The Lost Boys

They sat like that for almost an hour. Dean holding a sobbing and inconsolable Rose, Sam sitting and staring at the tree despondently. None of them talked.

Rose refused to move, and neither Sam nor Dean were willing to try and get her to. After the first hour had passed, Sam grabbed the shovel from the car and buried the bodies that had been left behind by the demons. He made sure to salt and burn the bones as he did.

Eventually, Sam took the Impala and grabbed a motel room for the three of them with the silent agreement that if Rose didn't move by nightfall the brothers would force her to. By the time Sam came back, another hour had passed.

Rose was no longer crying, she sat with her head pressed against Dean's chest as she stared lifelessly out across the field. She refused to look at the tree. Dean had given up on his meaningless whispers of comfort, opting to simply rub her back to let her know he was there.

Sam slowly made his way across the field and stood before them. He had a water bottle in his hand which he handed to Dean. His brother nodded in acceptance. Just as Dean was contemplating how he was going to get Rose to drink the water, Rose straightened to attention. She was completely calm, eyes dry like she hadn't cried in days let alone just hours ago.

"They've stopped." She whispered.

Dean raised his eyebrows. "Who stopped, Rose?"

Rose looked out across the field, face impassive. "The angels and demons. No ones listening anymore." Rose stood and turned towards the old oak tree behind them.

Sam glanced at his brother who only shrugged in confusion. He turned back to the woman pressing her hand gently against the tree. "Rose, what are you talking about?"

Rose pressed the side of her face against the tree, an inexplicable smile graced her lips. "The angels," she whispered, "they believe us. And the demons aren't watching us anymore."

Sam stepped forward, his heart raced. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Rose pulled a necklace from beneath her collar. "I lied." On the end of the chain was a key. Rose looked at the Winchesters over her shoulder. "Alister may still be alive." Rose inserted the key into an invisible slot in the tree. She turned it and stepped back as a door slowly swung inwards to reveal the old oak to be much larger on the inside.

Rose stepped inside.

The console room was dark, a burgundy tone lighting the amber interior from soft broken lights in the walls. Pieces of the room had crumbled and rubble lay across the metal grating. The TARDIS had suffered serious damage in the fall. Rose touched the burned and singed console. She could feel the TARDIS' pain reach out to her. The young girl was barely conscious, only there enough to do what was necessary… keep another life alive.

"Ali…" Rose whispered. The TARDIS hadn't shut off completely yet. She'd been protecting Ali. "Ali!" Rose turned and stumbled over the rubble of the console towards the door that led deeper into the TARDIS. "Alister!"

Little footsteps echoed down the hall of the TARDIS. Rose gasped. She raised her hand to her heart in a feeble attempt to keep it inside her chest. A little brown haired boy ran through the open archway into the console room.

"Mum?"

Rose fell to her knees. "Oh, Alister."

"Mum!" Ali raced forward and wrapped his arms around Rose. "It's you. It's really you." Rose pulled Ali as close as she could. Hardly believing she was holding her son after so many centuries. "I knew you'd come."

Rose chocked back a laugh. "I'm sorry it took so long." Ali shook his head, face buried in her neck. He breathed in deeply, having missed the vanilla and cookie scent he felt always surrounded his mother. Rose lowered her arm and gently picked Ali up, surprised by how heavy he was. She'd forgotten he wasn't her little baby anymore.

Rose glanced around and realized the Winchesters hadn't followed her inside the TARDIS. She swallowed down her tears of happiness at having her son in her arms and slowly began to maneuver around the debris. She tried to rub Ali's back comfortingly, the little backpack on his back impeding on her progress. She stepped outside of the TARDIS, well aware that this was the first time Alister had been outside since the crash. She noticed Dean and Sam waiting a little distance away, giving her space to be with her son. Rose nodded gratefully at them. They smiled brilliantly in return.

She crouched down and set Ali's feet on the grass gently. Rose helped him take off his bright primary coloured bag, which they set on the ground beside them. "Alrigh', let's have a look at you." She pulled back, her hand brushing his curly brown hair out of his face. Rose held his cheeks, mesmerized by his beautiful blue eyes. "Look at you, perfectly fine."

Ali smiled proudly. As Rose searched his face for any marks or scratches from the crash, his smile slowly faded.

"What's happened?" Ali whispered aghast.

Rose pulled back and searched his eyes, concerned. "What d'you mean?" Alister stepped back and out of his mother's grasp. "Alister?" Sam and Dean stepped closer, both noticing the tension in the reunion that shouldn't have been there.

Ali looked up at the sky and around at the field. His eyes slowly widened in horror. "Where are we?" He looked at Rose, horrified and confused. "What's happened to you? You're not the same."

Rose chocked on her gasp. "Alister," she started placatingly.

Ali stepped back, tears forming. "Where's dad!?"

Alister turned to run but Rose wrapped her arms around his waist. "Alister!" His back pressed into her chest as she held him tightly. "Alister, please!"

Ali screamed out, his tears rushing down his cheeks. "NO!"

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She pressed a kiss against his ear, desperately trying to keep her own tears at bay. "It took me so much longer to find you than I thought it would."

Alister crumbled. His legs gave out beneath him and he collapsed into his mother's arms, crying despondently. Rose held his head gently and pressed a kiss to his temple. Her eyes glowed gold and the time vortex flowed through her to her son. Alister slumped forward, asleep.

Dean raced forward. "What happened, is he okay?"

Rose nodded, unable to find any words. She turned Ali around and picked him up. His head rested on her shoulder, his breathing soft and even. "We need to leave."

Sam looked between Rose and her son. "Rose, are you sure?"

Rose nodded sharply, her emotions were still on overdrive. "I'll explain everything, I swear. But not here."

Dean nodded. He bent and picked up Alister's back pack before heading to the TARDIS and closing the door. "Alright, Sammy got a motel," he explained as he took the key from the door and pocketed it after a quick nod from Rose. "We'll go there for the night and figure out what we're gonna do next." Rose agreed and followed them to the Impala.

She crawled into the backseat and laid Ali out so his head rested in her lap. Her fingers brushed his curls and she watched his face as he slept. The car rumbled to life and Dean shot Rose an apologetic look in the rearview mirror for the noise the car made. Rose didn't look up from her son and didn't see. Sam and Dean shared a concerned look.

Sam turned in his seat and handed Rose a water bottle. Rose took it and nodded in thanks. "Is he going to be okay?" Sam asked quietly.

Rose sighed. "Tha's a complicated question." Neither Sam nor Dean particularly liked that answer. Rose elaborated briefly. "I put him into a healing coma." Rose watched her son sleeping, slightly horrified that a healing coma was even possible on him. Alister had always been rather closer to Time Lord than the rest of his siblings, but that had always been a personality quirk. It didn't extend to biology. Slowly, Rose rested her hand against Ali's chest. She didn't know if she was happy or sad that she was greeted with only one heartbeat.

Dean glanced at Rose nervously. "A coma?"

Rose looked up the worried brothers. It suddenly struck her just how lucky she was to have them care so much for her and her son. She shook her head and tried to snap herself out of the emotional flunk she'd thrown herself into. "A healing coma. 's not like a regular coma. It was somethin' the Doctor could do. 's rather complicated, and I honestly didn't even think it would work. It shouldn't, Ali and his siblings were all mostly human. Things like this never worked on them."

Sam raised his eyebrows. "But it does now?"

Rose nodded. "When I came to this world I was more powerful. Whatever it is that made me more powerful here, it did the same to Ali. He's still human, but… his Time Lord senses have been strengthened. All at once too, and without any training."

"What kind of senses do Time Lords have?" Sam tried to keep the curiosity out of his voice. From the glare Dean shot him, he'd failed.

"Time sense. The Doctor could sense the age of people and things, how time lines extended. All your different decisions, all your possibilities and futures, pieces of time that were out of place, fractures in time."

Dean interjected with a confused look, "Isn't that what you can do?"

Rose nodded. "Yes, which is why the Doctor was able to teach me how to harness those abilities. I've developed more since comin' to this universe, but those were the basics. Our children had some of these senses but nothin' terribly concrete. Mostly they were just brilliant. All very intelligent, very inventive, and far too adventurous for their own good."

