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: Dean/ Max, Sam/ Jess
Summary: Change can be a choice and you never know where the road you choose to take will lead you.
When It Changes
Chapter Twenty-six
Mistakes Made
Talk turned to Sam’s former roommate, Rick. He had been supposed to move out at the end of the first semester that Sam had been at college. But that had obviously never happened. Sam went on to recount for his sister all the doomed and failed relationships the guy went through. Apparently he’d find a girl he was all hot and bothered for, would plan on moving in with her, and then it would almost immediately fizzle out. Sam figured that it was because of one of two things, or maybe both. One because Rick was such a slob, but not as bad as some people he knew. Or because Rick just couldn’t seem to say no to a pretty face. Both Jess and Max understood the deeper meaning he implied behind that statement.
Once they reached the diner, Sam and Jess were greeted by a few people they knew and by the waitress who seemed to be a student herself, by what Jess said. It seemed they shared a class and Jess had begun going to the diner in a show of support. That the food was fast, cheap and pretty good didn’t hurt either.
They took a seat at a table and once again, Sam decided to broach the subject of Max’s impromptu visit. He hadn’t gotten anything out of her in the truck and he was really starting to get miffed at his brother. What the hell could Dean have done that was so horrible that Max took off?
Max, who wasn’t fooled by her brother’s backing off in the truck on the drive to his new place, sighed. Apparently he was going to try again in front of Jess, since she had admitted that it was nothing work related. She’d been trying to figure out a convincing enough story to tell her brother that would get him to back off. But at the same time, she really didn’t want to tell him the truth. It was bad enough that she had lowered herself in Dean’s eyes, had disappointed John. She really needed the connection she had with Sam to stay intact. All she could do, she guessed was offer up a partial truth and hope he was satisfied.
“Look Sam,” Max said as she laid down the menu she’d been perusing. “We were at a bar and I was just talking with this guy. Dean finally arrived to meet us and, well you know how he is.”
Sam grunted lightly, as if seeing how the whole thing laid out. “Let me guess, he turned into a raving caveman and got all overprotective and scared the hell outta this guy? And you didn’t appreciate it.” He sighed and leaned back, a small smirk hovering on his lips. “Yeah,” he continued without waiting for Max’s confirmation. “I wouldn’t appreciate it either.”
Max felt a small weight lift of her chest as Sam finished his short tirade. She forced a smile on her face to let Sam feel as if he’d succeeded in worming the truth out of her. “Yeah, so big fight, I left, drove a lot and here I am.”
Sam leaned forward again, asking confidentially, “you didn’t punch him again, did you?”
Max fought to keep from frowning and the rush of emotion that the words evoked. No, she hadn’t hurt Dean physically, much. She dropped her head down so that Sam wouldn’t see the guilt on her face. She shook her head, and then softly admitted. “Just a couple times, in the stomach.”
Sam snorted and covered his mouth with his hand. “He just never learns,” her brother laughed.
Jess sat quietly by, watching this interaction. At Max’s admittances, several things rolled through her mind and seemed to click all at once. Patiently, she waited until Sam had finished his short laughing jag. Leaning forward on her elbows, she smiled at her boyfriend. “Sam, could you ask Allie if she’d get me an ice water? I’m parched.”
Sam, the smile still on his face, searched his girlfriend’s eyes for a moment before he gave in to her simple request. “Sure!” he sprang to his feet and headed over to the diner counter to wait for Jess’ friend to become free.
Jess and Max watched his progress until Jess seemed to feel that he’d gone far enough, before she turned back to Max. “Um, look,” she began hesitantly. “I know we just met and we don’t really know each other, but um, that’s not the whole story, is it?” The panic in Max’s eyes confirmed it and Max shook her head.
Jess could feel the hesitancy in her boyfriend’s sister, but she pushed on anyway. “You don’t have to tell me anything, since I’m still essentially a stranger. It’s just; it seemed to me that this was kind of like something I did when I was about your age.” She paused, hoping that she had figured it out right. She didn’t really want to risk alienating this girl so early on in her relationship with Sam. She knew just by the way Sam talked about her and the way he looked when he thought about or talked to his little sister that she was an extremely important person in his life. Out of his remaining family members, she was the only one he talked about regularly. Since her arrival, Sam had said his brother’s names more times already than since Jess had first met Sam. Jess took a deep breath and plunged on. “You didn’t um; happen to go back out with this guy you met, did you? Just to prove to Dean that you were an adult and you, uh, knew what you were doing?”
