The Angel of the Waters

Story by Meilean

Chapter 1 - Central Park


A/N: All Supernatural belongs to Kripke and the Brotherhood to Ridley C. James

This is shortly after Sam runs off to Stanford and before the New Mexico hunt.

BETA: Penpractise and Churchlady63. You make my writing so much better. Thank you!

RATED: T


October 2002, New York City

DEAN

Dean tried to keep on running at the fast pace Caleb set. The mist gulped nearly everything around them. He only saw the trees nearby when they came across them. If it wasn't for the gravel crunching under their feet, he might think they were in the middle of nowhere.

The sting to his side had worsened. It had been present before but he had been able to ignore it until now. Out of breath he gasped for air, calling out to his friend, "Damien, …" Dean stopped and steadied his weight with his hands to his knees, bending forward to be able to catch a breath.

Caleb stopped and came running back to Dean. "Dude, you can't just stop in the middle of a hunt because you're out of breath," he teased. "You alright? You're used to running longer distances."

"I know. I'm probably a bit hungover from last night …. I blame you for having to stay there that long. Thank God, the long legged brunette finally had mercy and gave you her number or we'd still be there."

He tried to slow down his breathing. "It was two a.m. before we were back at your place. Thanks to your snoring, I didn't even get my usual 4 hours." Dean bravely tried to hide the pain he was in. Of course it hadn't been Caleb that kept him from sleeping but his hurting side. He knew why it hurt this bad. His cracked rib from the haunted house hadn't healed yet. Maybe it wasn't the best idea not to tell Caleb about it or at least it wasn't a good idea to run through the whole of Central Park with it. But they were here now and if Dean didn't suck it up he would end up spilling to Caleb how he fucked up the latest hunt with his father.

Dad had been pissed. Of course, his father was nothing but pissed since Sammy had left. John had not even a word of goodbye, only managing a muffled grunt before he dropped him off at Caleb's in NYC and headed off to follow a lead in Rhode Island.

At least Dean knew he had a place to stay for the moment, not to mention a key and his own room at Caleb's Brownstone. He was not too surprised to find Caleb absent but hadn't been prepared for the lonely feeling that overwhelmed him inside; sure there was furniture and everything you needed, but not much of a personal touch. Without Caleb's presence it didn't feel like a place he could call home. But he'd shaken off the retrospection with a deep sigh and focused on what he could do. At least he could take care of that hurting rib in peace.

When Reaves had come home the next morning from a business conference, two days early, it was the closest thing to surprising Damien he'd ever managed.

The touch on Dean's shoulder startled him. "Hey Deuce, you with me?" his friend came closer, giving him a concerned look.

Ripped out of his memories, Dean straightened in an all-too-well trained soldier manner. He was rewarded with a stabbing pain which forced him to bend forward again. "Argh … yeah, sure. I just have a stitch from running, that's all."

Caleb shot him a suspicious look. "Alright, we're gonna walk the rest. We're nearly there anyway."

Perfect, he'd woken Belac, the mighty overprotective dragon of the castle. Painfully reminded of Sam and how he'd loved every one of them being a dragon to protect little Prince Sammy in Jim's stories, Dean made a mental note to mask his pain better.

They walked on for about two more minutes and luckily the sting in his side lessened a bit. Soon they came to a long wide stair leading down to a red bricked circular space, as big as a gladiator's arena.

"This is the Bethesda Fountain," Caleb announced, pointing to the center where there was a large water basin about ninety feet wide. In the middle, an angel statue with wide spread wings rested on a base surrounded by four cherubs. The whole thing was about twenty feet high.

"Since you like being at Jim's pond, I thought you might like the Lake of Central Park too." Caleb stayed at the end of the stairs, not approaching the water.

Beyond the fountain was a lake on which the mists gathered to a thick wall of clouds. Dean heard some ducks on the water. It was as peaceful as it could be in the city which never slept. The steady lapping of the water eased Dean's nerves. But still, the lake didn't have the same calming effect as Jim's pond.

Still, the place was special for sure. Caleb came with him to the basin, taking a seat on the stone rim and studied the sculpture. Dean was sure Caleb had an architectural interest and had maybe even studied the whole thing as well as the aqueduct and the bow tunnel next to the stair that led away.

Dean closed his eyes to take a breath as deep as possible and relaxed a bit. His hand unconsciously wandered to his bruised rib to give a bit of pressure to it while breathing.

