Supernatural belongs to Eric Kripke and WB. I'm just borrowing the characters to play with for a while!

Set after Asylum (I'm pretending their father didn't call at the end of the episode!) and set before Scarecrow. Enjoy!

BROTHERS

by Eryn Grant

CHAPTER TWO
Research and Explanations

An hour later the two brothers were sitting in a motel room a few blocks from the diner.

"The car talked to you," Sam laughed. "The car talked to you," he repeated choking on his giggles. He leant forward putting a hand on Dean's forehead checking for a fever. "Are you OK?"

Dean swatted Sam's hand away. "You mean apart from the fact that my chest still hurts like a bitch because my brother shot me," he snapped not able to help himself. He looked down at his feet his anger surprising him. Dean thought he had pushed it down inside, but the misery he had felt at Sam's hurtful words was still raw gnawing at him. He looked up immediately regretting his harsh words when he saw the guilty look on Sam's face. Sam opened his mouth to say something but was stopped by Dean putting his hand up. "Don't," Dean said.

Sam ignored his brother. "We have to talk about it sometime Dean," he said quietly.

Dean glared at Sam for a moment then softened his expression. "I know," he sighed. "But not right now. OK?" he pleaded.

Sam stared at Dean for a moment. He was surprised at what he saw. Fear and hurt had flickered across this brother's face for a brief moment then disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. He didn't want what happened at the asylum to destroy their relationship but at the same time Sam didn't want to hurt Dean any more than he already had. He sighed quietly but reluctantly nodded in agreement. "So tell me about the car again," Sam quickly changed the subject before he changed his mind.

"I already told you," Dean sighed. "I touched the car and it talked to me." He got up from the bed and paced up and down the room.

"Yeah right," Sam leaned back in his seat. "You are taking this love affair with cars far too seriously."

Dean glared at Sam. "So geek boy," he waved at the open laptop. "Found anything interesting?"

"Nothing that involves talking cars," Sam quipped with a giggle as he moved towards the laptop.

"I may just have to hit you with the damn laptop if you don't quit it about talking cars," Dean threatened.

"OK man," Sam said calmly as he turned the laptop around so Dean could see the screen. "Apparently a Steven Williamson killed himself back in the late fifties up on Lake Road. That's the dusty road we came in on."

Dean snorted. "How could I forget," he said sarcastically.

Sam ignored his brother. "Witnesses say that he drove his car off the highest point on the road down into the lake. The car exploded and his body was never found."

"Could be our ghost," Dean nodded. "Suicide can make a spirit angry."

Sam nodded. "But the really interesting thing is," he scrolled down the article a bit further. "That his older brother David died on the same road about two weeks before. Also no body was found. And how he died remains a mystery."

"Great. Two ghosts with no bones to burn," Dean said. "Well that's just peachy." He stared to pace up and down the room again.

Sam twisted his head watching as Dean paced. "There was a witness to David's death but he was found unconscious at the wheel of his car and couldn't remember what had happened." He looked back to the screen. "The sheriff assumed that David had fallen or jumped into the lake." He shrugged. "What do you think?"

"Beats the hell outta me," Dean stopped pacing to stand behind Sam. He leaned over Sam's shoulder peering at the faded photograph at the bottom of the news article. It showed three boys standing together arms around each other smiling into the camera. "That's Frank," he pointed at the shorter boy in the picture.

"Are you sure?" Sam squinted at the screen unconvinced by his brother's confidence. "This picture was taken more than forty years ago."

"Can always pick out a fellow car enthusiast," Dean grinned at his brother.

"So the other two boys are probably David and Steven," Sam muttered.

"I think we need to go and have a little chat with my man Frank," Dean said grabbing his jacket off the bed. Sam closed up the laptop and followed his brother out of the door.

Dean scanned the diner for Frank as Sam slid onto a stool at the counter. "Hello boys," Hannah appeared from the kitchen. "Come back for some of my apple pie?"

Sam nodded with a grin. "Two pieces please." Hannah turned to cut the ordered pie.

Dean hopped onto the stool next to Sam. "One of those had better be for me," he whispered.

"Do you see anybody else in here?" Sam asked. Dean was tempted to stick his tongue out but settled on pulling a face.