Max’s eyes widened as she realized Jess was just giving her the perfect out. She stared at the blonde and slowly nodded her head. “Yeah,” she confirmed softly.
Jess nibbled at the corner of her lip and leaned even closer. “He didn’t hurt you or anything, did he?”
“Oh no,” Max breathed. Her eyes narrowed as she put things together herself. Jess had been in a situation like that? “It was just a stupid mistake that I made. I just didn’t realize it until after. I mean, it’s um, not like I’ve never been with a guy before, but uh, it just went a little further than I meant it to. You know?”
“I know,” Jess nodded sympathetically.
“But you were…?” Max asked, then blushed, realizing that Jess might not want to divulge details either. Jess looked slightly confused until she realized what Max was asking and she gave a small smile.
“Ugh,” she grunted, rolling her eyes. “I was seventeen and determined to go out with this guy on the football team. My dad didn’t like him and for good reason, I guess. So I snuck out to meet him. Let’s just say, I’m very glad some friends of mine happened to show up where we were and got me out of there. It didn’t get very far and it could have been a lot worse.”
“Well I’m glad for that,” Max sighed. She was relieved in a way. She had someone she liked that she could commiserate with on a certain level. But there was still something. “Um, I hate to ask you this, but, could you not tell Sam about this?”
Jess took the request in as the obviously serious tone that it was intended. She nodded. “Of course, but honestly, I think he’d understand.”
“Sammy?” Max scoffed. Jess eyed her intently. Max gave a toss of her head, causing her hair to flip over her shoulder. “Right!”
“No seriously,” Jess smiled. “I mean, I know he’s your brother, but he is pretty sensitive about this stuff.”
“Uh huh,” Max dead-panned. “Let me tell you Jess,” she chuckled. “When it comes to his baby sister, Sam’s caveman routine ranks third, right behind Dad and Dean.”
“Really?” Jess smiled hesitantly, intrigued. Max giggled and leaned forward.
“Yeah, let me tell you about this one time,” she intoned. Oh, this felt so very good. It had been a long time since she’d had a good female friend to giggle with over things. “Well, we were at this bar restaurant sort of place. I can’t even remember what we were doing. But anyway, we had just finished dinner and Dad was over at the bar talking to one of his friends.” That wasn’t quite the truth, but Max knew that Jess didn’t need those details. “I went over to check out the music on the jukebox. And this guy comes over and starts talking to me. He was a couple years older, about sixteen or seventeen. You know, things are fine, except he catches sight of Sam, still at our table, talking to this girl. Well he starts glaring at Sam. I was trying to figure out what was the matter. So we’re talking, next thing I know, Sam’s glaring at us, right? You know; pulling the big brother, leave my sister alone routine. Well, that’s exactly what this guy was doing. Sam was talking to his sister.”
“Oh that’s too cute,” Jess giggled. Max smiled and held up a finger.
“It gets better,” she warned. “So this whole time that these guys are glaring at each other and you know, doing the macho vibe thing, Dean is playing pool. Well, he couldn’t see where I was standing, but he could see Sam. And all he can see of Sam is that there’s this pretty girl sitting next to him and Sam is making faces at the wall.” Jess’ giggles erupted into full blown laughter at this mental image. “Now, he’s got a pretty lady on his arm, he’s flirting with her, whispering in her ear, all that sort of stuff.” Max pushed aside the momentary surge of jealousy as she recalled this. Couldn’t ruin a good story over her petty feelings for something that had happened years ago. “He must have pointed out Sam to her and soon they’re laughing. Well Sam catches sight of this and starts glaring at Dean, for making fun of him. But the next thing I know, both Sam and this girl are glaring in Dean’s direction. We had no clue what was going on until Dean and this girl come over to the table. And then all of a sudden, the guy I’m with is glaring at Dean and Sam!”