*** Brotherhood ***

CALEB

He wasn't blind and certainly not an idiot. Dean was not alright physically; he didn't even want to think about his emotional state. The fact that John had just dropped him off here spoke volumes as did the careful movements Dean made from time to time, like now. He had waited for Deuce to tell him but as usual the young hunter had been withdrawn. He grabbed the bull by the horns. "Did you break your rib or is it just bruised?"

Caleb saw his friend quickly withdraw his hand before turning to look at him.

"I told you to stay out of my head!"

The older man raised his hands innocently. "And I did. I've bruised and broken my ribs enough times, not to mention I have seen you with it before. Your body language told me enough. "Caleb turned disappointed, stroking a loose strand of hair back. He had been sure Dean trusted him. "When did it happen? On this hunt you were on with Johnny?" He turned to Dean again, now really pissed. "I thought we had a deal about hiding injuries; I'd stay out of your head and you'd tell me when you were injured. If you don't stick to the agreed contract, I won't either."

He saw Deuce sighing defeatedly. "It's already been a week and it is not broken, okay? So, I'm fine."

The lack of Dean's usual banter, in response to Caleb's threat to read him, concerned the psychic. He knew it had been hard for Dean since Sammy had left. Well hard was not the right word. If Mac knew what Caleb knew, he would have already talked Deuce into seeing a shrink. Still, it frustrated Caleb that Dean didn't trust him with his problems. Hadn't he proven often enough that he was on his side no matter what? He'd leave him to his hiding game for a while longer but would keep a close eye on his friend.

"Fine! You should not have just run over 6 miles. How about I get us a cab home and we do something relaxing for a change?"

Dean dropped his head but nodded.

Half an hour later the two were settled at Caleb's again. The short night caught up with Caleb and he dozed on the couch while Dean was in the shower. He only vaguely noticed when Dean joined him, sprawling on the large furniture between the many pillows, and switched on the king sized tv.

When Caleb woke again it was noon and his neck ached horribly from the position he had fallen asleep in. Being 30 sucked. Rubbing his neck, he glanced over to Dean who had fallen asleep too. Caleb was so hungry he could eat a whole cow at the moment. Dean would surely feel the same when he woke. They had skipped breakfast and only had an Iso Star after their run, that Caleb had insisted Dean have instead of the beer he'd opened.

Switching the TV off, he took a shower himself and ordered a family pizza for lunch with both their favorite toppings and extra cheese. He would pamper Dean as much as possible for as long as possible. His friend needed a break from Johnny. If Caleb had a say in it, he wouldn't let Deuce return to that style of living on the road, sleeping in the Impala or ratholes every night.

DEAN

He was woken by the ringing of the doorbell. Damien was already at the door and paying the pizza boy. The wonderful smell of melted cheese soon flooded the room.

Dean knew what Caleb was trying to do and he had to admit he liked having enough to eat and time to relax. But he didn't feel much better than he had that night in July when Sammy had left.

For the next three hours they were occupied staring at Lara Croft's ass and boobs while playing the new Tomb Raider on the Playstation. Dean studied the CD case titled 'Angel of Darkness'. It made him think of the angel statue at the central park lake.

After that they walked to the movie rental store to get a nice splatter monster movie. They decided for Dagon, judging by the cover it promised good entertainment. Damien assured him H.P. Lovecraft knew what he was doing. So they watched it in the evening but Dean wasn't enamored with the movie. But the sleepy fisher town and its citizens were creepy and breaking down the movie and the monsters later brought some good laughs. Dean went to bed early, still tired from their morning run.

His room at Caleb's was nice. It was the only room his friend had put effort into decorating. Posters of his favorite bands were on the walls. He even had access to his own bathroom here. Across from the bed hung one of Amelia Reaves seascape paintings.

Though Damien hated to be anywhere near water, for good reason, Dean had always felt an affinity to the element. Its calming atmosphere soon called Dean to sleep. The perfect firmness of the mattress promised a good night sleep and he tried to find a comfortable position with his hurting rib.

Trying to soothe his mind to rest he thought about the day. It had been a real good one. One without duties, without dad screaming at him, without disappointed, angry or accursing glares. It would have been perfect if he could have shared it with Sammy too.

Dean sighed, already feeling the returning guilt for letting Sam go, he listened to the darkness. Faint traffic noises came from the street and he heard a light snoring from Caleb's room across the hallway. But Dean didn't find sleep. He needed a bit of fresh air. A short walk would probably help him think about something else. A glance into Caleb's room told him that Damien wouldn't wake up if he didn't shake him.

