The Sound Of Silence Ch 10/?
The Sound Of Silence
Characters: Dean/OFC, Sam/OFC, Alec, Ben, Dark Angel Crossover
Spoilers: None
Summary: Five months have past since the Winchesters took down Manticore. As Ben and Alec settle into a normal life they think their past is behind them. You can never run from your past.
This is a sequel to Horseshoes and Hand Grenades which you can read here. Or on AO3
Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine
Or on AO3
Chapter 10:
*~Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Dark Angel or Supernatural characters. For this fic I changed the DA time line. The pulse has already hit and Ben and Alec are out of Manticore in 2009. The characters of Lexi, Jake and Jackie are from a Supernatural AU Verse 'The Ties That Bind' that I write. Even though the original characters are from an AU Verse, reading the AU Verse is not necessary. This is a sequel to Horseshoes and Hand Grenades. I hope you like it. Reviews would be great.~*
Honey Island Swamp
Lexi shot a quick glance at Sam before entering the house. All of her bravado disappeared now that she was face to face with Ms. Thibodeaux. She took a deep breath reminding herself that they were running out of options. Dean had trusted this woman at one point and that was going to have to be enough. Lexi took a seat across from Ms. Thibodeaux worrying her bottom lip. No matter what she told herself, Lexi couldn’t stop the doubts running through her head.
“There’s nothing to worry about darlin’.” Ms.Thibodeaux stated with a smile and a small pat to Lexi’s knee. “Not all of us that practice are evil.”
“I didn’t mean…” Lexi stammered.
“I know you didn’t. You can trust me Lexi. I made that charm you’re wearing and I’ll break this curse for you.”
Lexi nodded then looked at Sam who was busy taking in his surroundings. She nudged him to get his attention. “Sam maybe you should tell Ms. Thibodeaux what happened that night.”
“Oh, yeah, sure.” Sam said before launching into the story.
He explained how they were hunting a coven of witches that were attempting to perform the grand rite. Sam went into detail how they had found them in the woods in the middle of the rite. Bobby had destroyed the totem while him and Dean took two of the witches out. The third witch ran into the woods. Dean saw her take off and ran after her without back up. Then him and Bobby saw a flash of blue light and Sam had found Dean on the ground unable to speak or hear.
Ms.Thibodeaux nodded then got to her feet, “Those damn Celt witches. I’m gonna have to do a blood spell to break their curse.”
“Ok. Whatever it takes.” Lexi replied her face set and determined.
Sam watched wearily as Ms. Thibodeaux grabbed jars of mugwort, eye of newt, mandrake, sage, angelica, ginger and salt. “May I ask why you're using eye of newt and ginger?” Sam questioned as he leaned forward in his seat. “I know the other herbs are all used for protection but the other two I’ve never seen added to a reversal spell.”
“The answer's simple. They increase strength and speed to any spell they're added to.” She then turned to her attention to Lexi saying simply, “I need Dean’s blood and yours.”
“I have Dean’s but why do you need mine?” Lexi questioned with a raised eyebrow.
“The reason for me adding some of your blood is twofold. One, you and Dean are bonded. Two, you are a very powerful being. More powerful than those Celt witches and this counter curse needs some of your power.”
Lexi glanced at Sam then back to Ms. Thibodeaux not bothering to hide her confusion. “Wait. Bonded? Like cuz we’re married.”
“No, child. It’s a deeper bond than marriage. You can feel him. You felt that he was in trouble when he was cursed. You can communicate telepathically.”
“That hasn’t happened since we bound my powers.”
“You still can, you just gotta listen.” Ms. Thibodeaux said with a smile as she added Dean and Lexi’s blood to the counter curse. “You’ll always find each other and you’ll always protect each other.”
Lexi and Sam left Honey Island Swamp an hour after arriving with instructions and a vile of potion in case something went wrong with the counter curse. Ms. Thibodeaux assured them that nothing was amiss but neither one’s worries would be put to rest until they saw Dean for themselves. Sam turned the vile over in his hand and took a deep breath. He hoped and prayed that they did the right thing. He knew all too well that the road to hell was paved with good intentions.
