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Title: The Hunter and the Hunted 9/?
Part 9: “Hole in Your Wisdom, Hole in Your Sky”
Authors: art_of_mayhem and candygramme
Rated: PG for M/M interaction
Pairing: Dean Winchester/Alex Krycek
Spoilers: none
Warning: Slash
Word count: 3,681
Disclaimer: Dean and his family belong to Eric Kripke and Supernatural, and Alex belongs to Chris Carter and the X-Files. We own nothing. We are doing this for love and not money.
Author’s notes: Dean spent four years traveling with John - his father - and later on his own missions, while Sam - his brother - was at Stanford. We’ve bent time a little, and we are aware of that, but this is fiction. After Dean rescues Alex from the missile silo, our intrepid triple agent accompanies Dean on one of his missions.
The quoted song is “Lock and Load,” by Bob Seger.
The beautiful icon is by myhappyface, for which much thanks.
Part 8
Part 7
Part 6
Part 5
Part 4
Part 3
Part 2
Part 1
Well I wish I had a nickel
For every time I fell and blamed somebody else
I’d give a ton of money to the ones I’ve hurt
And I’d still be sittin’ pretty well
I’ve spent years losin’ touch of what’s right and what’s real
Caught up in these missions of my own
And you’re tellin’ me you think I’ve done so damn well
While were sittin’ here a thousand miles from home
There’s a hole in your wisdom, a hole in your sky
Two holes in your head where the lights supposed to get by
Arriving shortly, Dean walked around to the trunk and pulled out a empty gas can. "We can put the acid in here for now." The Marina didn’t seem to be very busy. What few hardy souls there were seemed to be paying no attention to them as they went about the business of cleaning their decks and mending their nets. Checking to see if there were any observers, Dean started casting about, heading for what seemed to be the least populated area of the marina to start looking for the acid they needed.
"Won't that shit eat through the can?" Alex frowned, but nodded, hoping that Dean knew what he was doing. "Come on. There's the private marina at the east end of the dock, and pretty much all the boats have been winterized. Let's go borrow some acid." He led the way down to the gate and began to pick the lock, having it open within a couple of seconds. "After you," he said, smirking. "I get to watch your ass as we go down the gangplank."
"Pervert!" Dean responded, still looking about cautiously. "It might eat through the can, given time, but there won’t be time, I hope. Besides, I wouldn't call what we’re doing, “borrowing.” It’s more like... a treasure hunt." He started down the ramp first, glancing back at Alex and smirking before flipping the back of his jacket up. "This one looks pretty good. Ladies first," He gestured Alex past him, letting him take the lead down, while he glanced about, continuing to make sure no one was around.
Alex wolf-whistled at Dean's antics, then slid past him to ghost down the pontoon towards a sleek gin palace, hiding in the covered boathouse.
He made short work of the locks, and set about finding the engine, pretty soon revealing two nice, big batteries. "Get your can, sweet thing; we're in business," he murmured, busily unscrewing one of them ready. "These things weigh a ton, so it's a good job I have mighty muscles. I hope you're admiring them while I flex."
"Just don't spill any acid on me, or I'll be kicking your sweet little ass," Dean set the can down on the pontoon to make it easy for Alex to fill. One battery followed another as the can was slowly filled. Boat after boat was broken into in their search. Neither man had any qualms about the theft. At the last one, Dean put the lid on the gas can, "That's it for this can. Hope this will be enough. Now we just need to get some super soakers, and we should be ready to get the job done."
Getting off the docks, Dean placed the can into the trunk, and then they headed off to the 'toy' store. There they found some super soakers with tank packs. Dean decided that they should go looking for some polymer to mix up in order to coat the insides, so that the acid would not eat the guns away. Leaving Alex by the car, he went into the hardware store and found what he needed. On his return, he motioned to Alex with his head to get back into the car so they could return to their hotel.
In the bathroom, he mixed up what he needed and started coating the guns and tanks. He'd bought new hoses for the tanks as well and was fashioning them up with Alex's help.
"This is actually quite fun," murmured Alex, holding the toy and wondering whether or not he stood a chance of getting Dean soaking wet right here and now. "If only it were just a little bit warmer, I'd be squirting you good. I bet you'd look hot in a wet T-shirt contest."
