DA/SPN Fic: "Just Another Day at the Park"
Title: "Just Another Day at the Park"
Author: lori_leaf
Beta: girlfan1979
Rating: PG (mild swearing)
Summary: Manticore failed to instruct Alec in playground etiquette
Author's Notes: This is part of my Fox 'Verse. It works as a stand-alone story. The only thing you need to know is this is a crossover between Dark Angel and Supernatural. I've messed with both timelines. It's 2007, Dean is 19, Sam is 15. John found Alec in a school during an undercover mission. Alec is 10 years old. He's been living with the Winchesters at Bobby's house for a few weeks.
It isn't until later that Alec realizes his mistake. He's been assuming that the playground at the park is like the training field at Manticore. He assumes the same rules apply. He's wrong.
John has noticed that Alec joins his boys in their morning workouts every day. The kid keeps up with the older boys with no problems. He seems to enjoy the routine. He especially likes the run around Bobby's property and would sometimes do a second circuit right before dinner. Bobby jokes that the kid is checking the parameter, but John wouldn't be at all surprised if that's exactly what the kid's doing. He watches his boys settle into a routine of steady training and Alec isn't at all put off by the drills. He seems to be used to them. Which is why John decides to order Alec to spend less time being a soldier and more time being a kid. He decides to send his kids to the town park every other day. Sam and Dean are ordered to run the fitness course there. Alec is ordered to learn how to play with other kids. Alec reacts to the mission as though John ordered him to eat an entire jar of jalapenos. John just ruffles the boy's hair and assures him that the other kids will like him fine.
It's a fairly dingy little park. There is a slide, a set of swings, and a jungle gym. There is also a small trail with a few pull up bars and balance beams along the way. On weekends, the path fills with runners, all trying to get in one solid workout before returning to the mundane work place. Dean confides that before the Pulse, the park was much nicer. They even had a Merry-Go-Round looking thing that you could spin on until you puked. But after the Pulse, money was spent elsewhere. Little towns like this aren't impacted as much as big ones. Dean says the big towns have sectors and police everywhere and you aren't treated like a person, you're treated like a statistic. Alec doesn't let them know that he's used to being a statistic and instead makes the appropriate shocked face that the boys seem to expect. No one notices he's faking.
When the boys leave him to run the trail, Alec just stares at the playground. There's a mix of kids. School's out so there's everything from four year olds with carefully doting mothers, to high school kids covertly smoking pot by the trees. He doesn't like the smell of the weed. It's too thick and sweet for his sharply tuned senses, and it makes him a little dizzy, so he avoids the trees. No one is running formations. There aren't any drills. Instead he see's two little girls singing to lump of plastic wrapped in a blanket. A closer look informs Alec that the plastic is shaped in the form of an infant. A couple kids are hanging upside-down on the jungle gym. One of the children is a little girl in a skirt who is flashing her pink and white polka dotted panties to the world. Alec doesn't know much about playground etiquette, but he assumes that the showing of underwear is frowned upon. He continues to scope the area, but there's nothing obvious to do. No one is even playing sports! Everyone is engaging in games without clear rules. Not wanting to let his discomfort show, he chooses to sit on a swing and push himself backwards and forwards.
There are two kids swinging by him. A blonde girl with a cast on her left arm looks to be about his age, and there's a kid with orangish red hair swinging on his left. The boy looks to be about six, and judging by the way some of the other kids are eyeing him, he's definitely not the most popular kid on the playground. Alec's theory is confirmed when an older boy stalks up to the orange haired kid and shoves him.
"Hey weirdo, why don’t you run home to mommy? I want to swing."
The little kid's lower lip trembles but he doesn't back down, "Lemme alone Frank! There’s other swings."
Frank just grins, "but I want that one."
The beefy kid proceeds to yank the scrawny one out of his swing. The little kid is full out crying by now. Alec watches impartially. The pecking order has to be established one way or another, and fights are an easy way to prove you can lead a unit. Interfering is seen as a display of weakness, and anyone who tries to inform an adult is often severely punished, both by their peers and by their handlers. Manticore is training soldiers, not babies.
