Lost (1/1) - The Great Spawn Crossover AU
Title: Lost (1/1) - The Great Spawn Crossover AU
Author: strangevisitor7
Beta: Divas_Lament and fonapola
Rated: PG
Fandom: the Great Spawn Crossover AU. Supernatural, Smallville & Highlander
Written for : spawnfic_tues
Characters: Everybody's Spawn
From my Immortal!Dean Universe: JD, Mule and MJ Winchester.
fonapola's Mary Winchester :
Divas_Lament’s : Holly & Andrew Winchester
muses_circle ’s : Grace Winchester
pen37’s : Chance Winchester
A/N: Thanks to my spawn fic cohorts for allowing me to use their original characters.
Summary JD and Mule are babysitting MJ when things go sideways
Lost
JD grabbed two bottles of beer out of the fridge and went to answer the door to his apartment.
"Hiya bro," he said, handing Mule a beer. "Ready to watch the game?"
Mule smiled and took the proffered beverage. That was when JD felt the impact. Looking down, he smiled to see his little sister hugging his legs.
"Hey, squirt." He reached down to pick up the six-year-old, settling her on his hip. She was wearing the Seattle Seahawks t-shirt he'd bought her and jeans. JD smiled, glad that she wasn't one of those little girls who insisted on wearing pink.
"JD!" MJ squealed as she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Sammy says we gonna watch football!"
JD raised an eyebrow at his brother.
"I got babysitting duty," Mule explained with a shrug and walked into the apartment.
JD kicked the front door shut and followed him to the couch. "Why? I mean not that I'm unhappy to see the munchkin," he tickled Mary and she giggled, "but I didn't think Mom and Dad had any plans this weekend."
"With me coming over here, the twins on their Bar Mitzvah hunt, and Robbie spending the day at friends - " Mule paused as he let JD draw his own conclusions.
"Oh, you're kidding!" JD grimaced as he flopped onto the couch, plopping Mary down beside him. Immediately feeling the need to purge his brain of the image it had just flashed, he took a swig of his beer. But then again, he supposed their parents did deserve an afternoon alone."Well, there are six of us."
"Yep," Mule agreed, before mirroring JD's brain wiping action with his own beer and settling down on the other side of their sister.
JD handed MJ the bowl of chips and then flipped on the TV.
"Football!" she cheered as she dug into the snack food.
"That's right football, beer," he saluted Mule over MJ's head with his bottle, "and junk food. Good times."
JD smiled and settled in with his siblings to watch the Seattle Seahawks beat up on the Dallas Cowboys.
*******************************************
JD was struggling to balance the hot pizza tray, his beer, and the paper plates before he finally gave up. "Mule! Get your ass in here and help me!"
"You cooked. I'm impressed," Mule drawled from the narrow archway that separated the kitchen from the living room
JD rolled his eyes. "Just grab the pizza, will ya?"
Mule stepped into the small efficiency kitchen and opened the fridge.
"What are you doing?"
Mule gave him a look and held up a beer.
"Uh-uh, Dude. You have to drive the midget home later. One's all you get tonight and you already had it."
Any other time, Mule could have crashed on his couch, but with Mary here, his brother would be heading home tonight and he was going to do it sober. Not that Mule would ever be irresponsible enough to drive drunk, but JD wasn't taking any chances.
Sighing, Mule eyed the beer longingly before reluctantly placing it back in the fridge. Grabbing the pizza, he followed JD through the archway and back into the living room.
"Pizza!" JD announced to the empty couch. "Hey…Where's the munchkin?"
"Potty?" Mule suggested.
JD snickered and looked down the short hallway that led toward his bathroom and bedroom. "Door's closed. Guess so."
The two sat down and dug into the pizza. After he finished his first piece, JD started to wonder where his sister had disappeared to.
He walked to the bathroom door and gave it a small rap. "You fall in?"
No response.
"MJ, answer me or I'm coming in."
JD tried the door knob. It turned easily. "Last chance." Slowly, he swung the door open expecting to hear a girlish shriek telling him to go away.
By now Mule had joined him. "It's empty."
“I can see that," JD quipped. "MJ!" he yelled.
No answer. It's not like it was a big apartment. He already knew she wasn't in the kitchen or living room. He glanced at the front door. The chain was still in place, so she couldn't have left.
Mule pointed toward the bedroom. "Maybe she fell asleep."
JD nodded and the two entered the bedroom expecting to see her crashed on the bed, but the room was empty. "Mary Joan Winchester!" JD yelled again, trying to sound like their mother when she wanted an immediate response. "This isn’t funny. I'm missing the game."
JD looked in the open closet while his brother had dropped down to check under the bed. Mule looked up shaking his head. "No room for her there. And just for your information, JD, straightening up does not mean shoving everything you own under the bed."
"Save the helpful cleaning tips for the Brady Bunch, Alice. Where is she?" A feeling of dread started to creep over him and settle in his gut. He'd been hunting long enough to know that this didn't feel like an ordinary disappearance.
"Oh, no…" Mule was standing on the other side of the bed staring at the floor.
"What is it?" JD asked, not sure he wanted to know.
Mule bent down and picked up a small object, holding it out to show him. JD recognized the dial device immediately. "You don't think? Shit!"
JD moved to check the closet again. He pushed his clothes aside and pulled out the large mirror he kept stored in the back. Except it wasn't an ordinary mirror and right now it was off. He settled it against the wall not daring to look back at his brother.
"Our sister's lost in an alternate universe," Mule said, fear plain in his voice as he came to stand next to JD.
If what Mule was suggesting was true, it was not good. In fact, it was a disaster.
"Crap!" JD barked and smacked his palm against the wall.
"Hold on a minute," Mule said. JD paused recognizing his brother's "thinking" voice. "She's probably with Holly. It always defaults to her universe, right?"
JD smiled and clapped his brother on the shoulder. "Of course. MJ knows Holly, so it's all good." Relief flooded over him as he took the device from Mule's hand and flipped the dial to turn on the mirror. "Let's go get her back."
*****************************************************
An Alternate Reality
Mary really hated laundry day. But this morning when she'd been forced to wear an old AC/DC t-shirt and a pair of jeans with more holes than denim, she’d bitten the bullet and headed down to the Laundromat.
As she juggled three duffel bags full of clean clothes up the steps and into the apartment she rented above the Talon, she swore she wouldn't let it go this long again. Tossing the bags in the corner-she'd put it all away later- Mary headed toward the small kitchenette to grab a beer.
She was just about to collapse on the couch when she heard a thump from the alcove that also served as her bedroom. Setting the beer silently down on the counter, she drew her gun and approached the small closet in the back corner. She could hear something moving around behind the closed door.
