Chapter Seventeen
Is it just me, or do Sam and Dean strip in this story a lot?
Lizzie and Lori popped up from the water in the dock as Sam and Dean walked over to the edge that night.
"You ready?" asked Sam.
"Not really," Dean shrugged.
"Too bad," said Sam, taking off his jacket and tossing it under the bench nearby.
Dean rolled his eyes and took his own jacket off, storing it under the bench also. Dean turned back to see Sam diving into the water, rushing off into the harbor with Lizzie and Lori. Dean glanced around, groaning to himself.
"This is a bad idea…" muttered Dean.
He pulled his shirt and jeans off, kicking off his boots and storing them next to Sam's clothes. He looked down at the water warily, not really sure about the whole thing. Dean lowered himself to the ground, sitting on the edge of the dock with his legs tucked up against his chest. He slowly lowered one leg down towards the water and submerged it, watching as the foot transformed into half of a tail.
"Holy crap…" Dean muttered.
He glanced up at the harbor past the dock wall, seeing Sam, Lori and Lizzie jumping around and having fun.
"Here goes nothing…" said Dean.
He pushed off from the edge of the dock, jumping into the water. The feeling of his legs basically melting together and sprouting scales and the fins bursting from his arms shocked him for a moment. He also panicked a little as the water flooded his lungs before he felt his lungs drawing the oxygen from the water like they were supposed to. He looked around underwater, surprised to find out that he could see quite clearly. He could feel the fish part of his brain itching for a good swim.
Smirking, Dean dove down to the bottom of the water and rushed up towards the top, jumping high over the dock wall. He headed for the three others, finding them darting around in the water.
"Finally," Sam said. "Did you get lost?"
Dean glared at him. "If I recall, your first time in the ocean wasn't so easy either."
Lizzie giggled. "Let's go!"
She and Lori darted off for deeper water. Sam glanced over at Dean, looking him up and down. Dean's tail was a scarlet, almost a ruby; so were his fins. He still wore his amulet that Sam had given him.
"Fish looks good on you," Sam told him, smiling.
"Yeah, well, what can I say?" said Dean, shrugging. "I always look better than you."
Sam laughed, rushing off after the girls. Dean followed him, laughing.
This isn't half bad, Dean thought.
The three of them jumped around and swam all over, having a great time. Dean was kind of a natural in the water, for some reason. The merman lifestyle seemed to come second nature to him. When the dawn started to arrive, the four of them swam back to the dock. Sam pulled himself out of the water, drying himself off and pulling his clothes on.
"I'll get the car," said Sam, heading off towards the Impala.
Dean pulled himself up onto the edge of the dock, dragging his tail out also.
I'm so glad Dad isn't here to see me like this… Dean thought.
He concentrated, and the water immediately rushed off of him and into the dock. He grabbed his pants, pulling them on as Sam pulled up. As Dean pulled the rest of his clothes on, he looked down at the two mermaids in the water.
"Sam'll be by tonight," Dean told them. "We'll see you guys later."
"Bye, Dean," said Lizzie. She looked towards the car. "See you later, Sam."
Sam nodded and waved as Dean headed to the car, climbing in. Sam drove away as Lori and Lizzie dove back into the harbor and out towards the ocean.
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Sam leaned back on the headboard of the bed, boringly flipping through the channels of the TV. "And why can't we go anywhere again?"
"'Cause we're freaks of nature," said Dean.
"You say that like we haven't been freaks our whole lives," said Sam.
Dean looked at him. "We have?"
"Come on, Dean," said Sam. "We chase ghosts and demons, and I've got—" he stopped himself short, remembering he still hadn't told Dean that he had demon blood, "—psychic abilities, and you sold your soul. We've been freaks for as long as I can remember."
"Well, now we're bona fide freaks," said Dean. "We're staying in."
Sam rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "Fine."
Dean frowned, stepping closer to Sam's bed. "Need I remind you that those bounty hunters are still out there. Anyone sees anything weird, and I guarantee you they will get wind of it. And we are not going through that hell again. So, until we can go for an actual walk in the rain, we stay put!"
