Disclaimer: I do not own these characters- they belong to Eric Kripke and I wouldn't have it any other way!
Summary: Dean tries to break the news to his father that Sammy isn't interested in carrying on the family business. John handles it like an ex-Marine would, and Dean storms off to the shores to cool down after the heated debate. There, he is entranced by a water succubus. Will his father realize what happened before it's too late?
Tag to "After School Special." Dean is 17 and Sam is 13.
Bobby glanced at the boys, then back up at the eldest Winchester. "Not here, John. Let's talk outside."
Dean was fast asleep now that he was safe and sound in his warm bed, but Sam was still wide awake and Bobby didn't want him listening in on their conversation.
Both men stood and made their way to the front door. Bobby stepped out, but John turned back at the threshold.
"Sammy?" he whispered so as not to wake his eldest son. "Watch over Dean. We'll be right back, and if anythin' happens, just give a shout."
"Yes, sir," Sam whispered in return before glancing down to make sure he hadn't disturbed his brother.
Dean's brow had creased and he mumbled something inaudible. Sam rubbed his shoulder soothingly.
"Shh… Go back to sleep, big brother. I'm watchin' over you."
The older boy's face relaxed at the command and he burrowed further into his pillow before the darkness won out again.
John stepped outside and closed the door with a heavy heart.
This was a discussion he'd prefer to avoid if it were at all possible. Unfortunately, there was no choice, so instead of postponing the inevitable, John jumped right in to get it over with.
"She's still out there, Bobby."
"Yeah, I figured as much. You and Sam didn't exactly have kill shots. She's wounded and pissed off, but I highly doubt she's dead. Dean say what happened down there?"
"Nah, he says he doesn't remember much."
"…You believe 'im?"
"Not particularly, but there's not a lot we can do about it right now. I'll ask him again in the morning when he's had a chance to process."
"Fair enough. Look, John… I hate to say it, but I can't believe she'd just let him go unless she got what she wanted from him."
John brought a weary hand up to massage his eyes, hoping it would help erase the horrible image in his head of what she could have done to Dean while they were under the water. "I really don't want to think about that right now, Bobby."
"Well, I'm sure it's just lollipops and candy canes for Dean to think about! You've gotta face facts, John, whether you like it or not."
The younger man bristled instantly.
"Don't tell me what I have to do, Bobby. Those are my boys sufferin' in there, alright? I know what needs to be done and I'll handle it when I have to, understand?"
"Don't go gettin' all pissy with me. I know exactly how you're feelin' right now cause that's how I'm feelin' too, and you damn well know it!"
John had the decency to look apologetic, though they both knew he'd never actually say he was sorry.
"I just don't get it. Why now, after all these years? And why go after Dean instead of tryin' to finish me if she wanted revenge?"
"I'd like to know how the hell she tracked you and the boys down again. Can't be a coincidence that she happened to be out there on that beach while you were all in town. But more importantly, how did she even know you had kids in the first place?"
John looked away, a clear sign he knew more than he was telling. Now wasn't the time to hold back.
"Damn it, John. You better start spillin' right now before I spill your guts on the ground!"
"I fucked up, alright? I was off my game the night I met her."
"Uh huh… And by 'off your game' you mean drunk?"
"It was the five-year anniversary of Mary's death. So yeah, I had a few. The boys were safe in a motel room a few miles away. I could barely see straight, so I took a stroll by the beach to clear my head before goin' back to them. That's when I saw her."
"And you fell for her song."
"…Yeah. Most beautiful voice I've ever heard, aside from Mary's. Anyway, she played the sympathetic shoulder, askin' why I was out alone so late at night, and I let my guard down. I'd never met a creature like her before and had no idea I was already under her spell. Next thing I knew, I told her everything about what I did for a living and about the boys.
"She had me up to my waist in the water before I realized what was goin' on and all I had was my gun, loaded with silver bullets from the previous hunt. I shot her in the chest and thought I killed her cause she didn't resurface."
"Silver bullets don't work on Rusalkas, John."
