Disclosure: Season 6 spoilers, some language, future violence. I don't own SPN.
A/N: Yes, well... Thank you, SPN for making everything coming from this chapter onward an Alternate Timeline Fic. Folks, I love the family angle note: angle, not angel with the Winchesters and am not well pleased with the solution Dean came up with in the finale episodes to season 6! So, yes, Ben and Lisa are here. Yes, they will interact with the Winchesters. And no, I have not yet managed to mend my heart from the finale. I'll think about it tomorrow, fiddle dee dee…
Chapter 2
The air in Colorado's Rocky Mountains was thin and pine scented—not the fake air freshener pine they passed up in the automotive aisles, or the antiseptic pine of kitchen cleaners—true pine needle, dust and (for some reason) vaguely butterscotch smell of true pine forest. Sam actually liked the fresh, crisp air, but he really didn't look forward to the idea of traipsing around in the forest. Bobby told him there were a number of "weird" disappearances in the area and the police were unable to make heads or tails of the evidence.
Dean was still acting very peculiar. He still only spoke in clipped statements and one or two word answers. All during the witness interviews, he chose to examine the scene and observe rather than actually interact. That, in and of itself, was not extraordinary. But, Sam knew his brother was behaving even more withdrawn than normal and was releasing a measure of control in the investigations he normally never would.
In short, his brother was drowning. Sam knew Dean was never going to admit it long enough to reach for the life preserver. Dean would wallow in the deep end of the pool until the waterline was suffocating him and dragging him under. All he could do was watch, and that was a situation Sam found unacceptable. So, that night, when they returned to the motel room, Sam decided it was time for an intervention.
"Dude, I don't need an intervention" Dean declared when Sam had finished telling him how concerned he was about Dean's behavior.
"Dean, I really think we should talk about this."
Dean rolled his eyes and walked out the door into the crisp evening air without a backward glance.
Yeah, thought Sam. That went well.
It was about an hour later that Bobby called again.
"Hi, Bobby." Sam said, his voice dripping in the dejection he felt.
It went that well?
Sam huffed. "Well, he didn't yell or throw anything."
What did he say?
"He said he didn't need an intervention"
Silence met his statement for a moment.
Has he said anything about… you know?
"He doesn't say anything about anything. The waitress at the diner? …Every time she filled up our drinks, she… like, put them right there! Right in his face and… and he didn't make a comment, or leer, or check her out when she left… nothing! She was cute, Bobby. Just the type he likes, too. Just nothing." Sam could feel his anxiety level rising. It may seem silly to worry that his brother didn't even take the woman's number she left for him, but this was Dean Friggen Winchester. That was red flag number one in the diagnostic handbook! He sighed. "I just don't know how to help him, you know?"
Well… he's a big boy, Sam. Look, I'm worried, too. But… maybe we are over-reacting here. I mean, maybe he just needs to think something out. Dean is being Dean and getting him to talk about his feelings is about as easy as getting the sky to turn green. Give him some space, Sam. Let him know you'll be there and back off. He'll come around.
Sam considered this. "I guess."
What did you two find out about the disappearances?
"Well, there have been twelve disappearances of men associated with a major land developer in the area over the past five years. They go out to survey a particular tract of land and never return. Hikers and campers go up to that area all the time without any problem, but anyone interested in disturbing the land up there… just disappears. There are no bodies, no signs of struggle… just nothing."
Is there a pattern in the time frames?
"Not as far as I can tell. It looks like it is specific to a type of traveler as opposed to a time."
Well, keep looking. And, Sam… get some sleep, kid.
"Will do, Bobby" Sam hung up his phone and sat down at the table in front of his laptop. He glanced at his watch. Ten o'clock. His eyes moved from his watch to the door. He wondered if Bobby was right and this would pass. Sam walked to the curtained window and peeked out to see if he would see Dean returning. He hadn't heard the rumble of the Impala's engine so he knew he didn't take the car. He looked out and saw his brother lying on the hood of the car. What the… It was friggen cold out there!
Sam went out the door to the front of the car and looked at his brother for a moment before speaking. "If I promise not to make you talk about your feelings, will you come inside and get warm?"
Dean opened his eyes and glanced at his brother. Sam was sure Dean would have come in soon at any rate. The sun was down and they were over a mile above sea level in the mountains of Colorado. It was still freezing in late April. Dean wore a t-shirt under two button-down flannel shirts and it just wasn't warm enough to be asleep on the steel hood of a car. Dean slowly edged over to the quarter panel on the Impala and slid down the sleek black side to lean against it.
