CHAPTER TEN

"Echo?"

"Dean? You alright?" Casey asked, her fingers digging into Dean's biceps as she looked up at him. He looked fine; she was fine. The split second before that wave had been about to hit them, she'd almost panicked, but had just enough sense left to whisk them away to safety

"I'm fine." Dean said, his own strong hands tightening on her shoulders as he asked,

"What just happened? What did you…"

"I got us out of there. Your feet aren't even wet, are they?" Casey couldn't help but smile.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to relinquish her death grip on his arms. She took a step back, but didn't get any further than that because he wasn't releasing her. "Dean?"

"Where are we?"

Casey looked around and shrugged, "The other side of the island. We need to get back there."

"I know. What the heck just happened?"

"I think assuming we're having unseasonably bad weather would be a rather optimistic assumption at this point, right?" Casey asked, taking his hand.

Dean shook his head, "All I wanted was a beach and a…."

"I know what you wanted." Casey cut him off, rolling her eyes, "Ok, get ready."

"Can you aim us somewhere that the ocean isn't swallowing people?"

"I'll try to get us somewhere halfway safe. You find Sam and Bennett and I'll try to fish people out of the ocean. Ready?"

"Go."

And then they were far from the peaceful west side of the island and back at the scene of what looked like a disaster movie. Casey felt a bit overwhelmed as she stared at the mess, then Dean leaned down and said, "My feet are wet."

She couldn't help but laugh despite the turmoil around them. Slapping him on the arm, Casey said, "You're going to get a lot wetter before this is over. Go find them."

"Be careful." Dean said, pulling his cell phone out.

"You too." Casey said, then found herself pulled into his embrace.

Giving her a kiss, Dean said, "Seriously, Echo, be careful."

"I will. Promise."

"Sam!"

"Stay put!" Sam shouted, "Keep everybody back."

"Fine. Don't drown!" Bennett shouted, annoyance warring with the worry in her voice.

Sam nodded, then took off back toward the beach. They'd made it across the street before the wave had hit the line of cars. Looking at the beach, Sam couldn't help but assume that the very thing Dean had been worried about in the first place had actually happened; something supernatural was going on and they were right in the middle of it. The slight amusement he felt at that thought didn't do anything to reduce the worry that was coursing through him. Bennett was safe, but he had no idea where Dean or Casey were and the last he'd seen of them, they'd been heading toward the water.

The frigid ocean water was almost up to his knees even now and people were struggling to wade through the water and the debris. All the tents, chairs and other items people had set up on the shore were now floating hazards and hampering the efforts to escape. Even as he desperately looked around for his brother and Casey, Sam focused on pulling people to their feet and guiding them back to the safety of the road. In the darkness and rain, people were struggling to even orient themselves as to which direction they should head. Sam helped a middle-aged man to his feet and turned around, trying to point him to the road. And then he grinned because he caught sight of Bennett standing on the hood of a car. She was waving a huge flashlight. Just like a lighthouse in a storm.

"Head that way." Sam shouted over the din of the waves and the wind, pointing the man toward the waving light. Turning back around, he tripped over something and fell forward into the water. Not that he really got any wetter than he'd already been, he started pushing himself upright, irritated nonetheless. Then he realized he could feel something soft under the surface of the water.

Leaning back down, he pulled on the body and breathed a sigh of relief when the teenager began coughing and gasping for breath. It took a minute to get the kid steady on his feet in the knee deep waters, but by the time he'd pushed him toward the road, Sam felt his phone vibrating in his pocket and he pulled it out, not even able to make out the caller ID in the rain.

"Sam?"

"Dean?"

"Where are you?"

Sam could barely hear his brother's voice over the storm and the static in the line. He grabbed a struggling woman and held her up until another woman came alongside and guided her away. Sam said, "I'm on the beach. Where are you?"

"At the road. I found your girlfriend."

Since he could barely hear anything and the situation was less than ideal, Sam chose not to comment on Dean's terminology. He just said, "Are you and Casey ok?"