Laughing, he flicked a little water at Dean. "I baptize you in the name of the lord," he said, smirking. "How long will these guns last before the acid melts them to crap? I guess we should hold off filling them ‘til the very last possible minute, and I was thinking that we ought to get ourselves a boat that's a little more substantial than that dinghy we were in last night. Don't want you disappearing under the waves. I'm not done with you, yet."
"With this stuff I'm putting on it, it should protect the gun long enough for us to use it. I'm even replacing the hoses so..." Dean snapped the super soaker shut. "Kick the tires, we be done." He looked up to Alex. "As for a boat, I saw a good sized one we can... borrow. The moon is still in cycle, so we should get another greeting tonight. This time we both take earplugs." He reached into his pocket, producing a couple of packs with a flourish.
Turning, Dean led the way out of the bathroom to place the stuff they had been working on by the door. "Now we just need to wait till nightfall. Big Bird is probably crapping in his nest right now."
"You don't think that it's worth going over in daylight and looking for the thing while it's resting?" Alex frowned. "And answer me this; why the hell do I feel like I'm in an episode of Scooby Doo?"
He dusted off his hands and settled down on the bed. "So what do you plan on doing now? I think it would still be a good idea to hit the library. There might be clues to the thing's exact location, and even why it's here. What do you say?" Alex stretched out on the bed, posing a little for Dean's benefit. "And there's also the question of some clean underwear. I really think I should get some clean underwear, so the local Walmart or whatever would be good."
Dean gave it a thought then shook his head, "Might be too dangerous to go out right now. We don't know where that thing is nesting, but we do know where it comes out to feed. Our best bet is to catch it while it's feeding. It might be weaker then as well." And it might not, he thought. “I don’t want to waste my time searching for it, if I can get it to come to me,” he added.
Taking a moment to admire Alex’s stretched-out form, Dean nodded, "Okay, let's hit the library, or I can hit it, while you go buy your under-roos. Get the Spiderman ones though." He turned, heading for the door, walking out, as usual without waiting on Alex. It was his typical move although in the past it had always been Sam who’d had to follow him out arguing his points.
Alex pursued him, snickering at the idea of superhero undies. "I was thinking of boxers with lipstick all over - I saw some with kisses. They might be nice." He gave Dean a sweet smile as he caught up with him. "But for you I was thinking of a pair I saw that had a shark rearing up the front. I think they'd suit you, ‘cos that’s no minnow you’re packing."
As they got into the car, he turned to Dean. "I'll come to the library. Two heads are better than one." He didn't want to say that he just wanted to be with Dean, look at him, talk to him, while he had the chance, because he knew that the happier he was, the sooner all this would be ripped away from him.
Dean shook his head, "No thanks I'll pass on the sharks. I have enough underwear. And I know that you just want to justify getting the lipstick ones," said Dean, starting the Impala. "So you can brag at how many people kissed your ass." He smirked at Alex as he backed the car out and set off down the road.
It wasn't long before he was putting it in park, and the pair was walking down the street and into the little library. Dean immediately headed for the computer, sending Alex to find as much written material about sirens as he possibly could, while Dean logged in and started typing.
Alex busied himself, checking the old newspapers from around the time the old man had told them the siren had appeared. He could have worked far faster, but he had to keep on sneaking looks at Dean, taking in the handsome face, the lush lips, the pure sweep of the line from ear to shoulder, and the dusting of freckles over his nose that made him look so innocent and vulnerable.
Dean was surfing the online newspapers and googling for any other sites dealing with sirens. It wasn't as if he didn't believe the Lone Gunmen, however, some things really needed to be seen for himself, and there was always the thought that they might possibly have missed something he would be able to catch with his superior grounding in the supernatural.
When Alex finally turned up a story that seemed relevant, he headed over to Dean as fast as he could. "Looks like there was some sort of grad party that went wrong. A couple of teenagers died out there on that little spit of land, and the hauntings or whatever they are started right after that. What do you think that means?"
As Dean was reading, the computer light reflecting off his eyes and face, he’d felt Alex’s eyes upon him. Now and again, Dean would glance from the screen without moving his eyes and catch Alex looking at him. He'd looked away, going back to reading, frowning as he did so. But then all of a sudden Alex was rushing over. Lifting his head, Dean turned to face him. "Grad parties are usually fraternities, aren’t they? Those are of Greek origin. But if student drownings are the reason for all this, we will need to find those bones and salt, burn them. As for the siren... well, acid is gonna have to destroy that."
Dean pushed up, "Good work, I'll buy you some cookies at Wal-Mart, toga boy."