Sam smiled kindly. "Sounds like a fun family."

Rose smiled back. "It was. But Alister has seemed to have suddenly picked up a stronger aptitude for our abilities." Rose was silent for a moment. "He could tell how old I was and that… we were in an alternate universe." She ran her fingers through her son's hair. "It instantly led him to the conclusion that his father, his siblings, and his grandparents are all dead. They all grew up and lived their lives without him while he was stuck in an alternate universe… completely unaware."

Sam glanced at Dean before giving Rose a compassionate look. "But isn't that what happened?"

Rose looked up sharply, "Yes, but for a seven year old to process that in less than ten seconds, they're bound to have problems acceptin' it." Rose sighed and shook her head. "'m sorry."

"It's okay."

"No, 's not, I shouldn't have snapped. I just… the healing coma should help. It'll allow him to process the information so that when he wakes up he'll have… sorted through it. It was a lot of information to take in all at once."

Dean turned off the ignition and Rose looked up to realize they'd reached the motel. "What about the TARDIS?" Dean questioned.

"Once I know Ali is okay, I'll go back and get it. I may be able to get her to do one jump to Bobby's. I'll be able to do repairs on her there."

Dean gripped the steering wheel and shook his head. "No, the stuff you've told us about what the TARDIS can do? We should go back soon and get it."

"No one can get it without the key." Rose explained.

Sam grimaced at Rose, siding with his brother. "Do you really want to take that chance in this universe?" Rose opened her mouth but closed it when she considered that thought. No, Rose really didn't want to take that chance. Sam nodded, seeing Rose's acceptance and said, "You should go sometime tonight. We'll give Ali a few hours to sleep, and if he's not up by then, I can stay and watch over him." Sam turned and faced the front of the car again. They were silent as they all breathed a sigh relief after the chaotic few days.

Rose smiled softly and looked between Sam and Dean, silently sitting in the front seat. "Thank you." She whispered. "I'm sorry I lied to you earlier. But the longer tha' everyone thinks Ali is dead, the longer he'll be safe."

Dean turned and fixed Rose with a serious but not unkind look. "He won't always be safe, Rose."

Rose nodded. "I know tha'. I won't be able to be there every second to protect him. But we can teach him how to protect himself."

Sam made a pained face. Many memories from his childhood played in the background of his mind. "He's just a child, Rose. We can't turn him into a warrior."

"'m not suggestin' that. I'd never suggest that. But there's a difference between knowing how to protect yourself and how you two were raised." Sam and Dean visibly winced. "Alister is brilliant. If we give him the basics of a creature's weaknesses, he'll be able to protect himself if he ever found himself in danger."

Dean shook his head. "Rose, I'm all for helpin' the kid out, you too. But you have your son. You don't need to keep hunting. There's no reason for it."

Rose looked genuinely confused. "Of course there is. There are people out there who need us. 'm not gonna just desert the fight. You might find it hard to believe but I did pretty much this exact same thing in the other universe, I simply did it with things that needed to be captured not killed."

"I actually don't find that hard to be believe, Rose."

Rose smirked. "Look, I understand if you want us to leave. Tryin' to stop the apocalypse with a booster seat in the back isn't ideal. I get that. But don't push us away because you think it'll stop us from huntin'. I'll ask Alister, but 'm almost completely positive he'd be offended at the thought he couldn't handle this."

Dean turned to his brother and they shared an amused smile. If Alister was anything like his mother, they were going to have their hands full. Instead of responding, Dean opened his car door. "Come on, I'll help you bring the munchkin inside." Dean opened Rose's door and pulled Ali up. He held the kid against his chest and gave Rose a hand to help her out of the car.

Together, the four of them made their way into the motel.

Rose sat down on the table of the wood picnic bench, her feet resting on the bench seat bellow. She'd left the motel room they had, Dean and Ali sleeping in their beds peacefully. Once Dean awoke, the two would head out to get the TARDIS and take it to Bobby's.

Deciding to get some fresh air in the meantime, Rose had exited the motel and found Sam sitting on a bench near the ice machine. Night had descended and the stars littered the sky. They were nowhere near the city and Rose looked up at the starlit sky, as enamoured with the picture as her husband had always been.

"I'm sorry."

Sam half laughed despondently beside her on the picnic bench. "That's not what you're supposed to say."

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"No, you're supposed to say, 'I told you so'." Sam smiled at her, but it was bitter. He'd almost killed Ruby today. If he'd had the demon blade in his hand, he was sure he would have. He still didn't know how he felt about that.

"Well I didn't want to be right this time." Sam gave Rose a look that conveyed just how little he believed that statement. He looked back to the stars. Rose touched Sam's arm and he turned to her. Rose's eyes widened imploringly. "I knew how much it'd hurt you if I was right. A part of me truly wishes I had been wrong this time."

Sam shook his head. "I just… she knew, ya know? I'd talked about you and Ali, he was your son. She knew how much he meant to you. And still she went and told Alastair." Sam smacked his hands against his jeans, he was getting himself worked up with how angry he was with her. "I mean, if you hadn't done what you did, Alastair would have killed — no, he'd have tortured Ali."

"Sam." Rose grabbed Sam's arm with both of her hands. She squeezed to draw his attention. "It's okay. None of tha' happened."

"But it could have." Sam gave Rose a long look. "And it would have been my fault."

"Sam, no." Rose's voice didn't rise beyond a gentle sternness. Her eyes were soft and compassionate. None of these things seemed to register with Sam, he was already worked up.

"What else?" Sam asked himself, barely hearing Rose anymore. "What else did she lie to me about? Has she just been using me? I mean, jesus, demon blood, Rose?" Rose opened her mouth but Sam cut her off. "What else has she used me to try and accomplish?"

"Sam, stop. You can't think like this."

"Why not? It's true isn't it? I mess everything up, Rose. It's pretty consistent in my life, it's probably the only constant in my life." Rose's heart wrenched. They weren't the exact same words, but they were pretty close to what the Doctor had told her once, one very dark night. Sam and Dean blamed themselves for everything that went wrong, much as her Doctor had. It was what weighed down their souls, and made them great, all at once.

Rose squeezed Sam's arm again. "There's Dean. He's always been there for you. He's always been by your side and no matter what, he has always done what is best for you."

Sam shook his head. "Yeah and look where that got him."

Rose raised her hand and turned Sam's face back to her. "That was Dean's decision, not yours. It had nothin' to do with your actions. You couldn't have prevented it. You can blame yourself for things that weren't your fault, but it won't help you."

"Well what do I do about things that do concern me?" Sam pulled his jaw out of Rose's hand. He glared off into the night. "What the hell do I do about Ruby? She's going to come after me."

Rose almost bit her tongue, but decided to say the words anyways. "Maybe you should talk to her."

Sam looked beyond surprised. He chocked on air for a moment then stuttered out, "I - I'm sorry, what?"

"If Dean asks," Rose replied sternly, "I did not give you that advice."

Sam stared at her, eyes wide. "But you did… why the hell would you think it's a good idea to talk to the demon that tried to have Ali imprisoned, tortured and used as leverage over you in order to jumpstart the apocalypse?"

"Because you know that she tried to imprison and torture Ali to start the apocalypse, and that knowledge isn't going to just desert you when you talk to her. Hear what she has to say, but know that she's lied and manipulated you before and you won't fall into her trap. You need to know for sure that you can't trust her before you cut all ties. Our little trick may have set her up, but you need more. I understand that. There's nothing wrong with it."

Sam nodded once, patiently. "I know that, Rose." He paused and tried to find the right words without angering her. "Look I appreciate your input here but I just… maybe we should just leave it before we start fighting again."

Rose pursed her lips, trying to keep the aggravation out of her voice. "Sam, 'm just tryin' to help, I don't mean to antagonize you."

Sam nodded and stood up from the picnic bench. "I know that, Rose. Just leave it." He began to walked across the tarmac and further into the night, but didn't get very far.

"Oi, don't walk away from me!" Rose had jumped up and she stalked after the hunter. "I haven't done anything wrong!"

Sam rounded on her, towering over her much shorter frame. "You're sticking your nose somewhere it doesn't belong!"

