Chapter Nine:
Coalescence
.
.
To Sam, it was almost a relief when the pull slowed down to a light tug before disappearing entirely. It was starting to get worrisome how it was fading out like that. Sometimes the pull would end abruptly, others, like this, petered out.
Eight months waiting this time for it to start anew. Sam celebrated the return with a humpback whale that he'd been traveling with. Well, more like he was following after it like a needy remora or pilot fish. Stuck to the waters underneath the whale to make sure it had a safe journey. He rescued it from a strange metal net that was wrapped around its fins, and now Sam felt responsible for it. He had tried to make it into a pet but it needing air so much kinda made the decision for him. He hated the surface. Didn't feel comfortable in the warmth and sun. Getting any closer to the surface made his skin and scales crawl.
He would only go up high enough to grab his kelp and dive deep again. He had never before lifted his head above the surface of the water, and worried for his whale's safety every time it lingered too long up there. Keeping a closer eye out for the source of the metal net. He suspected the floating metal things. Hearing the rhythmic thudding every once in awhile and diving deep until he no longer hears them. They produced a lot of debris and polluted the water wherever they went but he kept himself from confronting them. It had been two centuries since they killed his parents but that only meant that they could be even more cunning now. Sam had no doubt in his mind that they'd be able to kill him too if he went up top. Still. He worried that even going deep wouldn't be enough to save his scales.
There had been a lot more of the floating things these past few decades though, as if they were reproducing at an alarming rate. He worried that they would over fish his waters and drive some species to extinction. Noticing that there were fewer and fewer of some breeds in different areas. Usually closer to the coasts. So he avoided the coasts and kept to the deeps more and more. There was safety in the quiet peaceful dark.
His whale companion eventually found a mate and Sam let him go, tearfully waving his fins in farewell. He hoped that his whale learned to stay away from all floating things. They only cause trouble. Sure, the sunken ones may have provided him some interesting things to use. Especially in his youth. But that wasn't worth the risk getting them from the source instead of waiting for them to sink first. He's patient. If he wants more of the metal rope, he can wait for it. It is so thin to him now, that he only uses it to clean between his fangs when his claws aren't sharp enough. He remembers back to his youth when the metal chains were too heavy for him to lift, now he has to be careful with them or risk breaking them in his fingertips.
His old metal pole and hook had long since disintegrated along with his shark tooth necklace many many years ago. It had turned into his bracelet in his 40's and then a ring when he kept on growing. The kelp strings replaced hundreds of times over but after awhile, he couldn't even see the shark teeth anymore and lost them.
Memories were all he had. He started to forget his parent's faces, their colors, voices, fins, mannerisms. When he was a nestling, they were so big that it was hard to picture them as normal Mers. Thinking back, they must have only been around 80 to 90ft long. He's now over twice that. Their images are fading from his mind, but Dean's memory stay nearly unspoiled.
He still remembered his brother's face the clearest, surprisingly. That is, it was pretty clear in a few of his restless dreams. If Sam had a bad day, he'd dream of his big brother there, talking and laughing in some strange way he couldn't put his claw to. Sam frequently tried talking back, but it was as if Dean didn't ever hear him, or more likely, was ignoring him since his older brother wouldn't even acknowledge that he was even there. It hurt Sam to be invisible to his brother like that, so Sam learned not to try and talk to Dean in his dreams. Letting them play out behind his eyes instead. Enjoying the sight and sound of his brother while he could. Even if Dean's voice came out strangely in nearly every dream.
In some dreams over the centuries, Dean lost his prominent spots on his face, in others his hair was slightly more blond or darker brown, longer, shorter, or thinning and white. The colors of his skin were sandy most of the time in the dreams, with a few times being darker.
One odd dream was of a strange creature that had hair all over a pointed face. Patches of color around its long nose and the top of its head. The creature had forward facing brown eyes and a mouth full of sharp teeth but a rounded black thing on the end of it's long face. Like nothing Sam had ever seen before. It was just the one dream, but it confounded him for many years why he dreamt about something so different in the first place. Sam assumed it was a bad reaction to those new blue fish he ate and left it at that.
The dreams were very rare, separated by many decades, but they helped keep his brother's memory alive. The faces of his parents were long gone. He blamed himself for not spending as much time with them as he had his big brother. All he remembers was that his mom had similar markings to Dean but with long blond hair. Both had only one very flexible back fin. Sam had many of his dad's markings and traits, as well as the two wing fins, though Sam's had an extra joint in his own. Able to fold it and bend the wing fins better. He didn't know what a 'bird' was but just remembered that that was what his father described his wings as. Sam could even bring them in front of himself unlike his dad, since his ended up being a touch longer, comparatively.
He had observed that sick Pod long enough to recognize who was who's relative or offspring. Even if the markings were no longer prominent, their fin count and placement was a dead give away.
Oddly enough, Sam couldn't clearly remember seeing the rest of Dean's body in those dreams he has. It was as if they were both floating in the dark, since all of Sam's attention was on his brother's essence and trying to understand the things he was saying. Everything fading out besides Dean's face, and that hairy creature's face as well... for some reason.
He knew Dean must have had a body, but, he never bothered to look away from Dean's expressive green eyes as he spoke. The words were gibberish, but, the tone and tempo was the same. Sam wanted to dream of Dean again soon so he could make sure that his memories are still lining up right, but knew that if he did dream of his long dead brother, he'd probably just end up just staring at his unblemished face yet again. Knowing that his body was somewhere below it didn't matter so long as his brother was there and alive. Laughing and talking again. As if Dean forgave him. At least in his made up dreams.
