Angel of the Waters

Chapter 2 - Acting Strange

MACKLAND

The clean Upper East Side apartment of Doctor Mackland Ames was silent. The only noise to be heard was the slight tick-tock of the antique wall clock running its rounds and the occasional turning of pages in the living room.

Mackland was enjoying finally having a few hours off after some stressful days helping out at the hospital. Today a respected colleague had called him for a second opinion right before he had planned to go home.

Doctor Ames was a respected name in the medical world and even outside of that. He was a highly skilled neurosurgeon and rumors of what he did for the FBI - especially how - were also known among his colleagues, which he would bet was the reason the other doctor had asked for his opinion about some strange cases.

Steven had several patients who had suffered a sudden amnesia, each had been found wandering around in Central Park East. If it hadn't been all four in the same location, Mac wouldn't have given it a second thought. But considering the circumstances, the age, and the conditions Steven's patients had been found in, it left only one conclusion. The source of their memory loss was probably a supernatural one and for that, he was even more of an expert.

Since his car accident years ago, he had developed special talents such as telekinesis and psychometry. It had scared him at first but thanks to Jim Murphy and The Brotherhood - a hunting society for all supernatural problems - he was able to use these talents to a higher purpose.

He was determined to know everything connected to the brain and discover all its potential. Even more so since Caleb had come into his life. Caleb was a psychic like himself and had become his son in every way that mattered. They had seen so many things; had overcome so many scary situations and Mackland was so proud of what a fine young man Caleb had become, now running his own construction company alongside a position in the Brotherhood.

Usually, Mackland would have waited for Caleb to help him research the case and to find out what these amnesia cases had in common, but his son had a business meeting and would not be home until tomorrow evening.

Tomorrow morning Mac would follow the leads they had so far alone. He couldn't risk more people getting involved. He would find out one way or the other what exactly happened to these people before their minds got messed up.

While researching potential monsters in one of his books, he felt his eyes burn and sleep calling until, exhausted, he drifted off to dreamland.

The room was almost silent, peaceful with only a slight snoring from Mac until the shrill ringing of the phone startled the doctor awake.

Annoyed, Mackland fought his tired body from the recliner, dropping his beastiarium on the way to answer the call. "Ames," he mumbled.

"Dad, it's me."

"Caleb!" Mac answered, surprised. Glancing at the wall clock he saw it was shortly after midnight. Not their usual time to share news of the day but not concerningly late. "How is the meeting going?"

"I'm already home. I got back yesterday and stopped by my apartment first to find a Winchester surprise."

Mackland was wide awake in an instant. Caleb was stressed about something, Mac could tell by his son's voice without even looking at him. That Caleb hadn't called him the moment he arrived back in the city didn't surprise the doctor, but that one of the Winchesters had stopped by without his son being in the know, did.

If it was John he would have come to him first - Mac had the good whiskey. So if it wasn't The Knight and since Samuel was refusing any contact, it was pretty clear that it must be Dean. His son had put in extra effort to offer his friend comfortable surroundings and his own room, in the hope he might want to take up the offer to stay in Caleb's Brownstone long enough for it to feel a bit like home. Mac had to smile at Caleb's intentions, feeling reminded of himself when Caleb had moved in with him.

Mac knew how difficult it was to spend even a couple of hours with John at the Knight had been in an even more foul mood than usual ever since his youngest had left for college. Mac had gotten his fair share of that mood himself the last time he and John met. John blamed him for encouraging Sam's ideas of college in the first place. Sam had defied his father to go and was now refusing all contact. Mac knew Dean was bearing the brunt of his father's anger and was worried about him. He only hoped this was all that had sent the young hunter to take refuge at Caleb's apartment and that Dean wasn't hurt or in trouble. It wouldn't be the first time John dumped him somewhere The Knight considered safe enough, without so much as some painkillers, after a hunt went wrong.

"Is everything alright with Dean?"

"Well, yeah, Winchester-fine. - Ouch!" Caleb's voice was more distant for a moment as if not near the phone "What? It is!" There was a sound, then Caleb's voice was clear again. "Sorry Dad, I was talking to Deuce. We could use a bit of help here. We somehow stumbled onto a case in Central Park."

