A/N: Hello my dear readers and welcome back to another short story. I'm taking a different approach in this AU and hope you enjoy it. I want to thank VegasGranny for all her support, ideas, and help with making it better. The brothers are surprised by the ones requesting their help and who sent them. Thank you for coming along on this journey with me. Reviews/Comments would be great. NC

Disclaimer: I do not own any thing of SPN, and this is my own creation. Any errors are my own.

Chapter 1

The day was slightly overcast, but the air was warm as Sheriff Jody Mills made her way through the business district of Sioux Falls. She greeted those she knew, and she knew nearly everyone that lived in the town. She was well liked by the townsfolks because she treated everyone with respect and was fair in doing her job. She had been sheriff for the town a number of years and took her job seriously. It wasn't long ago that she found out about the supernatural and the monsters that shared their world.

Sheriff Mills had made the acquaintance of Bobby Singer, who most of the town thought of as the town drunk, and through him met the Winchester brothers. They were all hunters and kept the country safe from the monsters that endangered humanity. At first, she thought they were nuts and should be confined to a mental institution, but then she saw it firsthand and became a believer. Now, she helped where she could, had studied up on the supernatural, and insisted that Bobby let her know if there was ever any danger in Sioux Falls. She wanted to be ready and prepared in case that happened.

It was nearly lunchtime, and Sheriff Mills thought she would visit the deli today. She walked the couple of blocks to the restaurant and went inside seeing it wasn't busy yet and there were only a couple a people ahead of her. She eyed the young man that was at the counter being waiting on and didn't recognize him. He was about six one or two in height and probably weighted approximately one hundred and eighty pounds, give or take. He had chestnut brown hair that hung to his shoulders being held back by a thin leather strip and had an athletic build with wide shoulders and muscular arms. His face was chiseled and rugged looking with the shadow of a beard that made him look mysterious and sexy.

She couldn't hear what he was saying to the cashier but got the impression he didn't get the answer he wanted. The stranger thanked the cashier and turned to leave. Jody studied his handsome face and saw his golden-brown eyes land on her for a moment as he took in the uniform she was wearing. His eyes were filled with intelligence and a spark of life. He nodded politely to her in passing and headed out the door. She turned to watch him as he decided which way to go before walking away.

"Hey Sheriff," the cashier greeted her.

"Hi, Terry. How are things going today?" Jody replied.

"Not bad so far, but the lunch rush hasn't started yet. What can I get you today?"

"I'll have a number..Four with mustard, oil, lettuce, tomato on wheat bread and an iced tea."

"You got it," Terry nodded scribbling on a pad before turning to start the sandwich.

"Terry, who was that guy in here a few minutes ago? I don't think I've seen him around before."

"Don't know his name but he was asking about the Winchester brothers."

"That's interesting. What did you tell him?"

"That they come in sometimes but haven't seen them in a while. Why? Is something going on?"

"No, no, it's fine. Must be a friend of theirs." Jody moved down the counter to wait on her order and thought about the stranger wondering if he was a hunter, like the brothers and Bobby. She knew there were more hunters out there, spread across the country fighting to keep humanity safe. They never got any recognition or were paid for what they did, but they still did it. Hunters were a breed like no other. They were tough, roughed, hardnosed, didn't take crap from anyone, and kept mostly to themselves. They had a network where they communicated among themselves and kept their dealings secret from the general population.

After Jody got her food, she went outside to a roped off section that had tables and chairs with large umbrellas for shade. She took a seat and sipped her tea as she pulled her cell from her jacket pocket. She pulled up a number and dialed it, waiting for it to be answered.

"Singer Salvage," a gruff male voice answered.

"Bobby Singer, Jody Mills, how are things going?"

"Sheriff Mills, Jody, I'm surprised to hear from you; is something wrong?"

"I'm not sure. I thought I'd let you know there was a young man in town that is asking about the Winchester brothers. Are you expecting someone? A new hunter by chance?"

"No, not that I know of. What did he look like?"

"I'd say Dean's age or a couple years older, dark headed, golden-brown eyes, around Dean's build and size. There was something about him that I can't put my finger on. I'm not sure what it was."

"Doesn't sound familiar to me. I'll keep a watch for him."

"Where are the brothers? Do you expect them to be heading this way?"

"They were out in Oregon working a case the last I heard from them. I'm not sure when they'll be coming back this way, but they usually let me know."

"Alright then, I just wanted to give you a heads up. Take care Singer."

"Will do Sheriff."

"Let me know if you have any trouble you can't manage."

"I'll be sure and call you. Thanks for the warning."

