Skin

Dean pulled into SureGas Gasoline station to fill up on gas. "All right. I figure we hit Tucumcari by lunch then head south. Then Bisbee by midnight." Dean paused as he looked over to Sam who clearly wasn't listening to word Dean said. "Sam wears woman's underwear."

"I'm just busy." Sam mumbled as he was scrolling through the emails on his phone. Brie leaned forward between them to see what was going on.

"What are you doing?" Dean asked curious about what had him so engrossed.

"Reading e-mails." Sam replied still looking at his phone. Dean got out of the car to start filling up the gas.

"E-mails from who?" Dean asked.

"My friends from Stanford." Sam said.

"You're kidding. You still keep in touch with your college buddies?" Dean questioned as he waited for the Impala to fill with gas.

"There's nothing wrong with keeping in contact with some old friends," Brie said as Elena looked down at her phone, looking at all the miss calls from Damon and the unread messages from Caroline and Bonnie.

Brie noticed Elena looking down sadly at her phone "What's wrong?" Brie asked having her own conversation away from the Winchester's.

Elena turns her phone off and puts it away "Nothing"

Brie looks at her blankly "Your a terrible liar Elena"

Elena sighs "Just thinking about how Sam is in touch with all his friends back home whereas I'm not"

"Thought you kept in contact with Caroline and Bonnie?" Brie asked. Bonnie was Elena's longest best friend she would of thought that Elena would of at least kept into contact with her.

"Just if I am contact with everyone in Mystic Falls, it gives them hope that I might go back. I want to message Bonnie. And Caroline. But just feel like they might go back and tell Damon that I've been in contact. That's why Id rather stay closed off from everyone"

"You do know that neither Bonnie or Caroline would go running to Damon with information regarding you. Pretty sure they both hate Damon and your their best friend. Doesn't seem likely like that would happen"

Elena knew that Brie was right but she still stood by wanting to be closed off from Mystic Falls, just for the now anyways. There was a reason she left Mystic Falls and wanted to put that behind her. But did that mean leaving her best friends behind as well?

Elena's thoughts were interrupted by Sam and Dean

"What exactly do you tell them? You know? About where you've been, what you've been doing." Dean asked as he leaned against the window frame on Sam's side of the Impala.

"I tell them I'm on a road trip with my big brother. I tell them I needed some time off after Jess." Sam answered as he looked up at Dean.

"Oh, so you lie to them." Dean accused. The girls knew he was just trying to get a rise out of Sam any chance he could get.

"No. I just don't tell them everything." Sam tried to explain.

"Yeah, that's called lying." Dean argued.

"So, what am I supposed to do? Cut everybody out of my life?" Sam retorted back to Dean.

Dean just shrugged back at Sam. "You're serious."

"Look, it sucks, but a job like this, you can't get close to people, period." Dean explained. Brie understood where both of them were coming from.

"You're kind of antisocial, you know that?" Sam said as he went back to looking at his emails.

"Yeah, whatever." Dean shrugged again as he looked away from Sam. Brie heard a chime come from Sam's phone letting him know that he got a new e-mail.

"God." Sam said under his breath.

"What?" Brie asked as both Brie and Elena leaned closer to Sam to look at his phone.

"Uh, this email from this girl Rebecca Warren, one of those friends of mine." Sam explained as he scrolled down the email. From what they could see the email mentioned something about a friend of theirs being arrested for killing his girlfriend. Even though they have all kinds of evidence she doesn't think he did it.

"She hot?" Dean asked jokingly as he looked at the email on Sam's phone.

"I went to school with her and her brother Zach. She says Zach's been charged with murder? He's been arrested for killing his girlfriend. Rebecca says he didn't do it. But sounds like the cops have a pretty good case." Sam said as he explained the contents of the email to them.

"Dude, what kind of people you hanging out with?" Dean questioned.

"No, man, I know Zach. He's no killer." Sam explained trying to defend his friend.

