In The Mouth Of The Rat

By: Tidia, December 2007

Disclaimer: Supernatural is owned by Kripke. Thank you to Ridley C. James for creating The Brotherhood Universe

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Chapter 9/9

Pastor Jim had a plan, and put everyone to work. Dean knew he was assigned the easy work. He called Jason, the earlier victim. He faxed a photo of the three women to the motel office where Jason was staying and he confirmed the unknown woman was in fact Diana.

Dean made further arrangements with Jason. Caleb had to go to the local Target to pick up some supplies, he would also fetch Jason. The transformed man needed to be present in order to return to his younger self.

He also set up a courier services to invite Airlea and her crew to a private party in their honor. The invitation would definitely get a reaction.

Caleb had already left, leaving Dean alone with Jim. Dean was still insecure, maybe it came with age. He felt he would be a hindrance and needed reassurance. He couldn’t help asking, "I'm coming-right?"

"Of course," Jim said without looking up from the printouts Caleb had given him of the schematics of The Dollhouse.

"Just checking," Dean nodded, glancing down at his clothes. He decided he needed to change, at least into his own sweats. He was uncomfortable in another person's clothes, especially these clothes.

By the time he returned downstairs, Caleb had returned with Jason.

"And here's the rest of the cast of Cocoon. You remember my friend, Dean," Reaves pointed to Dean.

Dean ignored Caleb's poor 80's movie joke, and waved at Jason.

Jason's eyes widened. "Wha-wha-what happened to you?"

"Same thing." Dean sighed, and made his way over. It was strange to be with Jason, looking so old and decrepit. It made him understand Caleb's and Jim's reactions.

"Diana?" Jason questioned, his voice cracked.

Dean shook his head. "Nope, Airlea."

Jason made a clicking noise with his mouth. He then stared at Jim. "Him too?"

Jim stared down the other man through his reading glasses. "Pardon me?"

Dean snorted. Jason assumed the pastor was also one of the siren's victims. "This is Pastor Jim. He's a friend. He's always been that old." Dean winced at his poor choice of words.

"What?" Jim said sharply.

"You know what I mean," Dean retorted. To the best of his recollection Jim always had gray hair, and over the last few years it had grown whiter.

Jim was kind enough to let the issue go, and they got into the Impala. Dean tried to be gracious about sitting in the backseat, but was uncomfortable with Caleb driving his car. He fidgeted.

"You have a bit of the sciatica, don't you?" Jason said, pointed to Dean's leg.

He had been experiencing a sharp pain in his hip, which radiated down his leg. "Is that what that is?"

"Yep, and don't get me started on my prostrate." Jason rolled his eyes. Dean thought he was going to explain further, but Caleb interrupted.

"Do. Not. Go. There."

Jim laughed, then chuckled and then starting laughing again before he brought himself under control.

They reached The Dollhouse with plenty of daylight remaining. Jason rubbed his chin.

"I still don't understand why we came here."

Caleb opened the back door. "You'll have to wait and see." Reaves brought up the rear, while Jim took the lead.

They watched in awe as Jim picked the lock. They had rarely seen Jim in action. When they did, it was being in the presence of a master.

"Boys, I don't understand what you see in this establishment." Jim covered his nose.

Dean didn't notice any particular scent.

"Jim, it's not the décor, it's the entertainment." Caleb replied as he deposited his duffle on the bar.

Dean and Jason settled in one of the booths and watched the hunters. Jim set up three radios with different music playing out of each one. Dean had made some tapes—classical for Jim, rock for him and top forty crap for Caleb.

Reaves held three bottles of kerosene. "You gonna help or sit on your old ass?"

Dean was happy to oblige. Caleb took two of the bottles and Dean handled one, squirting the carpet in a haphazard manner.

"Gentlemen, our guests have arrived." Jim announced as he walked into the main room from his perch at the front door.

"They're early." Caleb replied.

It wasn't unexpected. The sirens probably thought they would gain an advantage, beat the hunters to The Dollhouse. But, the sirens already had home court advantage. "Guess they didn't like me defacing their photo," Dean commented with a smirk,

"What did you do?" Caleb asked as he checked his shoulder holster once more.

