By the following week, the John Winchester case had not progressed. There had been no sign of the patriarch.
We'd stopped at a diner. Nothing out of the usual from our route. My back had started to cramp from being stuck in the backseat for so long. Any excuse to be in a place where I could walk was a welcome one.
Dean had just started looking for new hunts. He'd circled some of the more interesting ones. I was reading them over too, just in case. After all my time in law enforcement I knew which ones were supernatural and which were just human being weird. I crossed out some of those ones that Dean circled.
"What?" Dean asked when he noticed what I'd done. "Come on, that's one of our's."
"It's really not." I assured, stirring my milkshake with my straw.
"It's a werewolf." Dean argued. He pointed at the reference of a missing heart in the article. "See? Missing heart, and a full moon."
I shook my head. "They found her body at night, but she was killed in the late afternoon."
"She was in an astronomy club." Dean pointed out. "They do nerd stuff with stars at night. Perfect for a werewolf."
"She was probably planning a viewing for the full moon." I explained. "Setting up, or whatever. Humans get weird around this time of month too. Her heart wasn't missing. Just every other part of her chest."
"How can you know that?" Dean asked, skeptical.
I pointed at some phrases in the article. "It sounds like an animal attack, but really it's just a guy who got to excited with a knife." I took a sip of my big chocolate. "Plus I called the police in that city in the bathroom and they confirmed it."
Dean grunted in annoyance. He'd had this conversation with me a lot in the past few months.
"It was awesome. I felt like Jessica Jones, in that comic where she's on the toilet." I laughed into my hot chocolate.
That made him laugh. That's Dean, such a geek. I won the last argument because I used Batman. Jessica won today because Dean thought she was a badass. I take complete credit for introducing him to Jessica Jones.
Dean and I were still laughing about it when Wendy came up.
"Can I get you anything else?" Wendy asked us.
Dean stuck his pen in his mouth when he looked up at Wendy. I bit my bottom lip, trying so very hard not to objectify Wendy. Especially with her boobs right in my face.
"Just the check, please." Sam interrupted as he sat down.
The waitress smiled, confused but going with it. "Okay." She went back to the kitchen.
Dean groaned silently. I merely wrote it off as a lost cause to start with. "You know, Sam, we are allowed to have fun once in a while." He pointed with the pen towards Wendy. "That's fun."
"He's got a point though." I murmured. Dean gawked at my betrayal. "I mean, just look at all the work we have to do." That got rid of the betrayed face, now it was a snort of humor.
Sam was annoyed at me, probably on principle.
To make peace, Dean handed him the newspaper. "Here, take a look at this, I think I got one." Dean began. "Lake Manitoc, Wisconsin. Last week Sophie Carlton, eighteen, 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 asked, surprised.
"Weird, right? They buried an empty coffin." I stated. "Most families do it for closure-"
"Closure? What closure? People don't just disappear, Raven. Other people just stop looking for them." Sam snapped at me.
I stared at him, surprised again at the rudeness.
"Something you want to say to us?" Dean intervened.
"The trail for Dad. It's getting colder every day." Sam ranted at his brother.
"Exactly. So what are we supposed to do?" Dean asked.
"I don't know. Something. Anything." Sam fumed.
I let out a small huff. On the show, this argument had a lot more worth and value. Now it was just repetitive.
"You know what? I'm sick of this attitude. You don't think I wanna find Dad as much as you do? That Raven wasn't sticking around to help us?" Dean inquirer.
"Yeah, I know you do, her too, it's just-"
"I'm the one that's been with him every single day for the past two years, while you've been off to college going to pep rallies." Dean snapped at Sam. I sat back in my chair, fiddling with my watch. Watching it tick was less awkward than being stuck in this argument. "We will find Dad, but until then, we're gonna kill everything bad between here and there. Okay?"
I glanced over at Wendy, mentally praying for her to come save me from a Winchester argument. In honesty, it was hard to be really annoyed with them when their voices were so squeaky compared to season eight.
She walked by. The only saving grace from today.
(Was that an angel pun? Probably not...I'll count it anyway)
"Alright, Lake Manitoc." Sam agreed. "Hey!"
"Huh?"
"Wasn't lookin'." I like blondes, okay? Shut up.
Sam was that close to hurting us with a diner fork. "How far?"
==DG==
In no time at all, Dean was pulling up to Bill Carlton's house. We told Will that we were with US wildlife. He showed us to his dad.
Bill looked more depressed than he had in the show. I would have felt bad if he hadn't killed Peter. Though as anger as I was about him and Jake's decisions, I couldn't say he deserved this. Sophie didn't deserve this.
Will pointed off in the distance, towards the lake. "She was about a hundred yards out. That's where she got dragged down." Will explained.
"And you're sure she didn't just drown?" Dean asked.
"Yeah. 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." Will answered.
"So no splashing? No signs of distress?" Sam asked.
"No, that's what I'm telling you." Will huffed in rising annoyance.
"Did you see any shadows in the water? Maybe some dark shape breach the surface?" I asked.
"No. Again, she was really far out there." Will repeated. He was becoming more distressed by our questions.
"You ever see any strange tracks by the shoreline?" Dean asked.
"No, never. Why? Why, what do you think's out there?" Will asked, concerned.
Dean shook his head. "We'll let you know as soon as we do." Dean turned back towards the Impala. I followed behind him.