Sam's memories were becoming unreliable. So he took what he could get and put the dream version of his long dead brother to memory instead. Sometimes if he was real still and quiet, he could practically hear the memories of his own long dead relatives. But doing that always scared him. Feeling no ill intent from the foreign memories, but worried all the same that it was a sign of impending insanity. Sam vaguely remembered his parents talking about it once, but he wasn't sure if that was real or imagined at this point since he couldn't exactly ask them. But he guessed that if it was true, then he should be able to remember what his parents did as well as his direct ancestors. To delve back into his family history within his own mind.
That would be a neat trick. But Sam didn't hold out much hope for it being true, since he couldn't even clearly remember his own parents in this lifetime. How was he expected to remember back before that? It was just too long ago to worry about. The past is the past.
Sam hated how old he'd gotten. How massive he'd grown. There was no real way for him to measure how big he was since he moved from place to place so much. The old constants in his life were gone and he rarely ever sought out dolphins anymore. Only the length of his hand on average. Remembering eating fish that big on a daily basis. Cursing himself for thinking of dolphins as food, even for a moment.
It hurt to see them playing and to remember back to the one time he and his brother were supposed to be a team. That fateful day. How angry Dean was with him because he wouldn't play by the rules. Sam hugged his tail to his face. Feeling so lost every time he heard a dolphin's distant call. Retreating below for weeks until they were gone. Going through moods where he was desperate for company, angrily driving it away from him, or simply hiding himself from everything in the ocean in some cave like a sad little nestling.
His one companion was that pull. But lately, it's been driving him a little mad by itself. He hugged his hands around his chest and fasted for weeks until the hunger in his stomach felt stronger than the pull. It always seemed to be stronger when he was thinking of his family.
Punishing himself yet again by starving himself for his heinous crimes back then. If he had just played by the rules of the game, he wouldn't have pissed Dean off and been told to leave. Then he wouldn't have witnessed his parent's deaths, and Dean wouldn't have had to sacrifice himself to save him. The events were fuzzy around the edges but the guilt was still there. Dean's voice echoing in his head about how Sam had messed up.
Sam curled into himself tighter speaking for the first time in ages, his voice hoarse, "Why didn't you just leave me, Dean? You'd still be alive if it wasn't for me and my stupidity." Sam had come to terms with his parent's deaths. Knew that they weren't his fault and that there was nothing he could have done to prevent them, because he still doesn't know what happened exactly. How his parents could have been killed by two big things that float on the water. But Dean? That was all his fault. He was the one that screwed up. He was the one that actually swam towards a damn shark. Sam was the one that froze and got attacked and because of all that, Dean was killed.
It had been over 200 years since his family had died. 200 years of dealing with that inconsistent pull. Wishing it would just either disappear entirely or stay put. Never knowing when it was going to start or stop was driving him mad.
Two decades passes into this current pull, and he was seriously thinking that he'd lost his mind already.
There was just a couple of times in a matter of days, when the pull abruptly changed direction. Going from one horizon to the other. Traveling at one point nearly above him. It was so drastically different from all the other times... that he was tempted to go to the new location but after a couple of days, it traveled right back from there towards where it was for these two decades.
Sam had no idea what that meant, but it didn't happen again. The strangest thing though... when he stopped and thought about it, he could have sworn he felt a deep feeling of dread and fear when it was closest to him, when it was nearly overhead. The feeling dissipated the further it went but the whole situation was unnerving and nagged at him.
After that, he decided to stop wasting time and energy hating the pull. Treating it like a phantom pain like he sometimes gets in his injured hip fin. Drifting closer towards it since he had no real migration plan otherwise. Sensing it was getting somewhat stronger day by day as he moved towards it.
Everything changed when that pull. The one thing that's been chasing him his whole life. The one constant in all the ocean with how persistent and inconsistent it was, was felt closer to Sam than it ever had been before. The absolute strongest pull that fell more like a straight up hard yank compared to the slight nudge he's felt it as for the last 200 years.
A siren call that he simply could not ignore anymore. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to ignore it... since it seemed to be coming from the direction of his ancient nesting site. To where his family had died. He wondered if he was meant to go back home again. But that didn't make any sense, that feeling had appeared in different places each time it popped up. Some were nowhere near the nesting site... so why there now? It had been literal centuries since he'd been there. The emotions still too raw for him. But... the intensity of it right now. The sudden dragging force tugged him from the safe deep on up into the sun warmed waters again.
Sam had no choice but to finally go see what and where that damned pull was guiding him.
.
.
Dean was born in Lawrence, Kansas in 1997. His parents, John and Mary Winchester were glad to finally have a successful pregnancy. They'd had trouble with Mary's birth control and couldn't conceive for years. So when they finally got that positive pregnancy test back, they did everything possible to keep the baby growing inside her. Reducing stress of any kind on Mary's body and keeping things calm and stable. Mary insisted she wasn't a fragile flower, but gave in to John's insistence that she could take six months off work the second she started showing. Luckily, John had just managed to start work at an auto repair shop in town, and it was a good paying and more importantly, reliable job. John's boss, Bobby Singer had been in the business for a little while and taught young John the ropes.
When Dean was born, the little new family was still settling into their home. A simple house that was a foreclosure that put it in their price range. The foreclosure was just for a non-paying buyer, there was hardly anything wrong with the house itself and they'd lucked out again by being the first ones able to see it and say yes.
Dean loved to visit his dad at the garage when he was around 10. At that time, John had risen the ranks a bit and took over Bobby Singer's old job which was mainly dealing with custom work on classics. Dean felt a strange connection to the older man but couldn't pinpoint why. He was just a kid and in awe at all things auto and missed his gruff old friend when he moved to Lakeview, Oregon to start his own salvage yard there. An easy pseudo retirement, he claimed.
Once settled into his new house, Bobby invited the family to his home for a week. The road trip alone lasted a very long time and Dean was antsy to get out and stretch. His parents took turns driving since they couldn't afford a motel room. Bobby let them drop their things off grab a picnic basket, then took them to the lakeside to relax.