"Casey's out there somewhere pulling people from the drink." Dean shouted over the wind, "Are you seeing that?"

Sam turned back toward the ocean and his eyes widened. He said, "I'm seeing it."

It would have been hard to miss. The Flaming Ship was still flaming and still sailing along on the violent seas. In all honesty, it was exactly what he'd imagined it to be; a three masted sailing ship with vivid flames licking all the way up the sails. But it was actually a lot more terrifying in reality than it had ever been in his imagination. And the worst part was, he knew he wasn't imagining it when he thought he could see faces on that ship.

Ghostly faces.

"Sam!"

"What?"

"Get back here."

"In a minute, there's people out here…"

"Casey's got them!" Dean shouted again, this time for emphasis, "Just get back here. Now."

Sam spun around, searching uselessly in the dark. The intensity of the storm did not seem to be lessening and he was having more difficulty staying on his feet between the wind and the waves. In all honesty, he didn't even see any more people in the water. If there was anyone still out in the mess, Casey was truly their only hope at this point.

"Sam?" Dean called again, the poor reception crackling and hissing, breaking up his words, "Get….here...am? ...hear?"

"Dean?" Sam shook his head as the call dropped. Shoving the phone into his pocket, he turned his back on the eerie sight of the flaming ship and headed toward the shining light.

Dean cursed when the line went dead. It hadn't taken him more than a couple minutes after Casey had dropped him off at the edge of the road before he'd found Bennett. Which had been good. Then he'd realized he was missing one little brother and things were less good. He couldn't see anything in the heavy rain and darkness and making brief contact with Sam over the phone had done a little to ease his worries. A little. Not enough, though.

Because he still couldn't see Sam and losing the connection left him without a means to continue to harangue his brother about getting to safety.

"Dean?"

He looked up at Bennett and she was frantically pointing somewhere to the left, flashing the light in that direction. Dean stepped closer and asked, "What?"

"There's a...a person." Bennett frowned. "A person trapped by that rock. Those rocks! Dean!"

"I see it! Stay put."

"Everyone is always saying that to me!" Bennett shouted, actually stomping a foot on the hood of the car as he struggled to walk past the car.

"Because it's good advice. Stay put!" Dean shook a finger up at her before he took off into the darkness toward the struggling form. Bennett was pointing her flashlight in the direction he was heading and Dean was grateful for that and for whoever had given her the powerful beam in the first place.

The farther he walked from the so-called safety of the line of cars, the deeper and more vicious the waters became. The road, thankfully, had been up a decent incline from the beach which was giving people someplace safe to escape to. The beach itself, though, was nothing more than an extension of the ocean by now. The water was well past his knees and Dean was struggling more than he wanted to admit just to stay upright. There was a stiff undertow and, coupled with the debris and the numbing cold, the situation was about as bad as it could get.

Never think that, Dean chastised himself, his eyes automatically drifting to the only other light he could see. The Flaming Ship. It was still there, lighting the ocean with a blood red glow. Dean looked away, back to the flailing arms he could see just above the water line. The ship would have to wait. By now, he could barely even make out the glow from Bennett's light, but at least he could see movement.

"Help!"

"On the way!" Dean shouted back to the victim.

He was almost there when his feet went out from under him and he went beneath the water. There had been no time to prepare and the little residual breath he'd had in his lungs was knocked out instantly by the frigid chill of the water. The water hadn't even been that deep, Dean thought, struggling to right himself. Deep or not, the current was swift and the undertow strong enough to keep him disoriented. Something hard hit his shoulder, spinning him in the opposite direction, then he felt his face scraping along the sandy shore. Putting his hands down, he started to push himself up, but something else knocked into his hip and he was spinning again and lost track of which way was up.

And then, suddenly, he was up. Sputtering and choking, coughing up icy water, Dean felt himself pulled out of the ocean. Familiar arms were around his chest, holding him upright as he tried to get his feet steady on the sandy ground under him. Pushing away, he turned and gripped Sam's left arm to hold himself up as he sucked in a deep breath.

