Into the Ocean

Fandom: Supernatural

Category/Rated: Slash, NC-17

Year/Length: 2009/ ~16,997 words

Pairing: Sam/Dean Dean/OFC

Disclaimer: No profit was made off this. The characters belong the originators of Supernatural. Was all in pure fun.

Warning: Small helping of het.

Summary: Deaths had been occurring in a small town along the west coast. Sam and Dean go to investigate and take a dip in cold waters.

Series: Virtual Slash Season 4

Beta: marys_scribbles, Many Thanks.

The rain lashed down on the rocky shore, and the woman picking her way along the pebbles at the water's edge seemed to be curiously unconcerned about the way that the wind was blowing salt spray into her face along with the rain.

She seemed to be searching for something, pausing from time to time to turn over a rock or piece of driftwood, and her hair was soaked, hanging limp and lank down her back as she went.

When at last she found a landmark she seemed to recognize, she turned to walk up the beach towards a shadowy patch that nestled against the cliffs. She could hear the sound of a vehicle drawing closer as she sped up. She reached the base of the cliff and straightened to remove the clothes that she wore. Naked, she fumbled, drawing from the hole what seemed to be a coat. As she pulled it on, she began to change, legs fusing and body truncating until she no longer resembled the long legged beauty she had been. As the seal she'd become began to flop down the beach towards the water, a man came pounding down the shingle after her. "Nadine, no!"

It was too late. The seal disappeared into the ocean and left the man on the shore, lamenting.

The Seattle diner was half empty. Most of the early diners were on their way into work as Sam and Dean entered and took their seats in a booth beside the window. Fumbling through the newspaper, Sam handed half of it to Dean and settled down with his section to start looking for a job. It wasn't too long before he sat up straight. "Dude, fancy a trip out to the islands?" he asked his brother.

Dean was lazily looking through the paper. An election was coming soon. More lame humans had been captured, put into prison. There were house burnings and shootings, in fact it was the usual, lame-ass, mundane crap. Peeking out from behind the paper, Dean turned his head to look out the window. People walked by, lazy and slow in their movements. Seattle seemed to have a faster pace than some places they'd visited, but, still, this place was ... nice even though flashbacks of that demon virus kept coming to mind from the last time they'd been in these parts. Worse, Dean couldn't help thinking back to what hadn't happened.

He turned back when his brother spoke and raised his eyebrows. "Islands? What islands? Why?" Placing his paper down on the table, he looked at his brother, wondering what was up.

"There's this article about a settlement up on Lopez Island," murmured Sam. "It just sounds like a nice place to visit, and apparently there have been some disappearances in recent months that sound - I don't know - fishy. Apparently there's some local legend about mermaids, and I figured we might as well be checking out mermaids on an island as sitting around scratching our asses." He gave Dean a beaming smile. "Come on, wouldn't you like to meet a mermaid?"

Dean didn't know about that. Unlike Sam, he hated wasting his time. "Ha ha, I get it, fishy!" He reached over to pick up his cup and took a drink of his coffee. "Okay, fine. How do we get there? We take a ferry there or what? And I don't know about the whole mermaid thing. I mean, how would you ... you know ... I mean nice lips and big tits are one thing, but if you can't do much more than that..." He made a graphic gesture and shook his head.

"There's something to be said for big tits," smirked Sam. "Didn't you ever..." He blushed and stopped speaking, suddenly aware that he was about to talk sex with his brother. "Besides," he murmured. "Mermaids are supposed to have awesome voices. Maybe there'll be one that sounds like Grace Slick. You just never know." He pushed away the plate he'd been eating from. "It'd be kind of nice to go to an island for a change - maybe walk along the shore and skim stones or something." Reaching for Dean's hand, he placed his own over it. "Dean, talk to me. What's wrong? Every so often you get this look on your face - like you lost something precious."

Dean looked down at their hands then back to Sam. There was a melancholy look upon his face. If his brother only knew what he had lost, and what he'd given up to keep Sam as he was, his brother and nothing more - just his loving brother. "It's nothing, Sam. Don't worry your pretty little head over it. I think gray hairs at your age are very unbecoming." He pulled his hand away and reached up to ruffle Sam's hair and then leaned back, his leg moving to brush Sam's before resting against it.

"Pretty head," snorted Sam. "Way to make a guy feel objectified." He gave his brother a loving look that spoke of things that he wanted to do to him once they were back in the room. "So it's decided? We gonna go to the island?" He turned his section of the paper towards Dean and indicated the article he'd been reading. "See here. The last woman to disappear was seen to go into the ocean by her husband. See, it says here that a woman named Nadine McPherson was seen to walk out into the sea by her husband, Joel. It's the third time a woman has disappeared off the beach in a matter of months, and the guy said when they interviewed him that she ran out of the house in just her nightdress. You think that there's some siren or something calling to these women, or is it a fetch of some kind - maybe even a water horse? Anyway, it'll be something different, dude."

Dean had been about to say something more, but that sultry look on Sam's face had him heating up. He shifted again and took the paper from Sam, looking it over and frowning. "Sirens, possibly. Guess we better bone up on our water spirits." He folded the paper. "Don't suppose there are too many motels on an island; I hope we can get a place to stay. They wouldn't happen to have a bed and breakfast or something, huh."

"There's holiday cabins," nodded Sam, who had turned to his laptop and was typing industriously. "Guess they won't be too full this time of year, so we should go rent one of those for a couple nights. Looks pretty cheap, and we'd be able to come and go without the attention we'd get in a settlement that small." He fished out a credit card in the name of Tobias St. James and typed the details into the booking form. "Okay. We're all set. You want any more coffee or shall we hit the road?"

Dean downed the rest of his coffee and nodded at Sam. "Well, all right, let's go." He threw some money down on the table and got up, motioning for Sam to follow him back to the car. Once inside, he started the car and headed down towards the ferry.

There was only a short line for the ferry to Anacortes Island, and the ferry would have to go there before calling in to Lopez Island, where they were going to stay. The weather was chilly but bright, and as they drove the car onto the boat, Sam could see whitecaps out on the water. "Looks like it'll be a little rough," he murmured. "You want to stay on deck and watch for dolphins and stuff, or shall we go in and find the warm?"

Dean didn't like this one bit. Looking around, he saw only a couple of cars besides the Impala. Climbing out, he looked at his car, then out at the choppy water. Finally, he turned to Sam. "I'm not leaving my baby. What if she slides around? What if she ..." Dean paused as he spotted some blocks. going over, he dragged them to the car and put them under the tires to keep her from moving, then did the same to the car behind him. The other driver didn't seem to care as he went inside the vessel. Cursing to himself, Dean leaned against his car, petting her protectively. "Why don't you go get me a coffee?" he demanded. It was clear he wasn't going to move from his vigil until they reached solid ground once more.

"Yes, your majesty," smirked Sam, saluting as he backed away. "One coffee coming up." He pointed out at the gray, seething waters. "Keep an eye out for Orcas, they apparently mill around out here waiting to show ferry passengers a good time."

As the horn sounded to alert people to the fact that the ferry was setting sail, Sam turned and went up the stairs to look for Dean's coffee.

The trip was uneventful, although a little rough, and Sam was remarkably glad when they drove off the ferry and onto Lopez island itself. "According to the map, there's a couple of restaurants and a grocery store up near the cabins. I got us one with a kitchenette though, so we could maybe get some steaks or something in and cook. What do you say?"

Dean shifted in his seat and then nodded, "Fine, let's stop at the store, get some food and beer, and we'll cook in. You should see if there is any information about this place too. Any past deaths. Maybe talk to the store owner... unless she's a knock-out, then I'll do the talking." He smiled at his brother as he pulled the car around a turn. A few moments later they spotted a small supermarket; Dean pulled in and parked the car in front of it. He was surprised when the store had a rack displaying pamphlets that described the history of the place. Picking one of them up, he showed it to Sam.

"Awesome." Sam took the little brochure and tucked it into his pocket to read once they'd found their cabin. "Okay, so we're getting steaks and potatoes, I guess. You want anything else?" He smirked. "Besides coffee, that is."

It was blowing hard now, and clouds were racing across the grey of the sky, reflecting in the shine of the Impala's hood. "Damn, it's cold," he growled, grabbing a bottle of scotch from the shelf alongside the twelve pack he'd put in his basket. "Something tells me we're gonna need a little something extra," he murmured.

Lining up to pay for their groceries, Sam fell into conversation with a bright-eyed, little old lady with a small terrier on a leash. "You here for the fishing?" she asked him. "Or are you doing one of them retreat things that's getting so popular these days?"

"No, ma'am," he said, smiling down at her. "Me and my brother just wanted to chill for a few days, maybe take in a few of the local legends for... for the travel book we're writing."

Dean had put the things he wanted into their cart, cookies, beer, and scotch and was leaving it to Sam to find the rest of the provisions they were going to need. As Sam was paying, Dean was distracted by the weather. He walked over to the store window and looking out, eying the sky with distrust. The clouds had raced in and now hung overhead even though the wind seemed to keep blowing briskly. Dean felt a chill wash over him. He felt... as if someone were watching them. Watching him. He could feel the short hairs at the back of his neck stand up as goose bumps formed over his body. He shivered visibly before the conversation tugged him back to Sam, and he turned around, giving his most charming smile.

"We like to include local history in our books, so people will be more excited to come here," he said, twinkling at her as he moved over to stand by his brother.