Dean was in heaven. He swam for hours, only coming in to reapply sunblock or grab a bite to eat at his mother's insistence. Everyone returned to Bobby's when it got dark. If Dean was older than 11, he would have hitchhiked the seven miles to the lake even after spending a whole day there.
Since then, Dean always wants to go see the ocean. He couldn't really explain it. It called to him in a way that felt right, felt natural. He'd heard of other people wanting to go see the beaches and swim in the waves but he wasn't quite like them. Sure he wanted that too, but he also wanted to scuba dive. Or go deep underwater on a submarine or something cool like that. Something about being underwater was so fascinating to him. His parents took him to the lake a few more times before they had to go back home after that week at Bobby's, but Dean was never fully satisfied with those short trips. The Winchesters were quickly becoming too broke to afford any more roadtrips to Bobby's and the friendship just faded with time.
So Dean was left with enjoying the water from the safety of the buoy circle at Clinton State park when they went there instead. He'd learned to swim at the public pool when he was just 6 years old and would have become an athlete in the sport if they'd had the money for training or lessons. Every few months, his parents would save up enough to go camping at the local state park. Indulging their only son's passionate desire to swim. But times weren't always easy, so the trips petered out before they ended when Dean was just 15.
Dean thought it was something he did wrong for the longest time and tried to make it up to his parents, but they kept insisting that he wasn't to blame for the lean times. That the trips to the lake were as much fun for them as they were for him but he still felt guilty for using up their hard earned cash for his obsession.
Dean wasn't allowed to work at John's Auto garage due to strict regulations, so he found a place that restores cars that hired kids under sixteen on the down low. He told his parents he was hanging with friends, when really, he was working his little ass off after school, trying to make some money for the family. Saving up for emergencies. His job was mainly washing the outsides of the cars, and detail cleaning the insides. Working his way up from the bottom. Buying his own minute card cell phone to make sure that his parents never found out about his work calling him in for odd jobs.
Dean prided himself on making enough money to pay for his own food and tools for work. Learning all he could about cars in-between car washing. It came so natural to him even the old mechanics were impressed with how fast he picked up on it. A feeling in the back of his mind that he'd seen the whole evolution of cars before, but, unable to say it out loud without looking crazy.
Dean pushed the weird thoughts aside and focused on saving up every extra penny for his family when they need it. Having already overheard of a few times his dad had to take illegal jobs just to pay the mortgage.
Dean hoped that with extra money in the house, that one day, years from now, they'd have enough to be financially stable enough to afford just one trip to the ocean. Just one. Until he's old enough to move out on his own and find some place right next to the water, if not on it.
When other kids are playing outdoor sports, he's doing research on water vessels. A houseboat sounded like absolute heaven to him and he scoured the library for any information on them.
His job taught him the value of keeping vehicles and vessels in good condition or else there's corrosion and rust. Adapting his car engine knowledge with engines that run on boats. Even if the two were meant for completely different vehicles, their inner workings were very similar. He was promoted to helping out rebuilding some parts of the various cars they saw at the shop, and the owner offered up an rusty old car that had been sitting behind the shop for ages. It was a gray dinky little thing, but Dean didn't need it for it's looks. He needed it for practice. It would never compare to the cars he worked on, but with some TLC the motor will run again. But, not as a car if Dean had his way.
Dean spent a bit of his hard earned cash on a medium sized fishing boat and in his free time welded closed the many many holes in it and built up the walls of it with pieces of his car into a small cabin. After hours of researching and some advice from customers and coworkers, he figured out how to keep it afloat instead of capsizing by adding removable pontoons on each side to make the surface area wider. He sketched out the final design for it to have some kind of visual to work towards. His boss looked at it and mused aloud that if he added netting between the removable pontoons, he could store some things in those instead of cramming everything into the boat. Of course, whatever would be out there would have to be able to get wet because Dean still hasn't figured out how to keep the net he's using from sagging.
The project lasted for a couple of years until he had a decently respectable vessel and a healthy wallet in his pocket by doing all the work himself with what was essentially junk parts. All he needed was a blow torch and a soldering iron and he could build just about anything after years of practicing.
Some people teased him on his boat, saying that it looked like Frankenstein's boat and he rolled with it rather than getting ticked off. Many insisted it was steam punk and he got a few people asking for schematics and pictures for how to build their own. It gradually became a kind of landmark in their town. Many people giving visitors directions would use it as such since it had yet to see water, and has been in the same place for years outside the auto shop. Dean kept on building onto her until she was nearly too big to haul. His pride and joy. The ship named, 'The Creation'.
Sometimes they'd get new customers that would take a look at it and ask if it's for sale, and he'd refuse every time. A grin on his face for making something so beautiful out of leftover pieces from countless vehicles. All he had to do now was wait and save up for that trip to the waterfront. The trailer he was using to hold it up needed to be replaced since it hadn't been moved in so long, rust had taken hold of the wheel axle. Big trailers weren't cheap so it took time to find and buy a newer one.
He graduated high school by the skin of his fingernails and chose to keep on working instead of going to some expensive college. He already knew what he wanted to do with his life and no college he knew of, or could afford, was going to have a class on his preferred nautical future.
In 2016, a few days before the start of his summer ocean side trip that he had planned for the three of them, the shoe dropped. Dean felt like he had the wind sucked from his lungs when he came back home from work to see his mom collapsed on the floor.
All his income, as small as it was, was now badly needed to help his dad out with all the house and medical bills. They soon found out that Mary was suffering from a disease that the doctors couldn't readily identify, and her shitty insurance agents refused to pay for anything until it was identified. Claiming that she neglected to inform them about any health problems before signing up for it, and actually insinuating that it was made up or she was faking the level of pain she is in for pain pills.
