A/N: I want to thank VegasGranny and Clowns or Midgets for the input with this letter. It helped make it a better short story. You ladies rock! NC

Q

Part I

Dean rolled over in his bed and rubbed a hand down his face as he started waking up. He glanced to the other bed and saw it empty of his little brother. He yawned and licked his dry lips thinking it must be mid-morning by the sun streaming through curtained window. There wasn't a hunt they needed to rush off to and Bobby was on his own hunt down south, so Dean didn't see any reason to be up so early. He didn't understand why Sam couldn't just relax and rest while they had a chance.

Sam was wiping the sweat from his face when he stepped into the bedroom to see Dean still in bed. He had on sweats and running shoes, indicating he had been out getting some fresh air and exercising. He liked to run when he could, telling Dean it helped clear his head.

"Hey," Sam greeted his brother.

"No need to ask where you've been," Dean commented looking at his brother's sweaty clothes and body.

"You know it wouldn't hurt if you got a little more exercise once and a while."

"I do, on every hunt we take."

"Being thrown around by some supernatural monster is not exercise," Sam huffed. "I'm going to get a shower." He looked in the dresser and got briefs, tee shirt and grabbed a pair of jeans from his duffle. He needed to do laundry today so they would have clean clothes before heading out on another hunt. Sam decided to get a load going after his shower since it was his turn to do it.

"Don't use all the hot water," Dean yelled to him as he heard the bathroom door close. He snuggled back down deciding to at least wait until Sam was done in the bathroom before getting up. His eyes drifted back closed and he let his mind return to a dream he had been having of sexy, scantly clothed, dancers doing a private routine for him. They swayed and twisted and leaned over showing more of their cleavage to him as they swayed their hips and motioned to him to join them. He smiled happily, taking it all in.

"Dean! What were you dreaming?" Sam asked in disgust, slapping his brother's leg hard. "You're making weird, gross sounds in your sleep."

"Wa'?" Dean grunted rolling over to his back.

"Dude! Really? Don't you have any other type of dreams?" Sam complained when he saw Dean's erection under the sheet. He grabbed the laundry basket from the closet and started gathering the dirty piles of clothes scattered around the room. He pulled some out of his duffle and without looking at his brother spoke, "Going to do some laundry."

"Taking a shower," Dean replied wincing slightly in discomfort. He got up and adjusted his briefs before gathering clothes and walking across to the bathroom. With the images still in his head, Dean took care of his problem and sighed with relief as his erection went down. He turned on the water and let the temperature adjust before looking in the mirror at his reflection. Dean ran a hand over his face deciding he didn't need a shave today. He dropped his briefs and pulled off his tee shirt before stepping into the tub, letting the hot water pelt his body. It stung at first until he got used to it and rolled his shoulders to ease some stiffness. He let the water soak his hair and body before grabbing the shampoo and washing his hair. Dean soaped down his body and rinsed before turning off the spray. Once he was dried, Dean put on his clothes, went back into the bedroom to find his boots and headed downstairs to find his brother.

Sam was sitting at the kitchen table on his laptop and glanced his brother's way as he headed for the coffee pot. He went back to skimming articles online to see if he could find anything of interest. He was aware of his brother moving around getting coffee and looking in the fridge for something to eat before sitting at the table with Sam. He continued to flip through newspapers and tagged websites barely looking at them until something caught his eye and he went back to read a newspaper headline, 'Second Victim With Missing Heart'. He leaned forward with interest and read the article twice before looking up at Dean.

"I may have found us a case," Sam said turning the screen so he could see it.

"Heart missing, you think a werewolf?"

"Maybe, it's only a little over four hours away in Cottonwood, South Dakota."

"Where's that?"

"West of here, about an hour this side of Rapid City. We have no leads on Lucifer so we might as well check it out instead of sitting around doing nothing."

"Haven't had a good werewolf hunt in a while, I'm game."

"I have a load of clothes in the dryer. When they're done, we can head out."

"Fine, I'll give Baby a quick once over while we're waiting." Dean finished his yogurt and took his coffee with him, heading for the front door leaving Sam alone once again. There was still tension between them but not as bad as it was at the beginning when Sam really screwed things up and released the devil. The search for Lucifer was an ongoing thing, but he was laying low at the moment and nothing unusual had been reported lately. He started searching for other related articles and sent them to the printer in Bobby's office, so they'd have hard copies.