Keeping her gun pointed in front of her, she reached out and opened the door before stepping quickly back to refocus her aim. Mary blinked at the sight of a small blonde girl sitting on the floor of her closet.
Mary was no fool. She'd heard stories about how Lilith had appeared as a pretty little girl and continued to keep her weapon trained on the intruder.
"Christo," she barked.
The little girl’s green eyes widened in fear, but she didn't flinch. She just sat there looking like she was about to cry.
"What are you?" Mary demanded, gesturing at the creature with her weapon. She could be a changeling or maybe some kind of fairy. This kind of guessing game always frustrated her, so the direct option seemed best, and who knew, maybe the thing would tell her.
The child, who looked to be about six or seven, started to cry for real.
It had to be a trick to draw her in closer. But just in case Mary thought she ought to at least talk a little nicer to her. "Hey there. Don't cry. You just startled me. It's not everyday I find someone sitting in my closet."
That wasn't exactly true because this wasn't the first time she'd found someone unexpected in her closet. Of course, then it had been Holly, one of her universe jumping siblings. She'd been the only one to visit after their first encounter.
Mary stared at the child again. Was it possible that this little girl was one of them; an alternate Winchester?
"I wanna go home." Sniffling, the girl looked up at her and suddenly those tear-filled, green eyes looked very familiar.
"Where's home?"
"Wasin'ton."
Washington state, Mary surmised, noting the Seahawks t-shirt the girl was wearing. So, not Holly's sister, she was another Kansas girl. And just because she'd met three other Winchesters didn't mean that this little girl was one of their siblings either. But her gut insisted that this kid was a Winchester.
Tucking the gun in the back of her waist band, she knelt next to the child, who quickly scooted further into the closet.
"Whoa, it's ok. I'm not going to hurt you." Mary held up her hands to show the gun was gone. "My name is Mary Winchester. What’s yours?"
The girl stared at her and seemed to be weighing the truth of Mary's statement. At least she'd stopped crying.
Mary tried again. "Can you tell me your name, kiddo?"
"Not supposed to talk to strangers," she said drawing her legs close to her body and wrapping her arms around them.
Smart kid, Mary thought. Except this time she really wanted to know so she could confirm her theory. Okay, different tactic.
"Do you know Holly Winchester?" That girl got around maybe this kid had run into her.
The girl eyed her warily. "Do you know Holly, too?"
Mary nodded. This was good. If she could get the kid to Holly then maybe they could get her home. "Yep, she's a friend of mine."
She once again seemed to be weighing the truth of Mary's words. The girl was a Winchester, alright- no one else raised their kids to be this cautious.
As if coming to a decision, the girl asked, "Can you take me to see Holly?"
Mary still didn't have a name, but at least now she had a plan. She always felt better when she had a plan.
************************************************
Holly's Reality
"How could you be so stupid, JD?." Holly shouted at him.
"I get it. I'm an idiot," JD said for the third time. "Can we please focus on the issue here?"
Holly wasn't nearly finished, but she'd understood that her need to berate JD could wait. "Of course. I'll help anyway I can."
"Are you sure she didn't come through here?" JD asked again.
"Positive. I've been in my room all afternoon. If she'd been sitting in my closet, I think I would have noticed."
Holly had been harsh to JD, but she couldn’t help but feel sympathy towards him. He was a wreck. He kept running a hand through his hair and pacing around the room. She swore there was a moment while she'd been yelling at him that she was sure he was going to cry. Mule wasn't doing much better. He'd parked himself on her bed and had barely said a word.
"Ok, so let's start checking other universes." JD looked at his dialing device and Holly knew he was at a loss for where to begin.
"First, you have to tell your Dad," Holly insisted. "We'll need more people looking."
"No! No way. We can find her ourselves."
"JD, there is an infinite number of universes out there. You could search for lifetimes and never find her," Andrew explained.
Holly was grateful her brother had been home when their 'cousins' had arrived. If anyone could figure out a search pattern through multiple universes it would be him.
"Thank you, Mr. Positive," JD grumbled.
"I'm just saying, this isn’t like searching for her in your neighborhood."
Mule stood up to join the conversation. "Holly, where else have you been besides our reality? We should start there."
Out of habit, Holly tried to feign innocence. "What makes you think I've been to any other realities?"
Mule looked at Andrew who just rolled his eyes. "She really thinks she's good at lying."
"So does JD," Mule confirmed.
Andrew stepped up to his sister. "Where else?"
Holly realized that this was no time to be coy about her activities. She'd listen to the lecture from Andrew later. She sighed, "Grace. I went to visit Grace."
"She the one with the pink hair?" JD asked.
Mule and Andrew turned to looked at him. "How do you know about this Grace?" Andrew asked.
"If you must know, a crazy, random happenstance pulled four other Winchesters into my reality."
"When?" Mule asked. "How?"
"It's not important, but we should check those other three first." JD looked at Holly. "Can you get us there?"
Holly nodded as she grabbed her dial from the night stand. "Get the mirror out of the closet will ya, JD? No sense stepping over my shoes every time we do this.”
JD wrestled the mirror free of the closet and set it against the wall. He turned back to face the others. "Holly and I will go talk to Grace. You two wait here."
"No," Andrew said. "We have two devices. We should check multiple places at once."
"Andrew's right," Holly agreed. "Since I met Grace, I'll take Mule with me." It made sense to split the brothers up so they didn't let their emotional state get the best of them.
"You go with Andrew and reintroduce yourself to Chance." She pointed to the labels on her dial and nodded as JD mirrored the setting on his device. "This is his world."
"Whoever gets back first goes to see Mary," JD said, staring at his own dialing device. Holly knew he was thinking about all the possibilities it represented. "After that…"
Holly laid a comforting hand on his arm. "MJ will be with one of them. I know it."
"I want to believe that too."
"There was a reason the five of us came together. Clearly, there’s a connection between our worlds," Holly reasoned.
JD nodded reluctantly as he activated his device.
Once Andrew and JD were gone, Holly set the device for Grace's world.
"Ready, Mule?"
"Not really."
She gave him a squeeze on his shoulder. "We’ll get her back." and pushed him toward the mirror.
*********************************
Mary's Reality
The only time Mary had hopped universes it had been at the will of a trickster. He'd dumped her and three other Winchester siblings into the alternate world of a fifth-well actually, JD was a cousin. She smiled when she thought of him, a real mini-Dean, but he'd been able to return them all home because of the mirror.
Once back in her reality, Mary had decided that the mirror was safer in her apartment rather than in Grandpa John's old storage locker. Now, looking at the child beside her, she was very glad she'd done that. She didn't even want to think about this little girl trapped in that supernatural waste dump. Plus, it meant that Holly had been able to visit and that was the only real lead she had.
