Title: Elvis has left the building

Summary: Dean is missing his brother but he doesn't realise how much until he passes by a little case in a little music town. Takes place pre-series 1.

Spoilers: None

AN: Sorry about the terrible summary. Hopefully the fic will make up for it.

They sat alone together in the dark alley at the back of the hospital. "I think I've forgotten how to cry," she whispered to him as she stared down at her now dirty pink shoes.

"You're still in shock," he took hold of her hand and squeezed it gently. "That's understandable."

She nodded with a slow sigh. "Can you walk me home tonight?" she looked up at him with sad puppy eyes.

How could he resist?

8888

12 HOURS AGO

It was the newspaper headline that caught John's attention. 'Elvis has left the building... again.' The victim, Aaron Presley, died two days ago in a small town in Ohio. It was a town that the some travelers nicknamed little music town because there were a number of residents born with unique musical names. The sheriff was born Vincent Halen and the coroner was born Robert Dylan. Neither of which had any clues for Aaron's sudden death. He was found alone in his home. The coroner eventually ruled the death as 'suffocation due to unknown circumstances'. Witnesses said Elvis Presley himself was seen leaving Aaron's home the night in question, hence the reason why they were there. John concluded a ghost was in the area.

But it was the date of the victim's death that caught Dean's attention. It was Sam's birthday and he had completely forgotten about it. Granted he hadn't seen Sam since he left to go off to college but still... he felt horrible. What kind of person forgets their own brother's birthday? When John asked him why he was so moody, he brushed it away as having little sleep. Evidently, John had forgotten too.

"Why don't you take the lead on this?" John offered assuming the reason for his son's mood was due to him not working a case on his own. Dean willingly took the opportunity but still, his depression hardly moved.

They were now interviewing a local school teacher and neighbour of the victim, Penny Lane. Dean took the lead on the questions and slightly blushed when he repeated her name. One of the few memories he had of his mother was when she sang 'Hey Jude' to him before he fell asleep. The Beatles were one of her favourite bands. His head fell as he slipped back to those memories and it was only then that he noticed the young woman's shoes. They were pink suede shoes. The woman blushed. "We've been friends since high school," she told them with a smile. "For his eighteenth birthday, I bought him a pair of blue suede shoes. Then for my twenty first, he bought me these," she turned her foot to the side to show them off proudly.

Dean thanked her for her time but before leaving he asked the one question that had been nagging him since they arrived. Why was everyone named after musicians? Penny shrugged. "Our parents were Woodstock loving hippies," she answered with a smile. "Of course, on occasion the names were purely coincidental. My sister Alice, for instance, married Tom Cooper and took his surname."

"Alice Cooper?" Dean couldn't help but laugh. Penny laughed too. "She even has black hair."

8888

Dean stared at the laptop screen. They were both deep in research but Dean couldn't concentrate. He was too busy thinking about his brother. Dean hated research as much as his father. Usually they would drop Sam off at a library while they did the dirty work. God, he really missed him. He wanted to call him so badly. He wanted to hear his voice again but he was too afraid to pick up the phone. He remembered that horrible night when his father and brother fought. There were a lot of hurtful words thrown around that night. Dean didn't think any of them were being thrown in his direction, but what if they were? What if he was the real reason for his brother's departure. He really didn't want to find out.

"Hey," John broke his concentration. "I think I've found something." He turned his laptop around. Two years ago, a local man named Bruce Springston was found dead in his home and a year before that a man named Keenan Cahill. "They were both connected with your girl, Penny Lane."

Dean glanced up at him. "Why is she my girl?"

John smiled. "I see how you are around her. I know when my boy has a crush on a girl."

Dean groaned. "She's just a case... nothing more," he snapped in anger. If his father could see when he was crushing on a girl, why couldn't he see when he was missing his brother? He grabbed his jacket telling his father he was going to question Penny further.

8888

When the door opened, Dean was met with a frightened looking girl. He pushed himself inside asking what had happened. "Nothing," Penny tried to laugh. "I'm just being haunted again," she said nervously. Dean looked to the floor to see black rose petals running along the hall and up the stairs. He followed them up to the bedroom. On the wall, written in red paint, were the words 'marry me'. He looked back at Penny as she hung at the doorway. "You don't like the guy?" he noticed she was even afraid to enter the room. She shook her head. "No, it's not that. It's just... it was written three years ago. I keep painting over it but every year it comes back."