In less than an hour, they were packed and on the road to Cottonwood. Dean figured if he pushed it slightly, they could get there and check with the locals, see the bodies, and then get a motel room to go over everything for clues to see if this was a werewolf attack or not. He looked over at his brother who was gazing randomly out the side window at the passing scenery, lost in his own thoughts. He couldn't help remembering what Sam had done to the world when he released Lucifer and knew he would die trying to make amends for that, by putting Lucifer back in is Cage.

spn

The town of Cottonwood was a medium size town that seemed to be growing. Dean stopped at a gas station to fill up and for them to change into their FBI suits before heading to the police department. The traffic was light still and it didn't take them long to find the building sitting near the county courthouse. Dean found visitor parking and slowly pulled into a space to park. They got out and headed for the front entrance of the building to get this part over with.

The brothers stopped at a counter where a uniformed officer sat behind and waited for him to speak.

"Good afternoon, can I help you?" he asked taking in the appearance and wondered what alphabet organization they were from.

"Yes, Agents Stills and Wilson, FBI. We'd like to speak to whoever is in charge of the recent murders. The ones with the missing hearts," Dean told him flashing his credentials as Sam did the same.

"Just a moment," the officer said looking them over before picking up his phone to call to the back. Once he was done, he spoke again, "You can have a seat over there, and someone will be out to help you."

Dean looked behind him and saw the plastic chairs against the wall. He nodded and they moved to take a seat and wait. They both looked around the room, checking out the flyers and the wanted posters in the glass cabinet to be sure they didn't see their faces hanging there. Fifteen minutes later, a middle-aged man came out from a door behind the counter and came around to greet them.

"Good day gentleman, Detective Roth, how can I help you?" he greeted them.

Agent Stills and Wilson, FBI," Dean replied standing to shake his hand. "We'd like to discuss the recent murders you've had in your town."

Sam stood too and shook his hand, giving him a nod of greeting. He let Dean take the lead knowing he handled it well. And he was still working through everything that had happened to him with Ruby, the demon blood, freeing Lucifer, and choosing a demon over his own brother.

"Why don't you join me in the conference room, and we'll talk about it. My Captain is out of the office today, but he didn't mention the contacting the FBI before he left."

"Can't tell you sir. We just follow our boss' orders and go where we're told," Dean answered acting innocent about it.

They followed Detective Roth through the door and into a squad room that had desks scattered throughout, some empty and some with other officers sitting at them working. They were taken into a conference room with a small table surrounded with chairs and took a seat as Roth sat across from them.

"What can you tell us about the attacks?" Sam asked pulling a pad out to take notes.

"The first one, Kim Moore, she was found by some joggers over at the park. She ran there nearly every morning before work. The crime scene didn't give us any clues to who could have killed her. It was a horrible death."

"And the second one?"

"That would be Harold Black, he was found in his home by his wife when she returned from a visit to see her parents. Killed the exact same way. Thing is, I don't know how a human could do what was done to them. Their hearts were punched out of their chests. I mean there's a gapping hole all the way through their bodies. Whoever did it was very strong and ruthless."

"Did you find any connections between the two victims?"

"They both worked for the same financial company in town, so they knew each other. Those we interviewed at the office didn't really have anything bad to say about either of them. Thought I think Black might have been a player, but no one was talking."

"Were there any witnesses to either crime?"

"No, Black was alone, and Moore ran early before anyone else was out. The only thing we have is a blurry video from a security camera near the park."

"Can we get copies of your reports and the video?"

"Sure, can't see how it'll hurt. If you'll excuse me, I'll go have one of the guys start getting that together for you." Detective Roth got up and stepped from the room leaving them alone.

"I gotta say, from his description of the wounds, it doesn't sound like a werewolf attack," Dean whispered to Sam.

"Yeah, let's wait until we see the victims before ruling it out yet," Sam replied.

"Okay, it'll be ready in a few minutes agents. You will keep me apprised of anything you find?"

"Of course, and if you'll call us if you find out anything," Dean replied handing him a card.

"The bodies, where is the morgue so we can see them?"

"The morgue's in the basement at the hospital. Turn left out of the parking lot and go three miles, you'll see the signs for it. Our medical examiner is Dr. Street. I'll give him a call that you'll be coming by."

"That's helpful Detective, thank you."

"Can you recommend a decent, reasonable motel around here?"

"Well, let's see, there's the Fairfield Inn on the other side of the town and there's a Day's Inn there too. Going east, you've got a Holiday Inn or Motel Six. I'd say your best bet is Day's Inn, they've got a really good free breakfast bar I wouldn't pass up and there's several restaurants nearby for other meals."

