"Creepy as that guy was, he was right about the burgers here. This is freakin' delicious!" Dean watched Sam spear a carrot with his fork. Sammy, always with the rabbit food. Dean took another giant bite of burger with defiance, a glob of ketchup painting his right cheek.

"Glad you approve," chimed the dark-haired waitress as she passed the brother's table. Dean grinned goofily and swallowed his food.

"I do approve," he agreed, then muttered as he watched her bend over to clean a nearby table, "boy, do I approve." He raised his eyebrows twice. Sam shook his head in disgust. Whatever. His baby brother could hide it all he wanted, Dean had seen him check out the waitress. With her tight red shorts, low cut blouse, and pretty smile, a guy would have to be dead not to notice her. It took Sam's fingers snapping in his face to bring Dean back to earth.

"What?"

"You didn't hear a word I just said, did you?" Sam sounded mildly irritated.

"Sorry, man. Just distracted. Do you see the legs on her?" Dean remarked with a low whistle.

"My mind's on other things right now, Dean. How about thinking with whatever brains you have, okay?"

Dean stuffed a french fry into his mouth. "I'm listening." He said mid-chew. "No need to be so testy."

"Look, I just-didn't you think that that Mr. Gold guy was a bit…peculiar? I mean," Sam leaned in towards his brother as his voice grew softer. "How did he know we were lost out there? What was he even doing out there?"

Dean begrudgingly set down his burger and wiped his hands and face with a red linen napkin. "Listen Sam, the guy told us. He was out for a walk, saw us, and stopped to help. That's it. Don't go making this into a case." He shifted to lean back in his chair. His brother looked incredulous. Oh god, here we go.

"Right, he was 'just going for a walk.' To the town line. Where there's nothing to see but trees and pavement. It was all coincidence. Guy just has impeccable timing, that's all." Sarcastic Sam. Dean hated sarcastic Sam but he couldn't deny that there was truth to his brother's words. Mr. Gold really was an odd duck. Not in a demon, vampire, shape-shifter kind of way, but there was something that didn't quite set right.

For one thing, Gold had offered no first name. He introduced himself as Mr. Gold. Why so formal? It was almost as if he'd wanted to keep them guessing. Then he had seemed all too eager to help them into town. Initially Dean had written that off as altruism, but then Gold had insisted they stay in town for the night. He'd said the roads were hazardous after sunset and that they'd have better luck in the morning. There was an inn and diner in the heart of town where they could get food and some much needed rest. But even that seemed normal. Gold was simply a kind man, looking out for Dean and his brother. Then he said something strange.

"You boys are lost. You may very well find what you're looking for right here. Who knows, perhaps its been here all along." Dean's stomach had grumbled then. "Granny's Diner really has the best hamburgers in the state. You should try one."

So they took his suggestion. He'd been right about the burgers, but what he'd meant about finding what they'd been looking for…both brothers were baffled. Dean voted not to dwell on it. They'd stay the night, Sam would ask for directions, and then they'd be back on the road to Boston the next morning. Sam was dwelling.

"Maybe we could stay for a day or two. You know, check out the town a bit." The younger Winchester suggested.

Dean finished the last of his dinner and shook his head. "We have a hunt in Boston. We're not going to risk more people dying from whatever the hell is out there so that we can play tourist here."

Sam was silent for a moment, then he nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry. It's just, this place. There's a certain presence here. Do you feel it?" Dean watched his younger brother's anxious eyes dart across the diner.

Dean removed a twenty dollar bill from his wallet, tossed it on the table, and stood. "You know what Sam, I do feel it and I don't like it. So let's check into a room, get some sleep, and get the hell outta here soon as the sun comes up tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay." Sam agreed.

"Excuse me darlin'," Dean called to the waitress.

"What can I do for you?" She smiled flirtatiously.

Dean could think of several things, but he chose to stick with asking about a room. At his request her eyes moved from him to Sam and then back again.

"Oh! I didn't realize you two were-"

Seriously? Again? "We're brothers."

"Gotcha." She grinned and called over to a white-haired woman who Dean could only assume was the Granny. "These two need a room. They're brothers." She added when she saw the curious look on the old woman's face.

"Ah, well, I have a lovely room with a view available." She chuckled. "Just messing with you. Come with me."

So the people of Storybrooke have a sense of humor. Wonderful. Dean followed behind Sam as Granny showed them to their room.

The woman was attractive. Dark hair, dark eyes. Damp eyes. She was crying. But the tears weren't sad. She was trembling with rage. Her hate was so strong it was nearly palpable. Her lip was bleeding. Or was it just smudged lipstick? In her hand she held a familiar object. It glowed pink, pulsating like... a beating heart. But it couldn't be. The woman's fingers tightened around the object and she began to squeeze. White hot pain. Constricting chest. Tighter and tighter, pain intensifying. A flash of white light. Then darkness.

Dean woke, chest heaving as he fought to catch his breath. He was soaked with sweat. Sam was beside him, his right hand gripping his brother's shoulder, shaking him awake. "Dean! Dean, are you alright?"

Dean sat up, taking a moment to feel cool air pass through his lungs. Then he looked his brother dead in the eye and said "Sam, someone's just been murdered."

To Be Continued...

A/N: Instead of titling my chapters "Chapter 1" "Chapter 2" etc., I'll probably start titling them to reflect the character whose POV I'm writing in. It's going to switch quite a bit and I don't want it to get confusing for you guys (or me for that matter haha). Thanks again to everyone who's taken the time to read/favorite/follow/review my nonsense. I'm having a lot of fun so far!