"Oh, there's lots of local color you can put in your book," said the little lady, looking as if she'd like nothing better than to start relating the place's entire history. "You just drop round to my house, and I'll tell you everything you could possibly imagine." She pointed to the little clapboard house across the street from the store in which they were standing. "The door is always open, and the kettle is always on."

Sam was grinning at Dean as they left the store, and he gave his brother a wink. "Found you a hot chick, dude," he smirked.

Dean gave his brother a look, "Granny panties might turn you on, but, dude!" He shook his head at his brother. "At least we have a source." Moving over to the car they both got in. The heater kicked on instantly, warm air blowing comfortingly onto their feet. Backing the car out of the parking space, he pointed it towards the ocean and their cabin.

"Yeah," smiled Sam. "That sort of person always knows everything. They see the community go by and get all the gossip." He winked at Dean. "She'll know it all, you'll see."

The cabin proved to be surprisingly comfortable, with brightly colored furnishings and a well equipped kitchenette, up to and including a dishwasher. Stowing their purchases in the fridge and the cupboards, Sam nodded approvingly. "I think I like it here. We should go down and look at the beach once we're done unpacking, dude. I wanna see the waves."

Once things were put away, Dean prepared the coffee pot for later if needed. He'd already lined the windows with salt, just in case. He so wasn't going to take any chances. As Sam was speaking, the older Winchester was looking through his bag. Shifting his head to look at Sam, he smirked. "You want to look at the waves? Do you know how gay that sounds?" Grabbing his keys and making for the door, he nodded. "Okay let's go look at your waves."

The Impala was parked and the two brothers climbed down some rocks before hitting the sand. Waves gently crashed against the sand and the wind blew a bit. But beaches were always windy it seemed. Dean thought back to Key West and wished they were there instead, but without the hurricane. The place was great. Drinking. The women. Sweet.

He walked along, looking around and not seeing much of anything. "Okay, so what are we supposed to find down here?"

"I don't know." Sam strolled along, occasionally bending to pick up a shiny pebble or a particularly fancy shell. "Aren't there supposed to be seal colonies along this part of the shore? I kinda thought that we might get to see a seal or something." He went to the water’s edge and sent one of his pebbles skipping across the top of the waves, watching in satisfaction as it bounced once, twice, three times before sinking with a small splash. "According to the articles I read, the woman vanished just at the foot of that cliff over there. Wanna go take a look, see if there's some inter dimensional portal or something?"

Dean was looking around muttering about hating to get sand in his shoes and now he was gonna have it in his car. He was hardly listening to Sam at all when he looked up and then to the cliff. He gave a shrug, "Whatever, maybe we can find a hex bag or something." He started walking and went to climb the rock, "And don't make fun of my ass."

"I wouldn't dream of making fun of your ass," laughed Sam, pursing his lips in appreciation at the ass in question as Dean began to scramble over the rocks. "You brought me up not to mock the afflicted." He turned to follow Dean, climbing close behind him, until he could pat one of Dean's asscheeks. "Besides, I love your ass, dude. It's firm and springy and biteable." As they reached the foot of the cliff, they could see a small crevice in the rock, and as Sam went over to investigate, he caught sight of several symbols carved into the rock. "That's interesting," he muttered. "What do you make of them?"

Dean stood on the rocks, looking around as he did so. He could feel the salt air misting over him and his hair was starting to get wet, as was Sam. He moved over to Sam and crouched as well, looking at the carvings. He frowned then reached for his phone to take some pictures, "Maybe we should send them to Bobby and see what he can come up with. I hope it's not witches, they're just ... you know, gross."

"They could be witch signs, but if they are, I've never seen anything like them." Sam was frowning as he sifted through his memory for anything that might be similar. "The only thing I ever remember seeing that was even remotely like this is the cave paintings from somewhere in France, only those paintings were of horses, and these ones seem to be seals or walruses or something. Look there. That one seems to have a man scratched in next to the seal." He passed a finger over the carving. "I wonder how long these have been here, and if there are any more."

Dean looked around, then took a few steps towards the cliff edge, placing his hand upon one rock to hold on while he planted his feet on another. Suddenly he felt it giving way. His eyes went wide as he looked at Sam, then he vanished from Sam's sight as he plunged downwards into the ocean, hitting his head as he went down to land with a splash in the cold water.

"Dean!" Sam couldn't see his brother from where he was. He started to panic, began to toe off his boots and shrug out of his coat prior to jumping in after him. "Dean," he called again, tossing the discarded coat and top shirt to the rock on which he was standing. He began to scramble down towards the water, hoping against hope that his brother wasn't lying dead with a fractured skull.

He could see Dean now, floating at the water's edge. He slid down a rock and onto a ledge beside where his brother was, and paused in amazement. Dean was floating on his back, and his brother wasn't alone. There was a sleek, black body alongside him, one flipper supporting him, holding his head out of the water. There was an egg-sized contusion on Dean's forehead, and traces of blood against his temple, but he was breathing.

"You... you saved him," Sam said to the seal. "Thank you. You have no idea how much he means to me. I don't know what I'd do if I lost him."

The seal looked at Sam then at Dean before slowly working him closer, then dropping its flipper and pushing Dean with its nose.

Dean groaned, his body shivered, and he felt his eyes flutter. His head was aching, and when he moved his hand, he started to panic. He slapped his hand against the water, trying to keep his lower half from sinking. "SAM!" he yelled as he spied his brother. He reached for Sam then felt someone or something pushing at his butt, helping him to get out of the water.

"Dude, you scared me," scolded Sam. "I thought I lost you for good." He put his arms around Dean and began to haul him up onto the shore. "Don't ever do that to me again. I don't want you to leave me." He buried his head against Dean's neck for a moment, careless of the salty water as he nuzzled into his brother's warmth.

The seal made a little yelping sound, and he looked up. "Thank you," he whispered again. "I'll take good care of him. I'll get him home into the warm, don't worry."

Dean was shivering, his clothing soaked, his body cold, and he held onto Sam tightly. "Can we get out of here? I'm freezing, and my head hurts." He reached up, feeling the lump on his forehead, and he winced. He was gonna need ice. As the pair of them stumbled away he looked back at the seal, seeing it's big eyes gazing at him before he turned and started heading back toward the car.

Back at the cabin, Sam helped Dean strip away his soaked clothing and bundled him into a hot bath, then went to make a pot of coffee into which he splashed a liberal amount of whiskey. He poured them each a mug and then took them through to the deck where Dean was sitting in the hot tub making faint moaning sounds. "You okay, man?" he asked. "You took quite the blow to the head."

Dean nodded, "Yeah, I think so," he answered and took the offered drink, sipping and then pursing his lips in a whistle. "Dude, that is... good." He drank a little more before setting it to one side. "Gonna have a headache later." He smirked at Sam, "I'm glad you and your wet friend were there though. Strange that seal not butting me around like a beach ball."

"That was awesome," murmured Sam, eyes wide. "Dude, if I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have believed it. That seal held you up out of the water 'til I could pull you out. I never heard of anything like that before." He'd brought Dean a change of clothing, and now he shed his own so he could step into the tub beside his brother. "You could write books about that. Saint Dean of the Seals or something." He reached to pull Dean against him. "I'm kinda glad he did save you though."

Dean leaned his head against Sam and reached for his coffee, knocking it back before putting a hand on his brother's leg. "If I hadn't seen it myself I wouldn't have believed you." He looked up at Sam through a veil of long, thick lashes. "And you know I'm far from a saint," he smiled, remembering he'd been told that he was an angel, as was their mom, and ... He frowned, then closed his eyes, trying not to think of it.

They sat in companionable silence, sipping their laced coffee and thinking about the way Dean had been rescued. "Glad you saw it then," murmured Sam at length. "I think that someone up there must be watching over you, man. Either that, or you have nine lives like a cat." He stroked the back of Dean's neck, running his fingers back and forth over the soft, damp hair there. "Don't wanna lose you, Dean. Don't know what I'd do without you." He kissed the side of Dean's head as he spoke. "Love you," he whispered.

Dean turned his head and studied his brother before closing his mouth over Sam's and kissing him. He didn't realize how a glow, soft and white washed over them. He felt warm but it was because of his brother rather than the light. When he pulled back, the light was gone, but the heat was still there.

The kiss was warm, and Sam sank himself into it with a needy sigh. He knew that he would have lost Dean if not for the seal that had come to his rescue and wondered - not for the first time - just what he would do without his brother. He'd always counted on Dean to be there. Dean had been the one stabilizing force in his childhood, and as he'd grown up he'd taken his brother for granted. Somehow it had always been unthinkable that anything could happen to Dean. Dean was the rock on which his universe was founded, and that rock had shown signs of cracking that afternoon. Now all Sam wanted to do was to cling tightly to his brother, and if necessary, to climb inside of him and prevent any harm from coming to him. He pulled Dean into his lap in the warm water, holding him tightly as he nibbled along his neck to his ear and then found his mouth once again.

Dean curled his arm around Sam, kissing him back deeply. He pulled back as his hand came up to brush those long strands of hair back from his brother's eyes. Sam had lovely eyes and Dean could spend hours looking into them. He could still remember how when Sam was a baby he used to play with him like that for hours, lying on his side, holding a toy over him to laugh at.

Dean leaned in again, pressing mouth to mouth and shifted on his brother so that he could straddle him and push Sam back.

