A/N: Hello everyone! I had taken the time to re-write and repost this story, and it took much longer than I expected to get the other chapters rewritten and edited. Here is chapter 4, which is going to be the shortest chapter of this story because I had to cut about 4 pages in the rewrite.
Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural. I only own original characters, like Sammi and Carson and Megan.
Chapter 4: Death and Patriotism
"A man who won't die for something is not fit to live"- Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dean laid on the bed, the tears eventually slowing to a halt. Now that the sadness had passed, and his head no longer felt like it someone had taken a mallet to it, the anger came forth. He felt his blood literally begin to boil. He'd pulled them out of Heaven. Pulled them back to this living hell, where suffering, torment, and sacrifice were daily occurrences.
He tried to keep his cool, he really did, but he could feel the anger ready to burst. He felt like strangling Castiel, though he wasn't absolutely certain that Castiel was the one who pulled them out. His sat up quickly, making his head rush slightly, before turning, wild eyed and mussed haired, to the girls.
"You girls want some pie? 'Cause I want some pie." And, unable to look at his parents or Castiel, without waiting for a reply, stalked out. He heard Carson and Whitney follow them, Sammi saying nothing but following him with measured steps. He mused to himself that she didn't even know why he was upset, only that he was, and sighed suddenly. If he was going to explain things to them, what the creature was, what the situation was, then he'd better have something to swallow to suffocate the bitterness.
Sammi had, by now, regained the feeling in her legs and watched Dean out of the corner of her eye. He was troubled. Seeing those people there had upset him for some reason. She decided not to push him on it though; she sensed that he would tell her if he wanted to.
As they arrived at a diner, cleverly named "Luke's Diner", Dean pulled into the nearest parking spot and simply sat, staring out the windshield. After a few moments, he snapped out of it and gave Sammi a weak smile, his eyes showing his true emotions.
Dean sat next to Sammi in the diner, while Carson and Whitney took a seat across from them. Dean had, thus far, covered up his true state of upset. He had smiled cheekily at the pretty waitress, made a few wisecracks about the diner and it's owner, and ordered himself some pie.
Sammi ordered a burger per Dean's request, who insisted that she needed to eat. Carson and Whitney ordered nothing, still processing what had occurred only a few hours before. The meal was enjoyed in a somewhat uncomfortable silence, Carson and Whitney playing hangman on a napkin as their companions ate.
As he finished is first piece of pie, Dean rested his folded hands on the table, taking a few deep breaths. The girls looked up at him, seeming to sense that he was about to explain. Sammi had long since finished her burger, and was now shifting restlessly in her seat.
Dean smiled at them before beginning, searching for a way to phrase what needed to be said. "Tonight, you experienced something that most people don't believe exist. You were pulled, forcibly if not painfully, into a whole new world, one that exists side by side to the one you were in before."
The girls remained silent, listening with an unquestionable amount of interest.
"There are things in this new world that are considered fantastical, false, in the world that you lived in before. What happened tonight, what was supposed to happen tonight, is called 'Tithing'. It's an ancient rite used by the Fae to control the courts; Seelie and Unseelie. It's where the blood of a human, an innocent, is spilt to tie the Faeries into submission. The creature that lured you was a Kelpie, a hand servant to the ruling party of Seelie court."
Dean paused for a moment, letting the information sink in. "In this world that is mine, and now yours, creatures of nightmares and fairytales are commonplace and ever present. Any creature you could possibly imagine, exists. I'm a hunter of those creatures, well, the bad ones anyway. My brother, Sam, and I travel around the country taking on any case that either seems suspicious, or is asked of us," He paused a moment, letting it sink in.
"Sam is currently in Washington, looking in on a vampire nest. I stayed here to work on the case concerning your," He turned to acknowledge Sammi, "cousin and other murders that I thought could be related. The victims, thus far, seemingly had nothing in common, nothing that I could trace except your occupation."
"And then, I discovered the connection; your coach. Thought not so much your coach, but your cousin's. Her name, I believe, is Anne Laselle?" He turned to Sammi for confirmation, beginning again only once Sammi had confirmed that she was the coach.
"Anne advised you when you first left high school, right?"
Sammi nodded. "Yeah. She had helped my cousin kick her career off and my parents thought that she could do the same for mine."
Dean nodded. "Well, and this is going to sound terrible, but, it would seem that Anne made a deal with one of the fae; her swimmers would be given extraordinary talent and abilities, so that Anne could be recognized. The deal the creature made was that, when Anne had achieved her fame, the creature would take what had made her famous. Anne assumed that the creature would take back her star's talent and abilities, but the creature took the people themselves. She never even realized what she'd done until her swimmers began showing up dead, drowned."
"After she realized what was happening, she sought the creature out and demanded to know why it was killing her swimmers. She was horrified to hear it's reply, that their lives were necessary and that they were only humans. Of course, it dawned on her that the creature would eventually take her own daughter, who she had coached. She bartered with the creature before coming to a deal; the creature would take back her fame and fortune, and let her daughter live. As it turned out, the creature never said anything about the other swimmers."
Sammi snorted then, throwing her napkin somewhat angrily on her empty plate. "Yeah, that sounds like Anne alright. Never thinking things through."
