Chapter Eleven

“Hey...found somethin’ interestin’...”

Sam’s comment caught Dean’s attention as he glanced over the recent obituaries in the Guntersville Daily Journal. They were in the area after reports of several unexplainable spontaneous combustions of a number of people had caught their attention. So, when Sam said that, he was instantly alert. “Oh yea? What’d ya find, Watson?” he asked as he propped his chin on his hand.

Blinking and scowling, Sam growled. “Dude, no way! I’m Holmes! You can be short and stumpy Watson!” he retorted as he glared at his brother.

“Dude no...*I’m* Homes. Now what’d ya find?” Dean asked as he tapped the laptop’s screen. He grinned winningly at his brother and batted his eyelashes. “Ya know ya want to tell me...”

“Oh stop...that so doesn’t work and you know it,” Sam sneered as he turned the laptop so his brother could see it. “All of these people had visited Gunter’s Lake recently. More specifically, an area just to the south of the tip of it.”

“Hmm, good job, geek boy...” Dean murmured as he tapped a bit here and there at the keyboard, eyes searching the information. Sam smiled as he watched his brother get so intent on the hunt. Since their decision six months earlier, Dean had become more obsessive in their hunts as well as their intimate times. Sam would often find himself under intense scrutiny when he woke up, only to be coaxed into a passionate and mind blowing round of sex. Dean had indeed topped him a few times since they’d left Pensacola, Florida and Sam was of the mind that the more of that happening the better.

He was distracted from his ponderings when Dean looked over at him intently, obviously considering something. Grinning instantly as he saw that Dean had come to the same conclusion as him, Sam leaned in. “So, we going campin’?” he asked lowly.

“God I hate campin’...” Dean muttered as he rolled his eyes and tipped back in his chair. Sam chuckled softly as he turned the laptop back to him and began hacking into the Guntersville Police Department computer system for possible pictures of the bodies. He doubted they’d be able to get in and they needed to act quickly on this one. He had a feeling that their time to figure out and make things right was limited. “You checkin' on pictures?” Dean asked as he sipped on his water and eyed his brother knowingly.

“Mmmhmm...ah here we go. Damn that was way too easy...” Sam muttered as he pulled up the files. He grimaced as he found the pictures, but took note of what the coroner had found. “A lot of puncture wounds in what’s left of the flesh, especially around the neck and heart area. Wait, not puncture wounds...more like explosions of the skin. As if somethin’ was getting’ out, not in. Oh and there’s a strange wound that’s relatively untouched on the palm of the hand...” he murmured as he squinted at the pictures.

“So, somethin’ gets into them while they’re by the lake and then it gets out, but it’s so hot that it causes the person to explode,” Dean commented as he tapped his chin. He took a gulp of his water and set the bottle down with a sigh. “Sounds like water sprites.”

“Huh? How do you figure that?” Sam asked in confusion as he stared at his brother. Dean had had a tendency recently to just spout off some knowledge that was unexplainable otherwise.

Leaning back and putting his hands behind his head casually, Dean grinned at his brother. “Simple...water sprites, before they evolve into water sprites, are actually little fire sparks that live in certain pine cones near lakes. To evolve, they have to burrow into an object that is heavy with heat and water. Aka...”

“Aka, a human body or any livin' creature. And?” Sam inquired, more than a little interested in what his brother was revealing.

“And normally, it would just be one into a body and then it’d come out and cause nothin’ more than a fever and a boil on a person that goes away in a couple of days. Sounds like there is a nasty nest of them down there...” Dean explained as he sat up and frowned darkly.

Noticing the frown, Sam frowned as well. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, it’s just that, normally only two or three clans of these sprites will live in an area. I wonder if all the recent changes in the eco-structure are affectin’ things,” Dean answered and sighed, then cocked an eyebrow when he saw Sam staring at him. “What?”

“You just said ‘eco-structure’. Did you like...hit your head on some nature freak’s truck or somethin’?” Sam asked with a grin.

“Dude...that’s cruel...I ain’t no tree hugger, thanks,” Dean responded sarcastically as he rolled his eyes at Sam. He stood up as Sam laughed softly, and then smirked. “Though, I might have to rephrase that since somebody I hump daily is as tall as a tree and as shaggy as one up top,” he purred before laughing as Sam swatted at him.

“You are so not gettin’ any later for that. And I’m not cuttin’ my hair yet, so stop it!” Sam shot back as he closed the laptop and stood as well. He leaned in though and kissed Dean softly. “And if you ever start humpin’ a tree...I’m so gettin’ a picture of it for blackmail,” he murmured sweetly before laughing and dodging away as Dean growled.

