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.
"The boys are right here, and they're both alive. That's all that matters now."
John sighed before softly stating, "I wish that were true, Bobby. But you and I both know it's not."
Bobby glanced at the boys, then back up at the eldest Winchester. "Not here, John. Outside."
Dean was already drifting off now that he was safe and sound in his warm bed and completely exhausted, but Sam was still wide awake and Bobby didn't want him listening in on their conversation. Bobby already knew where it was headed, and he didn't like it one bit.
Both men stood and made their way to the front door. John turned back before following Bobby out.
"Sammy?" he whispered so as not to wake his eldest son. "Watch over Dean. We'll be right back, and if anythin' happens, we're right outside the door, okay? Just give a shout."
"Yes, sir," Sam whispered back before glancing down to make sure he hadn't disturbed his brother.
Dean's brow creased and he mumbled something inaudible.
"Shh… Just go to sleep, big brother. I'm watchin' over you."
Dean's face relaxed again and he burrowed further into his pillow before the darkness fully won out.
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 feelin' better."
"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."
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."
John 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, John! 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? And why Dean?"
"I'd like to know why the hell she tracked you and the boys down again. Better yet, how did she even know about the boys in the first place?"
"I dunno, Bobby…" His lack of eye contact told Bobby otherwise. John paced away a few steps, before pivoting and walking back.
"Damn it, John. You better start spillin' right now before I spill your guts on the ground!"
"Alright! Christ… Look, I was off my game the night I met her."
"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, so I took a stroll by the beach to clear my head before goin' back to them. That's when I saw her. And heard her…"
"And you fell for her song."
"Yeah. Most beautiful voice I've ever heard, aside from Mary's… Anyways, she played the sympathetic shoulder, askin' why I was out alone so late at night so I told her, not thinkin' anythin' of it. I'd never met a creature like her before. Next thing I knew, I was spillin' my guts 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 on me was my gun, loaded with silver bullets. Back then, I just assumed the silver had worked and I thought I killed her cause she didn't resurface. Years later, after a lot of research, I realized my mistake and made specialized bullets just for her kind.
"Can't say I ever thought I'd find her again though. But to see her goin' after my son tonight… Damn it, that was my fault, Bobby. I don't know how she figured out Dean was my kid, but she shouldn't have even known he existed. That one's on me."
"I'd have to consult my books to be sure, but if I'm rememberin' correctly, sirens are like bloodhounds. If you get too close, they get a taste of your aura, and it's for life. Dean's so much like you in every way, maybe she was able to make the connection once he got too close. Either it was pure luck she found him in the first place, or her senses are stronger than I gave them credit for. The second she knew you were a hunter, she had targets on Sam and Dean's backs."
"Once I sobered up, I made a new rule to try and keep my boys safe; we do what we do, and we shut up about it. Guess it was a little too late. If she really is still alive, she's never gonna quit till my boys are dead. I don't know what I'm supposed to do now."
Bobby sighed deeply, then placed his hand on John's shoulder. "Yes, you do. And I'm afraid the Rusalka knows it too. That's the only scenario that makes any sense."
John shook his head in denial. "I won't do it, Bobby. I won't use Dean as bait after what he went through tonight."
"We'll try to find another option, but we both know there isn't one. She set this whole thing up. Traumatize Dean so he'd be afraid to go back to the water, but she knew your hunter instincts wouldn't allow her to escape again. She knows you'll have to use Dean and she's hopin' it'll break the both of you."
"She may be right on that one. I can't ask him to sacrifice himself again. It's just not fair. There's gotta be another way."
"She's gonna hide in the depths of that water unless we give her reason to show again. She ain't after me, and I think she's only after you indirectly. She may be tempted by Sam, but I doubt he'll be enough of a bargainin' chip for her. He's still too young. It's Dean or nothin'."
"Then we'll run, Bobby. I'll take them as far away from every body of water there is. I'll find some sort of protection medallion or spell… Anything!"
"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. You really want that hangin' over his head for the rest of his life?"
"If that's what it takes to keep him alive."
"Well 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."
"So you're willin' to blindly play her game, is that it?"
Bobby glared. "You see another way out of this, you let me know."
John wanted to punch the door, but he didn't want to wake or scare his boys who were 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.
"This isn't fair, Bobby."
"Life rarely is, John. All that matters is what you do with the time you're given. Come on. Let's go back inside before you catch pneumonia."
John 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 Dean was already asleep and Sam was fighting it but losing the battle.
"It's alright, Sammy," he whispered, smoothing the boy's bangs away from his eyes. "Get some sleep. We'll watch over Dean now."
Sam nestled his forehead against Dean's neck and fell asleep before John could even sit down. He put the back of his hand against his eldest's cheek and was glad to find that his skin was finally starting to warm up again. He settled back in his chair, making sure it was close enough to the bed that he could reach Dean.
"I'll take first watch, John. Get some sleep." Bobby took up his own chair to watch over the boys.
John nodded gratefully, then settled his palm protectively over Dean's heart to make sure it didn't falter during the night. He quickly fell into an uneasy sleep, plagued by dreams of Sarina and her twisted games.
Bobby woke John a few hours later, 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 were 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 and immediately checking on Dean. Then his eyes turned to John.
"Mornin', dad."
"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 outta the woods by now."
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. John smiled when their eyes met.
"Hey, buddy."
"Dad?" he croaked out, relieved to find he no longer stuttered with words.
"How're you feelin', Dean?" Sam asked and Dean craned his neck around to see his little brother hovering over his shoulder before frowning in thought. Surprisingly, he didn't feel too bad...
Dean attempted to sit up but the blissful ignorance his body had been experiencing received a sharp slap to the face as his muscles screamed in protest and he dropped bonelessly back to the mattress with a groan. "I'm good."
John snorted. "Yeah, that was real convincing, dude." He made his way over to the bed, checked Dean's temperature and pulse, then helped him slide carefully up into a sitting position against the back wall. "Want some coffee? Bobby's brewin' some in the kitchen."
"Hell yeah." At the rate he was going, he'd need a whole pot full.
"Comin' right up." John moved off 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."
Dean resorted to his typical way of dealing with painful and awkward situations… "Yeah, well… You try havin' some skeevy water wench gropin' you in twenty degree water. It ain't fun."
Sam jested back, knowing his brother needed the reprieve. "Huh. I figured you'd be into that sort of kinky stuff…"
"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
Sorry for the huge delay! I was in VT for an extended weekend and then I had some work to catch up with, but I'm back to writing now! Reviews always help, so please keep them coming, and I'll update again as soon as I can! Thanks for understanding!!