"Okay, okay," said Sam, putting his hands up in defense. "Chill out."
"Oh, I'm chill," said Dean. "I am completely chill."
Sam glanced over at him. "Really? 'Cause you are the picture of calm."
"Well, wouldn't you be on edge, too?" said Dean. "Those hunters are who knows where. We should be taking care of them before they hurt anyone else. Not to mention that they could catch us any moment. Oh, and the small fact that we could get stuck like this for the rest of our lives!"
"Well, then, you better get used to it, I guess," smiled Sam.
"Very funny," said Dean. "I'm not getting used to anything."
"Dude, they have a cure," said Sam. "We'll be taking showers before you know it."
"Showers, huh?" said Dean, finally cracking a slight smile. "Always thought you were more of a bubble bath person."
Sam glared at him. "Yeah, well…" he reached for his glass of water, raising it to his mouth, "I know that you're a shower person." He flung his hand out, spraying Dean with the water.
Dean flung his arms up as the water splattered all over him. The fins sprouted from his arms, and the scales broke out on his hands. Sam put the empty glass back on the bedside table with a smile as Dean lowered his arms, glaring at Sam.
"Now that was uncalled for," Dean growled at Sam.
"I thought it was spot on," Sam smiled.
Dean narrowed his eyes at Sam, smirking a little. Sam's smile faded a little as his instinct began screaming at him. Dean tilted his head a little, and a jet of water spewed from the bathroom faucet and hit Sam in the legs. Sam's pants tore as his tail transformed.
Sam glared up at Dean. "You didn't…"
Dean smirked at him. "Oh, I did."
Sam raised his arm, flinging it at Dean. Water flew from the bathroom and swept Dean off of his feet, transforming his legs also. Dean raised his arm from the floor, swiping it at Sam. Water hit Sam in his side, pushing him off of the bed. Sam moved the water under a few pillows, sending them towards Dean and hitting him in the face several times with them. Dean pushed them aside and made a small table fly up towards Sam. Sam stopped it with a jet of water, breaking it to pieces.
Sam made a shotgun float on some water as Dean made a piece of the table float on some water. They both started to make them fly towards one another when a door slammed. Both of them froze—making the water freeze in midair—and they both looked slowly towards room door. Bobby stood inside the closed door with crossed arms, staring at them.
"Really?" said Bobby.
Dean glanced over at Sam, who glanced back at him. The table piece and shotgun fell to the floor and the water soaked into the carpet as Sam and Dean both dropped their hands. Dean looked sheepishly up at Bobby.
"Just, uh…you know…" muttered Dean, "cabin fever…sibling rivalry…"
"Can you two maybe act as if you're not teenagers anymore?" said Bobby. "Clean this mess up." He headed over to the kitchen to grab a beer.
Sam and Dean dried themselves up quickly, pulling on new pants. They dried the carpet up, sweeping the water up and into the tub and storing the broken table in the corner.
"Don't let me walk in on something like that again, ya idjits," said Bobby, tossing them each a beer.
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Sam pulled up to the dock, getting out of the Impala. He headed to the dock and pulled his clothes off, diving in and heading out into the harbor. Lizzie was waiting for him in the harbor, smiling as he swam closer.
"So, how's everything going?" asked Sam as they swam out into the ocean.
"Great," said Lizzie. "The Elders are preparing for tomorrow night."
Sam hesitated for a moment. "Are you alright with this? Me going away, I mean."
Lizzie looked over at him. "Honestly…not completely. I mean…I know that you have work to do, and I can respect that. But I will miss you."
Sam smiled at her. "I'll miss you, too. It's been…interesting."
"Interesting, huh?" said Lizzie. "Well, why don't we make it exciting."
