**Okay, this episode is actually an idea I've had for a while, so please, please, please review and tell me if you think it was good! Thanks to everyone who reads! And the word was suggestions (for the beginning of last chapter). Anyway probably no one got that, but please review and tell me ideas, critiques, anything really! Thanks again! Oh and Disclaimer obviously!
Dead in the Water
Dean's brow furrowed as he circled another face and name in the paper while I leaned closer to him to read what it said. Sophie Carlton - family sad to announce the death of their beloved daughter… My eyes skimmed the article, slowing to read the part about how she vanished mysteriously into the water, presumably drowned. I frowned as my eyes flicked back up to the beginning, searching for what I wanted. There: captain of the varsity swim team. Drowned?
"Can I get you anything else?" I glanced up and quickly looked away from the tall blonde woman who smiled coyly at Dean. I already knew what was coming next, and the familiar knot tightened in my stomach. Thankfully, Sammy chose that minute to come back from the bathroom, sliding into the booth seat opposite us.
"Just a check, please," He told the woman not unkindly. I gave him a grateful look while Dean's eyes remained fixed on the waiter, who smiled widely at him before walking away. Sam's mouth twitched into an almost pitying half smile as Dean sighed, oblivious to our exchange.
"You know, Sam, we are allowed to have fun once in a while," He patronized his brother, who rolled his eyes. "That's fun," He clarified, pointing to the retreating blonde. Sam just looked at him.
"Here," I took the paper from Dean, changing the subject. "Look at this," Sam stared at the girl in the picture, his eyes moving across the page.
"Lake Manitoc, Wisconsin," Dean elaborated, "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 in surprise.
"Yeah, it's weird, they buried an empty coffin for closure or whatever," I winced at Dean's careless tone, knowing it was a bit of a sore spot for Sammy since Jess's death.
"Closure?" He questioned bitterly. "What closure?" He looked right at us when he spoke his next words. "People don't just disappear. Other people just stop looking for them,"
"Something you need to say to us?" I asked him, raising an eyebrow at his clear innuendo.
"The trail for Dad - it's getting colder every day," Sam began irritatedly.
"Exactly, so what are we supposed to do?" Dean inquired tightly.
"I don't know," Sam shook his head, looking around. "Something. Anything," "You know what, I'm sick of this attitude," I took a big sip of my coffee as the two brothers bickered. Everyone was on edge lately, and it was no surprise. In total, we'd probably gotten ten hours of sleep in the past week. "Mel's sick of it too," Dean glanced back at me for support, but I waved my hands, swallowing.
"I'm staying out of this one, guys," Dean raised his eyebrows at me with a disbelieving look, and I sighed, giving in and looking past him to Sammy, "He's right, Sammy. You don't think we want to find John just as much as you do?"
"Yeah, I know you do, but-" Sammy started only to have Dean interrupt him, turning away from me.
"We've been with him every single day for the past two years while you've been off to college going to pep rallies," Dean ranted, and I drank some more coffee (I would need it) before pushing it away from me.
"Dean, that's enough," I put my hand on his arm, stopping his rant. "We will find John, but right now we have exactly jack. So until then, we are going to hunt every evil thing we can find," My eyes flicked between the two boys. "Okay?" I prompted, holding Sammy's gaze, already knowing Dean agreed with me. Finally, Sam rolled his eyes and gave in, making me grin a bit, and I looked at Dean only to find him distracted by the waitress.
"All right, Lake Manitoc," Sammy conceded, looking back and forth between us. "Hey," His voice was sharp, and Dean snapped back to the present.
"Huh?" I glanced away from them both and then back, trying to ignore the knot growing even tighter in my stomach.
"How far?" We got up, paid and left with Dean pouting the whole way. It was 500 miles. In other words, 7 hours with one rest stop for food. We waisted no time getting a motel room or anything and drove straight to the Carlton's house. Dean only had to knock once before a boy a bit younger than Sammy opened the door.
"Will Carlton?" Dean guessed as I scrutinized the boy.
"Yeah, that's right," He confirmed softly. I didn't blame him; he just had to say goodbye to his sister.
"I'm agent Ford, this is agent Hamill and Jones," Dean held up our false credentials. "We're with the U.S. wildlife service," Will led us to the waterside where a man could be seen sitting on a dock, gazing out over the water. His father. Instinctively, I took a step back from the water, an unexpected wave of horror washed over me as I remembered my own dad and why he wasn't here anymore.
"She was about 100 yards out," Will informed us numbly. "That's where she got dragged down," My eyes flicked to his face in interest at his choice of words.
"Dragged down. Why do you say that?" I asked him thoughtfully.
"She was a varsity swimmer," He emphasized. "She practically grew up in that lake. She's as safe out there as in her own bathtub,"
"So no splashing, no signs of distress?" Sammy questioned routinely.
"No, that's what I'm telling you," Will shook his head, beginning to grow upset.
"Did you see any shadows in the water, maybe some dark shape breached the surface?" He continued, but Will still shook his head.
"No, again, she was really far out there," He stressed, crossing his arms in annoyance.
"You ever seen any strange tracks by the shoreline?" Dean asked him.
"No, never. Why?" He responded, growing curious. "What do you think's out there?"
"When we have some idea, you'll be the first to know," I promised him, turning with Dean to leave.
"What about your father?" Something in Sam's voice made me turn back. "Can we talk to him?" Will turned to gaze sadly at his father before turning back to us.
"Look, if you don't mind, I mean, he didn't see anything, and he's kinda been through a lot,"
"We understand," Sammy nodded understandingly as I gave the boy a sad smile. Next stop was the police station, which was only a couple of miles up the road.
"Excuse me, sir," I knocked on the window to the office, causing the sheriff to come out. "We're with the wildlife services, here to check up on the drowning in the lake,"
"Now, I'm sorry, but why does the wildlife service care about accidental drowning?" The sheriff asked, and there was something in his tone that made me distrust him.
"You sure it's accidental?" Sammy questioned skeptically. "Will Carlton saw something grab his sister." He explained as we followed the Sheriff into the back.
"Like what?" The sheriff snorted. "Here, sit, please," He gestured to the chairs as we entered his office. "There are no indigenous carnivores in that lake. There's nothing even big enough to pull down a person, unless it was the Loch Ness Monster,"
"Yeah," Dean scoffed, turning to look at me, rolling his eyes, and I suppressed a smile. The loch ness monster?
"Will Carlton was traumatized, and sometimes the mind plays tricks. Still, we dragged that entire lake. We even ran a sonar sweep, just to be sure. There was nothing down there,"
"It's weird though," Dean leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I mean, that's the third missing body this year," The sheriff nodded solemnly, leaning forward from his seat behind his desk.
"I know," He sounded haunted, "These are people from my town. These are people I care about,"
"I know," I nodded understandingly and the sheriff sighed.
"Anyway," The sheriff leaned back, "All this - it won't be a problem much longer." I frowned at him.
"Why not?" I asked, and the sheriff looked at us like we should know already.
"Well, the dam, of course," He spoke as if it were obvious.
"Right. Of course. The dam," Dean went with it. "It's, uh…, sprung a leak," He guessed, and the sheriff frowned at him.
"It's falling apart," He replied. "And the Feds won't give us the grant to repair it," I silently thanked our lucky stars we hadn't decided to go as FBI. "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." Well, that explained a little at least. Could explain the deaths. Something didn't want the lake drained? "But as federal wildlife, you already knew that,"
"Exactly," Before Dean could say any more, there was a tapping on the door. We looked up to see a young woman entering into the office with a smile on her face.
"Sorry, am I interrupting?" She asked, still smiling, but stepping back a little. "I can come back later," We stood up for introductions.