"Yeah? I warn you, I've got a real sweet tooth." Alex flipped Dean off as he deposited a book in front of him. "Also, there's a thing here about St. Ignace, which is down the road about forty miles." He laid a dusty old paper in front of his lover. "Check it out. Twenty five years ago there was something very similar happening there. It seems to have died away after about 1985, but reports about the time are pretty close to the same as the events here."
For a moment, Alex stood behind Dean, waiting for him to read the article he'd marked. He couldn't resist running his fingers over the back of Dean's neck, stroking the short hairs there, caressing the peach fuzz at its base. "You want me in a toga? Interesting," he smirked.
Dean gave a little sneeze as the dusty old paper was placed before him. He bent over, frowning as he read it. "I don't get it," he breathed, concentrating on the work and not allowing himself, as much as he wanted to, to pay attention to those insistent fingers working the back of his neck.
He straightened up at last, his face showing how he was thinking as he started out. He didn't even respond to Alex's little comment about being in a toga. "I thought at first it might be a manifestation but... Now I'm not sure." Damn, he wished his father was around, so he could ask him if he heard of such things or even just look in his journal.
"It's a feeding pattern. And almost like a ritual. Every so many years it comes back." He looked to Alex. "The cycle goes back further than we've found, I bet. I have a feeling... This siren has nothing to do with those kids but is more of a ritual. Five kids, each time. Around the full moon. Someone brought it with them when they came here. Someone who believed in elder gods and placating the spirits."
"So are we looking for a settlement of ancient Greeks, or what?" Alex was frowning, fascinated at the way that Dean sifted through the information at hand to cut down to the bone. "You think that it's some sort of blood sacrifice? The kids are taken, and then there's a top up for a few months after first blood?"
The hand on Dean's neck paused for a moment, while Alex thought. "I guess I should go back another twenty five years then, see if I can find something else that matches the MO. Damn! This ghost hunting thing is intriguing." He resumed his gentle caresses after a moment. "We ought to do more investigating."
Dean shook his head, "No, not twenty five," he was thinking again, "Further back. I think we need to see when this place was first haunted. See if the immigrants or settlers brought any of their traditions and lore with them. If we don't find anything, then we work forward from there. What we're looking for has to relate to past events."
Looking up to Alex, Dean frowned. "More intriguing than hunting aliens or whatever you did with your last boyfriend?" he turned and went over to the desk to ask the guy behind it for records as far back as they could go.
"Jealous!" muttered Alex under his breath as he suddenly realized why Dean was so interested in Mulder. "Baby, you're jealous; how about that?" He made his way over to the microfiche that the librarian was indicating. The files he brought were covered in dust and had obviously not been accessed for a long, long time. Alex gave Dean a rueful smile and a shrug as the two of them sat down to start working through them.
"FBI work is pretty darned boring most of the time. Working with Mulder was interesting in the same sort of way that a Chinese curse is interesting. I never knew from one moment to the next when the asshole would take off without me, leaving me in some out of the way place. He was jealous of everything, the bastard. Half the time, the only way I could guarantee that he wouldn't dump my ass was to take the car keys."
"What kind of dumb fuck would do that? I thought you were supposed to be his partner... in other ways too. Jeeze, what a jerk." Dean started patting down his pockets. Pulling out his keys to show Alex, he dangled them in front of him, "Still have them," he said, smirking.
Dean’s eyes followed Alex as the man moved to the big hooded device and shook his head, "I didn't say I was jealous," He murmured, then moved after Alex and sat down, pulling the chair close to his new partner so they could both see. He leaned in, reaching to flip through the archives. Alex smacked his hand, trying to get him to slow down, "Control freak," Dean mumbled, pulling his hand away and then leaned back in, nearly taking up all the room. Reaching over, he grabbed Alex's hand to stop him paging through. "Whoa, look at this."
Dean pointed to an old picture of the harbor, with an article about the statue of a siren that they were dedicating and placing on the first harbor wall. "How much do you want to bet that was made in Greece? Which means we aren't just dealing with a simple curse or legend..." He looked at Alex, eyes shining with excitement.
"You think that a family of sirens moved over here with the first settlers?" asked Alex, trying to get a handle on this new piece of evidence. "How long does a siren live, anyway? And are they actually killable or do they have the ability to... I dunno, trans locate, or leap through time, or something?"