When they got back to the house Lexi immediately went into the bedroom her and Dean were sharing. She found him passed out on the bed. Lexi closed her eyes taking a moment to compose herself before rushing to his side. She went into doctor mode and began to take his vitals while Sam and Jackie hovered in the doorway.
“Is he ok Lex?” Sam questioned as he entered in the room.
“His vitals are normal. It’s like he’s just sleeping.” Lexi replied running her hands through her hair.
“Well, she did tell us that this would happen.”
“Hmm hmm. Come over here and help me undress him.” Lexi said as she moved to the foot of the bed to take off his boots.
“Really, Lex?” Sam questioned his bitch face firmly in place.
“Yes Sam really. I just need you to lift him. I can do the rest.”
A Few Hours Later
Dean groaned and rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hand. His head was throbbing. Actually, his whole body throbbed. He felt like he had been hit by a Mac truck. Dean blinked his eyes a few times trying to get them to focus on the clock that now read 6:00 pm. The room was dark, the only light coming from the setting sun.
Dean looked down at Lexi in confusion. She was sprawled over him possessively with her face tucked into his neck. Not that Dean was complaining. It wasn't half bad having her pressed against him in this cold room. The thing is, he doesn’t even remember coming in here to lay down with her. The last thing he remembers is coming in this room to get a change of clothes for Stella.
Lexi suddenly shifted against him clutching at his t-shirt and mumbled, “Dean.”
He stared down at her with wide eyes. He doesn’t quite believe that he really heard her but then he hears Stella babbling over the baby monitor. Dean turned towards the monitor, sees it lighting up, hears the cackle of static and then very clearly hears his daughter saying, ‘Dada! Dada!’
Dean sat up and focused on the sounds around him. He hears Lexi’s steady breathing, Stella’s babbling, sounds of people down stairs and the clatter of the street car in the distance. Dean closed his eyes, swallowed hard and took a deep breath. “Lexi?” He whispered, his voice raspy from nonuse.
He looked down at Lexi and shook her gently whispering her name. She groaned and buried her face deeper into her pillow in response to his attempt to wake her. “Lex, baby wake up.”
“Dean.” She mumbled. Lexi sat up suddenly and stared at her husband. “Oh my God. You’re back to normal.”
“Yeah, it seems so.”
Lexi ran her hands over Dean’s shoulders then wrapped her arms around him. “Thank God it worked.”
Dean pulled back slightly his eyebrow cocked, “What worked? What did you do, Lex?”
“Nothing, it’s not important.” She stated firmly while smiling at her husband, “What’s important is that the curse is broken, that you’re a 100% again.”
Dean cupped her face in his hands, his thumb rubbing circles against her cheek. He sighed then said gently, “Lexi, tell me what you did baby. Did you make a deal?”
“No!” Lexi scoffed. “I didn’t make a deal. I went to Honey Island and found Ms. Thibodeaux. She broke your curse.”
“Why would you do that baby? Why would you go to a Voodoo Priestess?” Dean asked her softly as he ran his hands through her hair.
“To save you. To protect you like you did when you got this protection charm for me.”
“That’s different.”
Lexi pulled away from Dean and shook her head. “No, it’s not. You went to Ms. Thibodeaux because you wanted to protect me and I went to her for the same reason.”
“It IS different.” Dean protested. “It’s my job to protect you Lexi.”
“And what’s my job? Is it to sit by and watch you die? We’re in this together Dean and that means I save you when you’re in trouble. I love you and if you wanna be pissed at me then go ahead. But, I’m not sorry for what I did.”
Dean smiled despite himself. He loved that Lexi was a fighter but he still had this deep need to keep her safe. He tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear then leaned in kissing her gently. “I’m not mad at you Lex. You’re my wife, you’re it for me. Lexi, if anything happened to you I’d lose my God damn mind.”
“Nothing is gonna happen to me. You’re forgetting I was trained by the best.”
Dean grinned at her as he gestured to the baby monitor. “I’m gonna go get Stella. I wanna hold our little girl.”