"Gentlemen and ma'am," I flashed him a gracious smile, " This is my daughter," Dean stepped forward first with a grin on his face as he looked her up and down.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Dean," She smiled again as they shook hands. Does she ever stop smiling? Okay, I was probably being a bit unfair.
"Andrea Bar. Hi," She introduced herself.
"Hi," Dean responded.
"They're from the wildlife service about the lake," Her father interjected, and her face fell. Before I could ask her about the lake, a small boy stepped out from behind her, making me smile slightly.
"Hey there, what's your name?" He asked the kid, who just looked down at the ground quietly before running off. Andrea looked embarrassed as her eyes met her father's. She turned and followed the boy out of the room quickly.
"His name is Lucas," The sheriff answered Dean's question with a sad note to his voice. I watched as the woman offered the boy some crayons to color the blank sheets of paper with.
"Is he okay?" Sam asked, looking back at the sheriff.
"My grandson's been through a lot. We all have," The man suddenly sounded very tired and very old. "Well, if there's anything else I can do for you. Please, let me know," I followed Dean out the door as the sheriff held it open.
"You know, now that you mentioned it, could you point us in the direction of a reasonably priced motel?" With a massive effort, I managed to suppress an eye roll as Dean turned to face Andrea when he asked the question.
"Lakefront motel - go around the corner, it's two blocks up," Dean frowned in a fake confusion, pointing vaguely towards the door.
"Two… would you mind showing us?" He asked, his mouth twitching into a slight grin. This time I did roll my eyes, and bit my lip to keep from saying something I'd regret.
"You want me to walk you two blocks?" She asked skeptically, but smiling the entire time, and Dean let out a small chuckle.
"Not if it's any trouble," Dean added. To be honest, I was hoping it was too much trouble.
"I'm headed that way anyways," She told him, and then turned to her dad, "I'll be back to pick up Lucas at three," Then, turning to the kid, "We'll go to the park, okay, sweetie?" She smiled at the boy, ruffling his hair and planting a kiss on top of his head. Despite everything, I had to smile; the kid was cute. We followed Andrea as she walked brusquely down the sidewalk, making us almost jog to keep up.
"So, cute kid," Dean spoke up with an not-so-uncharacteristically bad pickup line.
"Thanks," She answered shortly.
"Kids are the best, huh?" I heard Sammy trying to muffle a snicker behind me, and I had to bite my lip. Why had I even been worried? I elbowed Sammy to get him to stop as we crossed the street to stand in front of the sign to the motel.
"There it is," She announced, turning to us. "Like I said, two blocks," She stood in between Sammy, Dean and me, facing Dean. "Must be hard with your sense of direction," Dean wiggled his eyebrows, looking cocky for a moment. Then, he glanced at me, smirking as I plastered a stoic expression on my face. "Never being able to find your way to a decent pickup line," She jogged away, turning back to me and Sammy briefly to call, "Enjoy your stay!" I nearly joked on my laughter as Dean glared after her, and then at me.
'Kids are the best?'" Sam mocked. "You don't even like kids," My laughter died slowly after that. Another reason why we weren't together. Obviously.
"I love kids," Dean insisted, and I raised my eyebrows as he looked at me.
"Name five kids that you even know," I asked him, crossing my arms. He held up his fist with his thumb already raised as a number one, but paused. Sam scoffed, walking away from him and into the motel.
"I'm thinking," Dean scratched his head, and I just rolled my eyes, smiling before turning to follow Sammy. We got a hotel room without a problem, dropping our stuff down on the beds. Someone would sleep on the couch. That's how it'd been working since the Wendigo we had hunted.
"So," Sammy got down to business, opening his laptop. "There's the three drowning victims this year."
"And before that?" Dean questioned, sorting through his clothes. As I laid on the bed in exhaustion.
"Yeah, six more, spread out over the past 35 years. Those bodies were never recovered either," Sammy informed us, scrolling through the articles.
"So its picking up speed," I noted, not lifting my head from the bed.
"So we got a lake monster on a binge?" Dean asked only half sarcastic.
"This whole lake monster theory - it just bugs me," Sammy told us, and I pushed myself into sitting position.
"I agree. I don't think it's a lake monster," I backed Sammy, walking over to pull up a chair and scan the articles.
"Why?" Dean came over to lean over my shoulder, so I could smell his leathery, earthy scent. I blinked harshly, snapping myself out of it and focusing on the case.
"Loch ness, Lake champlain - there are literally hundreds of eye witness accounts," Sammy explained, "But here, almost nothing. Whatever it is out there, no one's living to talk about it,"
"Wait, Bar," Dean pointed at a name in the article. "Christopher Bar. Where have I heard that name before?" Sam sighed as something tugged in the back of my brain. Bar.
"Christopher Bar," Sammy was reading aloud, "The victim in May," He pulled up a picture of a familiar little boy with a towel around him. "Oh, Christopher Bar 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," I looked away in horror at the thought. Poor kid. "Maybe we do have an eyewitness after all." Sammy added, glancing at us.
"No wonder that kid seemed so scared," I mused, pursing my lips. I winced as Sammy enlarged the image of the scared, wet boy with the towel around his shoulders.
"Watching one of your parents die isn't something you just get over," I looked up at Dean's haunted face as he agreed, his voice holding a double meaning. We headed out and down to the park where Andrea said she would take Lucas. Sammy walked a few paces ahead of us as I was lost in thought for a moment.
"You okay?" I asked, throwing Dean a sideways glance. He nodded, his mouth twitching.
"Yeah, fine. Feel bad for the kid, though," He told me, and I smiled a bit.
"I always wanted to have kids," Dean's eyes snapped to me in surprise, and he turned slightly. I'd never really told anyone that before, as if telling someone would make the dream less of a possibility. Of course, in the life, it was an impossibility.
"I didn't know that," He sounded almost startled by the news with a note of something else. I looked up at him, trying to read his face and frowning a bit, shaking my head. It was probably nothing. "Since when?" I shrugged.
"I don't know. Since high school I guess. It's just always been a dream of mine," Before he could reply, we had reached the park and spotted Andrea.
"Can we join you?" Sammy asked her as we approached. I watched Lucas playing with his crayons, coloring.
"Im here with my son," She told us, glancing over at Lucas.
"Oh," There was a moment of silence, causing my to glance at Dean, who was looking at me. "Mind if I say hi?" His eyes didn't leave mine until after he had asked the question. Without waiting for an answer, he walked over to the boy.
"Tell your friend, this whole Jerry Maguire thing's not gonna work on me," I grinned at her words and sat down next to Sammy on the bench.
"I don't think that's what this is about," I couldn't help sneaking a glance at Dean, who was talking to the boy, grabbing a crayon and starting to color. A smile spread across my lips as he talked to the kid. Dean headed back over to us after a couple minutes, and Andrea turned to us, standing.
"Lucas hasn't said a word, not even to me-" She told us and stopped when Dean approached. "Not since his dad's accident,"
"Yeah, we heard. Sorry," She nodded to Dean appreciatively.
"What are the doctors saying?" Sammy asked her.
"That it's a kind of post-traumatic stress," She tried to shrug off her worry.
"That can't be easy," I sympathized, and she shrugged, looking back at Lucas.
"We moved in with my dad," She explained, "He helps out a lot. It's just…" Her eyes returned to the ground, and she shook her head, "When I think about what Lucas went through, what he saw…"
"Kids are stronger than you think," I tried to comfort her.
"You'd be surprised what they can deal with," Dean added, flashing her a winsome smile.
"You know, he used to have such life," She half laughed, reminiscing. "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." Lucas caught my eye as he came over, but quickly looked down again. "I just wish -" She broke off as she noticed her son coming up to them. "Hey sweetie," He kept his eyes trained on the dirt as he lifted the crayon drawing to Dean, who took it gently. My eyes widened slightly in surprise as I looked up at him.
