Disclaimer:- I don't own Supernatural or any of the characters, but take a wild guess why I've called Dean's girlfriend Emma!
AN:- Ok, episode 3. Enjoy!
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The Winchester's… Plus One
Chapter Three: Dead in the Water
SYNOPSIS
Sam, Dean and Emma investigate a series of mysterious drownings written off as suicides. They discover the spirit is an angry little boy with the power to travel through water who is taking revenge on certain town inhabitants for a dark secret buried long ago. Dean forms a bond with a young boy who seems to have the power of premonition.
ooooOOOOoooo
Lake Manitoc, Wisconsin. A peaceful little cabin by the lake, home to Bill Carlton and his kids, Sophie and Will. It is a typical family morning. Bill is sat and the table with his newspaper, and Will is sat on the counter eating cereal. Sophie walks in, all kitted out for sports.
"Morning Daddy," she says, kissing him on the cheek before grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge.
"Morning sweetheart," Bill replies.
"All these workouts Soph—I don't know," Will says, looking his sister over. "Guys don't like buff girls."
"Yeah well, girls don't like guys who still live at home," Sophie retorts. Will jumps off the counter, chuckling sarcastically at his sister as she chuckles back. She opens the back door to leave.
"Be careful," Will called after her.
"I will," she replied as she left the house.
ooooOOOOoooo
Outside, beside the lake, Sophie Carlton stood on the dock ready to take her mourning swim. She dove into the water gracefully, sliding beneath the surface. And from within the water, she can hear the distorted sound of a whisper.
Coming up above the surface, Sophie looks around for the source of the whisper. Seeing no-one, she continues to swim. But there is someone, or something, watching her, from beneath the water. Suddenly, Sophie is pulled further down into the water. Once the bubbles go, it is clear that this normal family mourning had just been ruined.
ooooOOOOoooo
A little outside of town, Sam, Dean and Emma are in a small diner, having just finished eating. Dean is sat going through the local newspapers, looking for their next gig, while Emma sits beside him, stabbing tiredly at her food. Watching their table, a pretty blonde waitress walks over to them.
"Can I get you anything else?" she asked. Dean turned up, pen in mouth, and smiled. Emma rolls her eyes as Sam walks back over to them.
"Just the check, please," Emma tells the waitress.
"Okay," she replies, walking away and still smiling at Dean. Once she is gone, Emma aggressively smacks Dean across the back of the head.
"Ow! What was that for?" Dean said, massaging the back of his head. In answer, Emma simple glared at him, then shifted her gaze to the waitress.
"Her!" Dean says, shocked… well actually, not all that shocked at what Emma might be thinking. Still glaring at Dean, Emma folded her arms across her chest.
"I wasn't thinking for myself," Dean said with a cocky smile. "You, girl, are more than enough for one guy. I was thinking for misery over here." He nodded towards Sam, motioning to the misery.
"What? No!" Sam said, finally getting wind of the conversation.
"You know, Sam, you are allowed to have fun once in a while," Dean said, and he motioned over to the waitress and she walked into the kitchen. "That's fun." When Sam doesn't answer, he sighs and hands him the newspaper he had been circling.
"Here, take a look at this, I think I got one," he said, pointing at the picture of the girl he had circled. "Lake Manitoc, Wisconsin. Last week Sophie Carlton, 18, walks into the lake, doesn't walk out. Authorities dragged the water—Nothing. Sophie Carlton is the third Lake Manitoc drowning this year. None of the other bodies were found either. They had a funeral two days ago."
"A funeral?" Sam questioned.
"They buried an empty coffin. For uh, a closure or whatever," Dean said, not really noticing Sam's tone.
"Closure? What closure? People don't just disappear, Dean. Other people just stop looking for them," Sam said, his voice getting at something more personal to them.
"Something you want to say to me?" Dean said, turning to his brother.
"The trail for dad—It's getting colder every day," Sam said simply"Exactly, so what are we supposed to do?"
"I don't know. Something, anything.
"You know what? I'm sick of this attitude," Dean said, getting angry. Seeing what can only be described as one of their 'moments', Emma avoided looking at either of them, choosing to concentrate on the newspaper in front of her.
"You don't think we wanna find dad as much as you do?" Dean continued, inadvertently bringing Emma into the conversation.
"Yeah, I know you do, it's just—" Sam began, cut off by Dean. After only one word, Emma can hear the emotion between both of them and chooses this time to look up.
"We're the ones that have been with him every single day for the past two years, while you've been off to college going to pep rallies." Being her usual mediator, but for reason of her own, Emma places a gently hand on Dean's shoulder, forcing him to pay attention to her. One look, and the conversation turned calm.
"We will find dad," Dean continued. "But until then, we're gonna kill everything bad between here and there. Okay?" As if in answer, Sam rolled his eyes. Before Dean can even think about saying anything else, the waitress walks past again, distracting Dean.
"All right, Lake Manitoc," Sam begins. He and Emma look up to see his attention elsewhere. Knowing exactly where his attention is, one thought comes to Emma's mind. Not for him, yeah right!
"Hey!" Emma said, turning Dean's head to face her.
"Huh?" Dean said as his attention was drawn back to Emma.
"How far?" Emma finishes, the edge in her voice telling him he had better keep his attention where it was, or fear losing something important to him.
ooooOOOOoooo
Not that far away, was the answer Dean eventually gave. Driving into the small town, Sam, Dean and Emma pulled up to the Carlton's cabin. They knocked politely and waited until Will Carlton answered the door.
"Will Carlton?" Dean said in greeting.
"Yeah that's right," Will answered.
"I'm Agent Ford," Dean continued, showing Will his badge then motioning towards Sam and Emma. "This is Agent Hamill and Agent Fisher. We're with the U.S. Wildlife Service."
ooooOOOOoooo
Asking the typical U.S. Wildlife Service questions, Sam, Dean and Emma walked with Will out to the lake. The four stopped at the edge of the water, while Bill Carlton sat alone on a bench at the end of the dock.
"She was about 100 yards out," Will told them. "That's where she got dragged down."
"Are you sure she didn't just drown?" Dean asked.
"Yeah," he answered. "She was a varsity swimmer. She practically grew up in that lake. She was as safe out there as she was in her own bathtub."
"So no splashing? No signs of distress?" Sam asked.
"No, that's what I'm telling you," Will answered.
