In Which Alec Pulls a Marty McFly

[ilove_atallman]

[Follows THIS. Bela = enjoythe_ride, Dean = jstliketherifle, Sam = imnot_likeyou, Alec = smart_alec494. Same notes there apply, but I'm only posting the second part here, because that's the only part Ruby was in. I said it was long.]

"Oooh the garden state." Okay so sometimes Alec was a little odd. He pulled open the back passenger door and let Jinx slip past him.

Dean and Sam exchanged a look, before sliding back into the car. "New Jersey ain't so bad. Depending on the day."

"No in all seriousness I have no problems with the state. " He closed the car door. "Okay so most of my experience with it was from the fourth floor of a hospital, but eh, the view was pretty good."

"The Pine Barrens suck," Dean said with a sigh. "It's just miles of friggin' nothing. Which makes me really hope that Bela knows where she's going."

"If she doesn't, I do. I've been here a couple of times to pick stuff up. It's just that we don't want to approach him without a familiar face. His toys pack a wallop and he's not above just plain old shooting I don't think." He shrugged. "Magical arms dealer." Not that that's what Alec had been getting, but still.

Dean raised an eyebrow slightly, before glancing at him in the mirror. "I didn't know those existed. But then again, I probably shouldn't be all that surprised."

"As far as I know he corners the market. Though it may just be that he's the only person Bela deals with that she trusts at all." He paused. "I think he knows Ruby, too. But maybe he just knows of her."

"Didn't know Ruby was that popular," Sam said slowly, before glancing back at him. "I take it you know Ruby too?"

Alec nodded. "She's family. She's like. . .I dunno. You two are really close."

Sam paused for a moment. "We are?"

"Yeah. If you listen to her she's been kicking your butt into shape for over a decade. But that's Ruby for 'looking after you' and 'Being a good friend.'"

Sam glanced over at Dean and then looked down. Being buddy-buddy with Ruby was not the plan. "That's something I wouldn't have expected."

"I uh, get the impression now that there is a lot about my life and your lives that you guys wouldn't expect."

"Ruby -- she hasn't exactly been reliable," Sam said with a frown. "She fixed the Colt for us, sure, but otherwise she's been waving around a lot of smoke and mirrors."

"In regards to what?"

Dean and Sam glanced at each other for a moment, before Sam shrugged. "A couple different things. Nothing majorly important."

Alec snorted. "That is such bullshit. If you don't want to tell me then say so. Don't feed me a lie I could see through even if I was drugged out of my mind."

Sam frowned slightly, before looking down at his hands. "Do you know about the deal?"

"Sam -- "

"If he doesn't, he has the right to know, Dean. He's your kid for Christ's sake," Sam sighed, before turning back over the edge of the seat to look at Alec.

"Yeah. I know about it. In graphic color. Most bullshit contract I've ever god damned heard of."

"Ruby offered to help with that," Sam said with a sigh. "Or she's offering. Dean and I haven't decided what to do with it yet."

"If . . . if things are the same then she means it." But he isn't sure how to tell them that just because Dean doesn't die doesn't mean there isn't a decade of misery and hard life between now and the happiness they all have now.

Sam looked up slightly, and Dean shook his head. "No, Sam."

"Dean, if she can really help us -- "

"No, Sam. Whatever she's got, I can guarantee it's nothing good. It's not worth it."

"I don't know what you'd consider worth it. Or if it matches my definition. But it sure as shit ain't free." He curls his fingers in Jinx's fur. "But it isn't Ruby's fault. It isn't a price she demands. It's just. . .life."

"There's got to be another way, Sam," Dean said with a look. "There has to be."

Even Alec knew to keep his damned mouth shut about angels. And he knew that the only thing that got Lilith to back off was for Sam to kill the shit out of her. "Honestly what I know about they mechanics of Deals is pretty slim. It amounts to 'don't make them.' and 'if you have no choice make it with someone who will honor the spirit of it and that's high enough in rank that no one's going to dick with them.'"