"What are you doing in the Park in the middle of the night?" The Scholar of the Brotherhood began massaging his stiff neck. He should have slept in his bed.

"There was this guy at the fountain, his dog went missing and Deuce saw it get eaten by some creature in the lake. The guy is pretty out of it and started accusing us of killing his dog. Any ideas? It's not safe near the water. But I don't know how to keep people away from here. By sunrise, the first joggers will be around."

Mac's brain began slowly to work the information through. And finally, all the pieces fell into place, becoming a picture. Central Park was the location the people with the amnesia had been found. "I'll come over. Where exactly are you in the Park?"

"We're near the Bethesda Fountain. And Dad, we could use a bit of hunting equipment for big creatures."

"I'll see what I can find. Where is the man now?"

"He is still with us, getting some beauty sleep for a while."

Mac sighed. "Stay where you are and keep a watchful eye on the surroundings. I think your new friend is not the only victim of this creature." Mac was walking to the hallway closet where they had their hunting stuff and began shuffling through the backpacks while Caleb was still on the line. "I'm on my way. If I'm right with my suspicions, I'd say the man won't remember meeting you or that he ever had a dog."

*** BRO AU ***

CALEB

Caleb closed his phone and stowed it away. "Dude, never heard of not speaking while others are on the phone, talking to the boss?"

"It was only your dad. What the hell did you mean by 'Winchester-fine'?" Dean countered, annoyed.

"I meant exactly what you think I meant. You always say you are 'fine' but in 90 percent of the cases it's code for 'you're probably bleeding to death and hiding it'."

Dean gave Caleb a knock on the arm again. "I'm not bleeding to death, I have a broken rib that's all."

"See, now you're admitting it's broken. I knew it!"

"What? You wanna see me crying my heart out, Reava? You want me to whine about how much it hurts so you can stroke my hair?" Dean turned and was already stepping away.

"Deuce, c'mon. I didn't mean it like that. You know ..." Caleb grabbed Dean's arm to stop him.

His friend angrily turned at him again. "Fuck off, Reaves. Dad would have done better to drop me off at the next cheap motel on the road. All this caring and cuddling is really hard to put up with. You've been around Mac for too long."

Caleb let him go, dumbstruck. Of course he cared for Dean, though they didn't show it in the Ames way. But how Dean was acting was not their usual banter. There was more to it.

When he took his hand off Dean, he found it sticky with a slimy gunk which must have been on Dean's jacket. He brushed it off absently, too concerned with what his words might have triggered in the already troubled kid. "That hurt more than your girly hit. I didn't wanna cuddle with you, honey. But I remember exactly how it feels to be pushed away by the ones supposed to care for you. And for the record, we all know what an ass Johnny can be when he is 'fine'." Caleb made air quotes with his hands.

His friend turned and stomped away. Damnit! Where did Deuce think he was going? They just had an encounter with that thing and he was walking away like a pissed chick. "Hey, stop acting like an idiot. I'm the hunter in charge here. You have to do what I say!"

Dean went on like he didn't hear him. Caleb was at an absolute loss for words. The middle Winchester never - never - acted like that. Something must be absolutely not alright. He felt strange for a second, shaking it off with a quick motion of his head. His hand began tingling. Then he remembered the slime Dean had on his jacket. A glance back at the hooligan showed him that the guy's pant leg, as well as his peeking-out shin over his combat boot, was covered in that gunk too.

The fucking thing had poisoned them with something and he had just grabbed right into it! His surroundings blurred in front of him. He needed to wash the shit off. Remembering faintly that he was right next to the fountain, he turned, pushing his hand into the cool water. The feeling of weakness spread all over him. He needed to find … D… who did he need to find? There was something important he had to do… but it slipped every time he tried to focus. His knees felt weak and he went down. He rested his back on the hard stone basin, trying not to forget how to breathe. That felt like when he had been drugged with LSD by his … someone. Mac had come to his rescue then. Who was Mac? He couldn't remember what he had thought only moments before. Colors began to blur before his eyes and turned into horrible shapes of creatures nightmares were made of.