“Mood spoiler!” Dean muttered as he followed after the taller man, unconsciously admiring how Sam seemed to weave through the tables and other patrons like it was a simple obstacle course. It never ceased to amaze him at how agile Sam really was even though he was truly like a tree amongst all the bushes. ‘Well, a tree with really *long* branches,’ he thought to himself in amusement as he tossed Sam the keys before getting in on the other side.

“What’s so funny?” Sam asked with a bemused look as he got in the car as well and started it up.

“Oh was just thinkin’ about trees and bushes,” Dean replied as he leaned back with a smug grin when Sam shot him a *look*. “Head for that mall in the other town, ok? We need some supplies,” he instructed as he ignored the look.

“Yea? Like what?” Sam asked as he drove along the small dirt road that constituted the small town’s main frontage road.

“Nylon stockins, a tent, and water,” Dean rattled off as he ticked the items off of his fingers. He glanced over as Sam spluttered on the coffee he had just been sipping, doing an A class spit-take all over the dashboard, console, and windshield of the car. “Dude what the fuck?! Pull over!” he shouted as the windshield was covered in brownish coffee.

Sam pulled them over while coughing and wiping at his nose and mouth before glaring at his brother. “You’re jokin’, right?! What the hell do we need *nylon stockins* for?!” he rasped out as he kept coughing while Dean began wiping the windshield and dashboard clean of sprayed coffee.

“I thought we could cross-dress while we’re out there and see if we could convert some sprites to the drag life! Jesus Sam, you stained my car with your coffee fountain take!” Dean declared as he tossed the soaked napkins into the back seat.

“Drag?! We’re goin’ drag out there?!” Sam squeaked out, or tried to through his coughing.

“No, you dumbass! Nylon repels water sprites because it’s manmade! Jesus...man that’s such a mess....” Dean whined as he saw the console stained with coffee.  “Christ, how much did you have in your mouth?” he demanded as he leaned in closer to Sam and reached through the wheel to clean up the mess as best he could.

“Just a mouthful. You got me before swallowin’,” Sam explained hoarsely and coughed a couple more times to clear his throat. He glanced up as Dean stopped wiping the console and tilted his head in inquiry. “What?”

Dean glanced over at him, smirking. “Dude...I *know* you can handle more than that and still swallow...” he stated lowly and Sam swallowed thickly at the tone. Dean leaned up slowly and crawled closer so he could brace himself on Sam’s thigh with his free hand. “In fact, I remember quite clearly how you still had my cock rammed down your throat and you swallowed it *all* without losin’ a drop,” Dean whispered huskily as his eyes became hooded and sultry while he leaned in closer, nearly brushing his lips over Sam’s tantalizingly.

A soft whimper left Sam as he got rock hard in that second from staring into Dean’s eyes and the close proximity of the strong body of his brother. It was always like this...Dean would just loom over him or something of the like and Sam was harder than a diamond within seconds. Hell, Dean could say ‘Jump’ and Sam’s cock would do that on command! Dean’s grin at the whimper made him squirm and his hands came up to grab Dean, but Dean was suddenly not *there* and was instead back in his seat, tossing the soiled napkins he’d used to clean the console into the back. Sam blinked for a minute, his breath a little faster and his cock so hard that it was painful in his jeans. “D-Dean?”

“We better get those supplies or else things are goin’ to get *harder*, Sammy boy,” Dean suggested casually as he stretched his legs out in the car, grinning from ear to ear at how easy it had been to set his brother off. Sam just stared at Dean, jaw dropped and Dean glanced over after a bit. “What?” he asked innocently.

Shooting a ‘duh’ look at his brother, Sam gestured to his crotch. “Uh, hello!? A little help here?” he exclaimed incredulously, unable to believe his brother would be *that cruel* as to leave him hanging.

In truth, he should have known, really. Glancing down in false interest, Dean tilted an eyebrow. “Huh...well, we all have to make sacrifices, Sammy boy...” he stated with a grin as he patted Sam’s shoulder before shifting down into his seat with a satisfied sigh. He glanced over and gestured for Sam to get them on the road again before tilting his head back against the headrest.

Gaping at Dean before giving a disbelieving shake of his head, Sam got them back on the road to the mall, muttering darkly about brothers that needed to be castrated for the sake of all sexual beings the entire way. Dean was grinning half the time but after a while just stared out the window as they got into town. He was considering various vibes he was sensing and the biggest one was that he had a feeling there was more of a connection to the environment than he was getting. He had to check on it first.

Their parking snapped him out of his musings and he sat up. He stopped though as a hand landed on his thigh and he glanced over at Sam, who was watching him worriedly. “Sup?”