The kisses were as much about Sam's desperate need to keep Dean safe as they were about making love. He gripped his brother fiercely as he allowed Dean to push him back and attack his mouth, spreading his legs gladly to wrap them around Dean's waist and cling tightly to him. "You wanna do this in the tub, or in front of the fire in the cabin?" asked Sam, sliding one hand down to squeeze Dean's ass as the other pressed him close.

Dean who had suddenly felt somewhat dizzy, wasn't sure if that was because of the drink or the bump on his head. "Can we go inside?" he asked getting up to grab the edge and start to climb out. He looked back at his brother, water dripping from him as he walked inside. The fire was burning merrily now, and the room was toasty warm. Dean sat on the rug next to the fire and stretched out to wait for Sam.

Chasing after him, practically quacking with indignation, Sam followed with a towel. "Come here, you dumb fuck. You're gonna catch your death of cold if you aren't careful." Still scolding, he dropped to his knees and began to dry Dean off, gently patting away the moisture from freckle-dusted skin. "I want to make you feel good," he whispered as he finally set the towel aside and reached for a cushion to place under Dean's head. "I still love you, idiot."

Dean lifted his head for the pillow and turned towards his brother. Sam looked so sexy in the flickering light of the fire. The way the light danced over those strong muscles. How the light glittered in his eyes. "You do, Sammy," Dean answered, reaching up and pulling his brother down to him. "I love you, too." He pressed his plush lips to Sam's, parting them to push his tongue into Sam's mouth and taste him, to explore him slowly as they kissed while one hand stroked over Sam's arm and down to cover his chest.

The warmth from the fire was nothing beside the heat that Dean's kisses were starting in him. Sam closed his eyes and lay down, half on Dean and half beside him, sucking on his brother's tongue as he ran his fingers down over the smooth, padded flesh of his chest. His hand traced the lines of Dean's muscles, teasing and tickling, pausing to pluck at a pink-brown nipple and then to dip into the shadowy navel. "Take it easy, bro. You lay back and relax, and I'll make sure you get there. Gonna make you feel so good you'll think you died and went to heaven."

Dean gave a pleased sound, his body tensing a moment before relaxing. He laid his head back, gazing at Sam as the light danced off him. He was already hard for his brother, the kisses had triggered that, as steaming hot as they were. Sam's touch always triggered it, and Dean's eyes were smoky with need. "You know you always make me feel good."

"Not always," murmured Sam, bending to drop soft kisses along the tender line of Dean's lower lip. "I've hurt you a lot in the past." He caressed the inside of Dean's thigh, drew his fingers up to trace the line between thigh and torso, and then down over the rigid shaft of his brother's cock. "Won't hurt you again if I can help it." Sliding down over Dean's chest, he paused to latch onto one of his nipples and nibble there while his hand teased his cock and balls. "Gonna eat you alive, dude. Gonna suck you down and wring you out."

Dean felt his breath catching, and he closed his eyes in anticipation, rolling his head from side to side as his hips raised themselves. He groaned, his hand clutching hard at Sam's arm before sliding over his shoulder and then into his hair, feeling the thick, dark locks between his fingers. He opened his eyes and turned his head to watch Sam; the way his mouth felt on him was like fire, wet fire that sparked him inside. He moaned again, his tongue wetting his lips.

Fingers tightened into his hair, grounding him, and Sam bent to tongue Dean's cock, loving the musky taste of it as he slid his mouth onto the head. He could hear Dean making little sounds and shuddered. Dean's voice was sexy at the best of times, but the soft moans he was making right at that moment were going to his head.

He swirled his tongue around the head of Dean's cock a couple of times and then sucked him deep, humming softly as he pressed down. One hand pressed down on Dean's hips to prevent him from bucking, and the other strayed to fondle Dean's balls, rolling them gently as Sam worked his cock.

Dean felt his eyes flutter close and then a slew of whispered swearwords left his lips. At times, he tried to move his hips, squirm a bit, but Sam wasn't allowing it. Dean had to suffer, staying still. It was torture for him as his brother moved over him. His hot wet mouth moved, tongue pressing in all the right places as his fingers teased. "God, Sammy," Dean groaned, his head falling to the side.

The taste of Dean was almost overwhelming - heady and salty and arousing. Sam reached down to fumble with his own cock, squeezing it, desperate to hold himself back, until he could sink himself into Dean and make love to him. Pulling away for a moment, he groped for lube. "Gonna fuck you in a minute," he growled. You want me to do it slow and gentle or fast and hard?" Coating his fingers, he slipped them down between Dean's ass cheeks to start opening him up.

Dean felt the coolness rush over his cock as Sam pulled away, but the rest of him was heated. His breathing was labored, and he knew it was going to get worse. Dean shifted, rolling over, pushing his ass up towards Sam. "Fast, hard," he answered as he looked back at his brother. He wanted this. Needed it.

The wide smile that spread over Sam's face was a thing of beauty. He stroked his free hand over the firm globes of Dean's ass, bent to press a kiss to one pale cheek and then he scrambled up onto his knees and pushed his cock into Dean. One arm encircled his brother's chest, pulling him tight against his own, while the other took hold of Dean's cock, squeezing and pulling it as he began to thrust.

Sam was covering Dean's body and he had to support them both on his knees and elbows. He groaned as his brother pushed into him, making his entrance burn just the way he needed it. He turned his head to one side, resting it against his arm. He swore softly as Sam started to move him, keeping their bodies tightly together. Dean lowered his head, grunting with each thrust, feeling his knees scrape on the flooring as he tried to hold still.

"Come on," whispered Sam, his lips against Dean's ear. "Want you to feel good, dude. Want to feel you milking me." He pressed tight against his brother's back, mouth grazing his neck as he licked and nibbled the tender skin. "You have no idea how dreadful it felt to watch you fall into the sea like that. You scared me shitless. I thought that you were dead, and that a stupid slip had done what ghosts, vampires and demons have tried to do and failed. I need to feel that you're still real, dude. Thought I lost you." He set his teeth against Dean's shoulder and bit down, leaving a mark on him.

Dean lifted his head and winced in pain. Teeth bared down upon him, the sting coursed through him like a burn. He could feel Sam's fingers tight around his cock, pulling harder, faster. Dean's hips bucked and his legs trembled from the force of his brother's hips pushing him down as he tried to push back. "You ... won't," Dean tried to answer.

"I won't, dude; I can't. I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost you." Sam was panting now, his breath short and strident as he kept on pounding Dean's ass. "I had this dream. Felt like I was going to lose you. Felt like I was going to wake up some day and find that you were dead and gone, and somehow it would be my fault." His arm tightened against Dean's chest, pulling him impossibly close as his hips moved faster. "Need to make sure you're mine."

Dean closed his eyes, grunting again as he was slammed into. Dean tipped his head back, resting it against Sam's as he was fucked. His body burned, his arms shook, so did his legs. His whole body ached. Suddenly he felt his insides burning. His cock was swelling and he turned his head to whisper at his brother, "Gonna ..." Dean couldn't finish as he released for his brother, squeezing his cock.

This was the moment, and Sam felt Dean's body pulsing around him as he spurted his load, sticky and white. Each rippling squeeze drew more sensation from him until he couldn't stave off his own moment any longer and felt himself let go, tip over and spill himself into that slick, velvety darkness. Collapsing onto Dean's back, he gasped and puffed as he tried to get his breathing back under control. "Don't ever stop loving me, Dean," he whispered. "Need you to get by. Nothing else is as important as you."

Dean lay there, panting. He was sore all over, and his knees stung with rug burns. It was a good ache, but he also needed to breathe, so he gently pushed his brother off him. "Dude, you're way too heavy," he commented as he smiled softly and laid his head on his arm. His head was truly throbbing now. How could Sam have asked him never to stop loving him after nearly twenty four years of being loved by Dean?

"I grew, didn't I?" Sam chuckled against Dean's ear. "Didn't you ever wish you hadn't been saddled with me? Your life would've been so much easier if you hadn't had to keep your eyes on me all the time." He reached to pull Dean closer. "I owe you everything, don't I? When I saw you fall into the water this afternoon, I suddenly wondered what I'd do if I lost you. I feel like I've been taking you for granted."

Dean shook his head, "I know what it would be like, and, Sam, we wouldn't know each other. We wouldn't be this close, and I'd rather have us fucked up than not knowing each other." Dean didn't fight the move. He just looked up at his brother. "I don't want you to know what you'd do if you lost me." But something pinged in Dean at that moment, telling him the words he'd just uttered were going to come back to haunt him.

"I have to take better care of you," said Sam, lazily rolling his head so that he could lick along Dean's throat. "You need to get to bed now, I think. You don't seem concussed, but my bet is that you have a really nasty headache." He pressed a kiss to Dean's chest and then struggled up, half lifting Dean so he could guide him over to the bed and tuck him in.

Turning back again once he'd settled Dean down, he gathered up his clothes and slipped into them. Just as he finished putting on his T-shirt, there was a knock on the door. Heading to see who it was, he found a pretty young woman. "Hi," she murmured. "I saw your friend fall, earlier, and I thought I'd come check how he's doing."

Sam frowned. He hadn't seen anyone around when they'd been on the beach, but he reassured her that Dean still lived and thought no more about it. Crawling into bed later, he snuggled up against the sleeping Dean and was soon asleep.

When Dean woke in the morning, Sam was still asleep. His head ached, pounded in fact. He looked over at his brother, sleeping peacefully, and Dean didn't want to bother him. He got up, tucking Sam in then got dressed. He brushed his teeth, gargled with the door closed and then came out and stoked the fire back up. Moving over to Sam, he kissed his cheekbones and then scribbled a note for him.

