F

Part I

"Food's here," Dean called letting himself into the motel room he was sharing with his brother.

Sam looked up from the screen of his laptop as Dean made his way to the table and pushed papers out of the way so he could sit the bags on the table.

"Hey! Give me a sec," he complained as he gathered the papers and stacked them with the laptop to move out of the way so they wouldn't get messed up. "What took so long?"

"Had a nice chat with the hostess," Dean shrugged holding up a slip of paper with her number on it.

"It figures it was because of a girl," Sam fussed.

"I'm hungry and want to eat before it gets cold," Dean told him. He removed the cartons of food and drink and divided them between his brother and himself. He opened his container and breathed in deeply the aroma of the bacon double cheeseburger before sighing happily. "Come to papa." Dean took a large bite of his burger, humming, and making weird noises as he savored the tastes that exploded in his mouth.

"Do you want to be alone with your food?" Sam asked looking in disgust at his brother.

"You're just jealous 'cause you're not eating real food like me."

"This is healthy food and I don't have to worry about getting clogged arteries," Sam shot back as he took a bite of his salad.

"Don't know what you're missing Sammy. Did you find us a case?" he asked around another bite.

"Dude! At least chew and swallow before talking," Sam chastised him. "I might have. There's a town about six hours from here and on our way to Bobby's that have had some unusual deaths. The strange thing is all have been drug dealers and gang members. And adults and kids both say they've seen people who are dead."

"You thinking maybe a vengeful spirit?"

"I don't know, they wouldn't single out just the bad guys would it? One woman says it's an angel watching over them."

"That's a laugh. The angels we've met are all dicks. They wouldn't be watching out for anyone. Guess it's worth checking out. If we get an early start, we can be there before lunch tomorrow."

"It's an early night for me then."

"Guess calling..." Dean started looking back at the phone number before continuing. "Mandy is out if we're heading out early. I don't think we'd be doing much sleeping if I went to see her."

"Yeah, if you don't get sleep, you're a grouch and an asshole the next day."

"Am not," Dean complained loudly. "And how would you know since you're asleep ten minutes into the drive?"

"I've offered to drive, and you won't let me. So, can't blame me for that."

"Bitch."

"Jerk."

spn

"Tell me again where we're going?"

"Ames, Iowa. You need to pick up Interstate 35 north toward Des Moines," Sam told him looking at his cell and the map he pulled up.

"Got it. After we get a room where should we go first? To see the local cops or try to talk to witnesses?"

"Probably the locals and get the police reports and autopsy reports. That way we might get information on who to talk to or places to go check out."

"You say gangs are involved and drug dealers? That doesn't sound good. I'd rather deal with monsters than humans. At least with monsters we know where we stand."

"I know, but I think the locals are hiding something about the killings."

"Guess we'll find out when we get there." Dean turned on the radio, ending the conversation, and found a station to his liking. He settled back and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the music. He merged into traffic and found vehicles that were moving to his liking and joined in.

It was thirty minutes into the drive and Dean glanced over at his brother to see his head rocking gently with the motion of the car. His eyes were closed, and his mouth was slightly open as he breathed softly and evenly. He smirked to himself surprised Sam had lasted this long. Being hunters, sometimes you had to sleep when and where you could.

With traffic moving steadily, and not stopping along the way, Dean made it to Ames in a little over five hours. He drove through the town and checked it out before deciding on a motel that was near several restaurants. He stopped at the gas station below the motel to fill the Impala up before going to the motel making Sam get out to get them a room.

Dean parked in front of the room and opened the trunk to get their duffels and suit bags. They were going in as FBI and needed to look the part.

"You can have the bathroom first," Sam told him as he sat his bags on the bed away from the door.

"Okay," Dean grunted pulling his suit from the bag. He stepped into the bathroom shutting the door behind him.

Sam pulled his suit and shirt from the bag and shook it out thinking it would probably need cleaning after this case. He didn't mind wearing the suit because it made him think of what could have been, even though it brought back sad memories too. Sam was shaking off his thoughts when Dean stepped out of the bathroom fussing with his tie.

"Why the FBI thinks this is the best way to dress when on case is beyond me," he complained as he worked on getting the tie adjusted and smoothed down.

