CHAPTER EIGHT — WATER ALWAYS WINS
dead in the water — part two

"So now I do my best to be brave every day, just like him." — grace winchester

JUST LIKE GRACE HAD SUGGESTED, THE WINCHESTERS HEADED OVER TO THE SHERIFF'S HOUSE WHERE ANDREA AND LUCAS WERE CURRENTLY STAYING. Getting out the car, they walked straight to front door and knocked on it. Andrea answered their call, surprised to see who she believed to be men from the Wildlife Service and and the child they had under their care. Once they had explained their plan to her, the Mother was understandably hesitant.

"I'm sorry, but I don't it's a good idea." She told them, not eager for a bunch of strangers to try and get more information out of her son. Lucas had been through a lot, they knew that, so they had to be careful with him.

"Grace just needs to talk to him." Dean begged as Andrea allowed them into the house. "Just for a few minutes." Andrea glanced down at Grace who nodded her head in confirmation. Grace already had a connection with Lucas so it would be much easier if she talked to him instead of her Father and Uncle.

Andrea wasn't yet convinced of their cause, not that Grace could blame her. "He won't say anything. What good's it gonna do?"

"Andrea, we think more people might get hurt." Sam cut in with a soft tone as he tried to persuade her to allow Grace to see Lucas. "We think something's happening out there."

At his words, Andrea glanced between the Winchesters in disbelief. "My husband, the others, they just drowned." There was something in her eyes that made Grace believe that at least some part of her knew and felt different, that she was just trying to convince herself that there was nothing evil lurking in their lake. "That's all."

"If that's what you really believe, then we'll go." Dean told her solemnly as he stared her in the eyes, hoping to get through to her. "But if you think there's even a possibility that something else could be going on here, please let Grace talk to your son."

Flickering her gaze between Grace and Dean, Andrea then paused as she thought over his words. Sam was worried that in that moment she would decide to throw them out of the house and tell them to never come back, but Grace thought different. She was sure Andrea would come around. And with a defeated sigh, that was exactly what she did.

They were all led up to Lucas' room where the boy was sat down on his bedroom floor with a crayon in his hands. Grace looked around the room where all sorts of toys, posters and things a kid would own lined the walls and the cabinets. There were so many books on the shelves and she was sure she hadn't read a single one. After Lost Creek, her Uncle had kept to his word and introduced Grace to some of the classic fairy-tale books — including Hansel and Gretel. This was the sort of thing Grace could never have. Being a hunter, always on the road, kind of prevented you from having normal things.

Grace sat on the floor next to Lucas and gave him a friendly smile. "Hi Lucas, it's me again: Grace." The girl then frowned upon spotting even more pictures of the red bicycle, they looked almost identical next to each other. Grace could feel it from where she was sat: the energy they were emitting. "I really liked the picture you gave me. But, uh, we need your help again." Just like last time, Lucas didn't respond so Grace withdrew the Carlton house photo and unfolded it as the boy continued his drawing. "Did you know this was going to happen? Because I didn't and normally I can tell when bad things are going to happen." Still Lucas didn't say a word. "It's okay if you don't want to talk, is there another way you want to speak to me?"

There was no answer from Lucas. Grace let out a sigh as she debated inside her head. Lucas was about her age, so what would make her trust someone? She didn't even look back at her Dad before she began.

"It's okay to be scared, you know. I was really scared once too. It was a few years ago now. I woke up in the woods all alone and I couldn't remember who I was before, and I still don't. But out there, in the cold, it was how I met my Dad. And watching him every day, it taught me how to be brave. So now I do my best to be brave every day, just like him." Unbeknownst to her, Dean's eyes were brimming with tears as he listened to her speak. "And, I may not have known your Dad, but I think he would have wanted you to be brave too." 

Lucas dropped his crayon.

Then the boy turned to Grace and there was a look of understanding shared between the two. They were both just two fractured children exposed to tragedy from a young age, forced to grow up in a terrifying world. Yet, they were completely different. Lucas had lost his Father in tragedy and Grace had gained one, she had no choice in not being normal but he still did. Grace then felt a piece of paper being pressed into her hands and the girl looked down to see a drawing of a small boy and the red bicycle outside of a church.

Nodding gratefully, Grace grinned. "Thank you." She got to her feet and turned around to find her Dad almost crying, her Uncle gaping at her and Andrea staring at her with intrigue. The girl frowned. "What?"

Dean quickly pulled his baby girl into a crushing hug that she wasn't expecting in the slightest. Hearing those words from her mouth had meant so much to him even if he couldn't believe him, because there was no way she had learnt her courage from him. Finally, Dean let go of the grip he had on his daughter before taking her hand in his own. They bade farewell to Andrea and exited the home.