Coffee and breakfast, will be back, love ya. Dean.

Heading out, he decided to walk, making for a coffee shop and hoping that along the way he might find some aspirins.

She was waiting for him when he walked into the diner a few minutes later, sleek and beautiful with dark eyes and glossy black hair tied back in a thick, shiny pony tail that grazed her slender shoulders. Sitting at the counter, sipping a hot chocolate, she turned her lustrous eyes onto Dean as he entered and strutted up to put in his order. "Hi," she murmured, offering him a wide smile. "I hope you're feeling better now. I saw you fall yesterday and called around to see how you were doing, but you were sleeping."

Dean turned his head at her words, his face slightly scrunched from the headache still pounding behind his eyes. He peered up at her and got a good look, and his expression softened as he found a smile from somewhere. "Wasn't as graceful as I thought," he murmured, giving her his most charmingly flirtatious smile. "Head hurts, but I'm doing better, thank you though. Name's Dean," he offered.

"Dean," she murmured, nodding as if she approved. "You can call me Celia. I was too far away yesterday to do anything to help, but I saw it all. You had an interesting encounter with our local marine life, wouldn't you say?"

"Celia," Dean repeated as well. He picked up the coffee that had been set before him while he waited. "Yeah, I did. Thought he was gonna use me as a beach ball, balance me on his nose," he said, grinning. "Brother said it helped, somewhat, I don't know. I was pretty out of it and cold. Is that water always cold?"

"Yep, the current comes down from the glaciers in Alaska, so it never gets warm, even in the summer." The girl had flushed a little at Dean's comment about the seal. "The seals have been friends to us around here. You'll hear stories about them from the old folks in these parts, and I for one think that there might be some truth in them. Some say that at times they become humans and come onto the land. Others claim that they are the reason for the legends about mermaids. All I know is that I saw a seal hold your head above water, until your brother could pull you out of the sea."

Dean quirked an eyebrow, "Really." This was something he would have to tell Sam, so he could do some research. "Well I'll have to find that seal, give it a fish and tell it thanks." Dean smiled and took another drink. "So do they have any history books documenting the stories from around here?"

"I don't know of any," she murmured. "You need to go visit the reserve and talk to some of the Elders there. They're the ones that hand the stories down. Someone really should put them onto paper so that they aren't lost." She gave him a smile and an old fashioned look from beneath long, curling black lashes. "Will you be staying in town for long? I hope that we can do something to improve your visit. You haven't had the best of introductions to us, have you?"

Dean gave a smile, "For a week at least," he said, knowing that they would be there at least 'til they'd solved their case. "You wanting to give me a better introduction?" He leaned on the counter and pursed his lips as if in thought. "We'll have to see how it goes."

Pursing her own lips as if in imitation, she gazed at him speculatively. "I could show you around, if you'd like."

At that moment, the server returned with two cardboard boxes and placed them down in front of Dean. "Two full breakfasts, two coffees to go," he intoned, reaching to swab the counter down with a wet cloth.

Dean grabbed the boxes, "I'd like that, Celia," he murmured. He grabbed her napkin and scribbled his number down. He winked at her and took the food to make his way back to their cabin.

Sam was just coming out of the bathroom as Dean arrived back at the cabin. "Dude, there's really hot hot water in this place. Can we live here forever?" He crossed over to the bed where he'd dumped the clothes he was going to wear that day. Reaching for his underwear he sat down on the edge of the bed and began to get dressed. "It still raining out there?" he asked.

"You want to live on an island where it rains about eighty percent of the year?" Dean sat the boxes down. "I rather live in Key West. At least the water from the sky is warmer there." He pulled a chair out and sat down. "Oh and I ran into this girl, Celia, she said she stopped by while I was sleeping. Said there were some interesting stories we should check out about seals and sea creatures turning into women. She offered to give me a better introduction to the town." He sipped his coffee and sighed contentedly.

"That'd be the chick who came by last evening," nodded Sam. "She said she saw you fall, but I didn't see her around when it happened, so I'm not sure where she was standing." He frowned. "I'm gonna go down to the beach after and take a look at where it happened, because I honestly don't know if it would be possible to see you fall from anywhere except on the rocks themselves, and she wasn't there for sure, or I'd have spotted her."

"Dude, you gonna leave me to talk to old ladies by myself?" Dean gave Sam a look as if to say 'please don't do this’. "She did say she was far away, so..." He shrugged, "Look, stop worrying about her, we need to find out what's going on. If things are coming out of the water we need to find out what and stop them from killing people."

"Yeah, okay." Nodding, Sam reached for the container holding his breakfast and began to eat. "So what do you think we should do first? We've suggested that we're writing a book on the folklore of these parts, so I guess we can collect stories as a part of gathering local color." He grinned. "We should go see the dude whose wife disappeared, and maybe you should take your girlfriend up on her offer to show you round. What do you say?"

Dean speared a forkful of egg and bacon and chewed noisily, talking with his mouth full. "Sounds like a thing to do. And yeah, I should - didn't get her number but gave her mine. So I guess when she calls, I'll do that. For now, let's go talk to that guy. You got his name and stuff right?" Dean began to work on on a piece of bacon.

"Yeah, I do. I'll call him after we eat. Maybe he'll talk to us about it. If not, then I'm sure your little old girlfriend from the store will fill us in." Grinning, Sam reached over and stole a sausage from Dean's breakfast. "Dude, you really shouldn't eat these things right after taking a blow on the head. Bad for you."

Dean looked at Sam and made a face at him. "Dude, you don't complain when I eat your sausage," he said, chuckling at his own joke. "And she's not my girlfriend." He pulled the biscuit out of his breakfast carton and bit into it with relish. "So let's finish up and get going."

Making short work of the rest of his food, Sam rose to his feet and reached for his jacket. He quickly found his phone and called the man they'd been discussing, introducing himself as a writer who wanted to talk to him about his recent experience. A few moments later, he nodded to his brother. "Okay. It's all set. Let's go."

Getting up to reach for his own jacket, Dean shoved his last stick of bacon in his mouth. "Then let's stop wasting time," he smiled, turned and trotted out the door with keys in hand. At least it wasn't raining now, even though it was cloudy.

The little yellow house was tidy, set back from the road, with pretty flower beds and a swing in the yard that suggested children might live there. As they knocked on the door, Sam was peering around, trying to see anything that might not look ordinary. There was nothing. When the front door opened, the man it revealed looked haggard and dirty, as if he hadn't washed for days. "You the reporter guys?" he asked. "Better come in."

Dean nodded to answer the man then allowed Sam to go in first. He stepped aside as his tall brother moved before him. "We just wanted to ask you a few question. We're sorry for your loss, but if you could tell us what happened, and what's not in the police report, we can tell the truth of what happened."

"I already told the police what happened, but if you really want to know, she was acting a little strange for about a week before she disappeared. She started to throw her clothes away, even the new ones, and stopped eating anything. I thought she wasn't well, but she kept on saying she was fine." He seemed to pull himself together and invited them to take a seat. "I don't know what was on her mind, but there must have been something. Do you think she killed herself?"

Dean sat down, "Well that's really for the police to decide. We just want to hear the story. Anything else unusual?" Dean tried to look interested, really, he did, but he was finding it hard, because the way it was sounding it seemed to be just that ... suicide and not their kind of gig.

"Unusual? It was all unusual." Rising to his feet, the distraught man began to pace. "It's happened before. The sea king calls them, and they go into the sea. They're okay until we hear the singing, and once that starts they just... just change. Nadine was a wonderful wife, and now she's gone. He's taken her, and I suppose she drowned."

Dean quirked an eyebrow. "Huh? The Sea King? Calling them to the sea. Have you ... heard this singing?" Dean was now taking interest. Maybe he was wrong about this whole thing.

"Not me." The man shook his head, misery plain on his face. "Celia Thomas heard it. She told me the day before Nadine left. She said that Nadine would be leaving, and I didn't believe her. I should've believed, but I thought it was an old wives tale. I didn't think that it would happen to me. Why would Nadine be the one? Last year it was Teresa Pritchard. Old Miss Holden heard the song then, but she's such a senile old broad that nobody really thought it was true 'til Teresa went into the sea. We knew she had, because her clothes were found floating. Not Nadine's though."

Dean looked over at Sam. "So it happens once a year?" Was it sea sacrifices? He jotted down the name of Teresa Pritchard and Miss Holden, knowing they would need to look into that. What still got him was the clothing thing. Nadine had been throwing away all her clothing as if she knew she wouldn't need them anymore, and then she'd gone into the water without them. "So nobody was ever found?"

"No, but I saw her." There were tears in Joel's eyes as he began to recount what had happened the night his wife had disappeared. "I couldn't stop her. I was too late, but I watched her go." He sighed. "It was stormy, and the breakers were huge. She just... stepped into them and then she was gone."

"It said in the paper that this was the third disappearance in the past year," murmured Sam, sitting forward. "But you say that this Teresa vanished a year ago."

"There was something from the other end of the island," said the man, sniffing as he tried to contain his emotion. "I didn't pay too much attention. I thought it sounded like an urban legend or something. Never suspected it might be true."

Dean raised his eyebrows, urban legends were, after all, their thing. "Really. So what is this urban legend?" He had a feeling it was gonna be the same thing Celia told him earlier. But then again it might surprise him. But Dean had a good sense for this kind of thing, or at least he liked to think so.

