.-.-. Memory Remains.-.-.-.

Summary:

For two weeks Sam hasn't seen or heard from Dean and his search is getting nowhere. Now he's filing a missing persons report in a small town with a cop who looks an awful lot like his big brother.

Disclaimer - The usual, don't own 'em, just love playing with them. :D

Set late season 2… warnings for bad language and the other typical things you can expect from a SPN fic.

It's official... I'm ill again. You've just got to love Winter. I'll tell you one thing for sure, which ever sick person gave me this damn cold is gonna pay... BIG time. Anyway, finally got all my assignments out the way (for now, come April and there'll be a bunch more)... so I'm finally getting time to do stuff again! Woo! Including writing - hence the reason I'm updating. Thank you to everyone for reading! It means a lot. And thank you for the wonderful reviews - they are so much encouragement and again, mean a lot. Hope you enjoy this one!

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Fall into you…

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Spinning on the spot, he looked at the girl in front of him, words tumbling from his lips before he had a chance to even think about them, let alone stop them. "Morgan honey, what are you doing down here?"

He watched her with cautious eyes, his heart still hammering hard inside his chest, breathing still uneasy. The clothes and cards lying momentarily forgotten, he winced as pain sliced through his skull, a headache forming just behind his eyes from two worlds of information colliding; each wanting his full undivided attention.

"I had a bad dream." She replied softly, an added sniffle that, when combined with her red cheeks and puffy eyes, showed her to have been crying. It took him mere seconds to reach her and scoop her up into his arms, the pain in his skull fading as he did so.

"It's okay, I'm right here." He smiled at her in reply.

"But you weren't!" She bawled, the tears suddenly flowing freely as her breath hitched in her chest, "You left us. In my dream, you left me and mom and Jacob. You didn't even say goodbye!"

"Shhhh." He whispered, cradling her as he stroked her hair gently, his heart clenching as he struggled to swallow the lump forming in his throat. "I'm not going anywhere, I swear."

She was sobbing uncontrollably, her tears now soaking through the shirt that her small fingers worked their way into, gripping it tightly as if she were afraid to let go. He kissed the top of her head and brushed away a strand of hair so he could see her face better, trying to capture her eyes with his own but stubbornly they remained tightly closed, tears still seeping from their edges.

"Come on Morgan, I'm right here. This is me we're talking about. When have I ever lied to you?"

Easing only a little, her eyes cracked open and her trembling lips formed a saddened pout. "You promise Daddy? You promise you won't leave me?"

"'Course I do sweetie." He smiled sadly at her, his eyes imploring, "Now let's get you back up to bed. No more of this silly talk about me leaving."

She nodded slowly, her arms wrapping around his neck so he could carry her easily. She laid her head against his shoulder, letting her eyes fall closed as her sobs all but ceased. "Will you stay with me 'til I fall asleep?"

Pushing the door at the top of the stairs open with his foot, he sifted through and made his way towards the main stairs. "So long as Mr Snuggle-bunny doesn't hog the bed."

"He's a bear Da-addy."

"That's what I said, isn't it?"

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By the time Sam made his way back to the church, the streets were near enough completely empty. It made it easier getting into the church, but it didn't make him cringe any less at the sound of the large wooden doors opening. Looking into the church, where he expected rows and rows of pews, he found a wide empty space. Granted, there was dust and plenty of it, and it looked like any pews that did remain were stacked up against the walls instead of where they were supposed to be.

It took him a good while to find the staircase leading up to the tower, the doorway having been blocked by a variety of broken and now useless items. But once he was up there, it didn't take nearly half as long to locate the large ornate bell. It would have been good news if it wasn't lying on the floor to the side instead of sitting midair, supported by its holder.

Looking up, he studied the holder and curse he cursed. It would be a two man job getting the bell into a position that meant it could be rang.

"Could really use your help about now Dean." He muttered, dropping to his haunches next to the bell and running a hand along the dusty surface. "Here's a question though," he thought out loud, his brows knitting together, "If faeries hate the sound of bells so much, why create a town with a church and a church bell? Unless…" She didn't create the town in the first place…

It didn't matter either way. If she didn't create it then that just meant the bitch was working some major mojo in order to keep it hidden from the outside world and off the maps. An idle part of his mind wondered if it was hidden from the wonders of modern day technology and satellites as well but that part of his brain quickly returned to the task at hand when he heard noises from the downstairs, his whole body suddenly tensing.

"Damn it… so much for being stealthy."

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Morgan had slipped off pretty quickly into dreamland, that part was easy. The hard part was trying to get away without waking her. Her head was nestled against his chest, one arm draped over. Carefully, he reached over her and grabbed a pillow from the head of the bed, slowly easing it into her embrace so he could make a quick exit.

He promised her he wouldn't leave, promised her he wasn't going anywhere but he needed answers and the only way he could get them would be if he went out in search of them. At the doorway, he glanced back into the room at his sleeping daughter, his entire self aching with confusion and the need for the truth.