"It's the image they want to express," Sam replied before taking his turn in the bathroom. He came out to find Dean checking his gun before slipping it into the small of his back and a knife into a pocket. Sam went to the weapon's bag and got his own gun and did the same.

Traffic was picking up since it was close to lunchtime, and it took a little longer for them to get to the police station. Dean found the visitor's parking and took a space. They got out and made their way to the front doors and walked up to the front desk manned by an older woman in uniform. She looked at them for a moment and arched an eyebrow before speaking.

"Fed or Homeland?" she asked.

"FBI officer," Dean stated pulling out his credentials. "Agent Stills and my partner Agent Nash."

"Pegged you for one of those alphabet groups. How may I help you?" she asked.

"We'd like to speak to the person in charge of the latest murders you've been having in your town."

"That would be Detective Lee. Have a seat agent, and I'll let him know you're here."

They moved to the chairs sitting against the wall behind them and took a seat. Dean watched the woman as she spoke quietly on the phone. Sam let his eyes wander around the office checking out everything pinned to the walls.

It was fifteen minutes later that a medium build, older man stepped through a door behind the front desk. He approached the brothers as they stood to greet him.

"I'm Detective Lee if you'll follow me agents," he said. Lee stepped to the side, holding the door for them to enter.

They followed him into a large room that had desks scattered throughout with officers working on paperwork or on the phone or talking to one another. He led them to the back of the room where there were several offices and a conference room. The noise in the room dropped a level as everyone eyed the new arrivals with interest.

"Gentlemen, you're from the FBI?" he asked.

"Yes Detective, Agents Stills and Nash. We were sent to help out with the murders you've had lately," Dean replied.

"I don't recall requesting any help from the FBI."

"It came from higher up the chain in the bureau sir. We just go where they send us," Sam said.

"Guess it won't hurt. We're not getting anywhere with the deaths, but I have to say there won't be many people missing these scumbags."

"So, all of the victims were on the wrong side of the law?"

"Yes, drug dealers and gang members."

"Could we get a copy of your reports on the deaths?"

"Sure, I'll have Marge compile them for you," he replied picking up the phone and speaking for a few moments before hanging up. "Maybe you'll see something we missed. Bad thing is people aren't talking much since they're happy these bad people have been taken off the streets. They don't want to get whoever did this in trouble."

"We'll be checking out the scenes and interviewing any witnesses this afternoon."

"Well, good luck with that but don't be surprised if people don't cooperate."

"What is your take on the murders?"

"I've not seen killings like this before. I mean one looked like someone rammed their hand into the guy's chest and ripped out his heart. Another just seemed to stop breathing with no signs of trauma and one was tossed off a building to land on the spikes of a fence. Several had rebar drove through their bodies with enough force to pin them to a wall. I mean I don't know many people who could do that."

There was a knock and Marge stepped into the office with a thick folder in her hand that she handed to the detective. She gave the guys another curious look before leaving.

"Thank you and if you can point us to the morgue, we'd like to see the bodies," Dean said. He accepted the folder and handed it to Sam.

"It's in the basement of the hospital which is three blocks down the street. There are signs where you need to turn. I'll call and let the coroner know you're coming."

"Thank you, that will help," Sam noted.

The brothers stood to leave and shook the detective's hand.

"If you get any leads, you'll let me know."

"Of course. We'll keep you abreast of the situation."

"Detective."

"Agents," Lee nodded watching the brothers leave thinking something just didn't seem right about those two. He decided he was going to keep an eye on them.

"These injuries could be from a vengeful spirit I guess, but I'm not sure why these people," Sam mumbled as he began scanning the files. I'll need to make some comparisons when we get back to the motel and see what they have in common or how they are linked besides being in a gang."

"After we check the bodies, we'll visit some of the crime scenes and see if there's anything off about them."

"Alright, it looks like several are close together," Sam replied flipping through the different reports noting the location of the bodies.

Dean saw the signs for the hospital and turned right following them until he saw the four-story building on the right and turned on the road that led to it. He headed around back to the morgue entrance and found a place to park. They got out and headed for the door to go inside and followed the signs to the morgue.