He grabbed hold of Dean's hand suddenly, turning to face him, so close that they would only need to move in a fraction of an inch for their lips to meet. "You think I'm a control freak, huh?" he said, laughing softly. "Well, it's true; I am, but I suspect that you are too, and I exact penalties from control freaks. Got to teach you to back off one way or another."
Looking around to make sure the librarian wasn't watching, he seized his chance and darted in to kiss Dean's mouth. "There," he murmured, voice husky. "Let that be a lesson to you."
Dean was about to speak when Alex did his very excellent job of cutting him off. The kiss was short but, it told plenty. He pushed Alex back playfully. "You might have to teach me a few more times," he said. He shook his head as he tried to shift the conversation back to what to him was more important at that particular moment. "Not a family. See it says in mythology that the sirens lost some contest, the American Idol of the time or whatever. By now they should be dead. However, if you go way back, in some cultures the Sirens were also protectors, and they had different forms."
"So you think that they are somehow protecting something?" Alex looked baffled. "What sort of things do they protect? It's not as if there's likely to be buried treasure or anything out there on that little island." He spread his hands in a gesture of puzzlement. "Want me to start looking for info on sirens, or do you have that covered already?"
Dean sat back and sighed, "Well if you would have let me finish, I was going to say that, back then, sirens' statues were placed in the harbors. If a sailor was lost, coming in when there was a thick fog, the siren was suppose to draw him in, or so it was believed. However they didn't realize that believing in this would actually make it true. Later, some group or other started pagan rituals, such as sacrifices to placate the siren and encourage her to work for them. It started innocently enough, but like often happens, things went bad."
Dean waited for Alex to take in what he'd said. "Wanna bet that statue is still out there? Long forgotten."
"So why did the siren turn from helping sailors find their way home to sinking their boats? I'm confused." Things were starting to make a little sense to Alex, but he was still somewhat baffled by the concept of there being actual sirens. He'd seen one with his own eyes, but even so, it was hard to accept. Extreme possibilities, Alex, he reminded himself. If there can be little green men, there can be sirens.
"You have no difficulty getting your head around this, do you?" he asked Dean, his voice awed. "You're amazing."
Dean sighed softly, "If you'd seen what I have since about the age of four, you wouldn't have a problem either." He muttered the words as if he might have some slight regret. "The sirens were originally playmates. Failure to stop a kidnapping created their punishment. In some ancient times, long after many of these legends were forgotten, sailors believed sirens were helpful. When bad weather happened on a frequent basis, you have to remember they didn't have the Weather Channel back then, and I guess that they figured out that some kind of sacrifice would appease the mystical beings, stop the bad weather and make things better."
"So what you're saying is that the sirens have gotten used to sacrifice, and now they're taking their own?" Alex shook his head. "That makes a weird kind of sense, I guess. So do you have a plan of action, other than the acid? Do we need to find and take down that statue?"
Dean gave a little shrug, "Sometimes, if a group of people believe in something hard enough, it sort of comes to life. My plan of action is easy. Some spirits tie themselves to an object of the physical realm - things like mirrors, beds and so forth. If we find the statue, break it; that might end it. Then we won't have to use the acid. But if she shows up before we find the statue, it'll be a good backup."
Dean looked about, "And it might be best if we do it in daylight, now that I think about it. Safer."
Nodding, Alex rose to his feet. "Yeah, I guess that we're more likely to find it, if it isn't dark, although it'll be a bit tougher to steal a boat in broad daylight. How much would it cost to rent one, anyway?"
Now that he had something concrete to work with, Alex was excited. The way Dean explained things, they sounded very plausible, and the solution seemed utterly prosaic despite the weird nature of the problem. "Okay, sensei, let's go bag ourselves a siren." He paused, thinking. "But, if there's a statue here that doesn't explain why St. Ignace had something like this happen, or why it stopped, unless there are a shitload of statues.. Do you suppose that it's the same siren servicing both, or does each statue have its own?"
Dean reached for one of the newspapers in the stack Alex had given him and pulled it out. He'd set it aside without really knowing why, but as he showed it to Alex, everything fell into place for him. "Storm blew through, it appears, and the shores were hit pretty bad. Boats pushed around. How much you want to bet that statue, if there was one, fell into the water. Or maybe this thing was here, went there as a part of its territory. Like birds... since it is part bird. Or perhaps St. Ignace donated the statue to this place. Just haven't found the article, but I know this harbor was renovated recently." Dean rose to his feet as he was speaking.