"Well maybe you know Zach as well as he knows you." Dean stated as he leaned away from the car.

"They're in St. Louis. We're going." Sam declared as Dean chuckled at him.

"I'm sorry about your buddy, okay? But this does not sound like our kind of problem." Dean argued.

"It is our problem. They're my friends." Sam argued back.

"St. Louis is four hundred miles behind us Sam." Dean explained.

"I think we should go to St. Louis too." Brie piped up causing them both to look at her. "Even if it isn't anything supernatural this might help give Sam some closure."

Dean sighed as he gave up "Fine, we'll go to St. Louis." Dean as he finished with the gas and got back into the car.

They headed straight to Rebecca's house, Sam knocked on the door and they waited for her to answer. When she saw who it was her face lit up. "Oh, my God. Sam." Rebecca said with a huge smile on her face.

"Well, if it isn't little Becky." Sam said jokingly at her with a big smile on his face as well, Brie and Elena have never seen him this happy during the few months they've know him.

"And you know what you can do with that "little Becky" crap!" She quipped back and pulled Sam in for a hug.

"I got your email." Sam said pulling out of the hug and putting his hands in his pockets.

"I didn't think that you would come here." She stated. Then Dean nudged past Sam to shake her hand.

"Dean, older brother." Dean greeted as he smiled at Rebecca.

"Mm, hi." she quietly said not fazed by Dean's lingering glances. Brie rolled her eyes, Dean always had to try to flirt with every pretty woman he see.

"And I'm Brie and this is Elena, a friend of theirs." Brie said as she waved her hand along with Elena. She nodded and lightly smiled at them as well.

"We're here to help." Sam said subtly stepping between Rebecca and Dean."Whatever we can do."

"Come in." She said stepping back and opening the door to let them in.

"Nice place." Dean admired as they all followed her.

"Yeah, it's my parents'. I was just crashing here for the long weekend when everything happened. I decided to take the semester off. I'm gonna stay until Zach's free." She explained as she led them through the house.

"Where are your folks?" Sam asked.

"They live in Paris for half the year, so they're on their way home now for the trial." She replied as she led you guys into the kitchen. "Do you guys want a beer or something?"

"Hey." Dean said as he smiled and pointed his finger towards her.

"No, thanks." Sam answered as he and Dean gave each other a look. "So tell us what happened."

"Well, um Zach, he came home, and he found Emily tied to a chair. And she was beaten up and bloody. And she wasn't breathing, and so he called 911 and the police. They showed up and they arrested him." Rebecca explained as she started tearing up. "But the thing is, the only way that Zach could have killed Emily is if he was in two places at the same time. The police, they have a video. It's from the security tape from across the street. And it shows Zach coming home at 10:30. Now, Emily was killed just after that. But I swear, he was here with me having a few beers until at least after midnight."

"You know, maybe we could see the crime scene." Sam suggested as he leaned against the counter. "Zach's house."

"We could." Dean agreed.

"Uh. I mean, why? I mean, what could you do?" she asked looking at Sam.

"Well, me and Elena not much. But Dean and Brie are cops." Sam lied. Then she looked at both Brie and Dean, Dean just chuckled and Brie froze for a second before just lightly smiling at her.

"Detectives, actually. Brie and I are partners." Dean explained smiling at Rebecca.

"Really? Where?" She not quite sure if she believed you guys or not.

"Bisbee, Arizona. But we're off duty now."

"Oh. You guys, it's so nice to offer, but I just don't know." She said unsure of what she should do.

"Beck Look, I know Zach didn't do this. Now, we have to find a way to prove that he's innocent." Sam explained trying to persuade her to let you guys help.

"Okay, I'm gonna go get the keys." She said as she left the room.

"Oh, yeah, man. You're a real straight shooter with your friends." Dean said and he walked around to where Rebecca was standing a second ago.

"Look. Zach and Becky need our help." Sam said.

"I just don't think this is our kind of problem." Dean stated as he shrugged his shoulders.