"Thanks," He glanced up, meeting my eyes briefly before looking back down at the boy. "Thanks, Lucas," The kid just turned and walked off.
After that we headed back to the motel room and researched some more, and ate some take out. There was nothing much we could do, for there was still a rather long list of stuff it could be. There was plenty on sirens. Maybe water nymphs. Something like that? Mermaids even?
"You should get some rest," I turned my bleary eyes to where Dean was sitting across from me. I shrugged, blinking the sleep from my eyes and shifting, refocusing on John's journal that I had been studying.
"I'm fine," I replied, trying desperately not to yawn.
"You're exhausted," It wasn't a question.
"I-" I started only to have Sam chime in from across the room where he was scrolling through sites.
"He's right, Mel," I frowned at him, and then at Dean before sighing.
"Fine," I got up and made my way to the bathroom, brushing my teeth and sweeping my hair into a messy bun before changing into a tank top and sweatpants.
"'Night, gorgeous," Dean commented as I pulled back the covers. I glared at him sleepily making him laugh.
"Shut up," I mumbled, getting under the sheets and shutting my eyes.
"You two will wait by the water for my signal. When I give it, you shoot the thing between the eyes, got it?" John demanded while my dad stood behind him loading the shotgun with silver bullets, handing the gun to me. I looked to my right to see an eighteen-year-old Dean Winchester looking determinedly at his Dad. I shifted awkwardly but nodded anyways. Dean and I - well - ever since I broke up with him last month our friendship had been…strained. He was pissed, hooking up with every girl in a ten mile radius, which hurt. I would never let him see how much it hurt me.
"Yes, sir," Dean replied, a note of excitement in his voice as he was handed a gun as well.
"It's very important," John studied us intently. "Don't screw this up," I shook my head without speaking as Dean still didn't look at me. "Go," We walked over to the dock in a tense silence.
"Dean, you're going to have to talk to me eventually," I finally broke the thick silence that had been dragging on for the past twenty minutes.
"What should I say?" He asked evenly in a completely emotionless voice. He might has well have stabbed me straight through the heart.
"I don't know," I exploded, "Something. Anything!" After I had broken up with him, I'd cried for days, and he had been acting coldly towards me for a month now. Then again wasn't this what I had wanted? I'd been scared when I'd broken up with him. Terrified actually. Maybe, it was better this way? I sneaked a glance at him from the corner of my eye to see him looking out over the water. "At least look at me," I whispered quietly, fully turning towards him.
"Did you cheat on me?" His question so completely threw me that all I could do was stand there with my mouth open, gawking at him. He did look at me then with a look of such anger and pain that I could barely meet them.
"What? No, of course not! Did you really think-" I began hotly.
"I don't know what to think!" He snarled at me, interrupting me. "I thought that-" He broke off and shook his head, returning his gaze to the water.
"You thought what?" I snapped back, not wanting to let him get out of talking to me. When he didn't answer me, I stormed over to him, standing in between him and the edge of the dock. "Look at me!" I demanded, and when he turned slowly I was stunned to see his eyes glistening.
"I thought you loved me," I do. His voice was quiet as he just looked at me, for once not caring if I saw the pain. I felt tears prick behind my own eyes, and I desperately tried to blink them away, "But, I guess I was wrong," There was a note of steel in his voice now as he started shutting me out again.
"I did!" I mustered every ounce of strength I had and yelled the words at him. "And I'm sorry, okay? But with the Aswang in-"
"Then, maybe I shouldn't have saved you!" He interrupted me lividly, and I took an involuntary step back in shock at his biting words. "Maybe I should've let you die!" My eyes widened, and my mind blanked as I just stared into his hateful expression. That was when my feet were pulled out from under me, and I let out a short scream, dropping the gun and hearing it splash into the water. My hands softened my fall slightly, but I still yelped out in pain as my body hit the wood and started sliding along it into the water. A hand grabbed mine, and I stopped moving. My toes were in the water, and I could feel the wet, viselike grip of the Naiad we had been hunting. I couldn't help the yell that escaped me when my newly acquired scratches that probably covered my hand burned.
"Dean, shoot it," I ground out, ignoring the pain. I managed to look up and saw he had dropped the gun when he grabbed my hand with both of his to rival the Naiads strength. Naiads preferred to drown men, some sick obsession with their beauty, but if they were threatened, they could take anybody. Dean let out a grunt as the Naiad hissed and gave a particularly strong tug. My feet entered the water up to my ankles, and then another pull and my knees were under. Dean couldn't stop her; he'd only slow her down. Another pull and my thighs were under the water; I was going to be drowned. Funny, I was going to be drowned, but the only thought that scared me was that Dean would get pulled down with me unless he let go.
"Dean, let go," My waist was under the water, and Dean was on his stomach, holding me with one hand while the other was wrapped around one of the dock's wooden posts. My other arm was clutching the edge of the dock desperately.
"No way in hell," He glared at me, but I could see the blind panic behind his eyes. "Don't you dare give up, Mel,"
"It's okay, Dean," My voice shook as the Naiad yanked and my stomach went under up to my ribs.
"Don't you let go. Don't you fucking let go of me, Mel," Dean yelled, his voice strained as he desperately tightened his hold on my hand.
"Sammy can't loose both of us. Take care of him, Dean," My voice choked, and I loosened my grip, making him tighten his. When he looked at me I could see the tears in his eyes.
"Please, Mel. Please don't leave me. I need you," He was whispering now as the first tear fell down his cheek. I could count the times I'd seen Dean cry on half of my hand. My eyes worked to memorize everything about him; it would be the last time I would see him. "I love you,"
"I-" I was interrupted by a shout and the pounding of feet from the start of the dock, running towards us.
"Melody!" Almost as if everything suddenly started happening in jell-o, the world slowed. My dad was running towards me, yelling my name, a look of terrifying determination and anger contorting his features. He snatched Dean's fallen gun off the deck and didn't slow down.
"Dad, no!" I screamed, suddenly knowing what he was about to do. The Naiad preferred men. Without stopping, he leapt off the dock. The Naiad instantly released me, and I was pulled onto the dock before I could dive after him. Moving quickly, Dean dragged me back onto the shore, and, numbly I let him, my eyes searching the water for any signs of life. That's when I saw the red. The water around where he had dove in was turning a dark crimson color. Naiads didn't bleed. I lunged towards the water only to have Dean catch me around the waist, restraining me.
"Daddy!" My throat was raw with my scream as I thrashed in Dean's arms. "Daddy! NO! Dean let me go! He's still alive!" I twisted away from him, someone was holding my wrists now. "DAD!"
"Mel!" I jerked upright, breathing hard and trembling violently, looking around wildly. "Hey. Hey!" Rough hands grabbed my face, forcing me to look into dark, green eyes. "Look at me!" My breathing slowly calmed as everything came back to me. I was in a hotel room with Dean and Sam. We were working on a case and looking for John. I could almost see my eyes filling with unwanted tears as my throat closed. "You're okay. You're okay," I nodded, looking away from him, not wanting him to see me crying. My eyes caught the glowing clock: 3:37 am. I sniffled a bit and tried to take a deep breath but it came out choked and shaky.
"I'm fine," I mumbled, fixing the covers, and still not meeting his eyes as I felt a hot tear trail down my cheek.
"No, you're not fine," Dean sounded annoyed at my lie. I shifted over, and he slid under the covers beside me without having to be told. I looked up at him, another tear falling down my face as I let out a small sob. It had seemed so real. My dad. He had been there. In front of me again. It was my fault.