"What about your father?" Sam asked suddenly. Dean paused. I eyed Sam, cautious. "Can we talk to him?"
Will looked back at his father. Bill hadn't moved once, still staring out at the lake. "Look, if you don't mind, I mean...he didn't see anything and he's kind of been through a lot."
"We understand." Sam turned back to the car.
Dean let out the stress in his shoulders. I kept my eyes on Sam.
==DG==
Walking into a police station with the Winchesters was a lot like walking opening a pack of gum in a classroom.
It felt that way, at least. My eyes kept glancing to the officers, waiting for one of them to notice us then arrest us. This was an awkward fun feeling.
So Dean told Sheriff Jake why we were here. I fought a giddy smile.
"Now, I'm sorry, but why does the Wildlife Service care about an accidental drowning?" Sheriff Jake asked. He opened the swinging gate for us. I walked alongside Sam.
"You sure it's accidental? Will Carlton saw something grab his sister." Sam prompted.
"Like what?" Jake asked as he led us into his office. "Here, sit, please. There are no indigenous carnivores in that lake." He winced, seeing his two chairs. He looked over at me. "Hey sorry, I've only got two. I can get three-"
"Nah, I'll stand." I offered. While the brothers sat in the chairs, I stayed by the door. No way was I sitting down with this man, not after what he did.
Sheriff Jake wanted to protest, Sam did too. Dean just went along with it. He took one of them, not blinking. Sam let out a quick sigh when he took the other chair.
"You were saying?" I prompted.
The Sheriff huffed. "There's nothing even big enough to pull down a person, unless it was the Loch Ness Monster."
"Yeah. Right." Dean laughed. I did too.
"Will Carlton was traumatized, and sometimes the mind plays tricks. Still-" He finally sat down in his chair. "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, I mean, that's, that's the third missing body this year." Dean pointed out.
"I know. These are people from my town. These are people I care about." Jake replied.
"I know." Dean nodded.
"Anyway..." Jake let out a long suffered sigh. "All this...it won't be a problem much longer."
"What do you mean by that?" I asked.
"Well, the dam, of course." Jake replied.
"Of course, the dam. It's, uh, it sprung a leak." Dean joked.
"It's falling apart, 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." Jake gave the three of us careful looks. "But as Federal Wildlife, you already knew that."
"Exactly." Dean grinned.
There was a knock on the door behind me. I jumped back, my hair flying out around my face as I did.
"Sorry, am I interrupting?" Andrea apologized.
I brushed my hair back into place while Dean and Sam stood.
"I can come back later." Andrea started backing away from the door.
"Gentlemen, ma'am, this is my daughter." Sheriff Jake introduced.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Dean." Dean reached out to take Andrea's hand. She accepted it.
"Andrea Barr. Hi." Andrea smiled politely.
"Hi." Dean smiled, flirty.
"Raven." I greeted, shaking her hand.
Andrea shook mine back, glancing to Dean with light in her eyes. A part of me should feel ignored, I knew. But this was Coulson's Cellist, so I wasn't going there.
"They're from the Wildlife Service. About the lake." Jake informed her.
Her expression dropped. "Oh."
Lucas walked in after that. My first instinct was to kneel down, then pull him in for a big hug. The second was to bring Andrea into the hug, to bring her comfort from another mom. The third was that normal humans wouldn't do that for introductions.
"Oh, hey there. What's your name?" Dean greeted.
Lucas, without acknowledging anyone in the room, left the way he came. Andrea looked at us. Her expression apologetic.
"His name is Lucas." Jake explained.
"Is he okay?" Sam asked.
"My grandson's been through a lot. We all have." Jake walked over to his door. He made it clear he meant for us to leave. "Well, if there's anything else I can do for you, please let me know."
I smiled warmly. It slipped into a teasing grin when Dean turned to Andrea. "Thanks. You know, now that you mentioned it, could you point us in the direction of a reasonably priced motel?" Dean requested.
"Lakefront Motel. Go around the corner. It's about two blocks south." Andrea listed.
"Two-would you mind showing us?" Dean asked, much to Sam's dismay and my joy.
Andrea, however, laughed. "You want me to walk you two blocks?"
"Not if it's any trouble." Dean asked.
"I'm headed that way anyway." Andrea explained. She turned to Jake while Dean turned to us. He winked. I winked back. "I'll be back to pick up Lucas at three." Andrea knelt down to her son. "We'll go to the park, okay, sweetie?" She kissed her son on the head. The boy continued to color.
'Dammit...he's reminding me of my own kid.' I thought.
It was true. Back Home, my daughter was no doubt filling up coloring books by the hour. She did that a lot after her aunt died. Her pictures were mostly about her departed aunt, sometimes about the man that killed her.
I'd thought after a few months in Rise of the Guardians put Lilac someplace emotional stable. She'd continued to draw, except this time there were more drawings of Darcy.
She walked with us to the door. Dean waved at Jake.
"Thanks again." Sam called back.
"Yeah. Big help!" I added.
So Andrea was then walking across the street. If I didn't know Dean would try flirting with her, I'd be annoyed.
"So, cute kid." Dean complimented awkwardly.
"Thanks." Andrea replied in short.
I had to clamp my lips together to keep from laughing. Sam had no such qualms show his emotions: little brother who's big brother is an idiot.
"Kids are the best, huh?" Dean praised to my joy and Sam's annoyance.
Andrea didn't signify that with a response.
'I'm so proud.'
