Monday - Renaissance Creek Resort, Aruba

[single_man_tear]

The resort lobby was a sight to behold. The high, vaulted ceilings were painted in soft pastels that echoed the colors of the ocean just outside. Polished marble floors gleamed under the light streaming through tall windows, offering a stunning view of the turquoise water. Tropical plants adorned the corners and framed the entrance, giving the space an inviting ambiance. Guests lounged in plush chairs, sipping on colorful cocktails, while the friendly staff bustled about, attending to every need with practiced efficiency. One of the main attractions, a water slide that went through a shark tank, already had a line that reached from the pool to the lobby.

Dean pushed open the heavy glass doors of the resort, stepping into the cool, air-conditioned lobby with an audible sigh of relief. They had just come back from the spa session and… his back, surprisingly limber after the torturous hour-long yoga session, felt better than it had in years.

Dean let out a low whistle. "Well, ain't this place something." He stretched his arms over his head and felt his spine pop in a series of satisfying cracks.

He was never going to admit that the yoga session felt good. He’d never live it down. Somewhere in the universe Sam was smirking at him and it made Dean feel dirty.

He turned towards the concierge desk, intending to ask about the “Swimming with the Sharks” session later this afternoon, when something caught his eye. A large, colorful banner hung across one side of the lobby, announcing the week’s main event: a fan convention for the "Supernatural" book series. Dean's stomach dropped. His eyes widened as he took in the throng of people milling about in plaid shirts and trench coats, some even sporting fake stubble and wigs to resemble him and Sam. There were even cosplayers all wearing the same horrible Hawaiian shirts as Dean was.

"Son of a bitch."

Which would have had a bigger impact if four other Dean cosplayers hadn’t turned and pointed back at him and shouted “SON OF A BITCH!” right back at him.

[For the Astrophysicist/God of Thunder]

Comments

[needsacatchphrase]

"What's going on here?" Jane had to ask oh so slowly.

[single_man_tear]

“Uhhhh…”

Dean attempted to turn Jane away from the convention only to face a schedule of the day’s events which delved into the special interests events of Supernatural fans. And also a Dean cosplayer making out with another cosplayer dressed in a suit and trench coat.

Okay. So avoiding this was not going to work.

“Soooooo… Did I ever mention there was a book series written about me and my brother?”

[needsacatchphrase]

"Well, I like to think I'd remember that," Jane admitted, tilting her head at the whole... cosplayer thing there.

[single_man_tear]

"Yeah, so-"

Dean looked over his shoulder to see what Jane was curious about and frowned. He attempted to try and move so that there was something else behind him only to give up when he saw a poster for a musical being performed tomorrow night.

"Here's the thing: There was a very bad guy who'd been manipulating me and my brother. And he wrote about everything we did pretending to be a prophet from God. Which got published and-"

Dean waved to all the people around them. "which was then picked up by a very small but dedicated fan base. So. They think what my brother and I did was just from a young adult horror series."

[needsacatchphrase]

"Ohhhh." That was followed by a thoughtful little, "Oh."

Because there were books? Dean, maybe steer her away from the merch area. "Which one is supposed to be your brother?"

Hopefully not thr one getting made out with.

[single_man_tear]

Dean paused and looked around. To be honest it wasn't hard to identify those who were dressing as Sam but they didn't quite match up with who Dean would identify as his brother. Finally he noticed a cosplayer with the right amount of hair and almost perfectly made up stubble on their face. Except they were five feet tall.

"Okay, he kind of looks like Sam except add about two feet," Dean replied. "But Sam's hair is... fluffier."

[needsacatchphrase]

"Well, at least we can have people dressing up as us in common?" Jane was half intrigued and half horrified by that back home.

[single_man_tear]

Dean paused a moment as he hadn’t really thought about that before. “Yeah. I guess you and all the hero types are really in the public eye,” he replied. “I guess that’s a whole other level of fans that you’d have to deal with.”

Just ask Kamala.

“Lucky enough for me no one believes what I do us real.”

And that’s when Dean spotted someone in the convention area. A blonde woman selling hand made dioramas of scenes from the book. Dean took a slight step to the right so that Jane blocked the line of view.

“Anyway, we can ignore this right?”

He’d honestly do anything to avoid this. Even another yoga session.

[needsacatchphrase]

"Of course." But now you drew attention to it, Dean! And Jane was peaking a little over his shoulder.

[single_man_tear]

Oh and there was merch as far as Jane could see. Not just the books but QR codes for digital downloads, props made from descriptions from the books and... just so much.

Dean stared at Jane as he realized that this whole situation meant a lot of different things. Like Jane possibly reading the books. Or even worse… the fan-fiction from the books.

Before he could utter another word, a blood-curdling scream sliced through the air. Instantly alert, Dean exchanged a look with Jane.

His reflexes told him to run toward it. But this was supposed to be a vacation. On the other hand... Helping people.

