Dean

"I don't think we're going to find anything here," Sam said, closing a book in frustration.

Dean glanced up from the millionth monotonous article about a monster connected to stone and kids he'd been reading. "Nothing from Bobby either?"

Sam shook his head. "Like I said yesterday, we need more leads before we can narrow it down."

Dean closed his laptop. "How do you suppose we find them?"

Sam pushed aside the pile of books he'd scoured over the past two hours. "In each city, only one kid was taken. Just a few days later, another kid goes missing a few towns over. I think whatever this is has moved on."

"And is on its way to its next victim," Dean said.

"Exactly. If we want to stop it, we need to beat it there."

"How? There are hundreds of kids it could be after. How can we find the right one?"

Sam pulled out his laptop and tapped Dean's. "Start with the towns closest to us approaching the coast. Whatever this thing is, it seems to be going from the east end of California toward the west coast. Search for single fathers who work in some sort of scholarly profession. Then see if you can connect them to that woman."

Dean groaned and slumped into his seat. "This is gonna be like looking for a needle in a needlestack."

Sam managed a small laugh. "Gotta love the hunter life."

~

"I think I've got the next target," Dean said after nearly three hours. His eyes ached and his fingers were cramping. After this hunt, he didn't want to read for at least a week.

"Who is it?" Sam asked, rubbing his eyes and leaning over to look at Dean's screen.

"Professor Linden Kleimann's twelve-year-old son, Jasper Kleimann. The father teaches economics at the University of the Pacific in Stockton. Never married."

"And what makes you think he's the next target out of the dozens of other candidates?"

Dean smirked and pointed to a picture at the bottom of the page. Professor Kleimann posed with other professors and academics at a conference hosted by the University of the Pacific twelve years ago. Hidden at the back was a woman with blonde hair and gray eyes.

"There she is. Twelve years ago." Dean sat back in his seat, feeling pleased with himself. It wasn't often that he found something before Sam when it came to research.

Sam rubbed his chin, staring at the picture. "It's still not much. How do we know it's him out of the hundreds of other possibilities?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "You said yourself we need to narrow it down. We don't have much to go on right now. This is our best bet. And so far, it matches the profile of all the other victims."

Sam sighed and nodded. "Okay. You're right." He checked his watch. "We can get to Stockton in an hour if we hurry. Hopefully, it's not too late to save this kid."

~

Dean's phone rang just as he was finishing packing his bag. He nearly dropped the phone in his haste to answer it when he saw Cas' name.

"Cas?"

"Hello, Dean," came his steady, gravelly voice.

The sound instantly put Dean at ease. He distantly heard Sam leave the motel room and was silently grateful for the privacy.

"I got your message," Cas continued. "How is the case going?"

"Uneventful so far," Dean said. "We don't have many leads. We were just about to go chase down a new one."

"Oh, then I won't keep you long."

"It's fine, Cas. I—I've missed you. How's heaven?"

"Good. Jack's done good work rebuilding and restructuring. I'm proud of all he's accomplished in such a short time."

Dean smiled. "Yeah, he's a good kid. I'm glad you're there to help him."

"He misses you and Sam. He says he'll visit soon."

"Good, it's been too quiet without him."

Cas chuckled. "Even with all the hunters crowding the bunker?"

Dean chuckled too. "Yeah, even then."

There were both silent for a moment. Then, Cas said, "I know I don't need to say it, but be careful. Please? And call me if you need me. You know I can be there instantly since Jack gave me my wings back."

Dean smiled again. "Yeah, I know, Cas. Thanks. But we're okay for now. It's kinda nice going on a regular hunt with Sam again. It's been too long."

"Okay. Then I'll see you when you get back. I love you."

Dean swallowed and forced aside his insecurity. "Love you too."

They said goodbye and Dean hung up. He sat on the bed for a moment, staring at his phone. He hadn't lied to Cas—it was nice hunting with Sam again—but hearing Cas' voice made Dean miss him even more. He hoped this case would wrap up quickly so they could head back to the bunker. He was already itching for some relaxation time with Cas.

~

"Professor Kleimann?" Sam said, knocking on the professor's office door.

The man looked up from his desk, a pair of glasses precariously balanced on his nose. "Yes?"

Sam and Dean stepped into the office and closed the door behind them. "I'm Agent Plant and this is Agent Bonham," Sam said. "We have a few questions for you if you have some time."

Professor Kleimann frowned and took off his glasses. "What is this about? What is the FBI doing in Stockton?"

Dean sat in one of the chairs in front of the professor's desk. "We've been following a case concerning missing children in a few nearby towns. We have reason to believe your son might be next."

