Two and a Half Men 1
It was a good thing that Dean and Alexis had bought a house as far away from the one they were previously renting was. Or at least after the encounter they'd just had it was. So now they were moving in earlier than planned. The house still needed some work, but it wasn't anything too serious.
Dean and Alexis agreed it'd be best if they got away from the other place. So now here they were unpacking everything they owned into a new house. Dean walked into the kitchen, box in hand.
Alexis walked down the stairs as Dean turned. "Whoa, what's going on?"
"What do you mean?" Alexis asks.
"I mean, why are you walking around in nothing but a bra and underwear?" Dean leans against the counter. "I mean, I'm not complaining, just curious as to why. Also, the blinds are open. And, uh, I'm the only one who gets to see this." He gestures to her.
"Well, then close the blinds. And, uh, the AC broke again, and I am sweating my ass off right now. It feels like it's about a million degrees. You're lucky I'm in this."
"Am I?" Dean smiles, closing the blinds. "Is everything...alright?"
"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?"
"I mean, have you taken a test?" Dean turned back toward her.
"A test?" Alexis asks, opening a box.
"Lex, a pregnancy test."
"No, why?"
"When you were pregnant with Maddie you got really hot too. Just wondering." Dean shrugs.
"Hmm, yeah. Are we still on board for baby number two?" Alexis asks hesitantly.
"I don't know, Lexi. Are we?"
"Dean, if everything that happened changed your mind, that's alright." Alexis turns to face him. "I mean, we made those plans before. . ."
"Yeah, yeah." Dean nods. "We'll just see how it goes for a while."
"Sounds like a plan."
"Daddy!" Maddie walked into the kitchen, reaching up for him.
"Hey, munchkin." Dean bends down, lifting her up. "What's up?"
~~~
Dean opened the front door as the doorbell rang. "Hey."
"Uh, one cheese, one everything?" The pizza delivery man asks.
"Yeah." Dean pulled out his wallet. "Thank you. There you go. Keep the change." He tells him, taking the pizza boxes. Dean shut the door, walking back toward the kitchen. "Pizza's here."
"You ordered pizza?" Alexis asks.
"Yeah." Dean answers as he set the boxes down.
"Hmm." Alexis hums.
"Everything alright?" Dean asks.
"Yeah." Alexis nods. "Just feeling a little off."
"You sure you're alright, Lex?" Dean asks, sitting down as Madilyn walked up to him. He lifted her up, sitting her in the chair beside him.
"Yeah." Alexis nods. "Totally."
Dean nods, turning to Madilyn. "You hungry?"
"Yeah." Madilyn nods eagerly, setting her stuffed duck on the counter.
~~~
Alexis, after getting appropriately dressed, walked out to the garage where Dean was unpacking things. Madilyn held her hand, following. "How's it going?" Alexis leans against the doorframe.
"Slow." Dean replies.
"Vivian said she'd stop by later." Alexis tells him.
"Hmm." Dean hum.
"You seem a little distracted, Dean? You okay?" Alexis asks.
"Yeah, just paranoid." Dean turns to face her.
"I know." Alexis nods as Madilyn releases her hand, moving toward an open box.
"What if something come for us again?" Dean asks. "I'm trying to keep us safe, but I can't predict these things."
Alexis walked up to him, pulling him into a hug. "We'll be fine, Dean."
Dean's arms went around her as he sighs. "Yeah, we will."
Madilyn laughs, grabbing the two's attention. They turn to see her leaning into the box. "What did you find, Maddie?" Alexis asks, walking toward her. "Whoa." Alexis lifted her up. "You can't have that." She took the knife from Madilyn.
~~~
Dean raised the phone to his ear. "Sam?"
"What's going on?" Alexis asks.
"I need your help. Now." Sam tells him.
"What's wrong?" Dean asks.
"I'm working this job."
"Dude." Dean sighs.
"Look, I just need you with me on this." Sam insists.
"I'm out. I'm staying out." Dean explains as he pours salt on the window seal.
