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 Four
Delicacy
Max woke slowly, for the first time in many days. Since she’d joined her former household, she had usually been awakened by fights between the two adults. Sometimes by her foster father shouting at her to get her lazy ass out of bed. And after she’d run away from that household, she hadn’t allowed herself the luxury of sleep. So it was no surprise to her that she’d slept in later than she normally did.
It took her mere seconds to orient herself to the room. John was moving around on the far side of the boy’s bed. Someone was in the bathroom, using the shower, though just as she noticed that, the water stopped. And someone was still occupying the bed next to her. She thought it was Sam, but he might have gotten up and Dean might have rolled over. But when she squinted, her eyes open, she confirmed it was Sam, snoring almost in her ear. She smiled at the image of Sam hanging almost completely out of the bed. About all that was left on the bed were his head, torso and one arm. The rest had slid out of the bed to rest on the floor. She wondered if he’d woken up at all. She remembered that Zane never did when he flopped around in his sleep.
A lump settled in her throat as she thought about the siblings she was now separated from. She had no idea if she’d ever find them again, though she meant to try with everything in her, right down to her last breath. She heard John move again and schooled her face to calmness. She didn’t want John to ask questions that she couldn’t answer.
“Hey, you’re awake,” it was a statement and not a question. Max looked up at him and nodded. He’d changed the clothes he’d worn from the evening before, though his hair was unkempt and damp and it appeared that he wasn’t enamored with shaving. John looked towards Sam and shook his head. “Dean’s already up and in the shower. Usually I wake Sammy up when he’s done. That way there’s no fighting over the bathroom.”
“Yes sir,” Max replied quietly. That seemed to her like an equitable division of bathroom time. You snooze, you lose, was an adage that she’d heard that seemed very appropriate to the situation at hand.
“But since you woke up first, then you get the next chance,” John informed her. “I’ll tell Dean you’re awake so he’ll hurry. He usually dawdles a little just to tick his brother off,” he admitted. Max smiled again, remembering how her sisters Tinga and Jace would do the same thing to her and her other sisters. As good as his word, John moved off to rap once at the closed bathroom door. “Dean, Max needs the bathroom.”
“Yes sir,” the words came at once, though muffled through the closed door. Max only had to wait moments before Dean emerged, a towel loose over his head, his clothes bag in his hand. Max could see that Dean must have dressed while he was still slightly damp, since his shirt clung to his back. But she appreciated his gesture so that she could have the facility. She smiled at him while he took a seat on the end of the bed. Dean smiled back and then began to quickly dry his hair. “There are still some clean towels in there,” Dean informed her. “Use as many as you want,” he joked with a quick glance at the still sleeping Sam. “Won’t hurt my feelings a bit.”
“Okay,” Max grinned. It felt good to her to be part of a close knit group again, even if she was just on the edges of it. She understood to a degree the teasing camaraderie the men had, since she’d seen glimpses of it in her own unit.
“Now now kids,” John chuckled. Max threw a glance at him and he was shaking his head resignedly. “You can’t be mean to Sam all the time,” he chided gently. Max just continued grinning as she threw back the covers and took a moment to assure that her boxers wouldn’t desert her.
“Just every other minute,” Dean decided and Max actually laughed. Life was looking up for her this morning. She gathered up the clothes that she wore the day before, the only set she had and marched into the bathroom. She dumped the clothes on the back of the toilet and began preparing for the day.
It only took her ten minutes to get through her ablutions. She still had that trained into her. She hadn’t yet discovered the joys of taking one’s time and relaxing in the shower. At the moment, Max didn’t care. Warm or cold, either way it didn’t bother her. A quick finger combing of her hair, clothes on straight and she was good to go. She exited the bathroom, borrowed sleeping wear in her hands, to see Sammy nearly dancing just outside the door.
“About time,” he growled as he shot past her into the room and slammed the door shut behind him. John rolled his eyes. Sammy never learned. But he was just going to have to learn to get up earlier than others to avoid that morning situation.