She looked at the device in her hand, wondering how she'd find Holly's world. She remembered a rather cluttered closet and had an image of the room beyond. Mary was pretty sure she'd know it if she saw it again.
The little girl had stood silently next to her the whole time Mary had been fiddling with the mirror.
"Ready, kiddo?"
The girl nodded.
"Sure you won't tell me your name?" She asked again. "I promise you can trust me."
"Mary."
"Yes?"
"No, my name is Mary, too." The kid actually giggled at her little joke. "But everyone calls me MJ," she added.
Mary was shocked at the turn in personality and then began laughing, wondering if this was a little version of her in some 'verse where time moved more slowly. One difference though, anyone who called her MJ would end up in great pain for even trying.
"Thank you for sharing, MJ." Mary knew that she was slowly winning the little girl's trust and it felt good. Mary turned her attention back to the mirror. Flicking the thing on, she turned the dial slowly to where she thought Holly's world would be.
"I came through the mirror just like Alice, didn't I?"
It hadn't dawned on Mary that part of the girl's fears would be because she didn't understand exactly how she'd arrived in Mary's closet.
"Yes you did." Mary knelt down to maintain eye contact. "And I'm going to take you back through to see Holly," she paused wondering if she should push for more information and decided what the hell. "Unless there's someone else we should find instead?"
MJ shook her head and Mary knew that the girl had shared all she would. "Okay then, we find Holly," Mary said.
Standing, Mary turned the dial. The mirror slowly clicked through universes and Mary found it was like trying to tune a radio. So far, all she'd seen were versions of Grandpa John's storage locker. It seemed most of the mirrors were still in lock-up.
She paused at the first one that showed a small bedroom, but quickly realized that it was definitely not Holly's. She was about to try the next universe when she heard a small gasp from MJ. Mary hesitated, her hand falling away from the dial to rest on the girl's shoulder. "You recognize that room?" She asked.
Mary waited patiently for the child to decide if she was going to share.
MJ smiled. "That's my brother's room," she confirmed, gesturing toward the mirror.
Mary held back the cheer that sprang to her lips. "Maybe we should go there instead," she said evenly. "Would you like that?"
"Yes," MJ said. Her smile at recognizing the room turned to a frown. "Would you come too? JD's gonna be really mad at me for touching his stuff and you could explain."
Chuckling, Mary finally understood one of the reasons that MJ had been so reluctant to share who she was and where she came from. It was more than just Winchester paranoia. Taking MJ's hand Mary assured her, "I'll talk to JD. You won't be in trouble."
It's JD who's in for a world of hurt for leaving that mirror where his little sister could fall through it, Mary added silently.
Together they stepped into the empty bedroom.
***********************************************
Holly's Reality
Mule and Holly stepped back into her room followed closely by Grace, who'd insisted that she wanted to help.
JD was waiting for them. "No luck?" he asked, but already knew the answer from the looks on their faces.
"Mary wasn't home and there was no sign of MJ," Holly replied. "Where's Andrew?"
"He and Chance are in the other room. The brain trust is working on some sort of search pattern program on their computers. It was plan 'B' but I guess it's Plan 'A' now," JD said, miserably.
"We have to tell dad," Mule said. "This is bigger than us."
"No!" JD insisted.
"JD, be reasonable." Mule stepped closer to his brother. "I know you don't want to worry the parents, but we need more help. Maybe even JLA kind of help."
"It's my fault and I'm going to find her!" JD was shouting now. He pushed passed Mule and stood in front of the mirror. "We can do this."
Mule grabbed his brother's arm and turned him around. "No, JD. We've done what we can. It's time for the professionals."
JD pushed Mule away - hard. "You can go running to Mom and Dad, I'll handle this," he shouted.
"This isn't about you any more, asshole!" Mule shouted, pushing back and causing JD to stumble into Holly, who grabbed his arm and wouldn't let go.
"Stop it!" Holly yelled.
"Holly's right," Grace said, stepping forward to cut off Mule before he could continue the fight. “We don't have time for your sibling crap."
"He started it," JD groused, yanking his arm away from Holly.
"Boys!" Grace rolled her eyes. "Well, the girls are stopping it."
Holly couldn't help but smile at Grace. "Seriously what is their problem?" She'd been surprised at the physicality she'd witnessed between the brothers. Mule was usually so laid back, but he'd just proved that he would stand up to JD when necessary. And right then it had been very necessary.
"JD listen to them," Mule pleaded. "We need to do this in a logical fashion."
JD looked as if he was still gong to continue arguing when the other male Winchesters returned.
"Mule's right," Andrew interrupted. "I think we have a good search pattern." He indicated the laptop that Chance was holding.
"It's going to take some time," Chance admitted. "And more people."
Holly was relieved to see JD slump down onto her bed, finally resigned to the fact that this was bigger than all of them now.
JD frowned. "Fine. We tell Dad and get some help."
Mule huffed his relief. "About time."
********************
JD's Reality
Mary stepped into the bedroom, her gun drawn, and MJ right beside her. The little girl immediately took off.
"JD! I'm back!" She called.
Mary hurried after her. "MJ stop." She grabbed the girl by her shoulder and pulled her back into the bedroom. Mary recognized the place from her one visit to an alternate universe, but that didn't mean it was safe to go running around. "MJ, let me look around and make sure this is really where you belong."
The child nodded and followed Mary down the hall and into the living room. Half eaten pizza lay on the coffee table and a football game blared from the TV. She made a final sweep into the kitchen to confirm that the apartment was indeed empty.
Mary walked back into the living area to find that MJ had settled onto the couch and had availed herself to the cold pizza.
"What some pizza?" She asked around a mouthful of pepperoni. "I'm sure JD won't mind."
Mary had to chuckle. The kid had spent the past hour in an alternate reality and yet she'd settled back home as if nothing had happened.
Then she sobered at the thought that JD was probably frantically searching for his sister. Should they wait here or try Holly's? She knew that JD and Holly had regular contact. Maybe her 'sister' would know where JD was and be able to call him home.
***************************
Holly's Reality
"We don't all need to go," JD insisted. "You," he pointed at Mule, "start looking and I'll be back soon."
"Let me go back with you, JD," Holly said. "It might speed the explanation to your mom and dad if you have me along."
JD shook his head. "It's my fault she's missing. I need face the consequences myself."
"Then I'll go with Mule," Holly said decisively.
"The rest of us can get a few worlds knocked out while you're off getting you're ass chewed," Grace teased.
"Guys, I can't ask you to do this."
Holly rolled her eyes "Of course you can. I mean she's my cousin - our cousin." She indicated the others in the room.
JD was overwhelmed by the show of support. "Thanks. I …I don't know what to say."