“You tell me...you’ve been really locked in since we figured out what might be happenin’,” Sam responded quietly as he squeezed the muscled thigh. “You thinkin’ of somethin’ else?”

Blowing out a breath, Dean leaned back and looked up at the roof of the car. “I don’t know, Sam. There’s somethin’ else just not clickin’ here, ya know? I mean, water sprites are normally very peaceful, playful creatures and don’t try to hurt nothin’ if they can help it. This is almost...almost like they’re angry or somethin’,” he explained darkly as his brow furrowed in thought. He sat up then and reached in the back, grimacing when he came upon the cold wads of wet napkins before finding the papers with the obituaries. He began scanning them, biting his lip as he hummed slightly in thought.

Watching his brother silently, Sam considered what his brother had said and ran over what he knew already in his mind. Something about his brother’s comment on the eco-structure clicked then with him just as Dean gave out an ‘Ah ha!’. “What’d ya find?”

“All of the victims were part of or families to people who are workin’ for this fishery nearby that’s under investigation for dumpin’ toxic fish bodies into Gunter’s Lake, right in that area in fact. That was about three months ago and the deaths started happenin’ about a week and a half later,” Dean reported as he took in the news article on the fishery’s act. He whistled softly and sighed quietly while pinching the bridge of his nose. “Stupid fuckin’ humans ruinin’ things out of laziness...” he grunted and sighed again.

“Hey...we’re still human. No bashin’ for the time bein’,” Sam chided his brother with a grin. “So, what can we do to calm the natives?”

Letting out another heavy breath, Dean looked over at his brother. “Well, until the clean-up is finished, they won’t calm down, but the clean-up is stallin’ cuz of these deaths and the investigation. However, we can put up a barrier so that they can stay away from the lake until it’s done. Water sprites mature in streaks, and they’re just endin’ this one, so...well let’s just hope I can calm ‘em down,” he said quietly and looked down at his hands. He blinked as Sam’s long fingers laced with his own and looked up into Sam’s hazel gaze.

“You’ll do it, Dean. I believe in ya,” Sam declared firmly as he smiled at his older brother. Sighing, Dean nodded and then they got out of the car to do some shopping. It was going to be a long couple of weeks...

They got a new tent, nylons which Dean passed off as for their mom, and then two twenty four packs of bottled water. They also bought a good amount of dried foods and simple stuff to make while camping and even splurged and got some new sleeping bags. They then headed out towards the lake while Dean explained what they had to do. Basically, they had to use the fresh water to lure the sprites away from the lake and then set up the tent around the area so that they’d be trapped until the work crew could get the lake purified, but this was all if Dean couldn’t get through to the sprites. According to the report, the purification had been halfway done when the deaths had started increasing exponentially; mainly due to the already angry sprites spiraling out of control was Dean’s guess. But they had still been trying to do the clean up. So, if they kept the sprites held, then the clean up could get done, the humans would leave, and the sprites could be let loose, hopefully in a better mood.

A lot of their plan depended on Dean’s ability to talk to any creatures based off of or in water. Water sprites in their pre-evolved form were fire sparks, so Dean wasn’t sure he could talk to them. But, they had to try both ways. The nylons were for their own protection and were to be worn on any exposed areas, such as the face, neck, hands, and arms.

They came to the area of the lake that was being purified and parked down the road to avoid suspicion. Locking up the Impala and hiding it in the brush, they then grabbed their gear and headed in, letting Dean’s instincts guide them to the area that would work. They got to the lake and then took a side trip further into the forest until they came to another clearing, where they set up the tent and poured half of the water bottles of one pack into the center. Then, using some plastic sheets they’d managed to snitch from the clean up site, they poured the rest of the water out in a trail from the sprites’ home to the tent. After they’d finished, they pulled on the nylons, covering every bare skin areas that their clothes didn’t cover before heading back towards the lake.

Dean went first and moved to the edge of the lake, where he squatted down. Taking a deep breath, he removed the nylon on his left hand and swirled that hand in the water in a clockwise motion while murmuring a soft chant.

Sam watched his brother warily while scanning their surroundings intently for any signs of sparks or people. Suddenly, the water began to bubble before several white and blue shimmering balls rushed out of the water and circled them. From the trees behind Sam shot out dozens of red, gold, and orange sparking balls that began to swarm towards them, but hovered when they sensed the protection around the two brothers. Dean stepped towards his brother as he covered his hand quickly and gazed upon the agitated group. “Shit.”

“What? What is it?” Sam asked quickly as he glanced at his brother before returning his gaze to the interweaving balls.