She was silent the rest of the walk to Lakefront.
"There it is. Like I said, two blocks." Andrea supplied at Dean's confused expression.
Sam and I, standing behind Andrea, gave Dean a matching look. "Thanks."
"Yeah, thank you." 'The look on Dean's face has given me renewed purpose in life. Thank you.'
"Must be hard, with your sense of direction, never being able to find your way to a decent pick-up line." Andrea commented. She walked off. "Enjoy your stay!"
'I was wrong. That look on Dean's face has given me renewed purpose! Praise you, Andrea!'
I laughed as soon as Andrea was out of earshot.
"'Kids are the best'? You don't even like kids." Sam told Dean.
"I love kids." Dean argued, sounding offended.
"Name three children that you even know." Sam challenged.
Dean thinks and comes up empty. Sam waves a hand and walks into the motel. Dean scratches his head. "I'm thinking!" Dean argued. I laughed again. "You don't know any either!"
"I can name eighteen without any mental strain." I replied. Dean was surprised. "How many times do I have to tell you I have a life before you believe it?"
"No." Dean shook his head. "I'll never believe it."
I punched his arm, chuckling. Walking after Sam I called over my shoulder "Kiss my ass."
==DG==
Sam checked us into our motel room. Once coming into the room, I tossed my stuff on the bed before Dean could take it. Sam took his laptop out, typing away. Dean came up two minutes later. He groaned when he saw I had claimed a bed.
"Really, Raven?" He groaned.
I smiled innocently. "The second one is still up for grabs. Sasquatch hasn't taken it."
As if realizing the fatal mistake, Sam's head popped up. He and Dean made eye contact.
I snickered as I started a mental countdown. The two were about to brawl for that bed.
Dean leapt on it. Sam leapt on him. I laughed, pulling out my phone to take a picture before either of them could win/notice.
It was the funniest five minutes of my life.
By the time I stopped laughing, the boys were settled. Dean was unpacking his clothes for later. Sam was on his laptop.
"So there's the three drowning victims this year." Sam reported.
"Any before that?" Dean asked.
"Uh, yeah." Sam replied. "Six more spread out over the past thirty-five 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 asked.
"Doubt it." I spoke up.
Dean raised an eyebrow at me. "You're not giving me anything."
"Wonder why." I mused. "The lake monster theory would be better if there were more accounts of it."
"How do you know there aren't any?" dean countered.
"Sam's face, for one." I pointed out. "There's also nobody talking about it. Whatever it is out there, no one's living to talk about it."
"She's right." Sam pointed at the screen for Dean. His brother looked over his shoulder to see.
"Wait, Barr, Christopher Barr." Dean motioned to the screen. "Where have I heard that name before?"
"Christopher Barr, the victim in May." Sam read off. "Oh. Christopher Barr was Andrea's husband, Lucas's father. 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."
"That poor boy..." My mother's heart was pained at the thought at of a child witnessing this.
"No wonder that kid was so freaked out." Dean had his face twisted in empathy. "Watching one of your parents die isn't something you just get over."
'Which reminds me. I should make sure Lilac is okay. She saw me murder someone. No kid stays normal after that.'
==DG==
Our next visit was to the local park where Andrea said she'd go.
Lucky for us that I was with them. Otherwise Sam and Dean would look like two weird men in the park. Now we were two weird men and a woman.
"Can we join you?" I asked.
Andrea looked up at us. "I'm here with my son." Andrea motioned over to her son.
"Oh. Mind if I say hi?" Dean took off, with only Andrea's smile as permission.
She let out a small laugh of disbelief. "Tell your friend this whole Jerry Maguire thing is not gonna work on me."
"Would if I could, ma'am." I replied. Taking the part of the bench beside her, I smiled towards Dean. "Except that's not why he's doing this."
For a few minutes, we watched Dean interact with Lucas. Obviously the conversation was one sided. As I watched Lucas draw, I thought about Lilac. She loved art. Her favorite was watercolors, you see. Funny, considering she was a dragon.
My daughter was a bright creature. She smiled at so many people, made them question how such a good child was found by me. They wondered...until my daughter was abducted by a madman.
She was seven. The man tore her away from our home, pointed a gun at her head, conducted experiments (the extent to which I still don't know), and that man is dead now. Unfortunately, my daughter witnessed the killing blow.
She hasn't closed herself off from the world...it was a near thing for a long time. Her watercolors, which used to be colorful, took on darker tones. My sweet girl, who used to paint landscapes with her friends on them, now painted rainy days or dark trees.
For her, it's been just over a year since that attack. I knew better than anyone that attacks like that affected on a short term and long term.
"Lucas hasn't said a word, not even to me. Not since his dad's accident." Andrea explained to Sam and I, while Dean walked back.
"Yeah, we heard. Sorry." Dean apologized. Andrea nodded in understanding.
"What are the doctors saying?" Sam asked.
"That it's a kind of post-traumatic stress." Andrea answered.
"That can't be easy. For either of you." Sam spoke softly.
"Yeah. Are you alright?" I asked.
"We moved in with my dad. He helps out a lot." Andrea admitted. She looked off towards her so. "It's just...when I think about what Lucas went through, what he saw..."
"Kids are strong. You'd be surprised what they can deal with." Dean assured her.
"You know, he used to have such life. 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 cut herself off as Lucas came close. "Hey sweetie." Andrea cooed.