"Did you see any shadows in the water?" Emma asked. "Maybe some dark shape breach the surface?"
"No. Again, she was really far out there."
"You ever see any strange tracks by the shoreline?" Dean asked.
"No, never. Why? What do you think's out there?" Will asked finally.
"We'll let you know as soon as we do," Emma replied as her and Dean turned back to walk to the car.
"What about your father?" Sam asked, still stood where he was and looking out over the dock. "Can we talk to him?" At the mention of his father, Will turned to watch him, still sat on the bench, motionless.
"Look, if you don't mind, I mean… he didn't see anything and he's kind of been through a lot," Will said.
"We understand," Sam said, turning and walking to the car with Dean and Emma.
ooooOOOOoooo
Next stop for the trio, the local police station. Still using their identities as U.S. Wildlife Service, Sam, Dean and Emma were now talking to the sheriff, Jake.
"Now, I'm sorry, but why does the Wildlife Service care about an accidental drowning?" Jake asked as he guided them towards his office.
"You sure it's accidental?" Sam said. "Will Carlton saw something grab his sister."
"Like what?" Jake said, following the trio into his office and closing the door. "Here sit please," Jake said, and they did, sitting in front of the desk as Jake sat behind it.
"There are no indigenous carnivores in that lake," Jake continued. "There's nothing even big enough to pull down a person, unless it was the Loch Ness monster."
"Yeah…." Dean said with a laugh, turning to Sam and Emma. "Right."
"Will Carlton was traumatized," Jake said. "And sometimes the mind plays tricks. Still, we dragged that entire lake. We even ran a sonar sweep just to be sure, and there was nothing down there."
"That's weird though," Emma began, leaning forward slightly. "I mean that's… that's the third missing body this year."
"I know," Jake said, his voice full of emotion. "These are people from my town. These are people I care about."
"I know," Emma said sympathetically.
"Anyway," Jake went on, sighing and leaning back into his chair. "All this—It won't be a problem much longer."
"What do you mean?" Dean asked, forgetting about their fake personas.
"Well the dam, of course," Jake said, eyeing the three suspiciously now.
"Of course… the dam," Dean said. "It's uh… sprung a leak."
"It's falling apart," Jake corrected. "And the feds won't give us the grant to repair it, so they've opened the spillway. In another six months there won't be much of a lake. There won't be much of a town either. But as Federal Wildlife, you already knew that."
"Exactly," Dean said, smiling nervously. Before Jake could question them about their lake of knowledge on the subject, there was a light tapping on the door and the room turned to see a young girl stood in the doorway.
"Sorry, am I interrupting?" she said quietly. "I can come back later."
"Gentlemen, this is my daughter," Jake said, standing up.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Dean," Dean said, extending a hand which she took.
"Andrea Bar," the girl introduced herself. "Hi."
"Hi," Dean replied, letting go of her hand.
"They're from the Wildlife Service about the lake," Jake said, and Sam, Dean and Emma could sense something in what they were saying. Like there was something that wasn't being said. Andrea's remark helped the theory along.
"Oh," she said, clearly keen to avoid the subject. And the opportunity came as a small boy walked in from behind Andrea.
"Oh hey there," Dean said as he walked in. "What's your name?" Without saying a word, the boy walked away, followed quickly by Andrea.
"His name is Lucas," Jake told them as they continued to watch Andrea and Lucas. One look at the two of them and it was very clear they were mother and son.
"Is he okay?" Emma asked as the three turned back to Jake.
"My grandson's been through a lot. We all have." Trying to change and avoid the subject, Jake motioned Sam, Dean and Emma out of his office. "Well if there's anything else I can do for you, please let me know."
"Thanks," Dean said, stopping beside Andrea and Lucas. "You know, now that you mentioned it, could you point us in the direction of a reasonably priced hotel."
"Lakefront motel," Andrea told them. "Go around the corner, it's about two blocks south."
"Two—Would you mind showing us?" Dean said. Andrea laughed slightly, and Sam rolled his eyes. Emma, on the other hand, chose not to stay and walked out of the police station before the others. Two scenes in one day, not her thing.
"You want me to walk you two blocks?" Andrea asked.
"Not if it's any trouble," Dean said pointedly.
"I'm headed that way anyway," she said, turning to her father. "I'll be back to pick up Lucas at three." She then turned to the boy in question.
"We'll go to the park, okay sweetie?" she said, kissing the top of his head and leading Sam and Dean out of the police station. Dean waved as he walked out and Jake nodded their way.
"Thanks again," Sam said as he followed Dean and Andrea out.
ooooOOOOoooo
Outside, Emma had joined back up with Sam and Dean, and the three were following Andrea down the road.
"So… cute kid," Dean said, attempting a conversation starter.
"Thanks," Andrea simply said.
"Kids are the best, huh?" Dean continued. While Emma rolled her eyes, Andrea just ignored his comment, stopping outside the Lakefront Motel.
"There it is. Like I said. Two blocks," Andrea pointed out.
"Thanks," Sam said.
"Must be hard with your sense of direction," Andrea said to Dean. "Never being able to find your way to a decent pickup line." At her words, Emma let out a small burst of laugh and tried to hide it with a quick cough.
"Enjoy your stay!" Andrea called back to them as she walked away. Once she was out of earshot, Emma turned back to Dean.
"'Kids are the best'?" she said, repeating his phrase. "You don't even like kids."
"I love kids," Dean said defensively.
"Name three children that you even know," Emma said. Lifting his hand in order to count of the numbers, Dean began to think. And no names came to mind. Knowing she would be here all day if she waited for Dean to think of this answer, Emma waved her hand in a 'forget it' manner and walked towards the motel, followed by Sam.
"I'm thinking!" Dean said, following them and scratching his head in thought.
ooooOOOOoooo
Inside there room in the Lakeside Motel, two blocks from the police station, Emma sat at the table with her laptop out.
"So there's the three drowning victims this year," Emma told the boys.
"Any before that?" Sam asked.
"Uh yeah…" Emma said, pulling up more sites. "Six more spread out over the past 35 years. Those bodies were never recovered either. If there is something out there, it's picking up its pace."
"So what, we got a lake monster on a binge?" Dean suggested.
"This whole lake monster thing—It, It just bugs me," Emma said.
"Why?" Dean asked, him and Sam moving closer behind Emma.