*** BRO AU ***

MACKLAND

The night was not overly busy in NYC and Mac had asked the night clerk to call him a cab, which already waited in front of the apartment complex. The curious glances of the man followed him as he crossed the hallway to the main entrance, loaded down with the heavy duffle over his shoulder, his doctor bag in the other hand, and the uncomfortable weight of his gun in his shoulder holster, the worried father exited the building.

"To the Bethesda Terrace over 72nd and 5th," Mac ordered the driver.

The drive wasn't longer than 5 minutes and Mackland thanked the man, giving him a tip that made the man's face light up in joy. "Have a nice evening, doctor," he called after him.

Mac had turned, looking at the angel statue, peeking up from the Lake site. He didn't get far, just to the stairs, when an onslaught of emotions hit him so hard that the psychic had to grab for the handrail on the way down to the Fountain. Fear, stress, and confusion swamped over him like a rip tide. Only his son was able to communicate like that with him. And right now Caleb was in complete mental chaos, though he had just talked to him on the phone and everything seemed fine then.

Mac began running. He saw no one but followed the link of fear Caleb sent out. When he rounded the basin of the fountain he found him sitting on the ground sobbing with his hands around his legs in a protective manner. Another shape lay next to him. When Mac got close he saw it wasn't Dean and guessed it had to be the man they had found before.

"Caleb, What happened?" Mac kneeled, reaching for his son's hands.

Before he could reach for him, his son's head jerked up in fear, "No!" he screamed, eyes wide without a single hint of recognition. Caleb tried to wriggle away from him. "Who the fuck are you? Take your hands off me, asshole!"

Mac was shocked. What had happened in these few minutes? "Caleb, easy. I'm your father. I would never harm you."

Caleb just stared at him with his hand slightly lifted to block any attack.

Mac had to be careful what he said. He gave his son some space but didn't retreat too far, ready to intercede if necessary. He had to figure out what had happened and where Dean was. He checked the immediate area but saw nobody other than them. Mac decided to check on the other man first. Maybe if Caleb could see that he was doing nothing bad, he'd gain a bit more trust. The doctor checked the man's pulse and found it quickly. A nasty bulge on the back of his head told him someone had hit him hard enough to knock him out. He searched the ground for a possible weapon and spotted Caleb's Glock lying on the ground. Carefully he reached for the weapon. He couldn't risk his son grabbing it in this state.

Caleb didn't see his actions but was hugging his knees again mumbling words Mac didn't understand. Caleb's arms were dripping wet until up to his elbows and the doctor wondered why.

He had secured the gun, giving Caleb a worried once-over. As hard as it was for Mac to not hug his son and tell him everything was alright, Caleb was not in direct danger. But where was Dean? He had been with his son. "Caleb. This is important now, you have to focus. You were with your friend Dean. Remember? Where is he? He might be in danger."

Caleb didn't react, not even to his name.

A cry came from the nearby lake and the breaking of branches filled the air like something was being dragged through the undergrowth. The Scholar whirled around.

DEAN

He was majorly pissed though Damien hadn't said anything unusual and deep down he knew his friend was only worried. Remembering there was a dog-eating creature in the Lake, Dean reached for his gun. He should return to Damien, angry or not. This had turned out to be an unintended hunt. They knew nothing about the monster and The Scholar would be here soon.

Dean stopped near the undergrowth and took a deep breath to calm down. His rib hurt even worse than it had before he had saved the guy from the giant slug-thing. "Fucking shit! You can be angry at Damien later," he berated himself, running both hands, one with his 1911 Colt in hand, through his hair.

A crack of wood in front of him made him point his gun in the direction. Adrenaline rushed through his body from his finger to his toes. Whatever was in that bush was way bigger than a dog. Their chances were better together and away from the bank of the lake. He turned to head back to Damien when something splashed out of the water. A warm slimy thing grabbed his leg, ripping him to the ground. Dean twisted while he was dragged into the undergrowth. Branches and leaves hit him in the face while he tried to aim at the thing. The faint light of a lantern in the Park illuminated a green slimy reptile-like tongue coiled around his leg, constricting the blood flow.ä

Dean fired blindly three times at the thing until a branch knocked his gun from his hand. His unintended tour through the bush ended abruptly and the tongue vanished. He had at least scared the thing away, maybe even hit it. Dean searched the ground for his gun. After a few moments, he luckily found it in the mud and struggled back to his feet.