Dean swung his legs out of bed then grabbed his jeans that were hanging over the foot of the bed. He pulled on his jeans before leaning down and pressing a kiss to the top of Lexi’s head. He padded bare foot down the hall to the room the kids were sharing. Dean peaked in the room and flicked the light switch on. Stella was in her pack and play sucking on her fingers while babbling to herself.
Dean walked over to the pack and play whispering, “Hey Sweet pea, did you miss me? Daddy missed you.”
Stella glanced up at the sound of his voice and began to shriek, “DADA! DADA!”
“I guess you did.” He chuckled as he scooped her up into his arms. “Daddy’s gonna change you and then we’ll get you something to eat.”
Once Dean changed Stella he made his way down to the kitchen. He bounced her in his arms as he sang softly to keep her from fussing. Sam looked up from his book when Dean entered the kitchen not bothering to hide his surprise. “Dean, you can…”
“Not now Sammy. I’m gonna feed my lil Sweet pea and spend some time with her. After that I got a bone to pick with you little brother.”
“Dean, I…”
“We’ll talk ‘bout it later.” Dean stated with a finality that Sam knew all too well. “Where are the boys?”
“Jake’s crashed out on the couch and Ben and Alec are on the roof watching the street cars.”
Alec sat crossed legged on the roof while watching the St. Charles Streetcar go by. He liked it up here. He wasn’t sure if he like the city yet. It smelled different from the farm and the beach. He liked the smell of the salt air at the beach and the fresh clean air of the farm.
He wondered how long they were going to be here. Mom had told him and Ben that when Dad woke up he’d be back to normal. If that was true he was pretty sure Dad would want to move on. Alec wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He liked Mom’s Granny. He especially loved her cooking but this place wasn’t like the farm. There wasn’t a lot of room here for him and Ben to run around or trees to climb.
Alec glanced at his twin and took notice of the troubled look on his face. He had a pretty good idea what was troubling Ben. Ben was worried about Renfro finding them and what she would do to their new family. As much as Alec didn’t want to think about it, it kept creeping up in his mind too.
“Benny, don’t worry about Renfro.”
Ben turned to look at his brother with a cocked eyebrow. “If she finds us…”
“Dad’ll take care of her.” Alec stated firmly. He threw his arm around Ben’s shoulders and smirked. “Ya know Granny made a pecan pie. How ‘bout you and me go steal a couple of pieces before Dad gets to it.”
The Next Day
Lexi knelt as she zipped Jake’s jacket. She smiled at her little boy tickling him. “You wanna ride the street car and show your brothers the French Market and get some beignets?”
"YES! Daddy too Mommy?”
“Not today sweetie. Daddy’s still sleeping and he has some stuff do here for Granny.”
“Oh ok but we bring Daddy something.” Jake stated seriously with a nod of his head.
“Ok we’ll bring him back some beignets.”
Lexi put Stella and Jake in the old double stroller her grandmother had in the hall closet and waited on the corner of St. Charles for the street car. Alec was antsy as usual bouncing on the balls of his feet while Ben stood right next to her waiting patiently. She glanced at the list her Granny had given her and smiled. She knew by the items on the list her Granny was making gumbo for dinner. She couldn’t remember the last time she had a bowl of her Granny’s gumbo. It had to be at least a year ago.
The first stop when they got off the street car was Café du Monde for beignets. Alec and Ben devoured the powdered sugar covered donuts in record time. Alec grabbed the last beignet off the plate while raising his eyebrows at his mom. She shakes her head no as Alec smiled at her then takes a huge bite. He makes this happy contented sound around the still warm pastry causing her to laugh. He reminds her so much of Dean in that moment of course Lexi gave in and ordered them a second plate.
The next stop is to the French Market where Lexi picks up fresh vegetables and shrimp for her Granny’s gumbo. The market has been in this spot for three hundred years and despite the pulse everything about the market still looks the same. Lexi remembers coming here as a little girl with her mom and granny to get fruits and vegetables. She takes her time going through the market letting the boys explore the tables and stands. They end up buying little trinkets for each of the kids and then they’re off to Rouses for chicken and French bread.