"That's about right," Sam sighed. "Or don't wind up in situations where you wind up being an idiot."

"Sam -- "

Alec snorted. "You have to not be a Winchester to manage that feat. It's genetic. Along with guilt and bad communication skills."

Sam snorted as well, before turning to look out the window. Dean kept his eyes on the road, and was equally quiet, before Sam turned back to him again. "I'm not going to just stand back and let you die, Dean. I'm going to exhaust every option."

"Well, I'd prefer it if you don't exhaust that one."

Alec didn't know what to say to this so he just shut his mouth. Jinx yawned long an wide.

Sam glared back at his brother, before turning out the window again. It wasn't the end of the argument, but for right now, it was a good time to take a pause.

Something never changed apparently. The silence from Dad. The teeth creaking tight jaw from Sam. "Ugh." He tipped over and used the dog as a body pillow.

Dean turned on some music after a while, and the rest of the ride was in silence. A couple hours later, they pulled up in front of a shack that was markedly less shack-like than the one in the future, but still looking suitably abandoned and inaccessible. "This is it?"

Alec had already sat up. "Yep. Looks better now than what I'm used to. And it sounds like he hasn't got that killer sound system yet." He opened the door and got out. After closing the door he stretched long and hard with cat like bendability.
Bela strode out of her car, starting to make her way towards the door. "Are you all coming or not?"

Alec took a couple of long steps to catch up to her, Jinx covered the distance just as easily. "I am. And thanks again for bringing me."

"No problem," Bela sighed, before pushing open the door and stepping over the salt line. "Rawlins! Where are you?"

"Un momento, senorita," Rawlin's voice echoed from one of the back rooms. "Didn't expect to have you back so soon."

"I have a bit of a favor to ask."

Alec stopped on the threshold and eyed the faint curtain-like shimmer from the Devil's Shoestrings over the door. Experimentally he poked at it. His fingers slid through. Then he curled his fingers into Jinx's fur and did it against and this time felt a little resistance. Like he was breaking through a layer of water tension. He let his hand drop.

Rawlins came up in the middle Alec's experimentation with the door. He thought it was a little strange at first, before his eyes landed on Jinx and he jumped back. "Holy fucking shit."

"He wont hurt you. He's mine." Alec gave the man a sheepish shrug. This was exactly what had happened last time.

Rawlins looked over at Bela, and she nodded. "Guard dog. You don't hurt him, he won't hurt you."

"Fine," he sighed after a moment, before reaching over and pulling the Devil's shoestring off the door.

"Thanks." Alec and Jinx both stepped inside. Alec looked around noting what was the same and what had been added. For now he figured he'd let Bela do the talking.

"Rawlins this is Alec, Sam and Dean Winchester," Bela introduced as the older two appeared outside the door. "They have a bit of a problem that could use your expertise."

"At least I'm hoping you have a brilliant idea or two. 'Cause I'm at a loss."

"Well, lay it on me," Rawlins said with a shrug. "Worst I could say is no, right?"

"Very true. So. . .okay hear it is. I'm his kid." He pointed at Dean. "And I'm about twelve years out of place. I should be like eight. Somewhere in a hell hole in Wyoming, presumably. That is not the point. The point is that as far as I can figure this isn't some thing as normal as a djinn. This is something weird and fuckall powerful. But I know you handle some pretty high powered stuff and some equally as tricky stuff. So you got any ideas or a way to fix this?"

Rawlins let out a low whistle, before shaking his head slightly. "You're gonna have to give me some more details on that one, dude. Because off the top of my head, I can't think of anything that screws with time."