The blonde girl jumps off of her swing and punches the older boy. "Back the hell off Frank."
Frank doesn't seem to appreciate this and quickly pushes her hard enough that she lands on her butt, hard. When she reaches back with her broken hand to catch herself, tears spring to her eyes. She swipes the back of her good hand against her eyes and smears the tears away. The older boy stands smugly over her and Alec is pleased when she kicks him in the crotch, grinning as he yelps.
"I said, back the hell off Frank."
He growls in her face, "I'm gonna get you Kara. You're a little bitch and everyone knows it."
Despite her red eyes she manages to effect a bored tone, "Whatever. Go home Frankie."
With a muttered curse he hobbles off, still clutching his groin. The orange haired kid hugs Kara until she pushes him off with irritation. "Mike, stop being such a target and you won't get picked on. Leave me alone."
The little kid shuffles off as well, and then its just the two of them. She glares at Alec from her sprawl in the dirt. "Why didn’t you help?"
He shrugs, "Wasn't my business."
"Who says that? 'It wasn't my business.' Bullshit. You see a little kid getting picked on, you make it your business!"
Alec peers down at her, "You're a little kid. Smaller than Frank. Doesn't that mean you shouldn't have messed with him? And you curse a lot."
Her eyes flash with fury and she jumps up, shoving him backwards off of the swing. "You're an idiot!"
He's confused, but doesn't want to show weakness, so he attacks right back. He grabs her by the t-shirt and with spittle flying, he yells in her face. "You're a stupid little kid!"
When she punches him the familiar taste of copper floods his mouth. Thanks to his lifetime of training he is able to give her a warning jab on the chin without hesitation. The blow stuns her but doesn't knock her out. His execution of the move is textbook perfect. Of course that's when his brothers come back from their run. He barely has time to register their presence before Sam has him grabbed around the waist and hoisted off the ground. Dean kneels by the girl, checking her bleeding lip. Both of them seemed pissed.
Sam shakes him, "What the hell Alec? You don't hit girls!"
Alec wonders if his brain is banging the inside of his skull, "She hit me first!"
"That's no excuse." Sam retorts.
"Get off of me!" Kara tries to bat Dean's hands away. "He hits like a girl. Didn't even hurt."
Now that stings Alec's pride, "You're a liar! That's gonna bruise and you know it!"
Kara's fist closes around a small rock and she flings it at him, barely avoiding hitting Sam as well. "You look like a girl! You're ugly and stupid and I hate you!"
Alec wiggles in Sam's arms, trying to get back on the ground to retaliate. Sam just shakes him again. Alec knows he could extract himself from Sam's grip easily but he doesn't want to hurt his brother.
Kara starts to pick up another rock before Dean pries it out of her fist. "C'mon, stop it. Nice little girls don't throw things."
She kicks at him, "Get away from me! You know what? Fuck this. I’m going home." She flipped a bird in Alec's direction, "See ya later, princess!"
Alec screams towards her back, "Only stupid people cuss as much as you do!"
That's when Sam decides to let Alec go. He abruptly drops his younger brother, letting the kid fall on his ass. When Alec looks up at him with a wounded expression, Sam just rolls his eyes. "Whatever, don't give me that look. You deserved it. You don't hit girls."
Alec repeats, "But she hit me first."
Dean sides with Sam, "Doesn't matter. You don't hit girls."
In hindsight Alec sees where his brothers are coming from, but at the time all he can feel is deeply betrayed by how disappointed they were in him. The two of them barely speak to Alec all day, and when they get home John changes his mind about Alec going to the park. Everyone is mad at him and he doesn't understand why. At Manticore it didn't matter. You hit girls all the time, and they hit back. It was just the way things were. It wasn't personal. Eventually they all get over it, but Alec never forgets how much it stung to have his family mad at him. For the first time in a long time he missed Manticore. At least things made sense there.