"We're Winchesters. It's what we do," Chance said and truthfully JD knew that explained everything. His alternate reality cousins would do what it took to get MJ back.
Nodding his appreciation, JD turned to activate the mirror to travel back to his world, but before he had the chance it lit up. "I didn’t do that."
They all gathered around as they waited to see who might come through.
"It's Mary!" Holly exclaimed and waved for her to come through.
Mary shook her head, held up one finger indicating they should wait there, and disappeared out of view.
"What a minute," JD said. "That's my bedroom." JD didn't hesitate. He touched the mirror and found himself back in his reality.
The room was empty. As he headed toward the living room and the sound of voices, he was peripherally aware that the others had followed him through the mirror.
He entered the living room to see Mary whispering quietly to MJ. He gasped with relief as he raced over, scooped his little sister up, and hugged her to his chest. He tried fighting back the very unmanly tears that threatened to fall and lost. "Oh god, MJ, I was so worried," he huffed out.
MJ threw her arms around his neck and settled her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, too. I shouldna touched your stuff."
He swiped at his eyes before raising her head to look at him. "I'm supposed to protect you, Munchkin. This was not your fault. I screwed up."
"Glad to hear you admit that," Mary said, "because leaving that mirror there was a truly bone-headed move."
"That's what I told him," Holly said as she and the others entered the room.
Before JD could respond, Mule rushed forward and grabbed MJ from him. "You ok, squirt?" Mule asked as he held her tight.
MJ nodded and twisted in Mule's arms. "Mary helped me."
Mule smiled at the unknown Winchester. "Thanks, Mary."
"You're this idiot's brother?" Mary asked pointing at JD.
"Yeah, I'm that idiot's brother, Samuel, but everyone calls me Mule," he said.
"You and JD should be - "
Mule held up a hand. "I know I should have been paying better attention." He shook his head sadly.
"Mule, you're the responsible one of the six," Andrew said sympathetically. "Don’t blame yourself for every little thing that goes wrong. Slip ups happen.”
“Yeah, you should have Andy tell you how he got us kidnapped that one time,” Holly muttered.
"There are six of you?" Grace asked incredulously. Mule and JD both nodded. "Geez, Uncle Sammy is very much into procreation in this universe."
Andrew was just warming up and ignored Grace's attempt to change the subject.
"Regardless, JD's the idiot who had the mirror in his closet. I always knew that would lead to trouble." Andrew spared a glare for his sister.
"How is this suddenly my fault?" Holly retorted.
"I'm just saying you and JD go universe hopping like it's nothing," Andrew said. "And clearly there are consequences."
"I get it, I'm an idiot," JD said exasperation tinting his voice. It was his fault and he wasn't about to let Andrew turn this into another opportunity to lecture Holly on the dangers of the mirror. "Anyone else want to repeat it?"
"Ok, you're an idiot," Chance deadpanned.
JD rolled his eyes. "You done?"
"Am now," Chance quipped.
“Actually, I’m not,” Mary added. She stepped forward, glaring in a way that made JD cringe.
“Wait.” He held up a hand. “There's a child present- one with an untainted vocabulary.”
"MJ, how about we go into the bedroom and I'll explain why we don't touch the mirror?" Holly suggested, taking the little girl from Mule's arms.
"Traitor," JD quipped. Maybe he'd been too quick to spare Holly from the inquisition.
"I'm sure I'll get mine later from Andrew."
"Count on it," Andrew interjected.
Holly ignored her brother and nodded toward Mary. "But this one's all yours." She laughed before heading down the hall.
"I'll help," Grace said, deciding she needed to get out of the line of fire and followed her 'sister' into the bedroom.
Mary waited until the door shut. “What the hell were you thinking?”
"Do we really have to do this?" JD sighed.
"Yes, we do," Mary said. "That mirror is not a toy."
"Holly and I have been using the mirror for years now," JD insisted.
"And you shouldn’t be," Andrew added. "I've been telling her how dangerous it could be and now you know."
"Andrew's right," Mary said. "You need to treat the mirror like the dangerous occult object that it is, not some free Euro pass to the universe."
"Enough!" JD snapped. He had always been the oldest but in this mixed up universe of multiple Winchester cousin's, he suddenly found himself third on the seniority list and he didn't like it. "You act like this is my first hunt. I screwed up I admit it, but if it wasn't for my knowledge of the mirror, Mary, you would have been stuck in my world all those months ago and after seven days it would have been all over."
"He's right," Chance said coming to JD's defense. "We aren't civilians. JD made a mistake. It's not like he started the Apocalypse."
JD smiled his thanks. "Exactly. Let's have a little perspective about this."
Confusion flitted across Mary's face. "What do you mean seven days?"
JD realized that Mary had never tested the limits of the mirror. "You mean you have a dangerous occult object in your closet and you don't know how it works?" JD said smugly.
Mary shook her head and sighed. "Ok, point taken. Lecture over. Tell me about the mirror."
While JD shared what he'd learned about the mirror, Mule leaned over to whisper to Andrew. "Once again JD figures out how to turn the situation to his advantage."
Andrew grimaced. "Obviously a skill he and Holly share."
***************************
"I'm hungry, JD!" MJ said as she erupted back into the room.
Holly and Grace followed close behind. "No blood?" Holly asked as she looked at the five seated around the living room. Even Andrew looked content so he must have had his say.
"Wow, I'm impressed… and a little disappointed," Grace added. "All finished with the lecture?"
Mary looked over at JD who smiled. "I think we're fine now," she said.
MJ walked over to lean on JD's knee. "Pizza was cold and I'm still hungry," She repeated.
"How about we order a fresh one?" MJ nodded and JD looked at the rest of the Winchester clan. "I'm buying, if you all want to stay."
A chorus of "I could eat" and "Sure why not" echoed around the room. Mule volunteered to place the order and headed off to use the phone in the kitchen.
"So, Uncle Sammy has six kids," Mary said as she moved over to allow Holly and Grace to squeeze onto the couch. "I'm almost afraid to ask how many Dean has."
"None, actually."
Holly and Andrew knew the truth but the other three Winchesters looked dumbstruck.
"I can't believe it," Mary said. "I mean, Dad really enjoys, well, being a dad."
"Is it because of Mom's...I mean Chloe - because of her meta powers in this ‘verse?" Grace asked.
"It's kind of a complicated story," JD said, pulling MJ onto his lap. "It's not something I can share in front of - " He pointed surreptitiously at his sister.
"Well, now I really want to know," Chance chuckled.
"Uncle Dean's Immortal," MJ shouted bouncing up and down on JD's lap. "He can't have babies and he can't die."
JD turned his sister to face him. "How did you - you know what never mind. So much for keeping the truth from the munchkin," he sighed. "Well then, I guess it’s time for a little Immortal 101."