"Put a mustache on Diana. Devil horns and beard on Airlea and dog ears on Eleni."

Caleb and Dean shared a laugh before the sirens interrupted.

"Boys, what do you think you're doing?" Airlea was in the lead, the other two, Diana and Eleni flanked her. "Did you miss me?"

Dean felt anger towards Airlea, for taking away his youth. She had used her feminine wiles against him. There were times when he allowed himself to be used, but this was not what he agreed to. "Making sure you can't go after anyone else."

"Go after?" Airlea lifted her arms up, and gracefully knotted her dark hair. It was mesmerizing. "They all came of their own free will. Even you, Dean. Didn't we have fun."

Dean swallowed, and tried to filter out her enticement, listening to the music on the radio to drown out her call.

"I know I did. I usually don't take all at once." Airlea took in a deep inhale. "But, I couldn't control myself. You know that." She winked at Dean. "Do you still hear me? Too bad it fades over time."

"Diana?" Jason said, and reached a hand out to her.

"Stop," Jim ordered. "Just listen to the music."

Caleb stepped forward, in front of Dean to block him. "Your mind control games won't work. He figured it out." Reaves gestured to Jim, who had a gun calmly resting at his side.

"Him?" Diana snorted, and rolled her eyes.

"He's The Guardian. Like the Pope, but cooler." Dean defended the older hunter. He earned respect a long time ago. "And he discovered a little of our music counteracts yours."

"The sound waves you send out, amplified by your techno music that was making me sick." Caleb smiled.

"You figured it out-smart and sexy," Eleni purred, and came to stand in front of Caleb. "I like that in a man." She brushed her fingers against his chest. She then gave a throaty chuckle. "No matter. We'll just move on, find another place."

Caleb grabbed her fingers and tightened his fist. Eleni struggled to pull away. "Wow confidence is sexy, but stupid isn’t. We can't let you go."

Diana hissed as did Airlea. Their skins seemed to ripple with a luminescent blue-green color. Their faces contorted, became longer, their teeth turned sharp. "Let her go!"

Caleb did as was asked with a little shove at Eleni towards the other two.

Dean swallowed, realizing he had sex with a hideous creature, and Caleb was going to tease him.

"Deuce, tell me you used protection." Reaves said as he leveled his gun.

The teasing had already started. Dean brought his gun up from the holder he had loosely draped on his shoulder. His arms were weak so he kept it low.

The three sirens opened their mouths and screamed, an ungodly sound that had the three hunters and Jason stepping back. Then Jim started to shoot out the mirrors and glass. Caleb followed suit as did Dean.

This angered the sirens further, but their scream lessened. They began to attack more physically.

"Get to the door!" Jim called out. "Once we pass through, they are defeated!" He yelled as he shot at Diana, hitting her in the shoulder where white liquid poured from the wound.

Jason and Dean kept low, Dean taking haphazard shots, Caleb hovering over them.

Dean fumbled for his lighter, and tossed it on the kerosene soaked carpet. He had known things would happen quickly, but he hadn't realized how quickly.

They made it to the exit, Caleb trying to push them out, but Dean stayed his ground.

"JIM!" he yelled. Dean noticed smoke starting to fill up where they had just left. Caleb started forward, returning to find their mentor when they heard more gunfire then saw Jim running at them.

"Go boys!" Jim swept out his arms, forcing Caleb and Dean to go outside with him. They shut the doors, all three of them panting, and slipped the two by four through the door handles to barricade the door.

Dean felt the surge of adrenaline leave his body, his legs felt rubbery and he collapsed to the ground. Caleb and Jim each grabbed an arm, pulled him up and then dragged him towards the Impala. Jason was waiting for them, hunched over, with an arm over his stomach, a supporting hand on the trunk.

Then Dean noticed Jason's once white hair was now a dark brown.

Jim released Dean's arm, and the pastor helped to steady Jason.

Dean brought his free arm over his stomach. He felt nauseous and bent over.

"Deuce, what's going on?" Caleb asked. Dean couldn’t answer him. "Jim?"