“Oh what on earth?” Jess got out between chuckles.
“Well Dean says a few more things, he’s laughing and teasing, next thing I know, he’s glaring at me and this guy, okay more the guy than me and my guy is almost growling by this time,” Max continued. She let Jess get out a few more good laughs. “So he makes a beeline over to the table, with me in tow. It was bad enough that Sam was talking to his little sister, but Dean was making out with his older sister.” Jess howled with laughter. “Who was pregnant and engaged to be married the very next day! To her father’s bartender!”
Jess’ eyes widened as she took it all in and then collapsed in laughter again. ”Oh no!” she gasped. Max, laughing as well, could only nod.
Sam waited patiently for Allie to deliver the meals that had come up. She had acknowledged Sam with a nod of her head as she moved off, letting him know that she’d be with him in a moment. He wasn’t fussed. He had sensed that Jess had wanted to talk to Max and he figured, why not. Maybe a female could succeed where he couldn’t. Although it seemed a long shot to him. Max just wasn’t the kind of person who blabbed about things, especially things involving their family, to complete strangers. But maybe that could be a lure all in itself. That Jess was still a stranger, there was a certain anonymity in the sharing process.
While he waited for Allie to return, he pulled a copy of the day’s newspaper towards himself. It was just the front section. Sam knew that he’d have a copy waiting at Jess’ house, since they both liked to look the paper over. It was something they did together occasionally. Snuggled up together on the couch, they’d talk over the news they read and the imports of what it meant.
Eventually, though he was absorbed in reading the news, and then giving Jess’ request to Allie, who happily filled it, Sam became aware of the giggling at the table he’d left. He glanced over his shoulder to see his two best girls with their heads together laughing over something that Max was telling Jess. He smiled, relieved beyond words that they were getting along together so well. But then, he heard his name and then a fresh peel of laughter. Allie brought back the glass of ice water, told Sam that she’d be over in a second to take their orders and hurried off again. Sam grabbed both paper and glass and headed back to the table, a suspicious look on his face.
“So what’s so funny?” he asked as he slid into the seat beside his girlfriend. Jess just glanced at him and laughed even harder. He looked back and forth between them, finally settling on Max, since she had been the one telling the story.
“Dean and the pregnant bride to be,” Max gasped out. Sam had to think a moment before he recalled what she was referring to and then he grinned as well.
“Oh man, yeah,” he chuckled. “Dad chewed his ass out over that for what? An hour?”
“Longer,” Max shook her head. She told Jess, “we barely got out of that bar with our skins attached. Everyone was up in arms over that.”
Jess’ laughter slowed. “They blamed Dean?” she asked. “What about the girl? What was she doing with Dean in her position?”
“Well apparently,” Sam drawled, “she wasn’t too happy about having to marry this guy and seemed to be doing everything she could to get out of it. Dean just happened to be her victim that night.”
“Oh what a mess,” Jess sighed. She leaned in closer to Sam as she picked up her water and took a sip. “I’m so lucky I don’t have to worry about you.”
“Hey!” Sam protested indignantly. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Max smiled at her brother and Jess as they got off into a seeming good-natured argument. She knew that Sam would actually mind being compared in the same light as Dean, so for him to be protesting now that he could be, well, she could just see that they were teasing each other. When it denigrated into cooing and kisses, she hid her grin and pulled the paper that Sam had brought with him over to herself.
The glaring headline on the paper ‘New “Mobile Surveillance Units” to be Tested in 5 Major U.S. Cities’ caught her eye immediately. What on earth were these things? Intrigued, she read through the article, wondering how she’d never noticed this information before. These things, which had been developed by a company based in Seattle, were being marketed for use by police forces in major cities, citing that the added eyes would prove beneficial for the already overtaxed forces to capture on video footage, crimes being committed. Admittedly, there were a good many people up in arms over this invasion of privacy and Max could certainly see why. It was fascinating to read however about how the machines were put together, a mixture of computer technology and good old physics. The picture accompanying the article showed one of the scientists working on a unit, which seemed to be quite large, a foot thick and at least a yard wide. The caption underneath revealed that insiders in the company referred to the units as hover drones, apparently because of the noise they produced during their flight patterns, akin to bees in flight. Since they’d been developed in Seattle, the city would be hosting one of the testing units. Because of the crime levels and city sizes, L.A., New York, Chicago and Miami were also test sites.