The End
Author: strangevisitor7
Beta: Divas_Lament and fonapola
Rated: PG
Fandom: the Great Spawn Crossover AU. Supernatural, Smallville & Highlander
Written for : spawnfic_tues
Characters: Everybody's Spawn
From my Immortal!Dean Universe: JD, Mule and MJ Winchester.
fonapola's Mary Winchester :
Divas_Lament’s : Holly & Andrew Winchester
muses_circle ’s : Grace Winchester
pen37’s : Chance Winchester
A/N: Thanks to my spawn fic cohorts for allowing me to use their original characters.
Summary JD and Mule are babysitting MJ when things go sideways
Lost
JD grabbed two bottles of beer out of the fridge and went to answer the door to his apartment.
"Hiya bro," he said, handing Mule a beer. "Ready to watch the game?"
Mule smiled and took the proffered beverage. That was when JD felt the impact. Looking down, he smiled to see his little sister hugging his legs.
"Hey, squirt." He reached down to pick up the six-year-old, settling her on his hip. She was wearing the Seattle Seahawks t-shirt he'd bought her and jeans. JD smiled, glad that she wasn't one of those little girls who insisted on wearing pink.
"JD!" MJ squealed as she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Sammy says we gonna watch football!"
JD raised an eyebrow at his brother.
"I got babysitting duty," Mule explained with a shrug and walked into the apartment.
JD kicked the front door shut and followed him to the couch. "Why? I mean not that I'm unhappy to see the munchkin," he tickled Mary and she giggled, "but I didn't think Mom and Dad had any plans this weekend."
"With me coming over here, the twins on their Bar Mitzvah hunt, and Robbie spending the day at friends - " Mule paused as he let JD draw his own conclusions.
"Oh, you're kidding!" JD grimaced as he flopped onto the couch, plopping Mary down beside him. Immediately feeling the need to purge his brain of the image it had just flashed, he took a swig of his beer. But then again, he supposed their parents did deserve an afternoon alone."Well, there are six of us."
"Yep," Mule agreed, before mirroring JD's brain wiping action with his own beer and settling down on the other side of their sister.
JD handed MJ the bowl of chips and then flipped on the TV.
"Football!" she cheered as she dug into the snack food.
"That's right football, beer," he saluted Mule over MJ's head with his bottle, "and junk food. Good times."
JD smiled and settled in with his siblings to watch the Seattle Seahawks beat up on the Dallas Cowboys.
*******************************************
JD was struggling to balance the hot pizza tray, his beer, and the paper plates before he finally gave up. "Mule! Get your ass in here and help me!"
"You cooked. I'm impressed," Mule drawled from the narrow archway that separated the kitchen from the living room
JD rolled his eyes. "Just grab the pizza, will ya?"
Mule stepped into the small efficiency kitchen and opened the fridge.
"What are you doing?"
Mule gave him a look and held up a beer.
"Uh-uh, Dude. You have to drive the midget home later. One's all you get tonight and you already had it."
Any other time, Mule could have crashed on his couch, but with Mary here, his brother would be heading home tonight and he was going to do it sober. Not that Mule would ever be irresponsible enough to drive drunk, but JD wasn't taking any chances.
Sighing, Mule eyed the beer longingly before reluctantly placing it back in the fridge. Grabbing the pizza, he followed JD through the archway and back into the living room.
"Pizza!" JD announced to the empty couch. "Hey…Where's the munchkin?"
"Potty?" Mule suggested.
JD snickered and looked down the short hallway that led toward his bathroom and bedroom. "Door's closed. Guess so."
The two sat down and dug into the pizza. After he finished his first piece, JD started to wonder where his sister had disappeared to.
He walked to the bathroom door and gave it a small rap. "You fall in?"
No response.
"MJ, answer me or I'm coming in."
JD tried the door knob. It turned easily. "Last chance." Slowly, he swung the door open expecting to hear a girlish shriek telling him to go away.
By now Mule had joined him. "It's empty."
“I can see that," JD quipped. "MJ!" he yelled.
No answer. It's not like it was a big apartment. He already knew she wasn't in the kitchen or living room. He glanced at the front door. The chain was still in place, so she couldn't have left.
Mule pointed toward the bedroom. "Maybe she fell asleep."
JD nodded and the two entered the bedroom expecting to see her crashed on the bed, but the room was empty. "Mary Joan Winchester!" JD yelled again, trying to sound like their mother when she wanted an immediate response. "This isn’t funny. I'm missing the game."
JD looked in the open closet while his brother had dropped down to check under the bed. Mule looked up shaking his head. "No room for her there. And just for your information, JD, straightening up does not mean shoving everything you own under the bed."
"Save the helpful cleaning tips for the Brady Bunch, Alice. Where is she?" A feeling of dread started to creep over him and settle in his gut. He'd been hunting long enough to know that this didn't feel like an ordinary disappearance.
"Oh, no…" Mule was standing on the other side of the bed staring at the floor.
"What is it?" JD asked, not sure he wanted to know.
Mule bent down and picked up a small object, holding it out to show him. JD recognized the dial device immediately. "You don't think? Shit!"
JD moved to check the closet again. He pushed his clothes aside and pulled out the large mirror he kept stored in the back. Except it wasn't an ordinary mirror and right now it was off. He settled it against the wall not daring to look back at his brother.
"Our sister's lost in an alternate universe," Mule said, fear plain in his voice as he came to stand next to JD.
If what Mule was suggesting was true, it was not good. In fact, it was a disaster.
"Crap!" JD barked and smacked his palm against the wall.
"Hold on a minute," Mule said. JD paused recognizing his brother's "thinking" voice. "She's probably with Holly. It always defaults to her universe, right?"
JD smiled and clapped his brother on the shoulder. "Of course. MJ knows Holly, so it's all good." Relief flooded over him as he took the device from Mule's hand and flipped the dial to turn on the mirror. "Let's go get her back."
*****************************************************
An Alternate Reality
Mary really hated laundry day. But this morning when she'd been forced to wear an old AC/DC t-shirt and a pair of jeans with more holes than denim, she’d bitten the bullet and headed down to the Laundromat.
As she juggled three duffel bags full of clean clothes up the steps and into the apartment she rented above the Talon, she swore she wouldn't let it go this long again. Tossing the bags in the corner-she'd put it all away later- Mary headed toward the small kitchenette to grab a beer.
She was just about to collapse on the couch when she heard a thump from the alcove that also served as her bedroom. Setting the beer silently down on the counter, she drew her gun and approached the small closet in the back corner. She could hear something moving around behind the closed door.
Keeping her gun pointed in front of her, she reached out and opened the door before stepping quickly back to refocus her aim. Mary blinked at the sight of a small blonde girl sitting on the floor of her closet.