"Let's get them in the car. They're going to be fine." Jim answered. Dean allowed himself to be assisted into the backseat. They left the scene of the crime with smoke spewing from The Dollhouse, flames licking the roof.

Dean placed a hand over his eyes. He could feel his body filling, the hollow feeling dissipating. The pain lessened then dulled. He let his hand drop and looked at it. Gone were the wrinkles and age spots. It was a hand he recognized. Finally, with a sigh, echoed by Jason, he felt young again.

He looked at Jason, saw the transformation.

"Thank God," Jason uttered.

Dean met Caleb's eyes in the rearview mirror. "AHHH!" He mocked a shocked expression. "Dude, something went wrong."

Dean knew his friend was joking, but lifted his head so he could check his appearance. "Yeah, I got even more handsome."

They pulled up to the beach house. Dean was tapping his foot, wanting to get out of the backseat to walk around. He had energy he needed to burn.

Jason rubbed his forehead. "I don't want to know, do I?"

"No, not so much." Caleb turned around in the driver's seat.

"Buddy, go back to your wife." Dean advised. He stuck out his thumb towards the bus station.

"You should honor your vows, and your wife." Jim turned around from the passenger seat and gave the younger man a solemn nod.

Jason opened the car door. "Thanks for everything." He got out, and waved before shutting the car door.

"Stay away from internet porn!" Dean yelled out. "Sorry, Jim."

The pastor sighed audibly, and turned back around. "When I get back to the church my next sermon will be dedicated you two."

"Thanks, Jim," Dean answered, opening the car door, relishing the fresh, humid air. He was feeling renewed.

"The evils of lust and its manifestations," Jim added.

"That's going to be a crowd pleaser. You gonna give specific examples?" Caleb raised his eyebrows up and down.

Jim reached over and tapped the psychic on the face. "I'll be sure to mention your name."

"So Damien, we can pack up and be out of here in a few minutes. You good to go?" As much as Dean wanted to enjoy the beach, he knew his friend would want to leave.

"My stuff it all set, on the bed, in a duffle."

Dean didn't laugh. It was a heartbreaking situation, something Dean would never use against his friend. Friends and family were supposed to be blind to the weaknesses of their loved ones. "We can meet up with Dad," Dean suggested as he stepped out and luxuriously stretched out his body.

Dean didn't miss the quick glance Caleb gave to Jim. There had been a previous discussion concerning him.

"Deuce, I got some Tri Corp business in Arkansas. Why don't you come with? I'll give you a job on the crew, make some decent money and find some local hunting gigs?"

Jim cleared his throat. "Why don’t you check in with your father? I'll keep Caleb company out here."

"Okay, I can grab your stuff too." Dean appreciated the privacy. He went up the stairs, then unlocked the door to the house. He left his cell phone on the kitchen counter. He looked at it, noticed there had been no new messages or missed calls.

Dean had started to notice over the last few months he was the one who initiated contact with his father. Dean had tested his father. If they weren’t working a job together than a week would go by before he would check in with Dean and get his location.

Then there were the times when they were on a hunt, and he would send Dean ahead, just a day, then it stretched to three days on his own. Dean didn’t want to question his father and distance him further. But, they weren’t supposed to hunt alone, but that was happening. Dean figured John was trying to build independence in his son, thought he was too dependent on others. Dean accepted it, never commented about it, kept it a secret from Caleb and Jim since John wasn't encouraging those connections either.

Dean opened the phone and scrolled to his contact list. He was connected to his father's voicemail. "Hey, Dad, we're done with the job here," Dean paused, wanting to tell John about the sirens, but knowing his father wasn't interested. He also didn't want to admit they had called Jim. "So, I'm low on cash and Caleb said I could put some time in with Tri-Corp. Hunt up some stuff in Arkansas. Okay?" Dean winced. He wanted to make a confident statement, not a question. "Call me when you need me, umm. . ." Dean thought his father wouldn't call him in that case. "I'll touch base in three days if I haven’t heard from you. Take care." Dean closed his phone, and went to gather his things from the bedroom.

This chapter was closed.

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