"We need to get out there while there still is light." He started heading out.
Part 9: “Hole in Your Wisdom, Hole in Your Sky”
Authors: art_of_mayhem and candygramme
Rated: PG for M/M interaction
Pairing: Dean Winchester/Alex Krycek
Spoilers: none
Warning: Slash
Word count: 3,681
Disclaimer: Dean and his family belong to Eric Kripke and Supernatural, and Alex belongs to Chris Carter and the X-Files. We own nothing. We are doing this for love and not money.
Author’s notes: Dean spent four years traveling with John - his father - and later on his own missions, while Sam - his brother - was at Stanford. We’ve bent time a little, and we are aware of that, but this is fiction. After Dean rescues Alex from the missile silo, our intrepid triple agent accompanies Dean on one of his missions.
The quoted song is “Lock and Load,” by Bob Seger.
The beautiful icon is by myhappyface, for which much thanks.
Part 8
Part 7
Part 6
Part 5
Part 4
Part 3
Part 2
Part 1
Well I wish I had a nickel
For every time I fell and blamed somebody else
I’d give a ton of money to the ones I’ve hurt
And I’d still be sittin’ pretty well
I’ve spent years losin’ touch of what’s right and what’s real
Caught up in these missions of my own
And you’re tellin’ me you think I’ve done so damn well
While were sittin’ here a thousand miles from home
There’s a hole in your wisdom, a hole in your sky
Two holes in your head where the lights supposed to get by
Arriving shortly, Dean walked around to the trunk and pulled out a empty gas can. "We can put the acid in here for now." The Marina didn’t seem to be very busy. What few hardy souls there were seemed to be paying no attention to them as they went about the business of cleaning their decks and mending their nets. Checking to see if there were any observers, Dean started casting about, heading for what seemed to be the least populated area of the marina to start looking for the acid they needed.
"Won't that shit eat through the can?" Alex frowned, but nodded, hoping that Dean knew what he was doing. "Come on. There's the private marina at the east end of the dock, and pretty much all the boats have been winterized. Let's go borrow some acid." He led the way down to the gate and began to pick the lock, having it open within a couple of seconds. "After you," he said, smirking. "I get to watch your ass as we go down the gangplank."
"Pervert!" Dean responded, still looking about cautiously. "It might eat through the can, given time, but there won’t be time, I hope. Besides, I wouldn't call what we’re doing, “borrowing.” It’s more like... a treasure hunt." He started down the ramp first, glancing back at Alex and smirking before flipping the back of his jacket up. "This one looks pretty good. Ladies first," He gestured Alex past him, letting him take the lead down, while he glanced about, continuing to make sure no one was around.
Alex wolf-whistled at Dean's antics, then slid past him to ghost down the pontoon towards a sleek gin palace, hiding in the covered boathouse.
He made short work of the locks, and set about finding the engine, pretty soon revealing two nice, big batteries. "Get your can, sweet thing; we're in business," he murmured, busily unscrewing one of them ready. "These things weigh a ton, so it's a good job I have mighty muscles. I hope you're admiring them while I flex."
"Just don't spill any acid on me, or I'll be kicking your sweet little ass," Dean set the can down on the pontoon to make it easy for Alex to fill. One battery followed another as the can was slowly filled. Boat after boat was broken into in their search. Neither man had any qualms about the theft. At the last one, Dean put the lid on the gas can, "That's it for this can. Hope this will be enough. Now we just need to get some super soakers, and we should be ready to get the job done."
Getting off the docks, Dean placed the can into the trunk, and then they headed off to the 'toy' store. There they found some super soakers with tank packs. Dean decided that they should go looking for some polymer to mix up in order to coat the insides, so that the acid would not eat the guns away. Leaving Alex by the car, he went into the hardware store and found what he needed. On his return, he motioned to Alex with his head to get back into the car so they could return to their hotel.
In the bathroom, he mixed up what he needed and started coating the guns and tanks. He'd bought new hoses for the tanks as well and was fashioning them up with Alex's help.
"This is actually quite fun," murmured Alex, holding the toy and wondering whether or not he stood a chance of getting Dean soaking wet right here and now. "If only it were just a little bit warmer, I'd be squirting you good. I bet you'd look hot in a wet T-shirt contest."
Laughing, he flicked a little water at Dean. "I baptize you in the name of the lord," he said, smirking. "How long will these guns last before the acid melts them to crap? I guess we should hold off filling them ‘til the very last possible minute, and I was thinking that we ought to get ourselves a boat that's a little more substantial than that dinghy we were in last night. Don't want you disappearing under the waves. I'm not done with you, yet."
