Last night I had a dream that I went to see The Little Mermaid on Broadway. I'm not sure why. I've never really liked that movie. Anyway, I woke up and the idea for this story was already completely formed in my head. All I had to do was write it out. Please enjoy!

Title: Poor Unfortunate Souls

Summary: One month before Dean's deal is due, he gets Sam to take him to a secret spot that holds some good memories from his childhood. Of course, nothing is ever nice and easy for the Winchesters. There's a flash of light, a scream, and… "you're a mermaid."

Rating: K+ for language

Disclaimer: Supernatural and its characters aren't mine. Kripke's probably gonna ant to keep it that way.

Poor Unfortunate Souls

Sam watched as his brother walked down to the water's edge, staring out at the ocean. It really was a beautiful spot, he had to admit that much. He'd been a little thrown when Dean had first asked to take a break and travel to the ocean. The older man had less than a month before his deal came due, and Sam had wanted to spend that time looking for a way to save him.

Dean had been persistent, though, finally getting Sam to relent when he revealed his reason for wanting to go. Before the younger man had been born, before demons and fires and death and deals, the Winchester family had traveled to this spot, which had been passed down through the generations on John's side, for a little R and R.

Looking out over the landscape, Sam could see why Dean had been so adamant on going out to the little cove. It was amazing, the blue water lapping lazily at the fine sand, the sun shining so perfectly in the nearly cloudless sky, the bluish rock formation standing tall around the hidden place. It seemed a perfect spot to spend some time before facing Hell.

Not that Dean would be going to Hell, mind you. Sam was going to make sure that never happened.

Dean glanced over his shoulder at his little brother and Sam offered up a sad smile. He watched as the damned man slid his shoes off before pulling his shirt over his head. He tossed the clothing to the side, onto a rock, and walked out into the cool water.

He deserved the break, deserved the peace, deserved to be able to just be for a bit. Sam decided to let him have some time to himself.

Dean took a couple more steps into the water, letting the cool liquid wash over his feet completely. Sam smiled at the expression of pure happiness he saw cross his brother's face. Yeah, he'd definitely made the right choice by letting Dean drive him out to the cove, even if it meant he had a little less time for research when time was growing so thin.

Sam squinted against the light as the sun peeked out from behind a cloud. He was a little confused, though, when the light didn't fade, when the sun didn't disappear. It just got brighter and brighter and brighter until he heard a scream and a splash and it was gone. Just like that.

His eyes opened and Sam chanced a look around. Everything seemed normal enough. The sun was darting in and out of the clouds, the waves lapping at the shore, the rock formations standing guard against any unwanted guests, the man laying face-down in the shallow water, struggling to get up despite that fact that he had no legs.

Sam blinked. He was pretty damn sure that last thing hadn't been there before.

"Dean?" He asked, taking a tentative step toward the beach, away from the car. His brother's head came up, swiveling around, a look of confusion on his face. He opened his mouth, his lips moving silently, and that look of confusion grew more pronounced.

"Dean," Sam whispered, approaching the edge of the water and staring in at his brother, his mouth and eyes wide open, unable to believe what he was seeing.

There was a tail where his brother's legs had been just a moment before. It looked like a fish's tail, long and golden brown, shining in the sunlight, muscles working slowly under the scales.

The top half of his body was still, undeniably, Dean. Same tanned skin, same network of tiny white scars, same tattoo, same face, same hair, same everything. Except for the tail. The fish's tail.

"You're a mermaid."

Dean shot him an annoyed look, one that clearly said I just fell face-first into the water and, for some reason, can't talk. Don't try to be cute.

Sam pointed. Dean looked. There was silence for a long time.

Finally, Dean was able to spin himself around and sit up, running his hands over the tail, his eyes wide, mouth forming the same, silent word over and over again. To Sam it looked kind of like 'no.'

"Um, you all right?" the younger man asked, taking another step forward, careful not to step in what appeared to be cursed waters. Dean just glared up at him. "Well, it could be worse," Sam reasoned, "could be all of you."

That didn't seem to help matters much. Dean just kept staring at him, his hands still roving over the scales.

"Should I call Bobby?"