Lexi stood on the corner of St. Peter’s and Royal in front of Rouses Market staring at the old four story building across the street. It didn’t look any different than it had the last time she saw it a year ago. The wrought iron balconies were still there along with the beat up aqua shutters. She took a deep breath then worried her bottom lip between her teeth.
“Lex, what are you doing here?”
She turned at the sound of his gravelly voice trying to manage a smile. “I…what are you doing here?”
“Your Granny told me you took the kids down to the French Market. When I didn’t find you there I thought you might come here.” Dean said while he gestured at the building across the street. “Why’d you come here baby?”
“I just I dunno. I wanted to go home.” Lexi whispered as she stared at 640 Royal Street.
“Lexi, even if we could go home that apartment isn’t big enough for us and four kids. Before the pulse we were talking about moving when we had another kid.”
“I know. It’s just I miss being here. I miss our life here.”
Dean wrapped his arms around her waist tugging her back against him. He kissed the side of her head then whispered in her ear, “I miss it too.”
“I want our life back Dean.” She stated firmly before turning to look him in the eye. “I’m not afraid of this Renfro woman. Let her come here after us but she won’t be leaving. A lot of bad things happen down here. People go missing all the time.”
“So you want to kill her? What no speech on the sanctity of life?” Dean questioned her with a raised eyebrow.
“She’s not gonna have any regard for our lives. She’ll kill us and take our boys. I’m not gonna let that happen. I’m done running Dean.” Lexi said her face set and determined.
“If you wanna stay here and make a stand, hell Lexi, ya know I’m in. I love this city as much as you do but, I think we should go back to the farm. The twins need a place where they can stretch their legs and not be seen. They ain’t gonna have that down here. But if you really wanna stay we’ll stay. We’ll figure something out for Ben and Alec.”
“I wanna stay. New Orleans is our home, Dean and I’m not leaving without a fight.”
Dean looked down at Lexi then smirked as he said, “That’s my girl.”
These are the places Lexi and the kids went:
Characters: Dean/OFC, Sam/OFC, Alec, Ben, Dark Angel Crossover
Spoilers: None
Summary: Five months have past since the Winchesters took down Manticore. As Ben and Alec settle into a normal life they think their past is behind them. You can never run from your past.
This is a sequel to Horseshoes and Hand Grenades which you can read here. Or on AO3
Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine
Or on AO3
Chapter 10:
*~Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Dark Angel or Supernatural characters. For this fic I changed the DA time line. The pulse has already hit and Ben and Alec are out of Manticore in 2009. The characters of Lexi, Jake and Jackie are from a Supernatural AU Verse 'The Ties That Bind' that I write. Even though the original characters are from an AU Verse, reading the AU Verse is not necessary. This is a sequel to Horseshoes and Hand Grenades. I hope you like it. Reviews would be great.~*
Honey Island Swamp
Lexi shot a quick glance at Sam before entering the house. All of her bravado disappeared now that she was face to face with Ms. Thibodeaux. She took a deep breath reminding herself that they were running out of options. Dean had trusted this woman at one point and that was going to have to be enough. Lexi took a seat across from Ms. Thibodeaux worrying her bottom lip. No matter what she told herself, Lexi couldn’t stop the doubts running through her head.
“There’s nothing to worry about darlin’.” Ms.Thibodeaux stated with a smile and a small pat to Lexi’s knee. “Not all of us that practice are evil.”
“I didn’t mean…” Lexi stammered.
“I know you didn’t. You can trust me Lexi. I made that charm you’re wearing and I’ll break this curse for you.”
Lexi nodded then looked at Sam who was busy taking in his surroundings. She nudged him to get his attention. “Sam maybe you should tell Ms. Thibodeaux what happened that night.”
“Oh, yeah, sure.” Sam said before launching into the story.