They tried to fight the insurance company but it ended up costing them time and valuable resources they couldn't afford to loose. So rather than loose everything, they had to buckle down and figure out what they can do for her.
Dean knew that he'd have to sell his Creation to pay for a portion of the bills. At first he refused the offers, angry that they'd offered so little for such a masterpiece but, he had to accept or find something else worth selling. His boss gave him his raise early, and tried to raise some money at the shop but times were tough all over. His coworkers donated what they could, but it wasn't enough. When an offer came on his day off, Dean's boss called him up and waited for his reply. Dean could barely say the words, 'do it' over the phone before hanging up and watching a few tears fall to the table. The Creation would only pay for the hospital bills to the end of the month, but at least they were out of debt... for now.
Unbeknownst to Dean, his boss had thrown in 2 thousand bucks more than what the buyer had spent, and wished he could have done more. He didn't say anything because his wife would surely have words for him at home about it. Not to mention the accusations of favoritism among his other employees who would no doubt be lining up with their hands out. Dean was one of his best workers and it killed him to see such a bright talented kid deal with so much.
Dean refused to look at the spot behind the shop where his boat had been for the last two years and focused on the work ahead. Accepting the fat white envelope with a grimace and a nod, he threw himself into the job before saying a word. Dean was always good with his hands, and helped with the more complicated areas of restoring cars. At the end of the month, they had saved up enough extra to help the three of them move to a more affordable neighborhood. Saving money wherever they could. His mom had improved enough to leave the long term care hospital, and enjoyed spending time at their new trailer house with her husband and son.
Dean tried hard to put aside his silly fascination with the ocean to help out around the house and keep the three of them going. However, the change in scenery didn't help his mom. The mystery illness struck again and they were still at a loss for what to do now. The new town's hospitals were just as bad to work with financially, and she begged them to keep her at home, saying that the hospital was more depressing and soul draining to her than anything. They gave in, and she stayed with them for another two months, dying peacefully in her own bed. She didn't tell either of them how close she felt she was to dying, knowing that there was nothing they could do for her. Mary thought that they'd need whatever money they had left for themselves for the time after she's gone. She was cremated and her ashes were spread in the woods where she grew up.
His dad was an emotional wreck. Angry with himself, angry at the world, and angry at his wife for not telling them how bad it had gotten. John stayed out too late drinking, and when he was home, he barely spoke at all to his grieving son. Dean kept to himself most of the time, mourning the loss of his mom in quiet, but also mourning the loss of his only remaining family who was drowning in whiskey and regret. When John's mourning turned to repeated violence against him as a coping method, Dean left and didn't look back.
Dean received a few emails and letters, text messages from his dad apologizing for the fights and the belt, but Dean knew that in order for John to truly heal, he had to seek professional help. Anything Dean would do would be enabling at this point. He had to look after himself now.
Since Dean had been using all of his own money to keep up with the house payments and electric bill and so on, he knew he'd be able to make it on his own much easier. He wanted his dad to be with him in this life, but it looked like even though John love his son, he wasn't good for him. The letters petered out and eventually they only spoke on Christmas and birthdays.
Dean briefly tried to find the buyer of his first boat, but that led to nowhere and he considered building a new one but gave up on that idea until he had a permanent residence. Dean sold his second dinky car for a black rusted old Chevy Impala from his boss. Using up some of his limited funds for it because he needed a new start to his new life. The car was large enough for all of his possessions that really mattered to him, and it was big enough for him to sleep in when the weather wasn't fit for tent camping. It sucked on gas mileage but he liked the classy look of it. Spending a bit of free time fixing her up the way he likes it and making her more presentable and soon to be the envy of other motorists.
Dean wandered around for a short time picking up odd jobs and building up quite a diverse resume, before he felt that itch again and started to head west, towards the ocean. He wasn't even fully conscious of the move, and was running out of funds sooner than he hoped. Before he could even start job hunting in eastern Nevada to build it up again, the transmission went out in his car and he had nowhere to go and no money to get there. Stuck in Mc Gill in the sweltering heat.
He rummaged around his list of contacts that he'd built up along with his dad, struggling to see if he knew anyone at all in the area and pouring over a state map to see if he recognized any of the cities on the map. One stuck out, but it wasn't Nevada, it was in Oregon, on the southern boarder. Lakeview. Dean flash-backed to a time long ago, swimming until dark, and a gruff man in a ball cap.
He dialed up the man's number that corresponded with the Lakeview address in his dad's handwriting. He introduced himself and his plight and swore up and down that he would work to pay off his entire debt with interest. Giving a list of references a few feet long if Mr. Singer had any doubts of his honesty and worth. When Dean finally let up to breathe, Singer interrupted him, and Dean sadly found out that he had lived there a while back, but moved to Baker city to set up a larger shop. Dean's heart sunk, that was basically an entire state away from where he is now. No way would a stranger drive that far for him.
But before he could hang up after thanking him for his time, Singer surprised him by saying, "Now hold up Boy, I ne'er said I wouldn't help ya out."
"What?" Dean asked, dumbfounded.
"You're John's boy?"
Dean nodded but shook his head in confusion, "Uh, yeah, but, what do you mean? You'll still help? I'm hundreds of miles away and you don't know me that well." Dean could kick himself for giving the man a reason to rescind the offer.
"I owe that som-bitch one, that's why. Now shut up and tell me where you're located.
It took a few seconds for Dean to sputter out the address of the building he had been able to push his car to to get it out of the road.
There was some papers rustling on the other end and Dean bit his lip, waiting anxiously for an answer.
"Mc Gill... Ok, I think I know where that is, close to Ely yeah?"
"Yes, Sir." Dean sat forward in his seat, excitement coloring his voice.