Another splash and a shaking of the ground told him that something had jumped out of the water.

A huge toad-like creature stared at him. Its slimy body was covered with unshaped humps. Huge reptile orbs stared at him, moving weirdly.

"Yuck, you need a good surgeon for that ugly skin problem." The thing looked like one of the beastly versions of a real life anime.

Then it opened its mouth and the slimy tongue that had already touched him twice today raced in his direction again. He felt a strange tingling in his hand and feet. His mind got foggy and he wasn't able to move. Unable to keep his fingers around his gun it fell out of his hand as the tongue coiled several times around his body.

"Dean!" a man screamed.

He couldn't think straight, his ribs hurt and the pain increased sharply as he felt another one break under the pressure. He gasped for air but his lungs had no space to expand. His desperate attempt ended in a weak grunt.

MACKLAND

The hunter in him took over. His son was safe for the moment. He would bet, given Winchester-luck, the scream had been Dean. Mackland took off in the direction of the noises, towards the shore and bushes.

Shots echoed through the air. More breaking of wood. When Mac arrived at the spot he saw a car-sized toad dragging Dean towards the shore with its tongue wound around the boy's body. He couldn't fire without risk of hitting Dean.

The psychic tried to calm down and closed his eyes for a split second to find his power. Opening them again, he visualized the toad floating a few feet over the ground. Then its tongue releasing Dean. The young man hit the muddy grass with a thud and lay unmoving on the ground. Mackland pushed mentally and the toad was thrown by an invisible force far into the middle of the lake.

Mackland let out a sigh and swayed for a moment. He felt exhausted, like after a sparring session with John. He bent forwards, steadying his weight on his knees. After a few seconds, he had gathered himself. "Dean!" he shouted to the unresponding hunter.

He staggered to his side, turning the boy over. The doctor felt for his pulse, relieved to find it steady. Patting his cheeks, Dean slowly came to with a grunt.

Mackland sighed, "That's it, son. Open your eyes for me."

Dean looked at him confused. "What happened? Who are you?"

He must be in some kind of shock, the doctor thought. "Dean, it's me, Mackland."

"Mac-what? I don't know you," Dean slurred, gritting his teeth in pain.

The Scholar was worried. He checked Dean's head for a bump that could cause temporary amnesia but found nothing. What had happened to him? He was about to help Dean up but the boy shied away.

"Don't you fucking touch me, man!"

Mac raised both his hands to calm the other man. "Easy, Dean. I'm just trying to help you."

Dean shuffled away from him, holding his side. Mac let him retreat. Dean was acting the same strange way as his son. He noticed Dean was covered from his torso to his feet in slime from the toad-creature. He had read that the slime on some toad's bodies was poisonous or could cause hallucinations as a defense mechanism. This didn't look like a reaction to poison, more like a drug, dosed way too high. Dean was sweating and shaking.

He needed to get him away from the water. Though neither his son nor Dean seemed to remember even their own names, Mac would give it a try and put his hopes on the deep mental connection the two had. "Your friend is waiting at the basin, you can clean yourself up and we can call someone you trust, son."

Dean seemed to consider it. He looked behind him and back to Mac. Unsure he retreated a bit further and went to his knees.

Mac was about to move nearer to him again when the boy suddenly raised his gun, aiming at him. He stopped instantly, arms raised defensively. "Easy, son. There is nothing to fear from me," Mac began, trying to deescalate the situation.

Dean's hand shook. "I … I don't know. I don't know anything. Where the hell am I?"

Mac saw no other way. They had to move away from here and he was also concerned about Caleb as he saw how scared Dean was. He remembered all too well what the sugar cube his son's friends had slipped into Caleb's drink years ago had done to his son. If both had been in contact with some kind of hallucinogen, he needed to get them to a safe environment as quickly as possible.

With a tilt of his head, the gun was snatched from Dean's grip and rushed into his own. Mac hated raising a weapon against Dean but he saw no other way to do this quickly. "Okay. I don't want to hurt you, Dean. But you leave me no choice. Move to the basin, now."

TBC

A/N: Thank you for reading and reviewing. You are wonderful!
I would love to hear thought up this point. Your reviews would make my day and keep me going.