"Make an exception."
"For what?"
"Look, I'm 30 minutes away and I will drive to your door if you don't meet me. Oh, and bring Alex. I think we'll need her."
"Hey, what's so nuts you gotta threaten a damn drive-by?" Dean asks.
"Please tell me it's just him and not his gaggle of idiots." Alexis mutters from her spot on the couch.
Dean turned to Alexis, his eyes wide.
~~~
Dean put his truck in park, the headlight cutting off as Alexis opened the door. Madilyn sat between the two, sound asleep. Dean and Alexis walk toward Sam, who leaned against his own car. "Where is it?" Dean asks.
"Strapped down in the backseat." Sam replies.
Dean and Alexis walk around the car, leaning down to the window.
"Hmm, it's kinda cute." Alexis mutters.
"Welcome to the party, Guttenberg." Sam smiles.
Alexis looked back down at the baby, who stared back, wide eyed. Alexis ignored the pang in her chest. She really did want another one.
~~~
After gathering a few things they needed from their house, Dean and Alexis met back up with Sam. The two got out of the car. Alexis set Madilyn on the ground, taking her hand. "Alright, so what do we know about this thing?" Dean asks, grabbing the bag from the back of the truck.
"Well, uh, it was fast. And it freaked when I cut it with silver." Sam explains.
"Alright, so that narrows it down to...?"
"A ghoul, a zombie, a Shifter, or about a dozen other things."
Dean dropped the bag into the trunk of Sams car. "I don't recall seeing babynapping in the profiles."
"What would a monster want with a six-month-old?" Alexis asks. "It just doesn't make sense."
"Yeah. Exactly." Sam nods.
The three got in the car, Sam and Dean in the front and Alexis and Madilyn in the back along with the baby. Dean looked over his shoulder. "Well, feel free to speak up if you know anything." He says.
The baby smiles at him. Alexis watched, a small smile on her face as Sam started the car. He looks over at Dean as a dinging sound went off. "Seatbelt."
"What am I, in the third grade?" Dean asks, pulling the seatbelt on. "A car should drive, not be a bitch."
Alexis laughs a little. "Valid point."
Madilyn giggles. "Bitch."
Alexis sighs. "Maddie, don't say that."
Dean chuckles. "You're right, Maddie. The car's a bitch. High five." He held his hand out and Madilyn lay her palm on his.
The baby babbled making Sam and Dean turn.
"Well, we need to get some supplies." Dean states.
"I got an arsenal in the trunk." Sam replies.
"Not that kind."
~~~
"Alright, I'm pretty sure there's some kind of paste or jelly you're supposed to put on their butt." Dean says as he, Sam and Alexis walk down the aisle of the store.
Sam grabs a box. "Like, uh...? Like that?"
Alexis looks over. "Yeah, grab that too." She points.
Dean grabs a box of diapers, dropping it into the cart where Madilyn sat. The baby was in a carrier, sitting quietly.
Dean started grabbing other things, throwing them into the cart.
"Huh." Sam scoffs, watching.
"Shut it." Dean hisses.
"I just said 'huh'." Sam defends.
"And I said 'shut it.'" Dean replies.
The baby begins to whimper, looking up at the three.
"Alright, we gotta get moving. We got waterworks in T-minus-10." Dean states, grabbing a few more things as Sam moved toward the check-out counter. Alexis followed as the baby began to cry.
~~~
By now, the baby was crying loudly and people were staring. "Shh, shh." Alexis rocked him back and forth. "It's okay. Shh, shh, shh."
"Why isn't it working?" Dean asks her.
"I don't know, maybe because I'm not its mother." Alexis hisses. "Here, you try. Maddie would stop crying when you held her."
"Shh. Shh." Dean says. "Come on. Hang in there, buddy Hang in there, man."
"Mama, quiet." Madilyn whines, tugging on Alexis's jacket sleeve.
"I know, Maddie, I know." Alexis ran a hand over her head.
"Dean, make it stop." Sam hisses.