“So, did you use up all the towels?” Dean asked as Max handed the shirt and boxers to him. He threw them in his bag and zipped it up.
“No,” she replied, and then grinned wickedly. Dean glanced at her beaming face and a smile curved up his own lips.
“What did you do?” he asked in a low growly way. But Max didn’t have to answer, since Sam did it for her.
“Ahhh! Where’s all the stupid toilet paper?” Max and Dean shared convulsions of laughter as John waited for them to settle down so he could ask Max where she put it. But he needn’t have bothered. “Never mind!” came Sam’s next shout. And then, “oh gross! It’s all wet!” That sent Dean into another fit of laughter. He reached out and gave Max’s hair a gentle tug.
“I think I’m gonna like you kid,” he offered. Max just sat calmly on the bed.
“Cool,” she shrugged. And then impishly, “I like me too.”
“All right,” John interrupted before horseplay could begin again. “I’m going to go pay the bill. Try and have yourselves ready by the time I get back.” He raised his voice slightly. “Did you hear what I said Sam?”
“But I was going to shower Dad,” Sam called back.
“Too bad,” John replied, unsympathetically. “If you can keep it short you might be able to, but I’ll be back here, expecting to leave in no more than ten minutes.”
“Yes sir!”
“Please Dad,” Dean whined mockingly, glancing at Max. “Let him shower. That just punishes us when he doesn’t.”
“Ha ha Dean!” Sam growled. “I heard that.”
John just shook his head and left, the zingers still flying between his boys and Max chuckling every so often. He shut the door behind him, but didn’t automatically make for the check-in suite as he planned.
There were days that he wondered, and this was certainly one of them, what it would have been like to have a female member of the family. Most of the time, he’d wondered about how different things would be if Mary were still alive. But usually he was able to shake himself out of that stupor. She had died and there was no changing that. But every few years, he’d also wondered what it would have been like to have that little girl that Mary had wanted. Not that she hadn’t adored the boys. But she and John had always hoped for a girl to complete things. And as he did with thoughts and wishes of Mary, he pushed this one out of his head too. Max wasn’t his little girl. And there was no reason to try and make it seem that way. He’d already done a horrible thing by dragging his two sons into this life of revenge and danger. No way in hell would he do that to an innocent little girl who had already seen too much horror of the human kind. Resolute, he set of to accomplish his task.
As declared, John was back in the room in ten minutes time. He was pleased to see that Sam was ready to go, along with the other two, although Max looked more apprehensive than she had before. John addressed what he was sure were her concerns calmly and openly.
“Max, as I see it, you’ve got two options,” he told her. She was listening attentively. “You can head off on your own, just like I promised. If you want to. Or, you can ride along with us.”
Max chewed on her lower lip, but stopped as soon as she realized what she was doing. “Where are you going sir?” she asked quietly and respectfully.
“We’re going out of state to visit some old friends,” John informed her. “We go every year.”
“Out of state?” she repeated and John nodded. He could see the wheels spinning in her head. It would be a little tough to have an extra person along, especially one that wasn’t aware of what they did. But to keep her from getting back into a bad situation like the one she’d just escaped from, he was willing to make a few sacrifices.
“That would give you a few days to make up your mind,” Dean offered quietly. He too had come up with some conclusions about Max and didn’t want to see the little girl hurt. He took his father’s lead on this and knew that Sam would be in agreement with whatever his father and big brother wanted.
“The people we’re going to see can help you Max,” John told her. “If you decide to find another foster family or whatever you decide. I’d hate to see you go off on our own.”
“Yeah,” Sam threw in. “You never know what other kind of creeps are out there. You’re lucky we’re the ones that ran you over.” He paused and sheepishly ducked his head. “That didn’t come out right.” Max laughed a little.
“I know what you meant,” she assured him. She stared at the three Winchester’s silently making up her mind. “Well, if you don’t mind, I’d like to go… with you.”
“All right,” John smiled, assuring her with his quick acceptance that she’d made the right choice. “Let’s load up.”