"I..." Sam began, still rather shocked. "I didn't know that was how you met." There were many scenarios Sam had considered concerning how Grace became a Winchester, but that certainly hadn't been one of them.

Dean tore his gaze from his smiling daughter as he turned to his brother. "It's a long story, Sammy."

The man smirked at his family. "Then tell it."

BY FOLLOWING LUCAS' CLUE, THEY FOUND THE HOME OF ONE PETER SWEENEY, A BOY WHO HAD BEEN MISSING FOR THIRTY-FIVE YEARS. From what the Winchesters could tell, Peter Sweeney was the boy in Lucas' pictures and most likely the vengeful spirit in the lake. On the way there, Grace and Dean had told their story about that stormy night in the woods, the memory of which made Grace shiver. Sam listened curiously to their tale and just like they did, he had more questions than answers by the end of it.

At the Sweeney residence, they had discovered a picture of Bill Carlton and the boy they believed to be in the lake, so now they were driving back to the Carlton house to finally figure out what was going on. "Okay, this little boy Peter Sweeney vanishes, and this is all connected to Bill Carlton somehow."

"Yeah, Bill as sure as hell seems to be hiding something, huh?" Dean recalled with a scoff as Grace stared down at the drawing of Peter Sweeny in her hands.

Grace could feel the anguish in the picture, Peter's anguish, and it was heart-breaking. "Peter's hurting the people Bill loves, to hurt him." She proclaimed, deep in thought.

"So, Bill did something to Peter?" Dean frowned as he too thought it over. In the rear-view mirror he could see the slightest nod of his daughter's head as she confirmed his theory.

Sam then continued. "What if Bill killed him?" 

"Peter's spirit would be furious." Nodded Dean as he culminated. "It'd want revenge. It's possible." Grace knew it was more than possible, she could feel it in her heart, her mind and her soul. Peter Sweeney was the shadow hiding in the lake.

It wasn't long after that the Impala rolled up to the Carlton residence and the Winchesters quickly exited the vehicle. They didn't seem to mind that Grace had joined them and she was sure her Dad was already coming up with an excuse in his mind to explain her presence. Together they walked up the front door and knocked on the door, but there was no answer. The last time they had seen Bill Carlton, he didn't look like he wanted to leave the property so they were surprised to find no one home. "Mr Carlton?" Sam called out.

Then they heard the sound of an engine roaring.

Following the noise, the Winchesters rounded the side of the house only to see Bill Carlton sailing his boat out onto the lake. "Hey, check it out." Pointed out Dean. They didn't stop to talk about it and instantly started sprinting down to the dock. Gracie kept up as best she could, but it was hard when her legs were so tiny compared to the giants that were her family. It took them a moment to reach the end of the dock and Grace wasn't too far behind. Dean then started to yell out. "Mr Carlton! You need to come back! Come out of the water! Turn the boat around!

"It's not safe!" Added Grace as she came to an abrupt halt at the edge of the dock. She stared out at the water, there was something about large bodies of water that made her uneasy and she didn't know what.

"Mr Carlton!"

No matter how hard they tried or what they shouted, Bill Carlton refused to turn his boat around and instead sailed further out into the wide lake. They could do nothing but watch as he continued to steer his boat into the centre of the water. And they could nothing as a large wave came out of nowhere before slamming itself down onto the boat.

Bill was sent flying into the air before landing in the lake with a large splash. And as they saw him disappear beneath the surface of the water, Grace knew it would be the last time he was ever above it again. Water oscillated furiously from the aftermath of the wave, stirring the lake into a jagged mess. Dean pulled Grace into his side as she kept her gaze fixed out onto the water in horror. Maybe if she even tried to use her psychic powers, she would have seen it happen and prevented it. Then Bill Carlton would still be alive. Grace just let out a sad sigh. This lake had claimed the life of the entire Carlton family, its revenge was complete, but somehow Grace didn't believe that was the case.

SHERIFF JAKE DEVINS WASN'T PARTICULARLY PLEASED TO FIND THE WINCHESTERS AT THE SCENE OF HIS FRIENDS' DISAPPEARANCE. It was clear he didn't trust them and they hadn't given him much of a reason to, so Grace could understand his suspicions. And after becoming witnesses to Bill Carlton vanishing, the Sheriff had decided to take them back to the station for questioning.

As they entered the police station, they spotted Andrea looking over at them in surprise. "Sam, Dean, Grace." She stood up, placing the bag and container she was holding onto her chair. "I didn't expect to see you here." Grace wasn't looking at her and instead frowned in concern at the sight of a frightened Lucas rocking on his chair. Something definitely wasn't right.

"So now you're on a first-name basis." He sighed in disapproval as he walked over to his daughter and inquired. "What are you doing here?"