"You ok?" Sam shouted over the wind, head close and his hands automatically gripping Dean's shoulders. As if he were afraid he couldn't stay on his feet.

Dean nodded, stumbled, and realized Sam was probably wise. The water was almost to his waist. He grimaced, shaking with the cold and said, "Good timing."

Sam grinned briefly, then said, "Let's get out of here."

"Not yet." Dean pointed, then realized he had no idea where he was. "Someone was trapped…."

"Where?" Sam asked, looking around, but still not releasing Dean's shoulders.

"I don't know."

"That's specific."

Dean glared at him, then realized he couldn't see the Flaming Ship. Or Bennett's light. They were completely in darkness. He looked up at Sam and said, "This could be a problem."

Bennett had fully intended to stay put.

Given that two people had told her to do so, it seemed like the thing to do. But then she'd watched in horror as Dean vanished beneath the water. And she just couldn't stay put after that. Turning to the right, she saw flashing lights and knew the rescue efforts were beginning in earnest. There were more flashlights showing up and people who looked like they knew what they were doing were helping the confused survivors. None of that was going to help Dean or the person trapped by the rocks. She looked back out to the darkness, hoping to see Dean on his feet by the trapped person, but all she saw was rain and waves and a whole lot of nothing.

Jumping down from the hood of the car, she found herself in ankle deep water that grew deeper with every step forward she took. Pointing the flashlight in the direction she'd last seen Dean, Bennett waded out into the water. She couldn't see Dean, but she could still see the frantically waving arms of the trapped person. And from what she could see, the water was almost over that person's head.

Breaking into a run, not an easy thing on sand, and far less easy in thigh deep ocean waves, Bennett put her arms out for balance and kept the light trained on the drowning person, all the while praying to see Dean. By the time she reached the victim, she still hadn't seen Dean, but when the waves went over the young man's face, Bennett knew she had to focus.

"Hang on!" She shouted, clinging to the flashlight with her left hand while trying to pull the person up with her free hand. It was useless. He was trapped.

Panic suddenly gripped her. The water was beating at her and she could barely stand up. How was she ever going to be able to help this guy? She looked at his flailing hands and grabbed one, giving it a hard squeeze. He didn't want to let go, but she tore her hand away and took a deep breath, diving under the freezing water, flashlight making barely a dent in the dark water. But she could just make out his predicament; a large piece of driftwood, almost a log, was jammed against the rocks, pinning him where he sat.

She caught a glimpse of his terrified face as she surfaced for another deep breath, and steeled herself to do whatever it took to get that log off of him.

Casey smiled to herself thinking about the stories people were going to be telling around the breakfast tables in the morning. Ghost ships and giant waves and mysterious rescues from the deep. She concentrated for a moment, trying to sense if there were any more victims in the waters. It had been less than ten minutes since she'd left Dean on the shore and she'd lost count of how many people she'd dropped off safely up the road. She'd heard sirens in the distance and knew rescuers were coming.

After a pause, she realized she couldn't sense any more people in the water near her. She'd staked out the very edge of the beach where the wave had hit the most unsuspecting people. Up the beach, people had been able to mostly help each other away from the ocean. Feeling hopeful that no one had died, Casey was about to take herself instantly back to the edge of the road, then she realized she could sense a presence in the water. Turning, she immediately transported herself to the struggling twosome who were heading in the completely wrong direction.

"Guys!" She shouted over the waves, appearing in front of them, and smiling up at the towering forms who both looked completely shocked to see her. Putting her hands on her hips, she asked, "Are you trying to go out to sea?"

Apparently missing the humor in the situation, perhaps because he was half frozen, Dean glared at her and said, "It's a little dark out here for us mere mortals."

"Want a lift?" She smirked, feeling a little bad when she realized his teeth were chattering.

"That would be great." Sam smiled, his hand still tightly clinging to Dean's arm.

Casey nodded, touched their arms and they were instantly on the beach. At which point, both men began turning in circles with growing worry in their eyes. Casey frowned, "What's wrong?"

