed to be well and truly stuck. “Give me a hand.”
“Nuh uh,” Dean held his hands up. “You got yourself in there, you can get yourself out.”
“I’m serious Dean,” Sam complained. “I’m stuck.”
“Well the washer and dryer ain’t,” Dean retorted. Sam looked incredulously up at his big brother. He recognized in an instant what Dean was doing. It was one of Dean’s and John’s credos that you should never get yourself into a situation that you couldn’t get out of. Advice that Sam had wished he’d taken. But with a heavy grunt, he flexed his drawn up legs, pushing against the machines he was sandwiched between. Though heavy, they began to give and Sam was able to make a couple more inches of room for himself. He reached up and was able to grab the top of the dryer and he hauled himself out. And Dean still wouldn’t give him a hand, until he’d gotten all the way out and heard the mocking applause.
“Finally,” Dean snorted. “Now let’s go find Max.”
“You find her,” Sam retorted snidely. “After all, you’re it.” Dean shook his head and began glancing around the basement once more. He hadn’t heard any other noise while Sam was working his way out of his predicament, which led Dean to believe that she wasn’t down here. But he wanted to check and make sure anyway.
A quick search assured him that she’d gone a different direction than Sam had. And the smirk on Sam’s face as he watched his brother search confirmed that idea. Dean turned and bounded up the steps. He didn’t bother with the main floor. Any kid knew better than to hide too close to the ‘it’ person, didn’t they? But knowing Max, she could be anywhere. Dean heard Sam coming up and wondered if he’d follow all the way up. But Sam didn’t.
Dean made a cursory check in the bedrooms upstairs. The beds were stripped clean of the sheets that had previously been on them. Sleeping bags were ready to go. So Dean could see immediately that she wasn’t under any of the three beds up there. Checking the closets, he had no luck there either. So he figured she was either in his Dad’s room or in the bathroom.
He ran back down the stairs, impressed with his sister’s skill. No wonder hide and seek was her favorite game. She was pretty good at it. He wondered how she would fare at being it. But he wasn’t about to lower himself to suggest that he play again. He caught a glimpse of Sam at the kitchen table, reading once again. Dean shook his head and turned to his left. Again, there wasn’t much to search in the bathroom. She wasn’t there.
A grin formed and Dean slowly advanced on his father’s bedroom. He eased the door open, wanting to draw out the suspense. As with the rooms upstairs, the bed was stripped clean and he could see that she wasn’t under there. That left just the closet. Dean let his footfalls thump on the bare floor a little louder than he normally would. He let the door creak a little as he opened it.
“Gotcha!” he yelled, yanking the closet door al the way open. Except… he didn’t. Have her, that was. The closet remained blissfully empty, devoid of things but for the few wire hangers John couldn’t be bothered to take. “Ooh, sneaky sneaky,” he chuckled. He exited his dad’s room and headed back for the kitchen. He bypassed Sammy and checked out the living room. With the couch shoved up against two walls, there was no way she could wedge herself into that corner. So Dean knew that the girl hadn’t found refuge there. That meant only one thing. She had been in Dad’s closet, but must have snuck downstairs while he’d been upstairs. Very smart. But he’d get her.
“Still looking?” Sam asked smartly when Dean passed through the kitchen.
“Laugh it up fuzz brain,” Dean retorted. “At least she’s better at this game than you are. I finally have a bit of a challenge in years.”
Sam shrugged off the insult and buried his nose back into his book. He was truthfully, enjoying Max taking Dean down a peg or two. It seemed that his big brother wasn’t as perfect as he liked to claim he was. Otherwise, he’d have found Max ages ago.
“Sam!” Dean’s voice sounded tense and frustrated as it floated up from the basement. Sam was going to ignore it, but the memory of Max’s seizures bit hard in his mind and he was out of the chair before he could think any more.
“What?” he yelled from the basement door, ready to jump either way.
“Where is she?” Dean demanded, his face appearing at the foot of the stairs.
Sam was dumbstruck for a moment. Dean hadn’t found her yet? “I don’t know,” he answered simply. Dean rolled his eyes and began climbing the steps.
“You gotta know,” Dean argued. “Where did she go? Is she outside?”
“You mean she isn’t down there?” Sam was perplexed. Dean gave his little brother a ‘duh’ glare.
“Did she go outside?” Dean demanded again. Sammy shrugged helplessly.
“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “I thought she went upstairs or to Dad’s room.”
“She was in Dad’s room,” Dean barked. “I meant when I was upstairs.”