"I brought you dinner."

He took the container from her gratefully but couldn't manage a smile after what had just happened. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, I don't really have the time." Then he walked over to desk and placed the container down onto it before going over to stand behind his chair.

Andrea stared at her Father as behind her the Winchester trio just remained in the place, standing there rather awkwardly as they let the two talk. "I heard about Bill Carlton. Is it true? Is there something going on with the lake?"

Jake looked past her to glare at the Winchesters who had gathered by the door. They were involved with whatever was going on, he just knew it. "Right now we don't know what the truth is." He told them skeptically. Grace then knew he was hiding something too, because by now he must have realised that what was happening in his lake wasn't natural, even if it seemed unbelievable. "But I think it might be better if you and Lucas went on home."

As soon as the Sheriff finished, his grandson looked over to them with fear in his eyes. A distressed whimper escaped him as Lucas suddenly leapt from his seat to grab both Grace and Dean's sleeves and tugged on them desperately. Her Dad tried to reassure the boy and calm him as Grace stood there frozen. There was something about the way Lucas had just lunged at them that worried her. It was like he could tell something was wrong, just like when she could.

She shook herself from her trance before turning to Lucas. He was still pulling at her jacket sleeve as if trying to tell them something he couldn't say aloud. Whilst her Dad continued to try and reassure the boy that everything, including himself, was okay, Grace had a different approach. "Lucas, what's wrong?" She asked the petrified boy as she looked at him in concern.

Because if Grace Winchester knew one thing well, it was what it felt like to know when something bad was going to happen before it did.

But before Lucas could even try and tell her what was going on, Andrea wrapped her arms around her son and started to lead him away. Lucas' hands slipped from their grips on Grace and her Dad'd coats.

And as his fingers made direct contact with her palm, she was suddenly hit by a wave of visions. Images of what happened to Lucas' father flew through her mind and pieces of the fates of Sophie, Will and even Bill Carlton interjected the tsunami. She could feel the connection he had to Peter, ever since Christopher Barr was taken. Two lost boys tied together by something no one could believe.

Once the contact was broken, Grace was pulled from her episode with a gasp. The slight increase in Lucas' widened eyes told her that their brief connection wasn't one way, that he had seen something too. Dean frowned down at his daughter who was trying her best to conceal her sudden change in breathing. They all watched as Andrea carefully took her son out of the building, his fearful gaze never leaving Grace.

Dean took Grace's hand and led her into the Sheriff's office as the man removed his jacket and hung it on the back of his chair. All of them but Dean sat down, with Grace's Dad standing behind her as she sat down facing the Sheriff. "Okay, just so I'm clear. You see... something attack Bill's boat, sending Bill — who is a very good swimmer by the way — into the drink, and you never see him again?" Just like what happened to Sophie Carlton.

Glancing to Sam and then Grace, Dean nodded in agreement with the Sheriff's version. "Yeah, that about sums it up." And they weren't even lying.

The Sheriff, however, still didn't look convinced. "And I'm supposed to believe this, even though I've already sonar-swept that entire lake? And what you're describing is impossible? And you're not really wildlife service?" The Winchesters turned to Sheriff Devins in shock as they hadn't expected to be caught red handed, especially not this close to putting their case to rest. Humming in small victory, the Sheriff then said. "That's right, I checked. Department's never heard of you two."

Quickly jumping to their defence, Dean tried to explain. "See, now, we can explain that."

But before he could, Sheriff Devins interrupted. "Enough. Please. The only reason you're breathing free air and I'm not calling child protective services," Grace looked almost offended at that, "is one of Bill's neighbors saw him steering out that boat just before you did. So, we have a couple of options here. I can arrest you for impersonating government officials and hold you as material witnesses to Bill Carlton's disappearance. Or, we can chalk this all up to a bad day, you get into your car, you put this town in your rear-view mirror, and you don't ever darken my doorstep again." He finished with a cold, stern glare.

Clearing his throat awkwardly, Sam replied. "Door number two sounds good."

Grace didn't want to leave, she felt something was wrong, but she too answered. "I prefer that one."

The Sheriff leant forwards before he commented, slightly mockingly. "That's the one I'd pick."

DRIVING OUT OF LAKE MANITOC FELT WRONG. Like they shouldn't be leaving these people in their rear-view mirror, that they should stay and make sure Peter Sweeney was put to rest. But after the Sheriff's threat, the Winchesters went back to the motel where they packed their things before hitting the road. By now night had fallen so Grace's mind was drifting as she stared out of the window and to the stars above.

"Green." Her Uncle spoke up which brought both Grace and apparently her Father from their trances. The traffic light was indeed a bright green yet the Impala made no indication of moving.

