.-.-. Memory Remains.-.-.-.

Summary:

For two weeks Sam hasn't seen or heard from Dean and his search is getting nowhere. Now he's filing a missing persons report in a small town with a cop who looks an awful lot like his big brother.

Disclaimer - The usual, don't own 'em, just love playing with them. :D

Set late season 2… warnings for bad language and the other typical things you can expect from a SPN fic.

A/N: I have finally decided to get on and write this story. I got a message the other asking me when I was gonna do it so I decided right then that now was the time. I know I have two other stories going at the moment but for anyone reading them, please forgive me :D

Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

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Here it goes again

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So this is what it felt like. This is what it was like when a family member disappeared, leaving you all alone with no clue as to how you're gonna find them. Two weeks, two whole freaking weeks had gone by and Sam was no closer to finding Dean. In the last day alone he must have called Dean's cell two dozen times and left messages for at least half a dozen of them.

Of course it didn't help the fact that they were working a missing person's case and had barely even begun to get into the researching side of it. The scenarios just kept running through Sam's mind, torturing him as he imagined what could have happened to Dean, working his way through the list of every creature he and Dean had been talking about as possibilities and lingering on the outcomes far too long.

He didn't want to think about the 'maybes'. He wanted facts. But unfortunately, that was something he didn't have a lot of. Closing his eyes tight, he tried to remember what had happened the night Dean had vanished. They were leaving the motel room, like they'd done so many times before. And after that, all he could remember was an intense pain towards the back of his head as if someone had hit him with something strong and hard… then darkness.

Next thing he knew, he'd woken up in one of those bright white hospital rooms. The doctor's told him squat, giving him funny looks whenever he asked about his brother and insisting he had been brought in alone and that no one else had been found. They told him that one of the local cops had found him sprawled outside the motel room. Jonathan Grey or something…

That was a lead… He guessed maybe something had happened and his brother had used an alias. Though why he'd say he was a local cop was beyond Sam, until of course he found out that Officer Jonathan Grey was actually a local cop… and heartthrob at that, strictly off limits though, what with being a family man and that.

Well bang went that theory.

Though the only thing wrong with Sam was mild head trauma and the little fact that he'd been unconscious, the doctors were reluctant to let him go just yet, especially since they didn't know whether the supposed brother was real or imaginary. But Sam insisted he was fine and nothing bad developed so after the observation period was over, he managed to hitch a ride back to the motel in hopes of finding Dean lazing about in the room.

He had it all planned out. He was gonna go marching into the room yelling and screaming, asking why the hell Dean didn't pick him up from the hospital. The fact that the Impala was parked neatly outside room number four, the room they'd been staying in, just strengthened the lie that he'd concocted that Dean was just being a jerk. But he didn't really believe it.

Unlocking the door and walking into the room, he wasn't all that surprised to see no sign of Dean and whatever yells he had been planning died instantly. What did surprise him however was that all the elder Winchester's things were gone; well except the car keys sitting on the table all by themselves. The room was completely void of anything that screamed, or even whispered, Dean.

The first thing he'd done was call Dean, who conveniently didn't answer. Then when he'd gotten sick of that, he began calling other contacts to see if they'd heard anything. Bobby - nothing. Ellen - nothing. Jo - nothing. Hell, even Missouri had no idea what had happened to him.

It was on day four that he started searching the newspapers. Day five he rang some local hospitals. Day six he checked the FBI databases just in case. But there was nothing. Every couple of days he'd repeat his patterns, remake the calls to contacts, to hospitals, to Dean. He'd recheck the papers and rehack into databases but he came up with nothing every time. It was as if Dean Winchester had just vanished.

He wanted to take the Impala and drive away from the creepy little town called Hilsdon and check the neighbouring towns, but all the other missing persons were focused in this town so Sam was left having to focus on the hunt in hopes that he'd find Dean too. He drove around Hilsdon for awhile, following up on leads that he and Dean had discovered before arriving but like always, coming up with nothing.

Two weeks ago he and his big brother had just been checking out a lead on a case, two weeks ago everything was fine. But now… his world was upside down. He'd retraced their footsteps, researched the case and the other missing people but continuing to come up with the same thing over and over again - a big fat nothing.

Digging out an FBI badge from the glove compartment - Sam decided there was one last thing he could try. But as it wasn't only Dean who was a wanted man, he couldn't help but be reluctant. Things were desperate though and Sam had finally decided maybe the only way to find his brother was to file a report… and work with the cops.

Suiting up, he took the Impala and parked up outside the small police station. It wasn't busy; he didn't expect it to be. The receptionist at the desk looked up at him with wide eyes as he came up to here, her brow creasing as if she'd never seen an FBI agent before, albeit a fake one, but still…

"Can I help you?"