"Thank you for what you did this morning," Hannah said over her shoulder to Dean. "It was very kind of you."

Dean blushed slightly and Sam stifled a giggle at his brother's reaction to a genuine compliment. Dean nudged Sam hard in the side which made his brother squeak and hit Dean's arm in retaliation. "No problem," he glared at Sam. "The car's a beauty."

"He loves that car," Hannah turned round. "You made his morning."

Dean blushed again. "We were looking for Frank," he said looking around the diner. "Is he about?"

"He's running some errands for me," she answered as she placed the pie in front of the brothers. "He'll be back in a couple of hours." She wiped at an invisible stain on the counter with a cloth. "Anything I can help you with?" She moved down the counter tidying menus, cutlery and napkins as she wiped the counter down.

Dean and Sam exchanged a look. Sam nodded. "We were wondering if Frank could tell us anything about David and Steven Williamson," Dean said.

Hannah looked up from her cleaning her face pale with shock. "Now what makes you ask about them?" she moved back towards the brothers. "They're long dead."

"Just curious," Dean shrugged.

"It's what Frank said about a ghost isn't it?" she asked. "It's just a stupid story. Nothing else. I told you to pay no mind to Frank."

"Did you know them?" Sam asked quietly. "We'd really like to know about them." Hannah stared at each of the brothers in turn. "Please," Sam persisted.

Mind made up Hannah let out a deep sigh. "Yes I knew them," she smiled slightly at the memory. "They were our cousins. And Frank worshipped them especially David." A look of sadness crossed her face. "It nearly killed him when David died. And then Steven... I don't think he ever got over it," she waved a hand towards the back of the diner. "I think that's why the car is so special and important to him."

"It belonged to them?" Dean asked.

Hannah nodded. "Frank helped them look after it. You know... washing it, polishing the inside... that sort of stuff."

"Is this Frank?" Sam asked spreading a copy of the newspaper article out on the counter. He pointed to the shorter of the smiling boys.

Hannah leaned forward. "Yes," she smiled. "That's Frank. I remember that picture being taken. My mother took it out back," she sighed. "A month later Steven and David were dead." Hannah moved towards the kitchen. "I'll be back in a moment."

"So you do think Frank knows anything about David's death?" Sam asked Dean.

Dean shrugged. "I think we need to ask him."

"And we need to take the EMF up to that road," Sam said. "See if we can get any readings."

Dean nodded in agreement. "But I'm driving," he reminded. Sam pulled a face but kept silent.

"Here you go," Hannah returned laying a large framed photograph on the counter for them to look at. Sam and Dean looked down to see the exact picture they had copied from the newspaper. The quality was better and they could see that the three smiling boys were leaning against the Impala. "Apart from the Impala, it's Frank's most precious possession," Hannah lightly touched the photograph. "That's David," she pointed to the taller boy. The one on the left is Steven."

"What were they like?" Dean asked curious.

Hannah smiled. "Pretty much like any brothers. Like you two," she nodded her head at them. Dean and Sam looked at each other frowning and Hannah chuckled. "Yep just like you two." She pushed two mugs towards them and poured them a coffee. "They spent a lot of time around here. Their mother died when they were little and their father... well their father was a mean drunk," she sighed. "He didn't have much time for them. So they really only had each other. But it always seemed enough for both of them."

Sam stared at Hannah his eyes wide. "How old were they when they died?" he managed to ask.

Hannah screwed up her face. "Let's see I was about eighteen so that makes Frank twenty." She nodded to herself. "So that would make Steven twenty-two and David twenty-six. Hannah turned to get the coffee pot. Sam went to shoot Dean a knowing glance but Dean was staring down at the photograph lost in his own thoughts. "They were good boys. Argued about a lot of stuff but deep down they loved each other. Steven and Frank were doing to open a garage together and work on cars. And David... well David wanted to be a lawyer. He got himself a scholarship and went back to school."

Sam nearly spat his coffee out. He coughed as the hot liquid hit the back of his throat. "Are you OK?" Hannah asked concerned.

Sam coughed again as Dean gently patted his back. "Yes I'm fine," he gasped. "Coffee's just a bit hot."

