Two months earlier…Savannah, GA

Twin Stars Motel

"Sam…Sam……SAMMY!"

Sam Winchester jumped as he suddenly realized his brother was simultaneously shaking him and yelling.

"Wh-what?" Sam stammered as he came back to reality. "Sorry Dean, I must have zoned out there."

"Yeah, you were a regular space cadet for a minute or so," Dean said, eyeing Sam. "What happened?"

"Well I was going over the stuff for this case and then…" he shrugged. "I-I don't know what happened then."

"You sure you didn't see anything? Hear anything?" Dean asked with a hint of skepticism.

"No! If I did though I certainly don't remember it now," Sam insisted.

"Okay, well anything pops back into your head fill me in." Sam didn't look at his brother. "Sam!" Dean said a little louder. This time, Sam did look up. "No more keeping stuff from me. You're all I've got."

"I know Dean!" Sam insisted. "Anything comes up I'm definitely going to tell you."

"All right," Dean said as he plopped down on the third rate motel bed. "You were reminding me why we're here in this sauna. God I hate humidity."

"Yeah well, I'm not a fan of it either but like I said earlier, I really think we've got something here. I told you what Ruby said when she called…" Sam began as he shuffled through some papers.

"Yeah, yeah," Dean interrupted. "Little Miss Congeniality wants us to look into a string of deaths. You know, I don't know what it is but I liked her whole lot better when she was sharing with that blonde chick. Is it just me or is she a hell of a lot bitchier now that it's just her?"

"That's not the point Dean," Sam sighed as he continued digging through the pile of papers.

"I'm just saying…" Dean added, shrugging, but Sam was already ignoring him again.

"Okay, from what I can gather, there have been ten deaths within the past 3 months. No obvious connections among them; some were men, some women, and there was a range of ages. Different occupations…hang on," Sam paused as he compared several pages.

"What have you got?" Dean asked as he leaned over for a closer look.

"Well, the only thing that they all seem to have in common is they were all parents. Parents of young kids to be exact, I think the oldest one is ten…" Sam rummaged through the pile in front of him again.

"Yeah so? Lots of people have kids. I'm not really seeing a connection here," Dean argued as he stretched out on the bed.

"True, but see here?" Sam tossed a piece of paper at Dean. "Seven of the kids who had a parent die were put into therapy after it happened. I know that happens in regular situations but…"

"But just maybe these kids saw something," Dean finished, sitting back up to finally look at the paper that had landed on his chest.

"It's completely possible," Sam continued. "I think we need to track down some of these doctors and see what these kids are saying."

"We know where they're going?" Dean asked, looking up at his brother.

"Yeah, and we've actually lucked out. Five of the kids are all going to doctors in the same clinic. The Croft & Tarrow Center for Psychology."

"Sounds fancy," Dean interjected.

"Apparently, there are two doctors involved with the kids there, Charles Shumaker and Serena MacKeltar."

"Alright well let's get this show on the road! The quicker we can find out what this thing is...and kill it...the quicker we can get out of this sauna!" Dean said with a grin. "I vote we visit the chick first."

"Ha ha Dean," Sam chuckled as they moved to gather their gear and head out.

The Croft & Tarrow Center for Psychology

"Look Laney...I have no idea how you scored the corner office....but I'm betting top dollar you slept your way to the top," Mara MacKeltar teased her cousin as she took in the spacious office on the third floor.

"Yes Mara, that's exactly how I did it. How did you guess?" Serena Elaine MacKeltar replied with a grin. "So how was the drive? I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I know....but you know how I am. I don't like to stop overnight when I can just as easily crash as soon as I get wherever I'm going. So why don't you tell me what's got you calling me in the middle of the night asking me to drive down ASAP from a few states away?" Mara asked as she draped her 5' 10" frame over one of the plush couches.