"Don't 'Yes, Sir' me, Boy, and just sit tight, I'll get there when I get there. Shouldn't take more than a day. I got some stuff to do at home first. Don't leave your car for too long tomorrow night and keep your phone charged. I'm not gonna wait around all day for you."
"Yes, Si- I mean, thank you, Mr. Singer!" Dean's eyes lit up. He heard a resigned sigh coming through the line.
"Keep the praises and accolades to yourself, I expect you to hold up your end, no need to go thanking me just yet. See you tomorrow. Don't wander off." Mr. Singer sighed again and hung up before Dean got a chance to apologize or say goodbye.
Robert Singer had met Dean when he just a little scrap of a thing, so he'll wait to see how well the kid grew up and worked first before offering him the part time job. He figured he'd give the kid a break since he was on his own and had a tough time of life already, but, he wasn't a charity and had a business to run. He'd test the kid's mettle first and see what all he knows about auto rebuilding. From what he remembers of the boy, he was more interested in the lake than anything else. But also of the brief time he'd known Dean before that. A runt hanging on his every word at that old auto shop. Bobby suppressed a grin at the memory of the wide eyed whelp and hero worship he'd gotten from him.
Bobby got all the tools he figured he needed to fix Dean's car, hoping it was something simple but figured it wouldn't hurt to bring the tow-truck and just haul it back to the salvage yard, rather than mess with it on the side of the road.
He set out to fetch the stranded kid and had to take in the sight before him before introducing himself. He didn't want to get burned on some kind of scam, so he sat in the tow truck for a few hours, watching the kid sit next to the car, on top of the hood, then rest sideways in his car, eagerly watching the street both ways nearly the whole time. The kid helped a little old man with some groceries get them into his car and refuse the money that was offered. That just endeared Singer to the kid even more.
Dean knew that the old man needed it more than he did and if he was out for money or to scam people he would have taken the cash without hesitation. When dinner time came round, he saw the kid hold onto his stomach and wince from time to time. Pacing back and forth and looking at the store more an more. Clearly wanting to go find food but also not wanting to miss his meeting with Mr. Singer. Poor kid.
Bobby drove around the block to come at him from a better direction and stopped the tow truck in front of the car. Dean had been practically bouncing on his heels and eager to introduce himself in person.
Bobby walked over to the kid and nodded in greeting. "I'm starved, let's grab something to eat first."
Dean let his raised hand drop from the aborted handshake and licked his lips. "I uh, I don't have any money."
"I figured that out for myself, I never said I was expecting you to pay. I got this one." Bobby angled his head towards the store and heard the hasty footsteps behind him. Hiding the grin. Over dinner, they discussed what was expected of Dean while at the salvage yard, what he offered his other mechanics that sometimes helped him out on bigger builds. Dean felt his neck ache a little with how much he nodded eagerly along.
Dean couldn't believe his luck, he had a semi-permanent job with some guy that was totally fine with taking him on without a resume or even a personal note. Even advancing him enough money for food and supplies. His immediate goal was to get enough food to eat for a few weeks and enough money to fix up his car should Singer want him gone at a moment's notice.
The long tow drive back to Mr. Singer's house was spent with good conversation about previous jobs they both had and terrible bosses and co-workers. Then it moved on to hobbies and Dean boasted and lamented his boat that he had to sell. Bobby figured it was a tender topic so he moved it along to another.
After a couple of days and a finished rebuild of the Impala's transmission and tune up, Bobby found out that Dean was still living out of his car instead of the motel Bobby had recommended. He quickly offered up the sturdy shed in the side yard for him to crash in instead, so he could at least spread out that 6 ft frame of his. Dean hadn't proved himself as completely trustworthy yet, so the precautions stayed put for now. Dean was just grateful for the extra leg room to sleep and somewhere he could change clothes without painfully thumping limbs inside the car.
Dean fixed up the shed's very few amenities in his spare time and Bobby was impressed with the handy work. After just a couple weeks, Dean earned a place in his house, in the room that had formally held storage boxes that were then moved to the more secured shed. Bobby had grown to enjoy the kid's company and they started talking about more than just the jobs for the day.
Bobby tossed Dean a beer as they sat back for a mid afternoon break. It had been a little over a year, time flying while working away and only the occasional comment about Dean loosing his baby face and needing to shave daily and buy bigger clothes. He was getting some muscles and bulk on that 21 year old lean frame of his, filling out steadily into his height.
Bobby entertained the idea of having the kid be a guard for the salvage yard. Loyal as a dog to the business and his friend. No one would think of messing with someone as big as Dean holding a ten pound wrench. He knew it would be for show, Dean could put on a mean face if he needed to but was really just a pup of a kid. Enjoying his nights relaxing with a cold one watching bad sitcoms.
Tonight, there was nothing much on the old TV but a Mexican drama but they both enjoyed it well enough. When a commercial came on for a cruise line, it was hard to miss how Dean's eyes went wider and he sat closer to the TV. Bobby suddenly remembered that he noticed that Dean had a few worn books on marine wildlife and then remembered the kid's long term boat project, and put two and two together. Maybe it wasn't just a pipe dream for Dean. He had really meant to go to the ocean.
"You like the ocean, Kid?" Bobby hoped that he sounded casual enough, not wanting to put him on the spot if it was another sore subject.
Dean choked on his swig of beer and blushed a little, turning away. He cleared his throat as if it was a guilty pleasure which had Bobby raising an eyebrow.
"It's cool, ya know?" Dean muttered, tearing a bit of the beer bottle's label. "How wild it is... we uh, we used to go to the beach when I was a kid. With my folks. Loved it. The cold, the blue waters. I just, I dunno. Felt better when I was in there."
"Do you go there a lot?" Bobby leaned back into the couch.