Mary was no fool. She'd heard stories about how Lilith had appeared as a pretty little girl and continued to keep her weapon trained on the intruder.
"Christo," she barked.
The little girl’s green eyes widened in fear, but she didn't flinch. She just sat there looking like she was about to cry.
"What are you?" Mary demanded, gesturing at the creature with her weapon. She could be a changeling or maybe some kind of fairy. This kind of guessing game always frustrated her, so the direct option seemed best, and who knew, maybe the thing would tell her.
The child, who looked to be about six or seven, started to cry for real.
It had to be a trick to draw her in closer. But just in case Mary thought she ought to at least talk a little nicer to her. "Hey there. Don't cry. You just startled me. It's not everyday I find someone sitting in my closet."
That wasn't exactly true because this wasn't the first time she'd found someone unexpected in her closet. Of course, then it had been Holly, one of her universe jumping siblings. She'd been the only one to visit after their first encounter.
Mary stared at the child again. Was it possible that this little girl was one of them; an alternate Winchester?
"I wanna go home." Sniffling, the girl looked up at her and suddenly those tear-filled, green eyes looked very familiar.
"Where's home?"
"Wasin'ton."
Washington state, Mary surmised, noting the Seahawks t-shirt the girl was wearing. So, not Holly's sister, she was another Kansas girl. And just because she'd met three other Winchesters didn't mean that this little girl was one of their siblings either. But her gut insisted that this kid was a Winchester.
Tucking the gun in the back of her waist band, she knelt next to the child, who quickly scooted further into the closet.
"Whoa, it's ok. I'm not going to hurt you." Mary held up her hands to show the gun was gone. "My name is Mary Winchester. What’s yours?"
The girl stared at her and seemed to be weighing the truth of Mary's statement. At least she'd stopped crying.
Mary tried again. "Can you tell me your name, kiddo?"
"Not supposed to talk to strangers," she said drawing her legs close to her body and wrapping her arms around them.
Smart kid, Mary thought. Except this time she really wanted to know so she could confirm her theory. Okay, different tactic.
"Do you know Holly Winchester?" That girl got around maybe this kid had run into her.
The girl eyed her warily. "Do you know Holly, too?"
Mary nodded. This was good. If she could get the kid to Holly then maybe they could get her home. "Yep, she's a friend of mine."
She once again seemed to be weighing the truth of Mary's words. The girl was a Winchester, alright- no one else raised their kids to be this cautious.
As if coming to a decision, the girl asked, "Can you take me to see Holly?"
Mary still didn't have a name, but at least now she had a plan. She always felt better when she had a plan.
************************************************
Holly's Reality
"How could you be so stupid, JD?." Holly shouted at him.
"I get it. I'm an idiot," JD said for the third time. "Can we please focus on the issue here?"
Holly wasn't nearly finished, but she'd understood that her need to berate JD could wait. "Of course. I'll help anyway I can."
"Are you sure she didn't come through here?" JD asked again.
"Positive. I've been in my room all afternoon. If she'd been sitting in my closet, I think I would have noticed."
Holly had been harsh to JD, but she couldn’t help but feel sympathy towards him. He was a wreck. He kept running a hand through his hair and pacing around the room. She swore there was a moment while she'd been yelling at him that she was sure he was going to cry. Mule wasn't doing much better. He'd parked himself on her bed and had barely said a word.
"Ok, so let's start checking other universes." JD looked at his dialing device and Holly knew he was at a loss for where to begin.
"First, you have to tell your Dad," Holly insisted. "We'll need more people looking."
"No! No way. We can find her ourselves."
"JD, there is an infinite number of universes out there. You could search for lifetimes and never find her," Andrew explained.
Holly was grateful her brother had been home when their 'cousins' had arrived. If anyone could figure out a search pattern through multiple universes it would be him.
"Thank you, Mr. Positive," JD grumbled.
"I'm just saying, this isn’t like searching for her in your neighborhood."
Mule stood up to join the conversation. "Holly, where else have you been besides our reality? We should start there."
Out of habit, Holly tried to feign innocence. "What makes you think I've been to any other realities?"
Mule looked at Andrew who just rolled his eyes. "She really thinks she's good at lying."
"So does JD," Mule confirmed.
Andrew stepped up to his sister. "Where else?"
Holly realized that this was no time to be coy about her activities. She'd listen to the lecture from Andrew later. She sighed, "Grace. I went to visit Grace."
"She the one with the pink hair?" JD asked.
Mule and Andrew turned to looked at him. "How do you know about this Grace?" Andrew asked.
"If you must know, a crazy, random happenstance pulled four other Winchesters into my reality."
"When?" Mule asked. "How?"
"It's not important, but we should check those other three first." JD looked at Holly. "Can you get us there?"
Holly nodded as she grabbed her dial from the night stand. "Get the mirror out of the closet will ya, JD? No sense stepping over my shoes every time we do this.”
JD wrestled the mirror free of the closet and set it against the wall. He turned back to face the others. "Holly and I will go talk to Grace. You two wait here."
"No," Andrew said. "We have two devices. We should check multiple places at once."
"Andrew's right," Holly agreed. "Since I met Grace, I'll take Mule with me." It made sense to split the brothers up so they didn't let their emotional state get the best of them.
"You go with Andrew and reintroduce yourself to Chance." She pointed to the labels on her dial and nodded as JD mirrored the setting on his device. "This is his world."
"Whoever gets back first goes to see Mary," JD said, staring at his own dialing device. Holly knew he was thinking about all the possibilities it represented. "After that…"
Holly laid a comforting hand on his arm. "MJ will be with one of them. I know it."
"I want to believe that too."
"There was a reason the five of us came together. Clearly, there’s a connection between our worlds," Holly reasoned.
JD nodded reluctantly as he activated his device.
Once Andrew and JD were gone, Holly set the device for Grace's world.
"Ready, Mule?"
"Not really."
She gave him a squeeze on his shoulder. "We’ll get her back." and pushed him toward the mirror.
*********************************
Mary's Reality
The only time Mary had hopped universes it had been at the will of a trickster. He'd dumped her and three other Winchester siblings into the alternate world of a fifth-well actually, JD was a cousin. She smiled when she thought of him, a real mini-Dean, but he'd been able to return them all home because of the mirror.
Once back in her reality, Mary had decided that the mirror was safer in her apartment rather than in Grandpa John's old storage locker. Now, looking at the child beside her, she was very glad she'd done that. She didn't even want to think about this little girl trapped in that supernatural waste dump. Plus, it meant that Holly had been able to visit and that was the only real lead she had.