"Shit." He rubbed at the back of his neck and then at his eyes under his glasses. This place was so damned bright. "There really aren't a lot of details. Typical haunted warehouse. Nothing lingering but some after image from the people the ghost killed and then the ghost itself. Jinx and I cased the place pretty thoroughly. I've had enough traps sprung on me to last for the next four lifetimes. And I promised I would be careful. But there was nothing. No other uglies. No hoodoo, no damned power signatures aside from the not so dearly departed. Didn't smell anything funky. At least not more so that the area deserved. Didn't hear anything weird." He wandered a little. "We went in, did our thing and came back out and went back to the car. Dean shows up and that's when it became pretty apparent that this was all one huge cluster fuck."

He stopped at a work table and nudged at something and then revered two other small items. The light it was producing for him to see when from a murky bruised purple to a smooth lavender. "Dean did say he was at the warehouse looking for a haunting but found nothing. So I don't know whether I salted and burned the bones in my time or this one."

"So it wasn't like you passed out and woke up eight years in the past, but you just walked in one door in 2019 and walked out in 2007," Rawlins rubbed the back of his neck lightly, before making his way over to the table. "Didn't touch anything other than the bones, didn't walk through any doors that weren't there before, no -- tall lanky men with funny blue boxes?"

"No blue boxes. Or any attractive women with British accents. Unless you count before and after." He waved a hand at Bela. He's seen Doctor Who but not Back to the Future. Amazing. "And there was nothing to touch beside the bones." He folded down to sit on the floor and rubbed his eyes again. Apparently he wasn't used to this kind of assault any more.

The other man pondered that for a moment. "Maybe it was the bones. Who was the spirit?"

"Jacob Philpott. Age 34. Or so everyone assumes. He was a dock worker, but there had been some recent trouble with a gang trying to move into the area. Jacob had, apparently chased a few off, but never showed up for work the next day. His boots, however, were found a couple of days later hanging from some phone lines," He pointed vaguely up in illustration. "Presumably they mark a border of the gang’s territory." He rolled his eyes. "And I have yet to figure out how humans can justify separating themselves from the animal kingdom. There are very few animals that can be as cruel. Fascinating, isn't it?"

"Wonderful," Rawlins sighed, before looking over at Bela. "Someone could have cursed the bones. Cursed them with what I don't know, but it's possible. If the guy happened to know anything about the world beyond and was capable of holding a grudge, he could have cursed his remains in order to prevent himself from being laid to rest."

"If he did it's incredibly subtle. I didn't see a damned thing besides pissed off dead dude. No magic, nothing that said he'd been anything but an Ordinary. Nothing that suggested he had the power to pull this off." He sighed. "Sorry to keep shooting you down."

"Something dealing with time would have been anything but subtle," Bela pointed out.

"What she said," Rawlins said, before frowning slightly. "And how would you have 'seen' whatever it was?"

"Gift. Apparently they run in the family. Anyway, if something or some one has any sort of power I can see it." He paused. "Would you recognize your own work, even if you've never see it before?"

Rawlins blinked slightly, before shrugging. "Yeah, probably -- depending on what it is and how it works."

Alec pulled the steel glasses case out of his bag and held it out to the man. "You made both pairs for me. The sunglasses and the pair I'm wearing now."

Rawlins flipped the case open and peered at them, looking them over carefully. "This definitely looks like me," he nodded. "A bit more polished than most of my stuff now, but yeah -- definitely mine." He placed them back in the case before looking over at Alec. "So I figure that if you didn't see anything, they were either prepared for you -- whatever it was knew about the ability you had and was able to cloak itself, or you fell through a hole in the time-space continuum. Other than that -- I don't know what else to tell you. I can do some research, but I doubt I'll be able to find anything like this."

He took the case back. "Well, twelve years of practice between now and these." He waggled the case. There is a pause and he looks over at Bela then at Rawlins. He opens his mouth to ask a question and then changes his mind. She still refused to tell him what she paid to get these glasses for him. He could be sneaky and find out, but he changed his mind.

It was her gift to give and as much as he wasn't sure he deserved that kind of generosity, when the moment came it seemed to wrong to question it. "So I'm either up against the sneakiest mofo ever or quantum mechanics. Just my damned luck."