“There’s a lot more of them than I thought. I don’t think I can talk to them like this,” Dean muttered as he watched the group as well. He reached a hand up and pulled off his face covering and then his hand coverings before stepping forward, hands held up calmly.

“Wha-wait Dean! No!” Sam protested, but stopped when Dean held up a hand warningly at him while approaching the group.

Watching the frenzied crowd, Dean held up his hands again and his eyes glowed a soft blue. Hey...calm down now. I’m a friend, he said softly to them, trying to calm them down so he could coax them towards the path.

No friend! Human! You destroy us and our people! You die! was screeched at him and Dean winced and covered his ears a bit in reaction.

No, I’m here to help. You need to stop killin’ the humans. They are tryin’ to clean up the mess they caused, but if you keep killin-

We kill to survive!! They knock down nests, stomp on them and kill children! They poison our water home! They die like they kill us!

No, if you keep doin’ this, they’ll come and take away your homes. You have to listen, Dean responded firmly, though he had to keep ducking as the buzzing spheres kept zooming down threateningly. Sam was standing a ways behind him tensely, but he remained quiet, trusting in his brother’s abilities.

Slowly, the blue orbs seemed to calm the fiery spheres and they hovered a bit, darting around here and there.  Why should we believe you, human? You are human.

I am like you. I am connected to the water, just like you. My brother there is connected to the earth. We seek to protect ya, but we can’t if you continue this path, Dean explained gently as he straightened up just a bit.

The spheres hovered for a while as they considered this, calming down slowly as Dean’s gentle reasoning got through to them. Finally, the largest of the blue orbs floated closer. What you want?

I want you to follow me and my brother to a safe place we have set up so that they can finish quicker in cleanin’ up their mess. We have water that is clean for you and a safe haven. And there are animals nearby for you to use to evolve, Dean answered as he locked eyes on the blue orb.

The blue orb seemed to twitch before an amused answer was given. We could just use you two as our changing area. Would you do that?

Uh, no. You kill us then things would be really bad, Dean replied as he blanched a little at that.

Floating forward until it was an inch from Dean’s face, the orb seemed to examine Dean. Up close, Dean could see the tiny figure inside of the orb that resembled what people have claimed were fairies or pixies. But its luminescence made it appear as an orb. The sprite dipped back a bit as if startled before floating close again. You are one of the chosen...brethren, it said in awe before zipping towards Sam.

“Sam, take off your face mask,” Dean barked out as he turned towards his brother. Sam quickly did so and was also examined, though he was glancing at Dean with a ‘What the fuck is going on?’ look on his face the entire time. The blue orb seemed to shudder and quickly flew back to the others, who congregated around it until it was like a large glob was floating above the lake shore.

Finally, after a bit, the lead orb reappeared close to Dean. We will not use you. You and your kin are special. We know of you and trust you. You protect us all from the fire monster that is hurting all. We follow you now, it declared and Dean blinked in surprise before grinning and bowing his head, receiving a bob from the orb in response.

Turning back to his brother, Dean removed the rest of his protection as he strode over to his brother. “We got it! Let’s go!” he crowed before glancing back and making sure the balls were following them as they headed down the path they’d just made to the other glade. Once there, they carefully showed the sprites to the tent and then began gathering up the plastic path and bringing the water to the tent, where several of the orbs were already hovering over the large puddle, obviously drinking. Dean grinned as one of the blue orbs shyly came up to him and touched his cheek in what was clearly a kiss. Sam snickered, but then blinked when he received the same from one of the others before they set to work folding up the plastic.

Dean and Sam then retreated a bit to the side where a fire pit had been set up along with their sleeping bags. If their luck held out, they wouldn’t have to deal with any rain or the like, so they could camp out safely. Dean guesstimated that the clean up would take another two weeks, which meant that were going to be in serious need of showers afterwards. Dean had also quickly put the kibosh on any sex until they finished because he still had the strange sensitivity in smell and just hated it when Sam was worse than a weightlifter in a boutique.

The two weeks flew by and were actually shortened by three days since the progress had been able to go steadily with no more distractions or deaths. However, by the end they were both so dirty, tired, hungry (since their food had run out even with rationing early the second week), and horny that, after bidding farewell to the sprites, they headed back to their hotel, cleaned up after order pizza, ate for energy, and then screwed until they couldn’t move. But, it was a job well done and, with the reports of no more unexplained deaths, they could move on without any regrets or worries.

However, the sprite’s words to Dean stuck in the back of his mind. What had it meant by their being the chosen and the fire monster? Did it mean the yellow eyed demon? If so, then their destinies had just taken a firm stride in the right direction.

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