Lucas paid her no mind. He looked down to the dirt. He held up the picture for Dean to take.
"Thanks. Thanks, Lucas." Dean spoke as he accepted the drawing.
Sam and I glanced at the picture. It was obviously the Carlton house.
Andrea, for one, looked surprised that her son had come over.
==DG==
Back at the motel room, Sam stormed inside.
"So, I think it's safe to say we can rule out Nessie." Sam huffed in irritation.
"We already ruled out Nessie. She's a sweetheart monster for another day." I remarked from the laptop. I'd been looking up bodies from the lake, hoping that one of them might mention Peter. No such luck, dammit. "But...I'm guessing you have a different point."
Sam sits next to Dean. "I just drove past the Carlton house. There was an ambulance there. Will Carlton is dead." Sam
"He drowned?" Dean checked.
"Yep. In the sink." Sam emphasized.
Dean and I blinked at him. "What the hell?"
"In the sink?" I repeated. To be honest, I thought Will was being an idiot in that scene. He didn't need to put his hand in the water, the clog had a chain. Not to mention the fact that he should've wondered how the sink was filling up without the tap running. It was like he'd suddenly Traveled to a horror movie, with horror movie logic.
"So the two of you were right, this isn't a creature. We're dealing with something else." Dean reasoned.
"Yeah, but what?" Sam asked.
"If you ask me, the water is haunted." I stated. Dean and Sam turned over to me. "How many have died in it already in this town? The thing is like a floating graveyard. On that thought, I think a ghost started this."
"You seriously think that?" Dean asked. "Not something like a...waterwraith, maybe? Or a kind of demon?"
"Nope. The obvious is obvious for a reason, Dean." I reminded. "Like that almost-werewolf case."
"Well ghosts can't control the water." Dean argued.
"They can control it when it comes from one source." I pointed out.
The Winchesters lit up in realization.
"The lake." Sam realized.
"Yeah." Dean agreed.
"Which would explain why it's upping the body count." Sam added. "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 reasoned. "This is gonna happen again soon." Dean moved over to a chair, putting on his shoes.
I started packing up my laptop.
"And we do know one other thing for sure. We know this has got something to do with Bill Carlton." Sam stated.
"Yeah, it took both his kids." Dean stated.
"And I've been asking around. Lucas's dad, Chris-Bill Carlton's godson." Sam revealed.
Dean and I took that for what it was. "Let's go pay Mr. Carlton a visit."
==DG==
While we approached the saddened old man, I went first. Sam let me. Maybe he thought a feminine presence was what Bill needed right now, after losing his kids. I was just doing it because I was excited.
"Mr. Carlton?" I asked. He glanced over at me, going back to the lake. "My friends and I, we have a couple of questions for you."
"We're from the, the Department-" Dean began.
"I don't care who you're with." Bill cut him off tiredly. "I've answered enough questions today."
"Your son said he saw something in that lake. What about you? You ever see anything out there?" Sam said. "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. It's...it's worse than dying." Bill admitted, the words coming out of him like bullets from his chest to mine. All I could think about was my own child, what I became when someone hurt her. "Go away. Please."
With or without checking to see if the boys agreed, I took them by the elbows. They followed me with no problems.
"What do you think?" Sam asked.
"He's been through Hell." I answered, firmly. 'The only kind of Hell a parent could have: their kids dying first. I've died a handful of times since meeting Lilac. I welcomed them, and I'd welcome them again before I let Lilac die at all.' Outside my mind, I'd realised Sam was looking at me expectantly. "He's hiding something."
'He knows who did it.'
The thought came suddenly but I felt it was true. Bill Carlton stared at that water, as if seeing Peter floating there. Bill may not know about actual ghosts, he just knew he was haunted by that boy. Maybe he thought God was punishing him for what he did.
Didn't matter. He knew it was connected to Peter someway.
"So now what?" Sam asked Dean.
But Dean wasn't paying attention. He was looking out at the Carlton House.
"What is it?" Sam asked.
"Have you found a clue, Fred?" I asked, blandly.
"First off, I'm not Fred, shut up." Dean told me. He actually sounded offended by the comparison. "Second...maybe Bill's not the only one who knows something."
He held up Lucas' picture.
He showed it to us.
==DG==
Obviously, the next step was to talk to Lucas again.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think it's a good idea." Andrea replied to our request.
"I just need to talk to him." Dean asked. "Just for a few minutes."
"He won't say anything. What good's it gonna do?" Andrea countered.
"Andrea, we think more people might get hurt. We think something's happening out there." Sam explained.
"My husband, the others, they just drowned. That's all." Andrea reasoned.
"Okay. Okay. If you really believe that, then we're done." I explained. "We'll leave and never bother you again with this." Andrea's expression told me how much she was tempted. She didn't want it, she was starting to like us (Dean) and our (Dean's) progress with Lucas. "However, if you think there is a chance of something else at work, please let Dean talk to your son."
Andrea bit her lip.
She answered.
==DG==
Dean knelt down by Lucas. The boy was playing with toy soldiers. Andrea, Sam, and I were waiting by the door.
"Hey, Lucas. You remember me?" Dean asked.
Lucas didn't speak. I glanced at the red bike drawings.
"You know, I, uh, I wanted to thank you for that last drawing. But the thing is, I need your help again." Dean explained.
Lucas wasn't meeting Dean's eyes. He was focused on his next drawing, which I guessed was the incident at the lake.