"That is pretty shitty luck," Rawlins nodded. "I'd put my money on the sneaky motherfucker, however. Quantum mechanics leaves you with less of a chance of getting back where you belong."

"Yeah. Not that I can think of anything with power over time. That's something I'm pretty sure is even beyond the higher level demons. And I can't even ask." His frustration was becoming very apparent.

Bela crossed her arms in front of her chest, before leaning back against the wall of the shack. "That's not necessarily true. Do you have any idea of a demon who would know the answer? We could always summon them and ask."

"What makes you think they'd be willing to answer?" Sam frowned. "Winchesters aren't exactly the best friends of the demon population."

"I know that," Bela said with an eye roll. "But there's a summoning ritual where they're bound to the spot until they allow you one question. If you're smart about it and don't waste it, you could get the answer you're looking for."

Alec frowned. He didn't like the idea of forcing anyone like that. "Amy would know I think. But I don't think her current host knows about her and I'm not willing to hurt either of them." He kept thinking. "Ruby knows a hell of a lot. But Amy's way older. Uh. . . shit. I mean it would make sense to just got to the top? But you don't summon those people. It's friggin rude."

"Well, it's not like we have a phone number to call them," Dean pointed out.

"Actually, we do," Sam said softly. "For Ruby, anyway. But there's no guarantee she knows anything."

"Sure. Ruby it is. Maybe she'll either know or can get a message to someone who doesn't either hate me or think I'm the best toy since Jesus. If this fails I'll -- I dunno. Ask the crossroads demon to play messenger girl."

Sam nodded, before stepping away from the doorway and placing the phone to his ear. Rawlins just glanced around at them for a moment, before nodding. "So do you still need me to look around and see what I can find?"

"If you could? I mean anything is something, you know?"

Rawlins nodded. "I'll call you if I find anything."

"Cool. I owe you anything?" Because if not he just thought of a way to maybe leaving a gift for Bela.

"For a consult like this? Nah. But if you ever need anything before you get back to the future? Give me a ring."

He nodded and then pulled out his Tupperware and held it out to the man. "On account. For Bela. If she ever needs something."

Rawlins turned back to Bela with the head tilt, and she blinked slightly, before replying. "You really don't have to -- "

"I know. Really, I do."

Bela paused for a minute, before shrugging slightly. "Is there anything else you need me for?"

He shook his head. "Thanks. Seriously."

"No problem," Bela nodded, before disappearing out the door as Sam was reappearing.

"There's a diner not too far back from here -- Ruby said she'll meet us there," he replied, sliding his phone back in his pocket.

"Let's go then," Dean nodded, clearly not pleased to be meeting Ruby, but willing to work with what he's got.

"Cool." he could use a milkshake. He paused and looked over at Rawlins. "That stuff will hold off Hounds, spirits and demons. Minor ones definitely, most like mid-level. Absolutely won't do shit against a Fallen. I don't think. I should test it, but I haven't. So, yeah." He shrugged and pulled himself to his feet.

"Nice," Rawlins said with a nod. "Thanks, dude."

"What can I say. I'm amazing." He grinned and patted his thigh for the dog. Jinx showed in a swirl of shadow and solidified onto his feet from where ever he had been poking his nose into. If this Dean and Sam where anything like like his Dad and uncle he was in for a bunch more questions when they got to the dinner.

Dean waited till they were in the car to say something, leaning back against the seat slightly. "So -- you have a 'gift'?"

"Yeah. So far only one. That we're sure of." Though even that one seemed to be growing. He can sort of touch things now. Sometimes. "It's being debated as to whether Jinx taking to me so well is just me, a gift or just him, but I don't let it keep me up at night."

Sam nodded slowly, before turning back to him. "Was it something you were born with, or something that happened growing up?" Sam knew how his abilities had happened. He was hoping that things hadn't gone the same way for Dean's kids and that Azazel had done the same to them.