The chill in the air hit them as soon as they stepped through the double doors and the smell made both of them wrinkle their noses. The morgues were all the same no matter where they were in the country. Dean pushed open another door and stepped into the autopsy room with three stainless steel tables, two desks, several filing cabinets and storage units on the opposite wall.

"May I help you?" an older, mature man asked as he stepped through the door of an adjoining room.

"We're with the FBI. Detective Lee was to call you. We're here to see the bodies of the murder victims," Dean told him.

"He did, just a few minutes ago. You're lucky they're still here. Not sure if anyone is going to claim the bodies or not. We didn't find any next of kin for a couple of them." The coroner moved to the wall that had metal doors lined up and down it and looked at the tags on the front of the drawers before pulling part of out the ones they wanted to see. "Here you go. Have a look, but I'm not sure it'll do any good."

"Could we get a copy of your autopsy reports on these individuals too?" Sam asked grabbing a pair of gloves from a box sitting nearby and tossed a pair to Dean.

"Sure, anything for the FBI," he replied heading to a desk and looking at a clipboard before going to the filing cabinets. He began to remove file folders and moved to a copier to make copies.

Dean pulled down the sheet on the first body and studied it counting five circular wounds on his chest. He figured this one was the one that had rebar drove through his body. He didn't see any bite marks or wounds from weapons. After noting the gang markings and letting Sam take photos of them, he moved to the next. This one had a hole in his chest that was ragged and raw. There was no way a weapon made it either. Someone had plunged a hand into his chest. Once they had checked the other bodies and taken photos, Sam accepted the reports from the coroner. With a brief thank you, they left and headed back to the car to go find the crime scenes.

spn

Dean and Sam looked around the neighborhood as they got out of the Impala. Dean eyed some teenagers with a touch the ride and die look and then following Sam to an alleyway. They walked a short distance before finding the yellow police tape and looked around. There was still dried blood on the asphalt near a dumpster and Sam stopped to look around the area before looking back at the crime scene.

"Do you see anything?" Dean asked kneeling down and looking around on the ground around the dumpster but not seeing any evidence of what attacked the victim.

They walked back to the street and looked up and down the sidewalk to see what businesses were in the area. Sam noticed flowers and cards near a church on the corner and walked that way to see what it was. He stopped and looked at the memorial wondering who it was for. When Sam saw a priest coming out of the doors of the church, he stopped him to ask.

"Excuse me Father, who is this for?" Sam asked pointing to the items gathered around a place at the iron fence near the steps.

"That is in memory of Father Nicholas, he was killed about a month ago. Everyone loved him. He was an advocate for the kids around here. Father Nicholas helped run the community center and worked to keep kids from getting involved in the gangs around here. He had afterschool programs and fought to keep the gangs out of the neighborhood here."

"Did they catch who killed him?" Dean asked.

"No, the police investigated the crime but there was no evidence, and no one saw anything. Everyone knew it was the gang wanting to get rid of him, but when you don't have evidence there's not much they could do. It was a tragedy and a big loss for us," the priest said sadly. He looked to the flowers and cards and couldn't help the tears that filled his eyes.

"Thank you, Father," Sam told him before excusing himself and heading back to the Impala with Dean. He stopped when he saw several teenagers putting flowers where the Father was killed. "Excuse me," Sam spoke to them.

"Yes," the older girl asked as the younger one stood slightly back behind her.

"Did you know Father Nicholas?"

"Yes, he ran the community center. He was good to all of us."

"Do you know who might have killed the Father?" Dean asked.

The two girls looked at each other a hint of fear in their eyes.

"We all know," the older mumbled. "The Savage Skulls wanted Father Nicholas dead."

"Is that the gang around here?"

"Yes, they try to recruit the kids around here to help run drugs. Father Nicholas tried to protect the neighborhood and they killed him for it."

"I've seen him," the younger girl whispered looking up at Dean and Sam.

"Seen who?" Sam asked softly.

"Father Nicholas. He was in the church a few days ago after choir practice broke up. I was putting the books away and he was standing at the altar praying."

"Thank you for telling us this," Sam said. He watched the girls walk down the sidewalk until they turned at the corner.