Sam searched his brother's face to try and decipher what was going on in his head. But, he kept his word not to force him to discuss the thoughts and feelings at the root of his distress. Sam remained silent. Dean did, too. Dean looked at his brother when he heard his teeth start chattering. A short rough laugh escaped Dean and he grinned at his younger brother. Dean gripped his shoulder companionably. "Come on, Sasquatch. Let's go in and get warm."
***SPN SPN SPN***
"Ben, I don't want to have this discussion again." His mom said. Matt had called and told them he was right behind them and would meet them at the cabin in a few hours. He would be bringing enough food to provision them for the duration of their vacation.
"I just don't know why you guys couldn't have left me at home. I could have stayed with Aunt Karen or with Josh." Ben muttered petulantly.
"That defeats the purpose of a family vacation, Ben." Lisa responded to him patiently.
Ben didn't respond but looked out the window. Matt isn't my family, he thought.
The road continued to wind upward ahead of them. They climbed higher and higher, passing fewer and fewer manmade structures. The sun was dipping below the horizon in the west and Ben reached over to flip on the heat as the temperatures outside plummeted. He really would rather be anywhere aside from spending a week with his mom and her new boyfriend. Matt was nice enough, but he kept trying to be "friends" with him. Ben really didn't want to think where that particular strategy was going. Ben had that conversation with his mom. He knew it was likely coming. He didn't like it, but he knew it was coming. He told her he didn't want Matt to be part of their family and he felt bad as soon as the words left his mouth. His mom deserved happiness. He just didn't want her happy with Matt.
School had been more work than usual. He found himself angry a lot of the time. He was suspicious of people who tried to make connections with him. He knew it was ridiculous. He knew he was hurting his mom by getting into fights and his failing grades. He just couldn't bring himself to care overmuch. She and Matt devised this "family vacation" so Ben could get to feel that this was a good thing, that Matt was a part of the family, that they could be a family. He didn't want it and the idea of this man coming in to replace Dean just made him angrier. The guy didn't know anything about cars. He kept talking to him in that false cheer adult sometimes used with kids. Dean never did. Dean never called him "buddy" either. Ben gritted his teeth every time Matt said it to him.
That was one of the reasons he had spent so much time with Josh and his dad. Josh's dad was a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and had come home with serious injuries. Josh confided that the injuries were more internal than external, but Ben hadn't worried about that. Josh's dad reminded Ben of Dean. He had the same wariness and caution. It was like the two men put on a mask of calm and ease when around close friends and family, but both were always darting eyes and tension underneath when in public. That was somehow reassuring and made Ben feel safe. Matt was careless. Matt was open and inviting. He allowed people to approach without any hesitancy. Dean always put himself between newcomers and Ben and his mom. He always assessed new people in some way Ben didn't know but always trusted. Ben didn't trust his life to Matt, the doctor.
So, he sulked. He wouldn't admit to anyone that he was sulking, but he was a smart kid and knew what he was doing. He was sulking. To make matters worse, there was no reception on the radio or bars on his cell. This is going to be fricken great, he thought to himself. Then he grinned as he thought of Dean. He would think so as well.
***SPN SPN SPN SPN**** SPN SPN SPN SPN**** SPN SPN SPN SPN ****
The moonlight shimmered on the water. He shivered slightly as a breeze wafted over him. It was refreshing to Seth. He loved the cold, thin air. That was the first deterrent that kept people away from his grove. He had some minor enchantments that kept random hikers from breaching too far into his territory. For the truly determined, however, he had to take a more active role. He had to physically confront the humans or otherworldly creature who intruded.
He walked to stand in front of yet another land developer and his henchman being held within the tangle of tree roots and branches. Their eyes were wide and they shivered.
"You know what your mistake was, human?" Seth asked in a calm voice. When he received no answer he leaned down to face the diminutive creature. His translucent grey eyes bored directly into the brown eyes of the terrified human. "Your… employer… has sent many of you humans to invade my grove. And it doesn't seem to matter that they disappear… more of you keep coming in." Seth's eyes flash. A crackle of static arced from the giant to the developer's man. It didn't injure the human but shocked him, frightened him. Seth produced a weapon in his left hand. It was shiny black and spiraled to a sharp point. He put the point to the man's throat. Red swirls of energy pulsed up the spirals and crackled at the tip. Seth brought his other hand to his own face, scrubbing the silver-grey facial hair on his chin. He knelt in front of the man and seemed to consider what to do with the human.
"You understand," Seth began, "I need to send a message so more of you don't keep coming up here." He rose and turned reluctantly away from the man. He could hear the men whimpering. He knew they attempted to plea for their lives, but Seth was unmoved.
TBC