Dean huffed a laugh, "No. That's... that's for rich people." and hoped Bobby would drop it, staring back at the TV when the show came back on. Pretending that he was much more interested in it.
Bobby made an unimpressed noise but let the issue drop.
Dinner was a few homemade tacos, and desert was some Little Debbie cupcakes. Dean said he'd go into town in the morning after the delivery guy shows up for the various car parts for customers.
Bobby waited till he was gone to go through his funds and see what he could do to help out his favorite employee turned roommate. It wasn't much, but, with the kid living under the same roof, he'd been able to save money by having a mechanic there, ready, willing, and able to help out. Amazingly without complaining and demanding more money for the odd hour jobs. His previous employees and such were a handful and it was sometimes easier for Bobby to just do the work solo. But then Dean shows up and shows him that not all college age kids are out for themselves.
Bobby would pay the boy what he paid the others in the past willingly, but Dean would refuse the extra cash every time. So while the kid was gone, he went through all the previous jobs that he had asked Dean to do and added up the cost. It was more than enough for a trip to the coast for a couple of days. It had been years for him as well for a vacation and it would help him see Dean be happy. It always seemed like the kid was yearning for something and Bobby hoped that he could use this trip to figure out what it is exactly that he needed. The trip had to wait though, it was the busy season and money was coming in hand over fist for the work. Bobby couldn't shut the place down right at the moment so he shelved the idea of a trip to the ocean until there was a break in the business.
A half year passes and another cruise ship commercial comes on and he catches Dean leaning forward again, peeling the label of his coke bottle to distract himself once it's over. Jogging Bobby's idea of a vacation again. They'd more than made enough for a week long trip now, maybe even overseas to his favorite aquarium for a couple days instead. He hadn't been back to Japan in ages. It would be nice to go with someone else this time around.
Bobby found himself treating his employee like his own kid which startled the hell out of him when that thought crossed his mind. He never wanted kids before, and this one... this one looked like he still had his own set of problems to work through. He knew all about the kid's daddy. A real piece of work there. And he wasn't stupid. Dean couldn't have injured his back in that zig zag pattern on his own. Only three lines, but it was enough to show that John had hurt his own son. A son, that had literally just lost his mom and had to help keep a roof over him and his drunk of a dad.
Bobby always fumed at the sight of Dean's back, and Dean soon kept a sleeveless t-shirt on even in the hottest days. Bobby didn't know how to broach the subject, without driving Dean away, so he chose to let Dean take the topic of his past at his own pace. Prompted yes, but, never forced to talk. It worked out well enough these past two years working together and living under the same roof. However, never talking about it was making it even harder to start the conversation.
Dean came back into the house through the kitchen door, and Bobby hastily closed the folders dealing with his finances. Until he had a good plan going, he wouldn't bring it up with Dean. No sense getting his hopes up for a big trip that might not happen. Bobby wanted to make it perfect because Dean never asked for more than a week off a year. To go where, he never asked, but he suspected it was to go stalk his dad without John knowing. Dean always came back a bit depressed and quiet each time.
Over the next few days, Bobby's dream trip for Dean grew. A new favorite side project for the old man. He had one big build left and booked the trip himself that night.
Dean woke up to a plane ticket and printed out brochure for an enormous aquarium in Japan sitting innocuously at his spot at the kitchen table.
Bobby tried for nonchalance. He really did. However, he couldn't keep a straight face for long and Dean walked over and gave him an incredulous face before hugging him tight. The last time he'd been to any aquarium was with a school trip ages ago, when things were still good, and he spent nearly the whole time staring at the dolphins swimming around. Hands pressed to the glass and his tongue clicking in his mouth, trying to mimic their sounds. He was dragged away from them and put back on the bus to go back. His eagerness to go to the ocean increased a hundred fold from it's original state. He'd always loved marine life, drawing pictures of fish when other people were drawing dogs, cats, people, and houses.
Bobby's grin split his face and he pat Dean's back amiably. Ignoring the moisture he felt on his shoulder from Dean's cheek. He gently pushed Dean back a few inches and Dean got the hint and abruptly let go, taking a couple steps back and breathing hard to calm down his emotions. Hands fisting and opening again at his sides as his heart raced.
Bobby looked away to give him a moment, busying himself with finishing up the french toast before it burnt any more. "Just gotta get you a passport and then we're off. I haven't been to Japan in awhile so don't ask me what's going on there now. We'll just have to find out. Lucky for you, I already speak the language." He boasted a bit, standing up straighter.
Dean hugged him again, at a loss for words for a few minutes. He finally sat at the table and poured over the brochure like a man given a second chance at life, and reread every word on the plane ticket until he could recite it by heart. Absently eating the french toast and dripping syrup everywhere.
The passport was easy to get, and the trip was upon them. Bags packed, Dean was starting to get a little nervous now that they're at the airport and security is going through their things. He'd never flown before so this was a new experience. He started sweating a bit and Bobby had to take him aside once they passed the first inspection to give him something cold to drink.
Their plane was boarding a bit ahead of schedule and that meant that Dean had less time to get used to the idea before they were being herded on-board. At the door he could see down through the crack the tarmac far below the huge international plane. Knowing that they'll be in the air for many hours didn't help his increasing feeling of dread. But, he wanted this. He wanted this trip to happen. To say that he went overseas to a different country to spend time in a different culture.
Maybe even buy some authentic 'Busty Asian Beauties' magazines from the source. Dean had done some research online to the current fads and media and was looking forward to being immersed in a country that welcomes anime otaku nerds with open arms. He could enjoy what he likes without anyone side eyeing him. But most of all, he was itching to go to one of the worlds biggest and best aquariums. He had to keep repeating the positives in his head as Bobby nudged him along to their assigned seats. Switching them so that Dean didn't have to see out of the window if he didn't want to.
