Chapter 1: Water
Disclaimer: Don't own them just play with them.
To anyone who's still out there; Sorry. I know this has taken for ever, for which I can only apologies. When I started writing this I was waiting for a work visa to get sorted, so I had plenty of time. Obviously the visa got sorted and I now have no time at all. Which is why this is taking so long, but it's a new year so I'm on a mission and actually getting somewhere. Plus to everyone's relief I've now got a very lovely Beta/Husband/Grammar Nazi, so all the chapters have been update.
Set straight after the second season episode Born under a bad sign.
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"I've got to say it Sammy, this place has definitely got some possibilities." Grinned Dean Winchester as he lent back against the side of the bridge, his elbows coming to rest on the railing as he smiled back at the college girl who had been staring at him on and off for the last ten minutes from behind her text book. The girl blushed pushing her two friends into fits of giggle and making Dean's grin widen.
Sam just rolled his eyes continuing to stare out along the river as the sun slowly began to dip behind the trees lining the bank.
"Whatever, Dean" Said Sam
It was funny how he could survive seven days straight of being possessed with his sanity reasonably intact but three days straight stuck in a car with his injured and irritable brother had all but pushed him over the edge.
Sam pushed himself up off the railing and stretched his back trying to relieve some of the tension he was feeling.
O.K so maybe that wasn't entirely true. The possession and its aftermath had taken a heavy toll on both of them, and neither of them had fully dealt with it yet. Not that Sam could remember all of it, but what he did remember he would rather forget. They had been driving with the hammer down ever since they left Bobby's, trying to put as much distance between themselves and Sam's actions as they could just in case some of the other hunters decided to investigate Josh Wandells' death a little more closely.
Add to that the fact that the gunshot wound to Deans shoulder, kept his brother from driving and things were bound to be tense. Driving was like a drug to his brother and it wasn't a good idea to let him go into withdrawal. Sam still didn't know how Dean had made it all the way to Bobby's in his current condition. He was one stubborn son of a bitch.
Leaning back against the railing Sam glanced over to Dean's latest conquests and nearly laughed. Sorority girls and going by the expensive clothes and immaculate hair, rich ones at that. After four years at Stanford Sam could recognise the type anywhere, these girls would eat his brother alive, but at least it would keep Dean occupied, and it could be fun to watch.
"Hey Sam, do you think they would take pity on my wounds?" asked Dean still exchanging glances with the three girls.
" How are you going to explain the gunshot wound?" Queried Sam, truth be told Dean still looked like he'd gone five rounds with Mike Tyson but at least that was easier to explain than the large hole in his shoulder.
"I'll tell them the truth." Dean grinned wickedly. "I got shot saving a damsel in distress."
Sam groaned.
Dean had just pushed off the railing with every intention of going to talk to the three women, when a child's scream ripped through the air. Both brothers whipped around to face the river searching for its source, already on high alert.
"Sarah!" A man cried, dragging their attention to the churning waters below them, in time to see a small pink clad figure disappear under the water a few hundred yards up stream, only to reemerge spluttering seconds later. Both of them could see that the child was being dragged away from the shore towards the fastest part of the river and well away from any would be rescues; they had to act fast.
Dean moved instantly towards the railings but Sam pulled him back. "Take the bank." He ordered pushing his brother in the direction of the emergency flotation device located at the end of the bridge. Dean didn't like it but he complied, Sam was right, with his shoulder he would have never made it to the child in time. Grabbing the ring he ran along the bank looking for a way down.
Sam threw off his coat and boots, never once taking his eyes off the child as he climbed over the railings. Cursing when he saw a second figure in the water, this one a man and quite obviously in difficulty. He lowered himself over the side of the bridge so he hung directly in the girl's path, only letting go when she was just feet away.
Water surged over his head but he forced himself to keep his eyes open, his entire focus on the pink clad figure in front of him. Reaching out he snagged the child's hood and pulled them both gasping to the surface.
The panicked child coughed and clung to his neck, but he forced himself to ignore her distress as he searched the bank for his brother. Spotting Dean he kicked out strongly for the bank, trying to use the current to help him instead of fighting them like his father had taught him.
Dean had found a good spot near a bend in the river where the current should pull Sam closer into the shore and had waded out into the shallows to avoid tangling the ring in the overhanging trees when he threw.