"This is it, isn't it?" Dean asked Sam, walking a full circle around an ugly brown car.

"Yes." Sam nodded, paling and turning back toward the ocean.

Casey caught his arm and said, "What is going on?"

"Bennett was right here…" Dean answered, copying his brother's action and heading back to the water, "She was supposed to…."

Casey cut him off, "I'll find her." She waved a hand in their direction and said firmly, "Stay put!"

And then she was in the water, easily and immediately sensing Bennett in the foaming waves. At her side in an instant, Casey took in the situation in a heartbeat. The guy was trapped, his hands limply floating in the water, his face under the waves and Bennett was shoving with all her might against a huge log. Casey pulled Bennett up at the same time she moved the log aside. She reached down for the unconscious man and touched his forehead as she pulled him above the water.

The guy started coughing and struggling to his feet. He was fine. Casey kept a hand on his arm and looked back at Bennett. She asked, "You ok?"

"Dean! Casey! He was…" Bennett said desperately.

"It's ok, I found him. They're both fine, hon." Casey said quickly, then asked, again, "How about you?"

Bennett grinned and gave her a thumbs up. She said hoarsely, "I'm really glad you showed up when you did."

"Me too." Casey smiled, "How about we get out of here?"

"Love that plan." Bennett nodded.

"Stay put?" Dean complained. Not for the first time. "I can't believe she told us to stay put."

Sam just ignored him, the slight amusement he felt at his brother's annoyance somewhat dimmed by the worry he felt not knowing where Bennett was. Even if Casey were out there looking for her, he still was worried. And then, he wasn't worried any more because Casey was in front of them and Bennett was right next to her. The breath rushed out of him at the sight of her and he quickly pulled her into his arms. She was shaking with the cold, but she was fine. Holding her close, he saw the relief in Dean's eyes as he swept Casey into his arms too.

"Um. Thanks."

Everyone turned to look at the bedraggled man that had been with Casey and Bennett. Casey smiled, pulling away slightly from Dean and said, "You're welcome."

The guy waved a hand awkwardly, then turned and hurried off into the darkness. Dean glanced down at Casey and asked, "Who was that?"

"The guy we rescued."

"The guy you were supposed to rescue." Bennett added, voice muffled because she had her face buried against Sam's chest as she spoke.

Dean shot her a mildly annoyed look and said, "Sorry. Decided to go swimming on the way."

Casey groaned and leaned against him more heavily, mumbling, "Can we not go swimming for a long time."

"What about Florida?"

Sam grinned at the plaintive and distinct whine in his brother's voice. Casey looked like she was about to say something, but she was shivering too hard and leaning even more against Dean with every passing second. She looked wiped out and Sam decided it was time for all of them to get out of the cold. He said, "How about we head back to the car? I think we've done all we can out here tonight."

"Good plan." Dean nodded, already helping Casey along the road in the direction where they'd left the Impala.

By now, the area was a scene of mass chaos and well lit with high-power beams from the rescue squads. Flashing lights and rescue vehicles were everywhere along with masses of half-frozen and confused people. Sam was glad they'd been some of the last people to come to the beach because they'd parked well up the road from the chaos. Even so, it didn't take him long to realize that Dean's night was about to get worse.

Because the traffic was a complete jam. As far as he could tell, nothing was moving. He could hear Dean's indecipherable mumbling from behind them, but the amusement he felt faded a bit when he thought about how tired Casey had looked. It faded even more when Bennett's icy hands found their way under his shirt and against his skin.

"Hey. What are you doing?" He looked down at her.

"You're warm. I'm freezing." Her face was still pressed against his jacket and he could feel her shaking with the cold. "Body heat. You know? Survival skill."

Sam smiled and tried to walk faster. Finally he saw the Impala and he almost broke into a run toward it. Heat. Glorious heat on high sounded perfect at the moment. Reaching the passenger side door, he paused, remembering they'd locked it earlier. Waiting not exactly patiently for his brother and Casey, Sam looked up hopefully when Dean stopped at the driver's side and fumbled for his keys in his pockets.