"With this stuff I'm putting on it, it should protect the gun long enough for us to use it. I'm even replacing the hoses so..." Dean snapped the super soaker shut. "Kick the tires, we be done." He looked up to Alex. "As for a boat, I saw a good sized one we can... borrow. The moon is still in cycle, so we should get another greeting tonight. This time we both take earplugs." He reached into his pocket, producing a couple of packs with a flourish.
Turning, Dean led the way out of the bathroom to place the stuff they had been working on by the door. "Now we just need to wait till nightfall. Big Bird is probably crapping in his nest right now."
"You don't think that it's worth going over in daylight and looking for the thing while it's resting?" Alex frowned. "And answer me this; why the hell do I feel like I'm in an episode of Scooby Doo?"
He dusted off his hands and settled down on the bed. "So what do you plan on doing now? I think it would still be a good idea to hit the library. There might be clues to the thing's exact location, and even why it's here. What do you say?" Alex stretched out on the bed, posing a little for Dean's benefit. "And there's also the question of some clean underwear. I really think I should get some clean underwear, so the local Walmart or whatever would be good."
Dean gave it a thought then shook his head, "Might be too dangerous to go out right now. We don't know where that thing is nesting, but we do know where it comes out to feed. Our best bet is to catch it while it's feeding. It might be weaker then as well." And it might not, he thought. “I don’t want to waste my time searching for it, if I can get it to come to me,” he added.
Taking a moment to admire Alex’s stretched-out form, Dean nodded, "Okay, let's hit the library, or I can hit it, while you go buy your under-roos. Get the Spiderman ones though." He turned, heading for the door, walking out, as usual without waiting on Alex. It was his typical move although in the past it had always been Sam who’d had to follow him out arguing his points.
Alex pursued him, snickering at the idea of superhero undies. "I was thinking of boxers with lipstick all over - I saw some with kisses. They might be nice." He gave Dean a sweet smile as he caught up with him. "But for you I was thinking of a pair I saw that had a shark rearing up the front. I think they'd suit you, ‘cos that’s no minnow you’re packing."
As they got into the car, he turned to Dean. "I'll come to the library. Two heads are better than one." He didn't want to say that he just wanted to be with Dean, look at him, talk to him, while he had the chance, because he knew that the happier he was, the sooner all this would be ripped away from him.
Dean shook his head, "No thanks I'll pass on the sharks. I have enough underwear. And I know that you just want to justify getting the lipstick ones," said Dean, starting the Impala. "So you can brag at how many people kissed your ass." He smirked at Alex as he backed the car out and set off down the road.
It wasn't long before he was putting it in park, and the pair was walking down the street and into the little library. Dean immediately headed for the computer, sending Alex to find as much written material about sirens as he possibly could, while Dean logged in and started typing.
Alex busied himself, checking the old newspapers from around the time the old man had told them the siren had appeared. He could have worked far faster, but he had to keep on sneaking looks at Dean, taking in the handsome face, the lush lips, the pure sweep of the line from ear to shoulder, and the dusting of freckles over his nose that made him look so innocent and vulnerable.
Dean was surfing the online newspapers and googling for any other sites dealing with sirens. It wasn't as if he didn't believe the Lone Gunmen, however, some things really needed to be seen for himself, and there was always the thought that they might possibly have missed something he would be able to catch with his superior grounding in the supernatural.
When Alex finally turned up a story that seemed relevant, he headed over to Dean as fast as he could. "Looks like there was some sort of grad party that went wrong. A couple of teenagers died out there on that little spit of land, and the hauntings or whatever they are started right after that. What do you think that means?"
As Dean was reading, the computer light reflecting off his eyes and face, he’d felt Alex’s eyes upon him. Now and again, Dean would glance from the screen without moving his eyes and catch Alex looking at him. He'd looked away, going back to reading, frowning as he did so. But then all of a sudden Alex was rushing over. Lifting his head, Dean turned to face him. "Grad parties are usually fraternities, aren’t they? Those are of Greek origin. But if student drownings are the reason for all this, we will need to find those bones and salt, burn them. As for the siren... well, acid is gonna have to destroy that."
Dean pushed up, "Good work, I'll buy you some cookies at Wal-Mart, toga boy."