The fresh air felt good in his lungs. He tried again to call his brother but wasn't surprised to only get the mailbox. Lost in deep thoughts about Sammy, the last hunt, and when his father would show up again, he didn't notice where his feet carried him until he stood in front of the Angel of The Waters. He hadn't intended to walk this far.

CALEB

He woke in the middle of the night. Something felt strange. Sleepily he got up and checked Dean's room. Finding it empty had him checking his link to Dean instantly. Relieved he found it was there. Dean was unharmed but not in the apartment. Why would he leave in the middle of the night without him? Caleb started to worry. He knew the kid didn't need a nanny anymore - hell, he was 23 - but he also knew Dean. He should go and find him.

In the kitchen he headed to the fridge for something to drink when his gaze fell on a post-it on the fridge door.

'I'm out for a short walk. D.'

Caleb sighed somewhat relieved. He tried to calm down. Opening the fridge, he uncapped the orange juice and drank half the bottle.

It was silent in the kitchen; the only noise was the humming of the refrigerator and it drove Caleb's senses over the edge. He shouldn't be concerned. Dean could go for a walk when he felt like it, right? So why was there this feeling in his gut telling him to search for Dean no matter how grown up he might be? To be fair to his gut, the kid knew how to find trouble. Caleb considered his options. The city was big and he had no way of knowing which bar his friend might have gone to. Sure, he could check Dean's local favorites but something was telling him, on this occasion 'gone for a short walk' wasn't code for hanging out at a bar. Dean would have woken him for that.

Caleb picked up his phone and tried to call Dean. To his surprise the call was answered. This at least was a good sign.

DEAN

He was about to turn and head back when his cell started to ring. The Star Wars theme that began playing told him that it was Caleb. He should have told him and not only left a post-it on the fridge. "Hey Reava, missing me already?" he answered the call.

Dean heard the concern in Caleb's voice through the line, though anyone else would think Caleb was pissed by his tone. "Dude, a post-it?! Are we in an office sitcom now? You must be really afraid that the hot girls won't even look at you in my presence. Where are you? You'd better not be having fun without me."

Dean grinned at the teasing and joined in. "Yeah right! More like I'm worried you'll chase away the decent girls with your devil's aura," Dean shot back. There was a bark near the lake and Dean turned at the noise.

"Was that a dog? Where the hell are you?" Caleb asked through the line.

"Uhm, yeah … I somehow ended up at that lake we were at this morning. Some dude is walking his dog."

Dean watched a big guy dressed in black with a bomber jacket throwing a ball to his pitbull in the distance. "I'll head back to you sweetheart, since you already miss me."

"Alright. See ya, Deana." Caleb hung up.

Dean sighed, frustrated. Maybe it would have been better if he'd told Caleb he had found a bar and a long legged redhead, rather than admit he was walking alone through Central Park in the middle of the night, watching a dog play fetch. Now his friend would be concerned about him for sure.

Putting his phone away, he watched the guy and his dog for a while longer and was reminded of Sammy playing with Scout. Maybe his brother was still up, it was a Saturday. He could hardly be studying on a Saturday, right? Dean tried Sam's number again and got diverted to the same damn voicemail box. It was pathetic that he was grateful just to hear Sam's voice on the message, wasn't it?

"Dagon, bring the ball," the man shouted to his dog. The dog ran after the ball and was back in a few seconds having retrieved it. The two repeated the game a few times and Dean watched the scene, deep in memories of the farm and the times when Sammy had been around every day.

On the next throw, the ball disappeared into some nearby trees and the pitbull vanished for more than a minute.

"Dagon! Bring the ball, buddy!" shouted a man from the edge of the lake but nothing happened. "Dagon!"

Dean wondered if someone really had named his dog after the fish goddess in the bad movie adaptation of Lovecraft's original work they had watched. Barking came from the trees.

"Dagon, that's not funny. Come back!" The man whistled, without any more luck.

Dean let his gaze wander to a spot between the trees and the lake where a lantern illuminated the area. There he made out a dog shape barking at something in the water. He was about to shout at the man where his dog was, when he saw something shooting out of the water and snaking around the dog's legs. More barks came and Dean saw the dog dragged nearer to the shore.

He ran towards the spot where the dog was.

A pitiful yelp was followed by the splashing of water. As Dean watched, the dog was dragged under the surface by the thing.

The silence that followed was crushing.

