Down the Rabbit Hole

The Return Part 1

"Bobby?" Dean sat up on the floor, Lacey rushed to his side, fear evident in her eyes as she watched whatever it was using Cas' continue to grin at them. Bobby began to sit up too.
"How many of you ass-clowns are in there? A hundred? More?" Dean watched as black goo began to drip from all over Cas. "Your vessel's gonna explode, ain't it? Wouldn't do anything too strenuous. In fact, I'd call it a day, head on home, huh?"
"We'll be back. For you." The creature told them before shambling towards the door.
"Well this is a new one." Bobby muttered as they watched it go. The two of them got to their feet and headed out into the hall to find Sam. They moved down the hall until they found the supply closet and Sam who was leant against the wall, a look of terror on his face.
"Sam! You hearing me?" Dean reached out and gently shook him. Sam blinked and started. "Who. Look at me. Hey. All right, we got to button this up. Come on, let's get out of here. Come on." Sam nodded and followed them to the door. They hurried outside to see where the creature had gone. Bobby pointed towards an open gate and they reached it just in time to see "Cas" walk into the reservoir until the water completely covered him. As he disappeared below the surface a cloud of black goo emanated from the spot and sped out in different directions across the lake.
"Aw, hell." Bobby muttered as they watched on.
"Damn it."

"You said it. Those... whatever you call 'ems..."
"Leviathan." Sam filled in.
"Right. If they're in the pipes." Bobby pointed to a sign by the water saying 'Public Water Supply'. "They got themselves a highway to everywhere."
"Awesome." Dean muttered. His gaze was drawn to something in the water and he bent down to retrieve Cas trench coat as it floated to the edge. "Okay. So he's gone." Lacey took hold of his hand.
"Yeah. Rest in peace. If that's in the cards."
"Dumb son of a bitch."
"Well, he was friends with us, wasn't he? Can't get much dumber than that. Come on, those things will be coming up for air soon." They walked away from the lake and headed to the Impala.

Early the next morning Dean, Lacey and Bobby were already up, Sam was still passed out on the couch. Lacey was sat on a nearby chair eating breakfast when Dean came in with some supplies. He shook Sam awake.
"Sammy...Sammy, hey..." Sam started awake. "Whoa. That's twelve hours straight, I'm calling that rested. Here." He handed Sam a bottle of water and a protein bar. "Hydrate and uh, protein-ate."
"Breakfast in bed." Sam noted as he sat up and opened the water.
"Don't get used to it. Let me see that hand." Dean began to unwrap the bandages from Sam's hand. "Eh, you'll live. Here." He poured some whiskey over the wound, causing Sam to flinch and suck in his breath. "All right, take it easy."
"So, ooze invasion. Any leads?" Sam asked as Bobby re-dressed the wound.
"I got all my feelers out. Whatever they're up to, it ain't about going Mothra down Main Street. They'll turn up. You seem pretty eager to stretch your legs, you know." Bobby noted. Sam shrugged.
"Now onto our other big problem. How're you doin'? And do not say okay." Dean told him.
"I'm not okay." Sam admitted.
"You think?"
"Hey, go a little easy." Bobby gave him a look.
"There's nothing easy about it, Bobby, okay. We acted like he had everything under control."
"I get it. I'm sorry. Look, I didn't exactly want to crack up, you know?"
"What the hell happened back there?"
"Well it's not just flashbacks anymore."
"Well then what?" Dean looked confused.
"It's more like.... I'm seeing through the cracks."
"What does that mean?"
"It means I'm having a difficult time figuring out what's real."
"Hallucinations." Dean remembered what Death had told them.
"For starters."
"Well for starters, if you're tripping Hell's Bells, why would you hide that?"
"I wasn't hiding it, Dean, I was just not talking about it. I mean, it seemed like you guys had enough going on as it was. Look, I just figured, try to hold on to the safety bar and ride it out, you know? But it's getting more specific."
"As in Specifically what?" Dean asked.

Sam explained to them about seeing Lucifer and him trying to convince Sam he was still in the cage.
"What the hell, Sam?" Dean asked as he poured himself a drink.
"I told you."
"I mean, seriously, how do you argue with that?"
"I know. It's a problem."
"Well now wait, I got it. Why would the Devil holodeck you a whole new life when he could just kick your ass all over the cage?"
"Cause as he puts it, you can't torture someone who has nothing left for you to take away."
"Okay, fine. But this Malibu dream mansion that he makes for you to take away is this post apocalyptic mess?" Sam stared off behind Dean as if he was listening to something. "Wait. Are you seeing him right now?" Dean asked, incredulously. Sam nodded. "You know that he's not real. Right?" Lacey looked uncomfortably at where Sam's gaze fell and got up from her seat to move closer to Dean.
"He says the same thing about you."
"I'm going back to work." Bobby told them as he headed for his desk.