"It felt so real," I whispered and felt Dean's arms encircle my waist tightly, pulling me into his chest, where I rested my head, letting more tears flow. "It was my fault. I should've-"
"No," Dean stopped me firmly. "He made his own choice," I'm not sure when I fell asleep, but the next thing I remember is blinking awake with sunlight streaming through the windows. I smiled sleepily, turning my head in to snuggle into the warmth that was by my side. Dean. A shirtless Dean. He really was hot. Quietly and reluctantly, I rose from the bed, going into the bathroom and showering and brushing my teeth. After I'd applied makeup and got dressed, I walked out of the bathroom and almost ran smack into Dean, who smirked at me sexily. I rolled my eyes and walked past him to avoid him seeing the lust that was probably written all over my face. I almost jumped as the door opened and Sam walked through, stopping short when he saw us. I was already dressed in shorts and a comfortable tank top, but Dean was still sleep ridden and in just his boxers. How did I not notice that last night - this morning -? I turned back quickly to Sammy, giving him an awkward half smile.
"So, I think it's safe to say we can rule out Nessie," Thank the Lord for Sam Winchester. He walked in and sat down on the bed, facing us.
"What do you mean?" Dean asked as he grabbed some clothes and went into the bathroom.
"I just drove past the Carlton house," My heart sunk at Sam's words. Someone else had died. "There was an ambulance there. Will Carlton is dead,"
"Drowned?" I took a wild guess. Sam looked at me, and I knew the weird part was yet to come.
"Yep, in the sink," The sink? I frowned, mentally checking off all monsters that couldn't do that.
"What the hell?" Dean came out of the bathroom after having changed at literally light speed. "So, you're right, this isn't a creature. We're dealing with else,"
"Yeah, but what?" Sam asked the question that we were all thinking.
"I don't know. Water wraith maybe?" Dean glanced at me for a moment, and I knew what he was thinking. Naiad? "Some kind of demon?" He asked instead.
"Well we know it's something that controls water," I pointed out.
"Water that comes from the same source," Dean figured out, and I looked at him, my eyes widening.
"The lake," I nodded as the pieces started fitting together.
"Yeah, " Dean said as Sammy added, "That would explain why it's upping the body count. 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," I bit the inside of my cheek at Dean's words, realizing what that meant.
"It's going to happen again. Soon," I spoke, my eyes following Dean as he walked over to lean on a chair.
"And we do know one other thing for sure. We know that this has got something to do with Bill Carlton," Sammy told us.
"Yeah, it took both his kids," Dean sat down and started putting his boots on while I did the same from the bed.
"And I've been asking around," Sammy added, "Lucas's dad - Chris - Bill Carlton's godson."
"Let's go pay Mr. Carlton a visit, then." I said, getting to my feet and heading out the door. The ride out took only half an hour, and Mr. Carlton was sitting out on the same dock as before. It was almost as if we'd never left him.
"Mr. Carlton," I asked softly, already uneasy about being on a dock, that and the fact that I could almost feel the pain rolling off of him. He jerked his head up to look at us as we approached. "If it's not too much trouble, we'd like to ask you a few questions,"
"We're from the Department-" Dean began routinely.
"I don't care who your with," The man cut in shortly. "I've answered enough questions today," I met Sammy's eyes and shrugged, nodding at him to continue.
"Your son said he saw something in that lake. What about you? You ever see anything out there?" The father didn't respond to Sam's question. "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," He told us brokenly. ''It's…" He choked up for a moment, and sympathy flooded through me. "It's worse than dying," He turned back to look at us, and the tears in his eyes tore at my heart. I glanced at the two boys and caught Dean's eyes. "Go away… please." I tore my gaze from Dean to look back at the heartbroken father, and that broke me. I grabbed Dean's arm with one hand and Sam's in the other and steered them away from the man.
"What do you two think?" Sammy asked us as we came to the Impala.
"I think the poor guy's been through hell," Dean spoke for both of us as he answered. Without thinking, I pulled open the passenger's door and leaned on the frame, looking at Dean as he continued, "I also think he's not telling us something,"
"So, where do we go from here?" I questioned as Dean stopped walking, focusing on the Carlton's house. "What is it?"
"Huh," Dean started thoughtfully, "Maybe Bill's not the only one who knows something." He pulled out a paper from his jacket, and I couldn't help but smile a bit as he unfolded the kid's drawing. We needed to go back to Andrea's. That though made me frown slightly, but then another thought overshadowed that one completely. Was Lucas psychic?
"I'm sorry, but I don't think it's a good idea," Andrea sounded uncertain as she glanced up towards Lucas's room.
"I just need to talk to him, just for a few minutes," Dean insisted, practically begging her while Andrea had her hands on her hips firmly. She'd let us in, so that was something, and if there was one person who could convince her, it was Dean.
"He won't say anything. What good's it gonna do?" She asked rhetorically.
"Andrea," Sammy spoke up, bringing out his puppy dog-innocent eyes. "We think more people might get hurt. We think something's happening out there," She turned to Sam, her eyes flicking to me briefly before going back to Dean unsurely.
"My husband, the others - they just drowned," She spoke more to convince herself than to convince us. "That's all."
"Do you really think that?" I questioned, making her frown at me. "Because if that's what you really believe then we'll go, but if you think there's even the slightest chance that there is something more going on, Dean needs to talk to your son," I fixed her with an imploring gaze. "Please," That seemed to push her over the edge, for she turned and led us upstairs.
"He's coloring in his room," We followed her, stopping in the doorway as Dean glanced at me before entering alone.
"Hey, Lucas, remember me?" He asked the boy quietly. The kid didn't respond. Dean moved the pictures that lay on the floor, and I frowned, studying the crudely drawn red bike. Something pulled at my gut, and I almost stepped towards the picture. It had something to do with this case. It had to. "You know, I, uh…" Dean looked back over at Sammy for a moment before his eyes drifted to me and then rested on the boy. "I wanted to thank you for that last drawing… but the thing is I need your help again," The boy didn't even give any sign that he heard Dean at all. Dean pulled out the drawing of the Carlton's house and unfolded it, sliding it over to the boy. "How did you know to draw this? Did you know something bad was gonna happen?" No answer. "Maybe you could nod yes or no for me," He offered. Nothing. There was a moment of silence.
"You're scared," Dean realized, thinking for a moment before speaking again, "It's okay. I understand. See, when I was your age, I saw something real bad happen to my mom," I felt a tug in my heart as Dean's vulnerable side became visible. "And I was scared, too. I didn't feel like talking, just like you. 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," I studied his face, wanting to step into the room and comfort him, or just say anything, but knowing that doing so would alienate the kid. "And maybe your dad wants you to be brave, too," The boy stopped coloring and looked up at Dean, handing him a picture from his pile. "Thanks, Lucas."
Dean glanced up from the floor, and I smiled at him as his eyes met mine. He was good with Lucas. He rose and came to stand by me, giving a small half smile to Andrea before we left the house. The walk out to the car was spent in silence, and I used it to mull over what had just happened. My mind kept drifting back to Dean sitting on the floor with Lucas, and I always found a smile had crept over my lips as I was lost in thought.
"Andrea said the kid never drew like that till his dad died," Dean spoke up as Sam studied the picture from where he was sitting in the passenger's seat. I was leaning against the right back door as my legs were stretched out across the back row and crossed at the ankles.
"There are cases going through a traumatic experience could make certain people more sensitive to premonitions, psychic tendencies," I winced as he said that.
"Well, whatever is out there, what if Lucas is tapping into it somehow?" Dean questioned, sounding genuinely concerned for the boy. That was interesting; they could've formed a link when Lucas's dad was killed. Sammy made a doubtful sound, still studying the picture. "It's only a matter of time before somebody else drowns, so if you got a better lead, please."