She took off away from Sam, diving through the water towards the bottom. Sam followed her, speeding ahead of her, and sped towards the surface, jumping high out from the surface. A ball of water collided with his head, making him tumble back into the water. Sam caught his bearings, looking around for the thrower. He was surprised to see Dean floating in the water, smirking at him. Sam frowned as he swam closer.
"What, you thought I'd skip out on my last chance at kicking your ass down here?" said Dean.
"Like you even could," said Sam. "I've had more practice."
"Yes, but I am, apparently, a natural," said Dean.
"A natural fish?" frowned Sam. "I'm not sure that's a compliment, Dean."
Dean rolled his eyes and rushed off into the ocean. Sam followed him as Lizzie joined them. Before long, they caught up with some dolphins and went swimming with them.
"Hey, guys!" said Lori, swimming up to them.
"Hey, Lori," said Sam, running his hand along a dolphin's back as it swam away.
"How's it going?" Dean asked her.
"Pretty good," said Lori. "I got good news. The Elders think they can really pull it off."
"But they don't know for sure," said Dean.
"Well, they've never done it before," said Lizzie.
"They haven't?" asked Dean. "So, we're a trial run? That's reassuring."
"Well, think about it," said Lori. "Anyone who ever got turned enjoyed the life. No one has ever wanted to go back to human. You're the first ones…probably the only hunters to ever get turned."
"Well…" shrugged Dean, "I guess we don't have a choice."
"It'll be alright," said Lizzie. "I mean, the ritual wouldn't kill you or anything. If it doesn't work, the worst that would happen is you…don't get turned back."
Sam glanced at Dean, who rolled his eyes. Sam looked back at the girls.
"Well…we could make that work," said Sam.
"We could?" said Dean.
"Yeah, we could," said Sam.
"We already had this discussion, Sam," said Dean.
"And we could work around all that," said Sam.
"If you say so…" muttered Dean.
Lori put a hand on Dean's shoulder. "We'll try as hard as we can."
Dean looked at her. "Alright…but right now…"
He darted off into the ocean as the three others followed him.
When the sun began to rise, Dean and Sam headed back into the dock, going back to human form. They began pulling on their clothes.
"You guys have to be back here just as the sun sets," said Lori. "It has to be done before midnight, and we have to do one at a time."
"We do?" asked Dean, latching his belt and grabbing his shirt. "Why can't we do both at the same time."
"Because you'll be human at the bottom of the ocean," said Lizzie. "And we'll have to pull you to the surface and back to shore for CPR."
"CPR?" asked Dean, pulling on his jacket. "Why can't you do that healing kiss thing?" He waggled his eyebrows.
"A kiss only heals illness or damaged tissue," said Lori. "It can't clear lungs of water. We'll need someone on shore to perform CPR, and we won't be able to change back in time."
"What about Bobby?" asked Sam, grabbing his jacket.
"That's good for one of you, but what about the other?" asked Lori. "We'll turn back one at a time. The other can wait on the dock for CPR."
"Fine," said Dean. "We'll see you this evening."
"Bye," said Lizzie.
Sam headed to the Impala as Dean got into Bobby's truck, driving back to the motel. Dean and Sam walked into the room, where Bobby was putting a bag together.
"What's the bag for, Bobby?" asked Dean, setting the keys to the truck down on the table.
"For tomorrow," said Bobby. "Cured or not, we're still hitting the road. I'm packing."
"You've got all day to pack," said Dean. "Let's get some breakfast."
The three of them headed back out the door to the Impala and headed to a diner. They ordered and were waiting for the food.
"So, we're heading to the dock at sunset?" asked Bobby.
"We are," said Dean. "Me and Sam will head down there and wait for each other. I don't want to attract any unwanted attention by extra people. Those guys may still be watching that dock."
"Alright," said Bobby. "I'll be nearby. Call if you need anything."
"Will do," said Sam.
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Sam and Dean sat in silence as they drove down towards the dock.
"Are you sure about this?" asked Sam.
Dean rolled his eyes. "Oh, my God, Sam. Yes, I'm sure! We are not staying this way!"