"I know that now, Bobby! But back then, I thought it was over. I went home to my boys and forgot all about her, till tonight."
"Well, she clearly didn't forget about you. My guess is all you managed to do that day was piss her off and she's been waitin' all these years for a chance to get her revenge."
"And she nearly got it, too… Christ, Bobby. Dean almost died tonight, and it would've been all my fault. How the hell did she know he was my kid? How did she find us after all these years?"
"I'd have to consult my books to be sure, but if I'm rememberin' correctly, Rusalkas are like bloodhounds. If you get too close, they can get a lock on your scent or aura. Dean's so much like you in every way, maybe she thought she was followin' you and got him instead. Or maybe it was her plan to go after your boys from the jump. Either way, their senses are stronger than I gave them credit for. And if she fed from Dean earlier, she'll hunt him for the rest of his life."
"Unless we hunt her down first and make sure she stays dead this time."
"I hate to say it, but there's one surefire way to get her attention again."
John shook his head in denial. "No. I won't do it, Bobby. I won't use Dean as bait after what he just went through."
"Believe me, I ain't a fan of the idea either. But it beats the poor kid havin' to watch his back till the day he dies, wonderin' when she'll pop up again to finish what she started. We can waste time tryin' to find another option, but we both know there isn't one. She set this whole thing up perfectly. She traumatized Dean so he'd be afraid to go back to the water, but she's banking on your hunter drive to not let her escape this time. She wants you to use Dean, and she's hopin' it'll break the both of you."
"Which is exactly why we need another plan. That bitch is smart, and we'd be waltzing right into her trap, and on her playing field nonetheless. We'd have no advantage."
"We'd have us, and Dean is a lot tougher than she's givin' him credit for. I think we can use her hubris against her, but if you've got somethin' else in mind, I'm all ears."
"Use me as bait instead."
Bobby just shot him a look of disappointment.
"If she still wanted you, she could've tried to collect at any point over the past eight or so years. It's not your death that she's after, it's your suffering. And even if you could protect Dean for the rest of his life, she'll just go after Sammy instead. You can't keep an eye on both of them every minute of every day, John. We've gotta end this, now."
"...I can't ask him to do that, Bobby. It's just not fair."
"None of this is fair, ya idjit. It's war. She's gonna hide in the depths of that water unless we give her reason to show again."
"Then we'll run. I'll take the boys as far away from every body of water there is. I'll find some sort of protection medallion or spell…"
"You know I wish that would be enough, but Dean's not gonna be able to move on until he knows for a fact she's dead. Her existence will continue to haunt the kid. He's heard her siren song. She can call out to him whenever she damn well pleases. You really want that hangin' over his head for the rest of his life?"
"If that's what it takes to keep him alive."
"I think that's his decision to make, don't you? I would never force him to confront her again if he couldn't handle it, but we've gotta tell him the truth. He needs to know she's still out there so tonight's incident doesn't happen again. If he wants to run and live with the fear, then so be it."
John knew Bobby was right. As long as Sarina was alive, she would continue to taunt and torture them all. They had to put an end to it, sooner rather than later.
He wanted to punch the door in frustration, but he didn't want to risk waking or scaring his boys who were still huddled inside. He wanted to shout every obscenity he could think of at the deceivingly peaceful looking water. He wanted to dive back into it, freezing temperatures be damned, and wring her pretty little neck with his own two hands. But it took all his willpower to keep his tears from falling.
"I hate this, Bobby."
"So do I, John. But now that we know what we're up against, we ain't gonna let her get the upper hand again. She dies tonight, ya hear?"
John nodded sullenly.
"Good. Now come on. Let's go back inside before you catch pneumonia."
The younger man shot one more loathing look out across the black water before silently following Bobby back into the room. He pulled a second chair from around the kitchen table and brought it over to Dean's side of the bed, right next to Bobby's. He saw that his eldest was still fast asleep and Sam was fighting it but losing the battle.
"It's alright, Sammy," he whispered, leaning down to smooth the boy's bangs away from his eyes. "We'll watch over Dean now. Go to sleep."