"Loch Ness, uh Lake Champlain—There are literally hundreds of eyewitness accounts, but here, almost nothing. Whatever it is out there, no one's living to talk about it."
Noticing something on one of the accounts Emma had up, Dean pointed it out to her and Sam.
"Wait, Bar, Christopher Bar. Where have I heard that name before?"
"Christopher Bar, the victim in May," Emma began, reading the page. She opened up the link to bring up more information and a picture. One of Lucas, soaking wet with a towel wrapped round him and a officer by his side.
"Oh… Christopher Bar was Andrea's husband. Lucas' father," Emma continued. "Apparently, he took Lucas out swimming. Lucas was on a floating wooden platform when Chris drowned, two hours before the kid got rescued."
"Maybe we have an eyewitness after all," Sam said, looking down at the article.
"No wonder that kid was so freaked out. Watching one of your parents die isn't something you just get over."
At his words, Emma turned in her seat and looked up at Dean. In those few words, and from the look in his eyes, she could guess at what was running though his kind. She just wished she knew for sure. She wished that, just once in a while, Dean would think about opening up to her. But then again, Dean wasn't that sort of guy. Never had been, never would be. No matter how hard she tried, just to get him to talk to her. Tell her what was going on in that mind of his.
Sometimes she realised, even when they were so different, Sam and Dean were so alike. Neither would open up, say what they were going through. It was the way they were brought up. To be brave. But neither of them knew, the bravest thing you could do, was ask for help when you needed it.
ooooOOOOoooo
Looking for their one and only lead in this case, Sam, Dean and Emma found Andrea and Lucas in the park. Andrea was sat on the outskirts on a bench, watching Lucas play.
"Can we join you?" Sam said as they stepped up to her.
"I'm here with my son," Andrea said, looking briefly up at them.
"Oh…. Mind if we say hi?" Dean said, walking towards Lucas and practically dragging Emma along with him. Watching them leave, Andrea laughed slightly and turned to Sam as he sat next to her.
"Tell your friend those whole 'Jerry Maguire' thing's not gonna work on me," she told him.
"I don't think that's what this is about," Sam said honestly.
ooooOOOOoooo
While Sam and Andrea sat talking, Dean and Emma walked over to Lucas, who was sat leaning against a bench and colouring, with toy soldiers set up beside him.
"How's it goin?" Dean said as he and Emma stopped at the bench beside Lucas. They both knelt down so they were sat in front of Lucas. Trying to make conversation, Dean picked up one of the toy soldiers.
"Oh I used to love these things," he said. And acting like the big kid he was, he started making gun noises and explosions, throwing one of the soldiers down like it had been shot. Begging him to stop, Emma gave him a look and Dean took the hint.
"So crayons is more your thing?" he continued. "That's cool. Chicks dig artists." Emma scoffed softly at his comment and began looking through the pile of pictures Lucas had drawn. Normal drawings for a kid. Houses, bicycles, huge black swirls.
"Hey these are pretty good," Emma said, dropping the pictures.
"You mind if I sit and draw with you for a while?" Dean said, picking up a crayon. "I'm not so bad myself."
Dean sat on the table beside Lucas, picking up a pad of paper. Emma also moved, leaning against Dean's knee as he drew.
"You know, I'm thinking you can hear me; you just don't want to talk," Dean began. "I don't know exactly what happened to your dad, but I know it was something real bad. I think I know how you feel. When I was your age, I saw something."
Seeing the emotion in his eyes again, Emma hugged Dean's knee quickly. He didn't wanna talk about it, and pulling it out of him wouldn't help.
"Anyway…" Dean said, swallowing slightly as he continued. "Well maybe you don't think anyone will listen to you, or uh… or believe you. I want you to know that I will. You don't even have to say anything, you could draw me a picture about what you saw that day with your dad on the lake."
Lucas didn't do or say anything. He just continued to draw.
"Okay, no problem," Dean said. "This is for you," he finished, handing the picture to Lucas.
"This is my family," he said, pointing out the different people.
"That's my dad." At the next person, Dean paused slightly before skipping quickly over the name. "That's my mom. That's my geek brother, and that's me and this pretty girl here." At her mention, Dean ran his fingers roughly through Emma's hair. She smiled, both of them looking at Lucas and waiting for a reaction that didn't come.
"All right, so I'm a sucky artist," Dean said finally, dropping the pad.
"See you around, Lucas," Emma said as both of them stood up and left.
Once Dean and Emma had left his sightline, Lucas picked up Dean's drawing, staring down at it.
ooooOOOOoooo
Walking back over to Sam and Andrea, Dean and Emma joined in with the conversation that was already in full flow.
"Lucas hasn't said a word," Andrea was saying to Sam. "Not even to me—Not since his dad's accident."
"Yeah we heard. Sorry," Dean said as he and Emma stopped beside them.
"What are the doctors saying?" Sam asked.
"That it's a kind of post-traumatic stress," Andrea told them.
"That can't be easy, for either of you," Emma said sympathetically."We moved in with my dad," Andrea said. "He helps out a lot. It's just… when I think about what Lucas went through, what he saw…."
"Kids are strong," Dean added, trying to be supportive. "You'd be surprised what they can deal with."
"You know, he used to have such life," Andrea said with a smile on her face at the memories. "He was hard to keep up with, to tell you the truth. Now he just sits there. Drawing those pictures, playing with those army men. I just wish…." Andrea paused as Lucas walked up to them.
"Hey sweetie," Andrea said as he stopped beside Dean. Without a word, he held a picture out to Dean. The picture was of what looked like a cabin or hut.
"Thanks… Thanks Lucas," Dean said as Lucas walked back to his table, Andrea watching him curiously.
ooooOOOOoooo
At the Carlton's house, the mood had changed so much in the past couple of days. There was no more laughter or jokes. Now, all Bill Carlton did was sit in his chair, watching the TV. That or sat out on the dock.
While he sat in his chair now, his son Will walked somberly into the living room.
"Hey dad, you should probably eat something," Will said, his dad ignoring him. "I'm gonna make some dinner, okay?"
As his dad continued to ignore him, Will went into the kitchen to prepare dinner. He washed a knife under the sink and turned to chop the vegetables, leaving the water running. When he finally turns to turn the tap off, he notices the water had turned brown and quickly turns it off. As the water stops flowing, black water begins bubbling up from the drain until the sink is full.