"How?" Dean asks.
"Everyone staring at us like we're child abusers." Sam states. "Feed it."
"We fed it."
Alexis scoffs, taking the baby. "Hey, bud." She rocks him back and forth. "Shh, shh, shh. You're okay."
"Then what?" Sam asks.
"I don't know. You think I speak baby?" Dean quips.
"You had one. You've been through this." Sam looks over.
"Maybe he needs a diaper change."
"Oh, god, I hope not." Sam mutters.
"We've done this before, why are we failing?" Alexis shakes her head.
Dean took the baby, holding it out in front of him.
"How is that gonna help, exactly?" Alexis asks.
"I don't know. I figured we should try something." Dean shrugs. He starts mimicking the baby crying and Alexis presses her lips together, pinching the bridge of her nose. Of course, Madilyn thought it was hilarious.
"Aww, what's the matter? What's his name?" An older woman walks up to them.
"Bobby." Dean answers as Sam answered, "John."
Dean clears his throat. "Bobby John."
Alexis rolls her eyes.
"Hi, Bobby John." The woman coos. "Aren't you handsome. May I?"
"Oh, uh..." Dean trails off as the woman take the baby. The baby calmed slightly.
"I see, now, Bobby John's a little wet." She looks up. "No offence, you three look exhausted. I don't mind. Lord knows I've changed a million diapers."
Madilyn tugs on Alexis's sleeve. "Mama."
"Yeah, sweet pea?" Alexis asks, looking down.
Madilyn points to the candy bars behind her mother. Alexis sighs. "Well, you've behaved." Alexis grabbed one, dropping it on the counter with the rest of the things they were buying.
Dean chuckles, glancing over his shoulder. He noticed a security camera. And in the camera the womans eyes glowed. "That's a really nice offer, thank you, but, um, ahem, I think we've got it."
"Oh, it's nothing, happy to help." The woman insists.
"Give me the baby before I stab you in your neck." Dean demands.
Madilyn laughs.
Alexis sighs. "Madilyn, let's not laugh at that. At least not in public."
"Dean." Sam hisses.
Dean jabs his thumb in the direction of the camera and Sam looked. The woman took off running and Sam and Dean followed.
"I'll just finish checking out." Alexis calls out. She turns to Madilyn. "Daddy and uncle Sammy are gonna get arrested."
Madilyn giggles.
Dean grabbed the womans arm only for the skin to slide off in his hand. He groans, dropping the piece of skin. Sam cut her off, grabbing the baby and running toward the door.
Dean tackled the shifter to the ground. Dean pulled out a knife.
"Help me!" The shifter yelled. "He's hurting me."
A man pulled Dean away. "Get off of her."
"Okay, alright." Dean backed away. Dean closed the knife as Alexis walked up, Madilyn in one arm and two bags in the other.
Dean and Alexis ran out the door as Sam hit the brakes for them to slide into the backseat. Sam hit the gas pedal, tires squealing as he sped away.
~~~
"The hell's a shifter want with a baby, anyway?" Dean asks as he fixed the baby's carseat while Madilyn sat in his lap.
"You tell me." Sam sighs.
"How'd it find us?" Alexis questions.
"Ah, who designed this thing, NASA?" Dean groans, unable to unbuckle the carseat.
"You know, it could have been following me this whole time." Sam suggests. "Since the baby's house."
"Alright, you know what, we gotta get off the road." Dean states. "Get, uh, Bobby John here someplace safe, figure this thing out."
Bobby John starts to cry again.
"Okay, alright. Shh, shh." Dean gently pats the baby's stomach. "Easy, kid."
~~~
Dean knelt by the foot of the bed with Bobby John in front of him as the three were in a motel room. "Alright, you know what? I'll pay you money if you sit still."
Sam and Alexis chuckle.
"Didn't you learn the first go around that babies don't take to bribes." Alexis looked over at him.