“We should probably go check it out,” he said looking a bit remorseful.

[needsacatchphrase]

Saved by the bell! Or blood curdling scream.

"Hopefully its just people acting?" That's something fans did, right?

[single_man_tear]

"We can only hope," Dean said taking off toward where the screams were coming from.

They arrived at the base of the water slide, where a crowd had already begun to gather. Frantic whispers filled the air as people pointed towards the clear tube that passed through the shark tank. The usually busy slide was now eerily still, a stark contrast to the chaotic scene around it.

Dean pushed his way to the front, his eyes widening as he took in the sight before him. The clear tube was frosted over, icy tendrils creeping along its surface. Inside, The man’s front leg was extended forward, bent at the knee with his shin parallel to the tube's surface, while his back leg was unnaturally stretched out behind him. His torso was twisted violently to one side, with one arm reaching behind his back in a macabre, forced bind that pulled his shoulder blades together. His head was wrenched back at an impossible angle, eyes wide open in a frozen scream of agony and terror. The water around him had crystallized, creating an otherworldly tableau of death.

Dean scanned the surroundings, looking for clues. The air around them was colder, and Dean's breath fogged as he exhaled. The frost and the man's terrified expression told him all he needed to know.

This wasn't a simple accident; the guest had been killed by a ghost.

[needsacatchphrase]

"Are these just things that happen where you're from?" Because this would probably bring a moderately shady government agency down on the place. And Jane really didn't want that.

[single_man_tear]

"Well it's not unusual for me," Dean admitted as he started to dig through his pockets. "And most of the time people pass it off as a freak accident but-"

Dean pulled out his fake ID as a FBI agent. "I can usually pass myself off as an outside investigator just taking a closer look."

At this time a man in a blazer with a nametag that had "Manager" on it appeared with some hotel security. "Please! Everyone! Make space! This is just an accident. Let us take care of it."

Before Dean could even approach with his ID there were three cosplayers ahead of him with their fake badges out. "We're taking over this investigation," the lead cosplayer announced. "Have you noticed any weird electrical issues recently? Maybe some cold spots?"

The manager rolled his eyes and gestured to the security team who quickly hustled the cosplayers away.

Dean sighed. "Well. There goes that idea."

[needsacatchphrase]

Jane wasn't laughing. Really she wasn't. She was just... coughing into her hand. A lot.

"Wow, those books must have been pretty accurate," she teased.

[single_man_tear]

"Well. It didn't have everything," Dean said with a huff and turned to look again at the body stuck in the tube which was now getting covered up with a tarp and the pool was getting shutdown. He paused a moment. "You know I've seen that positioning of a body before. I don't know where."

As two security passed by there was a bit of conversation fragment that Jane and Dean heard.

"Wasn't that Andrew Wolfe? Wasn't he involved in that incident a few months ago?"

The other security guard shushed him and that was the end of it.

"Well. At least we know something we can research."

[needsacatchphrase]

Jane grinned at him, offering an arm to get out of there and hopefully not get more fans debating Dean's outfit choice or something. "Hopefully the wifi here isn't too bad."

So many Google searches were going to be done about 'dead dudes in pipes'.

[single_man_tear]

Jane’s grin was infectious. Dean chuckled in spite of himself. “I should not be having this much fun on a ghost hunt,” he said taking her arm and heading in the direction of their room. “Stop being adorable.”

[needsacatchphrase]

"It's exciting!" She was still new to it. Also, the trauma hadn't happened yet. "We get to save people."

[single_man_tear]

Because that’s what heroes do.

“Well saving everyone but that poor sap,” Dean said as they started through the lobby. “It’s weird that it happened in a pool like that though. That’s a new one for me. Maybe-“

Dean stopped in his tracks. Looking forward the concierge was putting up a cancelled sign on the water park which included the swimming with sharks activity. “Son of a bitch.”

And across the lobby at least five Dean cosplayers chimes in with their own “Son of a bitch!” in deep gravelly voices.

Dean sighed and hung his head. “Awesome,” he said with a sigh. “Let’s head back to the room.”

[needsacatchphrase]

"That's a little creepy," she had to admit, glancing back at the cosplayers. Not important now! There was a mystery afoot. "What did you figure out?"

[single_man_tear]

“Security guard mentioned something about the victim causing a problem a few months ago,” Dean said as they continued to walk. Oh and look he was taking her the long way, away from all the books for sale. “So I think a little digging on the internet might turn up something.”

[needsacatchphrase]

"Is that a play?" Jane asked, maybe a little too loud for Dean to keep his head down.

[single_man_tear]

Dean blinked. And sighed and started to try and zig her in the other direction. “Nope. That’s a musical.”

Look the book series had a very devoted fan base.

[needsacatchphrase]

"...you know, they made one about the Avengers. I sort of wanted to see it."

Another potential date night!