Carson looked between Sammi and Dean for a moment, making sure that neither were about to speak. "So, I have a question, well, kind of. I thought that, for the tithing thing, you only needed one human sacrifice, at least that's how folklore tells it, so why are there so many victims?"
Dean raised his eyebrows, "…You know fairy folklore?"
Carson flushed before saying "…I was in middle school. It was phase, and I grew out of it."
Dean held up his hands, smiling for real this time. He paused for a moment, considering what she'd said, before continuing "Well, actually," He took a drink of his soda, his voice sounding hoarse.
"Actually," A different, new voice continued. "The more sacrifices there are, the more powerful the bond is. I doubt that that was the kelpy's intention though, it was probably just a matter of convenience."
As all head at their table turned to look at the person speak, Carson and Sammie jumped up out of the booth. Sammi stumbled slightly, crawling over Dean to get out before getting back on her feet and joining Carson in the group hug. Dean, confused, looked to Whitney who merely shrugged her shoulders and gave him a half-smile.
Carson and Sammi were still glomping the unknown person when Dean happened to look behind the girly-girl scene in front of him. There, shifting nervously from foot to foot, was Chuck, the Prophet. Dean raised his eyebrows "What the hell are you doing here? I thought that the angels were keeping you tight under wraps."
Chuck shrugged. "They were. After Uriel…died, things became a little hectic. And then, when your lives intertwined with theirs," Chuck gestured towards Sammi and Carson, giving Whitney a nod. "Meg," The girl in the center of the group hug broke away from them to glare at him. "Er, Megan that is, found me. Turns out that, uh, she's, well she's a prophet too. She keeps tabs on Sammi, Carson, Whitney and a few others the same way that I received predictions about you and Sam."
"When your paths crossed, so did ours. She managed to sneak me out, away from what she calls her "angel radar". She can sense them, feel their presence when they're near."
Dean nodded, impressed before falling silent and ordering some coffee and extra chairs. He had lost himself in thought for awhile before being unable to ignore the gossiping girls anymore.
"…and oh my god, you would not believe what Evan's been doing lately!" At this, both Sammi and Carson choked on their drinks and shared understanding looks whilst laughing. Megan frowned, puzzled as to how that could have been funny. A few moments passed before she realized what she'd said.
"Oh my god, no! I didn't mean it that way and you know it!" The girls managed to maintain their laughter to a quiet giggle for a moment before sharing a look and cracking up again. Megan stuttered out words, trying to form a full sentence in her defense and being unable. Dean even grinned, enjoying the awkward protests and mortification. For a group of girls, they didn't seem so bad.
As they regained control of their laughter, Sammi crawled over Dean once more, this time not tripping, and Carson sat in her previous seat. Megan sat down and pouted for a moment before shaking her head. "You guys haven't changed one bit since high school."
Sammi and Carson looked at each other before looking at Megan and saying simultaneously "Nope!" each wearing a matching cheesy grin.
Carson cocked her head to the side before raising an eyebrow. "So, you're a prophet? Huh. Didn't see that coming." A smirk adorned her face, the sarcasm in her voice heavy, a look of smug victory on her face
Sammi nodded her head in agreement before stopping, looking at Megan with suspicion. "So, just how long have you been keeping tabs on us anyway?"
"Well, since high school actually. At first, I just thought that they were weird dreams but, after some of the stuff started coming true… I guess I had a lot of dreams about you guys back then and didn't realize what they were."
Carson bit her lip and Sammi shook her head, her shoulder's shaking from keeping the laughter in. Dean coughed politely, smiling into his napkin. Whitney snorted, resisting the urge to say something. Megan sat there, head cocked, with what Carson had dubbed the "Megan-look", before the innuendo dawned on her. Her mouth popped open, horrified and shaking her head violently.
"Why?! Why do you guys do that? Twist everything I say and make it all…" She flapped her hand at them.
Carson said "Well, you know, technically…" She trailed off as Sammi picked it up "…we didn't say anything."
Megan huffed. "And that! What's with the sentence finishing? I thought you guys stopped that in our junior year 'cause it got too creepy!"
They shrugged simultaneously, smiling. Megan shook her head, eyes rolling. "In any event," her expression turned serious "we have to talk." She looked to Chuck as he nodded and stepped forward, snagging a couple of chairs so they could sit.
In Washington, Sam was in a bar trying to get some information out of the bartender, who was being less than helpful. He'd had little to no luck with the vampire case at all. It almost seemed like there wasn't a case, but that was impossible, right? Dean had been sure that there was a case there.
Sam's phone rang and he glanced at the caller ID before going outside to get away from the hustle and bustle in the bar. "Hello,"
"Sam," Ruby spoke quickly, out of breath. "You have to get out of Seattle. Now. They know you're there and their coming for you."
"Wait, who's coming for me?"
"I don't have time to explain Sam, you need to leave now. Their high level demons, very powerful, stronger than Lilith, and they've got quite a grudge against you. You need to leave immediately."
Sam swallowed, glancing around. "OK. I'll leave now and call you later."
"Don't bother. Just head back to Minnesota and meet up with Dean, I'll meet you there."
Sam hung up the phone and headed out with a sigh, determined to ask Dean about the case when he arrived.