They got in the car and Dean cranked her up and pulled away. "What are you thinking?"

"Maybe Father Nicholas came back to protect his flock."

"You mean a vengeful spirit?"

"No, I remember reading about spirits called Fext in one of Bobby's books. Hold on let me look it up," Sam said. He pulled his cell out and went online typing quickly. "It says they come from Slavic mythology and were associated with the Thirty Year War in central Europe. Some of the leaders during that time were call Fext because they claimed immortality. They are a revenant that comes back because of unfinished business. Maybe Father Nicholas' unfinished business is cleaning up his neighborhood and keeping the kids safe. He seemed to care a lot for his flock."

"And how do we deal with a Fext?" Dean asked as he headed for another crime scene across town. "And if this is the Father, why would he go all the way across town to kill these drug dealers?"

"Is the gang and the drug dealers connected in anyway?"

"Don't know, after checking out the next two crime scenes, we need to head to the motel and compare notes to see what we might be dealing with here."

Dean was almost to the next crime scene and slowed when he drove through a school zone. He was watching for kids and didn't see the bunches of flowers and cards at the fence by the school.

"Wait Dean!" Sam cried out making him slam on the breaks. He jumped out and ran around the car before Dean could pull to the side of the road.

"Where are you going?" Dean called to him not sure what Sam had seen. He watched him run across the street and stop a couple of high school kids to talk to them for a few minutes before making his way back to the Impala. "What was that about?"

"There was a teacher killed here about six weeks ago. We need to get the reports on his death and the Father's death," Sam explained pulling out his cell and looking for the number of the local cops. He spoke to Marge, identifying himself and asked for the files to be copied and left at the front for them to pick up.

"You've got an idea about this don't you? I can see the wheels turning in that huge brain of yours."

"Yes, but I want to wait until we get everything together before I say anything."

"Okay, the next crime scene is up ahead near the school."

spn

"Can you get the door?" Sam asked as he juggled the file folders, a bag of food and his jacket while he waited for his brother.

"Give me a sec," Dean mumbled feeling around for the key until he found it. He opened the door and allowed Sam to go in first before following and locking it behind him. "We eat first and then try to make sense of this case." He knew when his brother got in the zone nothing else mattered and that included food and drink.

"Fine," Sam replied sitting everything but the food on the bed out of the way. He was itching to prove his theory and kept glancing at the files as he pulled food from the bag. He wanted to get to work since his mind was whirling and he needed to see if his theory was right. He felt anxious and tense and would be that way until he could answer the questions rolling around in his head.

Dean knew that look and that Sam's mind was working even if he wasn't. He had gotten used to how Sam worked over the years and it didn't faze him anymore. He just made sure he drank and ate something while he was in his own world solving the problems. He cut a piece of hamburger steak and dipped it in gravy before putting it in his mouth and chewing thoughtfully.

When they finished eating, the table was cleared, and the folders were divided between them to go through and see if there were any connections between the drug dealers and the gang. Sam pulled a legal pad over and started taking notes as he flipped through the pages of reports. He dug out a map of the town and marked the crime scenes with one color and marked where the teacher and priest were killed.

Dean rubbed his tired eyes and got up to go grab something from the drink machine outside. "Want something to drink Sammy?"

Sam was scribbling quickly on his pad and glancing back at the reports but didn't answer him.

"Sammy!" Dean said louder. "Do you want something to drink?"

Sam jerked with Dean's loud voice and looked up at him. He let what he said sink in for a moment before answering. "Sure, anything's fine."

"I'll be back in a few minutes. You need to stretch and walk around Sammy. We've been at this for over two hours."

Sam looked at the pages and knew Dean was right. His shoulders were tired, and his eyes were getting scratchy, so he pushed his chair back and got up twisting from side to side and stretching his arms over his head. He walked around in the room as Dean went out the door. Feeling the need to pee, Sam headed into the bathroom to use it. After he was done, he ran cold water and splashed it on his face making his eyes feel better. He felt a little better as he stepped from the bathroom as Dean was coming back into the room.

"Here you go, drink," Dean ordered sitting a bottle of water at Sam's laptop. "I know how you are when you're like this."

"Thanks."