All of his pockets.

It was probably only the presence of the ladies that held his brother's cursing back to a more PG rated rant. Dean looked up at him over the roof of the car, face pale in the darkness as he said, "Lost the keys."

"What?" Sam said, not sure he'd heard him right over the wind. Surely he'd heard him wrong? Never in their lives could he remember Dean ever losing the keys.

"Lost the keys." Dean repeated, turning back the way they'd come. He looked absolutely distraught when he said, "Probably when I went under the water…"

Sam heard Casey sigh, caught her eye roll and then she was gone. Dean thumped his fists against the roof of the car, then lowered his head to pound it against the car too. But Casey was back in almost an instant and her hand was between his head and the car. She pushed his head up and handed him the keys.

"Heat. Deano, lots of heat." She said, leaning into his arms.

Dean nodded, still looking put out and got the car opened. In less than thirty seconds, they'd all arranged themselves in the front seat; Casey hugging Dean while Bennett was leaning forward and hugging the dashboard and completely blocking any heat from reaching Sam.

At least her icy hands weren't on his skin any more, Sam consoled himself, pulling his coat more tightly closed. Didn't really matter much since they were all soaked to the skin from the rain and waves. He couldn't wait to get back to the cottage; a desire he kept to himself since it didn't look like they were going to be getting there anytime soon.

Dean's annoyance and muttering were becoming louder and more pronounced with every inch forward they didn't move. The traffic was a solid line of red taillights as far as he could see. And with every red taillight he could see, he could almost feel Dean's blood pressure going up another point.

They inched forward a whole three inches and everyone jerked forward when Dean slammed the brakes on with more enthusiasm than was probably strictly necessary. Casey slapped him on the arm and said, "Dean. Take it easy."

"I'm taking it easy." He growled, slamming a hand on the steering wheel.

Casey just laughed, then said, "Just take a breath. I know this isn't going exactly the way you wanted…"

"Ghost ships. Tsunamis, swimming in an ice cold ocean, no bikinis and now I'm sitting in traffic." Dean listed off, "This isn't even close to how I wanted. And I'm going to take this opportunity right this minute to say I told you so. Like I started to say a long time ago. The crap is flying. And I suggested a nice long vacation. But no, no, no. Everyone wanted to come here."

Sam exchanged a glance with Casey and tried not to laugh.

"Just wanted a break. Just a nice, warm, vacation." Dean was continuing to mumble half under his breath as he pressed the gas pedal and the brake in a rapidly alternating pattern that had them all flying forward and then back into the seat when traffic stopped or inched forward. "But here we are. On a case."

Casey rolled her eyes at Sam and said, "So when we get back to the cottage, I'm thinking a hot cup of tea."

"Hot chocolate!" Bennett piped up.

Dean glared at the car ahead of them, slammed the brakes yet again, and muttered, "Hot toddy."

Cottage

Casey was relieved when they finally pulled up in front of the little cottage. The drive had been long, tense, and cold. Dean's mood had not improved, in no small part to the fact he'd started sneezing long before they'd even managed to get up to five miles per hour. They'd had a brief discussion regarding the fact that there was clearly a case on the island and Casey had to admit the fact that her own mission in coming to the island was probably linked to whatever was going on with the Flaming Ship. Whether Matilda Corprew had actually been cataloguing artifacts from the true Flaming Ship or not still remained to be seen. But it was too much of a coincidence to believe that the wreckage wasn't connected to what had just happened.

As soon as Dean was out of the car, she was running for the door and then inside and straight for the shower. It was probably the fastest shower in her entire life, but since there were only two showers, she figured she probably shouldn't take all the hot water. Dressed in Dean's warmest flannel and her favorite PJ bottoms and wrapping a towel around her wet hair, she walked back into the living room and found herself confronted by three stunned faces.

"Wow." Sam said.

"What?" Casey asked, wondering why they all looked so flabbergasted.

