sparks fly, sam winchester [ 2 ]

007. lake spirit

Miranda sits at the counter, an empty seat between her and Dean for Sam who went to the bathroom. The waitress walks over and leans down in front of Dean.

"Can I get you anything else?" She asks Dean who smirks. Miranda rolls her eyes.

"Just the check, please." Sam says, walking over and sitting between his brother and girlfriend.

"Okay." The nurse smiles, walking off. Dean's head drops.

"You know, Sam, we are allowed to have fun once in a while. That's fun." Dean says. "Now, you? You have your fun following you around. I gotta find mine elsewhere."

"You're disgusting." Miranda tells him.

"Here, take a look at this. I think I got one." Dean shows Sam the obit he circled. "Lake Manitoc, Wisconsin. Last week, Sophie Carlton, 18, walks into the lake, doesn't walk out. Authorities dragged the water -- nothing. Sophie Carlton is the third Lake Manitoc drowning this year. None of the other bodies were found either. They had a funeral two days ago."

"A funeral?" Sam asks.

"Yeah, it's weird. They buried an empty coffin. For, uh, closure or whatever." Dean says.

"You know, it's actually not that weird." Miranda remarks, giving Dean an annoyed look. Dean avoids eye contact.

"Closure? What closure?" Sam asks. "People don't just disappear, Dean. Other people just stop looking for them."

"Something you want to say to me?" Dean asks.

"You're an asshole." Miranda says.

"Not you." Dean glares at her.

"The trail for dad. It's getting colder every day." Sam says.

"Exactly. So what are we supposed to do?" Dean asks.

"I don't know. Something. Anything." Sam says.

"You know what? I'm sick of this attitude. You don't think I wanna find dad as much as you do?"

"Yeah, I know you do, it's just--"

"I'm the one that's been with him every single day for the past few years while you've been off to college going to pep rallies." Dean says.

"You mean, living in peaceful bliss until some loner came and fucked everything up?" Miranda remarks. Dean glares at her.

"We will find dad, but until then, we're gonna kill everything bad between here and there. Okay?" Dean tells his brother. Sam rolls his eyes. The waitress walks by, Dean watching her.

"All right, Lake Manitoc." Sam says. "Hey!" Dean looks at him.

"Huh?"

"How far?"

+++

They knock on the door to the Carlton house, Will Carlton answering it.

"Will Carlton?" Dean asks.

"Yeah, that's right." He nods.

"I'm Agent Ford. This is Agent Hamill and Agent Fisher. We're with the US Wildlife Service." Dean holds his badge up.

"She was about 100 yards out." Will states. "That's where she got dragged down."

"And you're sure she didn't drown?" Dean asks.

"Yeah. She was a varsity swimmer." Will says. "She practically grew up in that lake. She was as safe out there as in her own bathtub."

"So no splashing? No signs of distress?" Sam asks.