"So, you gonna tell me what you've found, or do I have to play twenty questions?"

"Okay, I think I know what's going on," Sam said leaning back in his chair and sipping on the cold drink. "We have two Fext instead of one. I read all the police reports on the teacher that was killed, named Tyler Cooper. From interviews and what I could find online, he was a great guy and cared about the kids at the school. He really went above what normal teachers do to get the kids involved and keep them interested. I found numerous reports he made to the cops that he thought someone in the school was selling drugs to the students at the school, but he had no proof. He would call the cops if he saw anyone trying to sell drugs around the school. There were a few death threats made from dealers since he was making them lose money. He was leaving the school after a basketball game and was attacked. He was stabbed like six times and would have lived if one of the stabs hadn't nicked a major artery. He bled out before help could get there."

"And you think he's behind the drug dealers that have been killed and the priest is behind the gang members being killed?"

"It makes sense. They both had unfinished business, and both want to protect the kids and community. Neither have harmed any other people since the killings have begun. Father Nicholas was gunned down in a drive by shooting. He didn't stand a chance. Drive by shootings are a gang thing and from the police report no one saw anything since it was at night and the streets were empty."

"So, what do we do? I think they're making a difference taking the scum off the streets. More power to them."

"Maybe we can help them finish this and then they can be at peace and move on."

"How do we do that?"

"We need to try and talk to them. Remember the girl said she saw Father Nicholas in the church. Maybe we can do a seance there, summon him and talk to him. Since they're both on our plane of existence maybe he can find Cooper and we can help them."

"You really think that will work?"

"Why not, I'm with you I can't see salt and burning their bones, that is if they were buried, when all they want to do is protect the ones who can't protect themselves."

"This will be a first for me, breaking into a church. Don't think we'll go to hell for that do you?" Dean asked as he got up. "Might as well go check the church out tonight."

"Do we have what we'll need for a seance in the trunk?"

"Yeah, should have the things. Let me use the bathroom and we'll go back to the church."

Sam looked around for his jacket and dug their father's journal from his bag to find information on seances. He quickly copied it down and stowed it back in the duffel for safe keeping. He folded the paper and slipped it into his jacket as Dean was coming from the bathroom.

"You ready?" Dean asked.

"Yes."

They left the room and stepped to the Impala and drove back to the church where the priest had been killed.

spn

"What's taking so long?" Sam hissed as he looked around to be sure no one was around to see them breaking into the church.

"Just a sec," Dean grumbled as he wiggled the lock picks in the door's lock and smiled when he heard the click. He stood and eased the door open so they could slip inside.

They paused in the entryway and pulled out flashlights before moving deeper into the church. They made their way down the aisle of the sanctuary to the front. Sam went behind the pulpit to the altar and sat his pack on the table. He pulled out a black silk cloth with sigils on it and laid it out, spreading it flat. The deep purple candles were placed in four corners for each compass point. Sam pulled out the folded paper with the instructions on it and read through it. He places a brass bowl in the middle and pulled out herbs and spices sprinkling each into the bowl. The last thing he needed was his own blood. He took a small knife and pricked his finger to let blood drip into the bowl. Once that was done, he looked to his brother letting him know he was ready.

"Dean, we need to join hands," Sam said. He lit the candles and waited for Dean before tossing a match into the bowl lighting the ingredients. A flash of flames whooshed upward as smoke curled around their heads. An earthly, sweet aroma filled the air around them.

"You sure you know what you're doing?" Dean whispered as he gripped his brother's hands.

"Quiet!" Sam insisted. "I call upon the spirits to come to me, hear my voice. Come to me Father Nicholas, show yourself," Sam started talking in a calm, steady voice. "We mean you no harm. We want to help you so you can find peace."

Dean looked around the altar as he stiffened waiting to see if anything was going to happen. He looked back to Sam who had closed his eyes and was breathing deeply and slowly as he continued talking.

"Father Nicholas are you here? We know you were murdered when you tried to keep the gangs from taking over your neighborhood. You wanted to keep your flock safe. Come forth and let yourself be seen."

Dean felt a chill in the air and blew out seeing his breath form small white mist in front of his face. Sam's hand tightened his grip to an almost painful point as he scrunched over slightly and stilled.