Dean rolled his eyes and nodded. Sam nodded back, stumbling up the slight hill to the circle of gravel where Dean had parked the car. He wrenched open the Impala's unlocked door and reached across the driver's seat to grab his cell phone. He dialed Bobby's number and put the phone to his ear, looking back at the little swath of ocean they had inherited.

Dean was gone. He had been sitting in the shallow water when Sam had left, but when he looked back, there was nothing on the beach. It seemed impossible, because it wasn't like Dean could go anywhere.

And then he saw him, the sandy head popping up above the surface of the slight waves. He was out farther than he had any right to be, given the time Sam had had his back turned. And was that a ghost of a smile that he could see?

He didn't have time to wonder about that, as Bobby picked up the phone with a gruff hello. "Hey, Bobby," Sam said, "um, I have a question for you."

"What happened now?" Bobby asked, his voice tired.

"Uh…" He thought about telling the older hunter, and then thought better of it. If Dean ever found out that Bobby found out, that damned deal might get broken after all. "Nothing. I was just wondering… what do you know about mermaids?" There was silence on the other end of the line. "Bobby?"

"Sam, there's no such thing."

"Are you sure?" Sam asked, watching as Dean dove under the water, his tail breaking the surface for a moment as he did so.

"I'm positive," Bobby said. "No one's ever seen one. They might have existed once, but if they did, they're gone now."

"Well, what's the lore say about 'em?"

Bobby sighed. "According to legend, they're beautiful creatures." Sam smirked at what Bobby didn't know he was insinuating. "They can swim fast, breathe underwater, and they're immortal."

Sam gasped at the last word. "Say that again?"

"They're immortal?"

"They can't die?"

"Yeah," Bobby said, "that's typically what that word means. Why?"

"Thanks, Bobby," Sam said, flipping his phone shut and tossing it back into the car. "Immortal." He smiled.

He closed the door and began walking back to the beach, unable to keep the smile off his face. Immortal. Dean was immortal. He was half-fish, but as least he wasn't going to Hell.

Sam stopped at the edge of the water, mentally kicking himself for not asking Bobby if it was possible to curse part of the ocean. Dean popped up with a splash fairly close to the shore, shaking the water from his face and smiling wide. At least now it looked like he was enjoying himself.

"Just talked to Bobby," Sam called out. He grinned at the look on his brother's face. "Don't worry, I didn't tell him. But get this. According to legend, mermaids can't die." Dean cocked an eyebrow. "You stay like this, you're not going to Hell."

He saw Dean smile, watched the older man run a hand through his short, sopping wet hair, and couldn't help but laugh. One month. If Dean just stayed there for a month, they would be home free.

Dean looked up at him, waving him down toward the water. "You want me to come in?" The mermaid nodded, still smiling. Sam had his reservations about entering the water after what had happened, but he couldn't deny the look of pure joy on his brother's face. He stripped off his shoes, socks, and shirt and, taking a deep breath, entered the ocean.

Cool water swirled around his feet. Sam braced himself, but nothing happened. He stepped farther into the water, until it was up to his knees, soaking through his jeans. Still nothing. He opened his eyes.

Dean had swam up to him and was circling him, still smiling. "What?" Sam asked, shaking his head slightly, unable to keep a smile off his own face. Dean was saved. Dean was saved, and he was having fun, despite the situation. Nobody was going to die.

The older man grabbed Sam's arm and tugged gently. "You want me to follow you?" Dean nodded, diving under the water. Sam took a deep breath, held it, and followed him.

Dean was a faster swimmer than Sam, he always had been, but now it was ridiculous. He would dart ahead, then glide lazily back through the water, smiling the whole time, as if urging Sam to try and race him.

Sam resisted the urge to try and out-swim his brother, and settled for simply grabbing the older man's arm and letting Dean pull him quickly through the water. His lungs burned for air, and he tugged at the limb, pointing upward as Dean turned back toward him.

They burst through the barrier to the surface, where Sam took a deep breath, looking back toward the shore. They were farther out than they should have been, given the time they'd spent in the water. He took another deep breath and let Dean pull him back down into the water, weaving in and out of aquatic plants and rock formations.