She looked at the device in her hand, wondering how she'd find Holly's world. She remembered a rather cluttered closet and had an image of the room beyond. Mary was pretty sure she'd know it if she saw it again.
The little girl had stood silently next to her the whole time Mary had been fiddling with the mirror.
"Ready, kiddo?"
The girl nodded.
"Sure you won't tell me your name?" She asked again. "I promise you can trust me."
"Mary."
"Yes?"
"No, my name is Mary, too." The kid actually giggled at her little joke. "But everyone calls me MJ," she added.
Mary was shocked at the turn in personality and then began laughing, wondering if this was a little version of her in some 'verse where time moved more slowly. One difference though, anyone who called her MJ would end up in great pain for even trying.
"Thank you for sharing, MJ." Mary knew that she was slowly winning the little girl's trust and it felt good. Mary turned her attention back to the mirror. Flicking the thing on, she turned the dial slowly to where she thought Holly's world would be.
"I came through the mirror just like Alice, didn't I?"
It hadn't dawned on Mary that part of the girl's fears would be because she didn't understand exactly how she'd arrived in Mary's closet.
"Yes you did." Mary knelt down to maintain eye contact. "And I'm going to take you back through to see Holly," she paused wondering if she should push for more information and decided what the hell. "Unless there's someone else we should find instead?"
MJ shook her head and Mary knew that the girl had shared all she would. "Okay then, we find Holly," Mary said.
Standing, Mary turned the dial. The mirror slowly clicked through universes and Mary found it was like trying to tune a radio. So far, all she'd seen were versions of Grandpa John's storage locker. It seemed most of the mirrors were still in lock-up.
She paused at the first one that showed a small bedroom, but quickly realized that it was definitely not Holly's. She was about to try the next universe when she heard a small gasp from MJ. Mary hesitated, her hand falling away from the dial to rest on the girl's shoulder. "You recognize that room?" She asked.
Mary waited patiently for the child to decide if she was going to share.
MJ smiled. "That's my brother's room," she confirmed, gesturing toward the mirror.
Mary held back the cheer that sprang to her lips. "Maybe we should go there instead," she said evenly. "Would you like that?"
"Yes," MJ said. Her smile at recognizing the room turned to a frown. "Would you come too? JD's gonna be really mad at me for touching his stuff and you could explain."
Chuckling, Mary finally understood one of the reasons that MJ had been so reluctant to share who she was and where she came from. It was more than just Winchester paranoia. Taking MJ's hand Mary assured her, "I'll talk to JD. You won't be in trouble."
It's JD who's in for a world of hurt for leaving that mirror where his little sister could fall through it, Mary added silently.
Together they stepped into the empty bedroom.
***********************************************
Holly's Reality
Mule and Holly stepped back into her room followed closely by Grace, who'd insisted that she wanted to help.
JD was waiting for them. "No luck?" he asked, but already knew the answer from the looks on their faces.
"Mary wasn't home and there was no sign of MJ," Holly replied. "Where's Andrew?"
"He and Chance are in the other room. The brain trust is working on some sort of search pattern program on their computers. It was plan 'B' but I guess it's Plan 'A' now," JD said, miserably.
"We have to tell dad," Mule said. "This is bigger than us."
"No!" JD insisted.
"JD, be reasonable." Mule stepped closer to his brother. "I know you don't want to worry the parents, but we need more help. Maybe even JLA kind of help."
"It's my fault and I'm going to find her!" JD was shouting now. He pushed passed Mule and stood in front of the mirror. "We can do this."
Mule grabbed his brother's arm and turned him around. "No, JD. We've done what we can. It's time for the professionals."
JD pushed Mule away - hard. "You can go running to Mom and Dad, I'll handle this," he shouted.
"This isn't about you any more, asshole!" Mule shouted, pushing back and causing JD to stumble into Holly, who grabbed his arm and wouldn't let go.
"Stop it!" Holly yelled.
"Holly's right," Grace said, stepping forward to cut off Mule before he could continue the fight. “We don't have time for your sibling crap."
"He started it," JD groused, yanking his arm away from Holly.
"Boys!" Grace rolled her eyes. "Well, the girls are stopping it."
Holly couldn't help but smile at Grace. "Seriously what is their problem?" She'd been surprised at the physicality she'd witnessed between the brothers. Mule was usually so laid back, but he'd just proved that he would stand up to JD when necessary. And right then it had been very necessary.
"JD listen to them," Mule pleaded. "We need to do this in a logical fashion."
JD looked as if he was still gong to continue arguing when the other male Winchesters returned.
"Mule's right," Andrew interrupted. "I think we have a good search pattern." He indicated the laptop that Chance was holding.
"It's going to take some time," Chance admitted. "And more people."
Holly was relieved to see JD slump down onto her bed, finally resigned to the fact that this was bigger than all of them now.
JD frowned. "Fine. We tell Dad and get some help."
Mule huffed his relief. "About time."
********************
JD's Reality
Mary stepped into the bedroom, her gun drawn, and MJ right beside her. The little girl immediately took off.
"JD! I'm back!" She called.
Mary hurried after her. "MJ stop." She grabbed the girl by her shoulder and pulled her back into the bedroom. Mary recognized the place from her one visit to an alternate universe, but that didn't mean it was safe to go running around. "MJ, let me look around and make sure this is really where you belong."
The child nodded and followed Mary down the hall and into the living room. Half eaten pizza lay on the coffee table and a football game blared from the TV. She made a final sweep into the kitchen to confirm that the apartment was indeed empty.
Mary walked back into the living area to find that MJ had settled onto the couch and had availed herself to the cold pizza.
"What some pizza?" She asked around a mouthful of pepperoni. "I'm sure JD won't mind."
Mary had to chuckle. The kid had spent the past hour in an alternate reality and yet she'd settled back home as if nothing had happened.
Then she sobered at the thought that JD was probably frantically searching for his sister. Should they wait here or try Holly's? She knew that JD and Holly had regular contact. Maybe her 'sister' would know where JD was and be able to call him home.
***************************
Holly's Reality
"We don't all need to go," JD insisted. "You," he pointed at Mule, "start looking and I'll be back soon."
"Let me go back with you, JD," Holly said. "It might speed the explanation to your mom and dad if you have me along."
JD shook his head. "It's my fault she's missing. I need face the consequences myself."
"Then I'll go with Mule," Holly said decisively.
"The rest of us can get a few worlds knocked out while you're off getting you're ass chewed," Grace teased.
"Guys, I can't ask you to do this."
Holly rolled her eyes "Of course you can. I mean she's my cousin - our cousin." She indicated the others in the room.
JD was overwhelmed by the show of support. "Thanks. I …I don't know what to say."
"We're Winchesters. It's what we do," Chance said and truthfully JD knew that explained everything. His alternate reality cousins would do what it took to get MJ back.