He explained how they were hunting a coven of witches that were attempting to perform the grand rite. Sam went into detail how they had found them in the woods in the middle of the rite. Bobby had destroyed the totem while him and Dean took two of the witches out. The third witch ran into the woods. Dean saw her take off and ran after her without back up. Then him and Bobby saw a flash of blue light and Sam had found Dean on the ground unable to speak or hear.
Ms.Thibodeaux nodded then got to her feet, “Those damn Celt witches. I’m gonna have to do a blood spell to break their curse.”
“Ok. Whatever it takes.” Lexi replied her face set and determined.
Sam watched wearily as Ms. Thibodeaux grabbed jars of mugwort, eye of newt, mandrake, sage, angelica, ginger and salt. “May I ask why you're using eye of newt and ginger?” Sam questioned as he leaned forward in his seat. “I know the other herbs are all used for protection but the other two I’ve never seen added to a reversal spell.”
“The answer's simple. They increase strength and speed to any spell they're added to.” She then turned to her attention to Lexi saying simply, “I need Dean’s blood and yours.”
“I have Dean’s but why do you need mine?” Lexi questioned with a raised eyebrow.
“The reason for me adding some of your blood is twofold. One, you and Dean are bonded. Two, you are a very powerful being. More powerful than those Celt witches and this counter curse needs some of your power.”
Lexi glanced at Sam then back to Ms. Thibodeaux not bothering to hide her confusion. “Wait. Bonded? Like cuz we’re married.”
“No, child. It’s a deeper bond than marriage. You can feel him. You felt that he was in trouble when he was cursed. You can communicate telepathically.”
“That hasn’t happened since we bound my powers.”
“You still can, you just gotta listen.” Ms. Thibodeaux said with a smile as she added Dean and Lexi’s blood to the counter curse. “You’ll always find each other and you’ll always protect each other.”
Lexi and Sam left Honey Island Swamp an hour after arriving with instructions and a vile of potion in case something went wrong with the counter curse. Ms. Thibodeaux assured them that nothing was amiss but neither one’s worries would be put to rest until they saw Dean for themselves. Sam turned the vile over in his hand and took a deep breath. He hoped and prayed that they did the right thing. He knew all too well that the road to hell was paved with good intentions.
When they got back to the house Lexi immediately went into the bedroom her and Dean were sharing. She found him passed out on the bed. Lexi closed her eyes taking a moment to compose herself before rushing to his side. She went into doctor mode and began to take his vitals while Sam and Jackie hovered in the doorway.
“Is he ok Lex?” Sam questioned as he entered in the room.
“His vitals are normal. It’s like he’s just sleeping.” Lexi replied running her hands through her hair.
“Well, she did tell us that this would happen.”
“Hmm hmm. Come over here and help me undress him.” Lexi said as she moved to the foot of the bed to take off his boots.
“Really, Lex?” Sam questioned his bitch face firmly in place.
“Yes Sam really. I just need you to lift him. I can do the rest.”
A Few Hours Later
Dean groaned and rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hand. His head was throbbing. Actually, his whole body throbbed. He felt like he had been hit by a Mac truck. Dean blinked his eyes a few times trying to get them to focus on the clock that now read 6:00 pm. The room was dark, the only light coming from the setting sun.
Dean looked down at Lexi in confusion. She was sprawled over him possessively with her face tucked into his neck. Not that Dean was complaining. It wasn't half bad having her pressed against him in this cold room. The thing is, he doesn’t even remember coming in here to lay down with her. The last thing he remembers is coming in this room to get a change of clothes for Stella.
Lexi suddenly shifted against him clutching at his t-shirt and mumbled, “Dean.”
He stared down at her with wide eyes. He doesn’t quite believe that he really heard her but then he hears Stella babbling over the baby monitor. Dean turned towards the monitor, sees it lighting up, hears the cackle of static and then very clearly hears his daughter saying, ‘Dada! Dada!’
Dean sat up and focused on the sounds around him. He hears Lexi’s steady breathing, Stella’s babbling, sounds of people down stairs and the clatter of the street car in the distance. Dean closed his eyes, swallowed hard and took a deep breath. “Lexi?” He whispered, his voice raspy from nonuse.