He let Dean lead him into an underwater tunnel carved through the stone. Sam stared at what was around him, a different world, alien. The water rushed at his face, pushing his hair back, flowing through the holes in his jeans.

That same burning sensation started in his lungs again, but they were surrounded by rock. There was nowhere to surface, no fresh air. He tugged at Dean's arm again, wrapping a large hand around his throat and shaking his head. The older man got the message and reached back, grabbing Sam's hands and wrapping them around his own neck. He held them together and sped up, swimming toward whatever he wanted to show his brother.

Sam held on tight, working his way onto Dean's back as the tunnel narrowed. He could feel the muscles in his brother's tail working, and marveled at how fast Dean had gotten the hang of swimming with the thing, how comfortable he seemed to be with the whole situation.

Just when his lungs threatened to finally give out, when black spots had started swimming into his field of vision, Dean changed course, heading upward. They burst again into the air, Sam taking the deepest breath he could pull in.

"You found a cave," he said, looking around the large structure. "Cool."

Dean nodded and lifted himself up onto one of the shelf-like rocks that jutted out over the water, sitting and letting his tail dangle into the clear liquid. Sam followed suit.

"You know, you seem pretty cool with this whole thing."

Dean just shrugged, then smiled. When he thought about it, he supposed he couldn't blame the older man. The things he'd seen under the water, the whole new world that lay just underneath the surface, had been amazing. It had been fun. Dean was having fun. And he was safe.

"So," Sam said slowly, his eyes gliding over the spot where his brother's feet should have been, "what's it like?"

The older man look at him with wide eyes, eyes that had always said more than his words ever could. It was fun. It was freeing. It was incredible. The power, the agility, the speed, the sheer impossibility of it all.

Sam nodded. "So, after the month's up, I was thinking we could look for a way to reverse this… whatever it is. Any theories?" Dean shook his head. "I was thinking maybe the water was cursed, but I'm fine. Maybe you have some kind of allergy to salt water. This is the first time we've ever been to the ocean." Dean raised an eyebrow. "Hey, I don't see you coming up with anything good, Ariel."

Dean narrowed his eyes and used his tail to splash his brother. "What? You expect to sprout a tail and not get made fun of?" He splashed Dean right back, and before they knew it they were in the middle of an all-out water war. Of course, the guy with the fins had an advantage.

When the winner of the war had finally been decided, Sam laid back on the shelf of rock, staring out a little hole that time had carved in the top of the cave. The sun was setting, painting the sky with a mixture of yellows and reds. "It's getting late," he said softly, "I should get back to the motel."

Dean stared at him. "What?" Sam asked. "You don't want to leave the car out there all night, do you?" Dean just kept staring. "Dean?"

Finally, Dean shrugged and slid back into the water. Sam joined him, wrapping his arms around the older man's neck and taking a deep breath. The swim back seemed longer to Sam, and after the third time he had to surface for air, he realized why. Dean had slowed down.

They finally got back to the shore and Sammy splashed through the shallows and up onto the beach. "Be back tomorrow," he said, gathering up the clothes that the brothers had abandoned on the beach before getting into the water. He turned back to see Dean sitting in the shallow water, tail curled up beside him, one hand outstretched.

"What is it?" Sam asked, although he already knew, could tell by the look on his brother's face. He was waiting for help.

Sam sighed. "You can't come back with me." Dean looked hurt, looked sad, looked abandoned. "The motel doesn't have a bathtub. Besides, how would I even get you in?"

Dean just kept staring, kept his hand out, fingers reaching toward his brother. "No. I'll come back tomorrow." He turned back to the car, hating to leave his brother like that, alone and unprotected in the ocean, with no place to sleep, no place to stay. But what choice did he have?

He slid in behind the wheel, adjusted the mirrors, and grabbed the keys off the dashboard, where Dean had left them. Apparently, he was confident enough in the secrecy of the family's spot to leave his baby unprotected.

As Sam drove away he chanced one last glance out into the ocean. Dean had gotten back into the water and was leaning up against a rock, holding himself up with his forearms crossed over each other, sulking.