Sighing heavily, Will rolled up his sleeve and reached into the water filled sink to drain the water. He pulls out the plug, but the water stays in the sink. Thinking it's a blocked drain, Will reached his hand back into the sink to try and sort it. But instead, something inside the water took a hold of him, pulling his face under. He scrambles about, trying to pull himself up from the water, but with no effect. After a minute, his struggles cease as he is drown, and the drain finally empties.
ooooOOOOoooo
Back in the motel room, and it's just Dean and Emma. Emma sat watching Dean with a smile on her face as he flicked through his fathers journal, trying to find an answer to this mystery of a case.
"You know, I didn't know you were so good with kids," Emma said, finally breaking the silence.
"Don't worry babes," Dean said, not looking up. "There's a lot about me you don't know yet."
"Yeah, that has come to light recently," Emma said, not all too sure if she wanted Dean to hear it or not.
"Meaning?" Dean said, turning to her.
"Well, I know you never talk about you mom, but…." Emma began, but Dean cut her off as he sighed loudly and turned away.
"Come on Dean," Emma said, insistent on sticking to the subject this time. "That stuff you said with Lucas today. I was there too, you can't expect me to forget it."
"I didn't say anything about my mom," Dean said simply.
"No, but you were thinking it," Emma said. She knew it was the truth when Dean stayed quiet.
"I get it, you know," Emma continued softly. "I know you think I don't, but I do." Dean turned and slowly came eye to eye with Emma.
"Emma, it's just… I'm just…." Emma let out a gentle laugh as Dean trailed off.
"I get that too," Emma said, knowing exactly what he meant. "I just want you to know that when you are, you've got me." Smiling at her, Dean softly stroked Emma cheek as she smiled back. He leant in and kissed her, lacing his fingers through her hair. They pulled apart as the door flew open and Sam strode in.
"So, I think it's safe to say we can rule out Nessie," Sam said as an hello.
"What do you mean?" Emma asked.
"I just drove past the Carlton house. There was an ambulance there," Sam answered. "Will Carlton is dead."
"He drowned?" Dean asked.
"Yep, in the sink," Sam announced, to which both Dean and Emma stared at him.
"What the hell?" Dean said. "So you're right, this isn't a creature; we're dealing with something else."
"Yeah, but what?" Sam questioned.
"I don't know. A water wraith maybe? Some kind of demon? I mean, something that controls water…." Something came to Dean. "Water that comes from the same source."
"The lake," Emma said as all three came to the same conclusion.
"Yeah," Dean remarked.
"Which would explain why it's upping the body count," Emma continued. "The lake is draining. It'll be dry in a few months. Whatever this thing is, whatever it wants, it's running out of time."
"And if it can get through the pipes, it can get to anyone, almost anywhere," Dean said. "This is gonna happen again soon."
"And we do know one other thing for sure," Sam said. "We know this has got something to do with Bill Carlton."
"Yeah, It took both his kids," Emma said, giving the obvious answer, although it was clear the Sam knew something they didn't.
"And I've been asking around," Sam began to tell them. "Lucas' dad, Chris—Bill Carlton's godson."
"Let's go pay Mr. Carlton a visit," Dean said, standing up and throwing his jacket on.
ooooOOOOoooo
Up at Bill Carlton's house and he is again sat on the bench at the end of the dock, string out blankly at the water.
"Mr. Carlton," Sam said, announcing their presence as he, Dean and Emma walked up the dock.
"We'd like to ask you a few questions if you don't mind," Emma said as they stopped beside him.
"We're from the Department.…" Dean continued, but was cut off by a distraught Bill Carlton.
"I don't care who you're with," he said, not looking up at them. "I've answered enough questions today."
"Your son said he saw something in that lake," Sam continued. "What about you? You ever see anything out there? Mr. Carlton, Sophie's drowning and Will's death—We think there might be a connection to you or your family."
"My children are gone," Bill Carlton said, cutting into Sam's speech. "It's… it's worse than dying. Go away… please."
Seeing what was clearly a distraught father, Emma turned to leave, making sure the boys followed her and didn't try to ask any more questions.
ooooOOOOoooo
Sam, Dean and Emma made their way back to the car, discussing what little they had just found out.
"What do you think?" Sam asked the other two.
"Aw, I think the poor guy's been through hell," Emma said.
"I also think he's not telling us something," Dean added as they stopped beside the car which was parked outside of Bill Carlton's House. Dean stared up at the house, noticing something suddenly.
"What is it?" Emma asked, seeing the way Dean was looking up at the house.
"Huh. Maybe Bill's not the only one who knows something," Dean replied, pulling Lucas' picture from his pocket. It was a pretty accurate resemblance of the house in front of them. Pointing it towards Sam and Emma, they too saw the connection he did. Lucas.
ooooOOOOoooo
Picking up on one of the best leads they had since they started this case, Sam, Dean and Emma went to Andrea's house to speak to Lucas.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think it's a good idea," Andrea had said after Dean had asked to speak to him.
"I just need to talk to him, just for a few minutes," Dean continued persistently.
"He won't say anything, what good's it gonna do?" Andrea said.
"Andrea, we think more people might get hurt," Sam said, trying to get through to her the best he could. "We think something's happening out there."
"My husband, the others—They just drowned," Andrea said, truly believing that. "That's all."
"If that's what you really believe then we'll go," Emma said, trying to be comforting and persistent at the same time, something she had had to learn to master with Dean.
"But if you think there's even a possibility that something else could be going on here, please let me talk to your son," Dean finished, desperately needing her to say yes.
ooooOOOOoooo
And she said yes. Sam, Dean, Emma and Andrea all walked to the doorway of Lucas' room, watching him drawing with the toy soldiers spread out around them. Dean carried on walking further into the room, kneeling in front of me.
"Hey Lucas. You remember me?" He looks down at the pictures Lucas has drawn, seeing two more pictures of a red bicycle.
"You know, I, uh… I wanted to thank you for that last drawing," Dean continued. "But the thing is, I need your help again." Giving no kind of response to the fact that Dean was there, Lucas continued drawing what looked like a person in water. Watching him, Dean opened up the picture Lucas had given him, laying it down in front of him.
"How did you know to draw this? Did you know something bad was gonna happen? Maybe you could nod yes or no for me." Lucas said nothing.
"You're scared," Dean went on. "It's okay, I understand. See, when I was your age, I saw something real bad happen to my mom, and I was scared, too."