Serena sat down on the other end of the couch and tucked her legs underneath her. "Well, I told you that we've had several deaths in the area. It's been both men and women, but they were all parents of young children. They've all happened too close together for me to buy the natural causes claim. Also, several of the kids were put into therapy after one of their parents died. Not an uncommon thing, but with all of this happening at around the same time, it just seemed like something more up your alley. I just haven't been able to see a pattern yet," Serena explained as her blue eyes watched for her cousin's reaction.

"Are they all your patients?" Mara asked, green eyes narrowed in concentration.

"Gods no. Only three of them are mine. There are other licensed child psychologists in the area, even in this building Mara," Serena laughed.

"I know, but you can't help it that you're the best," Mara grinned. "I just wanted to make sure. Honestly, it would be nice if they were all yours. It'd be so much easier to figure out why this is happening and if there's a pattern if I could get my hands on all the records….anyways! Any of the kids claiming they saw something out of the ordinary? Something that just can't be explained?"

"Well," Serena sighed, "let me get the files. You really need to read this." She got up and made her way over to a large black file cabinet and began rummaging through one of the drawers. "Ah! Here we go!" she exclaimed, drawing out three files overflowing with papers. She bumped the drawer shut with her hip and made her way back to the couch where she handed the files over to the red head sitting there. "There was one unusual thing I noticed. I'm not sure about the kids that are seeing the other doctors, obviously, but the ones I'm seeing have all stated that they kept seeing one of their parents come back home wearing something different from what they left in."

Mara leafed through one of the files and started reading the preliminary reports. "That's not unusual is it though?" she asked. "Hell they could've gone to the gym or something during their lunch break or maybe a hot affair on the side…"

Serena gave Mara a straight look. "They saw them come back in right after they supposedly left. Like maybe five minutes after, wearing different clothes. But they also said that their parent didn't look right...like something was underneath their face...like they were wearing a mommy/daddy mask."

"Whoa….creepy? Alright then…what are the remaining parents saying?" Mara asked with a slight shudder.

"They keep saying something to the effect of 'I just don't remember what they were wearing….it was them, I know my wife, I know my husband'. You know the story," Serena replied as she watched Mara shuffle through the files.

A puzzled look crossed Mara's face as she continued to read but a few moments later, she snapped the open file shut and leaned back to stretch. "Well," she said stifling a yawn, "it might take me a little while to figure out what this thing might be, but I've got a couple of ideas springing to mind that I'm going to check out first. Hopefully one of those is the right one and I can go pop this thing off the map and we can actually have some fun while I'm here!" She ended with a wink to her cousin who was intently staring at the floor. "Uhh Laney? Helllloooo….earth to Serena!!" she said loudly as she waved her hand in front of the other woman's face.

"What? Oh…sorry. Kinda zoned out there for a minute," Serena grimaced, shaking her head.

"You been doing this space cadet thing a lot lately?" Mara asked as she set down the files she was still holding.

"Well, not until recently. But with all this happening, and these poor kids coming in….I guess I've just been thinking a lot about what could be going on with them and how I can fix it. Which is why I called you in the first place. You're the only one I know who would help me….or even believe me," Serena replied.

"You mean, I'm the only one crazy enough to buy what you're selling," Mara added with a laugh. "Don't worry. We'll figure this out and then we'll go all BAMF and take whatever it is off the radar for good," Mara said with a grin, getting visibly excited at the fight that would be sure to come.

Serena grinned as well. "I don't think you know a mode other than BAMF when it comes to this kind of stuff." She glanced down at her watch. "I've only got one more patient for today, but after that we can get started on the research. Why don't you head to my place and rest up til then?"

Mara stood up and twisted from side to side, stretching her back. "Sounds good to me," she yawned. "I'm beat from all that driving."

"Oh! I almost forgot! After this is all over, there's a new club in town that I've been wanting to check out. Wanna go with me?" Serena asked.

"Hell yeah! I need a good fight and a good after party, especially after what happened with Bristol," Mara replied with a sneer.

Serena's head snapped up, shocked. "What?! What happened with Bristol??" she took a closer look at Mara's left hand and noticed that the beautiful ring she had last seen there was gone.