“Hey Sam,” she interrupted the little love fest across the table, pushing the paper back. “Have you seen this?”
Sam glanced at his sister, taking the paper back from her. He glanced down at it. “Yeah, the hover drones? It’s been in the paper a few times.”
“I don’t like it,” Jess grumbled suddenly, glancing at the paper as well. “It’s just another invasion of privacy. The government sticking their noses in where they don’t need to be.”
“That’s what you said before,” Sam smiled indulgently. “But you don’t mind traffic cameras.”
“But that’s because those are stationary,” Jess spoke with the air of someone going-over old information. “Every time you pull up to an intersection, you know there might be one there. So if it catches you doing something, that’s your own fault. But these things? Uh uh.”
“Oh, have you been off committing crimes when my back was turned?” Sam teased.
“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” Jess protested, poking her boyfriend in the shoulder. “I’m talking about these things roaming around wherever the programmer’s please catching on videotape things that aren’t meant to be seen. I mean, who knows yet how high these things can go. Would you really want one of these things peeping in our window for some perverts amusement, all under the guise of making sure we’re not committing a crime?”
“They’re not going to be flying around all will nilly,” Sam grinned. Max could see from the twinkle in both their eyes that they were enjoying their debate. So she just let it slide over her, analyzing what these new machines could mean to her personally. “They’ll have specific flight plans, concentrating on the statistically highest areas of crime.”
“And what good will that do?” Jess asked pointedly. Suddenly, she seemed to realize that their debate had excluded Max. She turned to the young woman. “What do you think?”
“I’m with you,” Max answered automatically, even though her mind was racing with the probabilities that this project would turn south on the creators in many ways. “For one thing, isn’t it entrapment of a sort? And secondly, by declaring their flight paths, all that means is that the criminals will do their dirty deeds elsewhere, when these things aren’t around. A lot of money wasted.”
Jess smirked up at Sam, happy to have another person on her side. Sam sighed in a long-suffering big brotherish way. “It’s not entrapment. That’s only if you deliberately set up a situation and entice the criminal into the activity for the express purpose of exposing his crime. They’ve covered themselves by declaring their intent.” He paused for a moment, searching for an appropriate example. “Okay, this is like someone robbing a gas station. They put a sign on the gas station saying that there are video cameras in place, so if someone robs the place, they were warned and its their own fault for getting caught.”
“Yeah, I get that,” Max rolled her eyes at her brother. “That’s why I said, ‘of a sort’. I still don’t like the idea.”
Jess opened her mouth to add in her agreement, but snapped it shut when Allie finally managed to make it over. She apologized about having taken so long, since their cook was on break just before everyone showed up. The trio happily gave their orders and the girl left again. Before they could get back onto the topic of heated discussion, Max asked about Jess’ apartment and taking the hint, the girl began describing it to Max. That took up some time and then talk moved on to the college courses they were taking and then Sam asked Max about how her studies on the books he’d sent her had come along.
It was enough talk to fill the rest of their time in the diner. And then they happily went back to work, moving Sammy on to the next big step in his life.
*****
“And just so you know,” John rumbled, as they were finishing the end of their quick meal. “Max called me to let me know that she got to Sammy’s all right.”
Dean’s head shot up, fork poised in mid air with the last of his scrambled eggs in a heap. “She did? She sound okay?”
John nodded. “A little tired. Judging from the time, I suppose she drove straight through.”
Dean nodded and then his face fell. “I wonder what she told him? ‘Bout her reason for visiting, I mean.”
John shrugged, contemplating that thought. “Probably that she just felt like visiting him. It’s been awhile.” It wasn’t necessary to say it all; they both knew exactly how long since they’d seen the recalcitrant member of their little family unit. “So, now that breakfast is done,” he continued, waiting as Dean’s last bite disappeared, “let’s go.”
“Go where?” Dean asked, his eyes puzzled.
“Where we always go,” John smirked at his eldest.
“But what about the hunt?” Dean questioned. It was after all the reason they were in L.A. to begin with.