"What?" Dean questioned, a little dazed.

Frowning with concern, Sam pointed out as Grace leant forwards. "Light's green."

Grace didn't know what exactly was going through his mind at that moment, but she had a good idea. With a shake of his head, he then turned the wheel and steered Baby right. A small grin appeared on her face as he pressed down on the gas pedal and they sped down the road and back towards Lake Manitoc.

"Uh," Interrupted Sam, careful of his words, "the interstate's the other way."

Gaze fixed on the road ahead, Dean stared forwards with determination as he gave in to the tugging feeling in his gut. One similar to what Grace had been feeling since they arrived. "I know." He said firmly.

Continuing down the road and back towards Lake Manitoc, Grace could not help the small smile on her face. She knew they couldn't leave even before her Dad decided to turn back and she was just glad that she didn't have to argue with anyone about it. All Grace ever wanted to do was help others and she didn't know why, but she still thought there were people who needed their help. It wasn't hard to figure out that it was Lucas who convinced Dean to stay, for seeing that terror on the boy's face made him believe that something was still amiss. 

"But this job." Sam tried to protest as he glanced between his brother and niece. "I think it's over." He didn't sound as sure as he would have liked.

Dean shook his head. "I'm not so sure."

"Neither am I." Added Grace to give her Dad's opinion some weight.

"If Bill murdered Peter Sweeney and Peter's spirit got its revenge, case closed. The spirit should be at rest." Reasoned Sam, and both Grace and Dean could sense the doubt in his voice.

Taking advantage of his brother's hesitation, Dean continued. "All right, so what if we take off and this thing isn't over? You know, what if we've missed something? What if more people get hurt?"

"They will." Grace agreed apprehensively as her eyes burnt holes into her cuffs. There was something not right about this current ending. Like a thread that hadn't been pulled or a missing jigsaw piece. She knew there was something they were missing.

Sam's eyes moved from Grace and to Dean as he asked with a frown. "But why would you think that?"

"Because Lucas was really scared."

Her Uncle smirked in amusement and Grace tapped his shoulder disapprovingly. "That's what this is about?" He inquired with a light laugh.

"I just don't want to leave this town until I know the kid's okay." Dean admitted firmly, not appreciating Sam's response.

"Wow." Sam breathed out as he tilted his head back to look at Grace with a cheeky grin. "Having Grace must have really changed you."

The girl turned to her Dad expectantly with a small smirk and raised eyebrow. Dean fought to keep back his smile but it managed to slip through. Nothing was said for a moment before Dean whipped his head around to his brother before telling him. "Shut up." And then Grace burst into a small fit of laughter.

A little while  — and a few Metallica songs — later, the Winchesters and their Impala pulled outside Andrea's home for the second time that day. It was very late, dead of night sort of time, when the trio exited the vehicle and made their way up the steps and to the front door. Lucas was probably in bed; Grace had heard kids normally have a thing called 'Bedtime' which she had never had. Living a hunter's life was definitely going to make a sleep schedule be non-existent.

"Are you sure about this?" Sam asked Dean doubtfully. "It's pretty late, man."

With a simple nod, Dean then reached up to ring the doorbell. Grace's stomach dropped as it felt like something was clawing at her insides. And then she knew something was wrong. There was no reply from within the house, all they could hear was the doorbell echoing inside the house. Then suddenly the front door was thrown open to reveal a distressed Lucas who was breathing heavily.

"Lucas?" Grace called out. "What's wrong?"

Instead of answering, Lucas took off into the house causing the Winchesters to race after him. He led them to the staircase and Grace was instantly worried by the sight of water spilling and cascading down the stairs. She almost slipped on the second step and found it hard to find sturdy footing but she continued to climb anyway, going as fast as she could. Her soaked boots were protecting her feet from the cold, but she knew it wouldn't be long before they too were dripping wet. Once they had managed to climb the slippery stairs, Lucas started pounding desperately against the wooden door to the bathroom where the water was spilling out from under it.

Andrea's in there, Grace realised, eyes bulging in fear for the woman.

Dean grabbed Lucas before handing him to Sam to keep out the way. Grace grabbed the boy's hand to try and calm him as her Dad raised and foot and broke down the door with an almighty kick. In the bathroom they could see an overflowing bathtub where the water was dark and murky like that of the lake. Peter Sweeney had come for Andrea. And now she was drowning in her own bathtub.

Grace did her best to shield Lucas from the scene as she didn't want him to see his Mother dying after losing his Father to a similar fate. Meanwhile, her Dad and Uncle raced into the room and tried to pull Andrea from the tub. They fought the pull of Peter and the water that were trying to drag her down and to their depths, to kill her. "They'll save her." She assured Lucas who was screwing up his eyes in Grace's jacket, their two small forms moulding into one another.