Dean looked back at the wall and rubbed his hand over the words. They were freshly painted but bone dry. "What was your relationship to Bruce Springston?" he began. "He was my boyfriend, why?" "And Keenan Cahill?" he looked back when she didn't reply. "Is he the one who proposed to you?" He noticed her eyes water and her head tilt to the side. When she looked from the wall back to him, he began to understand the situation. "He was the one who did this?" he pointed to the wall and she nodded. "How did you... who are you?"

"I know its fast," he held out his hands to ease her fears, "but I need you to be honest with me." He waited for her to agree. "Was Aaron Presley a boyfriend too?" Penny immediately put down the idea but agreed to going on a date with him just before he died. Dean took out his phone and hit a speed dial button. "Hey dad, we've got an angry spirit on our hands... yeah, it's Keenan Cahill. Penny turned down his marriage proposal... okay... I'll meet you at the graveyard." He hung up and turned to leave but Penny stopped him at the door. "What the hell is going on here?" she spat. Dean groaned. He didn't have time for this but he quickly told her what was going on.

"David," she gasped. "I dated David Jones a couple of times last month. Do you think... maybe?" Dean nodded and agreed that the ghost may still have some unfinished business. She told him David was at the school with some pupils rehearsing for an upcoming play.

"Hey dad," Dean picked up his phone again. "You'll have to go to the graveyard alone. I have to make a pit stop."

8888

Dean found himself walking passed the emergency bay of the hospital. He didn't know why but he felt like he was being drawn to the building. Usually, when they finished a case they would immediately pack up and leave town. Dean understood why. Usually there would be a dead body where a demon once stood and it was always better to leave the scene before the authorities arrived. But Sam didn't like leaving so quickly. He wanted to know how the victim was dealing with the ordeal. He'd always ask questions in the car until their father would force him to shut up.

When John had successfully burned Keenan Cahill's remains, he was all ready to leave when Dean returned to the motel. But Sam's voice was shouting in his head. Stay! Somehow, he talked John into waiting an hour. He told him he wanted to clean up the mess he had left at the school. Amazingly, John believed his white lie and left him to wander the quite streets.

His aimless walking led him to the hospital. He saw her sitting alone on a bench around the back. As he headed down the dark alley, he noticed her shoes. They were black with dirt and no amount of cleaning would ever make them sparkle again. When they had reached the school two hours ago, they were met with screaming children running from the classrooms. Penny led them to safety while Dean helped keep the spirit away from David.

"Hey," Dean quietly stepped closer to her. She slowly raised her head and smiled weakly as though she was expecting him. "How are you?" he asked awkwardly. He really wasn't good at this small talk. Sam was a lot better at comforting victims. He stepped closer and sat down beside to her. He sighed. 'Wait for her to speak first,' he could hear Sam say. He didn't have to wait long.

"All the kids' parents are here. They keep asking me what happened," she told him. "David is being treated too," she said after a few moments. "He has a broken arm but he's alright." She fixed the sleeve of her jumper. It got torn in the struggle in getting the children out of the building. She looked down at her shoes and noted how dirty they looked. "I can't believe this is... that Keenan would kill himself over me. People are looking to me for an explanation. What do I tell them?" she asked him rhetorically. He stayed quiet. "And worst of all, I think I've forgotten how to cry," she revealed.

"You're still in shock," he took hold of her hand and squeezed it gently. "That's understandable." He hated hearing the pain in her voice and that he was hopeless to help her.

She nodded with a slow sigh. "Can you walk me home tonight? I really don't want to walk home alone," she looked up at him with the biggest saddest eyes and for a moment, she reminded him of Sam. He nodded and helped her to stand.

Her house was only a short walk from the hospital. She looped her hand around his arm as they walked in silence. When they got nearer, she pulled him aside and swiftly kissed him on the lips. "You don't want to do this," he said and tried to push her away even though, he didn't want to stop either. "How do you know what I don't want to do?" she whispered trying to kiss him again. "Stop," he said not pulling himself too far away from her. He knew this wasn't exactly what Sam meant when he said they should be comforting the victims. "I know why you're doing this," he whispered. "You want to make yourself feel something again," he looked steadily into her eyes. "You think that it was your fault. That you did something wrong to make Keenan do what he did but it wasn't you. None of this was your fault so you need to stop blaming yourself."

Her eyes welled up and he brushed away a small tear. "See," he smiled. "You're feeling again." She gave a soft laugh and rested her head in the cup of his hand. "How'd you get to be so clever?"

"Experience," he kissed her goodbye on the cheek and left.