Dean pulled out the Carlton house. "How did you know to draw this? Did you know something bad was gonna happen?" Dean asked. Silence. "Maybe you could nod yes or no for me."
More silence. I hid a smile at how precious Lucas was.
"You're scared. 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. I didn't feel like talking, just like you." Dean admitted. Sam watched Dean with more intensity, not having heard this from Dean before. "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."
Lucas lowered his crayon. He gave Dean one of his finished pictures.
Lucas drops his crayon and looks up at Dean. He hands Dean a picture of a white church, a yellow house, and a boy with a blue baseball cap and red bicycle in front of a wooden fence.
"Thanks, Lucas." Dean praised.
==DG==
"Andrea said the kid never drew like that till his dad died." Dean commented as we were back in the car.
"There are cases-going through a traumatic experience could make people more sensitive to premonitions, psychic tendencies." Sam reported.
"Whatever's out there, what if Lucas is tapping into it somehow?" Dean questioned. "I mean, it's only a matter of time before somebody else drowns, so if you got a better lead, please."
"First thing is finding that house." I held up the picture. "Which could be any of them. These houses all look the same."
Sam turned in his seat. He pointed at the church. "See this church? I bet there's less than a thousand of those around here."
"Oh, college boy thinks he's so smart." Dean teased.
"Dean two thirds of the people in this car went to college. Watch yourself." I teased right back.
"I knew that." Dean lied. I snorted. "I did! Where did you go?"
"Ohio." I answered. "Not the point. We gotta save whoever Lucas drew, remember?"
"Yeah I know." Dean grumbled. He was grinning before long.
There was a tense pause. Dare I say awkward except emotional things are always awkward for these two.
"You know, um...What you said about Mom...You never told me that before." Sam admitted.
"It's no big deal." Dean brushed off. 'Ewww Emotions.' "Oh God, we're not gonna have to hug or anything, are we?"
"Please don't. It'd be uncomfortable for everyone in the car." I remarked from the back seat, leaning against the backseat.
Sam was smiling at our antics.
That was better. Emotions are a cursed thing.
==DG==
We'd driven around town for an hour or so when we found the church. There weren't many churches, just it was hard to find the one white one.
The Sweeney house stood out amongst a grove of trees.
Dean held his hand out for the drawing. I opened it up for him, displaying it. He and Sam looked at it.
The three of us silently agreed this was the place.
So we walked across the street. Dean walked up to the house, knocking on the door. Mrs Sweeney answered, inviting us inside after hearing we had questions.
"We're sorry to bother you, ma'am, but does a little boy live here, by chance?" Dean asked. Mrs Sweeney flustered at the question. "He might wear a blue ball cap, has a red bicycle."
Then Mrs Sweeney's lips turned to a forlorn frown. "No sir. Not for a very long time. Peter's been gone for thirty-five years now." She revealed, which made some things easier to understand for the boys and only made my heart ache in sympathy. "The police never-" Mrs Sweeney sighed. "I never had any idea what happened. He just disappeared."
Though Sam was trying to show Dean and I the toy soldiers, I was drawn in by Mrs Sweeney's story.
"Losing him-you know, it's...it's worse than dying." She was clearly fighting back tears. The loss, though so old, in her heart was so new. To lose your only child, I am thankful that my own wasn't hurt when she was abducted.
"Did he disappear from here? I mean, from this house?" Dean asked in a low voice, being mindful of her sorrow.
"He was supposed to ride his bike straight home after school, and he never showed up." Mrs Sweeney answered, without hesitating and full of powerful emotion. She'd been telling herself that for decades.
Dean looked over to Sam and I, except something beyond me caught his eye. He walked over to a picture on the fridge of two boys.
Myself, I stepped forward to hold Mrs Sweeney's hand. She accepted it, using her free hand to dab at her eyes as tears came up.
"I'm sorry." I spoke to her. Mrs Sweeney sniffled. "I'm...I can't explain to you how sorry I am for bringing all this up now."
Mrs Sweeney sniffled again as tears fell down her cheek. "No, thank you, my dear. It's been so long since my Peter went...I thought everyone had forgotten about him." She admitted.
"Peter Sweeney and Billy Carlton, nineteen seventy." Dean read off.
I squeezed Mrs Sweeney's hand.
==DG==
Back in the car, I was in business mode.
"Okay so back in the 70's, Peter Sweeney goes missing, and his best friend was Bill Carlton." I explained.
"Bill's at the center of it all." Sam added.
"Yeah, Bill sure as hell seems to be hiding something, huh?" Dean commented.
"And Bill, the people he loves, they're all getting punished." Sam reported.
"So what if Bill did something to Peter?" Dean asked.
"What if Bill killed him?" Sam countered.
"Nah...Bill would've been a kid too. I doubt Bill could've killed him on purpose." I reasoned. "But if Bill kept quiet about Peter dying? From Peter's mother...?" I prompted.
"Peter's spirit would be furious." Dean picked up my train of thought. "It'd want revenge. It's possible."
Dean pressed down on the pedal.
==DG==
He pulled up to the Carlton house. I climbed out of the car, looking for Bill.
Sam followed me. "Mr Carlton?" Sam called out.
"Mr Carlton! We need to talk-"
The engine of his boat roared. I ran towards the lake. His boat was speeding to the middle of the lake.
Over my own shouts, I heard the brothers running behind me. They were shouting for Bill to stop. Bill ignored them.