Sam was still confused. “You think she went and hid somewhere else?” Dean nodded slowly, losing patience with his little brother. “But she didn’t,” Sam protested.
“Don’t play around Sam,” Dean warned. “Where did she go?”
“Honestly Dean,” Sam gasped. Dean was starting to look royally pissed off. And Sam knew that that was not a good sign. Dean searched his little brother’s face. Sammy really well and truly did not know where Max had hid.
“Damn it!” Dean roared as he headed for the back door. He wrenched it open and stared out into the night. “She knows better than to be wandering around at night.”
“She wouldn’t leave the yard, would she?” Sam asked breathlessly.
“She better not have or I will tan her hide for pulling such a stupid stunt,” Dean growled. There was no choice for it, he stepped out onto the back porch and started trying to acclimate his eyes to the dusky evening sky. He was pleased that Sam had followed suit. He really didn’t want to explain to his dad how they’d lost Max.
When she heard the growling voices and the back door being yanked open, Max had to stifle a giggle. Her internal clock told her that she’d been hiding up on the roof for at least forty-five minutes. She had figured that Sam would go to the basement because there were more dark corners and places and things to hide behind. But for herself, she had a plan in mind before they’d even left the kitchen.
There were certain parameters that she was confined by. It was a long standing rule of John’s that Sam and Max were not allowed to wander alone after dark. John or Dean needed to be in attendance if they went anywhere. Even just to the ext house over. And if he wasn’t home, they weren’t to leave the yard unless it was an emergency. But there was still plenty to work with.
So Max had stealthily made her way up to the top floor of the house. She debated which room to use and finally settled on her. She’d pulled the window open and hoisted herself up and out. By standing on the windowsill and reaching up, she was able to grab the eaves on the roof. She tested it a little to make sure it would hold her weight, which it did. She then used the toe of one shoe to push the window shut. Being careful to be quiet, she made her way across the roof, to find cover under the canopy of the huge cottonwood planted in the next lot.
After a quarter hour of waiting, Max began to wonder what Dean was up to. Taking a chance, she reached up and took a hold of the tree branch closest to her. It swayed and Max hoped that Dean would think that it was just the wind rustling through the leaves. She quickly descended the tree and hopped from the top of the fence, down to the ground. She crept around to the front of the house and peered in the living room window. Only to find that Dean was still reading his magazine. She recognized the mind game immediately. He was going to make them wait so he could have some peace and quiet.
Well Max wasn’t about to let him get the best of her. So she hunkered down in the lone bush and amused herself by making faces at her elder brother. He had no clue that he was being watched. She ducked down finally when he threw his magazine down. She peered carefully from her perch as he stretched and then ducked out of sight as he strode towards the kitchen. She checked when she heard footfalls coming from the back of the house and decided her coast was clear. So she carefully headed back to the tree to resume her former perch.
Once again on the roof, she heard the muffled sounds of the house being searched. She knew he’d found Sammy when she heard two voices in the kitchen area. The search upstairs went a lot quicker and Dean apparently didn’t notice anything amiss with her bedroom window, since he went back down the stairs. There was another wait and then some yelling. And then Max heard the back door open. She carefully slid herself across the roof and peered down at her brothers over the eave. They dashed off the porch step and began searching out the darkening corners of the fenced in yard.
“Max!” Dean yelled. “Where are you?” He turned in circles, trying to see everywhere at once, which was impossible, even for Manticore alumni. Max again bit back the urge to giggle. “Come out now! Game’s over!” Yeah right. Game wasn’t over, which was why the second part was evading. Obviously Dean wasn’t very good at this game.
“Come on Max!” Sam called from the other end of the yard. “Come out!” The boys waited, but there was no answer.
“I’m serious Max!” Dean tried once again. “Come out now, or I will kick your little ass when I find you.” There was still no answer. The two boys walked slowly, listening for anything, a clue, her voice, anything. They met in the middle of the yard, their eyes troubled.
“Dad’s gonna kill us,” Sammy whispered.
John sat comfortably in his Impala, his hands resting lightly on the steering wheel. He was musing over the dinner and drinks that his now former co-workers had sprung for in the next tiny town over. He hadn’t wanted to leave for home so late, but everyone was caught up in story-telling and reminiscing and he hated to cut things short. When he’d glanced at his watch and realized how late it was getting, he almost kicked himself. It was two hours since he’d called the kids to let them know he’d be on his way home soon.
So he’d placed his to-go order and continued to feel bad as he waited for the orders to get ready. When he finally had them, he’d called goodnight to the others and dashed out the door. He considered calling once more, but decided against it. He’d apologize and deal with their well-deserved peevishness with him when he got home. He had his cell phone in case of emergencies. And since there were no calls and no messages on it, there were no emergencies.