"Yeah? I warn you, I've got a real sweet tooth." Alex flipped Dean off as he deposited a book in front of him. "Also, there's a thing here about St. Ignace, which is down the road about forty miles." He laid a dusty old paper in front of his lover. "Check it out. Twenty five years ago there was something very similar happening there. It seems to have died away after about 1985, but reports about the time are pretty close to the same as the events here."
For a moment, Alex stood behind Dean, waiting for him to read the article he'd marked. He couldn't resist running his fingers over the back of Dean's neck, stroking the short hairs there, caressing the peach fuzz at its base. "You want me in a toga? Interesting," he smirked.
Dean gave a little sneeze as the dusty old paper was placed before him. He bent over, frowning as he read it. "I don't get it," he breathed, concentrating on the work and not allowing himself, as much as he wanted to, to pay attention to those insistent fingers working the back of his neck.
He straightened up at last, his face showing how he was thinking as he started out. He didn't even respond to Alex's little comment about being in a toga. "I thought at first it might be a manifestation but... Now I'm not sure." Damn, he wished his father was around, so he could ask him if he heard of such things or even just look in his journal.
"It's a feeding pattern. And almost like a ritual. Every so many years it comes back." He looked to Alex. "The cycle goes back further than we've found, I bet. I have a feeling... This siren has nothing to do with those kids but is more of a ritual. Five kids, each time. Around the full moon. Someone brought it with them when they came here. Someone who believed in elder gods and placating the spirits."
"So are we looking for a settlement of ancient Greeks, or what?" Alex was frowning, fascinated at the way that Dean sifted through the information at hand to cut down to the bone. "You think that it's some sort of blood sacrifice? The kids are taken, and then there's a top up for a few months after first blood?"
The hand on Dean's neck paused for a moment, while Alex thought. "I guess I should go back another twenty five years then, see if I can find something else that matches the MO. Damn! This ghost hunting thing is intriguing." He resumed his gentle caresses after a moment. "We ought to do more investigating."
Dean shook his head, "No, not twenty five," he was thinking again, "Further back. I think we need to see when this place was first haunted. See if the immigrants or settlers brought any of their traditions and lore with them. If we don't find anything, then we work forward from there. What we're looking for has to relate to past events."
Looking up to Alex, Dean frowned. "More intriguing than hunting aliens or whatever you did with your last boyfriend?" he turned and went over to the desk to ask the guy behind it for records as far back as they could go.
"Jealous!" muttered Alex under his breath as he suddenly realized why Dean was so interested in Mulder. "Baby, you're jealous; how about that?" He made his way over to the microfiche that the librarian was indicating. The files he brought were covered in dust and had obviously not been accessed for a long, long time. Alex gave Dean a rueful smile and a shrug as the two of them sat down to start working through them.
"FBI work is pretty darned boring most of the time. Working with Mulder was interesting in the same sort of way that a Chinese curse is interesting. I never knew from one moment to the next when the asshole would take off without me, leaving me in some out of the way place. He was jealous of everything, the bastard. Half the time, the only way I could guarantee that he wouldn't dump my ass was to take the car keys."
"What kind of dumb fuck would do that? I thought you were supposed to be his partner... in other ways too. Jeeze, what a jerk." Dean started patting down his pockets. Pulling out his keys to show Alex, he dangled them in front of him, "Still have them," he said, smirking.
Dean’s eyes followed Alex as the man moved to the big hooded device and shook his head, "I didn't say I was jealous," He murmured, then moved after Alex and sat down, pulling the chair close to his new partner so they could both see. He leaned in, reaching to flip through the archives. Alex smacked his hand, trying to get him to slow down, "Control freak," Dean mumbled, pulling his hand away and then leaned back in, nearly taking up all the room. Reaching over, he grabbed Alex's hand to stop him paging through. "Whoa, look at this."
Dean pointed to an old picture of the harbor, with an article about the statue of a siren that they were dedicating and placing on the first harbor wall. "How much do you want to bet that was made in Greece? Which means we aren't just dealing with a simple curse or legend..." He looked at Alex, eyes shining with excitement.
"You think that a family of sirens moved over here with the first settlers?" asked Alex, trying to get a handle on this new piece of evidence. "How long does a siren live, anyway? And are they actually killable or do they have the ability to... I dunno, trans locate, or leap through time, or something?"