"Just like you, dude. The demon licking of 2018. And not in that fun way." The fun way was Amy.

Dean raised an eyebrow slightly, before turning back to Sam. "Just like you?"

Sam avoided Dean's eyes for a moment. "I'll explain later."

"No, I think I'd rather you explain now, Sam, since I seem to be the only one in the car who doesn't know what's going on."

Sam closed his eyes for a minute, before leaning back against the seat. "When Azazel was holding me captive last summer -- he showed me what happened the night Mom died. He bled in my mouth -- that's how I got my abilities."

Dean leaned back against the seat for a moment, before looking over at Sam. "Were you ever going to tell me about this? Because I think that that was something pretty big, Sam."

"I didn't want you to worry about me. Besides, Dean I think we have bigger problems considering you're going to be dead in six months unless I figure something out."

"First, sorry I blew anyone out of the water there. Second, Azazel didn't give you the gift. It's latent. You had them. They just weren't awake. They just needed a trigger. It runs in the family. Otherwise Azazel could have picked any Joe off the street. And I'm sure he would have picked people easier to manage than Winchesters."

"Not likely," Sam replied. "He was looking for a leader. He wouldn't have put us in a sudden death match if he didn't want something more out of us."

"No wonder he pegged me for round two if you fell through. What a fucking cockbite." Alec was suddenly pretty sure that Stolas was doing side work for Azazel. Alec must have been a two-for-one special.

"You're telling me," Dean muttered, leaning back in the seat more. This conversation was far from over, but there were things he needed to say to Sam that he didn't want to do with Alec around. He just got quiet and continued to drive, pulling up closer to the diner.

Yeah, Alec could tell someone was going to get it later. He was content to sit in silence for the time being.

Dean pulled into the parking lot and started to climb out of the car. "You're going to have to pick her out, Sam."

"Yeah, yeah," Sam sighed, before moving away from his brother and heading inside to the diner.

Alec and Jinx slid out and headed towards the diner as well but he paused half way there and waited for Dean.

Dean followed him a few minutes later. By the time they got inside, Sam and Ruby were already sitting in one of the back booths, Sam across from her, looking somewhat unhappy. Dean move past Alec, and smirked slightly as he got closer. "So you be the bitch who's been screwing around with my brother's head."

"And you must be the jackass who sold his soul." Ruby grimaced slightly at him, before crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Nice to finally meet you."

Dean glared at her, before sliding into the booth next to Sam. Ruby looked back at them for a moment expectantly, before raising an eyebrow. "So where's future boy?"

"That would be me." He slid into the booth next to her and set down the spare bottle of ketchup he'd snagged from a table on the way by. Jinx settled on the floor and gave her a long look. "Hi."

She glanced down at the ketchup for a moment, before shrugging slightly and taking it. "Hi. And you are?"

"Alec, as in Smart. Winchester as in the ammo." Jinx sighed and laid his chin in Alec's lap. He'd better get bacon out of this deal. "Youngest Winchester."

"Uh-huh," Ruby continued to look Alec over, before turning back to Sam. "And you called me -- why?"

"Because I'm wondering if you know of any demons that could have pulled this off?" He grabbed a menu. There would be bacon. And some pancakes and a big friggin milkshake if he could get it. And maybe some eggs.

"It's possible," she sighed, leaning back in the booth. "Fallen are capable of a whole mess of shit. Doesn't necessarily tell you how to get back, though."

"Find the demon, and get him to send him back?" Dean said with a look.

"Power levels can change a lot in ten years. And what makes you think they're going to listen to you?" Yes, Dean -- this was Ruby's 'You're an idiot' face. Dean wasn't fazed, however, and just glared back at her.

"We just want to know who."

"I know several of who it isn't." He sighed and looked over at Ruby. "Would you know who it might be?"