Dean was fine right up until takeoff when he was white knuckling it as the massive plane climbed up into the sky. Over a mile above the Earth. It took them a couple of hours but they got to the ocean and Dean's eyes went wide as he finally got up enough courage to look out of Bobby's window. It was amazing and vast and stretched out into near infinity in every direction he could see.
The marvel of it lasted for an hour, then, the fear started in again when they hit some turbulence and his mind kept replaying every plane crash in movies on a loop. He hummed some Metallica under his breath and Bobby ordered a few liquors for them both, giving Dean his share to calm him down. Dean had a tough time of the flight and nearly kissed the ground when they finally landed in Okinawa.
The hotel they were staying at was extremely tiny compared to anything back in the states but it was enough for him. He had spent time living in his car so this was an improvement. The aquarium was as amazing as he thought it would be. Many pictures taken and souvenirs bought. They had their tickets for four days, and went from opening to closing nearly each time. Bobby left him to it for most of the third and fourth day while he went and checked out what he wanted to see. They ate sushi and had a blast impressing the local kids at their knowledge of all things American. It was surprising how many spoke English so Dean had no problem starting up conversations here and there.
The trip back was as scary the second time as the first but Dean knew kinda what to expect so it wasn't as bad but, he wouldn't ever want to fly again if he could help it. Oddly enough, the second flight back he felt something tugging on his heart when they were over halfway over the ocean, closer to home. A kind of urge that he felt he was supposed to go with, but couldn't say why or what it was. He longed to just suddenly be out of this plane and in the water below. Without it crashing of course. To just teleport down there and spend time in there. The urge waned the closer they got home until it was just a background feeling. Easily forgotten.
Dean didn't dwell on it for too long. He knew he always wanted to go to the ocean. So it's really no wonder why he would get that urge when he's looking down at it from far above. Just a vast blue space that mirrored actual space.
Dean and Bobby were energized by the trip and in their free time, hunted around for a decent sized boat that could survive ocean waves. Bobby could see how much that overseas trip effected his boy, and helped him save up again for a house boat. Saying that he's only helping out financially if he's allowed to use it once in awhile. Dean wouldn't have it any other way and with their combined efforts, they hunted down and bought 'The Monster' as a base to work with. Both had fun fixing it up to perfection. Dean spent days telling Bobby about his old boat the Creation, and ways to improve on the design this time around with what he learned since his teenage years, and using what Bobby already had in the salvage yard.
The maiden voyage was in the same lake that Bobby lived close to all those years ago that got Dean into the water in the first place. Tooling around for awhile, testing out the rigging and sails and engines. She had only two leaks that they were able to take care of easily enough. Grateful that they decided on this lake instead of the unforgiving ocean. Dean spent an additional few days with Bobby on the lake just to make absolutely sure the Monster was seaworthy. Training himself on doing the chores and duties that he had only read about for half his life. Taking every scrap of advice to heart from people that had sailed or worked on the water. Dean learned that he already knew a vast majority of their advice, but listened all the same. Glad there were people out there that loved the ocean as much as he does. He didn't feel so alone in his strange hobby like he had when living in land locked states.
Eager to get going already, Dean bade his old friend and mentor farewell. Planning on taking the Monster out on the ocean solo for this first time out. Making damn sure that he could live out there on his own before he really set sail and said goodbye to dry land for a month at a time. Returning home to Bobby's to regale him on his adventures and findings.
He wasn't going to be out there just fishing and scuba diving the whole time, he wanted to study too. Learn about how ocean currents move trash and contaminates around. Trying to figure out a way to gather up the floating pollution and dispose of it safely.
He'd heard of other people around his age working on this problem and wanted to contribute to the cause. First, he'd have to have a base of knowledge of his own to work with. Maybe figure out something they didn't before just because they were coming at it from their own point of view. He wanted to help, but also, didn't want to spend every waking moment on it. That would drive him crazy. He would let himself have some fun first before devoting time to the cause. The ocean felt special to him and he wanted to protect the living things in it.
Dean and Bobby stayed close to the shoreline until Dean felt sure that he could handle it on his own. Choosing the harshest weather they could to go out in. Dean eventually dropped Bobby off at the mile long pier, and gave him a tearful goodbye hug. Dean wasn't leaving for good, but, a month is a long time. He had his Sat phone, CB radio and the like, and made damn sure that Bobby had his set course mapped out if they ever lost contact. So everyone would know where to start looking for Dean's dumb ass if he got lost or caught in a storm.
Even John called him up to wish him good luck on his trip. An unexpected surprise that warmed Dean's heart.
He set sail, heading off straight from the coast into open waters. A thrilling feeling filling his heart that tugged him deeper and deeper into the unknown. Switching from his sails to engines when the wind petered out. Eager to get out as far as he can.
A few days into the trip and Dean woke with a start. The Monster had been sea-anchored overnight so he wouldn't drift too far. There was an odd feeling in his chest, like something was stirring in his very soul. Something that grew and grew until he was scrambling for his swim trunks and heading up to the deck to see what was happening.
Dean took a look around and found nothing out of the ordinary. No storm had shaken the boat, no real sea life to speak of according to his fish finder. A school of marlin was a hundred feet below but that wouldn't have woken him up. His hand went to his chest as his heart started to beat a little harder. Something was different. God help him he couldn't say what but something... was just... different. In himself or the water or the air, he didn't know and he was starting to get worried.
He wasn't on the ocean long enough for for him to get cabin fever, so that wasn't it. He had cooked his meals thoroughly so he probably wasn't suffering from food poisoning. He got plenty of water, sunscreen, took his daily vitamins even if he thought it was unnecessary, Bobby would tan his hide if he didn't. He checked his skin for irritations, nothing. He went down under again to look at his face in the mirror and his pupils looked normal, breathing was a bit high but that might be anxiety. Pulse elevating the more that feeling in his chest grew. Like something was pulling at him. He walked in a circle in the small bedroom, feeling the pull towards the west more than the other directions and felt the need to get back on deck.