Bennett grinned, "That was amazing! We just walked in the door, Casey. You already took a shower?"

"Um. Yeah." She smiled a bit self-consciously. She stood awkwardly in front of them, fingers playing with the hem of Dean's oversized shirt. "I just didn't want to use all the hot water. If we all get sick, I'll probably heal the fastest."

"And that ladies and Sam, is why my girlfriend is the best," Dean smiled and pushed past them. He kissed the top of Casey's head as he walked by her, dropping the gear on his way to the bathroom, before closing the door behind him.

Shaking her head Casey laughed, "I don't think he's going to be as considerate."

"Doubt it," Sam agreed. He tugged Bennett further into the cottage before asking, "Do you want to take the other one first?"

Bennett hadn't really been paying attention because her teeth were still chattering. She nodded vaguely and stumbled off to the other bathroom; every step leaving a wet footprint on the floor behind her. Once she'd left the room, Sam sat down heavily in the closest chair and met Casey's gaze. He said, "Dean's right you know?"

Casey looked around for a good place to sit while she talked to Sam but there weren't a lot of options in the small space. The couch was still covered with some of their gear and the other chairs seemed too far away. Shrugging she sat down in the middle of the room, on the floor and asked, "Not that we're going to tell him that anytime soon, but what was he right about this time?"

"All of this and how it was a bad idea," Sam supplied, slouching further into the chair and apparently not in the slightest bothered by the fact he was getting a perfectly good armchair completely soaked.

"Blame Yvette," Casey shrugged again. She laid down on her back, eyes staring blankly up at the ceiling, "I'm going to."

"There are other chairs you know?" Sam chuckled, then suggested helpfully, "There's even a couch."

"And yet here I am, laying on the floor because I'm too exhausted to move to one of those options," Casey snarked.

"Casey?" Sam straightened, worry instantly lighting his eyes, "Are you okay?"

"Peachy."

He narrowed his eyes, trying to gauge the truth in her statement, "Really?"

"Yes. Maybe," Casey admitted. She took a deep breath and continued, "A lot of crap has happened in the last not a lot of time and I was really hoping we would catch a break here, ya know?"

"I know," Sam sighed. "It's been a busy month."

"When Yvette called, I honestly didn't think it would be anything more than a job." Casey said, staring up at the ceiling. "I didn't. I just wanted to do something to help the museum out after everything that happened. And I thought maybe it would be a good thing. For Dean and me."

"So we finish this up." Sam said confidently, "There's clearly something going on here. We clean it up, you help Matilda out and then you and Dean go to Florida. Ok? You guys deserve a vacation."

Casey lifted her head just a bit from the floor and studied him for a long moment, then sank back against the carpet. She said, "We're not the only ones who deserve a vacation. You and Bennett should come too. Or go on your own vacation. But you need to do something fun."

"After we deal with this. Then I'll think about fun." Sam said, leaning his head against the back of the chair. "Do you think Matilda is involved?"

"You had to go there, didn't you?" Casey groaned, shaking her head. "I've been wondering about that myself. She just seemed so nice…"

"She seemed…" Sam shuddered, "grabby."

Casey laughed, "Which is why neither of you buff boys are going back with me tomorrow. I'm not fighting her off all day while she tries to make a move on one or both of you." She heard footsteps approaching and looked over her shoulder and smiled up at Dean. "Hey you."

"Why the hell are you on the floor?" Dean asked, looking directly down at her with confused eyes.

"The chair was too far away and the couch looked at me funny," Casey yawned from her place in the middle of the floor.

Dean rolled his eyes and stepped over her, nodding in the direction of the bathroom. He said, "Your turn Sammy."

"Is there any hot water left?" Sam asked warily.

"Do I look like the water heater man?" Dean asked irritably. "But I can still hear the water running in the other bathroom so if there is any hot water left, you better hurry before your girlfriend uses it all up."

Sam sighed, exhaustion dragging at his bones, and made his way to the bathroom.