"Not a clue," Ruby said with a sigh, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "I just got out of the pit -- last I checked, no one had that kind of power, but I haven't been topside in a while. I will say that you're looking at a pretty high level Fallen, if anyone."

"Fallen," Sam frowned. "Fallen what?"

Ruby tilted her head to the side slightly. "Fallen angel, dumbass. Didn't you pay attention in theology?"

Dean snorted. "Angels don't exist."

"You wanna bet?" Ruby rolled her eyes. "You really think there would be demons without some one fighting on the light side?"

"She's right." He hunched in on himself a little. "But. . " He didn’t even know where to go with that. He shook his head. "I know this isn't Amy. And I wish I could talk to her." He wished so hard it almost hurt. "Or Alloces. Stolas wouldn't do this. He'd want hands on. I don't even know if he's a Fallen. "

Ruby blinked slightly, before turning to face Alec a little more, and raising an eyebrow slightly. "Those are some pretty high level names you're slinging, Future Boy. Do I even want to know how you happened to stumble across them?" She paused for a minute before shaking her head. "Well, Amy I can figure out, but Stolas and Alloces? You don't exactly encounter them on a weekend stroll."

"Vassago. She wants Sam dead. Hard. Stolas hangs with her and he hard a pretty big hand in my upbringing so he's damned interested in me. Vassago was using Alloces as muscle. And bribing him with Amy. Hell, she can see the future. She's really good at baiting traps. Led us all around but good."

Ruby's head tilted to the side slightly for a moment, clearly confused. "Why would she have to bribe him with Amy? He gets Amy whenever the hell he wants. It's not exactly like she makes herself unavailable." It was more amused than condescending. Amy and Ruby had been friends a long time. She knew how she was and had accepted it a long time ago.

He blinked at her. "She wasn't available. No one could find her not really. Trapped. That whole thing were she shared with some chick? And before you ask we were friends for a long time before sex even came. Anna, her host wasn't digging the sex thing. and then after she was finally freed she was to damned addled to tie her own sneakers. Hell she was wearing sneakers. That should tell you something. I'm the one that took care of her. Vassago promised to get her free for Alloces. And then when she was friggin traumatized the bitch left her for dead." It's pretty obvious that Alec actually cares about the woman for a whole lot more than sex.

Ruby could see that much, at least, and then she smiled slightly. "Did she happen to mention how long she was trapped for? At least -- in your version of the future." Because she was starting to feel pretty sure that this kid wasn't just from the future.

"Five hundred years. Give or take a generation. Which given her total life doesn't seem like much? It'd be enough to piss me right the hell off."

Ruby smirked slightly, before shaking her head. "Amy's in Miami chasing cabana boys. Things didn't play out quite the same way in this time line. She'll probably be more than willing to answer whatever questions you have, and she would know it better than I would." Ruby glanced over at Sam and Dean, before starting to get up slightly. "Anything else you need me for?"

Alec put his head down in his arms. "I just wanna go home. I deserve a lot of bad shit but this is out of hand."

Ruby gave him a soft look, before rubbing his back awkwardly. She was trying to be comforting -- she was just bad at it. "In that case, you might be better off just summoning her. It'll get you your answers faster than having to take a day and half to drive to Miami, and then having no idea how to find her."

He leaned towards her a bit. Not even on purpose. It was just his natural reaction when he wanted comfort and someone he trusted offered it. "Doesn't she have a phone number? It's not right to just summon someone." He hadn't lifted his head and kinda didn't intend to until he was offered mint or tryptophan.

Ruby glanced over at Sam and Dean, and then back at him again. "The three of you do it? And I doubt she'll hold it against you. Besides, even if she did have a phone, she wouldn't know how to use it."

"Someone should teach her. 'S not safe to not have a phone." He didn't care if she was a demon or not.

"She's a two thousand year old Fallen angel," Ruby chuckled. "I doubt she's worried about calling for help. Besides -- demons communicate in their own way."

"Doesn't matter. Other demons can't always come to help. Sometimes they'd just be in danger."