The drive between Square Butte and Geraldine was fairly short. But nonetheless, John was glad that he’d already eaten. Those burgers smelled mighty good. He wondered if the kids would notice if he stole a French fry or two. His hand crept towards the Styrofoam containers, piled one on top of another. He glanced down to undo the flimsy clasp, but cursed when something caught his eye. As he had almost one year ago, he swerved to avoid an animal in the road.
But there was something more to it. He managed to stop the car and glancing behind him, he backed up. He did it quickly, hoping that no other car would come along. He directed his headlights to cover the animal. From what he could first see, it seemed to be a cow. He wondered at how it had come to be road kill. Whoever hit it must have sustained pretty good damage to their vehicle. John glanced at the ditches. They were shallow right here and he didn’t see a wreck anywhere. He eased the car to the side of the road and left his blinkers on, just in case someone else came along.
He got out of the car and a smell assaulted his nose. One that he hadn’t smelled in a while. At least not in this magnitude.
Blood.
The highway was covered with the substance. John eased through it, grimacing. It was something he’d done before, but that didn’t mean that he enjoyed it. When he finally reached the animal, he figured that it had probably bled out from its injuries. But one glance at the animal’s head and John knew that this was no accident.
The animal’s throat had been slit and the eyes removed.
Fear, panic and anger gripped him all at once. He cursed himself out loud that he hadn’t seen this coming. The demon was here and the kids were alone. He ran for the car and slammed it into gear. He roared around the carcass on the road and pushed the needle as high as it would go. Geraldine came swiftly into sight and out of necessity, so he wouldn’t kill himself trying to reach home, he slowed. He contemplated calling the house, but he was so close now that it was pointless.
He pulled up to the curb, parking haphazardly. The door was swinging wildly as he ran from the car to the house. The lights were on, but there was no sound as John panted and opened the front door. His gun was out and ready as he carefully toed off his squeaky shoes. He didn’t want to give any intruder a clue that he was there.
The living room was empty, though John noticed Dean’s magazine on the couch. He swept his eyes around the room, knowing that anything could manifest in dark corners. He made it through to the kitchen and his heart nearly stopped. The backdoor was hanging open. John forced his breathing to slow, kicking his Marine training into high gear. He couldn’t assume anything. He crossed the kitchen floor, relief filling his throat when he heard his boys’ voices outside. He made it to the door just in time to hear Sam whispering.
“Dad’s gonna kill us.”
“Sam? Dean?” John’s voice rang out. The boys whirled around, noting immediately that he had his weapon out. That right there put them on even higher alert. Neither boy answered, but glanced guiltily at one another. Fear gnawed at John’s stomach. “Where’s Max?” The boys continued to look guilty. “Answer me!”
“We don’t know,” Dean finally answered in a completely repentant voice. At his father’s low growl he attempted to explain. “We were playing hide and seek and we can’t find her.”
“Damn it!” John roared. He rushed off the steps. “Where did you look?”
“I searched the house and we looked around the yard sir,” Dean snapped out, well aware now of how dangerous the situation was. Something was out there and it might have his little sister. A situation that wouldn’t have developed if he’d been on the ball. That was the only reason John would be carrying his gun openly. Something was out there.
“Max!” John yelled, much like the boys had done only minutes ago. “Max come out now! The game is over!”
Max had heard John’s arrival. She peered over the roof edge, also noting the gun. She waited for John to start chewing Sam and Dean’s asses for not being able to find her, but there was more panic about him than anger at the moment. And she knew something was definitely up. He was right the game was over. Easing her way carefully, it wouldn’t do to fall accidentally, Max dropped from her perch, landing silently not five feet behind them.
“Where the hell could she be?” John panted.
“Right here sir,” she answered swiftly. All three males jumped and spun to see her, standing just off the porch, looking completely innocent and thankfully, unharmed.
“Where the hell were you?” Dean demanded, relief pouring through him.
“No time for that right now,” John barked. “Get your stuff and get out to the car. Now!”
There was no way the children could refuse the fear in his voice. They ran as if their heels were on fire. Within minutes, they had their bags and sleeping rolls and were out at the car. John had already retrieved his duffel and bag and was stuffing them into the trunk as well. He didn’t care that there were lights on in the house; he just wanted to get his children away from there. Dean helped him stow the bags while Sam and Max hurried into the back seat. But before Dean could hurry around to the passenger’s side, John handed him a revolver. And then another.