“What do you think I was busy doing last night?” John teased and then grinned. “Sorry, uh, it just slipped out.”
“Yeah right,” Dean grumbled. Oh this was great. Clearly, having gotten through the painfully embarrassing conversation about the development of Dean’s 'feelings!’, John had now moved on to the free-for-all teasing stage. But as he reflected on that, he suddenly understood it to be a pretty good thing actually. If his Dad felt comfortable teasing him about this, didn’t that just go to show that his Dad was happy about it? Because while John might have thrown a comment or two his way about Dean’s way with the ladies, he usually just kept his mouth shut about it. If he was happy and joking about Dean’s feelings… all right, his love for Max, then that was as good as a promise from the old man. Dad was one hundred percent in his corner. And once Max understood that she was IT for him, THE girl that he felt he could share himself totally, honestly and without reservation with, then life would be as near perfect as it could get. The only stumbling block to this whole plan was, well, it was how Sammy would see it.
Dean sighed as he rose from his chair. Before, he’d been unable to move past a certain point in wishing and hoping in his life. Now, he certainly didn’t need to be getting ahead of himself, looking for problems that weren’t there yet and might not even come up yet. For all he knew, Sam could be deliriously happy for them. At worst, he’d never want to talk to Dean again. Shaking off the sudden shiver that ran down his back at that thought, Dean followed his father out of the motel room, snagging his jacket from where he’d left it the previous evening, and the tape Max had given him, slipping it into his pocket.
John had stopped at the truck, oblivious to his son’s mental ramblings. Opening the driver’s side door, he popped his seat forward and reached into the slight area behind the seats. He removed a plainly wrapped box; a plastic bag filled with some necessaries, and then slammed the door shut. He turned to hand the box to his son. “Happy Birthday Dean-o!”
Dean took the box, imagining from the weight of it, precisely what it could be. With glee, he ripped off the paper, which his father took back from him. As he hoped, the brand new box indicated that his father had gotten him the .45 that he’d been eying recently at an outdoor hunting and camping store chain. “All right!” he crowed, running his hand over the box. He knew better than to open it up in the middle of a crowded street, or parking lot, or basically where other people might take it the wrong way.
“All right,” John smiled indulgently. “Let’s go try out your new toy with some good old fashioned fun.” He headed over to the Impala, unlocking the driver’s side and sliding in. Dean followed, looking askance at his father. “Humor an old man,” John joked. “Besides, I know where the shooting range is, you don’t.”
“Whatever,” Dean grinned. He moved around the car to climb into the passenger’s side. Once in, he took the bag from his father, glancing inside to see that his father had bought plenty of ammo of the regular kind. He nodded once in approval, then stowed the gun box and bag on the floorboards. Suddenly realizing that this was the perfect opportunity to listen to Max’s gift, he dug it out of his jacket pocket.
“What do you think you’re doing?” John asked calmly.
“Music,” Dean grunted as he leaned back to pull awkwardly at the cassette lodged tightly in the pocket.
“And who says we’re going to listen to that crap today?” John continued, his face calm and serious.
“Dad,” Dean protested softly, without much energy. He leaned forward to press the tape into the mechanism, but John caught his son’s hand and thrust it away. “Hey!”
“Hey yourself,” John frowned. “Put that away. I don’t want to listen to that.”
Dean’s eyes widened as he took in his father, gauging the moment. “Come on, give me a break. It’s my birthday for freak’s sake!”
“I don’t care,” John assured him calmly. “Remember Dean, driver’s rules.”
Dean’s mouth dropped as he stared in astonishment at his father. But then he caught sight of the gleam in his old man’s eyes. “Aaah!” he half mumbled, half laughed.
“Had you going, didn’t I?” John chuckled along.
“Yeah, you were good,” Dean mumbled, nodding his head. “Freak!” He said it softly but John just as obviously heard him.
“And damn proud of it,” John grunted. He backed out of the parking lot as the soft strain of a roughly recorded song began. Even before he had reached the end of the street, the music broke off as a humorous comment was made by one of the band members. Both men laughed along, content that the day could do nothing but get better.
Chapter Twenty-seven
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