Ruby sighed slightly, before shaking her head. "Summon Amy, ask her what you need to ask her, and I'm sure that she'll let you find some way to make it up to her for the rude awakening. The sooner you get to her, I'm pretty sure you'll find your way back home."

He nodded into his arm. "Are there any angels lurking that I don't know about yet?" He hoped she said no.

Ruby's eyebrows rose slightly, and she shot back from Alec like she'd been shocked. "What?"

He startled at that and looked up. "What?"

"There better not be angels around," Ruby said, before looking back over at Sam like he had sold her up the river. Which, technically, if there had been angels around, he would have. "Otherwise, I'm pretty much toast."

"They'd kill me first. Uriel already hates me." He looked from her to Sam and back again. Wrong brother.

"Someone want to tell me what the hell is going on?" Dean said with a frown, and Ruby just blinked slightly, before pushing herself up and starting to climb over the back of the booth.

"I'm out of here. I told you what you needed to know. Next time, when you call me, Sam? Make sure there's no impending death threats involved."

Alec slid out of the booth quickly for her and hunched in on himself. "Sorry." He backed up. "Sorry."

Ruby looked back at him for a moment, before sighing slightly. "It's not you, okay? But if there's anywhere that angels are going to be, it's not somewhere I want to be. It's a self-preservation thing. Not your fault."

He nodded, but didn't look up. Jinx pressed tight to him. "Amy knows how to send them home." All of the playfulness from when he'd first gotten to the diner was gone.

Dean frowned slightly at that, before looking over at Ruby. "You going or not?"

Ruby glared back at Dean. "Have fun with Amy -- let me know how it goes." She wanted to know who had the power to screw with time -- whether it be now or somewhere in the future. And after that, she was gone, out the door faster than Dean would finish his food.

"Would someone please shoot me?"

"Sorry -- don't do people," Dean replied evenly, before looking over at him. "Look, we'll summon Amy, and we'll figure this out. Maybe she knows how to do it, and she can send you back right away."

Alec snorted and opened his mouth. Jinx gave a little disapproving growl and pushed Alec firmly back towards the booth. Once Alec had fallen into the seat Jinx put his paws on the table and used his nose to shove the menu into Alec's lap.

Dean and Sam watched him for a minute, before Dean looked down at the menu with a shrug. "Do we even want to bother with the food and just get to the main event?"

Jinx gave Dean a look. He'd either get food or sit there while Alec did. Alec was still to thin to be angsting instead of eating.

"Or not," Dean sighed. Sam just smirked, before looking down at the menu again, and watching as his brother tried to stare down the dog.

Jinx snorted, unimpressed. Alec scooted over so there was room for him on the bench. "He's the biggest mother hen out there. I swear."

"Well, at least you have someone," Sam said, glancing over at his brother. "And at least he doesn't talk."

"Hey," Dean said, giving Sam a look. "It took damn good care of you when I was a kid."

"Yeah, but you never shut up, either."

"You have never been mothered until you've had him," He pointed at Dean, "Him," He pointed at Jinx, "Amy, you, two nurses and a doctor all worrying at you with no means of escape."

Sam shook his head, before sighing slightly. "So what is Amy like anyway? Is there anything we have to worry about?"

"I don't know. I mean my Amy is a sweetheart. Smart, witty. Can turn anything into a sexual comment. She just. . .likes living." He closed the menu. "But she's a Fallen, you know. There's a lot there. She saw the Flood."

"The Flood?" Sam raised an eyebrow. "As in Noah and the ark Flood?"

"Yep. I think she'd already lost her wings by then though." His fingers tapped angrily against the table as he thought of Uriel.

Sam nodded slowly. "She sounds interesting."

"She's saved my life. More than once." He tapped again. "Where's the waitress?" He wanted milk and he wanted it now.

"I'll find her," Dean replied, before waving down one of the waitresses in the area. She made her way over, snapping her gum slightly as she flipped her notepad open.