Dean gave him a strange look but remained silent. "Why was David here when he died?" Dean looked back to the photograph. He smiled to himself. He had one just like it of Sam and himself leaning against his own Impala safely tucked away in his wallet. His father had taken it just before Sam had left for college. Like Frank's photograph it was a treasured possession. Dean looked back to Hannah. "Shouldn't he have been in school?"

"Yes," Hannah replied sadly. "But he took a year off to be with his brother. Help him get started in his garage."

"Thanks Hannah," Dean slid off the stool. "Can I go and take another look at the car?" he asked.

"Sure," Hannah replied with a grin. "Help yourself. Go through the kitchen." Dean nodded and headed towards the kitchen. Sam watched as Dean disappeared. He turned back to Hannah and smiled.

"So Sammy," Hannah started to say.

"It's Sam," he shot automatically.

"I'm sorry Sam," Hannah pronounced his name carefully. "I bet Dean is the only one allowed to call you Sammy."

Sam frowned at the woman. She leaned forward. "David used to call his little brother Stevie. It drove Steven mad."

"I know the feeling," Sam interrupted.

"But he would only let David get away with it," Hannah smiled at the memory. "But I think he secretly liked David calling him Stevie. It was just one of their things."

Sam frowned again. "Dean does it on purpose to drive me crazy."

"Oh I doubt that's the only reason," Hannah smiled knowingly. "So why do you want to know about David and Steven?"

"Just interested," Sam replied vaguely. "We thought we might be able to help."

Hannah studied Sam. "It's just that I don't want Frank hurt again. And every time something happens up on that road, he gets upset and starts talking about ghosts again."

"We wouldn't want to hurt Frank," Dean said coming up behind Hannah. "We just want to help if we can."

"What do you mean every time something happens up on the road?" Sam asked.

Hannah looked from Dean to Sam. She sighed. "Not many people around here drive on that road. There's been a number of unexplained incidents up there."

"What kind of incidents?" Dean asked as he slid back on the stool next to Sam and took a sip of his coffee.

"Accidents to do with cars and young men mainly," Hannah replied. "Back in the fifties the kids around here used to race their cars up on Lake Road. It's the straightest piece of road we have around here and its got the added thrill of the sharp corner at the top of the hill where...," she paused for a moment. "Well after David and Steven died, the kids stopped using the road," she sighed as she continued. "But every few years or so the kids start up the racing again and there is always some kind of accident."

"Go on," Dean encouraged gently.

"Six months ago twin brothers were killed on the road racing their cars. They went over the edge," Hannah explained. "And Frank got all upset again. Having horrible nightmares... talking about ghosts and hauntings again and stuff that doesn't make any sense." She looked at Sam and Dean earnestly. "That road has haunted him for over forty years. All his dreams died with David and Steven. It's just me and Frank now... and I just don't want him hurt anymore."

Dean nudged Sam. He put his hand over Hannah's. "I promise we won't hurt Frank," he said. "Or talk about David or Steven to him. OK?"

"Thank you," Hannah said. "I really appreciate that."

Sam went to say something but was stopped by Dean tugging on his sleeve and dragging him off the stool towards the door. Dean gave Hannah a small wave as he opened the door. He shoved Sam outside. Hannah watched as Dean and Sam left the diner side by side. She could see they were arguing. "Yes just like them," Hannah turned back to her cleaning.

"I thought you were going to ask Frank about David and Steven?" Sam argued as they walked towards the Impala.

"Well I changed my mind," Dean snapped.

"But," Sam continued to protest.

Dean stopped and Sam nearly ran into his back. "Look Sammy," Dean's expression hardened as he whirled on his brother. "We are not going to ask Frank any questions. You heard what Hannah said. So... end of discussion." Dean turned and stalked towards the Impala.

Sam rolled his eyes at Dean's back. "OK," he conceded. "Did you get any readings off the car?" he shifted the subject away from Frank.

The Impala's door groaned as Dean opened it. He slipped into the driving seat. "Nothing," he answered.

Sam couldn't help himself as he took his place in the passenger seat. "So it's not talking to you?" he teased. "Perhaps you hurt its feelings somehow."

Dean turned sideways glowering at Sam. "Bite me," he hissed as he turned the ignition. Gunning the engine, he headed the Impala out of town towards Lake Road.

To be continued...