"The selkie come on land and take a bride. They get her pregnant and then go back to the ocean." Joel looked a little uncomfortable as he began to tell Dean about the legend. "When the baby's born they come for it and take it back with them. Sometimes the selkie women come, and if their coat is hidden away they have to stay human, because they can't change back to selkie form again."

"Wait a minute." Sam leaned forward again. "Are you telling us that Nadine was one of these creatures?"

"I saw what I saw." Joel was swift to protest. "I never hid anything from her though. We met at a disco, for pete's sake! Nadine wasn't any seal woman. She couldn't have been, dammit. She liked Maroon 5!"

Dean looked at Sam, "Okay, we really don't believe she was a selkie." Dean tried to calm the man down. "Like you said, she couldn't have been one; you didn't have her coat. Something else must have happened." He motioned to Sam that they should really go.

Rising to his feet, Sam thanked the man, and the two of them turned to leave. As they went, Sam turned back to ask Joel one final question. "You say that someone heard this Sea King singing. Can you give us the address, so we can go ask them some questions?"

Armed with a paper on which the bereft husband had hastily scrawled an address, they returned to the Impala.

"So?" asked Sam as they settled into the car. "What do you think?"

"Moron 5 is more like it. Who goes to a disco?" Dean looked over at Sam. He leaned and started the car. "Well, it seems to jive with what Celia told me, but she said the women come to land and are kind of held captive, can't change back." He frowned then looked at Sam, "So where to next, Watson?"

"Your choice, dude," said Sam. "Seems to me that I could hit the library, and you could take the tour your girl from the diner offered. Her name was Celia, wasn't it? I don't suppose there are two girls with that name around, so you could pump her for information." He paused, then smirked. "You know what? We could always go see the little old lady and find out what she knows."

Dean looked at Sam, "That's your job. Little old ladies like puppy dog eyes and good manners, and I'm deficient in both departments." He grabbed for his phone, "I'll go back to the diner and see if I can find Celia." Pulling up at their cabin, he raised a hand to Sam in farewell. "Okay, keep in touch, bro and don't come back with granny panties, okay." He grinned widely at his brother.

"Yeah, right," growled Sam, pretending to be outraged. "Here's the address for your Celia. That Joel dude wrote it out for me." He held out the paper the bereaved husband had given to him and then nodded. "I draw the line at little old ladies," he said. "We'll go together for that one. Drop me off at the library, okay?"

Dean chuckled and pulled the car away again to take his brother to the library. As Sam was getting out of the car, Dean reached over and pinched his ass then smirked at his brother. "I'll call you if anything interesting happens." He pulled away, pointing the car towards the address as he wondered if this was the same woman he'd already met. Climbing out, he walked over to knock on the door.

It seemed as if there was nobody at home. Dean was about to walk away when the door finally opened to reveal the pretty, black haired woman he'd met at breakfast time. "Well, hello," she murmured, giving him a sultry smile. "Ready for that tour, I see?"

Turning without any further words, she beckoned Dean to follow and led him into a small living room that was sparsely furnished, with a bare wooden floor and only a couple of chairs. Indicating that he should sit, she took the seat opposite and smiled again. "What would you like to see first?" she asked him.

Dean was looking around, taking in the furnishings, which he noticed weren't very womanly. Usually houses were filled with 'girl' stuff, but not this one. He sat down and gave her his most charming smile, "Well, what do you suggest?" he asked. He intended to ask her about that Sea King dude and the selkie, but not quite yet, because he could be barking up the wrong tree, and she was extremely pretty.

She shrugged, body moving enticingly under the tight sweater. "You want to see scenery or visit some of the newsworthy spots? There's a lot of things that have happened lately that might be of interest to a writer such as yourself." She smirked, almost as if she didn't believe that's what Dean was. "Or I could take you around the island in my sailboat."

Dean looked at her from under long lashes as he listened. "How about those interesting ... spots?" He let that linger a bit before going on. Dean was a flirt, and he knew how to get his way, "Then maybe a ride." Left open again for her interpretation. Damn but why was he wishing he was that sweater?

Her expression indicated that she was well aware of the thoughts going through Dean's head, but she didn't say anything, contenting herself with a knowing look as she rose to her feet. "Better put your coat on," she said. "It's going to be windy later."

The sky was filled with leaden clouds that were racing across a cobalt sky as they approached the cliff edge looking over the rocky shore where Dean had fallen the day before. Celia leaned into the wind, hair whipping around her face as they stood and looked down at the white horses that foundered on the boulder strewn beach. "There's a seal colony out there," she shouted, her voice dragged from her by the wind. "The villagers used to believe they were mermaids, you know."

Dean had his hands in his pocket. He was gazing out at the open water rather than looking at the seals. Other thoughts flickered through his head. Memories of past events, and memories of events that had happened and then been erased - changed by one deal with a god. There was a horrible sinking feeling in his gut that things were not as he thought they should be. Things wouldn't work out as well, and his fear of what Sam might become was still heavy upon him.

Dean barely heard the woman over his own thoughts, but when she spoke he looked down at her, trying to work out what she'd just said to him. "Huh, always pictured mermaids to be ... a little more shapely and busty," Dean offered as he watched the seals playing in the surf below, throwing their weight around as they moved, a whole lot more graceful in the water than on land.

"You have no idea," she said with a smile. "I have to tell you that what happened to you yesterday marked you. The sea queen has her eye on you now, Dean, and you're going to find that she will be hard to resist."

Dean looked at the woman, "Wouldn't be the first woman," he answered. He turned to face her, the wind blowing her hair. He moved closer to her, reaching up to pull her hair away from her face. "And what about you? What do you have your eye on?"

The smile she turned on him was predatory. Rising to stand on her tiptoes, she cupped his cheek with one delicate, white hand and drew his face down so that she could graze his lips with hers. "I bet that you could guess if you really set your mind to it," she murmured. "Want to try?"

Dean half closed his eyes, gazing at those soft lips before he smiled. "Sometimes a boy just likes to hear it out loud," he answered, not closing the distance between them.

"Are you playing hard to get?" she purred, moving in closer. "I won't hurt, I promise." Her fingers toyed with his collar as she leaned up, so close that her breath tickled his cheek. "You're a very handsome man, Dean. Are you caring too?"

"Caring? Oh, I care about a lot of things," He slipped his hand down to her hip, resting on it and pressing them closer together.

"Tell me some of them," she said. Her fingers twisted in his shirt at the neck, and she was suddenly kissing him again. "A soft bed, a warm body to hold, and freedom from fear are all things I'm guessing you like." Her lips slid over his cheek as she spoke. "As for me, I like those as well. Will you indulge me, Dean?"

Dean returned her kiss and then he looked at her. She did feel nice. Soft and warm. He still loved the feel of a woman against his body, even if he was deeply in love with his brother. He ran his hand up her back, his other hand still holding her hip. "Yeah, I like to indulge. Love to indulge."

"Come on then," she murmured, sliding her hand down to cup his groin. "Let's go somewhere where we can find out just exactly how much of the same stuff we like." She gave his genitals a gentle squeeze. "It's probably a little chilly here, although I don't suppose we'll be bothered by passers-by in this weather."

Dean made a sound, and then he surged in to kiss her. He gave a little moan and rocked his hips into her hand, but then he pulled back. "Somewhere nice, warm, soft," he said.

"Come on," she growled, lowering her lashes as she took his hand and began to re-trace their footsteps back down into the town. "My house is nearest, and I'm sure it'll fit the bill."

It wasn't long before they were back at her door. As she unlocked it and beckoned him in, she seemed to shine under the lamplight. Turning, she put her hands on his shoulders and pressed him back against the door, then began to unbutton his shirt. "And now..." she murmured. "Now we shall see."

Dean could honestly say he didn't remember the trip back. But then he was against the door, and his shirt was coming undone. He leaned down and kissed her, his hands going to her top to gather up her breasts, and touching her skin. He started pushing the fabric up as he did, feeling heat build inside him as he kept kissing her and succeeding in his attempts to pull her shirt off.

She had pushed his shirt off his shoulders and down, so that it fell to the floor, and now her hands - surprisingly cold - slipped beneath his T-shirt to wander up over his ribs, finding and tweaking at one proud nipple before moving to push the fabric away. "Warm," she whispered. "You're so warm. I knew that you'd be warm, Dean." As he squirmed out of the T-shirt, she leaned in and sank her teeth into the meaty pad of his shoulder. "Warm and delicious," she murmured and giggled.

Dean hissed as she bit him, "Easy." He looked down at her. Dean was used to kinky sex, so her biting wasn't something that shocked him. He was adventurous as well, far more so than Sam. He moved his hands up her back, pressing her against him as he unhooked her bra. "I'm definitely tasty though." He smiled and started to slip the bra off her shoulders, which meant she had to pull back from him.

"Good. I'm glad to hear it," she said, letting him slide the lacy scrap of fabric down and off. "Because I intend to swallow you down." Her hands fell to his waist, fumbling with button and zipper until she'd unfastened his jeans, pressing them down over his hips until his cock sprang free. "Oh, that's lovely," she added and dropped to her knees.

Dean gave her a look as if to say that he knew and toed his shoes off, kicking his jeans away. He leaned over her to run his hands over her back. He slid his fingers over her, around to her breast, teasing the nipples before pinching them. He gathered her hair up so he could see her as she teased his cock although he had to confess that he was thinking of Sam, and how he looked when he sucked him down.