"No, no," said Sam quickly. "About this ritual thing. I mean, we could both drown."
Dean nodded a little. "Yeah, I know. But what choice do we have?"
Sam sighed as they pulled up to the dock and parked. They got out of the car and headed to the edge of the dock. Lizzie and Lori looked up at them in the twilight. Sam and Dean looked around to make sure no one was there before kneeling down on the dock.
"Everything ready?" asked Sam.
"Yes," said Lori. "Just waiting for you guys."
"Right," said Dean. "Sammy, wait here."
"What?" said Sam. "Who says you get to go first?"
"Says me," said Dean. "I am not letting you go first when we don't know what will happen. I'll be the guinea pig."
"Dean—" said Sam.
"Sam," Dean warned. "I'm going. You're staying here." He stood up and began stripping down to his boxers.
Sam sighed and sat down on the bench while Dean stored his clothes under it. Dean dived into the water as Lizzie and Lori jumped over the wall and into the harbor. Dean surfaced and looked back at Sam.
"I'll see you later," said Dean before he jumped over the wall and headed into the ocean, leaving Sam to wait at the dock.
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Sam glanced at his watch again, his leg jumping up and down. It had been an hour and a half since Dean and the girls had left. The time was beginning to grow short on the ritual. It could only be performed before midnight, and it was eight o'clock. Who knew how long the ritual itself would take. More importantly, Sam was starting to worry about Dean. How does he know that Dean is alright?
What was that? Sam thought.
He looked up at the harbor beyond the wall to see something speeding towards the dock on the surface of the water. Sam stood up, squinting through the darkness to see what it was. As it drew closer, Sam stepped up to the edge of the dock. The next second, Lori jumped over the wall, carrying an unconscious Dean.
"Dean!" Sam called, kneeling quickly down at the edge of the water.
Lori sped over to the dock, making sure Dean's head stayed above water. Sam leaned down, grabbing Dean under the shoulders and dragging him up onto the dock. Sam leaned down and listened for any breath. There was nothing there, so Sam tilted Dean's head back, pinching his nose and pulling his jaw open.
Sam leaned down and gave two deep breaths. He sat back up, moving his hands to Dean's chest just above the heart. He compressed Dean's heart fifteen times before moving back to give two more breaths. That's how it went for the next twenty seconds or so: fifteen compressions and two breaths, one after another.
"Come on, Dean," said Sam as he compressed. "Breathe, dammit. Breathe!"
Dean coughed, choking up a lungful of water. Sam leaned back on his heels, sighing in relief. Dean sat up, spitting the water out.
"Oh, thank God…" breathed Sam.
"That was unpleasant," said Dean. "Mind giving me some clothes?"
Sam looked down to see that Dean was soaked…and still had legs. "It worked!"
"Yeah, genius," said Dean. "Now give me my damn pants."
Sam grabbed the pants from the bench and chucked them at Dean, who quickly pulled them on. Dean pulled his shirt on, wiping the water from his hair and face.
"Alright," said Dean, smiling up at Sam. "Your turn."
Sam rolled his eyes, taking his clothes off and dropping them on the bench. He dove into the water and sped off after Lori's form.
"Where's Lizzie?" asked Sam.
"Waiting for us back with the Elders," said Lori. "And, uh…this is not going to be easy."
"Yeah, I figured," said Sam.
They swam down towards the town, heading towards the Edlers' dome. When they entered the dome, the Elders and Lizzie were waiting around what looked like an altar.
"Hello, Sam," said William. "It is good to see you again."
"You, too," said Sam. "Is, uh…Is everything ready?"
"Yes," said William. "Are you?"
"I guess," shrugged Sam.
"Lie down," said William, gesturing to the stone table.
Sam edged forward, lying down on the altar. Lizzie swam over and floated beside him as the Elders swam back and forth. Sam looked at Lizzie and held a hand out.
Lizzie grabbed hold of Sam's hand, smiling at him. "I'll miss you."
Sam smiled back at her. "I'll miss you, too."