"He's right, Sammy, there's not much else, and I have a good feeling about this," I stopped myself abruptly, catching Dean's warning glance in the rearview. Sammy didn't know about my abilities. I wasn't even sure I wanted him to know. When it'd first started happening, John had hunted for nearly a year searching for answers and came up with nothing. Whatever this was, I was on my own, and it wasn't going away.
"What?" Sammy really didn't miss much. His eyes flicked suspiciously between Dean and I, and I shrugged lightly.
"It's just…" I bit my lip, pretending to be unsure, holding out my hand to him. "Let me see the picture again," Sammy handed me the drawing, and I studied it desperately, searching for anything to make me believable.
"There's no point," Dean told me as he threw another glance at the mirror, looking away as I caught his eye. "There's about a thousand yellow two-stories in this county alone." Suddenly, a slow smile spread across my face as I found what I'd been looking for.
"But this church," I placed my finger over the church that stood in the background of the house. "Well, there's not a thousand of those here,"
"Oh, little miss valedictorian, thinks she so smart," Dean mocked, and I reached up to hit him in the arm, fake glaring.
"Are you ever going to let that go? That was almost nine years ago!" He laughed as I gave him another smack on the arm. It had been one school, senior year, I'd been valedictorian. It was probably the longest time we'd ever spent in one place. It was a werewolf that John had been hunting at the time, and, as he had so eloquently put it, it had been an annoyingly smart son of a bitch. A moment of comfortable silence stretched on for a couple of moments before Sam broke it.
"You know, um," He glanced back at me for a moment. I didn't have to be psychic to know a brotherly moment was coming on here. "What you said about mom-" While Sam talked, my eyes found the rearview and focused on Dean's face as it shut down. He glanced and almost as quickly glanced away. "You never told me that before,"
"It's no big deal," Dean brushed it off, keeping his eyes firmly on the road in front of him while I kept mine on his closed off face. There was silence for a moment, and then Dean turned to look at Sam and then back at me and scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Oh, god, we're not gonna have a group hug or anything, are we?" I laughed for a moment as Sam let out an annoyed half chuckle. Suddenly and seemingly of it's own accord, my body jerked upright and sound exploded in my left ear. There was a woman crying, and wheels turning, praying.
"Turn left," I managed to get out around tightly clenched teeth, grabbing Dean's jacket tightly to try to dull the sudden stab of pain that felt like it was splitting my head. Without hesitating, Dean swerved the car around sharply, one hand automatically reaching out to grab my wrist as my arm wrapped around his chest, keeping me from getting thrown into the door.
"What the hell was that?" Sam snapped at us as soon as Dean righted the car and we were driving safely. He glared at both of us in turn.
"I remembered the Sheriff said something about a church up this way. Might be the one we're looking for," I lied smoothly, letting go of Dean, who let go of my wrist slowly. Sam scoffed disbelievingly, and I fixed him with a look, "Do you have something better?" He didn't, and a few minutes later we were standing beside a white church looking at a yellow, two-story house. "I hate to be the one to say I told you so, but…" I fought a smile as I looked up at Sam with raised eyebrows.
"Shut up," He rolled his eyes, turning his head away from me, but not before I saw the starlings of a smile on his face. I couldn't help laughing, glancing up at Dean, who was looking back and forth between Sam and I with a slight frown.
"Come on," He turned to the house, "Better get moving before this thing kills again," Without waiting for a reply, he began crossing the street, and I turned to Sam, who had a small smirk on his face, in confusion before following, a frown pulling at my own lips. Dean wasn't usually like that. God knows, we've joked enough in the past. We made our way to the house and knocked on the door, waiting a moment before knocking again. An elderly woman answered, looking up at us in wonder before ushering us inside.
"We're sorry to bother you, ma'am," Dean began, "But does a little boy live here, by chance?" The old woman's eyes widened in surprise at the question.
"He might wear a blue ball cap, own a red bicycle," I listed off the things I remembered from the picture. The lady looked at the ground then with such grief written across her face that I immediately understood the boy was dead. Another victim?
"No, sir," She answered tiredly and sorrowfully, "Not for a very long time," She led us into the living room, where she gazed sadly at a young boy's school photo that was framed on the table. "Peter's been gone 35 years now," She sighed heavily, and I put a hand on her shoulder in comfort, making her give me a trembling smile. "The police never - I never had any idea what happened. He just disappeared," She turned back to us, shaking her head, and my hand dropped from her shoulder. "Loosing him - you know, it's…" The pain on her face was all too familiar as she struggled to find the words. "It's worse than dying," That rang a bell in my memory. Mr. Carlton had said those exact same words. I looked up at Dean to find him already looking at me with a smirk, making the corner of my mouth twitch up into a slight smile.
"Did he disappear from here - I mean, from this house?" I inwardly winced at Dean's gentle question.
"He was supposed to ride his bike straight home after school, and he never showed up," I glanced back up at Dean, but my gaze slid past him to fix on an old photo that was taped to the mirror. I walked past Dean towards the mirror, captivated by the boy on the bike with his arm around the other, taller blonde boy. I gingerly pried the photo off the mirror and turned to see the three of them looking at me. On a hunch, I flipped the photo, reading the neat scrawl that was spread across the back.
"Peter Sweeney and Billy Carlton, 1970," My eyes met Dean's again before turning back to the broken old woman. "I think we've found everything we're looking for," I fixed her with a bright smile, to which she managed a sad one in return. I stuck the photo back on the mirror before heading out the door and to the car with the two boys following.
"Okay," Sammy recapped from the back as we drove. "This little boy, Peter Sweeney, vanishes, and it's all connected to Bill Carlton somehow," As time passed, I was growing more and more impatient to get there. Something was wrong; I could feel it.
"Yeah, Bill sure as hell seems to be hiding something," Dean agreed while I barely glanced at him.
"And Bill," Sam continued, "The people he loves - they're al getting punished,"
"So what if Bill did something?" Dean suggested, glancing at both of us.
"What if Bill killed him?" I asked, keeping my eyes in front of me.
"Peter's spirit would be furious," Dean nodded thoughtfully, "It'd want revenge. It's possible." I felt his gaze on the side of my head but didn't turn, knowing he'd be able to see the worry in my eyes.
"Hey, you okay?" I was forced to turn my eyes to Sammy as he asked the question in concern.
"I'm fine," I answered, meeting Dean's eyes. He frowned for a moment before his eyes widened fractionally, and he floored it. "Dean!" I yelled in surprise as my back was pressed back into the seat, and the car shot forward. I hated it when he speeded twenty miles over the limit, let alone fifty. Luckily, the exit was only a mile up the road, and we made the turnoff and were pulling up into Bill's driveway a couple minutes later. We got out of the car, but I just stood by the closed passenger's door as Sammy and Dean yelled his name. I heard faint whispering, and closed my eyes, straining my ears to pick up what the voice was.
"Come play with me," The voice hissed, and I turned, running towards the lake and the dock where I somehow knew Mr. Carlton was. I heard Dean shout my name behind me, but it was drowned out by the starting of an engine.
"Mr. Carlton!" I shouted at him, but was grabbed around the waist before I could try to jump off the dock after him. His boat was already making it's way steadily towards the middle of the lake, but I still struggled against the arms for a moment. "Mr. Carlton, you can't! He'll kill you!" I didn't care if I sounded insane to him as I yelled after him.
"What's-" Sammy started to question but stopped short as he saw Mr. Carlton steering the boat into the middle of the small lake. "Come out of the water!" He cupped his hands around his mouth to louden his words. "Turn the boat around!"