Next story in this series - "More Winchester Family Secrets"
Author: lori_leaf
Beta: girlfan1979
Rating: PG (mild swearing)
Summary: Manticore failed to instruct Alec in playground etiquette
Author's Notes: This is part of my Fox 'Verse. It works as a stand-alone story. The only thing you need to know is this is a crossover between Dark Angel and Supernatural. I've messed with both timelines. It's 2007, Dean is 19, Sam is 15. John found Alec in a school during an undercover mission. Alec is 10 years old. He's been living with the Winchesters at Bobby's house for a few weeks.
It isn't until later that Alec realizes his mistake. He's been assuming that the playground at the park is like the training field at Manticore. He assumes the same rules apply. He's wrong.
John has noticed that Alec joins his boys in their morning workouts every day. The kid keeps up with the older boys with no problems. He seems to enjoy the routine. He especially likes the run around Bobby's property and would sometimes do a second circuit right before dinner. Bobby jokes that the kid is checking the parameter, but John wouldn't be at all surprised if that's exactly what the kid's doing. He watches his boys settle into a routine of steady training and Alec isn't at all put off by the drills. He seems to be used to them. Which is why John decides to order Alec to spend less time being a soldier and more time being a kid. He decides to send his kids to the town park every other day. Sam and Dean are ordered to run the fitness course there. Alec is ordered to learn how to play with other kids. Alec reacts to the mission as though John ordered him to eat an entire jar of jalapenos. John just ruffles the boy's hair and assures him that the other kids will like him fine.
It's a fairly dingy little park. There is a slide, a set of swings, and a jungle gym. There is also a small trail with a few pull up bars and balance beams along the way. On weekends, the path fills with runners, all trying to get in one solid workout before returning to the mundane work place. Dean confides that before the Pulse, the park was much nicer. They even had a Merry-Go-Round looking thing that you could spin on until you puked. But after the Pulse, money was spent elsewhere. Little towns like this aren't impacted as much as big ones. Dean says the big towns have sectors and police everywhere and you aren't treated like a person, you're treated like a statistic. Alec doesn't let them know that he's used to being a statistic and instead makes the appropriate shocked face that the boys seem to expect. No one notices he's faking.
When the boys leave him to run the trail, Alec just stares at the playground. There's a mix of kids. School's out so there's everything from four year olds with carefully doting mothers, to high school kids covertly smoking pot by the trees. He doesn't like the smell of the weed. It's too thick and sweet for his sharply tuned senses, and it makes him a little dizzy, so he avoids the trees. No one is running formations. There aren't any drills. Instead he see's two little girls singing to lump of plastic wrapped in a blanket. A closer look informs Alec that the plastic is shaped in the form of an infant. A couple kids are hanging upside-down on the jungle gym. One of the children is a little girl in a skirt who is flashing her pink and white polka dotted panties to the world. Alec doesn't know much about playground etiquette, but he assumes that the showing of underwear is frowned upon. He continues to scope the area, but there's nothing obvious to do. No one is even playing sports! Everyone is engaging in games without clear rules. Not wanting to let his discomfort show, he chooses to sit on a swing and push himself backwards and forwards.
There are two kids swinging by him. A blonde girl with a cast on her left arm looks to be about his age, and there's a kid with orangish red hair swinging on his left. The boy looks to be about six, and judging by the way some of the other kids are eyeing him, he's definitely not the most popular kid on the playground. Alec's theory is confirmed when an older boy stalks up to the orange haired kid and shoves him.
"Hey weirdo, why don’t you run home to mommy? I want to swing."
The little kid's lower lip trembles but he doesn't back down, "Lemme alone Frank! There’s other swings."
Frank just grins, "but I want that one."
The beefy kid proceeds to yank the scrawny one out of his swing. The little kid is full out crying by now. Alec watches impartially. The pecking order has to be established one way or another, and fights are an easy way to prove you can lead a unit. Interfering is seen as a display of weakness, and anyone who tries to inform an adult is often severely punished, both by their peers and by their handlers. Manticore is training soldiers, not babies.