Spotting his brother, Dean started yelling and waving to get his attention. He was more than a little relieved when Sam acknowledged him and started making slow but steady progress towards him.
"Dean! Get the man!" Hollered Sam when he got closer, gesturing with his head back up the river.
Locating the Man, who was clearly in more danger than Sam despite being unencumbered by a child, Dean repositioned himself, throwing the ring so it landed just centimeters away from the drowning man- only to have it ignored.
"No! Save my daughter!" Yelled the man; desperately fighting to keep his head above water.
Idiot, thought Dean, You're going to do her no good dead.
"Sam's got her." He yelled back as he pulled the ring back in to make a second throw, more than a little annoyed by the man's actions, even if he fully understood where he was coming from.
This time the man caught the ring and he was able to start pulling him in, his shoulder screaming in protest as he did so. Scanning the river he was relieved to see that Sam had managed to get his footing just a few meters further downstream and was struggling towards the shore, the child clutched close to his chest.
Heaving the gasping man onto the bank he rushed to help his brother.
People had appeared out of nowhere and no sooner had Dean helped his brother and the child to shore, than she was whisked away, leaving the two of them sitting cold and dripping on the bank. "We're fine, thanks for asking." Commented Dean sarcastically, as he stared at the retreating backs of the small mob of people who had come to aid in the rescue of the man and child but not apparently Sam and Dean. "Yeah, a thank you would be nice." muttered a shivering Sam. The two of them exchanged a wry look, all the earlier tension between them forgotten. It was the story of their lives, no sooner was the job done than they were forgotten.
Wrapping his jacket around Sam's shivering form Dean grinned at his brother. "You did okay Sammy."
Sam unnerved slightly at the compliment and Deans grin widened, he knew that Sam was still having a hard time dealing with his actions while possessed and it was good that the kid got a chance to be reminded of all the good he did in the world. Getting up he offered his hand to his brother. "Come on. Let's go get you dried off."
Together they started to scramble up the steep muddy slope that separated the river from the park. Half way up Sam paused to get his breath and glanced up to see a middle aged woman in a Sheriffs uniform staring down at him from the top. Without pausing to think he brought his hand down hard between his brother's shoulders, ramming his face into the mud and causing him to slip back down the slope. Dean came up spluttering and angry, his face a mask of mud. Glowering he scrambled back up the slope intent on revenge.
Sam reached the top and took the Sheriffs proffered hand to pull him up onto the path.
"You boys did real good down there." She said keeping hold of Sam's hand, she gave it a warm squeeze before turning to smile at Dean who had just joined them and was trying without success to get the mud out of his eyes. "Town appreciates it." She continued giving the boys an amused and knowing look as she indicated the retreating mob. "Now come on let's get you boys somewhere you can get dry before that mud starts setting." She smiled at Dean and began to lead the way up the path.
Sam smiled at the Sheriffs retreating form, under normal circumstances he had a feeling he would like the woman but right now they needed to stay off the radar. Still just disappearing would probably make things worse and right now he really wanted to get warm, so he followed her.
"Dude what you'd do that for?!" hitting him in the arm hard as he did so.
"Dean" He gave his brother a withering look. "You're on the FBIs most wanted list and to cap it off your face was plastered all over the news little more than a month ago, I think even a small town Sheriff might just recognize you."
Dean couldn't deny the logic but it didn't make him any happier. "Just don't do it again" O.K?"
"Whatever dude."
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The Sheriff led them into a small coffee shop where they were given blankets and hot drinks, while the sheriff quizzed them about what had happened. Fortunately she was more than willing to take their actions at face value and quickly left to interview other witnesses, giving both men a pat on the shoulder and a grateful smile as she left.
The two of them sat in silence for a while just staring at their drinks until a strange voice brought them out of their reverie. "I don't know what to say, you saved our lives." Sam looked up to see the blanket wrapped form of the man they had rescued earlier hovering over them, his eyes shiny with emotion. "My names Jim Fraser by the way and that's my daughter Sarah." He finished, indicating the child sitting contentedly with a paramedic just feet away.
"Sam Morrow." Offered Sam taking the man's proffered hand. "This is my brother James."
"If you boys need anything just ask. I really don't know how to thank you." The man honestly looked like he was going to cry.