Rose was outraged. "I'm tryin' to help!"

"But I never asked you to!" Sam knew he was being unreasonable, but he couldn't stop himself. Sometimes Rose simply drove him up the wall. "So how about you just stay out of it!"

"Ugh! You…" Rose shook her head, fists clenched. "You are such a brat."

Sam laughed harshly. "A brat? I'm not a child, Rose."

She crossed her arms and cocked her hip to the side. "Could'a fooled me, mate."

Sam narrowed his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. You're being childish, why won't you just accept help when someone gives it to you? You're completely in over your head and all Dean and I want to do is help to figure this—"

"I am perfectly fine!"

"Don't interrupt—"

"And you know what? Why don't you just stop—"

"Tony!"

Silence.

Rose blinked. She turned away from Sam and looked out at the dark parking lot. Sam stayed silent, aware of Rose's internal crisis. Rose sighed deeply and dropped her head into her hands, suddenly feeling her many centuries pressing down on her.

"Who's Tony?"

Rose raised her head and stared up at the stars again. "My brother."

"I — I didn't realize you had a brother."

Rose shrugged. "He's gone now… but we, god we fought like cats and dogs. Constantly, just all the time."

"I can't imagine not being close with Dean."

"Oh we were close. Inseparable at times, actually. But we always seemed to have a difference of opinion about somethin'." Rose's mouth quirked at the corner. "I like fightin' with you Sam, reminds me of my brother." Sam smiled kindly. "You two are insufferably similar. I think 's the younger siblin' complex thing."

Sam rolled his eyes. "I'm sure it is."

Rose sighed and stepped back towards Sam. "Look, take my advice. Don't take my advice. I don't care. But please, I don't hate you. I only want to help. And I know I do it like an annoying older sister and you already have an annoying older brother," Sam snorted in agreement, "so I'll try to stop." Rose looked back to the motel room. "'m gonna go back inside… I'll wake Dean up at midnight to go get the TARDIS. Whatever you do in the meantime, I'd appreciate it if you were back then."

Rose didn't wait for an answer, she turned and headed back towards the motel. Sam's voice stopped her. "Hey, Rose?" She stopped and looked over her shoulder towards him. "I'm sorry about your brother."

Rose smiled sadly. "So am I." She turned and entered the motel room without another word.

Dean was stretched out on the bed nearest to the door breathing heavily with his hand under his pillow, holding a revolver Rose knew. She slipped past him to the second bed where her son was tucked under the covers breathing deeply. Rose unzipped her knee high boots and pulled off her leather jacket before crawling into bed beside her son. She laid beside him, running her fingers trough his curly brown hair. The Doctor had said Ali had most likely acquired the genetic trait from his eighth self. The Doctor had been adamant that Ali would grow up to look the spitting image of that regeneration — the one before her first Doctor.

Rose sighed and rested beside her son. There was an apocalypse on the horizon, Sam was in a relationship with a demon, Dean had declared to refuse any and all help from the angels, and both heaven and hell were going to rain chaos down on them the second they found out Ali was still alive. But Rose had never felt more at peace in the last two eons then she had at that moment with her baby finally back in her arms.

Dean knew he was dreaming when he opened his eyes. He was laid out across the couch in Bobby's house with Rose pressed against his side sleeping. Rose asleep was a dead giveaway, regardless of the fact he knew they were still at the motel and had not in fact made their way back to Bobby's yet. Rose almost never slept.

Gently, Dean slid out from between the blonde and the couch. He rested her head against a pillow before throwing a blanket over her body. Rose sighed and snuggled deeper into the couch. Dean turned and headed into the kitchen. He slowly closed the door behind him. When he turned back around, Castiel was standing in the middle of the kitchen.

"Cas."

"Dean." Castiel swallowed awkwardly. "I'm sorry."

Dean nodded. "You said that already. Just tell me if Anna is being punished for what she did."

Castiel hesitated. He shook his head. "I don't know. I haven't been made aware of the situation."

Dean crossed his arms and huffed. "Yeah apparently it isn't the only situation you weren't made aware of. Anna friggen came to you guys?"

Castiel glowered. "Uriel went behind my back on that, I had nothing to do with it. I was not involved in the murder of Time's Child."

"Will you stop calling him that? Alister. His name — was Alister." Dean turned away, fuming. He let out a deep breath, mentally reminding himself that he was not to tell Cas that Ali was alive under any circumstances.

"I know. I'm…"

Dean spun around. "If you say 'sorry' one more time, so help me god." Castiel closed his mouth. Dean shook his head. "You can tell the other angels to leave us alone. We're done with you."

Castiel stepped forward. "Dean," he began to implore.

"No. Cas, just no. They killed her son. I won't work with you guys. I'm still going to stop the apocalypse, don't get me wrong. But we'll do it on our schedule and without your help. We don't need this bullshit." Dean gave Castiel a long stare. "I won't work with child killers."

Castiel bowed his head, ashamed. "Understood." He disappeared.

The firm sound of the door closing woke Dean. He yawned and turned onto his back. A hand ran through his hair, making it even more of a disheveled mess. He sat up and looked across to Rose on the second bed. "How long was I out?" He asked quietly, voice gruff from sleep.

"Quite a few hours." Dean looked surprised at that. He hadn't slept that long in years. Rose finally looked up from Ali and made eye contact with the hunter. "It's almost midnight, care to go get the TARDIS with me?"

Dean nodded and stretched, letting out another long yawn. He moved to the edge of the bed and fumbled for his boots, Rose did the same. "Man, I'm starved." He groaned out.

Sam heard Dean's words as he exited the bathroom, an easy smile on his face now. Rose glanced at him but wisely didn't comment. He stormed in only minutes ago, and from the scowl on his face Rose didn't think his conversation with Ruby had gone well at all. The three moved towards the door together. "I'll grab some dinner," Sam suggested, "for when you get back."

Dean opened the door and all three hunters paused. They turned back to stare at Ali. Sam and Dean looked to Rose.

She bit her lip as she considered. "If the TARDIS can manage the jump to Bobby's, it shouldn't be more than fifteen minutes." She turned to Sam. "But 's just as likely that there'll be a problem."

Sam nodded. "The convenience store across the street is open 24 hours, and the trip definitely won't take more than fifteen minutes. If that's alright with you?"

Rose bit her lip but nodded. "Okay." She looked back to Ali. "He'll be fine. He shouldn't wake up for another couple of hours or so… he'll be fine. Besides I should probably get used to this anyways." She took Dean's hand and nodded at Sam. "See you soon." Rose turned away before she could second guess herself.

POP!

Sam spared one last look to the sleeping boy before he left, locking the door behind him.

Alister's eyes opened.

He sat up on the bed and rubbed his eyes. "Mum?" Throwing off his covers he climbed out of the bed. He found his shoes sitting at the edge of the bed beside his bag. "Mum!"

Still no answer.

A minute passed as Ali's mind ran through all the information it'd organized and processed while he'd been asleep. Not an ordinary sleep — a healing coma.

Mum was centuries older. Dad and his siblings were gone. They'd probably grown older while he'd been… gone. An alternate universe. He was in an alternate universe. His family knew all about those. There was supposedly no way back. But if he'd gotten here, that meant there must be a tear somewhere that allowed him through. He could use it to get back.

Ali quickly slipped his shoes on and threw his bag on his back. He didn't know how much time he'd have before his mother came back. He had to move fast.

Sitting on a table in the motel room was a laptop that Ali promptly opened. His fingers flew across the keys. There had to be a way home. He refused to believe that his family was gone. He'd only been gone for a few months, not years, not centuries.

He'd seen the centuries in his mother's eyes. The resignation, the sadness, the hope. He was all she had left. Mum didn't think there was anyone left.

Mum may have given up, but Ali wouldn't.

He found a few potential hotspots, places where people had reportedly disappeared multiple times. They were his best chances to find a tear in this universe that might lead him back home.

Ali paused when he found one location of an orphanage. Numerous people had gone missing in the past sixty odd years. The orphanage was eventually shut down and the building closed to the public. It was only a bus ride away. It was his best shot to get home. Either people would disappear from there because of weaknesses between parallel dimensions or this universe had an infestation of Weeping Angels.