Knowing it was all coming out now, Dean glanced quickly up at Emma standing by the doorway, suddenly wishing all this had come out earlier.
"I didn't feel like talking, just like you," Dean said as he turned back to Lucas. "But see, my mom—I know she wanted me to be brave. I think about that every day. And I do my best to be brave. And maybe… your dad wants you to be brave, too."
Finally giving a reaction, Lucas dropped his crayon and looked up at Dean. Still watching him, he handed him another picture, this one of a church, a small house and a boy with a red bicycle.
"Thanks, Lucas," Dean said, watching as he went back to his drawings.
ooooOOOOoooo
Searching for the location in the picture, Sam, Dean and Emma were driving away from Andrea's.
"Andrea said the kid never drew like that till his dad died," Dean said, his eyes on the road.
"There are cases going through a traumatic experience could make people more sensitive to premonitions, psychic tendencies," Emma suggested.
"Whatever's out there, what if Lucas is tapping into it somehow?" Dean asked the car collectively. "I mean it's only a matter of time before somebody else drowns." Sam looked a little less than convinced, and Dean picked up on this.
"If you got a better lead, please," Dean said. And Sam didn't.
"All right… we got another house to find," he said, looking down at the picture.
"The only problem is there's about a thousand yellow two-stories in this county alone," Dean said.
"See this church?" Sam said, motioning the picture towards Dean and Emma. "I bet there's less than a thousand of those around here."
"Oh, college boy thinks he's so smart," Dean joked. The other two laughed slightly, leaving a small silence when they stopped. Pushing out of the silences, Emma leaned against Dean's seat from the back of the car.
"You know, um… what you said about your mom… that's one of those things you never told me before," Emma said, going back to their previous conversation in the motel.
"It's no big deal," Dean said, brushing it off. But Emma carried on staring at Dean from her position, making him slightly uncomfortable at the look she was getting in her eyes.
"Oh God, it's not gonna be one of those moments, is it?" he said. Emma laughed softly, wrapping herself loosely round Dean's neck and kissing his cheek. Now this was the Dean she was used to… and could deal with, unfortunately.
ooooOOOOoooo
Looking now for the church and not just the house, Sam, Dean and Emma eventually found the scene inside Lucas' picture.
The yellow house was owned by an old women living on her own who seemed shocked to see three strange young people standing on her doorstep.
"We're sorry to bother you ma'am, but does a little boy live here, by chance?" Dean said and the shock suddenly turned to sorrow. "He might wear a blue ball cap, has a red bicycle."
"No sir. Not for a very long time," she began, letting them into her house and telling the story. "Peter's been gone for 35 years now. The police never—I never had any idea what happened. He just disappeared."
While she was talking, something caught Emma's eyes. A set of toy soldiers set out on the table. She pointed them out to Dean, both of them thinking the same thing. Maybe there was another reason why Lucas had been playing with them.
"Losing him," the woman continued. "You know, it's… It's worse than dying." Similar looks of realization came over Sam, Dean and Emma's face at the use of a phrase they had heard only once before.
"Did he disappear from here," Dean asked, knocking away the look. "I mean, from this house?" the woman shook her head.
"He was supposed to ride his bike straight home after school, and he never showed up," she said. Dean's attention was now drawn by something else. Walking to the table, Dean pulled a picture of two boys from the mirror, one with a red bicycle. He turned it over and read from the back.
" 'Peter Sweeney and Billy Carlton, 1970.' " he looked over at Sam and Emma. Another connection, leading straight to Bill Carlton.
ooooOOOOoooo
Back at his house, Bill Carlton was still sat on the dock, looking like he hadn't moved in days. He was looking out at the lake, seemingly talking to something, or someone, in it.
"You've taken everything, everyone. I've got nothing left. I didn't understand. I didn't believe. Now I think I do. I think I finally know what you want."
ooooOOOOoooo
Now in the car, Sam, Dean and Emma were driving down to Bill Carlton's place, going over everything they knew about this case.
"Okay this little boy, Peter Sweeney, vanishes, and this is all connected to Bill Carlton somehow," Sam said.
"Yeah, Bill sure as hell seems to be hiding something, huh?" Dean continued.
"And Bill—The people he loves—Are all getting punished."
"So what if Bill did something to Peter?"
"What if Bill killed him?" Emma added, speaking up.
"Then Peter's spirit would be furious. It'd want revenge. It's possible," Dean finished as they pulled up to Bill Carlton's house, getting out of the car and checking round for him.
"Mister Carlton?" Sam and Emma called into the air. And in answer the sound of an engine broke through the silence of the lake.
"Hey, check it out," Dean said as the trio turned to see Bill Carlton driving out onto the lake in a boat. Trying to keep him off the lake and live for as long as possible, Sam, Dean and Emma raced to the dock, yelling out to him.
"Mister Carlton!" they called out in unison. "You need to come back! Come out of the water! Turn the boat around!"
But Bill Carlton didn't. He simply turned to give the three a quick glance before driving further out. And as he went out further, a torrent of water rose up beneath his boat, sending him and the boat spiraling through the air. Sam, Dean and Emma jumped back in horror as the boat and Bill Carlton sank beneath the surface.
ooooOOOOoooo
Still with their persona's from the Wildlife Service, Sam, Dean and Emma headed down to the police station with Jake. Andrea was there when they walked in, comforting Lucas who was rocking uncomfortably.
"Baby what's wrong?" Andrea was saying as Sam, Dean and Emma followed Jake into the station.
"Sam, Dean, Emma," Andrea said, looking up as they entered. "I didn't expect to see you here."
"So now you're on a first-name basis," Jake said to his daughter. "What are you doing here?"
"I brought you dinner," she said, handing him a paper bag.
"I'm sorry sweetheart," Jake said, pushing the bag away. "I don't really have the time."
"I heard about Bill Carlton, is it true? Is something going on with the lake?"
"Right now we don't know what the truth is. But I think it might be better if you and Lucas went on home." At Jake's statement, Lucas jumped up, whimpering, and grabbed onto Dean's arm.
"Lucas, hey, what is it?" Dean said, trying to pull him off his arm. But he wasn't letting go.
"Lucas," both Dean and Andrea called to him as she came over to try and help get him off Dean's arm.