"You gonna admit, someone being in two places at the same time is pretty weird." Brie commented.

"We've looked into less." Sam argued. Dean just smiled and nodded his head. Then they made their way to Zach's house.

The Winchesters gave Rebecca a lift to Zach's house and she told you how to get there. "You're sure this is okay?" Rebecca asked as they got out of the car.

"Yeah. Brie and I are officers of the law." Dean said as they walked across the street to Zach's house and Dean let the group inside. Brie ducked under the yellow caution tape to get into the house and there were evidence tags and blood scattered everywhere. Rebecca was the only one who didn't come inside.

"Beck, you want to wait outside?" Sam ask as Elena, Brie and Dean looked around the crime scene.

"No. I wanna help." Rebecca said as she ducked under the tape and joined them in the house.

"Tell us what else the police said." Sam requested.

"Well there was no sign of a break in. They say that Emily let her attacker in. And the lawyers, they're already talking about plea-bargain. Oh, God." Rebecca explained as she started crying.

"Look, Beck...if Zach didn't do this...it means someone else did. Any idea who?" Sam asked.

"Um, there was something. About a week before, somebody broke in here. They stole some clothes. Zach's clothes. And the police, the don't think it's anything. I mean, we're not that far from downtown. I mean...Sometimes people get robbed." Rebecca explained then Sam walked away to help Brie and Elena examine the scene while Rebecca went to talk to Dean. After Brie and Elena finished looking around they joined the others in the kitchen.

"So the tape, the, uh, security footage. Think your lawyers could get their hand on it? See, we don't have that kind of jurisdiction." Dean asked Rebecca as she walked up to the boys.

"I've already got it. I didn't wanna say something in front cops. I stole it off the lawyer's desk. I just had to see it for myself." Rebecca explained as Dean chuckled a bit.

"All right." Dean said as they all left the house.

They decided to return to Rebecca's parents house so they could review the footage. "Here he comes." Rebecca said as she and Dean were sitting by the TV. and Brie, Elena and Sam stood in front of of it watching closely for any details that might be off.

"2204, that's just after 10. You said time of death was about 10:30." Dean said as Brie guys watched Zach head toward the house.

" Our lawyers hired some kind of video expert. He says the tape's authentic. It wasn't tampered with." She explained. Sam seems to notice something on the tape.

"Hey, Beck, can we take those beers now?" Sam asked as he turned to face her.

"Oh, sure." She said getting up and leaving the room.

"Hey, uh maybe some sandwiches too?" Sam asked. Rebecca laughed.

"What do you think this is, Hooters?" She quipped as she walked away.

"I wish. What is it?" Dean asked knowing that Sam had found something and was trying to get her to leave.

"Check it out" He rewinds the tape, then replays it. One of the frames shows Zack looking directly at the camera. His eyes are silver. Sam pauses the tape.

"Uh, maybe it's just a camera flare." Dean suggested.

"A camera flare would affect the whole shot not just the eyes." Brie explained.

"There are a lot of cultures that believe a photograph can catch a glimpse of the soul." Sam said.

"Right." Dean replied.

"Remember that dog that was freaking out, maybe he saw this thing." Sam suggested. "Maybe this is some kind of dark double of Zach's. Something that looks like him but isn't him."

"Like a doppelganger?" You asked as she looked at Elena who both had experiences with doppelgängers, from Katherine, to Amara to Silas.

"Yeah, that would sure explain how he was two places at once." Sam said.

Brie, Elena, Dean were sound asleep when Sam suddenly woke them all up and had Dean drive them back to Zach's house. "All right. So, what are we doing here at 5:30 in the morning?" Dean asked as Dean and Sam got out of the car on the backside of Zach's house.

"I realized something. The videotape shows the killer going in, but not coming out." Sam explained.

"So he came out the back door." Dean continued as he drank his coffee.

"Right, so there should be a trail to follow. A trail the police would never pursue." Sam said as he walked over to the back of the house.

"Because they think the killer never left, since they caught Zach inside." Brie said finally awake and putting the pieces together.

"I still don't know what we're doing here at 5:30." Dean grumbled as he leaned against the Impala's hood and sipped his coffee. That's when Sam noticed some on a nearby light pole which got Dean's attention.

"Blood." Sam stated nodding to the blood he found. "Somebody came this way."

"Maybe the trail ends, I don't see anything over here." Dean said. Suddenly they hear a siren and then an ambulance sped past them. Brie, Elena and the boys decided to investigate and found another crime scene with police taping it off. There was a woman in running gear standing nearby. "What happened?" Dean asked her.

"Oh, he tried to kill his wife. Tied her up and beat her." The woman explained.

"Really?" Sam asked.

"I used to see him going to work in the morning. He'd wave, say hello. He seemed like such a nice guy." She replied. Brie watched the man in question get put into a police car, then Brie follows Sam behind that guy's house to look for clues.

"Hey, remember when I said this wasn't our kind of problem? Definitely our kind of problem." Dean said as he walked up to Brie and Sam, along with Elena.

"What did you find out?" Brie asked.

"I just talked to the patrolman first on the scene. He heard this guy Alex's story. The dude was driving home from a business trip when his wife was attacked." Dean explained.

"So he was in two places at once?" Sam confirmed.

"Exactly." Dean said. "Then he sees himself in the house. Police think he's a nut job."

"Two dark doubles attacking loved ones in exactly the same way." Sam wondered walking to the other side of Dean.

"Could be the same thing doing it too." Dean suggested.

"Shapeshifter?" Sam suggested.

Every culture in the world has a shapeshifter lore. You know legends of creatures who can transform themselves into animals or other men." Dean explained. Sounds like Tyler, Brie thought.

"Right. Skinwalkers, werewolves." Sam continued.

"We got two attacks within blocks of each other." Dean stated. "I'm guessing we got a shapeshifter problem in the neighborhood."

"Let me ask you this, in all this shapeshifter lore, can any of them fly?" Sam asked.

"Not that I know of." Dean replied.

"Brie and I picked up a trail here. Someone ran out of the back of this building, and headed off this way." Sam explained.

"Just like Zach's house." Brie stated.

"Yeah, and just like at his house the trail suddenly ends. I mean, whatever it is just disappeared." Sam said.

"Well, there's another way to go. Down." Dean suggested as they looked down at the sewer grate at their feet.

Brie and Elena followed Sam and Dean into the sewer to see if you can find the trail. "I bet this runs by Zach's house too." Sam looking down the tunnel. "The shapeshifter could be using the sewer system to get around."

"I think you're right. Look at this." Dean bends down and examine a pile of blood and skin on the ground. They are both disgusted.

"Ugh, is this from his victims?" Sam wondered as Dean touched it with his pocket knife and holds some of it up.

"You know I just had a sick thought, what if when the shapeshifter changes shape maybe it sheds." Dean suggested looking at the skin and slime on his skin.

"Ugh, that is so gross!" Elena said staying as far from it as she could. They returned to the Impala to grab what they needed to kill the shapeshifter.

"Well, one thing I learned from dad, no matter what kind of shapershifter it is there's one sure way to kill it." Dean said as he grab some sliver bullets for his gun.

"Sliver bullet to the heart." Sam continued.

"That's right." Dean confirmed. Suddenly Sam's phone rang and he took a step back to pick it up.

"This is Sam." They heard him say as he walked away.

"Brie, Elena while Sam and I go into the sewer I want you's to go back to Rebecca's house and keep an eye on her. The shapeshifter might go after her or use her to get to Sam." Dean said as he handed them both a gun loaded with sliver bullets.

Brie nodded both as they both take the gun and hide it on their person and leaving to head back to Rebecca's house. Neither of them knew how to use a gun guess tonight is the night.

It took a bit of time to walk back to her house, but once they finally arrived the sun was setting. Brie had noticed that Rebecca was still home so they just hid nearby watching her, and waited for Dean to contact them.

"How do you think it's going back home?" Brie asks Elena, making conversation to make time run faster.

"Knowing Mystic Falls, a lot of drama unfolding. If it was anything bad I am sure Bonnie or Caroline would of been in touch by now" Elena says.

"You wouldn't know, you haven't spoken to either of them" Brie says looking at Elena.

"Well I am sure you would of informed me if there was any problems" Elena quipped.

"I am not an owl Elena. I can't keep going backwards and forwards asking them how they are for you and vice versa. You need to speak to them sooner or later"

"Well I chose later Brie. I don't want to know what's happening back home. I don't want them knowing my whereabouts, I just want freedom. If I go back there I will have a chip on my shoulder again, having Stefan and Damon being my bodyguards that won't leave me alone. I just want to be myself and do what I want"

Brie was about to say something when she saw what looked like Dean walking up to Rebecca's front door, which was weird since he was supposed contact them when they were done. "Look Elena" Brie said as they both watched him talk to Rebecca until she let him inside, Brie decided to wait a few minutes before getting closer to the house but then they heard yelling and Rebecca screaming. They quietly moved through the house not seeing Dean or Rebecca anyway. That is until they reached the living room where Rebecca was tied to a chair blood all over her. Once she saw they she starting making noise but Brie shushed her. Brie went over to her and quickly untied her arms and legs and told her to get out of the house and call Sam. She nodded ran out as Elena took out her gun and looked around the place.

"You shouldn't have done that Brie." growled Dean from behind. She quickly turned around to face "Dean" who had an angry look on his face.

"You're not Dean!" Brie stated as she pulled her gun out to shoot him.

"You know Dean isn't just interested in Becky, he would bang you in a heartbeat." He said smiling at Brie. "Elena too" Before she could shoot he grabbed her, but she bit his hand causing him to flinch then throw her onto the coffee table. Elena ran into the room and tried shooting but missed. He shot over to Elena and flung her over onto the other side of the room knocking her unconscious.

"Elena" Brie shouted as he stalked up to her but she kicked him in his crotch causing him to kneel down in pain. She tried to crawl away, but he recovered too quickly and threw you into the wall knocking you out.

When Brie woke up she could feel that her hands and feet were tied to the chair that she were sitting in as she tried to break free. Her whole body was in pain and covered in cuts and bruises from fending him off. Then someone walked into the room you couldn't see their face but you see that they were holding a knife. She heard someone mumbling from beside her, she turned slightly to hear Elena shrieking next to her. She could vaguely make out the figure walking towards Elena who was then standing above her was none other than Dean gripping the knife hard as he was about to strike her.

Tears ran down Brie's cheek as she was calling out for Elena but he could strike Elena again Brie heard a gunshot she quickly opened her eyes and Dean was standing in the doorway with a gun pointed in the direction where fake Dean was standing. Once he knew the shapeshifter was dead he ran over to them and untied Brie and Elena removed their gag. "Are you girl's alright?" Dean asked as he looked them both over.

"Dean!" Brie cried out as she threw yourself into his arms wrapping her arms around his neck. He accepted her hug and wrapped his arms around Brie's back. Sam walks through the door to see Brie and his brother in each others arms.

"It's ok, I'm here for you now." Dean said trying to comfort Brie as she cried into the crook of his neck. Sam looks around the room as it was all smashed up. He saw the two chairs that Brie and Elena must of been tied up on.

"You guys okay?" Sam says worryingly as Elena stands up from her chair and before she knew it she was crouching down in pain holding her head.

Brie pulls away from Dean and quickly stands up and helps Elena. Elena stands up straighter than what she was "Yeah just took a really bad bump to the head" she says groaning while holding the back of her head.

Dean noticed that when Elena removed her hand from the back of her head, there was blood on her hand. "Elena your head is bleeding" Dean walks over to her and examines the back or her head, moving any strands of hair so he could take a closer look. "I can't see much cause of your hair but think you might need seeing to"

"That bad huh?" Elena questioned as she looked at her hand that was covered in blood.

"C'mon lets go. You need help" Brie says as she guides Elena outside.

Sam and Dean watch on as Elena gets checked up on by medics as Brie is by her side with her arm around her.

"Saw you and Brie back there. You's looked cozy" Sam says, slightly jealous.

"It didn't mean anything. If it was you who had saved them she probably would of done the same to you" Dean says watching Brie as he wondered if it did mean anything. "You like her don't you?" He says looking back at Sam.

"I don't know how I feel Dean. I am still hung up on Jessica. It wouldn't be right if I moved on that quickly from her" Sam explained.

"Wouldn't she want you to be happy?" Dean asks.

"I guess" All that Sam said.

"What about Elena? She is a pretty nice girl. Nice ass" Dean smirks as Sam just rolls his eyes.

"Everything has to be about the ass with you doesn't it?"

"I'm an ass man Sammy. Guess your more a boob kinda guy?" Dean questions, smirking at this little brother.

"You know it's not always about the assets Dean. What about their personality the type of person that they are ?" Sam asks.

Dean shrugs his shoulder and pats Sam on the shoulder "Sammy, I don't really get that far with women. I don't get long enough with them to find out what sort of person they really are. I just look for some fun stuff rather than getting to know stuff"

Sam shakes his head at his brother "This is why some women repulse you. Like Bex there" Sam points to his friend, who waves him over.

"I'll be back"

Sam makes it over to Becky "So, this is what you do? You and your brother you hunt down these kinds of things?

Sam nods his head "Yeah, pretty much"

"I can't believe it. I mean, I saw it with my own eyes. And, I mean, does everybody at school? Nobody knows that you do this?" Sam shakes his head "Did Jessica know?"

Sam looks thoughtful "No, she didn't"

Rebecca looked at him sadly "Must be lonely"

"Oh, no. No, it's not so bad. I have Dean. And my friends Elena and Brie" Sam explained.

She laughs "Well, you know, Zack and me, and everybody at school we really miss you" She hugs him.

"Yeah, me too" They pull away

"Well, will you call sometime?"

"It might not be for a little while" Rebecca nods and waves goodbye to Dean. He waves back, and she goes back inside the house. Sam walks over to the car.

"So, what about your friend, Zack?" Dean asks as he walked to the front of the impala.

"Cops are blamin' this Dean Winchester guy for Emily's murder. They found the murder weapon in the guy's lair, Zack's clothes stained with her blood. Now they're thinking maybe the surveillance tape was tampered with. Yeah, Becca says Zack will be released soon" Sam smiles. Dean rolls his eyes and gets in the car.

Once Elena finished getting checked over she was free to go. Brie stands up and puts an arm around Elena's waist as she was still in a little pain. Sam walks over and takes Elena off Brie's hands as he helped guide her to the impala. Dean opened the back door for Sam as he helped Elena sit down in the back seat.

"What a trooper" Dean smiles as Elena looks up at him with a smile on her own. Sam, Dean and Brie got in the car and left St. Louis.

"Sorry, man." Dean said as he was driving.

"About what?" Sam asked looking over at Dean.

"I really wish things could be different. I wish you could just be Joe College." Dean answered.

"Nah, it's okay. You know, truth is even at Stanford, deep down, I never really fit in." Sam retorted.

"Well, that's because you're a freak." Dean said.

"Yeah, thanks." Sam chuckled.

"Well, I'm a freak too. I'm right there with you all the way." Dean said.

"We also a freak, I mean we've gotta be one to travel with you guys!" Elena said jokingly.

"Hey!'' The boys said in unison as Brie burst out laughing at Elena's comment.

"You know, I gotta say. I'm sorry I'm gonna miss it." Dean mentioned.

"Miss what?" you asked looked towards Dean.

"How many chances am I gonna have to see my own funeral?" Dean said as they all smiled at each other and continued to drive.