Either way, Alister wiped all the memory on the computer clean. Then he grabbed his bag and headed out the door. He made it to the appropriate bus stop without incident before fumbling with his bigger on the inside knapsack for a minute until he found his psychic paper.

Ali smiled at the little paper in its leather encasing, just like dad's. Mum had thrown a fit when Uncle Tony gave it to him. She'd eventually gotten so side tracked with how Tony had even managed to acquire psychic paper that she'd completely forgotten to take it away.

Ali fondly remembered the conspiratorial wink that Tony had thrown him after mum had stormed off to yell at dad about it. His fingers clenched around the paper, the fond memories renewed his will to get home.

The bus arrived at the corner stop, door opening widely. The driver raised his eyebrows at the small kid out so late and all alone. Ali straightened his shoulders and stepped onto the bus. He help up the psychic paper. The driver nodded and Ali moved to a seat on the nearly empty bus. The large vehicle moved quickly along the empty streets. Dark homes flashed by. The machine rattled and hummed. A few minutes later, Ali pushed the button to signal a stop. He hopped out the back door and headed out into the night.

Darling Manor had been an orphanage for boys from the ages of three to fourteen for over a hundred years. It was closed down twice in fifteen years for abuse and illicit activity. Both times it reopened within a week.

It was only in 1943, after a culmination of six separate disappearances and accidents that the place was finally shut down. In the decades following, numerous families bought the home, but none stayed for long.

Although the residents claimed ghosts were at work, Alister know it was far more likely that there was a hole between realities somewhere in the home or some sort of alien transport. Either way, Ali was going to make it to a future era with better tech and hopes to get home, or another universe entirely.

He frowned worriedly as he stood on the edge of Darling Manor's property. An old wrought iron gate surrounded with weeds and flowers that had grown wildly since its last tenants had fled. The cobble stone paths were dirty and broken, rocks facing upwards with dangerous jagged ends.

Alister wasn't scared of the house. For a seven year old he wasn't scared of much. He'd faced tyrants, corrupted governments, murderous aliens and more alien invasions than he could count. Hell, he'd been born during an alien invasion.

Alister wasn't scared. He was sad. He loved his mother dearly and he didn't want to leave her behind. But if Ali was going to fix this then he'd have to do it without her.

Once Ali got back to his family, this version of his mother would disappear. But the mum that would replace this one would be happier. She'd have gotten to raise her sons, all of them, at the same time. She wouldn't have had to travel to a new universe looking for him. Mum would be happy.

Alister deliberately ignored the voice telling him that no matter what he did, his mother would still be immortal — still have watch her family grow old and die, still have leave to a different universe.

No — this was right. It had to be.

Ali stepped through the broken gate and onto the property. A gust of wind swept through, bringing the weeds and trees to life. This wind howled in the distance.

Ali paused. He looked back, goose bumps had risen across his arms and neck. Something was wrong.

He stood frozen, eyes straining to see beyond the shadows cast by the moon. An owl hooted. The boy startled. He shook his head and laughed quietly. He was being ridiculous.

Alister continued forward.

The steps of the house were broken and he had to move slowly to ensure he didn't break the old boards.

He paused once more, this time before the grand double doors. The doors were locked with heavy iron chains and a massive lock on the front. From his pocket, Alister produced his sonic screwdriver. His father had built and given it to Ali for the boy's fifth birthday. It had few settings, the only ones the Doctor had permitted at first were barely useful. Eventually, Ali had developed his own settings, unlocking things had been one of the first.

Alister used the setting now. The massive lock popped open and fell from the chains. Ali pulled the chains from the brass door handles before he pushed the doors inward.

The house groaned.

Air escaped, hissing in defiance.

Alister stepped into the house, eyes wandering across the dusty and grey picture. The light of the moon invaded the home through cracks in the boards on the windows. Long tentacles of light cut across the darkness. A large patch of the moon drew across the foyer. The curved staircase to the right of the entrance was dusty, the railing broken and falling from the partially caved in steps. Curtains billowed across windows eerily and although Ali could see neither a cause nor feel the wind himself, he could feel the cold chill in the air.

A cloud moved across the moon, it obscured the light and threw the house into darkness. Ali fumbled with his bag for a moment before producing a sturdy torch. He switched it on and closed the door before stepping further into the manor.

As Ali moved into the dark room to the right of the entrance foyer, he missed the sound of the door's heavy deadbolt locking him inside.

"Alight." Ali whispered to himself, not understanding why he felt the need to whisper in an empty house. "If I were a portal to an alternate dimension, where would I be?"

The flashlight's wide range moved across what appeared to be a parlour room. Mostly everything had been moved out. A few pieces of furniture had been pushed to the side and covered in white sheets.

The flashlight paused over the fireplace. It was massive and ornately decorated in the dark, gothic tones of its era.

A story about girls in fireplaces and 18th Century France popped into Ali's head. He moved closer and began to inspect the fireplace for any signs of a fissure in time and space, hopefully both. Alister knew if he could jump forward in time, he'd have a better shot at cobbling something together to jump back across the void.

"What're you doing in the fireplace?"

Ali jumped and banged his head against the brick wall. He gasped at the pain, inhaling the disturbed soot around him. He coughed thickly and fell away from the large fireplace.

The stone beneath him was hard and Ali knew at once he was going to have bruises from the fall. The young time traveller rolled onto his back and coughed again. His mind whirled. He felt his skin prickle and something in his head that felt suspiciously similar to his telepathy was setting off alarms, telling him others were in the room. Though, honestly, Ali had deduced that from the words that had startled him only seconds ago.

Another aspect of Ali's brain was racing in a completely different direction. It was assessing and cataloging the damage he'd sustained. Almost without thought, he felt a decisively analytical portion of his mind diagnose his head trauma as a possible minor concussion.

The room spun for a moment and Ali found himself concurring with his own assessment.

The room swam for only a moment longer and when Ali finally raised his head from the granite that surrounded the fireplace, only seconds had passed.

"You think he's alright?" A small boy asked. He was bending over lowly to the ground with his hands on his knees. His pale and dirty face cocked at an angle as he inspected Ali.

A big boy behind him had his arms crossed, a scowl on his face. "Don't think it'd matter much, Rascal."

A third, this time chubby boy, frowned. "Awe… really, Tiger?" He pouted at the big boy, Tiger.

A lanky, elvish looking child crossed his bony arms and smirked. "Could use a new Rascal."

The youngest boy, still bending over to observe Ali gasped excitedly. "Does that mean I'll finally get to be Monkey!?" The boy, presumably the current 'Rascal', bounced on the balls of his feet.

Ali's eyes flickered between the four boys. His eyes quickly took in their dirty and ripped clothing which looked to be each from various eras. They were pale, and the temperature in the room had seemed to drop even further. His skin prickled. There was something about these boys. His mind whirled as it tried to figure out what was different about them. Had they time travelled? Each wore clothes from different decades. But people were supposed to disappear from the Manor, not appear here, right?

Tiger, who Ali had surmised was the leader, glared at Rascal. "Rascals' gotta prove themselves." The four boys all turned sharply towards Ali and smiled wickedly.

Ali's heart leapt into his throat. He scrambled to his feet, hands in front of him placatingly. "Look, I'm terribly sorry. I didn't realize anyone was here. No one's supposed to live here."

"We live here." Tiger snapped. And for one heart stopping moment, he flickered. His image flickered in and out like a bad film.

Alister's eyes widened and a small part of his brain desperately focused on keeping him breathing steadily. The rest of his brain did a fantastic job of Grams when everything went wrong right before a party. There was screaming, ranting, and lots of running around in circles trying to make sense of everything.

The boys lunged forward and Ali dashed to the side. He tripped and nearly fell across the iron fireplace poker set. The set toppled behind him as Ali once again fell against the hard stone floor. He glanced over his shoulder just in time to see the four boys vanish in an eruption of smoke and burning embers. The poker set clattered against the stone and wood.

Ali froze. If his body didn't automatically force him to continue breathing, he knew he would have stopped out of pure shock. He shook his head and pulled himself back to his feet. Glancing around cautiously, Ali kicked one of the iron pieces.