Lizzie gently let go of his hand and stayed close to the altar. William swam forward, laying a hand over Sam's heart.
"This will feel…a little weird," said William, placing a hand over Sam's forehead.
Sam nodded as he breathed slowly and evenly, trying to remain calm. William and the other Elders began speaking some language Sam had never heard. It was probably a language the merpeople invented in the beginning. William's grip on his chest tightened slightly as Sam took a deep breath to steady himself.
Sam frowned as he began to get light-headed. He tried to take a deeper breath, but was stunned when the water flowing into his lungs offered no oxygen whatsoever. He began to struggle on the table, desperately needing air. William pushed down against his chest and head, forcing him to stay still. Sam struggled strongly until the Elders grabbed hold of his tail and arms, holding him still. Sam tried to hold his breath, but his brain screamed at him to inhale. He gulped down a lungful of water and blacked out.
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Dean sat on the bench, wringing his hands. He stared into the harbor, waiting for the appearance of a mermaid. At long last, something jumped up from the middle of the harbor, propelled by a jet of water. Dean jumped up from the bench, rushing over to the edge of the dock. Lizzie launched over the wall and into the dock, speeding over towards the dock.
Dean knelt on the dock and reached down as Lizzie lifted Sam as much as she could. Dean grabbed hold of Sam's arms and lifted him up onto the dock. Dean leaned over him, listening for breath. He tilted Sam's head back and began the routine of two breaths and fifteen compressions. After half a minute, Sam's lips were beginning to turn blue, and his skin was paling.
"Come on, Sammy!" Dean yelled. "Breathe!"
Dean was beginning to grow desperate as Sam still hadn't taken a breath after a full minute.
"Sam!" Dean cried, his compressions growing more forceful. "Breathe, dammit, breathe!"
Lizzie clamped a hand to her mouth as tears began to fall down her face.
Dean gave two more breaths before going back to compressions. "Don't you give up on me, Sammy!"
After the compressions, Dean leaned down to give breaths. As he gave the second one, Sam convulsed as he coughed. Dean jumped back as Sam spat out water, grabbing at his throat.
"Sammy!" said Dean. "You okay?"
Sam nodded as he took big gulps of air, his chest heaving.
"Dammit, don't scare me like that!" Dean yelled, whacking Sam on the shoulder.
Sam coughed as he sat up. "Sorry to…" he took a big breath, "give you a…heart attack. I was only drowning."
"Not funny, Sam," said Dean, grabbing the pants and handing them to Sam.
Sam pulled them on quickly, looking at Lizzie. She was smiling sadly up at Sam. Sam scooted over to the edge of the dock as Lizzie pulled herself up towards him.
"So…" said Sam. "I guess this is goodbye."
"Yeah…" said Lizzie.
"I, uh…I'll see you around," said Sam.
Lizzie smiled at him. "No, you won't."
Sam shrugged. "You never know. I might visit…someday."
Lizzie smiled. "I won't hold my breath, but…maybe." She leaned up and gave him a kiss.
Sam watched as she swam to the wall and jumped over it. Lizzie propped her arms on the wall, waving at Sam. Sam waved back at her, smiling.
Dean rolled his eyes, grabbing Sam's arm. "Come on, Romeo."
He pulled Sam to his feet, grabbing the rest of the clothes and dragging him to the Impala. Sam climbed into the passenger seat, watching Lizzie swimming away in the harbor as Dean drove away.
"By the way…" said Dean, "guess what year it is."
Sam frowned, looking at him. "2008…Doesn't everyone know that?"
"Yep, 2008," said Dean, looking at Sam and smirking. "Leap year."
Sam rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, Dean…"
"We're headed to Wisconsin!" said Dean.
"The Morton House?" said Sam. "Really?"
"Hey, only haunted once every four years, man," said Dean. "This is my only chance."
"Yeah, about that," said Sam. "We are finding a way to get you out of that deal."
"Hell, yeah," said Dean, hitting the gas.
THE END