For a moment it had appeared they had managed to pull Andrea out, only for her to be sent back into the dirty water with a sharp tug. Her flailing limbs tried to grasp the white rim of the tub but failed. Dean and Sam continued to fight to save Andrea and just seconds later, the brothers managed to heave the woman from the ghostly grasp of Peter Sweeney before the three then collapsed on the bathroom floor. Andrea stared coughing up all the lake water in her lungs as Sam and Dean panted breathlessly.

"See, they saved her." Grace smiled at Lucas who quickly broke from her grip to make sure his Mother was alright. Then the brunette strolled over to her Dad and Uncle who were still lying face up on the tiles, trying to regain their breath. "You did it."

"Of course we did." Dean replied breathlessly as a smirk tugged on his lips. With a chuckle, Grace shook her head. "I would ask for you to lend me a hand, but you're too tiny to lift me."

"Or you're too heavy." Grace retorted, matching his previous smirk as his fell.

Sam snorted from next to him resulting in a kick to the leg from his brother as he looked up at his daughter, offended. "How dare you?!" A giggle escaped Grace who then grabbed her Dad's hand and helped pull him to his feet, despite him telling her she wasn't strong enough. Sam just laughed at them.

After the events that had just happened, the Winchesters decided that it was better for everyone that they stayed the night. Andrea kept clear from water and Lucas refused to leave her side — the two terrified of what might happen next. They all slept in the living room, with Sam on the couch and Dean and Grace on the floor. Grace had slept in worst places than a warm floor, so she couldn't complain.

In the morning the Winchesters decided to check the house for anything that could give them a clue as to what the hell was going on and why Peter had targeted Andrea. Sadly, nothing was coming through on Grace's end. Her psychic abilities had been pretty quiet during their stay at Lake Manitoc and it appeared if they wanted to know anything, Lucas was the one to ask. She sat with her Uncle and Andrea at the table, the latter now in a nice pair of warm dry clothes, as they tried to get Andrea to try and recall what had happened to her.

"Can you tell us?" Sam inquired softly as he didn't want to push the frightened woman after what she had just gone through.

"No." She replied quietly, shaking her head as she tried her best to look back despite not wanting to. "It doesn't make any sense." Voice cracking, the woman started to sob as she placed her face in her hands. "I'm going crazy."

Grace hopped down from her chair to make her way over to Andrea and place a comforting hand on her arm. "No, you're not. It's okay, you can tell us what happened. I promise we'll believe you."

There was a brief pause as Andrea thought about what she was going to say and took a deep breath as she started, a little hesitantly. "I heard... I thought I heard... there was this voice."

Exchanging a look with Grace, Sam then returned to Andrea and inquired in an almost whisper. "What did it say?"

Andrea gulped anxiously. "It said... it said 'Come play with me'." Both Grace and Sam knew it was ghost of Peter Sweeney. She let out another gut-wrenching sob as she asked them. "What's happening?"

But they didn't get the chance to answer as Dean chose that moment to rush into the room with a large and old looking scrapbook being cradled in his arms. He flicked through the pages until he found the one he was looking for before placing it down in front of Andrea. It was a picture of a group of boys, all in the same uniform, the same uniform from the photo of Peter and Bill they had found at the Sweeney residence. "Do you recognised the kids in these pictures?"

"What?" Andrea looked confused as to the relevance of the picture before sighing as she continued, knowing by now not to question the Winchesters. "Um, um, no. I mean, except that's my dad right there." And that was when it finally sunk in. When Grace finally understood what was going on and she turned to Andrea, eyes wide in realisation. Bill wasn't the only one who killed Peter. "He must have been about twelve in these pictures." She pointed to where Jake Devins was in the picture, which unbeknownst to her was right next to the boy that had just tried to drown her.

The Winchesters exchanged the same knowing look. "Chris Barr's drowning. The connection wasn't to Bill Carlton. It must have been to the Sheriff."

"Bill and the Sheriff — they were both involved with Peter." Sam voiced as they all came to the same conclusion.

"What about Chris?" Andrea quickly jumped in curiously. "My Dad — what are you talking about?"

"Lucas?" Dean breathed out and they all turned to see Lucas staring blankly, almost in a trance, out of the window. Having been Grace's Father for about two years, he recognised the look on Lucas' face, the look that even though your body was right there, your mind was somewhere else entirely. Grace also frowned at the boy's distant expression as her Dad spoke up again. "Lucas, what is it?"