Had it all been a delusion?

Alister knew he was not prone to delusions, but he'd also been in seclusion for four months inside the TARDIS. That would undoubtably have side effects on his psyche.

Despite his misgivings, Ali picked up an iron poker. He eyed the room cautiously. Tiger flickered to life before Ali and lunged. Ali swung the iron piece and it slashed through the air, cutting a clean arch through the bigger boy's form. The vision erupted into smoke and embers once again.

"Right," Ali said to himself, taking a deep gulp of air, "iron definitely does something."

Without wasting another moment Ali dropped to his knees and opened his bag. He kept his attention on high alert as he pulled together a couple of chemicals he knew to be unstable and his mother did not know that he had. He dug a little deeper into his bigger on the inside knapsack until he found what he was looking for — iron nails. He was saving them for project, but figured they'd do better here. Ali quickly combined his materials and soniced the new device so the chemicals would meet until the glass sphere they were incased in broke.

Ali stood and stepped slowly towards the exit, glass sphere in one hand and iron poker in the other. The boys flickered to life by the fireplace. They were angry, but didn't move towards Ali.

"What do you want?" Ali questioned, poker raised in defence.

Tiger narrowed his eyes. "Ain't nobody allowed to just waltz into our house like they own the place."

"I already said I was sorry. And I am. I'll leave and you can have the house to yourself."

The sinister smirks returned on the boys faces. "Why would we do that?" Tiger asked rhetorically. "When you'd make a fine little Rascal?" The smallest boy, who Ali assumed was their current 'rascal', smiled victoriously.

Ali swallowed, took another step back — at the doorway now. "What do you mean by that? What's a Rascal?"

The elvish looking boy inclined his head as he said, "It's a system. An order. We're the Lost Boys."

"What? Like Peter Pan?" They glared at him fiercely. "Not like Peter Pan. I take it back."

"We gots names like proper soldiers. And this is our base. I'm Snake." The elvish boy introduced. He pointed to the chubby one, "That there's Monkey, and Rascal, and Tiger. We make you the knew Rascal and you can join our crew."

"And how do I go about doing that?"

Tiger looked decidedly sinister at the question. "Initiation." He nodded to the other boys and they turned as Tiger said, "We all go through it." Ali gasped, horrified. The boys had turned to reveal the backs of their heads either bashed in or complete skinned off.

"Bloody hell."

Ali threw down the sphere into the middle of the room and slammed the door shut. There was a muffled bang and hollers before everything went quiet again. Ali turned and ran in the direction of the front door. He pulled on the handle as hard as he could. When it didn't budge, he used his sonic.

It didn't work. Nothing would work if the sonic couldn't do it.

Ali gasped, terrified sobs threatening to take over his entire body. He had to stay focused. He had to get out. If the front door was no longer an option than he'd have to find another way.

Ali turned around and disappeared into the haunted house.

Sam arrived back at the motel room fifteen minutes later on the dot. He pulled out his key to open the motel room at the same time that Dean and Rose appeared with a loud POP. He nodded at them with a brown paper bag in arm filled with snacks and drinks.

"How'd it go?"

Rose nodded once. "Fine, we got the TARDIS to Bobby."

"Fine?" Dean made a face. "That was worse than riding an airplane. Damn, it was—" Dean shuddered, face pale.

Rose smirked at him. "I told you it'd be a rough ride. She's seriously damaged. 's not usually that bad." She rolled her eyes as Dean continued to pout. "Anyways, stocked up?" Rose asked Sam with a nod to the bag.

Sam nodded back and unlocked the door. "Yeah, they didn't have a great selection but I figure this will tide us over until Ali wakes up and then we can hit a diner if he's up to it." He held the door open for Rose who made a face as she passed.

"I hope so, but I won't really know how he's feeling until—" Rose froze a foot inside the room, a sound somewhere between a gasp and scream escaping her.

"Rose?" Dean pushed past Sam and to Rose's side instantly. One look around the room and they knew exactly what was wrong.

Ali was gone.

"Oh my god!"

"Rose? Rose breathe, it's going to be okay."

"Okay!? My son is gone. We just got him back. Why did we leave him alone? I'm so stupid. Someone took him." Rose collapsed onto the spare bed. "Oh my god, they have him."

"No." Rose and Dean looked to Sam. "I don't think they took him. Look," he gestured to the end of the bed. "Shoes and bag are gone. I think he left."

Dean looked around the room to see if anything else was amiss. "Why the hell would he do that?"

Rose groaned, her head dropped into her hands. "To go home." Sam and Dean both turned to Rose. She looked at them, her eyes for once betraying her age. "He wants to go home."

Sam's mouth tensed. "Is that possible?"

"Yes. Not that Ali would be able to figure it out. A genius, yes, but still a little boy. We could go back to our universe but…" Rose shook her head. "That time has already passed, he won't be able to go back to when we were. When all of us were alive and together. If he made it back, centuries will have passed. If he did make it back to the proper time, it'd cause a paradox."

Dean nodded. Rose had mentioned paradoxes enough times to know they were things to avoid. "And the chances of him actually doing all this and creating that paradox?"

Rose shrugged. "Almost impossible, but that doesn't mean much in our family."

"So we need to find him like, yesterday?" Rose glared at Dean without heat and nodded. "How?"

Rose made a face and looked around the room. Her eyes paused on Sam's laptop. "Laptop." She said as she moved towards it. She opened it up and turned it on. "He'll have done a search of some kind for a rip in the universe." At Sam and Dean's confused looks she elaborated. "Sort of like a pathway from one world to the next. There aren't any anymore, I closed all of them up when I came into this universe to stop things from the void from spilling through. The Chronovore came through with me, which is how it got past."

Sam nodded as he listened to Rose explain. "Okay, but if all these pathways are closed up, where would he go?"

Rose pulled out her sonic and pointed it at the laptop. The sonic warbled as websites flew past the screen in rapid succession. "Just because there aren't any pathways doesn't mean he wouldn't be able to find some that seemed like a pathway."

Dean glanced between Rose and the computer screen flipping through articles and sites faster than he could keep up with. "And what does a pathway seem like?"

Rose dropped the sonic and sighed. "A place where there would have been a number of disappearances over the years, probably decades if not longer. A place where people would say apparitions have been known to appear and probably weird sounds… changes in temperature sometimes."

Dean's heart gave a great thud in his chest. "Rose. That sounds like a hunt. Like a haunting."

Rose nodded once, eyes on the laptop screen which now showed the most probable place that Ali had gone to within his search; an old boarding house. "In your world, yea. 's definitely a haunting."

"Is that where he went?" Sam asked anxiously.

"'m not sure, but 's our best bet."

Sam frowned at the screen. "Darling Manor. Wait — I know that name, where do I know that name from?"

"It's doesn't matter!" Dean hollered from the door. Rose was already racing towards the Impala. "Sam let's go!" Sam nodded and rushed out after his brother. He popped the trunk of the Impala, despite Dean's protests, and grabbed Dad's journal before climbing in beside his brother. He ignored his brother's glare and began flipping through the journal. "You gonna tell us what that was about?" Dean gunned the engine and the Impala raced out of the lot.

"I know I've heard that name before." Sam reiterated distractedly as he continued through Dad's journal.

Rose leaned forward from her spot in the back seat. "I don't like the sound of that."

Sam glanced at the worried blonde over his shoulder. "Yeah." He turned back to the journal. "Got it!" He leaned forward excitedly. "Oh shit."

Rose and Dean's stares burned into Sam. "Sam? Sam."

"Dad came across this house when we were kids. There's this really long line of abuse of children there, for over centuries — it used to be a boys home. It finally shut down in '43 when two people were placed in comas due to freak accidents," Dean snorted, "and four people just went missing. All adults. Any family that had bought the house since then hasn't stayed long."

"So it is a haunting, then?" Rose demanded worriedly.

"Yeah… but…" Sam looked between Rose and Dean. "Look, Dad mentions going to talk to the last family that had owned the place in the early '80's and the kid had quite a bit to say. The parents never saw anything, but the girl that lived there said that there were boys who were mean."

Dean made a face. "Mean?"