Sam turned his attention back to the road, hating the look in his brother's eyes, the same one that had been there the night he left for Stanford. This time he would be back, and soon, but it didn't numb the guilt. It didn't stop that look.

The motel wasn't too far from the cove that the brothers had inherited since their father's death, and Sam was glad for that. It meant he could get back to the water extra early the next day, maybe wipe that sorrowful look off Dean's face sooner.

He unlocked the door and walked into the room, tossing his sandy clothes onto the nearest chair. He flipped on the lights and stopped dead in his tracks.

"Howdy, Sam."

"Ruby."

The blonde smiled. "Where's your brother?"

"That's none of your business," Sam answered, hoping to protect Dean from the possible embarrassment of Ruby finding out about his predicament.

"Relax," she said, "I already know what happened to him."

"How?"

"I just do. And that's not all I know."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Cut the cryptic crap and just tell me."

"I know why it happened," she said, "and I know that you want to know, because you think you might be able to fix it."

"And I will."

"No," Ruby shook her head, "you won't. It's unfixable, Sam. It's the way he is now. It's permanent. You have mommy dearest to thank for that."

Sam narrowed his eyes, his fingers curling into fists at his side. "Don't talk about my mother."

"That's right, I never told you, did I?"

"Never told me what?"

"About your mom," Ruby said, stepping closer, "about what she did. And, of course, you wouldn't know. You hadn't even been born yet."

"Talk," he ordered.

The blonde smiled. "Way back before you were born, your mommy had a baby. She had him early. Almost too early. The doctors said he wouldn't live. So there she was one day, sitting by that little incubator, watching little Deanie struggle to breath, when this nice doctor walks up. He says he can save her son, but it'll cost her. The price was you. She had so much trouble getting pregnant the first time, though, that the odds of it happening again were slim to none."

"What are you saying?" Sam asked. He could feel the color draining from his face, feel his heart racing in his chest.

"I'm saying, that the nice doctor with the yellow eyes made a deal with your mom. Dean's life, your soul. As long as Dean's alive, the Yellow-Eyed demon owns you."

"He's dead."

"Inheritance, Sammy. His kids get a stake in the new king of demons. And they kinda want you to live. Hard to rule if you're dead, after all."

"So, what, some deal my mom made thirty years ago pops up to bite us in the ass now?" Sam asked, "that doesn't make sense."

"It's not just now," Ruby pointed out. "Remember when he jumped off that bridge and lived? Or the heart attack? What about that vision of him getting shot in the head? Or that semi crash? How do you explain what happened at the mystery spot? And this? This is serious magic, Sam. And now that Dean can't die, you belong to those demons for good."

"And Dean's gonna stay like that?"

"What? Under the sea? Yeah."

Sam sighed, sitting down on his bed and rubbing a hand over his face. "He's the only one?"

"Only merman in existence. Yep. On the bright side, you could probably sell him to a museum, make a quick buck."

The hunter glared up at her. "He'll be alone," he whispered, "he'll be alone and I'll have a target on my back."

"Kinda makes you rethink daddy's mission for vengeance, doesn't it?"

Sam shook his head. "There's no way to reverse it?"

"Unless you're willing to consider radical plastic surgery, no. The deal's finally come through. Dean can't die. You belong to them. What are you gonna do about it?"

Sam stared at the floor. There wasn't much he could do. He couldn't stay with his brother in the ocean, couldn't take Dean with him. They sure as Hell couldn't hunt anymore. He wished he could get the older man's opinion, wished Dean could still talk.

He sat in silence for a whole half hour, going over his options in his brain. Finally, he realized that he didn't have a choice, that she was actually offering him a way out, a way out of his destiny, of his torment. She was offering to help Dean, too. "I want to make a deal."

Ruby smiled.

o0o0o0o0o0o

Sam pulled the car into the small gravel parking lot and stared out at the ocean. He'd promised Dean he'd come back, and as soon as the sun had risen, Sam had headed out. Dean was still waiting at the rock, staring out at the road.

Sam got out of the car, flipping open his cell phone. He dialed Bobby's number again and got the answering machine. "Hey, Bobby, it's Sam. I found a way to save Dean, but it's complicated. Don't worry, I'm not gonna do anything stupid. I've got the GPS on my phone turned on. Track it and come pick up the car, ok? Take car of her for us. And don't worry. We'll be safe." He flipped the phone shut and set it on the Impala's dashboard along with the keys. He trusted Bobby.