Not long after they’d left the motel, John pulled into a small café one block over. He’d led the kids inside and they took a booth towards the middle of the seating area. Max and Sam each took a seat across from the other and then John and Dean slid in as well. John next to Sam because he didn’t feel like putting up with the slapping and annoying that the boys usually started as they waited to be served their breakfasts. This way he could also talk to Max and see her face when she responded. John considered himself a good judge of character most times and it was easier for him to figure these things out when he got all the information. Speech, intonation and the all important body language.
A waitress soon came over and handed around the menus. Max took hers hesitantly and set it on the table before her. John and the boys didn’t notice as they all were perusing their own menus.
“Hi, I’m Mimi,” the older lady in the café’s uniform introduced herself. “What can I get you to drink?”
“Coffee please,” came John’s swift reply.
“Me too.”
“Me too.”
“I don’t think so Sam,” John smiled. Sam tried this ploy on a lot of mornings and he’d yet to get by John. “Have some juice.” Sam sighed and looked up at the waitress.
“We have orange, apple and grape sweetie,” she told him.
“Orange juice please,” he answered on a sigh. The waitress smiled again and turned to Max.
“And what about you honey?” Max continued to stare down at the menu and John could see her shoulders starting to hunch over. He glanced up at Mimi and put a soft smile on his face.
“Could you give us a second?” She nodded and left to fill the orders she already had. John turned back to the girl. “What’s the matter Max?”
She mumbled something that John didn’t catch, but Dean did. The older boy glanced up and whispered to his dad, “no money.” John sighed. Dean patted Max’s shoulder and when she glanced up slightly Dean smiled and chucked her under the chin.
“I didn’t think you had any money,” John informed her quietly. He thought quickly, seeing that this was a sore spot for the child. “Let me tell you,” he went on quietly. “Both the boys have chores that they have to do to earn extra money.” This wasn’t exactly the way it was but both boys knew better than to correct their father at the moment. “If you like, you can do some chores and I’ll pay for your food and expenses, okay?”
That was a good enough sounding deal for Max. “Like what?” she asked, meaning the chores she would do.
“Well,” John paused, unable to think of things she would be able to do while traveling that would make sense. It wasn’t like he could ask her to clean weapons or create supernatural barriers. But once again, Dean came to the rescue.
“You can help me when I work on the car,” he suggested. “You know, passing me tools and stuff. Or you can clean the car out whenever we stop so that it doesn’t get full of trash.”
“Okay,” Max nodded happily, glad that someone thought she could be useful. John smiled gratefully at his eldest.
“We’ll figure it out as we go,” he told her firmly. “But for now, let’s order.” He looked back at the counter and caught Mimi’s eye and the woman proceeded to their table right away.
“You all ready now?” she asked with a bright smile in Max’s direction.
“Can I have milk please?” Max asked politely. Mimi nodded and jotted it down on her pad.
“And what would you like to eat?”
“Pancakes please,” Max decided. It was the first thing she’d seen on the menu and it was all she wanted. Ever since the first time she’d tasted them in the outside world, they’d become her favorite breakfast item. There was just something about the way they melted in her mouth, all hot and fluffy with sticky sweet syrup running through the almost sponge-like texture.
“And do want the fruit plate that goes with it?” Mimi clarified. Max glanced at John, who nodded and Max agreed. Mimi finished writing it down and looked to Sam next.
“Can I have the trucker’s special, please?” he asked, also polite. Not only did he not want Max to show him up, politeness was a mainstay in their family. Mimi nodded and before she could ask, Sam launched into his list. “Sunny side up, bacon and white,” he rolled off and smiled charmingly. Mimi continued writing and turned to Dean.
“I’ll have the same, but over easy please.”
John waited until he knew she had that all. “I’ll have the trucker’s special as well ma’am. Eggs over easy, ham and white toast please.”