"Mr. Carlton!" I screamed, hearing the same eerie hiss as before, and the bad feeling in my stomach worsened to almost nausea. "Mr. Carlton!" Daddy! The flashback hit me hard just as the boat flew ten feet into the air before being sucked down into the water. I turned away from the scene and buried my head into Dean's shoulder, fisting my hands in his jacket and feeling his arms tighten around me securely, pulling me away from the edge of the dock. After a moment, I regained control of myself and stepped away from him, turning back to the serene lake before heading back to the car with them following. The whole trip to the sheriff's office an angry storm brewed inside of me as I glared out the window. I should've been able to do something. I should've been faster. I must've gotten these powers for some reason! Well, what good was it if I couldn't even save one freaking person.
"Sam, Mel, Dean. I didn't expect to see you here," Andrea's voice greeted us as we walked into the office. The sheriff followed us in, and passed us, taking the lead.
"So, now you're on a first name bases," He noted, glancing at both of the boys and then his daughter. "What are you doing here?" He questioned her.
"I brought you dinner," She told him, gesturing to the white bag that sat on the stool to her left.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I really don't have the time," The sheriff barely glanced at the food before taking off his coat. She looked at us for a moment before returning her attention to her father in concern.
"I heard about Bill Carlton," Wow, news really does travel fast. Her father snapped his gaze to her in surprise. "Is it true? Is something going on with the lake?" The sheriff looked back at us, and I frowned at the suspicion in his gaze.
"Right now, we don't know what the truth is, but I think it might be better if you and Lucas went on home," He told his daughter, a not of worry in his voice that hadn't been there before. However much he did know about what was going on, it scared him. Suddenly, Lucas jumped up and ran over to us, pulling on Dean's arm despairingly.
"Lucas, hey, what is it?" He asked in concern for the kid, who was whimpering loudly. "Lucas? Lucas, it's okay," He attempted to comfort him as Andrea came over and tried to pull Lucas away.
"Hey," I moved around Dean to kneel by the boy, and he stopped struggling suddenly and looked at me, his eyes widening in surprise. "It's okay," His mother succeeded in pulling him into her arms, and he calmed enough for her to get him to walk out of the department. Dean watched him go with a sad look in his eyes, and once again, I wanted to reach out and comfort him. Instead, I ripped my gaze from his face and followed the sheriff into his office. We weren't together. He didn't… we weren't… I glanced backwards to see him reluctantly walk into the office behind us.
"What the hell happened?" Sammy and I explained the whole story while Dean sat there, uncharacteristically silent. If I was telling the truth, I was worried about him. Dean didn't open up. I knew that, but sometimes it was just so damn frustrating to have to guess what he was thinking all the time. He turned to and met my eyes, and only then did I realize I'd been studying him. He smirked, and I forced myself to focus on the sheriff.
"Just so I'm clear," The sheriff spoke up, and I refocused on the story we were telling him. "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," Dean answered, for once speaking solemnly.
"And I'm supposed to believe this, even though I've already sonar-swept that entire lake, and what you described is impossible, and you're not really wildlife service?" My face dropped at his words, but in the next second it was confused. "That's right, I checked, the department's never heard of you three.
"See? Now we can explain that," Dean spoke up, oozing false confidence.
"Enough, please," The sheriff hissed angrily. "The only reason you are breathing free air is one of Bill's neighbors saw him steering out that boat just before you did. So, we have a couple 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," He pointed at us furiously, his tight features leaving no room for any argument or excuse.
"I think we'll go for door number two," I calmly answered for all three of us.
"That's the one I'd pick," The sheriff told us, still speaking in a low, threatening voice. Sam and I stood first as Dean rose reluctantly and followed us out the door and into the car. It got dark as we got to the edge of town, stopping at the sight that read Milwaukee turn left. Dean didn't turn, and instead we sat there for a moment.
"You think there's something more to the case," It wasn't a question, but I glanced over at Dean anyway, awaiting his response. Dean turned right, back towards Lake Manitoc.
"The interstate's the other way," Sam pointed out before Dean could say anything.
"I know," Was all he said.
"But, this job - I think it's over," Sam told him.
"I'm not so sure," Dean shook his head as Sam continued to insist from the back seat. I bit my lip, looking at Dean's face as he looked over at me determinedly.
"If Bill murdered Peter Sweeney and Peter's spirit got it's revenge, case closed. The spirit should be at rest," Sam used logic and went through the facts, analyzing. Everything made sense, but I trusted Dean.
"All right, so what if we take off, and this thing isn't done?" Dean returned. "You know, what if we missed something? What if more people get hurt?" If it wasn't over and Dean was right, then why didn't I feel anything?
"Why?" He turned to fix me with steady, green eyes, asking me to believe him.
"Because Lucas was really scared," Dean finally admitted, and I could see the truth in his eyes before he returned his gaze to the road.
"That's what this is about?" Sam questioned incredulously.
"I just don't want to leave town until I know the kid's okay," Dean told us, letting out half a laugh as if he was surprised by his own words. I couldn't help smiling slightly at his words.
"Who are you, and what have you done with my brother?" I laughed a little at Sammy's rhetorical question.
"Shut up," Dean rolled his eyes while I grinned at both of them before looking out the window. Dean pulled up at their house and got out hurriedly, walking quickly to the door so I had to jog to keep up.
"Are you sure about this?" Sam asked for the thousandth time. "It's pretty late, man," In answer, I pressed the doorbell. It'd barely began to buzz when a panting, terrified Lucas pulled the door open and stared at us with wide, horrified eyes.
"Lucas?" Dean grabbed his shoulders. "Lucas!" Lucas just turned and ran up the stairs, and we sprinted after him.
"Come play with me," I heard that same eerie voice from the lake hissing. The top steps were wet, and when I reached the second floor I realized it was coming from the bathroom. Lucas ran to the door and started pounding on it with his tiny fist, but Dean grabbed him and pulled him away from the door, handing him to me. I held him tightly in my arms as Dean kicked in the door, and Sammy ran in.
"Is he all right?" Dean turned to us, and I nodded quickly as Sam grunted loudly as he tried to pull Andrea out of the tub.
"I've got him. Go help Sam," I told Dean, who hesitated, but before he could do anything, Sammy managed to pull a panting, naked Andrea from the tub and onto the floor. We stayed all night, making sure the two were okay. Sammy was in the other room talking to Andrea while Dean and I sifted through her photo albums, letters, cards, anything that could give us a clue as to why it attacked her.
"Come play with me," I spoke softly, not wanting Sammy to hear. Dean turned to me questioningly, and I explained, "The voice I heard at the Carlton's. That's why I ran for the water. I heard it again when Andrea was getting drowned," I forced myself to look up at him.
"And when you told me to turn?" I had been hoping he wouldn't ask about that. "Was that something you heard, too?" I shook my head helplessly.
"I don't know," This time, I held his gaze with a even determination. "I'm going to find out what's happening to me. I'll find some way to fix it. I have to,"
"Mel, we're going to figure this out, I told you," I was already shaking my head before he had finished.
"Dean, I'm a freak!" I struggled to lower my voice. "What if-" I stopped abruptly, afraid to voice what had been haunting me for months now.
"What if what?" His eyes seemed to bore into mine as he gazed at me. My mouth worked, but no sound came out. "What if what, Mel? Say it!"
"What if I start killing people, Dean? What if I end up just another monster? Or witch? What if you have to-" I didn't get far with that thought because he interrupted me.
"Shut up," His tone is what really stopped me. He had so many emotions swirling in those two words that I could barely distinguish any. "Listen to me, we are going to figure this out, all right? I'm not going to let you kill anyone," He spoke the words like a promise, but I couldn't stop myself from thinking, what if you don't have a choice? At that moment, a brown album caught my attention.