He ignored them even as the water pulled him down.
==DG==
After waiting for emergency services, the brothers and I were picked up by Sheriff Jake. He said he would take our statements at the sheriff's office. He had heard the 911 call Dean made.
He walked us inside the station. Andrea and Lucas were waiting already.
"Sam, Raven, Dean." Andrea greeted in surprise. She put down her purse and Sheriff Jake's dinner. "I didn't expect to see you here."
"So now you're on a first-name basis." Sheriff Jake commented, giving Dean an 'upset Dad with a shotgun' face. "What are you doing here?" He asked Andrea.
"I brought you dinner." Andrea excused.
Sheriff Jake let out a huff. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, I don't really have the time."
Andrea leaned forward. "I heard about Bill Carlton." Sheriff Jake's face scrunched up in fresh grief. "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." Sheriff Jake advised.
Lucas let out a whine. He reached out for Dean.
Mom-Friend, Activate!
"Lucas, hey, what is it?" Dean asked. The boy didn't answer. He held Dean's arm tighter. "Lucas."
"Lucas." Andrea asked. She knelt by her son's side.
"Lucas, it's okay. It's okay." Dean lowered himself to look Lucas in the eyes. Lucas made an effort to avoid Dean's. "Hey, Lucas, it's okay. It's okay."
Lucas whined again.
Andrea was able to pry Lucas away from Dean. Lucas kept reaching out from Dean as Andrea walked them out.
Sheriff Jake walked to his office. Sam and I followed. Dean was looking at the door, lost.
I held his wrist. It jolted Dean out of his stupor. He saw Sam and Sheriff Jake had walked off.
"You good?" I asked him.
Dean avoided looking at me. "I'm fine." He marched off to the office.
Like before, the brothers took the seats and I stayed by the door. My arms were crossed around my front.
Yeah his best friend had died, but only because they'd left Peter behind all those years ago. Bill didn't deserve losing his kids, nor did the Sheriff. They just deserved to be outed. To have their terrible secret exposed, and have their families turn away from them. But I suppose
"Okay, just so I'm clear, 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?" Sheriff Jake asked. He slumped at his office desk.
"Yeah, that about sums it up." Dean confirmed. And it was actually the truth that time.
"And I'm supposed to believe this, even though I've already sonar-swept that entire lake?" Jake challenged. "And what you're describing is impossible? And you're not really Wildlife Service?" Sheriff Jake accused.
The brothers put on their best 'surprised' faces.
"That's right, I checked. Department's never heard of you three." Sheriff Jake revealed.
"See, now, we can explain that." Dean began.
"Enough. Please." Sheriff Jake requested. He glared at the three of us. "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." Sheriff Jake's glare hardened, if that was even possible. "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." He warned.
"Door number two sounds good." Sam agreed.
I raised my hand. "That's what I would pick." 'Once again butchering the quote: that's where I would play from Nemo.'
"Then pick it, and go." Sheriff Jake finished.
==DG==
So we did it.
We put the town in our rearview mirror.
We got on the road, and kept driving.
Who am I kidding?
Dean had forgotten to deactivate the Mom-Friend setting on his personality.
He'd been distracted since we left the sheriff's office. Sam hadn't tried striking up a conversation, instead liking over a newspaper for another case.
I was leaning forward in my seat, minding Dean.
He stopped at the interaction. The light changed to green.
My fingers flicked Dean in the neck.
"Ow." Dean glared over his shoulder at me.
"Green." I pointed out.
"What?" Dean asked.
"Light's green." Sam translated for me.
Dean continued driving, turning right.
"Uh, the interstate's the other way." Sam reminded him.
"I know." Dean answered.
I snorted in my seat.
Sam made a huff when he realized what Dean was doing. "But Dean, this job, I think it's over."
"I'm not so sure." Dean replied.
"If Bill murdered Peter Sweeney and Peter's spirit got its revenge, case closed. The spirit should be at rest." Sam argued.
"We never found out if it was murder or not." I countered. "Nothing says Peter's spirit is satisfied.
"What if we take off and this thing isn't done? You know, what if we've missed something? What if more people get hurt?" Dean asked.
"But why would you think that?" Sam asked.
"Because Lucas was really scared." Dean stated.
"That's what this is about?" Sam asked, infinitely confused.
"Good enough reason for me." I agreed.
"I just don't want to leave this town until I know the kid's okay." Dean argued firmly.
"Who are you? And what have you done with my brother?" Sam asked, incredulously.
"Shut up." Dean answered back.
==DG==
We raced up to the Barr house. The sky was darker than dark by the time we got there. Dean barely had the Impala parked before running up to the house. I was behind him. Sam was the last to the door.
"Are you sure about this? It's pretty late." Sam asked as he walked up behind us.
Dean didn't answer. He rang the doorbell. The bell had barely started to ring when Lucas threw the door open, panting and eyes wide in fear.
"Lucas?" The boy dashed back inside. "Lucas!" Dean shouted as he ran after Lucas.
I ran with him. Sam with me.
Lucas lead us to the bathroom. Water was pouring out from under the door, and making a waterfall down the stairway. Dean kicked the door open. Sam and I ran inside, myself pushing Lucas into Dean's arms to keep the boy safe.
Sam reached into the water. I joined beside him, trying to keep any sort of hold on Andrea. Peter's ghost had a strong grip, determined to keep her down.
Too bad for him I'm stronger than I look.