"It's alright really sir. We're just glad we could help." Dean reassured him, before asking. "If you don't mind me asking what exactly happened."
The man's face paled and he swallowed hard before answering. "We were up on the viewing platform. Sarah loves to watch the river. She was swinging on the railing." His face clouded with guilt. "I know I shouldn't have let her, but they're so solid. I never thought. Then the whole section just sort of came away just like that." The man crumbled. "I saw her go under. I just…"
Dean stood up and gripped the man's shoulder. "It was an accident and you did everything you could." He told the man with absolute confidence, then gesturing towards the little girl he continued. "The important thing is she's alright."
Jim gave him a grateful smile and shook his hand warmly, still unable to speak before quickly headed back to his daughter.
"Well that's strange." Commented Dean; sitting back down next to his brother who was pulling his newly returned boots back on over his wet socks. "The railing just happened to give out like that."
"Lots of strange things happening round here lately." Said a voice
Dean looked up to see the old lady who owned the coffee shop standing in front of him with a steaming pot of coffee. Holding out his mug for a refill, he indicated that she should go on. Leaning forward she gave them a conspiratorial look which clearly identified her as the town gossip.
"Andrew Groman pulled his daughter out of this same river only six weeks back, just for them to both die in a house fire a few days later. Then there was Martin Hardy, he and his fiancée got pushed off the highway by a freak avalanche just a week before she drowned. Poor man tried to kill himself after that."
Pausing briefly for dramatic affect she continued. "If you ask me this towns cursed." She announced before wandering off to deal with the customers who were actually paying.
The brothers exchanged looks before getting up to leave; some things were better discussed away from prying eyes. Jim and the Sheriff both waved in acknowledgement of their departure and Sarah gave them a dazzling smile and yelled "Bye, Sam."
"See Sam, you can get the girls to notice you, if you try." Grinned Dean as he opened the door.
Sam just groaned and hit him in his good arm.
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In the end there wasn't really much to discuss both of them were looking for an excuse to get off the road for a couple of days and the truth be told, they had worked cases on less…
Half an hour after they left the park they found themselves once more standing in a nondescript budget motel room, booked in under the name Morrow.
"So how come you get to keep your name and I don't?" Bitched Dean as he put down his bag and started to strip off his mud encrusted boots.
"Because you yelled it in front of half the town you moron. At least I didn't come up with anything worse than James." Laughed Sam, Dean had a habit of coming up with some pretty horrendous names at times.
"I suppose there is that." Admitted Dean smiling at the memory of some of the names he had given Sam in the past. "You want to take the first shower?" He asked, Sam was still soaked through.
"Thanks."
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Forty minutes latter Sam was sitting at his laptop doing research, while Dean clattered around the bathroom singing to himself. The old lady had been right there had been some pretty bazaar deaths in town of late from unexplained drowning and fires, to the roof collapsing at a local cave and killing two people, all unlikely but seemingly accidental. It wasn't until you started putting them together did any sort of picture emerge.
"So what you got geek boy?" His brother asked cheerfully as he emerged from the bathroom, towel still in hand.
Sam didn't even bother to comment on his brother's use of one of his more insulting nicknames for him. "There's definitely something here Dean, I just don't know what. Just look at these." He pushed a stack of newspaper articles over to his brother. "All of these articles are about accidents involving one of the four elements, avalanches for earth, drowning for water, that sort of thing. Everything looks unrelated and accidental until you look at what happens to the people who survive the accidents."
"What?" Asked Dean; now slightly curious.
"They die within days in another unrelated accident involving a second element."
Dean whistled through his teeth, "Any survivors?"
"Yes one" Nodded Sam, "Martin Hardy."
"The guy who tried to kill himself"
"Yeah"
"You think he knows something?"
"Only one way to find out, at the very least he could still be in danger."
Dean nodded and moved to get up. "Just let me grab my boots and we'll go check him out."
"No way Dean"
Dean looked at him in surprise. "He's in a state psychiatric facility; there is no way you're walking in there when your face is still plastered up in every police station from here to Mexico. This morning was bad enough; we can't take any more risks."
Dean opened his mouth to violently protest but he saw "that" look in his kid brothers eye (the look that says I'm right and you know you're wrong).
"Dean; I can't keep busting you out of jail."