Her mouth couldn't cover as much of him as Sam's, but it was wet and slippery, and she worked at him, cheeks hollowing as she sucked. Her fingers weighed his balls, massaging them as she swirled her tongue around his cock. By the time she pulled away, he was breathing hard, and his cock was leaking thick, salty strands of pre-ejaculate. "Shall we go find that bed?" she asked him, one eyebrow raised. "Or would you rather stay right here."

Dean liked it; she wasn't as good as Sam, but then nothing ever would be, now that he had his brother. It didn't stop him from moaning out his pleasure and pumping his hips into her. When she pulled off, he gazed down at her and drew her up. "Yeah. Bed," he growled as he started backing her in the direction of the stairs, getting her to respond to his need.

Smirking over her shoulder, she turned, took hold of his cock and began to tow him with her along the passageway to her bedroom. Inside it was all blues and greens, the silk coverlet shimmering in the fading light of the winter afternoon. Reaching for him again, she pressed close to him and began to unfasten her own pants, sliding them down one-handed to reveal tiny lace panties. "Here we are," she murmured. "Last one standing is a slowcoach."

Dean groaned, looking at the panties and then he grabbed her, lifted her and tossed her onto the bed. Hooking his fingers into her panties, he pulled them down. He then climbed up over her, his mouth latching onto her breast. He sucked on one side before dragging his mouth to the other, then rolled them over so she was on top. He looked up at her then leaned up and kissed her hard.

She was enthusiastic, giving him back kiss for kiss, caress for caress, a teasing smile on her face. "I won't break, I promise," she growled, bending forward to nip his chin. Spreading her thighs wide, she eased herself down on him, the inside of her like a furnace, heated and slick as she slid him home. "Got you now," she said, chuckling. "You'll have to fight your way free now."

Dean growled, then groaned as she sank over him. He gripped her hips and started to buck up into her, "Not gonna fight too hard, sweetheart," he whispered, voice hoarse and strained with effort. He leaned up and kissed her as he started rocking up into her, stabbing her over and over. His hands gripped her full breasts, suddenly remembering why he liked being with women as well. They had the soft curves and luscious lips that Sammy lacked.

"You're sure?" she said, lips very close to his own as she swooped down to nip at his. "You feel nice. I think I'll keep you." She gave a twist to her hips, surprising a grunt out of him, and clamped her muscles tight around him. "You can come if you want. We can keep on doing this for as long as you like."

Dean groaned deeply. He didn't think a woman could possibly be this tight. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her down to him as he kissed her again, "Such a tempting offer," he groaned then rolled them on the massive bed, so that now he was over her, hooking one of her legs up around his arm as he drove into her.

She laughed, seeming to melt against him as he placed her body where he could pierce her more deeply. "I knew that you'd be fun to play with," she murmured, licking along his neck before biting the thick cord of muscle that ran down from neck to shoulder. Her body was undulating, hot and needy, and her voice was a silken purr. She arched against him, and he felt her tissues ripple around him as he moved. "Oh, God, yes," she growled. "Just like that!"

Dean slipped his arm under her, lifting the woman up on him as he sank back on his knees, pushing into her even as she moved down on him. His hands supported her, splayed across her back as he mouthed her neck, her jaw line and mouth. Her insides had a tight hold on him and he felt himself drawing close. Her soft, full chest scraped against his, their nipples teasing each other while sweat melded into one.

Dean kept her like this for a while till he felt the pressure building inside and he threw them back down upon the bed, hooking both her legs around his arms and bending her in two as he drove deeply into her, almost pulling out with each thrust until his body couldn't take any more. He tightened all over, and his teeth clenched, releasing inside her. Dean shuddered for a long moment before letting her legs go and, on shaky arms, supported himself over her.

Lying back, boneless and relaxed, she smiled up lazily at him. "I think I'll keep you," she murmured. "I have a good feeling about you."

Dean chuckled and shook his head, "I don't know," Dean pulled from her and then lay down beside her, panting as he recovered. "I can be pretty bad mannered and annoying to be with. You can ask my brother." He reached over the bed to grab his shirt.

"The guy you're with is your brother?" She eyed him narrowly. "but I thought..." She didn't say any more for a moment or two, but then she stole a peek at him from under her lashes. "Now that we're together it doesn't matter anyway."

Dean paused and looked at her, "Thought me and ... why do people think that?" Dean shook his head, and no matter if it was true or not, nobody but he and Sam needed to know. He pulled his shirt on then swung his legs over to pull up his underwear and step into his pants. He ignored her comment about them being together. She would just have to be heartbroken when he left.

He sat on the edge of the bed to put his shoes on, "Speaking of which, gonna have to go meet him for dinner."

For a moment the look in her eye was cold, but then she purred and stretched, showing off the sleek lines of her body as it glowed pale in the lamplight. "Are you going to leave me?" she pouted. "Will you come back later?"

Dean stood up and turned around, leaning down and kissing her, "I'll give you a call later," he said, which, with his reputation, was a lie. He picked up his jacket and turned to leave.

As he closed the door behind him, Celia's expression changed from languorous pleasure to fury. "We'll see, Dean," she snarled. "You might beg to belong to me before we're done. I'm not used to being given the brush off."

Sam had been in the library for the past several hours. He'd found a number of references to the disappearances, not just within this community, but all over the island. He was about to call his brother when Dean appeared, looking smug. "Dude, this place is creepy. It's not just women that vanish from the beach. Sometimes men do too, and children as well. Did you find anything out from your inquiries?"

Dean sat down next to Sam, "Yeah, stories of a sea queen who, once she likes you, she really likes you." He reached over for some of Sam's chips from the bag he had, and then gave him a sideways look. "And Celia said I was marked or something. 'Cos of that seal that saved me."

Absently smacking Dean's hand, Sam raised his eyes to study his brother, who, true to form, was stuffing his mouth with the chips he'd filched. "Marked?" he asked, frowning. "Marked how? She'd better unmark you again, dude. You're mine, and I ain't about to give you up just because some sea-queen has put her seal of approval on you."

Dean pouted at his brother before talking, food shoved to the side. "Dude, I don't know how she did. Maybe I got seal spooge still on me. Besides, she said it's just a tale." Dean shifted and moved closer to Sam. "And you should know by now, I would do anything for you, Sammy. Of course I'm yours, and nothing is gonna change that." He snitched some more chips as he spoke and ate them, grinning at his brother while he chewed.

"Anything except leave my chips alone," observed Sam, smirking. "Dude, I've been looking into disappearances from this island and the others in the Gulf over the past couple of years." He passed Dean a printout he had lying beside the computer. "Look here. There's no pattern when you look at the figures, until you start to factor in the Canadian islands too. Once you add them in you start to see that it's a really regular occurrence. Every six months, without fail, someone goes missing, and it alternates too. One abduction is male, the next is female. It's easy to see; I guess nobody's thought to combine the data."

"That's 'cause you're a computer geek. And the fact that Dad taught us how to look for patterns. Bastard always was good at that." Dean grumbled. "Okay, so we know the last was a woman, and that means the next is gonna be a man. But who?" Dean pushed up from the chair, hearing it scrape the floor and getting a hiss of 'shh...' thrown at him. "Okay, so what's next?"

"Well, if your Celia is right, then you'll be next, but not for a while." Sam gave Dean a considering smile. "You should consider heading inland before May, or you're gonna be finding out firsthand what the sea queen likes for breakfast."

Dean paused, "So you really think I'm next?" He thought a moment, "Well that sea bitch picked the wrong guy. Make her pelt into floor mats for my baby." He smacked Sam on the back. "So we need to find out who this sea queen or king is, right? Were there any pictures? Maybe we can spot someone in the village that will turn out to be them?"

"Yeah. I thought of that," murmured Sam, pulling up a grainy daguerreotype from a site dealing with tourism in the gulf islands. "I found this one, but that was the only thing that seemed relevant. It's from 1906, and you can see the faces pretty well." He turned the computer screen towards Dean. "I made a couple of copies, but the only person that will likely be able to identify any of the folk in here is our little old lady from the supermarket. Guess we'll need to pay her a visit after all."

Dean looked at the photo. "Dude, there's no legs or cleavage. Women wore way to much back then." He shook his head. "Okay, let's go see granny."

Gathering up his stuff, he headed out with Sam in tow. The two of them climbed in the car and set off to return to the supermarket they'd been to the day before. Parking the car in the supermarket parking lot, the two of them crossed the street towards the little house that the old lady had indicated, and mounted the steps to the porch to knock on the door.

There was a sudden flurry from inside the house, and then the brothers heard yapping, followed by a murmured admonishment as the lock was unfastened. When the door creaked open, the elderly lady they'd met in the store was standing there, clutching her terrier. "My goodness, boys, you must have smelled the cookies," she said. "I just made a batch of them. Come on in."

"Cookies?" Dean's eyes lit up, and he tossed a meaningful look at Sam before pushing in front of him and going inside. "I love home baked cookies," he said as she showed them into the living room, telling them to make themselves comfortable. Dean sat down, his long legs bending, and he rested his arms upon his knees.

"I must be psychic," she said, giggling as she closed the door behind Sam. "Would you like some tea?"

"Thank you," said Sam, giving her a warm smile. "Don't put yourself out, please. Tea would be great, but we don't really need it if you aren't going to have some yourself." He took the offered seat, and instantly the little terrier leaped up on him and settled down on his lap. "What we came for was to ask you about some history of the island. Have you lived here for long?"

"All my life," she nodded. "And I was just going to make tea anyway, so I'll go and get it ready."