Bracing my feet against the side of the tub, I wrapped my arms around Andrea. With a shove of my feet I pulled her up. Her legs flailed in the air only seconds before Sam managed to get her free too.
Sam and I fell back on the floor with a wet plop. Andrea coughed out water on top of us.
==DG==
I'd taken the liberty of raiding the Barr kitchen to make her a cup of cocoa to warm her up. While it was heating up I ran to find her something to wear. Sam was cleaning up the mess in the bathroom and stairs, while Dean was making sure Lucas was in bed. I'd given a very naked Andrea the clothes before helping clean up.
Andrea was shaking the whole time.
The sun came up by the time her nerves had settled down.
Over coffee, also made by me, Sam and I sat her down, far from the bathroom and stairs as we could get. Andrea stared at her mug with the thousand yard stare. Dean was searching for more answers around the house. We'd left him to that. He was as full of nerves as Andrea.
"Can you tell us?" Sam asked.
"No." Andrea answered in a small voice. "It doesn't make any sense." She dabbed her shirt sleeve at her watering eyes. "I'm going crazy." She gave up on the sleeve, instead covering her face with both hands.
"Andrea, we swear that you're not." I assured her. "You can tell us. We promise we won't think it's odd."
Andrea lowered her hands so they were over her mouth. She had started crying. "I heard...I thought I heard...there was this voice."
"What did it say?" Sam asked.
"It said...it said 'come play with me'." She hiccuped out a sob. "What's happening?" She asked in a mixture of plea and beg.
Dean showed up a moment later, photo album in his hands. He put the album down in front of Andrea, careful not to startle her.
"Do you recognize the kids in these pictures?" Dean asked, pointing at the troop photo.
"What? Um, um, no. I mean, except that's my dad right there." She pointed at a boy beside a younger Bill and Peter. "He must have been about twelve in these pictures."
She moves her finger over to another picture of Jake as a child; he is standing next to Peter.
"Chris Barr's drowning." Dean stated to Sam and myself. "The connection wasn't to Bill Carlton. It must have been to the Sheriff."
"Bill and the Sheriff-they were both involved with Peter." Sam realized.
"The intended target must've been the Sheriff. Go after everyone he loves one by one." I added. "What happened with Bill? That's just Peter being sadistic to the Sheriff."
"What about Chris? My dad-what are you talking about?" Andrea asked, becoming confused at the mention of her husband at a time like this.
"Lucas?" Dead suddenly asked.
The three of us looked over to the boy. He was staring out the window.
"Lucas, what is it?" Dean asked.
Instead of answering, Lucas walked outside.
Like reasonable adults, we followed.
He walked into the woods outside.
"Lucas, honey?" Andrea called out. Her son didn't answer.
Instead we'd walked about a hundred feet from the house. Lucas stopped at a flat batch of land, looking down at the ground before staring blankly up at Dean.
Dean braced himself. "You and Lucas get back to the house and stay there, okay?" Dean told Andrea.
The mother didn't hesitate to take her son away. The boys got shovels from the trunk, my own had been in my Bag. (It could be broken down, okay?)
We dug for ten minutes before Sam's shovel hit the bike. We used our hands to get the rest of the dirt away. Dean grabbed the bike by the handle to pull it up
"Peter's bike." Sam said.
"Why was it so close to their house?" I asked, incredulous. Bill and Sheriff Jake actually let family live so close to the only evidence of their accidental murder? What the hell?! No wonder Lucas had been haunted by Peter if he lived so close.
"Who are you?" Sheriff Jake demanded from behind us.
The boys whirled around. I glared up from my spot on the ground, the bike held tightly in my hands.
"Put the gun down, Jake." Sam asked, holding his hands up.
"How did you know that was there?" Sheriff Jake demanded.
"What happened? You and Bill killed Peter, drowned him in the lake and then buried the bike?" Dean reasoned.
"You let your family live near this bike?" I growled. Pushing myself to my feet, I threw the bike down on the ground angrily. "You did this to them! You're the reason all of this happened!"
Dean and Sam held me back.
"No more hiding, Sheriff!" I spat the word out. He didn't deserve the badge. "Tell the truth. Right here, right now!"
"I don't know what the hell you're talking about." Sheriff Jake lied.
"You and Bill killed Peter Sweeney thirty-five years ago. That's what the hell I'm talking about." Dean admitted.
"Dad!" Andrea cried out as she ran towards us.
"And now you got one seriously pissed-off spirit." Dean finished. "And my pissed off friend. I'd confess. She's a puncher."
"It's gonna take Andrea, Lucas, everyone you love. 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." Sam explained. "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?" Sheriff Jake countered.
"You said it yourself. Bill was a very good swimmer. He let Peter's ghost take him into the water. What other answer is there?" I added, wanting Andrea to see the man for who he was.
"Listen to yourselves, the three of you. You're insane." Sheriff Jake argued weakly.
"I don't really give a rat's ass what you think of us." Dean argued. "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." Dean ordered.
Sheriff Jake was quiet.
"You son of a bitch." Dean and Sam held their arms up in front of me again. "He was twelve!" And my daughter was seven. "How can you- How can you wear that badge?! With what you've done!"
Sheriff Jake's jaw tightened.
"Dad, is any of this true?" Andrea begged.
"No. Don't listen to them. They're liars and they're dangerous." Sheriff Jake instructed.