"What's that?" I pulled out the album, and read the title. Jake- 12 years old. Jackpot. I flipped through a few pages until I found a picture of a group of boy scouts. Three particular boy scouts grabbed my attention. I turned the album to Dean, tapping on the picture with my pointer finger, and he looked up and grinned at me. "I take it back," I told him, smiling back at him. "Maybe I'm not a freak."
"No, you are," He grinned wider, and my eyes snapped to him in shock. "But so am I," A slow grin overtook my face as I looked up into his eyes. He cleared his throat, turning towards the door, and I'd realized we'd been standing there for a couple of seconds, and I was no longer smiling.
"Do you recognize the kids in these pictures?" Dean asked as he handed Andrea the book. She looked between Sam, Dean, and I in shock before stuttering out a no.
"Except that's my dad right there," She pointed to the pictures. "He must've been about twelve in these pictures."
"Chris Bar's drowning," I spoke up, looking over to Sam as I explained. "The connection wasn't to Bill Carlton. It was to the Sheriff. He was Chris's father-in-law,"
"Bill and the Sheriff - they were both involved with Peter," Sam pieced together.
"What about Chris?" Andrea asked in complete confusion. "My dad - what are you talking about?"
"Lucas?" Dean asked, ignoring Andrea's questions and instead focusing on the boy, who was standing by the window just staring through the glass. "Lucas, what is it?" Without talking, he opened the door and walked out with us hurrying after him.
"Lucas, honey?" His mom called as we followed. He stopped in front of a patch of moss and looked down on it solemnly as we came to stand in front of him.
"You and Lucas get back to the house and stay there, okay?" Dean ordered her, looking at the boy. Andrea didn't need to be told twice before grabbing Lucas and pulling him towards the house.
"What do you think is buried there?" I questioned, glancing at the both of them.
"I don't know, but I think we're about to find out," Dean answered. "I'll get shovels," He turned back to the house and started towards the shed that was in the corner.
"Are either of you going to tell me what's going on?" I turned to Sam in surprise and confusion.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, and he just shook his head and gave half a laugh.
"Do you think I don't notice? The looks when you think no one's looking?" I just gave Sam my best blank, uncomprehending face. He gave another half laugh as he clarified, "You know, Dean checks you out when you're not looking. You check him out when he's not looking. He's constantly worried about you, and you're constantly worried about-"
"Okay, I got it," I interrupted him, making him laugh in earnest. I shoved him, mock glaring. "Shut up, Sammy," And then a moment later, "Does he really check me out when I'm not looking?" Sammy opened his mouth to answer when Dean appeared beside us with three shovels, handing them up. We only had to dig for a minute before striking something solid and pushing the rest of the dirt away with our hands. I stood next to Dean, brushing myself off as him and Sam lifted the bike up for us to see.
"It's Peter's bike," Sam noted, looking at the chipping red paint. I froze as I heard the all too familiar cocking of a gun to my right.
"Who are you?" I turned slowly to see Jake standing there, pointing the pistol at us. Dean took a small step in front of me, shielding half my body with his. He's constantly worried about you.
"Put the gun down, Jake," I tried to reason with him. "You don't want to do this,"
"How did you know that was there?" Jake demanded, tightening his grip on the weapon.
"What happened - you and Bill killed Peter?" Dean stalled in a smartass tone that worried me. "Drowned him in the lake, and then buried the bike? You can't bury the truth, Jake. Nothing stays buried,"
"I don't know what the hell you're talking about," Jake denied quickly.
"You and Bill killed Peter Sweeney 35 years ago. That's what the hell we're talking about," Dean answered him, trying to remain calm. "And now you got one seriously pissed-off spirit."
"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."
"And then, after you've lost everything, it's gonna take you," I finished for Sam, "It won't stop until it does,"
"Really? And how do you know that?" Jake scoffed disbelievingly.
"Because that's exactly what it did to Bill Carlton," Sam answered the mocking question seriously, trying to make the man understand how dire the situation was.
"Listen to yourselves, the three of you. You're insane," Jake told us, using any excuse not to believe. It was obvious he already had suspicions about what was going on; he was just too scared to admit they were true.
"I don't really give a rat's ass what you think of us," Dean spoke evenly, "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."
"Dad, is any of this true?" Andrea asked her father, not wanting to believe it.
"No, don't listen to them," Her father denied flatly. "They're liars, and they're dangerous."
"Something tried to drown me. Chris died on that lake," Andrea told him, growing more and more desperate as he kept his eyes trained on us, "Dad, look at me." Slowly, the Sheriff moved his head to look at his daughter. "Tell me you - you didn't kill anyone." He lowered the gun slowly, not speaking at all. "Oh, my god," Andrea whispered as the truth sunk in.
"Billy and I were at the lake," He began, "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." He turned to us as he spoke, "We let the body go, and it sank." Then back to Andrea, "Oh, Andrea, we were just 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," There was a sick feeling boiling in my stomach, and I couldn't hold it any longer.
"You have to listen to us, all of you," I took control of the situation, "Let us get you as far away from the lake as we can." Suddenly, Andrea gasped, and I followed her gaze, my heart nearly stopping as I saw Lucas on the dock bending down by the water.
"Lucas!" His grandfather yelled as he stuck his fingertips into the water, swirling them around. I sprinted after Dean, Sam, and the sheriff as we ran towards the water. We approached the dock just in time to see Lucas' head disappear into the watery depths.
"Stay on the dock!" Dean yelled back at me before he and Sam jumped off the dock.
"Like hell I will," I muttered as I kicked off my boots, throwing my flip phone onto shore before diving off the dock after Sam and Dean.
"Come play with me," I heard the voice hiss, and I spun around underwater before breaking the surface again, gasping for air and turning to see if he'd been found.
"Mel?" I turned to look at a seriously pissed off Dean as he dove down again for the boy, Sam following him.
"Peter," The sheriff's voice stopped me from diving after the brothers. I turned to see him entering the water and started swimming towards him. "If you can hear me, please, Peter, I'm sorry,"
"Daddy?" Andrea's terrified voice sounded from the dock, and I swam faster towards him. It was as if my dad's death was replaying itself, only this time, I was in the water. This time, I could do something.
"I'm - I'm so sorry," The sheriff continued as I pushed myself still faster.
"Get out of the water!" I yelled at him, desperate for him to be saved.
"Peter, please! Lucas - he's just a little boy. Please, it's not his fault. It's mine. Please take me!" The sheriff begged the spirit for the trade. Sam and Dean surfaced behind me, but I was already halfway to Jake. "Please, it's not his fault! Please, take me!"
"Jake, no!" I heard Dean yell behind me, but it was too late for him.
"Just let it be over!" His face changed; it had him. For a moment, it looked as though he were stronger, and then he got pulled under. I dove after him, sucking in a breath before I went and pumping my legs hard, seeing him in front of me growing larger. I grabbed his hand, and it tightened around mine. I pulled at him with every fiber of my being, trying desperately to move him an inch upwards, but the best I could do was to slow the descent. My lungs were burning for air, and I could see the surface shimmering above me as I tried to reach it. The hand was too tight around mine; I couldn't get out. I needed to save him. I couldn't let him die. He had a daughter. And a grandson. And a family!
Against my will, my mouth opened and my body sucked in water, tried to cough. I felt as though a pillow had been pressed against my mouth, and my body yanked at the arm with sheer panic. And then… nothing. I stopped struggling and just drifted through the water, not resisting the pull of the spirit anymore. It was almost peaceful in here. Everything was clear. The surface shimmered tauntingly, and I frowned. I was going to die. I'd miss it here. I'd miss the Impala. John. Bobby. Sammy. And Dean. God, I would miss Dean. I loved him. I really did. More than I'd ever loved anybody. Black spots danced in my vision, and the world slipped into oblivion.