The owner shouted for his dog again. Apparently he hadn't seen what Dean had just witnessed. "Dagon! Here boy! Come here!"

The man was too close to the lake. If something had snatched the dog, the man was not safe near the water. Dean began running towards him, shouting, "Away from the water!"

The man turned to him, not understanding why he should move. "Hey, have you seen my dog? A brown pitbull."

Dean was in reach of the man when something like a huge tongue shot out of the water and snatched the man from his feet. Dean grabbed the man's arm and tried to pull him back as hard as he could. Digging his booted heels into the grass, he tried his best to find a hold but ripped a trail open on the ground instead. They lost ground every second, dragged closer to the water.

"Help me!" the man shouted horrified.

CALEB

Caleb tried to calm his nerves but it lasted only a few more heartbeats. He should go and find him. He knew Dean's luck, and his habit of finding trouble. Besides, he knew from his own experience that NYC was not always a nice place.

"Damn it!" he swore, sliding his gun into his holster and covering it with his leather jacket. He was out in under a minute. Luckily, he spotted a cab as he jogged towards the park and flagged it down.

As he climbed out at his destination, he felt panic rising up through Dean's link. "You've got to be kidding me." He swore under his breath, glad he had followed his instincts. Caleb hoped he was not too late. It wasn't far anymore and he began to run. He made it to the tunnel in record time and heard shouts.

He spotted Dean around 50 yards away, holding a man near the shore. Dean was clinging to a guy who was being dragged into the water by something. The surreal scene only made him frown for a split second. Something like a huge reptile tongue was wound around the man's foot.

Caleb drew his gun aiming at the slimy thing and shot. He hit the middle of the tongue and it retreated instantly. "Deuce!" Caleb ran.

Dean pulled the man towards the fountain basin where Caleb joined them.

"What the hell was that!" The man shouted, out of his mind and obviously in shock.

Caleb was more worried about his friend at the moment. "Deuce! Are you alright?"

Dean turned to him, confused about his sudden presence. "Dude, you know how to make an entrance. Yeah, I'm okay. Let's check this poor guy."

Caleb eyed the man. He had a shaved head and celtic tattoos on his skull. The pierced ears and nose made him look like the sort of badass guy you'd expect to find in a biker bar. But under the surface it appeared, they all were little lost boys. "You alright, man?"

"Alright? I … I don't know. Something dragged me to the water." The man rubbed his head as if he was dazed.

Caleb had to suppress a smirk about how out of it the badass was at the moment.

Checking their surroundings, he turned to Dean. "What the hell happened? You couldn't stay out of trouble for the ten minutes it took me to get here?"

Dean sighed, frustrated. "There's a thing in the fancy lake. It snatched the guy's dog and dragged it in. I couldn't see what it was. Just as I was trying to warn the guy to get away from the water, it attacked him too."

Caleb ran a hand over his mouth. "Okay. We need to get this wanna-be-hooligan away from here and find that thing. Do you have a weapon with you?"

Dean gave him a look that said what a stupid question that was.

However when they turned to move the man, his behavior had changed to aggression and he pushed them away.

"Get off me. You shot at me, man!"

"Woah woah woah, I shot at the thing that was about to drag you into the water." Caleb would have to use his FBI fake ID if the man kept saying he had shot at him. Maybe it would be a good idea anyway, to explain the crazy encounter.

"What thing? Where's Dagon?"

Caleb, confused over the name, shot Deuce a questioning look and mouthed 'DAGON'? as the man continued to rant.

"Where's my dog?"

Dean shrugged and reached for the man's shoulder. "Easy, dude. Calm down. You got tangled in shoreline creepers and I tried to rip you free," Dean spun a tale to explain the events in a more believable light.

The man brushed him off harshly. "Keep your hands off me. What are you two crazy assholes doing here anyway? You probably shot my dog. I'm gonna call the police."

Caleb saw Dean looking at him for an idea. He rolled his eyes not liking what he had to do now and knocked the guy out with his pistol. He caught the man's fall and leaned him on the stone rim of the basin.

"Dude you didn't have to knock him out," Dean said checking on the man.

"I didn't have much of a choice, did I? He threatened to call the cops."

TBC


A/N: Guess who's back to the Brotherhood main-timeline? Yep, it is me. Hope you liked the opening. Can't wait to hear your guesses and thoughts.

Does anyone happen to know the movie 'Dagon'? What do you think of it? I have it in my memory as one of the worst horror movies I've seen so far but it was decades ago that I watched it. lol