Dean looked over at Casey again, "Are you planning on getting up anytime soon?"

"Nope."

Dean rolled his eyes at her, not that she could see him, and laid down next to her.

Casey huffed and sat up. Getting to her feet she walked towards the kitchen.

"Really?" Dean called out in disbelief, "Now you get up?"

"Food," Casey said simply.

"Of course," Dean chuckled. He continued to stare at the ceiling for a few minutes, until he realized it was too quiet. After a few minutes, he sat up and looked into the kitchen. "Echo?"

He had to laugh at the sight of his girl. Casey was standing in the kitchen, her forehead resting on the counter, arms hanging limply at her sides. The cupboard above her head was open but she made no move to take anything from it.

"How's it going over there?" He asked.

"Why are the bowls so high? I just wanted some cereal," she whined.

Dean reached over her head and pulled down one of the bowls. He then grabbed a box of cereal from the top of the cabin's refrigerator and pulled out the milk. Casey stayed where she was while Dean moved around her and made her a snack. Tapping a spoon against the counter next to her ear, he said, "Here."

Casey slowly lifted her head from the counter and smiled at Dean. Leaning against his shoulder, took the bowl from him and said, "My hero."

"So are we going to talk about how you're doing or are we ignoring all of the poofing you did today?" Dean looked down at her.

"Poofing?" Casey raised an eyebrow.

"Yes poofing. You got a better term for it?"

"No."

"So we gonna talk or are we ignoring it?"

"I was just gonna ignore it and go to sleep," Casey replied simply.

"Echo," Dean whispered and tilted her chin up to meet his eyes.

Casey set her half eaten bowl of cereal down on the counter and turned to face Dean. She wrapped her arms around his neck and said "I'm okay. I'm really tired and still a little cold, but I'm okay."

Dean opened his mouth to say something but Casey cut him off with a kiss. He pulled her closer to him, deepening the kiss. Dean grabbed Casey's hips and lifted her up. She instinctively wrapped her legs around him.

"Really? In the kitchen?" Sam interrupted.

"Of all the times for you to take a super fast shower." Dean groaned against Casey's lips but didn't set her down.

"There wasn't any hot water left." Sam shrugged, annoyance and amusement in his eyes. "I thought I'd…"

"Not now little brother. I'm taking care of my woman." Dean said, walking out of the kitchen.

Casey rolled her eyes but kept kissing Dean; clutching his shoulders to keep herself steady in his arms. This was the safest and most at ease she had felt in a very long time. The cereal was forgotten and as Dean kicked the bedroom door closed behind them, she realized she wasn't even that hungry after all.

Sam had been planning on hot beverages and a round table discussion to plan their next move, but apparently that was not going to happen. Not that he could exactly blame them; Casey had done a lot of work out there rescuing people and Dean's stress level seemed to be reaching the breaking point. After the past few weeks, he was beginning to feel the strain too. And this little trip, coming so closely on the heels of their defeat of Pestis and their more recent battle with demons and angels was not exactly shaping up to be the break they all needed.

Deciding to spend some time researching the island, he grabbed his laptop on the way back through the living room. Heading toward the other bedroom, he was surprised to see Bennett heading for the back door. Hurrying to catch up with her, he caught sight of the cigarettes in her hand and called out, "Bennett, wait."

She paused, hair messy and dripping and her red sweater clashing with her pink sweat pants in the worst way. There was anxiety bordering on panic in her eyes as she asked, "Why?"

"Because you're still shivering and you're not going back outside in that storm." He said, catching her hand. "What are you doing?"

"I need to go out. Just for a minute. I'll be quick…" She said, pulling away and running for the door.

He hesitated, watching her pull the door open and disappear into the darkness. Maybe they were all hovering too much. Maybe she really did need her space. A million conflicting and very unhelpful thoughts ran through his head before he pushed them aside and followed her out the door. Under the relative shelter of the back porch, Bennett was frantically trying to light her cigarette.

"Bennett."

She looked up at him and the panic wasn't getting any better. He stepped forward and closed his hands around hers, leaning down and asking, "What's going on?"