"Goodbye." Jody disconnected the call and stored the cell back in her jacket pocket. She unwrapped her sandwich and began to eat as she watched the people walking by on the sidewalk going about their business. She enjoyed people watching and wondering where they heading.

spn

Bobby leaned back in his desk chair and laced his fingers as he thought about what Sheriff Mills had told him and wondered who was looking for his boys. He pushed the chair back and got up to get a cup of coffee before heading back to the garage to finish working on a car so he could get it back to the owner.

The garage and salvage yard were a side business to pay the bills and a cover. He was the number one go to guy for hunters who needed research done on anything supernatural. He had collected books, tomes, lore, scripts, manuscripts, deceased hunters' journals, and whatever else he could find so he could help hunters. His office had bookshelves of books and stacks of books that wouldn't fit on the shelves as reference material for his research.

Several hours later, Bobby had finished with the car and pulled it outside to be picked up. He went back into the garage and cleaned up before closing the bay door and locking the side door. He looked toward the house when the sound of a loud engine made its way around the house and stopped. Bobby didn't recognize the motorcycle or the person getting off it and removing his helmet. He continued toward the stranger thinking this might be the guy that Sheriff Mills called him about.

"Good afternoon; are you by chance Mr. Singer?" the stranger asked when Bobby drew near and stopped by the motorcycle.

"I am. What can I do for you?" Bobby asked him looking at the Harley motorcycle the stranger was riding. "Nice ride."

"Thank you, I like it. My name is Lucian. We have a mutual friend of a friend by the name of Garth."

"And how do you know Garth?"

"We have some of the same friends and when I asked for help, well, Garth said he'd send me to the best hunters he knew."

"I see. Why would Garth send you to see me?"

"I am told you know the Winchester brothers, and I'd like to contact them. I need their help. They have a certain skill set that I need."

"Well, I ain't seen them around in a while. Do you wanna leave your name and number and if they get in touch with me, I'll pass it along?"

"I can do that," Lucian nodded pulling a pen and paper from his pocket. He wrote down the information and passed it to Bobby. "If you have a way to contact them, please do. It's urgent that I talk with them and hope they will help me."

"I'll see what I can do." Bobby studied the young man's face and could sense desperation and worry.

"I'm going to be staying in town at the Days Inn for a few days. Thank you for your time," Lucian told Bobby before getting on his motorcycle and turning around to drive away. He could tell Bobby was suspicious of his desires to speak with the Winchesters but hoped that didn't stop him from calling them.

Bobby looked at the piece of paper with the name and number printed neatly on it and headed into the house to make a phone call. He didn't know if he could get a hold of the boys, but he was going to try. It seemed this Lucian person was desperate to talk to them and wondered why.

Before calling Dean, Bobby placed a call to the customer to let him know his car was ready to be picked up and how much he owned. Once that was done, he dialed Dean's number and waited for it to be answered. He got voicemail and left a message for him to call as soon as he could. He stuck the paper under the phone and got up to fix his dinner while he waited to see if Dean would call him back and for the customer to come by for his car.

Dinner was out of a can like most nights, unless his boys were there and one of them cooked. He had gotten used to it over the years of being alone. He never remarried after his wife, Karen, died from a fatal knife wound that he inflicted when she was possessed by a demon. Bobby didn't know anything about the supernatural back then and had no idea how to save her or what was making her try to kill him. He would have been dead too, had not a hunter named Rufus Turner busted in and exorcised the demon. That is when he decided to be a hunter and learned all he could about every damn critter that walks, crawls, or flies. He even traveled abroad to Japan to get as far away from Sioux Falls and the death of his wife as he could. Bobby came back to Sioux Falls and spend the next twenty years honing his skills as a hunter and becoming one of the best.

When the Winchester brothers first came into him life, he had no idea they would melt his cold heart and become like the sons he never had. John Winchester came to him off and on over the years for help with hunts and to leave the boys with him so he could continue his search for the demon who killed his wife, Mary. He became obsessed with his need for revenge and raised his boys like warriors, teaching them to hunt and follow in his footsteps. Bobby thought he was doing the boys wrong in raising them the way he did and had almost come to blows several times regarding the matter.

Now Bobby was their surrogate father and mentor and loved them like they were his own. He was always there for them to pull their asses out of the fire or help them on hunts. The brothers thought of Bobby's place as their home now and would visit between hunts to recharge or heal from an injury or to unwind.

Whatever this Lucian person wanted, Bobby was going to be sure that he posed no threat to his boys. He would always watch their backs and try to keep them safe.