Later that day they were all still sitting around waiting for some news on the Leviathans. Sam was busy cleaning his gun while Dean and Bobby were browsing online for clues. Lacey was sat in the living room reading Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell.
"Well, at least he's not curled up under the sink." Bobby said quietly.
"Yeah, no, he's just sitting there silently field-stripping his weapon." Dean hissed back. He picked up Sam's jacket from the chair next to Lacey and reached inside the pocket.
"What are you doing?" Bobby asked as Dean pulled out Sam's phone.
"Turning on his GPS, case he decides to fly the cuckoo's nest."

"And you? How are you doing?"
"Seriously Bobby, it ain't like he's hexed, you know? I mean, what if it's the kind of crazy you can't fix?"
"Yeah, I'm worried too, but humour me for a second. How are you?"
"Who cares? Don't you think our mailbox is a little full right now? I'm fine."
"Right. And weren't you pissed at him when he said the same thing just a couple hours before he spilled his marbles all over the floor?"
"Yeah, well. I'm not Sam, okay? I keep my marbles in a lead friggin' box. I'm fine. Really."
"Of course. Yeah. You just lost one of the best friends you ever had, your girlfriend's gone from hero to zero after being tortured by the King of Hell, your brother's in the bell jar and Purgatory's most wanted are surfing the sewer lines, but yeah, yeah, I get it. You're fine."
"Good."
"Course, if at any time you want to decide that's utter horse crap, well I'll be where I always am. Right here."
"What, you want to do couples yoga, or you want to get back to hunting the big bads?"
"Shut up. Idjit."

Dean and Lacey had been to the grocery store and had just walked back in the door.
"Hey there Gunga Din, buck up." Bobby nodded towards Sam who was on his laptop.
"So it looks like we got some bad news for a change. Stockville, North Kansas, most of a high school swim team got mangled to death in their locker room."
"Cop talk on the wire's kind of garbled, saying it looks like some kind of wild animal attack. They're saying that whatever attacked them's about the size of a linebacker."
"It's a lead, Dean." Sam shrugged.
"All right, but if you think you're going out on a hunt..."
"No, I know. I'm not. But you are. Look, Bobby's running the hub, I'm 5150'd, which leaves you to follow this thing up."
"Sam, you're in the middle of a psychotic break." Dean protested.
"It's a couple hour's drive, Dean, and it could be a Leviathan thing."
"Nah, if you think I'm leaving you here alone..."
"Hey. What am I, chopped brains on toast?" Bobby grumbled. "I can eyeball the kid. Go. Work off some of these nerves on something useful."
"Fine."
"I'm going too." Lacey got to her feet.
"What? No, you stay here with Sam and Bobby, I can handle this." Dean told her.
"And spend the next few hours panicking cause I don't know where you are? No, I'm coming. It's a crime scene, that's all. I can deal." Lacey told him firmly. Dean exchanged a glance with Bobby who shrugged.
"Fine, let's go then." Dean sighed and headed for the back door, followed by Lacey.

They arrived at Stockville High school a few hours later and were directed to the locker room which was cordoned off with yellow tape.
"Special Agent Anderson, Ian. This is Agent Merteuil." Dean introduced them to the Officer on the other side of the tape.
"Yeah, okay. Our point cop's out on the donut. Forensics." He pointed to himself. "I can show you the layout." He lifted up the tape. "And step lightly. We got a whole bunch of NC17 schiznickel right over there."
"Right." They headed further into the locker room and Dean spotted some black goo dripping down the wall. "Dammit."

They were in the Impala, driving back to Bobby's. Dean dialled Sam to let him know what they'd found at the school.
"Yeah."
"Well, we are positive for ick. Same kind of stuff that came out of Cas and, uh, two of the swim kids were missing, they stole one of their parents cars."
"So you think these... these Leviathan things just jump into people? Like Eve did?"
"I don't know, it makes sense, right? Anyway, uh, state trooper's got surveillance cam on the kids about six hours old, of them gassing up just south of Dakota line, so we're headed back your way. We'll just track them from Bobby's."
"Yeah, sounds good."
"Hey! How are you doing?"
"You know, uh, okay."
"Okay. Well hang in there, all right?" Dean hung up the phone.