“Give that to Sammy,” he instructed, while grabbing something else. Dean was surprised. Whatever was going on was huge, for them to be arming Sammy. John slammed the trunk shut and Dean took that as a cue to get in the car. He shoved the Styrofoam boxes over and took his customary seat. He handed the gun back to Sammy, a silent warning in his eyes. John offered something to Max and at first it seemed the girl would refuse. But finally she relented. She pulled out a silver knife from the sheath, examined it quickly and then slid it back home. She leaned forward and tucked it into the back of her pants. John pulled away from the curb, performed a U-turn and was pulling out of the town before the kids could really catch their breaths.
Once they had a few miles under their belt, John addressed the kids. “What the hell was going on back there?” he demanded, the fear still evident in his gruff voice.
“Max was bored,” Dean began, sticking to the most relevant points. “So we decided to play hide and seek. Sam hid in the basement. I found him right away, but I couldn’t find Max.”
“It wasn’t hide and seek,” Max piped up from the backseat. Dean turned enough to glare at her.
“I checked all over the house and then we checked outside,” he continued. “I told her the game was over, but she still wouldn’t come out.”
“I wasn’t playing hide and seek,” Max protested again. “I was playing escape and evade.”
“Well I don’t care what the hell you call it,” Dean shouted at her. “When I tell you a game is over and to come out, then you get your ass out.”
“Only if I want to be captured,” Max shouted back. “That’s just the thing the enemy does to trick you.”
There was stunned silence following that outburst and then John laughed. It was rusty and tired sounding, but it was a laugh. “Escape and evade, hmm?” He glanced over at his eldest. “She has a point, you know?”
“What do you mean sir?” Dean asked tiredly. The adrenaline rush had passed and he was feeling decidedly worn out.
“The whole point of evading is not to be found,” John pointed out. “Different from hide and seek. Eventually you want to be found so that the game continues.”
“Fine,” Dean grumbled. “But we’re never playing escape and evade again.”
“What if we have to?” Max wanted to know.
“What do you mean?” Sam asked.
“What if it’s not a game?” Max asked softly. All three males were paying attention. “What if something, or someone is after us and we get split up or something.”
“Another good point,” John decided. He glanced down at the Styrofoam, once again noticing the lush smell of deep fried food wafting through the car. “You guys should eat. I brought burgers and fries.” He nudged the boxes back towards Dean and the teen obligingly handed the top two back to his siblings. Sam and Max took them gratefully and immediately dug in.
“Sam,” Dean warned. “Put the gun on the floor. Don’t leave it in your lap.” Sam nodded and complied, even while shoving French fries in his mouth.
“So what if it happens like Max says?” Sam managed to ask with a mouth full of food. “What if we get split up? How will we know it’s safe to come out?”
“We should have a code word,” Max decided. “Or two. One for when it’s okay. And one for when there’s still danger.”
“Good thinking,” John grinned. “Any idea what our code words should be?”
“They shouldn’t be normal everyday words,” Dean thought out loud. He took a bite of his burger. “Then we’d never know for sure if things were okay or not.”
“What about words in a different language?” Sam asked. “That wouldn’t be confusing.”
“But if someone were holding you hostage or something,” Max interrupted, “they’d catch on when you suddenly started spouting French.”
“I didn’t say it had to be in French,” Sam protested. “Just another language.”
“I think Max is right,” John mused. “It needs to be something that sounds ordinary, but means something to us alone.”
“So something cheery for the all okay sign and something bad for the bat signal?” Dean asked. But Max was already shaking her head.
“That’s a dead giveaway,” she argued. “If you suddenly start talking about things with bad connotations, the bad guy will catch on.”
The group sat in silence while John continued to drive on. But suddenly, something hit Dean and he turned around in his seat. “Hey! Where were you hiding?”
“On the roof,” Max answered with a slight grin. Dean gave her his patented ‘I don’t believe this crap’ glare and she laughed. “Really!”
“How’d you get up on the roof?” Sammy demanded.
“I climbed,” she retorted. Sam shook his head. “Really! I did!”
“What did you climb?” John demanded.
“The tree next door,” Max answered glibly. John rolled his eyes heavenward for just a moment and heaved a long sigh. “It wasn’t hard. You just jump up on the fence, climb the tree and there was a branch that hung over our roof.”
“I believe you Max,” John said at the end of her explanation. “But please, don’t ever do that again.”
“Yes sir,” she replied meekly.
“On the roof,” Dean chuckled. The other occupants glanced at him. “That can be our signal that everything’s okay. I’m on the roof!” The others laughed and all was well again. At least as well as it could be.
Chapter Fifteen
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