"Lucas, it's okay," Dean said as Andrea pried him away. "It's okay." Still whimpering, Lucas allowed himself to be led out of the station by his mother. And all the time, Dean watched him with worry, not noticing Sam and Emma had followed Jake into his office. Tearing his gaze away, he followed too, taking a seat next to Emma as her and Sam was telling Jake the story, in their words.
ooooOOOOoooo
"Okay, just so I'm clear," Jake said in a very disbelieving tone once they had gone over the events. "You see… something attack Bill's boat, sending Bill, who is a very good swimmer, by the way, into the drink, and you never see him again?"
"Yeah, that about sums it up," Emma said once he had finished.
"And I'm supposed to believe this," Jake carried on in the same tone. "Even though I've already sonar swept that entire lake, and what you're describing is impossible, and you're not really Wildlife Service?" At his last statement, all three looked up at him in surprise.
"That's right, I checked. The department's never heard of you three."
"See, now we can explain that," Dean said, opening his mouth like he was about to go into some big story.
"Enough please," Jake said loudly, causing even Dean to shrink back slightly. "The only reason you're breathing free air, is one of Bill's neighbors saw him steering out that boat just before you did. So we have a couple of options here. I can arrest you for impersonating government officials and hold you as material witnesses to Bill Carlton's disappearance. Or we can chalk this all up to a bad day, you get into your car, you put this town in your rearview mirror, and you don't ever darken my doorstep again."
"Door number two sounds good," Sam said, not really able to go any lower in his chair and feeling like he really wanted to get out of this office soon.
"That's the one I'd pick," Jake said, his hard glare never leaving them three.
ooooOOOOoooo
Later that night, Lucas sat up in his bedroom, frantically colouring a black spiral. Wearing a robe, Andrea walked past his bedroom seeing him through the dark.
"Baby," she said, walking into his room. "What are you doing up? Come on. Let's go to bed." And she picked him up, carrying him to his bed and leaving the drawings on the floor.
ooooOOOOoooo
At the same time, on the outskirts of town, Sam, Dean and Emma pulled up to traffic lights at the end of the freeway, heading out of town. They were heading to Milwaukee, the nearest state, which the sign above the lights told them was to the left.
And although Dean was driving, he seemed to be paying little attention to the road. There was so much on his mind about this case. That being the case, he didn't notice the lights change colour.
"Green," Emma told him, looking up at the lights.
"What?" Dean said, his attention pulled back to the car.
"Light's green," Emma repeated. And Dean pulled forward, turning right and heading back into town.
"Uh, the interstate's the other way," Emma said.
"I know," Dean deadpanned. That wasn't where he was planning on going.
ooooOOOOoooo
Back at her house, having put Lucas to bed, Andrea made her way into the bathroom, ready for a soothing bath. Turning on the water, she put the plug into the tub and left it to run, turning her attention away from the water.
ooooOOOOoooo
Back in the car, Sam, Dean and Emma were… expressing their opinions on what they thought about this case.
"But Dean, this job--I think it's over," Sam said, and Emma agreed.
"I'm not so sure," Dean said.
"If Bill murdered Peter Sweeney and Peter's spirit got its revenge, case closed. The spirit should be at rest."
"All right, so what if we take off and this thing isn't done. You know, what if we missed something? What if more people get hurt?"
"But why would you think that?"
"Because Lucas was really scared."
"That's what this is about?" Emma said, leaning forward slightly to turn to him.
"I just don't want to leave town till I know the kid's okay," Dean said in answer.
"Who are you, and what have you done with my boyfriend?" Emma said, her and Sam staring at him opened mouthed. This was not the Dean they knew.
"Shut up," Dean aid quietly. He knew this wasn't like him, but he was just real worried about that kid. And for once in his life, it wasn't because he was gonna get anything out of it. It was genuine worry. Maybe that was what had confused Sam and Emma. Honestly, it even confused him.
ooooOOOOoooo
Back at Andrea's house, with the water in the tub almost full, Andrea disrobed and slid under the water, leaving the tap to run over her feet. Leaning back and closing her eyes against the comfort of the water, Andrea failed to notice when the water that was pouring from the faucet turned brown, as it had done with Will Carlton.
While she lay there, washing and soaking up the heat of the water, a tiny whisper echoed round the bathroom. The echo of a small boy's voice. Opening her eyes, Andrea noticed the colour of the water. Screaming, she tried to get out of the tub, throwing her legs over the side, but something pulled her back, keeping her in the water.
Over the splashing and Andrea's screams, there is a pounding against the door. Lucas is stood outside, pounding against the wooden door, knowing all too well what is happening inside. And having no way to stop it.
Inside, the poundings are no longer important to Andrea as whatever is keeping her in the water pulls her head beneath the surface. She pulls back against it, but whatever it is is too strong. No matter how hard she fights, she can't keep from going under the water again and again, trying her best to fight against this unseen force.
ooooOOOOoooo
Sam, Dean and Emma had now arrived back in town and were stood outside Andrea's door.
"Are you sure about this?" Sam said. "It's pretty late man." Obviously not agreeing, Dean rang the doorbell. Before the sound had even got chance to ring out, the door flew open and Lucas was stood behind it, panting and clearly terrified of something.
"Lucas? Lucas!" Dean called, trying to calm him. No calmer, Lucas ran back into the house and to the bathroom the floor in front of it now covered in water.
"Lucas!" Dean called after him as he Sam and Emma followed him. They found Lucas still pounding on the door, desperate to get inside. As they reached him, Dean gently threw Lucas away and towards Emma, who he grabbed onto desperately. Kicking down the door, Sam, Dean and Emma were now meet by the sight of Andrea being drowned in her bathtub.
While Sam and Emma rushed into the bathroom, trying to pull Andrea out of the water, Lucas clung to Dean, Dean holding him back from running in after Sam and Emma.
Delving into the water and tugging at Andrea, Sam and Emma managed to pull her from under the water. But she had barely gasped for breath when her head was pushed under again. Sam and Emma continued to pull, eventually freeing her from the tub. The three rolled away from the bathtub, Emma landing near Dean's feet while Sam still had a hold on Andrea, loosening his grip as she coughed up water.
ooooOOOOoooo
The next morning and Andrea had got little sleep that night, still traumatised by what had almost happen to her, and still trying to work out how it had happened. She sat curled on a chair by the table with Sam and Emma, her eyes beginning to well up.