Mara sighed as she sat back down and placed her head in her hands. "He left."

"Do WHAT?! What happened?!" Serena gasped as she tossed the files Mara had set down to the floor so she could sit beside her.

"Yeah well you know we've been having issues right?" Mara asked. Serena nodded. "Well about a month ago he just up and left. Told me he'd been lying to me about loving me and all that jazz." She grimaced.

"That sorry piece of….I'll kill him myself!" Serena vehemently replied.

"Nah, that's okay. I almost might feel bad for him if you went after him. Almost," Mara emphasized grinning. "I slugged him pretty good anyways. Knocked him clear across his car. But it's over now and I'm moving on. I tell you one thing though…no more quiet types for me. I need someone more like me; not the strong, silent, tortured type I keep falling for."

"Speaking of which, I think we could both take that advice. We need men more like us; men we connect with because of common interests not because of the whole opposites attract thing. We need to find something a little closer to our personalities," Serena said standing up. "But we're definitely having a mini party tonight to celebrate. Always thought he was a jackass." Mara laughed along with Serena at this comment but Serena fixed her in a stare after a moment.

"That's never a good look," Mara said, standing up so she was looking down at an obviously frustrated Serena.

"Why didn't you tell me about this when it happened?" Serena asked in a serious voice. "You just fell off the face of the earth for a while but I guessed you were in the middle of a research project again. I wasn't even sure if you'd respond to my messages, I know how you can get when you get into your work."

Mara gave a half-hearted laugh and moved across the room to look out one of the large windows. "Well I did take a research job right after so you weren't too far off. I spent a good two weeks wallowing though before I really snapped back into myself. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner."

"It's okay…you know I'm here for you though," Serena replied with a soft smile. She completely understood that Mara didn't like to depend on anyone else because she was the same way.

At that moment, Serena's secretary, Lynne, knocked lightly on the door and not waiting for an answer, stepped inside and shut the door behind her.

"Serena, there are….oh Mara! I didn't even know you were here!" Lynne exclaimed.

Mara laughed. "It's okay Lynne. You think you'd be used to me just randomly popping in. You've worked with Laney for a while now."

"Oh well, I suppose you're right," Lynne agreed. "It just always startles me how you can sneak in here like that!"

"Hey now…I didn't sneak! You were on the phone and just didn't notice me. Besides, I've only been here for an hour or so, so it's okay. You didn't miss me by much this time," Mara replied laughing.

Lynne sighed. "Yeah well one day I'll catch you as you walk in! Oh Serena, the reason I came in was because there are two men out in the lobby that would like to speak with you. They say they're from the FBI."

Serena and Mara shared a startled glance before Mara shook her head disapprovingly and said, "What have you gotten yourself into now Laney?"

An exasperated Serena replied, "Nothing! Jesus…they must be here about the kids who lost parents recently….that's the only reason I can think of why they'd be here. Lynne you can let them in." Lynne nodded and stepped back out of the room. "Mara, you sticking around or skipping out for that nap?"

"What do you think?" Mara answered, plopping back down on the couch. "I wanna get a load of the government goons too. Sleep can wait."

"Alright. Just keep quiet though. You're not supposed to know about the patients' records," Serena said as she hurriedly pulled her long blonde hair up into a bun at the back of her head.

"You won't even know I'm here," Mara promised, grinning. "Want me to cross my heart too?"

"Yeah, cause that always works," Serena laughed, as she picked up the files she had pulled out and placed them on her desk. "I swear Mara, as soon as you show up, stuff just starts to happen."

"Hey now, don't be testy," Mara said shaking a finger at Serena. "Remember, I can still kick your ass in hand to hand…as long as you don't cheat and bring in Kitty."

"Yeah, yeah, I won't bring in Kitty as long as The Twins stay out of it too," Serena agreed laughing. Her laughter was cut short by the sound of a knock at the door and both women turned to see who would come in.

About ten minutes earlier…

"Damn," Dean whistled as he slammed the door of the Impala shut, "they gotta shrink a lotta heads to pay for these digs."