"Hi, yeah… I'm Agent Williams from the FBI." He said, flashing his badge as his eyes swept over the office space behind her, "Is there anyone about that I can talk to?"

"The only one here at the moment is me." She answered, biting her lip nervously. Oh yeah, she definitely didn't know what she was supposed to do if the FBI came knocking.

"Do you know when someone'll be back?" He smiled at her as nicely as he could considering how anxious he was feeling.

She opened her mouth to answer but the door behind Sam opened and he heard footsteps. Looking up towards the ceiling, he thanked God that someone had come to rescue the receptionist before he'd taken his anger and frustration out on her.

"Can I help you with something?" The stranger asked, and Sam's blood ran cold, he span on the spot, mouth falling open as he gaped at the man in uniform before him.

"Dean?"

The man standing in front of him was an exact replica of his brother. In fact, Sam was certain it had to be his brother. It had to be Dean. The same sandy brown hair, same startling hazel green eyes, he even sounded exactly like Dean. But the way he acted… it was as if he had no idea who Sam was, like he'd never seen him before in his life.

"I'm sorry?" The look-a-like asked, frowning.

Standing there, looking as if he'd just seen a clown, Sam coughed into his hand, trying to regain some composure. Something was extremely wrong. He knew without a doubt that the man standing before him was Dean but he also knew that if he acted on it, he'd probably be locked up in a loony bin. 'Invasion of the body snatchers' sparked up inside his mind, along with various other options such as skin walkers and shape shifters.

Well… that just screwed up this case even more.

"Sorry, you just look like someone I know." Sam lied, swallowing hard and pulling out his FBI badge, "Agent Williams, I'm looking for some help on finding a suspect. I think he may be in town."

"Officer Grey." The Dean look-a-like extended a hand but instead of taking the badge like Sam thought he would, he shook Sam's spare hand before clapping him on the back and walking past him, "If you come with me to my desk, I might be able to help."

"Officer Grey?" Sam questioned, immediately remembering what the doctors and nurses had said. Hell, this look-a-like even had a damn wedding ring on his finger, "Jonathan Grey?"

"Yeah, that's right…" Officer Grey answered, turning to look at the youngest Winchester as Sam followed him, "How'd you know?"

"Couple weeks ago I woke up in hospital… was told one of the local cops found me and dropped me off."

The officer clicked his fingers and smiled, "Knew I recognised you from somewhere. Add a bruise or two and a bit of blood… yeah… They told me it didn't look too serious. How you feeling now?"

"I'm just great, thanks." Sam replied; his mind barely able to comprehend that the man in front of him was Dean but at the same time… wasn't.

Grey took a seat behind his desk, indicating for Sam to take the seat in front, "What were you doing in that state anyway? You get mugged?"

"You know, I'm still not quite sure… kinda fuzzy." Sam shrugged, carrying on with the façade. Eyeing the man opposite him carefully and barely catching the glimpse of bronze around his neck as an amulet swung back and forth from the officer's body movement.

Dean's amulet…

So it wasn't just somebody replicating Dean's body then… whoever was inside there was what… borrowing it? What the hell?

"They spoke very highly of you at the hospital… the nurses especially." Sam slid a smirk onto his face and nodded towards the wedding ring on Grey's finger, "Said you were taken though."

Smiling fondly, Grey toyed with the ring for a moment, "Yeah, seven years now."

"Wow, seven years? You can't be much older than twenty-eight though… must have married young." Sam leaned forward, wondering if the man in front of him had any idea that he was being interrogated. But when the guy reached out for a photo frame on the desk and spun it around so Sam could see, pride glittering in his eyes, Sam's breath caught in his throat… the guy seemed completely genuine.

And so did the photo in front of Sam.

"I got a couple of kids out the deal, so it's all good." Grey joked, "Jacob's just turned three, and Morgan, she's six going on sixty, likes to pretend she's older than she is - right handful for Joanna."

"And Joanna's your wife?" Sam barely got the words out as he stared at the photograph. All four family members sat posed at what looked like a town picnic. All four… Grey included.

"Yeah." Grey turned the photo back around and looked up at Sam, face falling into a frown once again, "You feeling okay?"

No, he wasn't feeling okay. He felt like he was going to throw up and he was sure his face was beyond pale, "Err.. actually, my head feels a little light… there a bathroom around?"

"Yeah, just straight down there and to the left - you'll see the sign on the door." Grey stood and directed with his arm, "You want me to -"

"No no, I'll be fine." Sam interrupted, cutting Grey off before standing up and heading towards the small room, locking the door behind him.

Breathing heavily, he leaned against the door and allowed himself to slide down it until he was sitting on the floor and staring straight ahead.

"What the hell?" He whispered, mind flashing to the photo and the man behind the desk with Dean's body and Dean's amulet hanging around his neck, "What the freaking hell is going on?"

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