A shimmering in the air nearby caught Dean's attention and he watched as a body slowly began to take shape, flickering in and out, until it became corporal and Father Nicholas stood before them.

"Sam," Dean whispered when he saw Sam still had his eyes closed. "Sammy!" he hissed giving his arm a shake to break his concentration.

Sam opened his eyes slowly, blinking quickly as he drew in a shallow breath. He looked up and saw Dean staring at something and turned to look that way too.

"Father Nicholas?" Sam asked carefully keeping a firm grip on Dean's sweaty hands that trembled slightly.

"Why have you called to me? And how did you know how to do this?" the spirit asked looking at the two brothers with a frown on his face.

"We know why you're here and have not moved on. You are still trying to protect the community and people that live here."

"The police can only do so much. The Savage Skulls were forcing kids to be dealers by threatening their families. I stood up to them and they didn't like it. They gunned me down on my way back from the community center as a warning to others."

"We want to help you Father. If we can get evidence on the gang leaders and get them off the streets, maybe we can break it up," Sam offered.

"You could find out where the illegal things are happening, and we can take them down. You can be our eyes and ears inside the gang," Dean added.

"You think you can do that? Can you really stop them? They're dangerous and well-armed."

"We've hunted and killed worse than these gang members Father," Dean told him. "We're hunters and good at it."

"There is someone else who was killed around the same time as you, a Taylor Cooper. He was a teacher at the high school across town. Cooper was trying to keep drug dealers away for the school to keep them from selling to the students. He has come back just like you to try and continue his mission. Do you think you could find him and have him talk to us?" Sam asked. "We will help both of you and then you and Cooper can be a peace."

"I met Mr. Cooper at the community center. He was a dedicated teacher and cared about his students. I will see what I can do."

"We are staying at the Comfort Inn in room 17," Dean said. "You can come there, and we will work on a plan to get rid of both parties."

"Why would you even care? They are evil people who deserve to die."

"Because we don't want to see you turn into a vengeful spirit who won't be able to control who they kill. You could kill innocent people before you are stopped."

"I will see what I can do to find Mr. Cooper and will find you," Father Nicholas told them before fading and disappearing.

"Excuse me, can I help you?" a voice asked from the side of room.

"Crap, it's a Father," Dean whispered quickly as he jerked his hands free and went to head him off so Sam could stash the evidence of the séance. He stepped down to stop the Father before he got any closer. "Hello Father, we talked to you earlier; we're FBI and are looking into the deaths happening in this town."

Sam grabbed his pack and blew out the candles before grabbing up the silk cloth with the bowl and candles still on it and stuffed it quickly into the pack. He shouldered it and went to join Dean and the Father.

"Of course, but how did you get in here? The doors were supposed to be locked."

"Guess one was missed," Sam added. "We wanted to know if you have had any more trouble with the gang, Salvage Skulls, since Father Nicholas' death."

"Not really. I think they're laying low for a while to stay off the police radar. I'm sure they'll be back at it in no time."

"Maybe we can help with that. Thank you, Father, we'll be going now," Dean replied wanting to get away before more questions they couldn't answer were asked.

"I thought I heard you talking to someone else when I walked in."

"No, it was just us. We better be going," Sam answered as he pushed Dean down the aisle and toward the front doors. "We'll be in touch."

Once they were outside and, in the car, Dean finally spoke.

"You think he'll be able to find Cooper and he will agree to this too?"

"I hope so. If not, I'm not sure what we'll do. The book said a Fext can't be stopped by conventional methods."

"Oh, that's good to know. And what's to stop them from turning vengeful?" Dean complained throwing his hand up in anger.

"I don't know. There was no reference to that. Let's just hope they will agree to our terms and we can stop them from killing any more even if they are bad guys."

"Guess we should head back and try to get some sleep. No telling when or if they will come," Dean sighed cranking the Impala and heading back to the motel. Neither brother spoke on the way to the motel, each lost in their own thoughts.


A/N: So, can the brothers convince the Fext to help them? Thank you for taking this journey with me. I hope you enjoy this creature. The second part will be up tomorrow. Reviews are great. NC