Dean looked at the dog in Sam's lap then looked at him, "You have a little wiener," he chuckled. "And tea? That is so ... girly? Gay. Who drinks tea?" He reached for a cookie.

"You do," said Sam through his teeth. "Because you're being polite, and, besides, it's good for you - aids the digestion and that kind of thing." He set the little dog down and rose to his feet. "Ma'am, can I help you carry anything?"

"No, thank you." Appearing in the doorway with a tray that held cups and saucers, she gave Sam a smile. "I'll be with you in just a minute."

Dean looked up then sighed. Yes, dammit! He had to be polite. "See, it's why I have you around, to be polite for us both," he grouched, then he took another bite of his cookie as he leaned back, relaxing.

Eventually the cups were filled and each boy supplied. Sam gazed at the little woman sitting opposite him and gave her his most endearing smile. "My partner and I are looking for information about the history of the island. We're particularly interested in the folklore, because it looks as if there might be a mystery around that. Can you tell us anything about the stories of a sea king and queen that abducts people?"

"Oh, goodness, yes. The sea king is supposed to come and steal babies," said the woman, who had insisted that they call her Rose. "And the queen likes to keep a stable of handsome young men, so you two had better be on your guard," she said with a gleam in her eye.

"How often does that happen?" Dean paused, reaching for the picture. "And we found this, do you recognize any of these people?" He slipped it to her, then took his cup and reluctantly took a sip, surreptitiously reaching for another cookie as he sat back and tried to look interested.

"Good lord, where did you find this?" Rose indicated a baby who was clasped in the arms of a slightly disheveled young woman. "That's my mother!" she said. "Now let me see."

Rising to her feet, she went to a shelf behind the couch and returned with a battered photograph album. "I can likely help you identify some of the folk here. I don't know about the disappearances though. I always thought that the young men just left the island to go find jobs on the mainland. Island life isn't for everyone, you know, and the greener grass always beckons the young." She giggled. "I do remember one young man who was very handsome, and he did say that the sea queen was calling him. He left a couple of weeks later, and I think he might have gone down to Mexico. We always talked about that when we were young, but I never went."

Dean nodded then leaned forward, "He said the sea queen was calling to him. Was he acting strangely? Do you remember what the girl looked like by chance?"

"It's been a long time," she said softly. "I do remember that we were all worried about him, but I can't remember if he did anything in particular." She sipped at her tea as Sam leaned forward.

"What do you think of the legends, Rose?" he asked.

Dean wondered as well, "Yes, I was talking to this young lady today, she said this thing has been around for a long time, the story that is. And that I was marked. Her name was Celia, you know her?"

Rose's face closed up, and for a moment she looked as if she might burst into tears, then she rose to her feet and dusted off her lap. "No. I don't think I do know her," she mumbled. "And I must get on. It was nice to chat with you."

"May we stay and look through your photographs?" Sam was frowning, wondering if it was the mention of Celia that had brought about the change in Rose's attitude, or something else. The little woman looked pained, but finally sat down. "She said you'd been marked?" she asked Dean.

Dean had hardened up the moment she stood up. She knew something, and he fully intended to get her to tell it. However, when she sat down and asked her question, he blinked at her and leaned forward, fixing her with a pleading look. "Tell us what you know, Rose, so we can stop this. We need to stop the cycle, stop the deaths."

"I... don't know anything." Rose was beginning to cry. "You have to leave. You have to go back to the mainland, because you can't be too careful." She seemed to cower away from Dean. "You need to stay away from Celia. Stay away from her, and go back to Seattle. I can't help you."

Dean looked at Sam, at a loss of what to do. He wanted to scream and grab her to shake the answer out of her. He knew he couldn't do that. Or at least he shouldn't. He knew that Sam wouldn't let him.

Rising to his feet, Sam went to crouch down beside Rose's chair. "Listen," he said softly. "I know you're scared, and that you don't want any problems, but you have to help us. This has gone on for a long time, and it has to stop. Tell us what's going on, and we'll put a stop to it." He patted her arm as he met his brother's eyes. "Why do you think that Dean should stay away from Celia? What do you know?"

Dean looked at Rose, hoping Sam's kindness would work. He'd always been good at that. Dean was the type who tried, but he got frustrated far too easily. "Please, if it means my life, then tell me."

"Celia is..." Rose put her face in her hands. "She's one of them. She's the one that takes the young men."

There was silence. When Rose lifted her face to look at them, there were tears seeming her cheeks. "She'll take you too, if she decides that she wants you. I think she has already."

Dean looked at Sam, "That was how she knew about the seal, and why you didn't see her." He got up and walked over to stand looking down at her. "Rose, this is gonna end, she just choose the wrong person."

"Be careful, Dean, dear," murmured the elderly lady, turning her face into Sam's shoulder as he put one long arm around her. "She's always been able to have what she wants, and once she wants you, you're lost. There's something she does that hypnotizes the young men she takes. First she sleeps with them, and then she leads them out to sea. If they had a sweetheart, she taunts them before she takes their lovers."

"So don't sleep with her, Dean," grinned Sam. "Not easy, but I bet you can resist."

Dean cleared his throat, made a little face as if he wanted to say something else but couldn't. "Yeah well," He cleared his throat again. "We should go, Sam." He started headed toward the door.

Sam knew that face. He frowned, his face falling as he took in the implications. "Dude, you didn't!" he said, following his brother out with a hastily muttered thank you to Rose.

Back at the car, Sam confronted the older man. "Dean? Did you...?"

"Sam, you know me," Dean stopped at the car. "Look, it's made our job easier, she'll be coming after me. We can end this now, and this place will be safe. So let's go back and get the things together to kill her. We do know what will, right?"

"I don't think there's anything special," said Sam, who had lapsed into silence. "Obviously your harpoon didn't work, so I'm guessing we should try a gun - silver bullets wouldn't hurt, but I don't think that they're necessary." He frowned. "You really had to nail her, huh? You couldn't pass it up?"

Dean looked at him, "You jealous? Sammy?" Dean grinned, "That's cute." He nudged his brother. "Sam," He reached out and pulled Sam closer. "It doesn't mean I don't love you. Hey, once this is over with, I'll make it up to you."

"You think?" Sam turned his most doleful face on Dean, eyes melting with misery as he glared accusingly at his brother. "We need to get the shotguns. I'll take a regular revolver with me, too, and you can maybe club her. Isn't that what they do to baby seals?"

Climbing into the car, he folded his arms over his chest and sat brooding as he waited for Dean to drive them back to their cabin.

Dean looked over at his brother and sighed. It wasn't like he'd fucked another guy. He couldn't get why Sam was being so possessive anyway. He figured of all people Sam wouldn't want to be too involved with anyone, because all the others for whom he'd cared too deeply had died. He cast a swift glance over at Sam. "You know you should do that more often. Shows off your breasts when you cross your arms. Though you need to stick your bottom lip out more when you pout," he teased.

Sam opened his eyes wide at that. "Oh, fuck you!" he growled, an unwilling smile tweaking the corners of his mouth. "You realize she's going down now, and I won't feel even slightly remorseful!" He shook his head. "Quite apart from the fact that she's a seal creature or something, she's got her eye on you with an urge to kill you, dude. Shows poor judgment on your part to screw something we'd hunt."

Dean chuckled, "You so want to take her out, don't you? I can tell." He made a turn. "And yeah, I know it wasn't a good move. Look how broken-hearted I am over it." He reached to the side and put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "You know, having a jealous little bitch is cute and handy. You get this little gleam in your eyes that just turns me on." He chuckled as he parked the car.

"Don't push your luck, dude," growled Sam. "I'm gonna take every last little comment out of your hide later. You won't be able to sit down for a week."

As Dean pulled up outside their temporary residence, Sam was already heading for his computer, trying to find out if there was any lore about killing a selkie. He found a whole folder of information on finnwives, and began to leaf through, looking for ways to kill one.

"They're witches, dude," he called to Dean, who was sitting on his bed cleaning the guns. "So we need to beware of any spells she tries to cast. You need to wear mercury and salt, and we should both have cold iron around our necks. Looks like iron will kill her too, so we don't need to waste the silver."

Dean quirked an eyebrow. "Witch, great, I sank to a new low." He moved over to the bed. "Dude, we don't have any mercury. Where we gonna get that?" He pulled out the salt, then paused, "And cold iron?" He shook his head, "We need to get some before we go out after her."

"The cold iron is easy enough," nodded Sam. "We've got horseshoes, or if we haven't, we can get a couple. Mercury, though... Hmmm, that's different. Maybe we can get an old thermometer that has it in, or even a box of those fluorescent light bulbs - you know, the curly ones. They have mercury in them." He smirked at Dean. "So did she get the... uh... seal of approval, dude?"

Dean shrugged, "Like any other I spend time with. Nothing that make my toes curl, blew my mind." He was grabbing the keys to his car. "Okay, I'll go out and get the bulbs. You," he walked over to Sam and leaned down, kissing him, "start getting the other things ready. I'll be back in a bit." Dean turned on his heels and headed out.

Sam returned to his laptop to look for the local farrier, and pretty soon was on the phone, begging a couple of horseshoes. He called Dean and gave him the address to pick them up, and then began to collect other things that he thought that they might need. By the time Dean returned, he was ready. "You got the light bulb things?" he asked his brother. "I'm not sure whether to break them open and drain them into a bottle, or whether to leave them intact. It's all new technology for me."