"Maddie's easily bribed." Dean argues, glancing at his daughter who sat on the floor beside him. "Popsicles, candy, a stuffed animal, five bucks." He pauses. "This is like diffusing an IED with poop."
Bobby John whimpers.
"Okay, alright. Alright, alright." Dean says as he finishes changing the diaper. "You are golden, Bobby John." He stood, lifting the baby into his arms. "Time to hit the hay."
Alexis smiles as Dean gently pats the baby on the back, moving toward the crib and humming Smoke On The Water by Deep Purple. He always did that with Madilyn, he sang her a song every night.
Alexis could tell Madilyn was a rock fan in the making. She'd even started to babble along with him before falling asleep.
As Dean hummed, Madilyn looked up. As Alexis knew she would, she began babbling along with Dean.
"Dean, you're just gonna make it cranky again." Sam says, flipping through papers at the table as he smiled.
"It works with Maddie. Always has." Dean replies.
"That might be because she's your kid."
"Shh, it's working." Dean whispers.
Alexis smiled, watching as Dean gently rocks the baby back and forth as he rested his head on Deans shoulder. "Okay. If I put you down, you gonna be a man about it? Hmm?" Dean asks. He gently lay the baby down in the crib.
"Huh." Sam scoffs disbelievingly.
"What?" Dean asks, walking toward the bed and folding the small blanket.
"You're just, uh, not awful at that."
"Well, I have done it before." Dean shrugs as Madilyn grabbed his leg to pull herself up. "I mean, I'm barely keeping it alive, but..."
"Daddy." She reaches up, making grabby hands.
"Seriously. You got a whole Dr. Huxtable vibe coming off of you. You're like father material."
"Dean, you are a hell of a lot better than you give yourself credit for." Alexis tells him as he picks Madilyn up.
"It's sink or swim, Sam. I learned that when Maddie was born." Dean walks across the room, pouring a glass of liquor.
"Some?" Madilyn reaches for the glass.
"Nah, Maddie. You can't have some." Dean tells her before turning back to Sam. "I think about the way we grew up and I think I got a chance to do something different with Maddie, you know?"
"You sure about that?" Sam asks.
"What do you mean?"
"Look, what if you and Alex do get pulled back in? Or even if you don't, you're still paranoid now. You've already started the moving around. You'll end up keeping her on lockdown. She's too young for it to matter now, but..."
"Sam." Alexis hisses as Dean moves to sit on the foot of the bed.
"So you're saying...." Dean pauses. "No, everything's a little hectic now. It's temporary. We were moving anyway."
Sam chuckles humorlessly. "Dad always said it was temporary, Dean. Said it for 22 years."
After that it went silent for a few minutes. Madilyn lay her head on Deans shoulder.
"Nap time, munchkin?" Dean asks, rubbing her back.
Madilyn nods.
"Crap. I can't believe I missed it." Sam mutters.
"What?" Dean asks.
"This house on Elm. The mother was killed, baby was grabbed, but daddy wasn't living in the house at the time. So he's still alive. So what do you say we go and have a chat."
"I say let's." Dean stood, sighing as he looked over at the baby. "You go."
"You sure?" Sam asks.
"Unless you got a badge for Bobby John, yeah, I'm sure."
"We've got him. You go and interview father of the year." Alexis closes her eyes briefly, willing away the nausea. Dean walks over to the crib as Bobby John begins to cry.
Sam walks out the door. Alexis stood, walking toward Dean.
Dean dipped his finger in the liquor before sticking his finger in the baby's mouth. He smiles, nodding. "It's good, isn't it?"
"Dean." Alexis sighs.
"What?"
"I'm not sure that's safe." Alexis pauses. "And don't listen to Sam. You're not turning into John. You're trying to keep Maddie safe and it's all temporary. You're an amazing father." She lays her head on his shoulder.
"Daddy." Madilyn mumbles sleepily.
"Yeah, kid?" Dean asks.
"Song." She yawns.
Dean starts to hum Bob Seger's Old Time Rock And Roll, mumbling a few lyrics. Alexis smiles a little.