Nodding his appreciation, JD turned to activate the mirror to travel back to his world, but before he had the chance it lit up. "I didn’t do that."
They all gathered around as they waited to see who might come through.
"It's Mary!" Holly exclaimed and waved for her to come through.
Mary shook her head, held up one finger indicating they should wait there, and disappeared out of view.
"What a minute," JD said. "That's my bedroom." JD didn't hesitate. He touched the mirror and found himself back in his reality.
The room was empty. As he headed toward the living room and the sound of voices, he was peripherally aware that the others had followed him through the mirror.
He entered the living room to see Mary whispering quietly to MJ. He gasped with relief as he raced over, scooped his little sister up, and hugged her to his chest. He tried fighting back the very unmanly tears that threatened to fall and lost. "Oh god, MJ, I was so worried," he huffed out.
MJ threw her arms around his neck and settled her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, too. I shouldna touched your stuff."
He swiped at his eyes before raising her head to look at him. "I'm supposed to protect you, Munchkin. This was not your fault. I screwed up."
"Glad to hear you admit that," Mary said, "because leaving that mirror there was a truly bone-headed move."
"That's what I told him," Holly said as she and the others entered the room.
Before JD could respond, Mule rushed forward and grabbed MJ from him. "You ok, squirt?" Mule asked as he held her tight.
MJ nodded and twisted in Mule's arms. "Mary helped me."
Mule smiled at the unknown Winchester. "Thanks, Mary."
"You're this idiot's brother?" Mary asked pointing at JD.
"Yeah, I'm that idiot's brother, Samuel, but everyone calls me Mule," he said.
"You and JD should be - "
Mule held up a hand. "I know I should have been paying better attention." He shook his head sadly.
"Mule, you're the responsible one of the six," Andrew said sympathetically. "Don’t blame yourself for every little thing that goes wrong. Slip ups happen.”
“Yeah, you should have Andy tell you how he got us kidnapped that one time,” Holly muttered.
"There are six of you?" Grace asked incredulously. Mule and JD both nodded. "Geez, Uncle Sammy is very much into procreation in this universe."
Andrew was just warming up and ignored Grace's attempt to change the subject.
"Regardless, JD's the idiot who had the mirror in his closet. I always knew that would lead to trouble." Andrew spared a glare for his sister.
"How is this suddenly my fault?" Holly retorted.
"I'm just saying you and JD go universe hopping like it's nothing," Andrew said. "And clearly there are consequences."
"I get it, I'm an idiot," JD said exasperation tinting his voice. It was his fault and he wasn't about to let Andrew turn this into another opportunity to lecture Holly on the dangers of the mirror. "Anyone else want to repeat it?"
"Ok, you're an idiot," Chance deadpanned.
JD rolled his eyes. "You done?"
"Am now," Chance quipped.
“Actually, I’m not,” Mary added. She stepped forward, glaring in a way that made JD cringe.
“Wait.” He held up a hand. “There's a child present- one with an untainted vocabulary.”
"MJ, how about we go into the bedroom and I'll explain why we don't touch the mirror?" Holly suggested, taking the little girl from Mule's arms.
"Traitor," JD quipped. Maybe he'd been too quick to spare Holly from the inquisition.
"I'm sure I'll get mine later from Andrew."
"Count on it," Andrew interjected.
Holly ignored her brother and nodded toward Mary. "But this one's all yours." She laughed before heading down the hall.
"I'll help," Grace said, deciding she needed to get out of the line of fire and followed her 'sister' into the bedroom.
Mary waited until the door shut. “What the hell were you thinking?”
"Do we really have to do this?" JD sighed.
"Yes, we do," Mary said. "That mirror is not a toy."
"Holly and I have been using the mirror for years now," JD insisted.
"And you shouldn’t be," Andrew added. "I've been telling her how dangerous it could be and now you know."
"Andrew's right," Mary said. "You need to treat the mirror like the dangerous occult object that it is, not some free Euro pass to the universe."
"Enough!" JD snapped. He had always been the oldest but in this mixed up universe of multiple Winchester cousin's, he suddenly found himself third on the seniority list and he didn't like it. "You act like this is my first hunt. I screwed up I admit it, but if it wasn't for my knowledge of the mirror, Mary, you would have been stuck in my world all those months ago and after seven days it would have been all over."
"He's right," Chance said coming to JD's defense. "We aren't civilians. JD made a mistake. It's not like he started the Apocalypse."
JD smiled his thanks. "Exactly. Let's have a little perspective about this."
Confusion flitted across Mary's face. "What do you mean seven days?"
JD realized that Mary had never tested the limits of the mirror. "You mean you have a dangerous occult object in your closet and you don't know how it works?" JD said smugly.
Mary shook her head and sighed. "Ok, point taken. Lecture over. Tell me about the mirror."
While JD shared what he'd learned about the mirror, Mule leaned over to whisper to Andrew. "Once again JD figures out how to turn the situation to his advantage."
Andrew grimaced. "Obviously a skill he and Holly share."
***************************
"I'm hungry, JD!" MJ said as she erupted back into the room.
Holly and Grace followed close behind. "No blood?" Holly asked as she looked at the five seated around the living room. Even Andrew looked content so he must have had his say.
"Wow, I'm impressed… and a little disappointed," Grace added. "All finished with the lecture?"
Mary looked over at JD who smiled. "I think we're fine now," she said.
MJ walked over to lean on JD's knee. "Pizza was cold and I'm still hungry," She repeated.
"How about we order a fresh one?" MJ nodded and JD looked at the rest of the Winchester clan. "I'm buying, if you all want to stay."
A chorus of "I could eat" and "Sure why not" echoed around the room. Mule volunteered to place the order and headed off to use the phone in the kitchen.
"So, Uncle Sammy has six kids," Mary said as she moved over to allow Holly and Grace to squeeze onto the couch. "I'm almost afraid to ask how many Dean has."
"None, actually."
Holly and Andrew knew the truth but the other three Winchesters looked dumbstruck.
"I can't believe it," Mary said. "I mean, Dad really enjoys, well, being a dad."
"Is it because of Mom's...I mean Chloe - because of her meta powers in this ‘verse?" Grace asked.
"It's kind of a complicated story," JD said, pulling MJ onto his lap. "It's not something I can share in front of - " He pointed surreptitiously at his sister.
"Well, now I really want to know," Chance chuckled.
"Uncle Dean's Immortal," MJ shouted bouncing up and down on JD's lap. "He can't have babies and he can't die."
JD turned his sister to face him. "How did you - you know what never mind. So much for keeping the truth from the munchkin," he sighed. "Well then, I guess it’s time for a little Immortal 101."
The End