He grabbed hold of Dean's hand suddenly, turning to face him, so close that they would only need to move in a fraction of an inch for their lips to meet. "You think I'm a control freak, huh?" he said, laughing softly. "Well, it's true; I am, but I suspect that you are too, and I exact penalties from control freaks. Got to teach you to back off one way or another."
Looking around to make sure the librarian wasn't watching, he seized his chance and darted in to kiss Dean's mouth. "There," he murmured, voice husky. "Let that be a lesson to you."
Dean was about to speak when Alex did his very excellent job of cutting him off. The kiss was short but, it told plenty. He pushed Alex back playfully. "You might have to teach me a few more times," he said. He shook his head as he tried to shift the conversation back to what to him was more important at that particular moment. "Not a family. See it says in mythology that the sirens lost some contest, the American Idol of the time or whatever. By now they should be dead. However, if you go way back, in some cultures the Sirens were also protectors, and they had different forms."
"So you think that they are somehow protecting something?" Alex looked baffled. "What sort of things do they protect? It's not as if there's likely to be buried treasure or anything out there on that little island." He spread his hands in a gesture of puzzlement. "Want me to start looking for info on sirens, or do you have that covered already?"
Dean sat back and sighed, "Well if you would have let me finish, I was going to say that, back then, sirens' statues were placed in the harbors. If a sailor was lost, coming in when there was a thick fog, the siren was suppose to draw him in, or so it was believed. However they didn't realize that believing in this would actually make it true. Later, some group or other started pagan rituals, such as sacrifices to placate the siren and encourage her to work for them. It started innocently enough, but like often happens, things went bad."
Dean waited for Alex to take in what he'd said. "Wanna bet that statue is still out there? Long forgotten."
"So why did the siren turn from helping sailors find their way home to sinking their boats? I'm confused." Things were starting to make a little sense to Alex, but he was still somewhat baffled by the concept of there being actual sirens. He'd seen one with his own eyes, but even so, it was hard to accept. Extreme possibilities, Alex, he reminded himself. If there can be little green men, there can be sirens.
"You have no difficulty getting your head around this, do you?" he asked Dean, his voice awed. "You're amazing."
Dean sighed softly, "If you'd seen what I have since about the age of four, you wouldn't have a problem either." He muttered the words as if he might have some slight regret. "The sirens were originally playmates. Failure to stop a kidnapping created their punishment. In some ancient times, long after many of these legends were forgotten, sailors believed sirens were helpful. When bad weather happened on a frequent basis, you have to remember they didn't have the Weather Channel back then, and I guess that they figured out that some kind of sacrifice would appease the mystical beings, stop the bad weather and make things better."
"So what you're saying is that the sirens have gotten used to sacrifice, and now they're taking their own?" Alex shook his head. "That makes a weird kind of sense, I guess. So do you have a plan of action, other than the acid? Do we need to find and take down that statue?"
Dean gave a little shrug, "Sometimes, if a group of people believe in something hard enough, it sort of comes to life. My plan of action is easy. Some spirits tie themselves to an object of the physical realm - things like mirrors, beds and so forth. If we find the statue, break it; that might end it. Then we won't have to use the acid. But if she shows up before we find the statue, it'll be a good backup."
Dean looked about, "And it might be best if we do it in daylight, now that I think about it. Safer."
Nodding, Alex rose to his feet. "Yeah, I guess that we're more likely to find it, if it isn't dark, although it'll be a bit tougher to steal a boat in broad daylight. How much would it cost to rent one, anyway?"
Now that he had something concrete to work with, Alex was excited. The way Dean explained things, they sounded very plausible, and the solution seemed utterly prosaic despite the weird nature of the problem. "Okay, sensei, let's go bag ourselves a siren." He paused, thinking. "But, if there's a statue here that doesn't explain why St. Ignace had something like this happen, or why it stopped, unless there are a shitload of statues.. Do you suppose that it's the same siren servicing both, or does each statue have its own?"
Dean reached for one of the newspapers in the stack Alex had given him and pulled it out. He'd set it aside without really knowing why, but as he showed it to Alex, everything fell into place for him. "Storm blew through, it appears, and the shores were hit pretty bad. Boats pushed around. How much you want to bet that statue, if there was one, fell into the water. Or maybe this thing was here, went there as a part of its territory. Like birds... since it is part bird. Or perhaps St. Ignace donated the statue to this place. Just haven't found the article, but I know this harbor was renovated recently." Dean rose to his feet as he was speaking.
"We need to get out there while there still is light." He started heading out.