"Yeah," Sam agreed, looking up at the gleaming exterior of the Croft & Tarrow Center for Psychology. "Listen Dean, we're going to have to watch ourselves here. I have a feeling they're going to be paying a little more attention to us than some of the other places we've been."

"Worried they're gonna read your mind Sammy?" Dean teased.

Sam gave his brother a look. "Let's just get in there and try to get something useful."

"Fine by me," Dean shrugged. "Sooner we get in and out, the better. These head doctors creep me out. I tell you though, I am not sitting on anyone's couch!"

Sam rolled his eyes and straightened his tie. "Just let me do the talking okay?" he asked.

Dean gave a noncommittal shrug and the brothers made their way to the revolving glass doors.

After showing their "badges" to the security guard at the front desk, they got on the elevators and headed up to the third floor.

"Ten bucks says she's got gray hair and a bun," Dean said as the elevator arrived on the designated floor.

"Come on Dean," Sam sighed as the doors opened. They stepped out into a large waiting room that was full of comfortable looking oversized chairs and couches. The few people waiting looked up from their magazines and curiously eyed the new arrivals.

"Excuse me," Sam said as they stepped up to the desk opposite the elevators. "I'm Agent Waters, this is my partner Agent Gilmour. We need to speak with Dr. MacKeltar about a few issues if that's possible."

The receptionist eyed them for a moment. "May I see your badges?" she asked.

"Of course!" Sam said, digging for the badge as Dean did the same.

After examining them, she pointed down the hall behind her. "You'll need to go down that hall and then make a left. You'll need to speak with Dr. MacKeltar's secretary Lynne and she'll tell the doctor you're here."

Sam thanked her and the two made their way down the hall and soon came to yet another, smaller waiting area and a desk that a slightly older lady with short brown hair was sitting at, talking on the phone.

"Hang on, let me call you back," the woman quickly whispered into the phone as Sam and Dean approached her. "Gentlemen? How may I help you?" she asked as she replaced the receiver.

"Lynne?" Sam asked as he again brought out his badge. "I'm Agent Waters and this is my partner Agent Gilmour. The lady up front said we needed to see you about speaking with Dr. MacKeltar."

Lynne's eyes grew large as she looked up at the men before her and she blinked more than a few times as she examined the badges they held out to her. "Oh my," she murmured. "I-I believe she has a few moments before her next appointment. Excuse me while I check with her," she said as she stood up, looking a little flustered.

"Thank you ma'am," Sam said, smiling as Lynne disappeared through a pair of tall, heavy-looking doors.

"Such a lady killer Sammy!" Dean said, elbowing his brother.

"Hardly," Sam laughed. "I think it was the badge and not the man that shocked her."

"And he's humble too!" Dean went on with a big grin on his face.

Sam shook his head and laughed. As Dean went off on a comparison to The Graduate, Sam glanced around the waiting room. It was definitely more for children than the other one with its brightly colored decorations and a stand full of toys and books in one corner. The clicking of a door knob caused him to shift his attention back to the large doors and he saw Lynne making her way back to them.

"Well gentlemen," she said still looking a little flushed, "Dr. MacKeltar will see you now. Please go on back."

Sam and Dean both smiled their thanks as they passed by and Lynne's face went from pink to red.

"I'm telling ya Sammy, you got a real way with…"Dean started as he reached to knock on the door. He stopped as he realized it was partially cracked and he could hear two female voices coming from inside. He raised an eyebrow as Sam moved up to see what was going on.

A deep, smooth female voice was speaking. "Hey now, don't be testy. Remember, I can still kick your ass in hand to hand…as long as you don't cheat and bring in Kitty."

The brothers eyed each other as another female voice cut in that was slightly higher. "Yeah, yeah, I won't bring in Kitty as long as The Twins stay out of it too!" Dean grinned as the laughter began and he interrupted it with a knock. This might actually turn out to be interesting…

AN: Reviews are much loved!! Click the button and make a person smile today!