Sam glared at his brother. "It was enough for her to convince her parents to move. They didn't like a girl living there, but they really didn't like the parents — or any adults really."

"And Dad never took care of this?"

Sam shook his head. "Maybe he couldn't find anything to burn? If the people are haunting it are the boys from the old Boarding School, it stands to reason that the bodies would be hidden or taken away somewhere so no one would know."

"So what does tha' mean?" Rose questioned quickly. "How d'we get rid of ghosts if we can't find the remains?" Sam and Dean shared a look. "We can't, can we? Burning down the house?"

Dean raised an eyebrow, liking that plan but Sam shook his head. "That could just release the spirits from the house. Or they'd still be locked to the property and when a new house is built, or whatever, they'll haunt that. It won't solve the problem."

Dean shook his head. "Yeah, but neither will leaving the house and the ghosts alone. Someone's eventually gonna move in again, or buy the thing, tear it down and build something else. It's only a matter of time."

Rose nodded and turned to Sam. "Dean's right. We need to get rid of those ghosts."

"Okay," Sam nodded easily than made a face, "any ideas?"

Dean glared at his brother. "Don't be a bitch."

Rose scowled at Dean. "Watch your language. I will not have that around my son." Dean pouted as Sam smirked. Rose turned back to Sam. "We'll have to find the bodies. If we can't, we'll go from there."

Dean raised an eyebrow at Rose. "Are you taking point on this? You've never ganked a ghost."

"It's my son in the building. I will, of course, defer to you two. But I will not sit back and play damsel when it is my son's life on the line not when — not when I just got him back." Rose finished sadly.

Dean killed the engine and the three stared at the massive manor before them. "Let's go." They piled out of the car and Sam and Dean loaded the shotguns. Dean hoisted a duffle over his shoulder. All three picked up a flashlight and Rose pulled out an iron crowbar before they made their way cautiously through the iron gate and onto the property.

They raced up the steps of the old manor. Dean took the lead and threw open the front door. The door slammed against the wall, echoing like a gun shot in the eerie silence of the house.

They entered the dark manor, weapons raised and flashlights on. "Ali!?" Rose hollered into the house. They waited, but no one answered. "Oh god. What if I was wrong?"

"I don't think you were, Rose." Sam stated from a doorway leading into a parlour off the side of the foyer. Rose and Dean came up beside him to see what had convinced him of Ali's presence.

Rose gasped.

Old iron nails were scattered across the charred wood flooring, embedded deeply at odd angles. Nails stuck into the walls and ceiling in what appeared to have been an outward blast.

"Nail bomb." Dean whispered reverently. "Awesome."

"Oh my god." Rose moaned in despair. "Ali? Alister!"

Sam put a hand on her shoulder. "Stay calm, Rose. He probably left after he got away from the ghosts."

Rose turned and glared at Sam. "Have you even met me or the Doctor? This is our son we're talking about."

"She's got a point, Sammy." Dean raised the shotgun and moved further into the manor. "Ali!?" Sam looked slightly pained at Rose and Dean's calling out into the haunted house but held his tongue. The last thing he needed was to get on Rose's bad side — again.

Little footsteps drew their attention. The trio raced back to the entrance foyer just as a little boy came pelting down the steps of the grand stairwell.

"Ali!"

"Mum!" Ali flew into his mother's arms, only to pull back a second later. "Ghosts, mum! There are ghosts here! Real ghosts!"

Sam and Dean sighed. The latter shook his head in fond bemusement. "Just like his mother."

Ali glanced at the two hunters, mouth already opening to ask a million questions before Rose suddenly cut him off. "Alister Tony Tyler! What the hell were you thinking? Do you know how worried I was? You could have died!"

Ali bowed his head. "'m sorry, mum."

Rose's face was stony. "No, you're sorry you got caught."

"Oh come on, Rose," Dean interjected on the boys part, "ease up on the kid." Rose whipped around, a fierce glare on her face. Dean stepped back. "Kid, you're on your own."

Ali sighed and his mother's fierce stare centred back on the boy. "'m sorry, mum. Really, I am. I — I just wanted to go back home." He sniffled and rubbed his sleeve against his nose. "You always say nothing's impossible."

Rose sighed, all the tension and anger leaving with the breath. "Yes, I still say that, love. But unfortunately, sometimes bad things will happen if you try to get that possibility you're hoping for."

Ali nodded. "Paradox, reapers, the possible collapse of multiple universes, and the death of Time?"

Sam and Dean's eyes widened. Rose nodded once, solemnly. "Unfortunately."

Ali looked down at his scuffed shoes. He'd already come to the conclusion himself, but he hadn't wanted to believe it. His shoulders sagged and he looked up at the tall hunters behind his mum, a particularly mischievous look in his eye. "I guess you're stuck with me." Sam raised his eyebrows at the kid, unsure how to respond to that. A sliver of dread filled him. Sam never spent time with children. He was not good with children at all really, that was Dean's area.

Dean smirked back at the boy and nodded to the others. "We should split up. Hunt down and clean this place out. Then we'll leave."

"Hunt down?" Ali finally noted the Winchester's guns. His eyes widened. "Guns are bad!" He exclaimed with an accusing point.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Definitely Rose's kid." Rose glared at him. "Look," he opened the gun as if to reload it and showed Ali the canisters within, "they're filled with rock salt. Shoot the ghosts, they disappear. We're not killing anyone, they're already dead."

Ali frowned curiously. "Like the iron?"

Dean cocked the shotgun and nodded, a grin on his face. "Yeah, quick thinking by the way. You're gonna have to show me how you made that bomb."

Rose snorted. "Yeah, cause tha's what we need. Dean Winchester with explosives." Dean glared at her without heat and the blonde smirked cheekily in response. She stood, placing her hand on her son's head. "I'll go with Sam, you take care of Ali." Dean nodded once.

Ali's eyes widened and he looked up at his mother. "I'm not going with you?"

Rose smiled softly and shook her head. "'m still new at this and I don't want you to get hurt. Dean's got practice taking care of his little brother," she nodded to Sam who smiled awkwardly at Ali, "so 'm more than confident he'll keep you safe."

Ali didn't look so sure. He tugged on Rose's hand and she knelt down before him. Ali leaned forward and whispered, "You really trust them?"

Dean glanced at Sam, trying real hard not to look offended.

Rose bit her lip to stop the smile from coming through. "With my life."

Rose moved to stand up but Ali tugged her arm again. He glanced at the Winchesters before asking incredulously, "That's his little brother?" Rose laughed soundlessly and nodded. Ali's eyes widened. "That's not logical."

"Alright, kid." Dean interrupted. He moved forward as Rose covered her mouth to stop laughing. "Let's split up. Ali and I will take the downstairs and then see if we can find a way out to search the grounds for remains. You guys see if the bones are on any of the upper levels."

Rose gave Ali a tight hug. "Please be careful. I just got you back, love."

"I will, I promise." He whispered before giving her a wet kiss on the cheek. The little boy then turned and followed the eldest Winchester through the foyer to the room opposite the one he had previously exploded. Rose and Sam watched them until they disappeared before turning and heading off together.

Dean took the lead with a raised and loaded shotgun at the ready. Ali watched the tall hunter as he quickly assessed his surroundings before nodding at Ali to follow.

"Why're we looking for remains?" Ali whispered into the empty and dark dining room.

Dean glanced over his shoulder at the boy and surveyed the way they'd just come critically. "In order to gank the ghosts we have to salt and burn the bones." Ali frowned at the unknown terminology but quickly cataloged 'gank' as a word for 'kill.'

"Aren't ghosts already dead?" Ali whispered in question. "That is the literal definition of a ghost."

Dean's brow furrowed as he looked around the dusty room. Ghosts weren't normally this inactive. "Yeah, but ghosts usually need a tie to earth. Getting rid of the bones will release them."

"And where do they go?"

Dean paused and turned to look at the small kid. His brown eyes were bright and inquisitive. He didn't ask the question the way a kid his age normally would, wondering what happens after death. Ali looked like a scientist exploring a new field of study. Dean's mouth quirked into a smile and began to move forward again. "Not sure about that one, probably Heaven… maybe Hell."