He looked down at Lexi and shook her gently whispering her name. She groaned and buried her face deeper into her pillow in response to his attempt to wake her. “Lex, baby wake up.”
“Dean.” She mumbled. Lexi sat up suddenly and stared at her husband. “Oh my God. You’re back to normal.”
“Yeah, it seems so.”
Lexi ran her hands over Dean’s shoulders then wrapped her arms around him. “Thank God it worked.”
Dean pulled back slightly his eyebrow cocked, “What worked? What did you do, Lex?”
“Nothing, it’s not important.” She stated firmly while smiling at her husband, “What’s important is that the curse is broken, that you’re a 100% again.”
Dean cupped her face in his hands, his thumb rubbing circles against her cheek. He sighed then said gently, “Lexi, tell me what you did baby. Did you make a deal?”
“No!” Lexi scoffed. “I didn’t make a deal. I went to Honey Island and found Ms. Thibodeaux. She broke your curse.”
“Why would you do that baby? Why would you go to a Voodoo Priestess?” Dean asked her softly as he ran his hands through her hair.
“To save you. To protect you like you did when you got this protection charm for me.”
“That’s different.”
Lexi pulled away from Dean and shook her head. “No, it’s not. You went to Ms. Thibodeaux because you wanted to protect me and I went to her for the same reason.”
“It IS different.” Dean protested. “It’s my job to protect you Lexi.”
“And what’s my job? Is it to sit by and watch you die? We’re in this together Dean and that means I save you when you’re in trouble. I love you and if you wanna be pissed at me then go ahead. But, I’m not sorry for what I did.”
Dean smiled despite himself. He loved that Lexi was a fighter but he still had this deep need to keep her safe. He tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear then leaned in kissing her gently. “I’m not mad at you Lex. You’re my wife, you’re it for me. Lexi, if anything happened to you I’d lose my God damn mind.”
“Nothing is gonna happen to me. You’re forgetting I was trained by the best.”
Dean grinned at her as he gestured to the baby monitor. “I’m gonna go get Stella. I wanna hold our little girl.”
Dean swung his legs out of bed then grabbed his jeans that were hanging over the foot of the bed. He pulled on his jeans before leaning down and pressing a kiss to the top of Lexi’s head. He padded bare foot down the hall to the room the kids were sharing. Dean peaked in the room and flicked the light switch on. Stella was in her pack and play sucking on her fingers while babbling to herself.
Dean walked over to the pack and play whispering, “Hey Sweet pea, did you miss me? Daddy missed you.”
Stella glanced up at the sound of his voice and began to shriek, “DADA! DADA!”
“I guess you did.” He chuckled as he scooped her up into his arms. “Daddy’s gonna change you and then we’ll get you something to eat.”
Once Dean changed Stella he made his way down to the kitchen. He bounced her in his arms as he sang softly to keep her from fussing. Sam looked up from his book when Dean entered the kitchen not bothering to hide his surprise. “Dean, you can…”
“Not now Sammy. I’m gonna feed my lil Sweet pea and spend some time with her. After that I got a bone to pick with you little brother.”
“Dean, I…”
“We’ll talk ‘bout it later.” Dean stated with a finality that Sam knew all too well. “Where are the boys?”
“Jake’s crashed out on the couch and Ben and Alec are on the roof watching the street cars.”
Alec sat crossed legged on the roof while watching the St. Charles Streetcar go by. He liked it up here. He wasn’t sure if he like the city yet. It smelled different from the farm and the beach. He liked the smell of the salt air at the beach and the fresh clean air of the farm.
He wondered how long they were going to be here. Mom had told him and Ben that when Dad woke up he’d be back to normal. If that was true he was pretty sure Dad would want to move on. Alec wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He liked Mom’s Granny. He especially loved her cooking but this place wasn’t like the farm. There wasn’t a lot of room here for him and Ben to run around or trees to climb.
Alec glanced at his twin and took notice of the troubled look on his face. He had a pretty good idea what was troubling Ben. Ben was worried about Renfro finding them and what she would do to their new family. As much as Alec didn’t want to think about it, it kept creeping up in his mind too.