-3rd person-
Andrea was on the verge of giving up hope and sinking into despair when Dean resurfaced with her child held firmly in one arm. She almost choked on her relief as he made his way to the dock with Sam. They placed a coughing Lucas on the wood, and Andrea grabbed him in her arms, not caring how wet he was. Sam was already out of the water, and Dean was pulling himself out when Andrea spoke urgently between sobs.
"Mel didn't come up," Both boys heads snapped to her, their eyes wide.
"What the hell do you mean she didn't come up?" Dean was out of the water now. "Where did she go?" Andrea pointed a shaky finger at where her father had disappeared. Dean didn't hesitate to dive in after her, his heart pounding painfully in his chest. He swam farther and farther down into the murky water, and then he saw her. Her eyes were closed, but she looked so pale. Paler then Dean had ever seen her. He grabbed her hand, and, with one tremendous pull, freed her from the dead Sheriff's grip.
"Dean!" He heard Sam's voice as he broke the surface with her clutched in his arms. He managed to get to the dock, and Sam pulled her onto it, immediately checking her pulse and breathing. "Dean, she's not breathing!" He yelled at her brother, a note of absolute terror in the twenty-two year olds voice. Dean's life froze around him at those words. He didn't remember climbing onto the dock, but the next thing he knew he was next to her, brushing the wet hair out of her face.
He pressed his lips to hers, blowing. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5… He had taken a course in high school. She had made him take it because she had had to. Blow. Blow. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5… He wished to god he'd payed better attention instead of laughing and making stupid smartass comments. He'd just wanted to make her laugh. That's all he really cared about in high school.
"Come on, Melody!" He snapped at her limp body, and Andrea watched in stunned shock as she saw a tear roll down his cheek as he continued with the compressions. "Don't you die on me, Mel. Not after all we've been through. It can't end like this," She doubt he even knew he was crying. "Come on, Mel, breathe! Please!" The raw desperation in his voice made her press her whimpering child to her and wrap her arms around him tightly.
"Dean," Sam's voice cracked twice as he said his brother's name. "Stop," His brother didn't give any sign he'd even heard Sam. "Dean, stop!" He pushed Dean off of her, nothing could change the fact. She didn't have a pulse. "She's-" His voice cracked so bad he couldn't continue, so he just simply shook his head trying to hold back the hot tears that poured down his face. And then, Sammy lost it.
"No," Dean's hand found hers, intertwining his fingers in her cold, limp ones and pulling he into his arms. "You can't be dead, Mel, okay? Just open your eyes, please. You have to tell me I'm speeding. And that I'm being an ass. And I'm going to get myself killed. And I'm being too hard on Sammy. Please," He pressed his forehead against hers, his tears mixing with the water already covering her face. "I need you. I love you," He whispered, and then angrily, his voice grew louder. "I love you! Is that what you wanted to hear? I need you to wake up. Just open your eyes,"
She coughed. Water gushed out of her mouth and onto the dock. She gave another wet cough. More water stained the wood of the dock. Her body shook with the last cough, and it left her breathing shakily as she looked up at a wet Dean.
"Hey," She mumbled, taking in the puffy redness around his frightened eyes. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen Dean openly frightened about anything, and the terror that was clear in his eyes now scared her more than anything.
"Hey," He let out a shaky laugh, running his thumb over her features, memorizing them. Before he knew what he was doing, he pressed his lips to hers gently and felt her freeze with surprise under his lips. Realizing what he was doing, he pulled away quickly, staring into her wide eyed face with regret written in his eyes.
"Um, I should-" He looked up and cleared his throat, and his eyes found Lucas and Andrea. "I should take them back," He muttered, gently placing Mel on the ground, avoiding her eyes and letting her hand slip away from his. "Make sure she's safe," He didn't look at Sammy as he past him.
"Dean," She snapped out of the stunned stupor, standing unsteadily and grabbing his hand. His fingers trembled slightly under her touch, or maybe they had been trembling already. He just took his hand back and continued walking, not looking back. What had happened? "Sammy," She turned to Sammy and was hit by a hug so hard that she had to take two steps back. Automatically, she wrapped her arms around his neck tightly, feeling him shaking. "Who died?" She tried a weak attempt at a joke.
"You did," He murmured, shocking her. "You didn't have a heartbeat. You drowned," That's why they were acting so weird. Her heart sunk into her feet when she realized something else. That's why Dean kissed her. He pulled away from her, there were still tears in his eyes and he breathed shakily. "You know I love you, right?" She smiled at him, pulling him into another hug.
"I know, Sammy," She couldn't stop the smile, though. She couldn't remember the last time he'd actually said those words to her. She couldn't remember the last time anyone had. "I love you, too,"
-1st person-A couple hours later-
"You two are going to have to talk to each other sometime," Sam pointed out as we waited by the car for Dean to grab the last of the bags.
"I wouldn't know what to say," I looked down at my hands. I hadn't been this awkward since I was a freshman in high school. Dean had just joined us, when, thankfully before Sam could make some dumb excuse to leave, Andrea called our names.
"Hey," We walked over to Andrea and Lucas, who was carrying a plate full of sandwiches.
"We're glad we caught you," She told us, smiling. "We just, uh, we made you lunch for the road. Lucas insisted on making the sandwiches himself,"
"Can I give it to him now?" Lucas asked, and I smiled at him.
"Come on, Lucas, let's load this in the car," Dean grabbed the tray from Lucas, and they headed towards the back of the car as I watched them go.
"I should go - make sure they don't move my bags," I fought a smile as I realized Sam was worried about his computer. Sammy. I turned to Andrea, my expression turning to concern.
"How're you doing?" I asked her quietly. She let out a long sigh, studying me for a moment.
"It's just gonna take a long time to sort through everything, you know?" She told me honestly, and I felt guilt weighing on my chest.
"Andrea, I'm so sorry. I should've done something-" I started, looking at her with guilty eyes.
"You helped save my son," She interrupted me. "I can't ask for more than that," She took a deep breath. "Dad loved me. He loved Lucas. No matter what he did, I just have to hold on to that," I looked back at Dean and Lucas as Sam tried to move his bags so they wouldn't crush them. They gave up and Dean moved the sandwiches upfront. "He loves you, you know," I just shook my head, smiling sadly.
"He was just scared," I told her, smiling softly as he gave the kid a high five.
"You didn't see him," Her eyes moved to Sam and back to Dean. "You didn't see them. They fell apart without you," I just looked at her with sadness.
"We grew up together. We're close," She shook her head, smiling slightly.
"All I know, is that if someone loved me as much as he loves you. I wouldn't wait," Dean looked up, and I looked away. "You love him too. I can tell," We walked over to stand by Dean, Sam, and Lucas.
"Thank you," She smiled at Dean and then Sam.
"Sam-" Dean started.
"Dean," I cut him off as he started to turn, making him look back to face me. "There's something I forgot to do," Without thinking, I grabbed the collar of his shirt and brought his lips down on mine. He reacted immediately, his hands sliding around my waist, pressing me closer to him. My arms snaked around his neck, and one hand came up to tangle in his short hair. When I broke away from the kiss, we were both breathless, and he leaned his forehead against mine. Occasionally, he would lean down to kiss me or I would raise my lips to meet his. Someone coughed loudly behind us, and I turned, loving the way Dean's arm remained around my waist.
"All right, Sam," Dean snapped at him, and I tilted my chin upwards. He took the opportunity and kissed me sweetly while I closed my eyes, savoring it before he broke away. "What are you looking at, Sammy? Move your ass, we're gonna run out of daylight before we hit the road," I couldn't keep the smile off my face as I turned back to Andrea, and she offered me a small smile in return. I opened the car door and climbed into the back, slamming it shut behind me. I gave a half wave to Andrea and Lucas, and soon, Dean put them and the town in the rearview mirror.