Sam nestled his forehead against his brother's neck and fell asleep before John could even sit down. Still hovering over his boys, John rested the back of his hand lightly against his eldest's cheek and was glad to find that his skin was starting to warm up again. He settled into his chair, making sure it was close enough to the bed that he could reach Dean if the boy showed any signs of distress.
"I'll take first watch, John," Bobby offered, sinking into his own chair beside the worried father. "Get some rest. You're gonna need it."
John wanted to argue, but he couldn't deny the fact that he was mentally and physically exhausted. Some sleep would do him good, and hopefully he'd be able to think more clearly in the morning and settle on a proper plan of action.
He glanced at his friend and nodded gratefully, then settled his hand protectively over Dean's upturned wrist, gauging his pulse to make sure it didn't falter during the night. Leaning forward, he pillowed his head on his forearm atop the edge of the mattress and quickly fell into an uneasy sleep, plagued by dreams of Sarina and her twisted games.
Bobby woke John a few hours later to take over the watch, and they continued to switch up until the sun rose the next morning. Both men felt drained by the long night and endless worry, but sleepless nights had always been a part of the job.
"I'll go make some coffee," Bobby offered as he stood and stretched to fix the kinks in his back.
"Thanks, Bobby."
John strode over to the front window and inched the shades over just enough to see the sparkling water down by the shore. On any normal circumstance, the beautiful sight would be welcomed in the early morning and it would offer a sense of peacefulness and tranquility. But now… Now it sent chills down his spine and filled him with pure hatred.
Sam was next to rise, rubbing his tired eyes as he sat up and checked on Dean. John made his way back over to the bed.
"Hey, Sammy. Did you sleep okay?"
"Better than I thought I would. Think Dean's alright now?"
"He stopped shiverin' at about three this mornin' so I'm sure he'll be sore as hell, but he should be on the mend at this point."
Sam nodded, unconsciously biting the inside of his lip. "Are we leavin' today?"
John dropped his eyes to the ground. "Probably not. We've still got some unfinished business to take care of here."
Sam looked confused, but before he could ask more questions, Dean began to stir. The other two Winchesters watched silently, unsure if he was waking up or just shifting in his sleep.
A grimace crossed Dean's face and he stilled, then his eyes cracked open in confusion. John smiled when their eyes met.
"Hey, Dean."
"Dad?" he croaked out, his tired brain trying to process why he felt like he had been hit by a bus.
"How're you feelin', bud?"
"Like I got electrocuted. Twice," he rasped, then winced at the gravely sound of his voice. He attempted to sit up but received a sharp slap to the face as his muscles screamed in protest and he dropped bonelessly back to the mattress with a pained groan.
"Take it easy, dude. You're gonna be sore for a while." John reached out and checked Dean's forehead temperature and pulse for what must have been the twentieth time, then he helped Dean sit up and stacked a bunch of pillows behind him. "Want some coffee? Bobby's brewin' some in the kitchen."
"Hell yeah." At the rate he was going, he'd need a whole pot of it just to get out of bed.
"Comin' right up. Stay put, ya here?" Once Dean nodded in agreement, John moved off towards the kitchen area to tell Bobby to make it three cups instead of two.
Dean let his eyes drift closed again to avoid Sam's calculating gaze.
"You look really pale, man," the younger boy eventually stated, breaking the silence.
Dean resorted to his typical way of dealing with painful and awkward situations. "Yeah, well… For me, it's temporary. At least I don't have Library-atosis like you, geek boy."
Sam smirked and jested back, knowing his brother needed the reprieve. "I'd rather have Library-atosis than testosterone poisoning. I don't think you can ever recover from that."
"Bitch."
"Jerk."
John came back into the room carrying two mugs and was closely followed by Bobby who was sipping his own coffee.
"Here ya go, sport. Drink slowly, okay?"
"Yes, sir."
John took up his seat again and watched Dean for a few seconds, judging whether he'd be up for their uncomfortable conversation yet or not.
He sighed. Either way, it had to happen.
"Listen, Dean… We've gotta talk."
TBC