disclaimer: I don't own SPN, BDS, or any of their characters.

First in the Chosen by Destiny series.

Slight spoilers for SPN episode 1x01, 1x07, 1x11, 1x15. Three times the Winchester brothers and the MacManus twins almost crossed paths but didn't meet and one time they actually did. Rated T for typical MacManus language.

Familiar Strangers

Centennial Highway, Jericho, California

"No Da, it was Connor's shtupid idea." Murphy said through the cell.

It was about three weeks after the execution of Papa Joe back in Boston and since Da was the only one that didn't have name and pictures on the police's shitlist so he could take the next plane to Ireland, Connor and Murphy were forced onto the road alone. They decided to lay low for the time, at least until things cool down a bit, and tried shaking off their tail that was pursuing them from the east.

But Murphy still couldn't understand why he let Connor talked him into coming to California.

It's the farthest place from Boston, nobody would recognize us–as if! There were pictures of them all over the news for Christ's sake! So here they were at an ungodly hour in the middle of the night, stranded on an unfamiliar highway of an unfamiliar place, in a stolen vehicle that didn't seem to have enough gas.

"Aye, somewhere in California I think." Murphy continued. "Is Ma there?"

"Givet a break, Murph." Connor said punching his twin on the shoulder, but not taking his eyes off the road.

Murphy idly waved it off and made to hand over the phone. "Pull over Conn, Ma wants ta talk ta ya."

Connor parked the car and made a noise cross between an acknowledgment and a huff through the phone as his younger–though Murphy insisted otherwise–brother was wrestling the last cigarette pack from his pocket. Which unfortunately he succeeded.

Murphy took a long drag from the smoke as Connor talked, absent-mindedly glancing at the rearview mirror and saw the headlight of another car coming their way and, to his puzzlement, a young madam in flowing white dress standing almost in the middle of the road a good distance away and–

Murphy choked on his smoke and spun around so fast in his seat he thought he heard his spine crack.

"Fuck Murphy, wha is't?" Connor clicked to end the call and snatched the smoke hanging loosely between Murphy's fingers away to take a drag.

"I...I dunno." Murphy muttered, turning around back to the front but eyes not leaving for a sec the black car that's got a crappy driving as it whizzed pass. "But I swore I jus' saw a fuckin' acciden' happened!"

Connor looked at him strange.

"I swore! There's this girl standin' right there and tha car jus'..."

"Really? Cuze I think ya have too much ta drink."

Murphy glared. "Fuck ya, Connor."

XXX

In the Impala, Sam Winchester was being molested by Constance Welch, the Lady in White.

Reverend's church, Ankeny, Iowa

They looked everywhere. From missing persons to traffic violations.

It soon became pretty clear that Dad didn't want them to find him. And if Dad didn't want them to find him, they were not going to find him. End of the story.

So here they were, at a place where they were least likely to be–well, at a place where Dean least likely to be anyway–in front of a church, investigating on a case that was said to have an 'invisible' attacker, hoping that Dad would just drop out of nowhere and save them the trouble of looking.

Dean and Sam learned that the victim–Rich–had in fact been seeing a young girl by the name of Lori, who was the daughter of Reverend Sorenson–a preacher who worked at this place–at the fraternity house where Rich used to live.

"You think we could find our girl here?" Sam asked, unsure, as he stood at the front steps.

"A good place to start."

Dean flippantly walked up the steps but before he even touched the door handle, the mahogany door swung open so suddenly to reveal two men in jeans and dark jacket that the elder Winchester accidently bumped into one of them.

"Sorr'." Murphy said automatically, too busy putting his rosary away to take much notice to the man he just ran into. It was a depressing day to say the least, what with the tragic news of a good young man with promising future being murdered and all.

The heavy door of the church closed again with a loud thud but Murphy didn't even so much as turned around as he put on his sunglasses and lit a smoke.

"Hey Conn, do ya reckon the murderer's still 'round the neighbor?" He asked after a lengthy thought.

"No way ta tell, why?"

"It's been how long? Three...four months?" Murphy began but didn't really know how to put what he had in mind into words. Thankfully, Connor–being his twin–knew immediately where he's going.

"Ya wantta start cleanin' houses again?"

"Aye." Murphy admitted and waited–though not so patiently–for the answer.

A few seconds later...

"I suppose ya got a point."

The side of a country road, Indiana

Sam was walking down the road alone, the argument he had with Dean from last night still in mind, when he noticed a young girl with short blond hair sitting on her bags listening to music through headphones.

"Hey." Sam greeted and stretched out a hand to touch her shoulder, but ended up accidentally startling her.

"You scared the hell outta me." The girl said, but she wasn't upset.

"Sorry, I just thought you...might need some help."

"I'm good, thanks." The girl said but not without gratitude.

"Um...so where're you heading?" Sam asked, starting a conversation.

"No offence, but no way I'm telling you."

"Why not?"

"You could be some kind of freak." She said playfully. "I mean, you are the type."

"So are you."

This got the girl laughing.

Just then, a honking caught their attention as they turned around and saw a dirty white van that wasn't really driving in a straight line coming their way.

XXX

"Fuck Murph! Ya hit te horn!"

"I wouldn't if ya jus' gimme te fuckin' beer!"

"Ya had enough last night for fuck's sake! Jesus, I'm tryin' ta drive here!"

There was some confusion and it wasn't until the stolen van screeched into a violent stop did they noticed they had audiences peering at them through the open-window that Murphy roll down after the air conditioner gave out.

"...um..." Connor stuttered, totally aware of the awkward position he was in, lying in a tangled mess with Murphy, one hand on the steering wheel, one hand trying to keep a bottle of half-full beer as far away as possible. "...need a ride?" He asked weakly, sitting up and pushing his childish twin away.

"Jump in then." Murphy said leaning out the window as both the tall man and the blond girl nodded their reply. "But we only have room fer one. Te back's stuffed with things ya dun want ta know."

"In that case, ladies first." The girl said winking at Sam and grabbing her bags.

And Sam could only shake his head at the misfortune as he stare hopelessly at the van that drove away.

However, he didn't count on it that he would meet the girl again–and learned her name was Meg–mere hours after. And little did he knew that the real reason she 'cut them loose' was because being a demon, she felt uneasy in the presence of the MacManus twins.

KUGEL'S KEC, Hibbing, Minnesota

A bar fight. A short conversation to follow a drink. And it was all it took for them to finally meet each other.

"The name's Dean." The man in dusty leather jacket and intensive hazel eyes said, holding out a hand.

"An' I'm Connor." The Irishman who wore tattoos on his hand and neck answered, shaking the out-stretched hand good-naturally.

And a few yards away outside in the parking lot, Sam Winchester and Murphy MacManus were having a similar interlocution.

If I happens to come up with other ways for them to 'almost' cross paths before SPN 1x15, I'll be sure to add them here.

Thx to all for reading, please R&R. I would really appreciate it.