Lucas said nothing. He then wrapped his hand around the doorknob and pulled it open. Like was sleepwalking, Lucas led the way outside and into the backyard and they all followed. Whatever it was he was feeling, Grace could feel some of it too, and it was powerful. Andrea tried to call out to her son, but it didn't work: he didn't answer and nor did he stop. But then, all of a sudden, he did.

Now out in the woods just outside their house, Lucas stared down at a patch of mossy dirt beneath his feet before looking up at Dean and Grace who were stood side-by-side with matching concerned looks on their faces. The nearer Grace got to where he was standing, the stronger the feeling was. Dean turned to Andrea before telling her. "You and Lucas get back to the house and stay there, okay?"

As Andrea carefully led her son back to the safety of their home, Grace cautiously stepped closer to where Lucas was and then, upon reaching that spot, crouched down. She hovered her hand over the ground, the hairs on the back of her hand now on end. She turned back to her Dad and Uncle and declared. "There's definitely something here. I think we're gonna need a shovel."

They nodded before leaving Grace to fetch some shovels to dig with. Grace shifted nervously on the spot as she watched them digging where Lucas had shown them. Not long after they started, a metallic clang resonated through the air as Sam's shovel came into contact with something. It was in that moment that Grace knew exactly what was waiting for them under the ground. She was twiddling with a strand of curly hair absentmindedly but when her family tossed their shovels and started to dig with their hands, she rushed to help.

Bit by bit they pulled away chunks of earth until the outline of a metal object came into view. Sam tugged it from the ground's clutches to find what was once a beautiful bright red bicycle that had been rusted from all the years spent in the dirt that now coated it. "It's Peter's bike." Grace sighed sadly as she ran a dirty hand over the old frame, feeling all the love that Peter once had for his cherished bike, much like the love her Dad had for his Impala.

The sound of a gun cocking brought the Winchesters from their moment of discovery and they simultaneously turned to find Jake Devins glaring at them from behind his gun. "Who are you?"

"Put the gun down, Jake." Sam advised as he placed down the bike and raised his hands in surrender. Both Grace and Dean followed his lead, making sure the shovels were far enough away from them.

The Sheriff ignored Sam's words and pressed. "How did you know that was there?"

"What happened? You and Bill killed Peter, drowned him in the lake and then buried the bike?" Her Dad asked harshly as he stared down the man for what he did to Peter and the fact that he was now aiming a gun at his daughter. "You can't bury the truth, Jake. Nothing stays buried."

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about." He denied, but it was no use, they already knew the truth.

"You and Bill killed Peter Sweeney thirty-five years ago. That's what the hell I'm talking about!" They turned as Andrea suddenly came running up to them, shouting at her Father. "And now you got one seriously pissed-off spirit."

Sam then explained rather grimly. "It's gonna take Andrea, Lucas, everyone you love, It's gonna drown them. And it's gonna drag their bodies God knows where, so you can feel the same pain Peter's Mom felt. And then, after that, it's gonna take you, and it's not gonna stop until it does."

The Sheriff scoffed. "Yeah, and how do you know that?"

Despite the gun in her face, Grace spoke up as she too glared at the man in front of her. "That's what happened to Bill Carlton." She told him.

"Listen to yourselves, all of you." Jake continued to argue defiantly rejecting their accusation. "You're insane."

Grace smiled sweetly and questioned. "And?"

"I don't really give a rat's ass what you think of us." Dean scowled at Jake as he finally reached his breaking point with the the man. By so adamantly denying what they all knew he had done, he was putting the lives of the people he loved, not to mention his own, on the line. He was so stubborn and refused to believe their words even after everything that had happened recently. "But if we're gonna bring down this spirit, we need to find the remains, salt them, and burn them into dust. Now tell me you buried Peter somewhere. Tell me you didn't just let him go in the lake."

Andrea jumped in and questioned her Father, full of dread and fear for what she might hear. "Dad, is any of this true?" With Jake distracted, Dean seized the opportunity to step in front of Grace and shield her body with his own as no one knew whether or not Jake would pull the trigger. 

He shook his head in denial. "No. Don't listen to them. They're liars and they're dangerous." Despite his warning, Andrea didn't believe him and glanced back at the two men and small girl who had saved her life.

Grace simply shrugged at his words, knowing fully well he was telling the truth, but nonetheless, the Winchesters were people to listen to.

"Something tried to drown me. Chris died on that lake." She argued, but she noticed he was focused more on the Winchesters in front of him than her. "Dad, look at me." He slowly turned to face her and the shame in his face alone was enough to bring tears to her eyes. Yet she was still open to hear him out. "Tell me you—you didn't kill anyone." He couldn't bear to look at her, to see the heartbreak and disappointment on her face, so he turned away and that told her what his words did not. She gasped, covering her mouth in shock. "Oh my God."