Maybe this was that feeling that some of the sailors were talking about. Sensing bad weather before it happens. Maybe there was a tsunami just past the horizon and he was somehow picking up on it. Remembering a random fact that dogs and some people could sense earthquakes before they happen. He checked the radar and didn't see anything coming his way but tsunami's could be coming from many many miles away. Oh God. He could die out here. His ship was strong enough to handle normal storms up to violent ones, but a tsunami could take out ocean-liners.
Dean frantically went around, tying up the sails, and throwing everything loose into the hold below. He'll sort it out and secure stow it later once he's down there to join it. He tucked the Sat phone into his swim shorts and told himself he'll have to put on a life jacket in a minute. For now, he had to lock down everything topside. Mind racing at how much it's going to suck to be in the belly of his Monster as she spins and rolls in the waves. Hoping that she'll pop back upright once the danger has passed.
Dean's heart almost stopped when he spotted it in the west. A large ripple of water. Fuck. Fuckfuckfuckfuck. Dean slipped on the deck, the Sat phone tumbled out of his pocket and he dove after it before it went over the edge. It was waterproof and could float but he didn't want to get into the water to retrieve it when that wave is growing in size before his eyes. He scrambled for the phone and pushed frantically at the side to turn it on. Turning it off on accident because he hit the button one too many times. Cursing even louder at his stupid fingers. He got it on and working and slammed his thumb on the call button three short tones then three long then three short again. SOS
Readying himself for what he was going to say once someone answered his SOS. Shit. What was he going to say? That he saw a wave in the ocean and now he's having heart palpitations?
Dean's eyes stared out at where the wave once was, wondering if all this was in his head and he was freaking out for no damned reason. Oh man how many people are going to laugh their asses off at his expense if this is just a whale. Dean got to shaky feet, moved to the dash and looked over his fish finder again. The marlin were gone. Maybe it was that school of fish that made the wave. They do that right?
The feeling in his chest was still there but stalled somehow. It hadn't grown in a few minutes now that he's regulating his breathing and trying to get himself calm enough to think rationally. What if he had a bad dream and this is all just lingering side effects from it? Dean feels like such an idjit. He turned off the Sat phone and put it on the dash again, plugging it back in to keep it charged for when a REAL emergency happens. No one responded to his single SOS call so it probably went unnoticed. He kinda hoped so now. Even if that thought was a bit disturbing. Being ignored when this could have been a disaster. Fuck. Dean contemplated calling Bobby and having a laugh with his old friend about how he freaked himself out over nothing.
Dean glanced down into he hole leading below deck and grimaced at the mess he made of his stuff. All that has to be brought back up and put where it belongs again. Looking up at the tied sails and mast. The ropes and rigging that was still half strewn across the deck. He really made a mess didn't he. Fuck. Dean walked to the mast to unwrap that first. Wanting to get going again. Leave this spot behind in memory alone. No one had to know this happened, and Dean consoled himself in the thought of this being a learning experience. Thinking through what he should do next time when there was a real emergency. What steps to take first. It kept him occupied for about ten minutes until his fish finder blipped at him. The marlin must be back.
Dean figured he would try his hand at fishing them while he's got a nice sized school right under his location. He wouldn't mind having it for dinner and saving some in his chest freezer for later when the fish aren't biting. He wandered over to his storage tote and pulled out his gear and set it up on the bow, briefly angling the boat in the direction they'd been in before so he could maybe see them coming from the north side. He was about to sit down and set up when his fish finder blipped again at him, then again, and then again. Huh, must be closer to the boat.
Dean walked over to the console, picking up a stray rope that he'd forgotten to secure from wrapping up the sails. He started wrapping up the strong rope with his arms as it trailed around his feet on his way to the fish finder screen. He paused at the image before him. Wow. That is one big spot.
His internal encyclopedia of all things ocean related tried to figure out what whale this would likely be in this part of the ocean. Or perhaps shark. He looked again at the scale on the lower left of the screen indicating size of object detected and gaped. That can't be right. Maybe it's a partially sunken ship? One that didn't land on the bottom of the ocean nor had enough air to rise fully to the surface? A submarine? Oh fuck. It has to be that. A 200 ft long sub was coming to investigate his dinky little cobbled together house boat. What did he do to deserve their interest? He got his permits, license, tags, certifications. Why would they take an interest in him? He didn't do anything wrong!
The long oval shaped image bent in the middle and elongated further on one side, moving fluidly unlike anything man made Dean had ever known. Suddenly, two huge protrusions extended out from one half of it with two more spreading out and moving around independently of each-other underneath. The other half of the image swung down and the whole thing shot upwards from damn near the ocean bed towards the surface. Much much faster than any sub would safely move. What. The. Fuck.
The hair was standing straight from the back of his neck and he turned in place to see a new wave starting much closer than the last had been, and this time to the east. He dropped the rope around his feet when the fish finder started blipping in earnest as more waves were heard and soon seen pushing at his ship from all angles now. Water churning as far as a hundred feet in opposite directions.
Dean froze, heart hammering wildly in his chest, eyes darting about as the waves seemed centered dead around his ship alone in the calm ocean waters. Something big was moving around underneath his ship. Organic because no way could mankind make something that moved like this or shaped this way. Some creature that was bigger than anything he'd studied up on. Something that knew he was here and somehow, Dean could feel it in his bones. That tugging sensation growing in intensity until he felt like his heart and soul were falling and flying at once.
Whatever this thing was, it was coming for him right fucking now and there was no way he could escape it.