"Something tried to drown me. Chris died on that lake. Dad, look at me." Andrea demanded. Her father obeyed. "Tell me you-you didn't kill anyone." Andrea begged. Her father turned away. "Oh my God." Andrea spoke breathlessly.
"Billy and I were at the lake. Peter was the smallest one. We always bullied him, but this time, it got rough." Sheriff Jake excused. "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."
It should be worth noting that the brothers weren't holding me back as strongly anymore.
"Oh, Andrea, we were kids. We were so scared. It was a mistake." Andrea wasn't listening. She was looking down, a lost expression on her face. "But, Andrea, to say that I have anything to do with these drownings, with Chris, because of some ghost? It's not rational."
Andrea looked up to her father. Her eyes were begging him not to keep lying to her.
"Alright boys let me go. I'm about to do Peter's job for him." I demanded.
Sam moved his arm. Dean refused.
"Dean!" I warned.
"All right, listen to me, all of you." Dean spoke up. He gave me a pointed look before turning to the others. "We need to get you away from this lake, as far as we can, right now." Dean insisted.
Andrea gasped. "Lucas!"
We all turned to see Lucas at the edge of the lake.
"Lucas!" Sheriff Jake shouted.
We ran out after the boy. He made it to the docks, reaching out to the water.
"Lucas!" Dean shouted.
"Lucas! Baby, stay where you are!" Andrea called out.
I could see Peter's hand reach up for Lucas. The boy flailed as he was pulled in the water.
Dean dived in after him. Myself next.
'Swimming around in the dark water was so much easier when I was a mermaid...'
Still I searched for Peter or even Lucas. The only time I stopped was when I needed air.
The boys had needed air too.
"Sam?" Dean asked. Sam shook his head. "Raven?" I shook my head, gasping for air.
"Lucas, where are you?" Andrea cried out.
The brothers and I dived back down.
I could almost make out Peter's shape. He might've been holding Lucas by the arm and neck. Try as I might, none of the motions I made brought me closer. Later I'd think I had been pushed farther back by Peter.
He suddenly turned his head away from me. I turned too, seeing the body of Sheriff Jake.
I pushed myself up to the air. It was over. There was nothing we could do now.
"Jake, no!" Dean ordered, having come up at seeing the Sheriff no doubt.
"Just let it be over!" Sheriff Jake begged as he suddenly sunk further down.
I watched coldly.
"Daddy! Daddy! No!" Andrea screamed.
The brothers dived down. I did too, swimming towards Lucas.
I was able to grab the poor boy's arm. Dean, who had been swimming to Lucas as well, took his other arm. We swam the boy up to the surface.
Andrea was screaming in agony on the dock, looking towards where her father had been dragged down. Sam was watching her, forlorn.
Dean looked down at Lucas, who was unconscious.
Myself, I gripped Lucas tighter.
He was twelve, you bastard.
==DG==
The hours later we were packing up. I had cleaned off the last of the wards from the walls, grabbing my Bag to follow after the Winchesters.
Dean and Sam tossed their bags in the back. I came up, pushing the bags back to make room for me.
The three of us stood in silence for a moment.
"We can't save everyone." I reminded the boys.
"I know." Dean agreed, resigned.
There was another long stretch of quiet.
"Sam, Raven, Dean." Andrea called out. I turned to her, seeing her walk up with Lucas. Lucas was happily carrying a tray of sandwiches.
"Hey." Dean greeted with a wide smile. I came to stand beside him, sliding my hands in my back pockets.
"We're glad we caught you. We just, um, we made you lunch for the road." Andrea excused. She put her arm around her son's shoulders. "Lucas insisted on making the sandwiches himself."
"Can I give it to them now?" Lucas asked, to our equal delights. Dean, Sam, and I gave each other proud looks.
"Of course." Mother kissed son on the head. Son smiled proudly at himself.
"Come on, Lucas, let's load this into the car." Dean offered. Lucas agreed. Together they walked over to the car.
"How you holding up?" Sam asked Andrea.
The mother winced. "It's just gonna take a long time to sort through everything, you know?"
"Yeah. I know." My elbowed reaches out for her's, giving her a light reassuring tap. "Hey. I'm sorry this happened to you."
Andrea smiled, bittersweet. "There was nothing you could have done."
"Andrea, I'm sorry." Sam added.
Andrea shook her head at him. "You saved my son. I can't ask for more than that." Andrea told him. "Dad loved me. He loved Lucas. No matter what he did, I just have to hold on to that."
We went back to Baby. Dean wrangled a high-five from a beaming Lucas. When he saw us coming Dean hopped up to his feet.
Andrea kissed him. Dean gawked at her. "Thank you." Andrea looked down to her son's smiling face.
Sam and I were grinning like idiots.
Dean didn't like it. "Sam, Raven, move your asses. We're gonna run out of daylight before we hit the road." He walked around Baby to get to his seat.
I was snickering as I walked over to my seat.
Lucas and Andrea was waving goodbye to us. Dean started up the engine.
Then we drove off to elsewhere.
I snorted.
"Shut it, Raven."
"Not a chance, dumbass."
I pulled my phone out, texting Lila.
Lilac's okay, right?
Two minutes later she texted back.
She's holding your hand on the couch. She's precious.
==DG==
AN: Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, I'm 21 and drunk as can be, happy birthday to me!
Thanks to BlueJae3 and Hexal for favoriting
Thanks to BlueJae3 for following