Mimi finished writing with a flourish and headed back to the kitchen to deliver the order. She then returned with a glass of milk for Max. It was tall and cold, brimming with some froth at the top. Max took a long sip, enjoying the freshness as she hadn’t had any in days. The boys began talking about how many miles they would be able to cover that day, with John occasionally adding comments. But soon a new thought occurred to him. He leaned forward to address Max.
“We’re going to have to get you a few things,” he decided. “Clothes and such.” Max frowned but nodded. “We can work it out in chores, or you can pay me back later.” She nodded and looked thoughtful, but before she could say anything, their order was up. Mimi had to make two trips but that was fine with them. The second time around, she carried some syrup bottles and a container of jellies.
“Here’s a little treat,” she told Max as she slid the syrup bottles onto the table. “We had a really good batch of chokecherries last year and we bottled some up into syrup. You can try it if you like, or there’s maple there too.” She didn’t worry about Max’s response, though it made her feel good to see the little girl’s face light up in appreciation. She left the family to the deal of eating, though she kept an eye out for when John or Dean wanted a refill on their coffee.
John, who was as hungry in the morning as the boys usually were, didn’t notice anything amiss, until he’d sated that first rush of hunger. He took a glance at Max, who seemed to be rivaling Sammy in the eating department. He almost couldn’t see the food as it disappeared so quickly into her mouth. Apparently Dean noticed too since the young man had slipped a piece of bacon onto her plate.
“Thank you,” she mumbled through a full mouth. He said nothing, just poked her side with his elbow and kept eating.
“It’s been a few days, huh?” John asked and Max nodded contritely. She also slowed down and toyed with her fork. “Don’t mind us,” John told her. “If you’re hungry, eat.” Max nodded and resumed filling her stomach. John was glad to see that she ate all the fruit included with her meal. She didn’t seem to be a picky eater like Sam used to be at that age. It only took one thought to decide on something and he excused himself from the table.
None of them paid attention as he strolled to the back of the café, towards the restrooms. And neither did they notice him swing around to peek into the kitchen where Mimi was at. And none of them had any idea that John had ordered a large take-away box to be eaten later on the road, until said box appeared along with their check.
John picked up the box and the tab and climbed out of the booth. He waited for the kids to collect their light coats and they ambled up to the counter to pay. John pulled out cash, since he hated swindling small town businesses with his fake credit cards. As Mimi rang it up on the counter, he leaned forward to ask her if there was any place in town that they could pick up some clothes for Max.
“Well, there’s a general department store downtown,” Mimi answered as she mentally counted out John’s change. “They have most everything you’d need.” John frowned and wondered at this. He was going to have to be careful with his cash for the rest of the trip. But before he could say more, Max piped up.
“I don’t need a lot,” she informed Mimi. “See, I forgot my bag at our last stop.” Everyone in the little group was staring at her now and she dropped her head sheepishly for a moment. “We already called the owners and they said they could ship it c.o.d. to our friends place. So I just need a few clothes and stuff to tide me over ‘til we get there.”
John marveled that she’d put together the lie so quickly and easily. And it sounded completely true, coming from her innocent little face. Mimi’s face softened and she leaned forward on the counter after giving John his change.
“Well sweetie, if you just need a few things and you don’t mind, there’s a secondhand shop downtown too. Bargain Treasures is the name of it.”
Max beamed. “I don’t mind at all.” She gestured to her clothes. “I like hand me downs,” the words tripped off her tongue, even though the phrase was still new to her. Mimi chuckled, assuming that she’d gotten the clothes from the older boys. John smiled his thanks at the woman and began to usher the kids out. At the door Max waved at Mimi and called out to her, “thanks Mimi. Everything was good. And that chokecherry syrup was the best I’ve ever had.” She didn’t say that it was also the first chokecherry syrup she’d ever had. Mimi waved back.
“I know honey, I know,” she laughed delightedly. “Have a good trip.” The door closed behind the little family and Mimi smiled as she imagined what Max’s face would be like when she’d seen the little surprise that Mimi had thrown into their box lunch.
Chapter Five
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