Ali cocked his head to the side. "Is that a belief or a fact?"

Dean paused and turned to the boy. "Both."

Ali smiled and his eyebrows raised. "Right, so…" He smirked impishly. "Who's afraid of no ghosts?"

Dean laughed. "Ghostbusters!" Ali clutched his stomach and laughed at that. Dean shook his head, still smiling. "Alright kid, you're alright. Let's keep it moving." Still giggling, Ali followed closely.

As they turned the corner into the kitchen, the temperature quickly dropped. Dean paused and held his hand out partly to keep Ali back and partly to make sure he was staying close. His fingers brushed Ali's sweater and he quickly glanced back at the wide eyed boy before slowly moving further into the kitchen.

The cupboards flew open all at once and a second later plates went flying across the room. Dean spun around and crouched over Ali who quickly curled into a ball and covered his head. The plates shattered and the kitchen drawers rattled ominously. Dean turned back to find a boy with narrowed black eyes and straight brown hair glaring fiercely at them.

"You're a bad Rascal," Tiger hissed angrily.

Ali scowled at the dead boy. "I never asked to be your new Rascal. And I don't want to be!"

A chair flew across the room and smashed against the wall behind Dean and Ali.

"Hey, now!" Dean hollered angrily. He raised his shotgun but it was quickly snatched away by a giggling heavyset boy who promptly disappeared. "Well, shit."

Ali peeked around Dean's tall form, still glaring angrily. "Why don't you just leave us alone! We don't want anything from you!"

"Then you shouldn't have brought adults into my home!" Tiger roared as the cupboard doors shook violently.

"They were just looking for me! They don't want anything to do with you!" This seemed to enrage Tiger even more and suddenly the kitchen drawers flew across the room. Knives rose steadily from the broken drawers; old, dull, and incredibly painful looking.

"Ah, hell." Dean whispered before he picked Ali up and ducked back into the dining room just as the knives flew towards them. They embedded themselves into the door they'd just disappeared through, sounding against the wood like dull thuds. Without even pausing, Dean held Ali close and moved quickly back towards the entrance foyer. "Sam!? Rose!? I think it's time we regroup!" They needed to get Ali out of here pronto. Those kids clearly had some serious problems with the little time traveller and he was significantly safer waiting in the Impala.

In the foyer again, Dean set Ali on his feet and dropped to his knees beside the duffle they'd left near the door. He ripped the bag open and grabbed hold of the first weapon he could find. Armed with an iron poker he stood just in time to see Tiger and three other boys flicker to life before him. They stood a distance away and Dean held his poker up defensively, making sure Ali was safe a step just behind him.

"What're you gonna do now, eh?" Tiger taunted. "You actually think those other two are coming back for you? They don't care. None of them love you. They don't care about you at all."

Ali's hands clenched into little fists. "Shut up! Of course they care! You're just a stupid bully." Dean frowned, his head cocked slightly to the side. He couldn't help but feel like he was caught into the middle of a slightly more dangerous after school special.

Tiger stepped closer and hissed, "They're going to leave you all alone. You were alone before, and you will be again. You aren't important to them, otherwise you'd have always been with them — still with them." Ali's eyes watered and his lip trembled.

"What on earth do you think you're doin'!?" The four ghosts jumped and turned wide eyed to the furious blonde at the bottom of the stairs. Sam towered behind her with gun at the ready looking as perplexed at the situation as Dean felt. "How dare you say somethin' like that to Ali."

"Uhmmm… Rose?" Dean tried to get her attention but Rose's righteous fury had taken hold and she didn't seem to hear him.

Snake glared. "What'd you care, you're just a stupid adult."

Rose narrowed her eyes, hands on hips. "I am not and adult."

The smallest boy, Rascal, cocked his head to the side. "Then what ar'ya?"

Rose raised her chin. "I'm a mother." She stepped closer. "And no one gets to talk to my son that way. Honestly, your mothers would be ashamed."

Tiger snarled at that. "We don't got no mothers." He hissed the last word like some dirty curse.

Rose's face softened into something akin to sympathy and understanding. "Well of course you do, however else would you have been born?"

Tiger's snarl turned into a far more petulant expression more befitting his tender age. "So? She don't want me. They don't want us."

Rose knelt down before Tiger and smiled warmly. Her entire being seemed to radiate a kind warmth, one that touched even the cold nothingness of the Lost Boys ghostly forms. Rose's eyes glowed gold as she searched the Time Vortex. The four ghost boys stood, momentarily transfixed as Time's immense power washed over them. "Of course she did. Oh, Theodore, your mother didn't want to leave you. She loves you so much." Rose's head tilted to the side slightly. "She used to hum you to sleep, don't you remember? That soft, high hum with the pretty melody?" Theodore's eyes watered as Rose began to softly hum the tune she'd heard floating towards her from the vortex. "She used to call you Teddy."

"But," Theodore hiccupped, "she left me."

"She didn't want to. She got sick, very sick. And there wasn't anythin' she could do. But she never wanted to leave you. She's been waiting for you for…" Rose paused and sighed sadly, "oh Teddy, your mother has been waiting for you for so very long." She looked past the dirty faced boy to the other three. "You all have family waiting for you. They haven't given up on you."

Rascal stepped closer to Rose and Theodore, his appearance cleaner and less terrifying than when he'd first appeared. "Mummies and daddies?"

Rose smiled. "And grandmas and grandpas." She looked to Snake. "You've even got a little sister."

"I do?" Rose nodded and Monkey clapped Snake on the back with a laugh. "Can you take us to them?"

"No." The boys collectively dimmed. "But I know someone who can." The boys' eyes all quickly trained back on Rose. "How does that sound?" They nodded quickly. "You'll have to let my friends go first, than we can go."

Theodore turned to the entrance and it clicked softly before slowly swinging open. No one moved. Rose made eye contact with Dean. "Take Ali, I'll meet you all back at the motel."

"Rose…"

"Go."

Sam frowned at Rose and the ghosts. He didn't like it, ghosts didn't give in this easily. But Rose wasn't human, he reminded himself, and she seemed to have a sway over all things supernatural that no one else did. He slowly moved towards the duffle by Dean and slung it over his shoulder. As Sam passed Rose, he felt a calm warmth envelope him. He took in a deep breath, smelling vanilla and honeysuckle. He could almost hear the soft sound of someone singing 'Hey Jude.' Sam shook his head and moved towards the door and waited for the lingering Dean and Ali. He cast one last look over the suddenly peaceful boys, something told him that whatever Sam had suddenly felt, it was something these boys were feeling too. Well, Sam thought, that was certainly one way to take care of ghosts.

"Mummy?"

Rose smiled. "I'll see you very soon, love." Ali nodded once, though he did not look happy, and took Dean's hand. Dean gave Rose a sharp nod before leading Ali out of the Manor. The door swung shut softly behind them. Rose turned back to the boys. "Everyone hold hands now. Ready?" They nodded.

POP.

Ali paused at the edge of property when he heard the sound of his mother's vortex manipulator activating. He looked up at the equally concerned Dean still holding his hand. "Mummy will be okay, right?"

Dean spared the old Manor one final glance before nodding at Ali with a cocky smile that only Sam could see through. "She'll be fine, buddy. Now let's get back to the motel, because if your mother gets there before us, she'll kick our asses."

Ali raised his eyebrows and followed Dean to the Impala. "If you keep using those words, mum's gonna do a lot worse than kick your bum."

Sam smirked from the passenger side of the muscle car. Dean narrowed his eyes and didn't argue with the little boy, knowing that he was completely right. He helped Ali into the backseat and buckled him in securely. Dean glanced over at Sam who had climbed into his seat. "We're gonna need a booster seat."

Sam smiled wryly. "I think I can actually hear Dad rolling over in his grave."

Dean rolled his eyes. "What'd'you think we did with you? Strap you to the roof with bungee cords?"

Sam laughed. "I wouldn't be surprised."

Dean smirked as he slid into his seat. He gunned the engine. "Awe, don't worry, Sammy. It was only the one time." Sam rolled his eyes and the three boys drove out into the early morning dawn. "Hey kid, how do you feel about ACDC?"