"Fine I'll stay here and do research." He was willing to do just about anything to take that look out of Sam's eyes but that didn't mean he had to be gracious about it.
Sam smiled happily and picked up the car keys.
"Bring back food." Ordered Dean as he headed out of the door
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Sam walked through the hospital corridors seemingly confident in where he was going but in actuality was more than a little lost.
The psychiatric facility was a lot larger than he had expected. Sighing in relief when he finally spotted the correct room, he stuck his clipboard under his arm and carefully entered the room.
The man looked up at him from his seat at the window his eyes dull and disinterested. "More tests?" His voice matched his eyes.
"No tests." Sam gave him his most reassuring smile. "I just need to ask you a few questions."
The man snorted and turned back to the window.
Sam stood there for a moment just observing the man, Martin Hardy had been committed for observation suffering from savior depression after a failed suicide attempt just 24 hours after his fiancée drown. Under normal circumstances that would be tragic but not really note worthy, except that three days before her death by drowning Lin Turner had almost died in an avalanche. Martin had been present on both occasion and had been able to save his fiancée the first time but not the second.
Sam pinched the bridge of his nose, this was not going to be easy. "Look I understand..."
"You don't understand; none of you do."; Snapped the man, emotions suddenly filling his previously blank face. "I let her die. With the avalanche I was saving myself as much as her, but when she fell in the river….the current was so strong. I was so scared."
Sam recognized survivor's guilt when he saw it and new that in reality there probably wasn't anything the man could have done, but he also knew that he would never convince Martin of that. So he bit back his instinctive reaction to the outburst and kept to the job at hand.
"Before the accidents were there any warning signs? Anything to make you think something wasn't right?" He asked silently hoping the man would calm down before the medical staff got involved.
"No nothing! They just happened." Martin was yelling now. "One minute we were walking along the bank and the next she was in the river drowning. There was no reason for it to happen. It shouldn't have happened!" The man crumpled in on himself and began to sob; seemingly unaware that Sam was still in the room.
"Oh Lin, I'm sorry, I should have protected you."
Feeling awkward and more than a little guilty Sam backed out of the room; he wouldn't get anything more out of Martin.
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Research had been a joke; there were no local cults and no deaths other than the ones they already knew about and nothing with even the faintest whiff of the supernatural within a hundred miles. As for the four elements angle, every culture seemed to have their own version of the four elements. From the Zoroastrians to the antique Greeks and each had a different idea about what they stood for, they needed more information. Frustrated he began to pace the room, feeling like a caged animal, Dean new Sam was right about keeping a low profile even if the tactics Sam had used in pointing it out were a little below the belt, but that didn't mean he had to like it. Suddenly feeling the need for vengeance he began to scan the room looking for mischief.
Half an hour later he had miss-paired all of Sam's socks, liberally mixing in the dirty ones with the clean, before sticking half back into the dirty Sams dirty laundry bag to make what he had done a little less obvious. Then he set up the computer so it played 'If you want to be my lover' when it started up. His initial thought had been to go with Metallica but with Sam's habit of using the thing in public places he figured the spice girls would be far more entertaining. By the time he had used one of the UV visible security markers they had used on their last job to scrawl 'Geek Boy' across the front of several of his brothers T-shirts he knew he was officially going stir crazy, if not insane.
The truth was he hated being sidelined and the feeling had only increased after Sam's little disappearing act. It was his job to be out there chasing down the leads, standing between his family and whatever big and bad was after them this week, and he couldn't do that if he had to go into hiding every time they entered a town big enough to have its' own sheriff. What if Sam was in trouble?
Mentally shaking himself, he pulled away from that thought; Sam was a big boy now and more than capable of taking care of himself. Dean smiled in a self deprecating manner, and if he kept telling himself that maybe he would actually start to believe it. Sighing he grabbed his phone and headed towards the bathroom, he needed to relax and being stuck in a room by himself with no beer and a TV on the fritz he only had limited options.
Normally he wasn't a bath kind of guy preferring just too just grab a quick shower, but right now he was willing to try anything and he still hadn't really been able to shake the cold from the river earlier. Smiling slightly he tried to figure out where that little aversion came from, probably from always sharing with his brother and Dad, he mused. Money was always tight growing up and they had never lived anywhere with more than one bathroom so spending too much time in it usually resulted in either irate banging from his Dad or whining from his brother. Besides baths were really a chick thing anyway or a thing you did with a chick, he smiled to himself remembering Debby from Tulsa, now that girl made bathing fun.