"Can you tell me?" Emma said, trying her best to be comforting.
"No. It doesn't make any sense," Andrea said as the tears began to fall. "I'm going crazy."
"No, you're not," Emma said, shifting closer to her. "Tell me what happened—everything."
"I heard… I thought I heard… there was this voice," Andrea stammered out, still not sure of the events that had passed last night.
"What did it say?" Emma asked.
"It said…" Andrea paused, not wanting to think back but knowing she had to to figure it all out. "It said 'Come play with me.' What's happening?" Andrea finished, breaking down into her hands.
ooooOOOOoooo
While Sam and Emma were comforting Andrea, Dean was in the other room flipping through old scrapbooks. He had now picked one up that said 'Jake – 12 years old'. Flicking through the pages, his eyes widened as he stopped on one, racing back to Sam, Emma and Andrea. He laid the book down in front of Andrea, showing a picture of a Boy Scouts group.
"Do you recognize the kids in these pictures?" Dean said, pointing to the picture in question.
"What? Um… Um, no," she said, glancing over the picture quickly then pointing to one of the boys. "I mean, except that's my dad right there. He must have been about 12 in these pictures." She moved her finger over to a different picture, one of her father with Peter Sweeney
"Chris Bar's drowning," Dean said, turning up to Sam and Emma. "The connection wasn't to Bill Carlton. It must have been to sheriff."
"Bill and the sheriff," Emma concluded. "They were both involved with Peter."
"What about Chris?" Andrea said, reminding them she was still there. "My dad—what are you talking about?" From the corner of his eye, Dean watched noticed Lucas walk into the room and stare out of the window.
"Lucas?" Dean said, causing the other to turn in that direction. "Lucas, what is it?" As an answer, Lucas opened the door and walked out, the other four following him.
"Lucas, honey?" Andrea called as they walked after him. He carried on walking, stopping by a section of ground. He looked down at it then looked up at Dean who had stopped beside him.
"You and Lucas get back to the house and stay there, okay?" Dean told Andrea. She did so, pulling Lucas away to the house.
ooooOOOOoooo
Moments later and Sam and Dean are digging into the spot of ground Lucas had stopped at, Emma watching carefully beside them. Their spades hitting against something with a thud, Sam and Dean reached into the ground to pull out whatever they had hit, Emma moving closer beside them. It was a red bicycle.
"Peter's bike," Sam said.
"Who are you?" Jake's voice echoed from behind the. Sam, Dean and Emma all turned to find him standing there with a gun aimed at them.
"Put the gun down, Jake," Emma said, calmer than she felt.
"How did you know that was there?" Jake said, not lowering the weapon.
"What happened," Dean said, not trying to stay calm at all. "You and Bill killed Peter, drowned him in the lake and then buried the bike? You can't bury the truth, Jake. Nothing stays buried."
ooooOOOOoooo
From inside the house, Andrea looked out the window to find her father now stood in front of Sam, Dean and Emma, his gun aimed at them.
"Go to your room, sweetie," she told Lucas. "Now. Lock the door and wait for me. Don't come out." Lucas obeyed, running to his room as Andrea ran outside.
ooooOOOOoooo
Outside, Sam, Dean and Emma were still trying to get Jake to lower his gun and tell them what they needed to know.
"I don't know what the hell you're talking about," Jake said once they had tried to explain their version of events to him.
"You and Bill killed Peter Sweeney 35 years ago,' Dean repeated. "That's what the hell I'm talking about."
"Dad!" Andrea called as she ran up to them.
"And now you got one seriously pissed off spirit," Dean continued.
"It's gonna take Andrea, Lucas, everyone you love," Sam said, being the rational one as usual. "It's gonna drown them. And it's gonna drag their bodies God knows where, so you can feel the same pain Peter's mom felt. And then, after that, it's gonna take you, and it's not gonna stop until it does."
"Yeah, and how do you know that?" Jake said, gun still aimed high.
"Because that's exactly what it did to Bill Carlton," Emma finished.
"Listen to yourselves, the three of you. You're insane," Jake said.
"I don't really give a rat's ass what you think of us," Dean said, and he really didn't. "But if we're gonna bring down this spirit, we need to find the remains, salt them, and burn them into dust. Now tell me you buried Peter somewhere. Tell me you didn't just let him go in the lake."
ooooOOOOoooo
Back up at the house, Lucas was out of his bedroom, hiding round the side pf the house and listening to the conversation. And just like with Andrea, a voice whispered into the air. Peter's voice.
"Come play with me," the voice whispered again, and Lucas followed.
ooooOOOOoooo
Back with the adult group, Andrea had now had chance to hear the whole story.
"Dad, is any of this true?" she asked.
"No. Don't listen to them," Jake said, never taking his eyes off Sam, Dean and Emma. "They're liars and they're dangerous."
"Something tried to drown me. Chris died on that lake. Dad, look at me," Andrea called, and he did. "Tell me you—you didn't kill anyone." Not able to lie to his daughter, Jake turned away, lowering the gun and breathing heavily.
"Oh my God," Andrea whispered, clasping her hand over her mouth in shock.
"Billy and I were at the lake," Jake said, beginning to re-tell the whole story. "Peter was the smallest one. We always bullied him, but this time… it got rough. We were holding his head under the water, we didn't mean to. But we held him under too long and he drowned. We let the body go, and it sank. Oh Andrea, we were kids. We were so scared. It was a mistake. But, Andrea, to say that I have anything to do with these drownings, with Chris, because of some ghost… it's not rational."
"All right listen to me, all of you," Dean said. "We need to get you away from this lake as far as we can right now."
They were distracted as a gasped echoed from Andrea. They all turned in the direction her eyes had travelled to find Lucas heading down towards the dock.
"Lucas!" Jake called as the group ran to him. By the lake, Lucas knelt by the dock, reaching his hand towards the surface of the water, Peter's voice still echoing out.
"Come play with me."
"Lucas!" Dean called as they got closer.
"Lucas! Baby stay where you are!" Andrea called out. From under the water, a hand came up, pulling Lucas below the surface just as Sam, Dean, Emma, Andrea and Jake reached the edge of the water. Jake is the only one to stop, frozen in place as he sees Peter's head just above the water surface, watching him before he dives back under.
Sam, Dean, Emma and Andrea continued running, Sam and Dean diving quickly into the water without slowing.