Ali's nose scrunched up as he thought. "Daddy likes Duran Duran."

Dean whistled. "I did not see that coming." The hyperactive man in a tight suit he'd met a few weeks back was not someone he would have considered a fan of good music. "Well, if you share your dad's taste in music, you'll like this." And without further ado, he turned ACDC Back in Black on as loud as he thought the kid could handle it. Sam rolled his eyes. A gesture that went ignored by his older brother.

Despite the raging music, Ali quickly fell asleep. Dean turned the volume down when Sam nudged him and gestured to the sleep genius in their backseat. Not long later they reached the motel. Dean picked Ali up while Sam grabbed his little red and blue knapsack. They quietly made their way into the dark motel room.

Dean tucked Ali into the bed he'd vacated earlier that night, a reluctant smile on his face. He huffed out a quite laugh.

"What?" Sam asked curiously from his seat by his laptop.

"I just keep thinking… Rose totally Wendy Darling's they're asses."

Sam raised a brow. "Wendy Darling?"

"Yeah, you know, from Peter Pan."

Sam laughed quietly. "Yeah, Dean, I know. I'm just surprised you know."

"Hey," Dean shot back, only mildly offended, "I read."

Sam nodded and smirked. "So you say."

"Bitch."

"Jerk."

"Those are 'no, no' words." Ali mumbled tiredly as he rubbed his eyes and yawned. Sam and Dean shared an amused look. Ali ran a hand through his curly brown hair and looked around. "I mummy back?"

Dean shook his head. "Not yet, kid. We just got back. You should go back to sleep." Ali stubbornly shook his head and crawled out of bed. Dean sighed and looked around the room. "Right, okay… Tv?"

Ali considered the television set for a second before he shrugged and nodded. The two plopped down together and Dean flicked through the channels.

The sun was just threatening to peek over the horizon when Rose arrived at the motel. She quietly opened the door and slipped into the motel room.

"Mummy!" Ali rushed forward and wrapped his arms around her legs. Sam, who'd been napping on one of the beds, shot forward. Half awake and hair a mess, he sleepily took in Rose and Ali before releasing the sudden tension in his body and laying back down.

"Sorry, Sam." Rose apologized quietly. She tugged one of Ali's curls who mumbled an apology into Rose's thigh. Rose sighed before lifting Ali up and hugging him close. "Come on love, we can still see a few stars outside. Let's let the boys relax a bit." She nodded at Dean who was channel surfing on the couch. He frowned at Rose in silent question to what happened after they left. The crease between his brows foretold of his displeasure and Rose knew she was going to have to have a talk with him too.

But first, Ali.

She snuck back out of the room and headed over to the same picnic bench she'd sat on hours ago with Sam. Ali snuggled into her side and they both leaned back to look up at the stars.

For years before the TARDIS had been grown, Rose and the human Doctor would sit on the roof of their apartment building and stargaze all night. They'd spend hours staring at the stars. Some of their most important conversations had been had underneath a blanket of moonlight and stars. The habit had continued after the birth of their first child. Each of their children had grown up with an irreplaceable fondness for the night sky.

Rose let out a long sigh. "You can't go off and do somethin' like that again," she told Ali softly. "You have no idea how terrified I was. This universe is very different from our own. It is so much more dangerous. Ghosts are just the tip of the iceberg."

She waited for his snort of protest, his insistence that he could take care of himself, that he was made of tougher stuff. Ali sniffled. Rose looked down to see tears streaming down his cheeks. "Are you terribly cross with me?"

Rose pulled back and gently wiped the tears away from his cheeks. "Look at my face love, do I look terribly cross?" Still crying, Ali shook his head. Rose pulled him into a hug. "Just promise me that you won't run off. That you'll be careful. I — I've got some very mean enemies in this universe and I'd like very much to keep you safe from them." Ali nodded into her side.

"'m sorry, mum."

"I know, love." She ran her hand through his soft brown curls. "I'm so happy to have you back, baby. I missed you so much."

Ali sniffled again. "I… I missed you — too." He pulled back and rubbed his nose. "I didn't like being in the TARDIS all alone."

Rose frowned in worry. "You were in there for a very long time. What did you do?"

Ali shrugged. "Slept mostly. The TARDIS kept letting out this mist. I think she was worried I'd get sad if I realized how long I was in there for. So I slept a lot, and the mist had vitamins in it I think. I didn't ever get hungry or have to go to the washroom." Ali frowned. "'s a shame really, I could have read so many books."

Rose laughed. "You can read them now." Ali nodded.

They turned back to the sky, but the rising sun was quickly lightening the sky too much for them to see the constellations any longer. "I'm hungry."

Rose smiled and popped a kiss on her son's head. "Alrigh,' how 'bout you go wake Sam and we can all go find a diner for breakfast, yeah?"

"Okay."

Ali hugged Rose's side tightly before hopping off the bench and rushing towards the motel room. The door slammed shut behind him. Shortly after, the door opened quietly again and Dean stepped out. He ambled over to Rose and stood next to the picnic bench, arms crossed and face stoic.

"How'd you do it?" At Rose's raised eyebrow, Dean expanded. "You know, make the kids calm down and act… human?"

Rose made a face. "I'm not really sure. I think I was pulling memories from their timeline, sort of… enveloping them in the kindness they'd felt from loved ones."

Dean raised his eyebrows and nodded. He ignored the terrifying notion that Rose didn't really know what she'd done and focused on the success of it. "Well it sure as hell worked well. Definitely a way of taking care of ghosts I can get behind."

Rose smiled and rolled her eyes before she shook her head. "Can't. One time thing. Those boys stayed behind because they were unloved and didn't want to go somewhere they thought would provide more of… what they already had. It was just chance that I could do what I did."

Dean shook his head. "It was more than just chance." He looked into Rose's golden eyes seriously. "You're a good hunter, Rose. You understand the supernatural in ways I don't think I ever could."

Rose leaned closer and smiled mischievously. "Well, I am supernatural, so I think I have an unfair advantage." Dean raised his eyebrows in acknowledgement. They were silent for a long while before Dean finally gave in. "Who?" Rose frowned, not having expected the short and direct question. She turned her confused face on Dean. "Who do you know that can get ghosts to where they're supposed to go?"

"Dean…"

Dean shook his head. He'd told himself he wasn't going to pry, but he couldn't help it. He was worried. Rose was — he was always going to be worried about Rose, and probably Ali now too. The two of them were very quickly wiggling their way into his heart and he couldn't really find it in himself to be angry about that fact. "What aren't you telling me? I thought we were past secrets, Rose?"

Rose sighed. "I didn't… it's not." Rose turned more fully to him, trying to be as imploring and apologetic as possible. "I will always have secrets from you, Dean." He didn't like that answer. "I'm Time. I can see… I can see so much more than you could ever understand. I can't tell you all those things. There are aspects of my life that need to remain… private. I'm an eternal, that comes with its own rulebook and I'm already breakin' at least half of them."

Dean shifted and looked away. "Yeah, alright." He gave her a sharp look. "I don't like it, though."

Rose smiled softly. "I know."

"Those kids are okay now?" Rose nodded. "Right, good. Well I heard something about food so…"

Rose tugged on his hand and Dean came back to stand before her. She held his hand tightly as they stared into one another's eyes. Finally Rose whispered, "Thank you." Dean opened his mouth but Rose shook her head. "No, you don't understand. What you and Sam have done for me here, I will never be able to properly thank you. You've given me the world, honestly."

Despite himself, Dean raised his other hand to cup Rose's cheek. She closed her eyes and leaned into the touch. "Family is the most important thing in the world. Sam and I will always help you when it comes to Ali." Rose smiled beautifully. She slid from the table and Dean wrapped her in a tight hug. He bowed his head and rested his lips against her head. For a moment, they simply stood in one another's arms. Dean pulled back. "But seriously, Rose. A nail bomb." He shook his head in awe. "Awesome."

Uhmm... I have no excuses for long absences. But your reviews always do push me along in my writing and fill me with joy. Also, three movies are quoted in this chapter, one is obviously Ghostbusters, but bonus points to whoever can guess what the other two are! They're both from my two fav movies and star my top two fav actors so...

Thanks for reading! :)