The blonde girl jumps off of her swing and punches the older boy. "Back the hell off Frank."
Frank doesn't seem to appreciate this and quickly pushes her hard enough that she lands on her butt, hard. When she reaches back with her broken hand to catch herself, tears spring to her eyes. She swipes the back of her good hand against her eyes and smears the tears away. The older boy stands smugly over her and Alec is pleased when she kicks him in the crotch, grinning as he yelps.
"I said, back the hell off Frank."
He growls in her face, "I'm gonna get you Kara. You're a little bitch and everyone knows it."
Despite her red eyes she manages to effect a bored tone, "Whatever. Go home Frankie."
With a muttered curse he hobbles off, still clutching his groin. The orange haired kid hugs Kara until she pushes him off with irritation. "Mike, stop being such a target and you won't get picked on. Leave me alone."
The little kid shuffles off as well, and then its just the two of them. She glares at Alec from her sprawl in the dirt. "Why didn’t you help?"
He shrugs, "Wasn't my business."
"Who says that? 'It wasn't my business.' Bullshit. You see a little kid getting picked on, you make it your business!"
Alec peers down at her, "You're a little kid. Smaller than Frank. Doesn't that mean you shouldn't have messed with him? And you curse a lot."
Her eyes flash with fury and she jumps up, shoving him backwards off of the swing. "You're an idiot!"
He's confused, but doesn't want to show weakness, so he attacks right back. He grabs her by the t-shirt and with spittle flying, he yells in her face. "You're a stupid little kid!"
When she punches him the familiar taste of copper floods his mouth. Thanks to his lifetime of training he is able to give her a warning jab on the chin without hesitation. The blow stuns her but doesn't knock her out. His execution of the move is textbook perfect. Of course that's when his brothers come back from their run. He barely has time to register their presence before Sam has him grabbed around the waist and hoisted off the ground. Dean kneels by the girl, checking her bleeding lip. Both of them seemed pissed.
Sam shakes him, "What the hell Alec? You don't hit girls!"
Alec wonders if his brain is banging the inside of his skull, "She hit me first!"
"That's no excuse." Sam retorts.
"Get off of me!" Kara tries to bat Dean's hands away. "He hits like a girl. Didn't even hurt."
Now that stings Alec's pride, "You're a liar! That's gonna bruise and you know it!"
Kara's fist closes around a small rock and she flings it at him, barely avoiding hitting Sam as well. "You look like a girl! You're ugly and stupid and I hate you!"
Alec wiggles in Sam's arms, trying to get back on the ground to retaliate. Sam just shakes him again. Alec knows he could extract himself from Sam's grip easily but he doesn't want to hurt his brother.
Kara starts to pick up another rock before Dean pries it out of her fist. "C'mon, stop it. Nice little girls don't throw things."
She kicks at him, "Get away from me! You know what? Fuck this. I’m going home." She flipped a bird in Alec's direction, "See ya later, princess!"
Alec screams towards her back, "Only stupid people cuss as much as you do!"
That's when Sam decides to let Alec go. He abruptly drops his younger brother, letting the kid fall on his ass. When Alec looks up at him with a wounded expression, Sam just rolls his eyes. "Whatever, don't give me that look. You deserved it. You don't hit girls."
Alec repeats, "But she hit me first."
Dean sides with Sam, "Doesn't matter. You don't hit girls."
In hindsight Alec sees where his brothers are coming from, but at the time all he can feel is deeply betrayed by how disappointed they were in him. The two of them barely speak to Alec all day, and when they get home John changes his mind about Alec going to the park. Everyone is mad at him and he doesn't understand why. At Manticore it didn't matter. You hit girls all the time, and they hit back. It was just the way things were. It wasn't personal. Eventually they all get over it, but Alec never forgets how much it stung to have his family mad at him. For the first time in a long time he missed Manticore. At least things made sense there.
Next story in this series - "More Winchester Family Secrets"