Dean sat the bag down, pulling out the horseshoes and then he pulled the bulbs out. He laid them on the table so that Sam could see them. He then pulled out some small glass containers with stoppers and some cord. "I thought we could fill them in here and wear them." He offered up to his brother. "So we got some of the stuff, this all we need? And you will be happy to know I didn't run into Celia while I was out." He grinned, inviting Sam to share the joke.

Carefully measuring out the salt into two of the containers, Sam then turned to the light bulbs and began very carefully to break them open by wrapping them in a piece of kitchen paper and tapping them on the counter top. The mercury in each was a minute particle, but after opening all of them, he had a little glob of the silvery stuff sitting in the bottom of the glass tube. "Damn, I wish I could find an old thermometer. Those things had tons of the stuff in. I wonder if Rose has one."

Dean shook his head, "Dude, I couldn't find any. They were all digital. Sorry. I was lucky to get these." He sighed as he began to aid Sam in filling the other, equally careful not to spill the poisonous silvery globs of metal. He filled the other glass tube and placed the cap on it and then tied a cord around it and held it up for Sam to inspect. "Well that should do, huh?"

"Guess it will." Sam shot his brother a quick, dimpled smile. "Well, I suppose we should go and have our showdown." Sam lifted an eyebrow. "She did save your life when you went into the ocean," he murmured. "I wish she would stop with the abductions. We need to talk to her first and let her know that we know what she is. She isn't the one that took that Sarah away either. Dude, do you suppose that there's a guy out there too?"

Dean thought a moment then shrugged. "Okay we can try talking, but you know how that usually goes for us. And yeah, remember, Rose did mention a king too, stealing the kids. So I guess if we talk to Celia, what we tell her is that she has a choice - leave people alone and stick with her husband, or we kill them both."

"Yeah, dude, I know how it goes." Sam shuddered a little. "It's kind of hard to wrap my head around the fact that you were going to die, and if she hadn't been there you would've. I don't know if I could just kill her in cold blood, but I guess we'll find out, won't we?" He reached out to pull Dean close and pressed a kiss to his mouth. "Don't know what I'd have done if you'd drowned. Glad I won't ever find that out."

Dean answered the kiss with one of his own. He smiled at Sam and then caressed his cheek. "And you won't have to." Turning his brother around, he pushed him towards the door. "Besides, who would tell you when you have your underwear on backwards?"

"Jerk!" Sam was grinning even as he spoke. "You're a pain in the ass, aren't you?" He smacked the back of Dean's head. "But your my pain in the ass, so that's okay." He hung the little necklace that Dean had put together around his neck and turned to help Dean tie his. "Let's go do it, before she decides to lure you away or something."

Dean pulled the necklace on, and it hung next to his amulet clinking softly as he moved. He rubbed the back of his head then pushed himself up. "I'm driving. I say we head out to the beach again, and then wait for her to show. She's bound to turn up, because, of course, I'm irresistible." He headed out to the car and soon they were heading out to toward the beach.

Sam felt butterflies in his stomach. They'd faced menaces in the past, but this was a direct threat to his brother's life, and that, to Sam, was completely unacceptable. As he'd told Dean, he felt conflicted, because the seal had most definitely saved the fallen man's life, but if that meant that she had designs on him, Sam was prepared to fight her to the last breath in his body.

He bit his lip as they climbed out of the Impala and stepped onto the pathway at the top of the cliff. "We gonna call her, or just wait?" he asked Dean.

Dean started down the path, "Oh, if she is somehow connected to me, I'm sure she knows I'm here." He made his way down, picking his way along the path until his boots hit the sand. He started walking, the sea breeze kicking at his shirt and jacket, glancing back at Sam and then pausing a moment to watch as the wind whipped his brother's long locks about his face. Sam looked so young like that. It reminded Dean of when his brother was little and the very first time Dean ever took him to a beach.

They had sneaked away from their father, and Dean had stolen a bike to take them down. It had been a warm summer day, and the water was gentle. Sam and Dean played in the water but when they first entered the beach, Sam was small and seemed scared. Dean had talked him into it, promising to take care of him. But now, things weren't that different. They were both older, and yet things were still the same.

"C'mon, Sammy, things will be okay." Dean spoke to his brother, just as he had that day.

"Yeah, they will," said Sam, but his voice sounded small and quavery. "Nobody takes you away from me; you belong to me, dude." He took a deep breath and stepped in to put his hand against the small of Dean's back. "Okay, let her come. If she thinks that she's anything more than a brief encounter in your life, she's deluding herself."

He had only just finished speaking when a seal poked its head out of the water and barked. Sam stepped in front of his brother. "He's mine, bitch!" he yelled.

Dean had to admit, he was a bit nervous, but that kind of thing would never be vocal. Never said aloud. His green eyes gazed out to the water, and he stood, remote, listening to Sam speak and leaning his hand against his brother's shoulder. Sam had always belonged to him, and he to his brother. That had been true ever since that day he'd carried his brother out of their burning house. His father had handed Sammy over, and from that day Sam had been his.

He saw the seal poke it's head out of the water again, and he started to walk towards it. "Celia? If that is you, we need to talk," he shouted out to her.

There was a long pause. The wind whipped around them, buffeting their clothes and their bodies, and underneath its harsh roar they could hear the ceaseless surge of the ocean, whitecaps ruffling the water as the breakers pounded in against the rocks. Sam stepped closer to the water's edge.

"Listen, Sea Queen, or Celia, or whatever the hell you call yourself, I've come a long way with my brother. He's raised me from a baby, loved me, and he's all I have. You want him, and you're gonna have to go through me to get him. Bring it, bitch!" He stood, arms spread against the wind and the tide and defied the powers of nature. He could feel Dean close behind him and knew that he would win, because everything he'd ever wanted was wrapped up in his brother's rangy body.

Dean moved up behind Sam again, standing to one side of him, and he stood defiant as the seal pulled back. There was an abrupt seething of foam, and then what the two of them saw come out of the water was the womanly shape of Celia. She had no clothing on, and her hair whipped over her white skin, driven by the wind and the tide. Dean tightened his jaw as she approached.

She looked to where Dean stood, and then turned to Sam. "How can that be if he gave himself to me willingly?" she asked.

Dean gave a snort slightly, "Sweetheart, I give myself to a lot of women willingly. You aren't the first, won't be the last."

"But, you ..." She tipped her head towards him, then reached out to touch him.

"No, not yours. There is only one person I will give my life for, and that is my brother." Dean leaned away from her. "He will always come first."

"But don't you want to be first for a change?"

Dean was silent for a moment, nursing a secret hope that one day he could have that. When he answered, his voice was firm. "No."

"He is first," growled Sam. "There's nobody else but Dean. There never has been." He took the gun from where he'd stuck it in the small of his back. "You saved his life, and I'm grateful for that, but you can't have him. He's all I have."

She looked at him, "But you don't appreciate him. You just want. Everything is about you. Your life. Your wants. Not once have you thought about him. I can take away his pain."

Dean shook his head, "No."

She looked at Dean. "You want to live your life hurting?"

"Yes," he answered.

"I don't ..."

"You don't need to, Celia. Look, you have two choices, you stop this. You and your kind stop it. You leave these people alone. You be happy with what you have. If not ..." He reached behind him and pulled out his gun out. "It ends here."

The words she'd spoken had made Sam angry, but it was a cold anger, his brow creasing as he listened to her words. "You really have no business meddling in our affairs," he snarled, face like thunder. "But you saved him, so I feel that I owe you, so for once I won't just kill you; I'll try to explain." He paused, his hand going back to touch Dean and feel himself grounded. "I love him. He's my mom; he's my dad; he's my lover, and there's nothing I wouldn't do for him, even give him up if I thought that was what he wanted." He turned to Dean and reached to drag a thumb down over his brother's cheek. "Do you want to go with her?" he asked.

Dean looked at Sam then back to Celia before shaking his head. "No."

She moved in closer, looking between them, "No others have fought for their love in that way. None have talked of willingly giving them up. No other has resisted either as much as you." She looked between the two brothers. "Love is a powerful weapon." she ran her hand down Dean's cheek and then dropped it away, nodding. "I will let you go."

Dean shook his head. "You'll let them all go. No more killing, Celia. You kill, and we will come back to take you down, not just let you walk away."

She looked over to Sam then back to Dean then nodded before stepping back and turning to go back into the waves. Suddenly she stopped and turned, looking back at where Sam was still standing, watching. "You're gonna let him go one day, because your darkness will drown his light. You ... you'll be the death of him one day." She turned then and headed back towards the water.

For a moment, Sam was inclined to shoot her as she walked away, her bare back exposed and waiting. After a long moment he lowered his gun and turned back to his brother. "Never, Dean," he whispered. "I'll die first."

He didn't kiss Dean; somehow that seemed inappropriate at that moment. Instead he dropped to his knees there on the sand. "I swear that I will love you and protect you from all harm. I promise that I won't ever allow the darkness to drown you, just so long as I can save you from it." Rising to his feet he bent forward and kissed his brother on the forehead. "I promise," he murmured and then turned to go back up the path.

Dean felt his throat tighten, tears stinging his eyes as he watched and listened to his brother. He turned to watch him go then spoke softly. "Promises were meant to be broken, Sam. You did it once before, although you don't remember it. I'll do anything to keep it from happening again." He stood for a few minutes longer, watching as Sam ascended the steep path and then shrugged, shook himself and started up the path himself, following his brother.

---

| Back to My Stories –|– Email Dr. Ruthless |