"I just need a cigarette."

"It's more than that." Sam shook his head, "Are you alright?"

Bennett stopped trying to pull her hands away from his and shook her head, "I'm just trying to do something normal. Trying to figure this out."

She'd lost him, but he wasn't going to be thrown off track. Sam said, "Talk to me. You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"I know." She took a shaky breath, visibly pulling herself together.

"Ok." Sam smiled and waited.

After a few seconds, she grinned up at him and said, "It would be easier if I could smoke while I talk."

He didn't really want to let her, but the desperation in her eyes despite the smile convinced him. So he let go of her hands and said, "Fine. A quick one then we're going back inside. Because it's freezing out here and next time I'm taking the first shower."

Bennett laughed and nodded, quickly lighting her cigarette. Her smile faded as she said, "I don't know which is worse. Smoking or painting the pictures. Smoking at least makes me feel like a normal person. Like a human."
Sam frowned, "You're painting pictures?"

Almost guiltily she nodded and said, "All the time. Mostly. Sometimes it's better. When I'm with you it's better. But tonight," She shivered and not from the cold, "tonight it was really hard."

"You were scared."

"Try terrified!" Bennett laughed, then shook her head, "I haven't got all of this figured out you know? You guys kill monsters. Ghosts. I didn't even know they were real before. And Casey's an angel. That's a lot to deal with all at once. Especially when I have to deal with my past and these freaky powers I've got."

"I know." Sam nodded, sensing how overwhelmed she was.

"I honestly was hoping, like Dean, that this was going to be…" She sighed, "a normal trip. Nothing weird. But it's weird, isn't it?"

"It's weird. I wish it wasn't, but obviously something is going on here."

Bennett sighed, "I know. And I know you have to take care of it. That it's what you do. And I thought I could too. But now...I'm not sure."

Sam's heart skipped a beat, but he just waited for her to continue.

"I can't control any of this. There's never been anything in my life I could control."

"I don't think there's much in anyone's life that they can control." Sam said gently.

Bennett considered his words, then smiled, "You're right. I know I'm worrying too much…."

"Hey, it's ok. You think we're not worried?" Sam rolled his eyes. "Have you seen my brother lately? You think you're worrying? Dean's taking it to new levels."

"Well, he's got a good reason to worry. Casey…"

"You think he's the only one with a good reason to worry?" Sam asked softly.

"I don't know what I think, Sam." She sighed, "I barely even know who I am. I'm named after a town that I popped up from a grave in. And my only ID is a fake FBI badge that doesn't even have that fake name on it. And the only way I keep myself from completely freaking out at any given moment is either to smoke a cigarette or paint myself a picture with my evil powers that also make me want to freak out." Bennett tilted her head and raised her eyebrows at him as she added, "Do you see my dilemma?"

Sam couldn't help but smile. He said, "I see your dilemma. And here's what I think. I think it's too cold and miserable out here to deal with all of this. It's also late. We're tired. Finish that cigarette and let's call it a night. We get some sleep and you and I go on a date tomorrow. Nothing weird. Just our own mini-vacation."

"But what about…"

"Casey's going to meet with Matilda Corprew," Sam said, amused when he caught the

narrowing of Bennett's eyes at the mention of the museum curator, "and Dean can handle a bit of the investigation in town. He won't like having to do the research, but he knows how to do it. You and I will find a nice restaurant or something and talk. And not about ghosts."

"Really?" Bennett smiled, the worry finally fading from her eyes.

"Yes. Deal?"

"Deal." She said, quickly stomping out the cigarette and taking his hand as they walked back into the cottage. He led her to the second bedroom and before he could say goodnight, she pointed at the laptop and said, "If I can't smoke, the laptop stays in the other room."

Sam hesitated, but realized there might be better ways for him to spend his time than staying up all night researching the case.

He left the laptop on the floor in the hall.

Hope you are enjoying! Thank you for reading. Next chapter should be up tomorrow most likely. :)