“Benny, don’t worry about Renfro.”
Ben turned to look at his brother with a cocked eyebrow. “If she finds us…”
“Dad’ll take care of her.” Alec stated firmly. He threw his arm around Ben’s shoulders and smirked. “Ya know Granny made a pecan pie. How ‘bout you and me go steal a couple of pieces before Dad gets to it.”
The Next Day
Lexi knelt as she zipped Jake’s jacket. She smiled at her little boy tickling him. “You wanna ride the street car and show your brothers the French Market and get some beignets?”
"YES! Daddy too Mommy?”
“Not today sweetie. Daddy’s still sleeping and he has some stuff do here for Granny.”
“Oh ok but we bring Daddy something.” Jake stated seriously with a nod of his head.
“Ok we’ll bring him back some beignets.”
Lexi put Stella and Jake in the old double stroller her grandmother had in the hall closet and waited on the corner of St. Charles for the street car. Alec was antsy as usual bouncing on the balls of his feet while Ben stood right next to her waiting patiently. She glanced at the list her Granny had given her and smiled. She knew by the items on the list her Granny was making gumbo for dinner. She couldn’t remember the last time she had a bowl of her Granny’s gumbo. It had to be at least a year ago.
The first stop when they got off the street car was Café du Monde for beignets. Alec and Ben devoured the powdered sugar covered donuts in record time. Alec grabbed the last beignet off the plate while raising his eyebrows at his mom. She shakes her head no as Alec smiled at her then takes a huge bite. He makes this happy contented sound around the still warm pastry causing her to laugh. He reminds her so much of Dean in that moment of course Lexi gave in and ordered them a second plate.
The next stop is to the French Market where Lexi picks up fresh vegetables and shrimp for her Granny’s gumbo. The market has been in this spot for three hundred years and despite the pulse everything about the market still looks the same. Lexi remembers coming here as a little girl with her mom and granny to get fruits and vegetables. She takes her time going through the market letting the boys explore the tables and stands. They end up buying little trinkets for each of the kids and then they’re off to Rouses for chicken and French bread.
Lexi stood on the corner of St. Peter’s and Royal in front of Rouses Market staring at the old four story building across the street. It didn’t look any different than it had the last time she saw it a year ago. The wrought iron balconies were still there along with the beat up aqua shutters. She took a deep breath then worried her bottom lip between her teeth.
“Lex, what are you doing here?”
She turned at the sound of his gravelly voice trying to manage a smile. “I…what are you doing here?”
“Your Granny told me you took the kids down to the French Market. When I didn’t find you there I thought you might come here.” Dean said while he gestured at the building across the street. “Why’d you come here baby?”
“I just I dunno. I wanted to go home.” Lexi whispered as she stared at 640 Royal Street.
“Lexi, even if we could go home that apartment isn’t big enough for us and four kids. Before the pulse we were talking about moving when we had another kid.”
“I know. It’s just I miss being here. I miss our life here.”
Dean wrapped his arms around her waist tugging her back against him. He kissed the side of her head then whispered in her ear, “I miss it too.”
“I want our life back Dean.” She stated firmly before turning to look him in the eye. “I’m not afraid of this Renfro woman. Let her come here after us but she won’t be leaving. A lot of bad things happen down here. People go missing all the time.”
“So you want to kill her? What no speech on the sanctity of life?” Dean questioned her with a raised eyebrow.
“She’s not gonna have any regard for our lives. She’ll kill us and take our boys. I’m not gonna let that happen. I’m done running Dean.” Lexi said her face set and determined.
“If you wanna stay here and make a stand, hell Lexi, ya know I’m in. I love this city as much as you do but, I think we should go back to the farm. The twins need a place where they can stretch their legs and not be seen. They ain’t gonna have that down here. But if you really wanna stay we’ll stay. We’ll figure something out for Ben and Alec.”
“I wanna stay. New Orleans is our home, Dean and I’m not leaving without a fight.”
Dean looked down at Lexi then smirked as he said, “That’s my girl.”
These are the places Lexi and the kids went: