Part four of four. Takes place after Sanity and Visions and Nightmares, and Once Bitten.
Rated M for language and violence.
Summary: When a creature can look like anyone, who can you trust? Massachusetts residents find themselves the victims of a doppelganger attack. Will the boys be able to sort through its tricks and lies to find the truth? Or will they be its next victims?
Disclaimer: I do not own Sam, Dean, Bobby, Missouri, Jo, or anything Supernatural related, but the story and other characters are mine. Enjoy!!
Keep me posted on what you would like to see in upcoming chapters!!
"Dean?" the real Jo next to him whispered. "What's going on?"
"Nothin'. Just hang in there, Jo," he whispered back. Once the shifter was changed completely, it swayed over to Dean again.
"Is this better?" it asked with Jo's voice.
"I didn't say that… Why do I hear my own voice, Dean?" Jo asked anxiously.
"Why should we keep this a closed show? I say the more the merrier, don't you?" the shifter grinned and took off everyone else's hoods. "There. That's better." Jo balked when she saw herself standing a few feet away.
"Okay… interesting first experience with a shapeshifter…" she muttered mainly to herself.
"Haha… I'm just beginning, Jo," the shifter chuckled as it advanced towards Dean once again. "Can you really turn me away now, Dean? I mean, you might hurt Jo's feelings."
"It's okay, Dean. Do whatever you need to. I won't be offended," Jo assured. Well at least that's something, Dean thought to himself.
The shifter straddled Dean's thighs and ran its fingers through his hair. Dean leaned as far back as he could in the chair.
"Get the hell off me."
"Now that isn't very nice. You should be thanking me. I know you've wanted Jo for a long time now, but you're afraid she'll get hurt if she stays with you. Now, you can have it both ways."
"Thanks, but no thanks."
"Oh don't be a prude. Pucker up, lover boy." The shifter grabbed Dean's head and smashed their lips together drawing blood. Dean winced and fought not to respond to the kiss. Yeah, he had a thing for Jo, but he never saw it happening like this before.
When Dean started to suffocate, the shifter pulled away, licking his blood from his lips. Dean gasped in the much needed oxygen and only when the ringing died down from his ears could he hear those around him protesting.
"Stop it!" Jo was screaming.
"Leave him alone!" came Sam's voice.
"Why don't you pick on someone yer own size!" Bobby growled out. Dean carefully touched his own tongue to his lower lip, checking the damage and soothing the pain.
"Silence!" the shifter yelled, and immediately everyone quieted. They weren't about to risk Dean's life by not cooperating. "You are here to watch, not to be heard. I will reveal to all of you the darkness that Deanie has been hiding from you."
Dean swallowed hard. He really wasn't sure what the shifter was talking about, but he was positive it couldn't be anything good.
"But first," it continued, "I have to make sure our wonderful neighbors don't feel the need to alert the authorities." The creature grabbed the ropes that hung loosely on Dean's chair and began to wrap them tightly around his chest and waist. "Can't have you breaking free while I'm gone now can I?"
"What did you do to them?"
"Absolutely nothing… yet. Emily was playing outside, so she was an easy catch. Vanessa and Ryan didn't even notice she was gone. But now that she's gone back, I have to make sure she didn't say anything to alarm them." It pulled hard on the ropes, making them as tight as possible.
Dean groaned as the rough ropes dug into the cut on his chest. He could feel it bleeding again. Enjoying the pain it was evoking, the shifter smiled and ran its tongue down the side of Dean's face before kissing him gently on the lips.
While it still sat on Dean's lap, the creature began to change again. Dean turned his head away, unable to watch the grotesque show again. It took all the control he had to not vomit as he heard the sickening squish of chunks of skin falling to the ground.
When he was sure the change was over, he chanced a glance at the newly designed creature and gasped. He was staring into his own eyes. His anger boiled just below the surface as he heard his own voice coming from the shifter.
"You kids behave now, you hear? I'm just gonna run next door to inform our hosts that everything is alright. Don't go anywhere," it smirked before heading up the stairs.
"Dude, is that really what my ass looks like from behind?" Dean asked the room at large, trying to provoke the shifter into returning. The shifter smirked just like Dean.
"Why don't we ask Jo? I know she's been checking you out since you two met," it chuckled as Jo blushed furiously.
"Yuck it up, Asshole. When I get out of here, your ass is toast," Dean threatened, feeling his own cheeks turn slightly pink again at its words.