"Billy and I were at the lake." Jake finally began his tale. "Peter was the smallest one. We always bullied him, but this time. It got rough. We were holding his head under the water. We didn't mean to. But we held him under too long and he drowned. We let the body go, and it sank." Well it appeared salting and burning wasn't going to work this time. "Oh, Andrea, we were kids. We were so scared. It was a mistake." He pleaded, desperate for her to understand. "But, Andrea, to say that I had anything to do with these drownings, with Chris, because of some ghost? It's not rational."

Grace hadn't noticed the lowering of the Sheriff's gun before then, but now that she did, she made her way over to Andrea who was frozen in shock after her Father's confession. The girl touched her arm slightly, letting the woman know she was there for her, as Andrea turned away from her Father in disbelief and betrayal.

"All right, listen to me, all of you. We need to get you away from this lake, as far as we can, right now." Dean quickly instructed as he tried to save the Devins/Barr family from the same fate as the Carltons.

But it was too late.

Both Andrea and Grace had turned to see Lucas standing on the end of the dock, directly next to the water. Andrea let out a gasp as Jake yelled out for his Grandson. They all then rushed down to the dock as fast their legs could carry them to try and get to the boy before Peter did. Too many people had died in that lake. No more.

"Lucas!" Grace and Dean shouted for the boy, trying to gain his attention.

"Lucas! Baby, stay where you are!" Andrea frantically called out as they drew nearer to the dock.

Then, all of a sudden, a hand burst from the water and latched onto Lucas' arm. It held onto the boy's arm tightly and then yanked him into the gloomy water with a large splash. Jake froze in horror at the sight of the ghost of Peter Sweeney just hovering at the surface of the water, but Grace had no time to acknowledge the spirit that had been taunting her the past few days.

As soon as her family reached the end of the dock, they dived into the water without a moments hesitation. Grace saw Andrea was pulling off her jacket, readying herself to jump in too, but before she could, the girl quickly grabbed her arm and stopped her. "You can't." Grace told her.

"But Lucas—" She tried to protest as her maternal instinct took full control with her son in danger.

"If you go in, Peter will take you too." Grace reasoned sadly because she knew that meant Andrea could do nothing and just had to wait and see what would happen to her son. "My Dad and Uncle with save Lucas, and he shouldn't have to have no parents." Andrea then held onto the small girl tightly as she cried helplessly.

Grace couldn't do a thing. After all, she couldn't swim. Well, she didn't know if she could, she hadn't tried. And the last thing they needed at that moment was a second drowning child to save.

They watched as her Dad and Uncle kept on diving into the water to find Lucas, only to resurface a few seconds later empty-handed. "Sam?" He asked his brother who shook his head sadly as neither of the two had found Lucas. Andrea was calling out for her son as her and Grace held onto each other for comfort. He had been under the water for a little while and now they were getting desperate.

What no one expected was for Jake to shed off his jacket and wade into the water. Even Grace hadn't seen that one coming. "Peter, if you can hear me... please, Peter, I'm sorry. I'm so—I'm so sorry." Grace quickly stood up and Andrea pleaded for her Father to stop, to turn back and get on dry land. "Peter. Lucas—he's, he's just a little boy. Please, it's not his fault, it's mine. Please take me." He tried to bargain with Peter for Lucas' life as Andrea continued to scream for her Father.

Grace squeezed her hand just as Dean and Sam came up for air to see Jake at least waist-deep in the lake that had claimed so many. "Jake, no!" Dean cried out, trying to prevent the man from giving himself to Peter. They always tried to find another way.

Then the spirit of Peter Sweeney surfaced from the water and Jake sighed in defeat. "Just let it be over!" He declared and with that, he was suddenly pulled down and into the lake's depths. In the end water always got what it wanted, it would always win even if it had to wait.

"Daddy! Daddy! No!" Andrea screamed in horror as she stood next to Grace, frozen in fear and grief.

Jake was gone, taken by Peter's spirit. His revenge was now complete. Grace could feel it, or not feel it, for the energy around the lake had faded, which proved Peter's spirit was done and it was all finally over. Well, not yet.

For her Dad and Uncle had dived back into the water in search of Jake and Lucas, hoping that now Peter was gone they could be found. Grace pulled Andrea into a hug because the woman had just lost her Father, and her son's life was still in the balance. The hug was appreciated greatly from Andrea who was sobbing in the girl's arms, her tears staining her jacket and flannel shirt.

Sam emerged from the water, shaking his head sadly and on the docks, both their hearts sunk. A sob wracked Andrea's body, her form shaking within Grace's arms but she still held on to try and comfort the woman. They all turned at the sound of water to see Dean bursting through the surface of the water, an unconscious Lucas held tightly in his arms. They all let out sighs of relief  and Andrea's tears turned to joy at the sight of her son. "He's okay." Grace reassured her when she noticed Andrea's sudden panic at the sight of Lucas unmoving. "He'll be okay."