Slowly, the hunter made his way down to the beach, where Dean was waiting for him in the shallow water. "I talked to Ruby."

Dean narrowed his eyes.

"Relax, dude. She knows what did this." He waited for the statement to register on his brother's face, then continued. "Mom made a deal. The life of her first-born for the soul of her second. This only happened because the deal's gotta be kept for them to keep me, and you're running out of time. They ran out of options." Dean stared at him. "It's permanent."

The older man's shoulders slumped under the weight of the word. He was trapped, trapped in waters that covered the majority of globe, doomed to be alone, the only of his species, for all of eternity. In some ways, it seemed worse than Hell.

"So I found a way to fix it," Sam aid softly. "I want to fix it." Dean gave him a concerned look, clearly wondering what he'd done. "I made a deal," the younger man admitted, "we would stop hunting if we could be taken off the map, if the demons would stop looking for us." He paused, walking slowly toward the edge of the land. "And there was one more thing."

Sam sighed. There was no going back after this, no way to change things. They would both be stuck, forever, and no demon could ever find them to renege on his deal. He stepped into the water, only stopping when it came up to his knees. Dean just stared at him.

The water curled around his legs as the sun again peeked out from behind the clouds, illuminating the cove in a bright glow. Only it didn't extinguish. The light kept getting brighter and brighter as Sam gasped in shock. He hadn't known what to expect, but it hadn't been this, hadn't been the sensation of his legs being forced together, melded, slicked over, and covered in scales, scales that he could feel popping out of his skin. Bones rearranged, disappeared, faded, shrunk, and he could feel his feet flatten, muscles rearrange.

The light faded, the last of the scales poked through, and Sam lost his balance. He fell face-first into the water, just as Dean had, and gasped, drawing in a lungful of ocean that should have made him cough, should have made him sputter. Instead, it made him feel better.

He felt hands on him, Dean turning him over, holding his face out of the water. Sam took another breath, this one of air, and found that it was equally pleasing to his system.

Sammy? Oh, crap. Is he all right?

Sam blinked. He'd heard it. It had been Dean. He hadn't moved his mouth, but… Telepathy.

Dean raised an eyebrow. What?

The younger man grinned, leaning back in his brother's grasp and sliding his tail out of the water. Dean looked at it, the shimmering green scales, the lines of muscle running underneath, and then looked back at Sam's face. You didn't...

Couldn't leave you alone, Sam thought. You're too damn reckless without me.

Dean grinned. So, what, you're stuck with me now?

For the rest of forever. And the best part is, no more demons. We're free.

Dean looked out toward the ocean. Free, huh? You know, I kinda like it here.

Yeah, Sam agreed, me, too. And he did. It was beautiful, peaceful, and it had had a hand in saving his brother's soul. He looked out at the ocean and knew why he wasn't freaking out, why Dean had seemed so calm the day before. They really were free.

Hey, Sammy?

Yeah, Dean?

Race ya!

They sped off together, underwater, leaving behind their clothes, their car, their guns. For the first time in a long time, they were simply brothers, just having fun, not a care in the world. And that was just the way it was supposed to be.

o0o0o0o0o0o

Bobby Singer parked his truck beside the Impala and got out, the gravel of the drive crunching under his boots. The car's keys had been left on the dash, as had Sam's cell.

The hunter scratched his head. What the hell had Sam done, and how the hell could Dean have possibly gone along with it? He shrugged, looking out toward the ocean. Something was bobbing in the current, something that looked decidedly familiar.

Intrigued, Bobby set off down the beach to see what it was. Upon closer inspection, he found that it was actually two somethings and they were very familiar.

"Boys?" he called out, a bit confused. Sam and Dean both smiled, waved at him, and then dove under the water, their tails breaking the surface as they did. Bobby just shook his head and rolled his eyes, the conversation he'd had with Sam nearly a week before suddenly making sense. "Idjits."

The End.

So, what do you think? Broadway's probably better…