𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧

Chapter 173-Reunited Again

Dean picked me up from the diner while Sam went off to act as an insurance agent. Dean had found out that someone else in the neighborhood died mysteriously, so Sam went to talk to the man's wife about his death.
Dean and I went to the library to see if we could find out about any other strange occurrences in the town. As we walked back to the car, Dean stopped suddenly and started walking over to a park bench where a boy a little younger than me sat. He was looking down at the ground sadly.

"Dean?" | asked as I followed him as Dean sat down on the bench next to the boy, and I joined him "hey, Ben." Dean said as I furrowed my brow at him, not knowing how he knew this boy "hey. You were at my party." Ben said as Dean nodded "yeah. Yeah, I'm Dean. Everything okay? Something wrong?" Dean asked him as Ben had an empty game case in his hands. Dean looked up, and I followed his gaze to a group of boys playing with a Gameboy.

"Is that your game they're playing with?" Dean asked him "Ryan Humphrey borrowed it, and now he won't give it back." Ben said "well, you want me to go-." Dean said "no! Don't go over there! Only bitches send a grown-up." Ben quickly said "you're not wrong." Dean laughed "and I am not a bitch." Ben replied "is that Humphrey? The one that needs to lay off the burgers?" Dean asked him as Ben nodded and smiled "hmm. Maybe you should go over there and teach him a lesson then." Dean shrugged.

"What do you mean?" Ben asked him "kick him where the sun don't shine." Dean chuckled "Dean..." I warned as he looked over at me and shrugged "what?" He asked me as I smirked and shook my head while Ben thought for a moment and then got up and walked over to the boys "who is that?" I asked him "uh, he's Lisa's son." Dean said as I furrowed my brow and thought for a second, watching as the almost miniature version of Dean stood next to the group of boys.

"How old is he?" I asked him "he, uh, just turned eight." He said as he looked at me "oh. Interesting." I said as I thought for a second, wondering if it was a possibility that Ben could be my nephew "yeah, nice kid." Dean laughed as we looked up at Ben just as he kicked Ryan hard between the legs. Ryan crumpled to the ground, and Ben took his game back. Dean smirked as Ben ran excitedly back to us.

"Thanks. Dude, that was awesome!" Ben yelled and high-fived Dean "Benjamin Isaac Braeden! What's gotten into you?" A beautiful brunette woman shouted as she approached us "he stole my game." Ben shrugged "so, you kick him? Since when is....did you tell my son to beat up that kid?" She said as she turned her attention to Dean "what? Somebody had to teach him how to kick the bully in the nads." Dean shrugged "who asked you to teach him anything?" Lisa asked angrily.

"Just relax." Dean said as Lisa grabbed Dean's arm and pulled him away, even though Ben and I could still hear everything "what are you even still doing here? We had one weekend together a million years ago. You don't know me. And you have no business with my son." She said as Ben and I looked over at each other awkwardly, and then Lisa stalked over and pulled him away.

"Lisa!" Dean shouted as he put his arms out "just leave us alone." She snapped back angrily as Ben pulled out of her grip and quickly ran back to hug Dean "Ben!" Lisa yelled "thanks." Ben said as he looked up, smiled, and then ran back to Lisa as we watched them walk away, my gaze fell on three kids, who were staring creepily at us "uh, that's super creepy." I said as Dean put his hand on my shoulder "you said it, sister. Let's get outta here." Dean said.

[.......]

When we walked into the motel, Sam was researching on his laptop "something's wrong with the kids in this town." Dean said "yeah. Tell me about it. So, what do you know about changelings?" Sam asked "evil monster babies?" Dean asked "no, not necessarily babies." Sam said "they're kids? Creepy, 'stare at you like you're lunch' kids?" Dean asked him "yeah. There's one at every victim's house." Sam said.

"Are you a witch, or are you a fairy? Or are you the wife of Michael Cleary?" I recited "what?" Sam and Dean asked in unison "in Ireland, in the late 1800s. There was a man named Michael Cleary. He believed his wife Bridget had been taken by a changeling. She had been sick for a while, and he believed it was because it wasn't really her. So, long story short...one night, he threatened her with a burning piece of wood...her dress ended up catching fire...and he dumped lamp oil on her. Bridget's body was later found in a shallow grave in the middle of the woods." I explained.

"People believed that the only way to kill a changeling and get your loved one back was by burning them. But Bridget never came back." I said as Dean raised his eyebrows at me "how do you know all of this?" Dean asked me "I read...a lot." I shrugged as Dean put his hand on my shoulder "we've got a mini-Sammy on our hands." Dean chuckled "so, changelings can perfectly mimic children. According to lore, they climb in the window, snatch the kid. Ya know, there were marks on the windowsill at one of the kids' houses. Looked to me like blood." Sam said.

"The changeling grabs a kid, assumes it's form, joins the happy fam just for kicks?" Dean asked "not quite. Changelings feed on the mom's synovial fluid. The moms have these odd bruises on the back of their necks. Changelings can drain them for a few weeks before mom finally croaks. Seems like anyone who gets between the changeling and its food source ends up dead." Sam said "and fire's the only way to waste them?" Dean asked "yeah, that's what I found too." Sam said as he smirked at me.

"Great. We'll just bust in, drag the kids out, torch them on the front lawn. That'll play great with the neighbors. What about the real ones? What happens to them? I mean, it doesn't sound like it went very well for that Bridget woman." Dean said as he rolled his eyes "well, everyone in their town thought Michael was crazy, and she wasn't really a changeling. Changelings hide their victims underground or something, and if the changeling gets killed, the person is supposed to be able to return." I said "the real kids might be out there." Sam nodded.

"We better start looking. So, any kid in the neighborhood is vulnerable?" Dean said "yup." Sam nodded "we gotta make a stop. I want to check on someone." Dean said "well, Dean, if the real kids are still alive, we don't have time. We-." Sam sighed "we have to." Dean said quickly.