Grabbing his jacket at the front door, he slipped into his boots and set off towards the motel. Whatever was going on in that town, Sam was somehow connected to it so that meant he had to have answers.

"What the hell am I doing?" He groaned, shaking his head as his footsteps echoed lightly into the dead of the night. Running a hand through his hair, he looked ahead and paused as his eyes caught sight of the sleek black Impala that was parked outside the old church instead of outside the motel. And considering the church hadn't been used in God knows how long and yet the front doors stood ajar, it was more than just a little suspicious.

And just what are you up to Sam? He questioned, changing his course of direction and instead heading towards the church. He probably should have played it quietly, using the element of surprise but he didn't feel much like playing games. So he was hardly stunned when Sam came slinking down the stairs, looking like he was ready for a fight if needed.

He didn't want a fight… just answers.

"Grey…" It was a statement more than a question, a little more guarded then it had been in previous conversations between the two.

"You're still in town then?" He asked as he eyed the man at the bottom of the stairs and at the question, the man seemed to become just that little bit tenser, almost defensive.

"I told you, I'm not leaving without my brother."

Nodding, he walked forwards, his eyes roaming over the scarce contents of the room before looking back to Sam. "You know this is breaking and entering, right?"

Sam smiled at that, a sly smile that showed the attitude that lay beneath. "Haven't broken anything."

"Right, of course… the door just happened to open by itself and you what, felt like it was an invitation from God himself? What are you doing here?"

"I'm trying to find a way to get my brother back."

"I don't believe you."

"I've told you the truth. It's up to you whether or not you believe it."

"And I'm your brother? I'm Dean Winchester? I have a family! I have a wife, and a daughter and son! So tell me, what's so special about 'Dean' that would make me even want to be him?"

Sam shook his head, tears at the edges of his eyes as he refused to look at the man before him, his gaze instead focusing on the window at the far end of the room. What was so special about Dean? He was arrogant at times, cocky as hell, always getting into trouble with authority. He played classic rock until it made your ears bleed, drove too fast, had the worst table manners Sam had ever seen and then there was the endless flirting. He was a self sacrificing bastard who never thought about himself, always put others first even if it meant he'd end up six feet under. He took too many chances, but never with Sam's life, only with his own.

"He's the best damn hunter and big brother the world has ever seen. He's my big brother and he drives me absolutely crazy sometimes but he always has my back."

"Ha! What the hell type of person forgets about his little brother? Why would I want to be someone who would do that?!" He cried out, hand flying up to his head as the building headache from before intensified, stopping him from saying anything else.

Taking a step forward, Sam frowned, his hand reaching out to touch Grey's shoulder but falling back to his side, restraining himself as he was forced to just look on with worry. Look but don't touch… He hated feeling so helpless. "Are you alright?"

Grey shifted, the heels of his hands pressing into his eyes in an attempt to control the pain. It was like someone was driving multiple knives through his skull and refused to stop. But it wasn't just that. He couldn't explain it though… how could he if he didn't even understand it?

"On my sixteenth birthday… my dad let me drive his car for the time." He sighed after a moment, swallowing hard against the lump in his throat as he let his hands fall away from his eyes. "He said that if I kept my grades good I'd get my own for my seventeenth. And I did. I worked hard all year, got the best damn marks I could and then come my seventeenth my dad held up his end of the bargain. I remember it clear as day; I remember holding the keys in my hands and thinking 'freedom at last'. I mean… it wasn't anything special, just this beat up old Ford…"

"I know it's hard to believe-" Sam sighed, his guts squirming at the almost broken tone to Grey's voice. His words were quickly interrupted though as Grey spun to face him, eyes suddenly hard as they stared straight into Sam's, almost challenging him.

Hazel orbs brimmed with tears as Grey snarled, turning away for a moment as he took in a half breath, his lips trembling ever so slightly as the first salty drop slid down his cheek even though he tried desperately to hold it back . "No… you know what's hard is that every damn time I close my eyes and try to remember how it felt to drive the damn thing, I get this image in my mind… this different memory. And that's not the only one! I have this one memory telling me that my first kiss was Joanna, the love of my life, but then I have this other one telling me that no, it was Suzie Cornbacker behind the gym in some run down town that was home to a damn werewolf pack! And right now… I don't know which one I'm supposed to believe-"

Sam felt like someone was twisting his insides, the tears in his own eyes slowly finding their way to his cheeks as he listened to the man in front of him, opening his mouth to speak but somehow the words seemed lost on the way to his tongue. What could he possibly say to convince him of who he was? What more could he do to get him to understand?

"-So go on." Grey went on, his voice as broken and tired as the soul reflected in those hazel eyes, "You're such a smart guy… go ahead and explain what the hell that's supposed to mean because me, how am I supposed to tell what's real and what's not when I don't even know who I am anymore?!"

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