Slipping into the bath he had to admit it felt good, the warm water smoothing away aches he wasn't even aware he had, his barely healed shoulder still hurt like a bitch and he knew he was carrying himself funny because of it, of course having Sam, no sorry Meg, he corrected himself, grind their thumb into it hadn't helped. Letting out a low groan of pleasure as the water eased some of the tension he had been feeling, he finally admitted to himself that that was what had really been bugging him all along. He'd thought he knew his brother better than anyone and Meg had fooled him, and that scared the crap out of him even more than the memory of the week he had spent frantically looking for his baby brother. How the hell was he supposed to protect Sam if he didn't even know Sam well enough to realize he was possessed? Rationally he knew there was nothing else he could have done and that Sam didn't blame him for what had happened, but that didn't stop him from blaming himself. Meg was right about one thing he was worthless, his Dad would kick his ass if he knew what a piss poor job he was doing in looking after Sammy.
Forcing himself to think of something else, he slipped in his earphones and began to flick through the song list on his phone, a couple of minutes later his was foot tapping the end of the bath in time with the music, as he allowed the soothing strains of AC/DC to wash over him driving all unwanted thoughts from his head.
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Sam shoved the set of stolen scrubs to the bottom of his bag and headed out of the hospital, he wasn't sure how much use what Martin had told him was going to be but he couldn't help feel sorry for the man, it was terrible to doubt yourself in that way.
Scrubbing a hand across his face, he thought of his brother and then smiled suddenly feeling the need to do something for the older man. He knew the events of the last few months had shaken his brother to his core, but the man was still hanging in there with all the tenacity of a pit-bull. Determined to protect what was left of their battered little family, whatever the cost. Even when he had been possessed Sam had had faith that somehow his brother would fix things and he had. Which made it even more painful to remember the look in Deans eyes when Meg had taunted him, he had believed her, believed that his family would somehow be better off without him. The worst thing was that Dean wouldn't believe him if Sam told him otherwise, he was a thick headed son of a bitch sometimes, but until he could think of a way to bust through that thick skull of his, he could at least get him coffee. The stuff at the motel tasted like dish water.
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Dean wallowed in his trance like state, foot now still as it had become too much effort to keep the beat of the music. Relaxed and unaware he never knew what hit him when a strong force suddenly pushed him under the water.
His mind instantly snapping back into focus as the water covered his head. Shit Sam, the little bastard must have already found out about the computer.
He did nothing for a second, fully expecting the pressure to release as soon as he was well and truly submerged, and not wanting to give his brother the satisfaction of seeing him come up spluttering, but one second turned into two, then three and Dean began to panic, there was no way Sam would do this to him. Kicking out at the end of the bath he tried to push his head back up but the force holding him down was too strong. Bringing up his hands he grabbed at whatever was holding him down but his searching hands found nothing. Panicked he redoubled his efforts to break the surface, his lungs screaming.
Then the pressure released as abruptly as it appeared, allowing him to shoot violently to the surface. Drawing in great heaving breaths he blinked furiously trying to get a bead on his attacker, but the room was empty. Scrambling to get out of the bath, he had only half risen when the entity attacked again slamming him into the wall behind the tub. He managed a single lung full of air before water once more closed over his head.
Shit whatever this was it was toying with him. The thought occurred to him as the entity once more allowed him to break the surface long enough to get a couple of gasping breaths. Once underwater again he barely had time to register surprise as the water around him suddenly turned to ice before his heart stopped and his lungs froze, his last though of his brother. Sorry, Sam.
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Outside Sam struggled to free up a hand to open the motel room door, nearly causing the stack of food and papers tucked perilously under his chin to go crashing to the floor.
The food originally intended as a tactical apology for having once more placed his brother under virtual house arrest, was rapidly becoming a source of annoyance, as was his brother.
"Dean, open the damn door!" Yelled Sam no longer concerned about how much attention he attracted as he once more kicked at the door. The movement caused one of the coffees to fall onto its side drenching Sam's arm and side in scalding liquid. Hissing in pain, he narrowly avoided sending the second coffee the way of the first. 'Dean was so dead.'
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