"Oh my God!" Andrea called in shock, pulling off her jacket and heading to the edge of the dock after Sam and Dean.
"Andrea, stay here," Emma called, holding her back.
"No, Lucas!" Andrea screamed, struggling under Emma's hold.
"They'll get him just stay on the dock," Emma said, keeping hold of Andrea as her struggles lessened. They stayed on the dock, watching as Sam dove under and Dean came up for breath. Moments later, Sam was up as well.
"Sam?" Dean called, asking. Sam shook his head.
"Lucas where are you," Andrea called, tears in her eyes. As Sam and Dean dove back under the surface, Jake pulled off his jacket and waded into the lake.
"Peter," Jake called over the water. "If you can here me. Please Peter, I'm sorry. I'm so—I'm so sorry."
"Daddy, no," Andrea screamed, falling to her knees as Emma kept a hold on her trying to comfort her.
"Peter," Jake continued. "Lucas—He's just a little boy. Please, it's not his fault, it's mine. Please take me."
"Jake, no!" Dean called as he came up to the surface and saw the commotion above water. But Jake didn't listen. He continued to shout as Pete swam up underneath him.
"Just let it be over!" he called. And it was as Peter dragged him under the surface.
"Daddy! Daddy! No!" Andrea screamed, utterly distraught. Sam and Dean dive under again, Sam surfacing shortly after and shaking his head to Andrea. Andrea continued to cry as Emma remained beside her to comforting, screaming across the water for her son.
As she cried, thinking she had now lost both her father and her son, Dean surfaced from the water, Lucas tight in his arms.
ooooOOOOoooo
Dried off and ready to put this town behind them, Sam, Dean and Emma walked out of their motel room and to the car. Watching Dean as she walked beside him, Emma knew what Dean was thinking. It was written clearly across his face.
"Look, we're not gonna save everybody," she said as they stopped by the car.
"I know," Dean replied, but the look on his face was still there.
"Sam, Dean, Emma," Andrea's voice called out to them as she and Lucas walked up to the three.
"Hey," Dean said as they stopped in front of the car.
"We're glad we caught you. We just um, we made you lunch for the road," Andrea said, motioning to the tray in Lucas' hands. "Lucas insisted on making the sandwiches himself."
"Can I give it to them now?" Lucas spoke up softly. The group smiled, Andrea kissing Lucas gently on his forehead.
"Of course," she replied.
"Come on Lucas; let's load this into the car," Dean said, guiding Lucas to the car and leaving Sam and Emma with Andrea.
"How you holding up?" Emma asked.
"It's just gonna take a long time to sort through everything, you know?" Andrea said, emotion clear in her voice.
"Andrea, I'm sorry," Emma said sympathetically.
"You guys saved my son," Andrea said with a small smile. "I can't ask for more than that. Dad loved me. He loved Lucas. No matter what he did, I just have to hold on to that."
ooooOOOOoooo
At the car, Dean loaded the sandwiches into the car and turned in his seat to face Lucas.
"All right, if you're gonna be talking now, this is a very important phrase, so I want you to repeat it one more time," Dean said with all sincerity.
"Zeppelin rules!" Lucas repeated.
"That's right. Up high," Dean said, holding up his hand which Lucas high fived.
"You take care of your mom, okay?" Dean said, standing out of the car.
"All right," Lucas said as Sam, Emma and Andrea walked up to them. Leaning against the car door, Andrea leaned forward and quickly kissed Dean.
"Thank you," she said as she pulled away. For a minute, Dean was little bemused from the kiss. But then again, the way woman changed their minds so often had always confused him.
"Sam, Emma, move your asses," Dean said, turning away and moving to the drivers side. "We're gonna run out of daylight before we hit the road." Sam and Emma followed him into the car, the three of them smiling as Andrea and Lucas waved goodbye as they pulled away.
Driving away, the three drove in almost complete silence, the radio the only sound. As he drove, Dean watched Emma in the rear-view mirror. She was slouched against the seat, gazing distractedly out of the window.
"Emma, are you…." Dean began. He was distracted as she leaned forward, wrapping her arms loosely round Dean's neck and smiling.
"Don't even ask," she said, kissing him as he turned slightly to look her way."You don't have to."
Smiling, Dean turned back to the road, his free hand laced in Emma's as she held her arms round his neck still. Watching them from the corner of his eyes, Sam smiled softly. He always wondered what kept his brother and his best friend together. At times, they could be too alike it was scary. But they still stuck by each other, and Sam didn't really need to know why. He was just happy they did.
ooooOOOOoooo
A good few hours later and they were still driving down the road. Dean was still driving, and Sam had drifted off to sleep half an hour ago. Emma was sat in the back, staring out the window as if deep in thought. Knowing she was still awake, Dean glanced at her through the rear-view mirror.
"Thank you," Dean said simply, causing Emma to turn to him.
"What?" Emma asked, her attention knocked away from her thoughts.
"I said thank you," Dean repeated.
"For what?"
"I don't know, for just being here I guess." Emma smiled softly before she answered.
"In that case, you're welcome," she said, turning her attention back to the window while Dean carried on watching her.
"I really do appreciate everything," Dean continued, turning Emma's focus back on him again.
"All the hunts I've dragged you along on," Dean continued. "Everything I've put you through. You don't have to be here. It's not your fight. But I am so glad you stayed. And I really do appreciate everything."
Emma smiled as she again leant forward and wrapped her arms round Dean, leaning against the back of the seat to look at him.
"Now, you see, you've got that so wrong Dean," Emma said. "Because this is my fight. I've been with you, side by side, probably my entire life. Whatever you go through, I go through. And that's the only way I want it. So it'll be a long time before you need to apologise to me for bringing me with you. Probably never."
Emma held her arms a little tighter round Dean, hugging him before she pulled away. Through the rear-view, they both smiled at each other once more before they turned back to their original positions, Dean on the road and Emma out the window.
Knowing he was no longer looking at her, Emma glanced back at Dean quickly, smiling. Whenever it came to emotional issues, Dean was so distant. It made him the truly amazing hunter that he was, but it also meant he lost touch with the people who cared about him. Not even her or Sam could get him to open up, the only people he ever considered family. So all the times when Dean did let his emotions out, one thought always flashed through Emma's mind. Maybe there's hope for him yet.
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AN:- The latest adventure of the trio. So what do you guys think? Please, review and let me know.