"Jasper? Why would he be a target?" Professor Kleimann asked, shoving aside some papers on his desk.

"We're not sure yet," Sam admitted. "And he might not be a target. But he seems to fit the pattern."

"What pattern?"

Dean looked at Sam, who gave a slight shrug. Dean took a deep breath. "The children who went missing were from single-parent homes. Just them and their father. We think they all had the same mother. A woman with blonde hair and gray eyes. Who was Jasper's mother?"

At that, Professor Kleimann's eyes widened. He cleared his throat and clasped his hands in front of him, suddenly trying to appear calm. But Dean had been in this business long enough to recognize an act.

Professor Kleimann's voice was strong, though Dean spotted the fear in it. "I don't know what happened to those poor children, and I hope you find them. But my Jasper has nothing to do with that. His mother left long ago. I have no idea what woman you're talking about. Still, I will keep a close eye on my son for the next few days. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a class to teach."

The professor didn't wait for Sam and Dean to get up. He strode past them and out of his office without another word.

Sam looked at Dean. "He reacted a lot like Dr. Smith did when we brought up the mother."

"Yeah," Dean agreed. "I think we better keep an eye on Professor Kleimann and his son."

~

"Anything on your end?" Dean asked, adjusting his position in the driver seat of the Impala. His butt was cramping after sitting for hours.

"Nada," Sam said over the phone. "He's just been teaching classes and holding office hours. You?"

"Ditto. The school bus dropped off the kid a few hours ago. He hasn't left the house since."

Dean raised his binoculars to his eyes and looked across the street into the windows of the Kleimann house. Jasper was still in his room on his computer, likely doing homework or playing video games. The only other thing he'd done since arriving home was to make himself a snack.

"All right. Keep watching him. According to the professor's schedule, he'll be done in about an hour. I'll meet up with you when he heads home."

"See you soon," Dean said and hung up.

Stakeouts had gotten easier over the years, but they were still Dean's second-least favorite part of hunting—research took the bottom spot. He couldn't play music in the car since it would draw attention, and since he was by himself, he couldn't take a nap while someone else kept watch. Stakeouts were better with someone else—he and Cas or Sam would talk to pass the time about the most random things. It was how Dean found out the depth of Cas' love for bees, and all the games Sam had played with his imaginary friend Sully—a zanna—when he was little.

But alone, Dean had nothing to help him but a cup of coffee—which was almost gone. He grumbled when he emptied the cup and sunk further into the Impala's leather seats. At least after all these years, it had conformed to his body, which made it quite comfortable.

Another hour passed and darkness shrouded the town. It made the lights in Jasper's window stand out that much more. Which meant Dean had a clear view of what happened next.

Jasper screamed and jumped from his bed, backing away from his door. The lights shut off with an eerie finality.

Dean was out of the car in seconds, racing across the street and up to the Kleimanns' door. He checked the door—locked. He didn't bother pulling out his lockpicks and kicked the door down. He ran into the house with his gun stretched in front of him.

"Jasper!" Dean yelled.

No answer. Dean cursed and dashed up the stairs, searching for Jasper's room. When he found it, he was frozen by what he saw.

There was a pile of stone fragments at the end of the room near the window, which was open. Jasper was nowhere to be found. And a person was ducking out of the window.

No—was it a person? They moved too fast for Dean to catch. All he saw was a torso disappearing out the window. Attached to it was the strangest head Dean had ever seen—instead of hair, it seemed to be covered in live snakes. Their hissing reached his ears, then abruptly cut off as the creature dropped out the window.

Dean lunged for the window and peered outside, but in the darkness, he couldn't see where the creature had gone. It was pointless to try to go after it. The creature had vanished, and it had taken Jasper with it.

"Son of a bitch," Dean growled.

"Dean!" Sam yelled from downstairs.

"You can't just barge into my home!" said Professor Kleimann.

"Up here!" Dean called back.

He knelt by the pile of stone fragments. He poked at them with his gun, shifting them around until he uncovered the bottom.

Sam appeared in the doorway with Professor Kleimann right behind him. Sam gulped. "Is that—?"

Dean nodded, holding up a stone finger. "Jasper's gone."

"No!" Professor Kleimann wailed, rushing into the room. He collapsed beside Dean, scrabbling at the stone dust.

Behind him, Sam gave Dean a curious look. Dean stood to join him out in the hallway.

"What happened?" Sam asked.

"It happened too fast, but I saw something," Dean said. "Some sort of human-like creature, but it had snakes for hair."

"Snakes?"

Dean nodded. "What the hell is this?"

Sam glanced at the pile of stone. "I don't know. But we better figure it out before we lose more kids."