"Thanks, we'll check it out."

"Here you go Roth," an officer said bringing a couple of folders in and laying them on the table.

"Thanks Simpson. Here you go agents; this is what we have. I hope you have better luck than we've had."

"Thank you for your cooperation and we'll be in touch."

Dean and Sam got up, gathered the files, and headed out to find the hospital. The directions were good, and Dean pulled up to the hospital fifteen minutes later and drove around to the back looking for the rear entrance. He found a place to park and they got out to head for the marked door.

spn

The temperature dropped drastically when they entered the morgue and looked around. An older man dressed in scrubs and a lab coat stepped through a door across the room.

"You must be the FBI," he greeted them. "I'm Dr. Street, the medical examiner."

"Agents Stills and Wilson."

"You're here to see the two murder victims. If you'll step this way." He led them across the room to a dozen small doors set into the wall and waited as he checked the labels before opening two doors and pulling out the trays from inside of them. "Here you go," he said pulling the sheet down on the first victim.

"Whoa!" Dean commented when he saw the hole in the man's body where his heart should be. "Did not see that coming."

Sam grabbed some gloves and slipped them on before leaning closer to examine the wound. He rolled the body to the side and looked at the hole in the back, noticing the ragged edges. He punched Dean and mumbled to him to take a couple of photos.

"Yes, this is a new one for me. I have no idea what kind of weapon could do this. If I had to guess, it was like someone punched the guy in the chest with his fist to remove the heart."

"Was the heart found?"

"No."

"And the other one is the same?" Dean asked looking at the other sheet draped body.

"Identical," Dr. Street said. He pulled the sheet off the female victim and both moved closer to see the gaping hole in her chest. Dean snapped a couple of photos before stepping back.

"Could we get a copy of your autopsy reports?"

"Of course, I'll get them." He stepped away and went to a row of file cabinets to find the right files and disappeared into another room to make copies.

"This doesn't look like a werewolf attack to me," Dean told Sam.

"I agree, a werewolf wouldn't be this clean or punch a hole through their victim. There are no defensive wounds of any kind on the bodies. I'm wondering if they knew their attacker and was taken by surprise?"

"What human has enough strength to do this? You know it's got to be something supernatural."

"After we get the autopsy reports, why don't we grab dinner and get a room at the Day's Inn. We'll checkout what we've got so far and go visit their place of work in the morning," Sam suggested.

"Sounds good to me. Maybe a co-worker can shed a little light on the two victims."

"Agents, here you go. Are there any more questions for me?"

"No, I think we're good."

"Alright, I have some paperwork to finish up. Good day."

"Thanks for the help sir."

They glanced at the bodies again to be sure they didn't miss anything before sliding the trays back in place and closing the doors. The brothers headed back to the Impala and decided to get a room first so they could change out of their suits before grabbing dinner.

spn

The Impala drove slowly down the street in the business district of the town. They were looking for the financial institution where both victims worked to question any coworkers about their deaths. Dean saw the four-story building first but had to go down a block to find parking and they walked back to it. They went inside and headed for the second floor where the business was located.

When they stepped through the double glass doors, both brothers could sense the dark atmosphere of the place. People moved around with their heads down and seemed skittish. They stepped to a desk of a dark-haired woman who looked up at them with wary eyes.

"Good morning, we would like to speak with the CEO, boss, president, whoever is in charge." Dean told her, pulling out his credentials and flashing them at her. "FBI."

Her eyes widened slightly, and she pressed some buttons on her phone system and turned away slightly to speak to whoever was on the other end.

"Mr. Bowers will be with you shortly, you may take a seat over there," she told them. "There's coffee if you'd like a cup."

Dean looked in the corner and saw a small table with a coffee pot, cups, creamer and sugar. He nodded his thanks and went to pour a cup, looking to Sam to see if he wanted one. Sam nodded no and took a seat on a small couch and picked up a magazine to look at. He flipped through it as Dean sat down beside him while taking in the place. From the looks of the décor and the size, he figured business must be good for the company. At least the coffee was better than expected and he sipped it, relishing the flavor.

The brothers looked up when a middle-aged man in a three piece suit, walked down a hallway toward them. He stopped long enough to whisper something to the receptionist before turning to the brothers.

"Good morning, I'm Roger Bowers, CEO, how can I help you?" he asked trying not to sound nervous.

"Agents Stills and Wilson, FBI. We're in town to help with the recent murders and learned both victims worked for your business," Dean stated, standing to shake his hand.

"Yes, they both did. We are all devastated by the loss," he said.