"Well, that doesn't give me much incentive to release you then, does it?"
With that, the shifter disappeared up the stairs. Sam was first to break the silence.
"You okay, Dean?"
"Yeah, dude. I'm fine."
Sam chuckled humorlessly. "I really wish you would come up with something else to say once in a while."
"Well, what can you do? You asked, right?"
"What's been going on, man? I've been down here for days now I think. What have I been missing?"
"Oh it's been interesting. It had me going for a while there. At night it would act out of character but explained it away by making me think you were in a trance or something. I thought it was the demon's doing. You know how he messed with my dreams? I figured he learned a new trick since we last met."
"What do you mean by out of character?" Sam wasn't entirely sure he wanted an answer.
"Just let it go, Sam. It's not important."
"Did it hurt you?" Bobby joined in.
"Nah. I'll survive. What about you guys?"
"We all got a little knocked about and possibly minor concussions, but other than that we're fine," Bobby supplied.
"Good. Good. Anyone come up with an escape plan while you were just hanging out down here?"
"Sadly, no. We've been a little tied up," Sam jested.
"Great."
"You got any ideas?" Jo queried.
"I'm workin' on it."
"Could someone please explain to me what is going on?" asked a very confused and scared Mr. Kilner.
The shifter walked cautiously to the front door and rang the bell. Vanessa answered less than a minute later.
"Dean? How's everything going? Sorry if we're interrupting, but my sister needed her space back."
"Oh, no worries. It's all taken care of. Mr. Kilner's gone on a small vacation, but he'll be back in a few days as good as new. In fact, he's looking forward to seeing the kids again."
"That's wonderful. Thank you so much, and your brother… Where is Sam by the way?" she asked, peering around as though expecting to find him lurking in the background.
"Ah, he's cleaning up next door. Things got a little messy. You know how it works. Anyway, we'll be out of your hair in no time. Say goodbye to the kids for us. It was really nice meeting you all."
"They're right here. Why don't you just wait a sec and say goodbye yourself? I'm sure they'd love to see you one last time, especially Emily."
"Aw, that's really sweet. But I've really gotta get goin'…"
"Dean! You're okay!" Emily raced to the door and threw her arms around him.
"Uh… yeah, kiddo. No worries." He gently hugged her back, then released her. She looked up into his eyes and her happy smile faded.
"You're not Dean."
"What? Of course I am, Sweetie."
"No. You're not him. Where's Dean?" she demanded.
"Hunny, that is Dean. Don't you remember?" her mom asked. Emily turned and ran back into the house. "I'm really sorry about that. I have no idea what's gotten into her."
"No worries. I've gotta find Sam and head out. You guys take care, alright?"
"You too."
With that, the shifter turned and made his way back to Kilner's house and his hostages.
"Dean, what was he talking about before? What haven't you told us?" Sam asked his brother.
"Honestly dude, I have no idea."
"There must be somethin'," Bobby pushed.
"I don't know what it is, Bobby!" Dean began to feel annoyed.
"Okay, okay… Just checkin'."
"Sorry, guys. This is all my fault. He wants me, and he's using all of you to get to me."
"Nonsense, boy. We're all in this together."
"Because of me," Dean stressed.
"What is it with you and yer guilt complex? Not everything in the world is your fault," Bobby argued back.
"Feels like it sometimes."
Surprisingly, it wasn't the real Dean who said this, but the shifter who had just rejoined them at the bottom of the stairs. All eyes were trained on the intruder.
"I just can't help it sometimes. Dad trained me that way. In fact, it's all his fault. But I'm so devoted to the man, I'd never admit to it," the shifter continued.
"What are you talking about?" both Sam and Dean asked.
"Oh come on, Dean. You know exactly what I'm talking about. We're the same person after all." Dean continued to stare blankly back at it. "Very well, if you insist on playing dumb, we'll have story time. You were just four, remember? Dad went to a dark place cause he watched his wife die which left you to raise Sammy when Miller time came around."
"What else is new? I always looked after Sammy. Everyone here knows that."
"What they don't know is how ugly things got between you and John back then. At first, he blamed Sammy for Mary's death. It happened in his room after all. But you wouldn't hear of it. Instead, you made him turn the blame on you. You said you could have stopped it, but you were too scared. Boy was he pissed, huh?"
Dean felt all the eyes in the room shift to him. He looked pointedly at the floor, refusing to acknowledge the shifter's words.
"Care to take it from here, Deanie?"
TBC
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