Once back onto dry land, Dean carefully handed Andrea her son and she held him tight to her, crying in relief. Meanwhile, the Winchesters had gathered by the shoreline as they too wore smiles of relief. Grace didn't even care when she got soaked as her family brought each other into a group hug, causing them to laugh. Dean grabbed his daughter and lifted her into the air, not caring that she was a nine-year-old, not caring that his limbs and muscles ached with fatigue. They may have lost Jake, but they had saved Lucas and Peter's vengeful spirit had been put to rest.

Finally, it was over.

THE FOLLOWING MORNING, THE WINCHESTERS WERE PACKING UP AND READYING THEMSELVES TO LEAVE LAKE MANITOC. After checking out of their motel, they headed over to the Impala and tossed their bags into the trunk. Lucas was okay, the hospital didn't take long to discharge him, and despite the town now being without a Sheriff, things were going to be a lot quieter around.

"Look, we're not gonna save everybody." Sam reminded his brother at the sight of the guilt on his face as they stood next to the car. Sadly, Grace agreed with her Uncle and nodded her head long with his words. 

Dean sighed heavily. "I know."

"Sam, Dean, Grace." At their names, they all turned to see Andrea and Lucas heading towards them and Grace smiled. "We're glad we caught you. We just, um, we made you lunch for the road." Then Lucas stepped forwards with a tray of food and Grace felt her heart lighten at the gesture. Not once had anyone they had saved done something that nice for them before, well, that Grace had been around for anyhow. "Lucas insisted on making the sandwiches himself."

Lucas glanced up at his Mother. "Can I give it to them now?" He asked. Grace grinned at the sound of the boy's voice because after everything that had happened, it was nice to hear him speak.

Andrea smiled softly and pressed a light kiss to her son's head. "Of course." Grace couldn't help but feel slightly envious at the relationship Lucas had with his Mother because she didn't even have a Mother. But at the end of the day, she had her Dad and her Uncle and that was enough for her.

Her Dad turned the boy and declared. "Come on, Lucas. Let's load this into the car." Then Dean reached out and removed the tray from Lucas' grip before they headed over to the side of the Impala. A smile made its way into Grace's face and she followed them to where her Dad was placing the tray carefully in the backseat next to where she was going to sit. The eldest Winchester then turned around to Lucas and rested against Baby as he said. "All right, if you're gonna be talking now, this is a very important, so I want you to repeat it back to me."

"Zeppelin rules!" Lucas cheered with a bright grin.

Grace pumped a small fist into the air and added. "Go Zeppelin!"

A proud and delighted smile found Dean's lips. "That's right. Up high." He then held up his hand for Lucas to high-five which he did with his bright grin still plastered on his face. "You take care of your Mom, okay?" He fold the boy after a momentary pause.

Lucas nodded his head before replying with a small laugh. "All right."

Andrea strolled over to three of them and smiled. The woman leaned forwards and pressed a grateful, light kiss against Dean's lips. And as she pulled away, she said. "Thank you."

It appeared her Dad had been rendered speechless by Andrea's gesture. Stunned, Dean then reached up to scratch his head rather awkwardly before moving around to his side of the car. Meanwhile, both Sam and Grace shared an amused look by the man's reaction. Dean then called out to his family. "Sam, Grace, move your asses. We're gonna run out of daylight before we hit the road."

A laugh escaped Grace as she got into the car, followed by her Uncle who opened the door to the passenger side and slipped inside. Then the trio smiled at Andrea and Lucas as they started to drive out. Grace waved back to the two outside the car and bid farewell to yet another family that were there because of them. Saving people, hunting things, it certainly was the family business. And as the Impala sped down the road, Grace knew that they were gonna have a lot more business before they find the slippery John Winchester.

Welcome to chapter eight! Aka the longest chapter I've ever written and honestly, I'm very proud of it. And this means Dead in the Water is complete!

Grace's little confession to Lucas, so sweet. I don't know how Dean managed to keep it together and not just start bawling on the floor.

With Lucas' being connected to Peter and Peter's energy being hard to lock on to because it was like water in her hands, Grace wasn't the main psychic here which was interesting to write. Also, that little connection moment between Lucas and Grace, she'll never know what he saw but I'll tell you this, it definitely gave him a new perspective on Grace.

With all the death and tragedy the Winchesters deal with, I always love writing the soft moments, especially between Dean and Grace. They're so cute.

Thank you all for reading! I hope you enjoyed! Hopefully, I'll see you in the next chapter.

Sincerely Rosie aka Winter326