"We'd like to interview any of your employees that worked with or had contact with the victims and could we see their personnel files?" Sam told him when he shook his hand. "Is there some place we can do that?"

"I'm sure we can find somewhere," he replied. "The conference room could be used."

"If you will give Agent Wilson a list of those employees, he can start interviewing them, and we can talk in your office," Dean suggested.

"Alright, ummm, Mandy," he said turning to the receptionist. "Would you help this agent with what he needs and show him where the conference room is?"

"Of course," Mandy nodded getting up. She seemed upset and scared as she waited for her boss and Dean to go by before looking up at Sam for a second and looking away with guilty eyes.

Dean nodded to Sam to start the interviews and he would see what he could get from the boss. Sam smiled at Mandy and followed her to a conference room down the hall.

"I'll have Human Resources pull their employee files and will make a list of employees who worked with them," she told Sam as he looked around the small conference room and then back at her.

"Could I talk with you for a moment?" he asked pulling a chair out for her.

"I guess," she said shyly. She sat down and clasped her hands tightly in her lap, glancing up at Sam and then away.

"How well did you know Mr. Black and Ms. Moore?" Sam asked her, taking out a pad to write on. He watched her fidget and look away, not meeting his gaze.

"They would speak when they came in, you know, being polite and all. Most of the staff did."

"Did either have a disagreement or fight with anyone else who worked her?"

"I don't think so, I'm usually at the front desk so I don't see what goes on in the back and I try not to listen to office gossip."

"How well did Mr. Black know Ms. Moore?"

Mandy looked up quickly and then down at her hands, trying to hide something she didn't want known. "They worked together; I don't know about their personal lives. Some of us will stop at the bar over on the next block for a drink after work, but I never really paid that much attention."

Sam watched her knowing she was lying to him, but he wasn't sure about what. "If you could get me their files and that list, I'll get started then."

"Alright, I'll be back in a few minutes," Mandy answered, quickly getting up and hurrying from the room like she was glad to get out of there.

Sam sat back to wait, wondering how she was involved in this. Her body language and reactions to his questions had him guessing there might have been something going on between her and the other two. The firm wasn't a large financial business from what he had read online and from the reports. There was a total of fifteen employees, not counting the CEO. It seemed to be profitable and he had found no major scandals regarding the company. This was a strange case and he wasn't sure what they were looking for yet. From the looks of the victim's bodies, he was sure it wasn't a werewolf as they first suspected.

"Here you go agent," Mandy announced coming back with the files and the list.

"Thank you, Mandy," he said looking over the names. "Are all of these people here today to be interviewed?"

She glanced down at the list seeming nervous and licked her lips before answering. "Yes, I believe so."

"After I look the files over, I'll have you start bringing them in then," Sam explained, dismissing her with a nod. He waited until she had left before opening the first file and reading through it.

spn

Dean stepped into the conference room to see Sam talking to a young woman and nodded as he took a seat beside him. He had finished his interview with Bowers and figured out he didn't really associate with the help, thinking he was above that. He didn't say anything as Sam continued his interview, knowing he could spot anyone lying to him.

"Thank you for your help," Sam told the woman. "If you think of anything else give me a call." He handed her a business card as she got up to leave.

"Anything?" Dean asked once they were alone.

"Not much. I did get the impression that Mr. Black was fooling around with Ms. Moore and maybe others," Sam huffed closing his pad. He rubbed his tired eyes for a moment, thinking back over everything. "Pretty sure the receptionist is lying to us or at least not telling everything she knows. Just not sure why."

"Should we press her?"

"I don't think so," he decided. "I think she's scared of something and doing that will only make her defensive toward us."

"Well, I don't think we're getting anything else here. We might as well leave."

"I agree."

They got up and headed for the front desk to let Mandy know they were leaving.

"If you should think of anything else, we're staying at the Day's Inn," Sam told Many handing her a card with their room number on it. "If you want to just talk…" Sam trailed off leaving it open ended, giving her a knowing look before they left.

"What now?" Sam asked once they were back in the car.

"Go back over what we have and know and see if we missed anything, I guess. Might as well find somewhere to eat before heading back to the motel."

They headed down the street checking out the selection of restaurants in the area before picking one and going in for a meal. The class was puzzling, and the brothers hoped to figure out what they were dealing with before another body turned up with a missing heart.

TBC


A/N: You may have guessed this one with the clues I left. The action will be picking up in part 2 and one of the brothers will be facing off against the creature. I do like to know your thoughts. Please review. NC