"What can I getcha?"

Jinx gave Alec a look and he sighed. "Pancakes. With some sort of fruit. Anything but blueberries. And a side order of bacon." He got a dog nose shoved cold under his ear. "Okay two orders. And do you do milkshakes?"

She smirked slightly at the dog, before nodding. "What kind do you want?"

"Strawberry?" He's all little boy now. "With enough ice cream to make the spoon stand up? And a bendy straw if you have any?"

And that earned him a grin. Or a half of one. "We make 'em extra thick here. And I'll see what I can do about the bendy straw." She finished jotting it down before looking over at Sam and Dean. "What can I get you boys?"

The brothers both ordered, and she gave them a nod before collecting the menus. "I'll be right back."

"I love bendy straws. I mean. . .totally awesome. Especially with the crinkly noise." Like they couldn't figure this out on their own, right?

Dean chuckled slightly. "Yeah, they're pretty cool."

He nods. "One of the nurses brought me a whole box of day glow ones." And Jinx lets out a sigh of relief as Alec discovers the jelly packets. Calorie intake secure.

Dean just watches him for a minute studying him as he works on the jelly packet. Sam smirked slightly before leaning back in the seat. "So is there anywhere else we should go before we summon Amy? Anyone else you want to see?"

Alec pauses mid-lick. "Yeah. There's this. . . " He shakes his head, changing his mind. He can't go to Manticore. He can't do that. He'd shake someone or turn those kids loose and . . ."Never mind. Some things you shouldn't mess with or see, you know?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded, before tilting his head to the side slightly. "Anything we should know about you? Health issues?" If the kid was going to be on the road with them for a while, he didn't want them to be surprised.

"Oh a whole lot. Health issues? Uh. . .I'm epileptic? Like whoa. And the only doctor I'll trust within ten feet of me is here in NJ. And I should most likely get my prescriptions refilled before we leave? That a good start?" He gave them a game smile. Like a kitten that about to make a leap for a bug that it was pretty sure was gonna get him with pincers.

"Only a start?" Dean frowned, and he winced as Sam kicked him under the table. He glared back at his brother before shaking his head. "Sure -- just tell me which hospital and how to get there."

"Do you want to go there before or after we see Amy?" Sam asked.

"Only the start. I'm not human. Sturdy but quirky." He licked at his jelly.

Dean and Sam stared at him for a minute, before Dean's head tilted to the side slightly. "Not human how?"

"X5. Not supernatural."

Dean nodded slowly. "And an X5 is?" Because that wasn't anything he had ever heard of.

"A combination of human, feline and X5 specific genes. A transgenic. Twenty two million dollars worth of extremely attractive and intelligent weaponry."

"Huh." Dean paused for a minute. The waitress returned at this point, placing the drinks in front of them. Alec's milkshake was extra thick, complete with bendy straw and standing up straight spoon. "I guess that would explain why your mother wouldn't have helped me out any."

"My mother is either a petri dish or a rather beautiful creature with rosette spots and excellent balance. You and I didn't even now bout each other until I was twenty." He used the straw as a spoon, clearly enjoying himself.

"Right," Dean said with a nod, before leaning back against the seat. "Huh."

"Well it's not like our handlers could really just let actual parents know about us. You would have wanted crazy things like to have us."

"Well, yeah, probably," Dean said with a nod. "That wouldn't have worked out well for them at all, would it?"

"I wasn't a kid." Alec looked down at his hands. "Not the way you want to think. Just because right now I'm eight doesn't mean I'm not extremely dangerous. Weapon." Dean may be with the sarcasm but Alec is sadly not.

Dean paused for a minute, before nodding slowly. "Yeah, but you're also eight. Everyone deserves to be a kid -- at least once."

"Thus my love of the bendy straw." He smiled at Dean.

Dean gave him a small smile back. "There ya go." At least that was something.