Lily sat in the backseat of the Impala; on her lap was her new laptop she'd gotten for her schoolwork, which was what she was doing now. Dean didn't care much either way if she did her work or not, but Sam did and that was why he was in charge of her school and made sure she did at least four hours a day. But because they spent most of the day in the Impala, that's where she did work but there were frequent breaks, do to car sickness.
Thankfully though, they stopped at a gas station.
"Alright, I figure we'd hit Tucamcari by lunch, and then head south, hit Bisbee by midnight." Dean said, but Sam didn't respond and instead was doing something with his palm pilot "Sam wears women's underwear."
"I've been listenin', I'm just busy." Sam said.
"Busy doin' what?" Dean asked.
"Reading e-mails." Sam said as Dean got out of the car and started to pump gas. "From my friends at Stanford."
"You're kidding. You still keep in touch with your college buddies?"
"Why not?" Sam asked.
"Well, what exactly do you tell 'em? You know, about where you've been, what you've been doin'?"
"I tell 'em I'm on a road trip with my big brother and niece. I tell 'em I needed some time off after Jess."
"Oh, so you lie to them." Lily said, leaning her head on the back of his seat, Dean tossing Lily a smirk.
"No. I just don't tell 'em…everything." Sam said.
"Yeah, that's called lying. I mean, hey, man., I get it, tellin' the truth is far worse." Dean said.
"You're both kind of anti-social, you know that?"
"Yeah, whatever." Dean said.
"God…" Sam said.
"What?" Both Dean and Lily asked.
"In this email from this girl, Rebecca Warren, one of those friends of mine."
"Is she hot?" Dean asked.
"I went to school with her and her brother, Zack." Sam said, ignoring Dean's comment. "She says Zack's been arrested for killing his girlfriend. Rebecca says he didn't do it, but it sounds like the cops have a pretty good case."
"Dude, what kind of people are you hangin' out with?"
"No, man, I know Zack. He's no killer." Sam said.
"Well, maybe you know Zack as well as he knows you." Lily said.
"They're in St. Louis. We're goin'." Sam said.
"Look," Dean said, chuckling. "Sorry 'bout your buddy, okay? But this does not sound like our kind of problem. "
"It is our problem, they're my friends."
"St. Louis is four hundred miles behind us, Sam." Dean said and Sam gave him a pointed look.
**SPN**SPN**
Lily stood behind Dean and Sam and she felt awkward all of a sudden. She hadn't really talked to anyone outside of Sam and Dean in weeks, and even before then, talking to people she didn't know had always been an awkward thing for her.
The front door opened and a pretty blonde girl stood there.
"Oh my God, Sam!" Rebecca said, happily.
"Well, if it isn't little Becky." Sam teased.
"You know what you can do with that little Becky crap." Rebecca said, smiling as they hugged.
"I got your e-mail."
"I didn't think you would come here." Rebecca said, as Dean stepped forward and extended his hand.
"Dean. Older brother."
"Hi." Rebecca said, shaking it.
"Hi."
"This is Lily." Dean said stepping aside.
"Hi." Rebecca said.
"Hello." Lily said, shaking her hand briefly.
"We're here to help. Whatever we can do."
"Come in." Rebecca said.
They walked in and Dean shut the front door. "Nice place." Dean said.
"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 Zack's free."
"Where are your folks?"
"They live in Paris for half the year, so they're on their way home now for the trial." Rebecca said as they walked into the kitchen. "Do you guys want a beer or something?"
"Hey –." Dean said, smiling.
"No, thanks." Sam said. "So, tell us what happened."
"Well, um, Zack came home, and he found Emily tied to a chair. And she was beaten up and bloody, and she wasn't breathing." Rebecca said, starting to cry. "So, he called 911, and the police – they showed up, and they arrested him. But, the thing is, the only way Zack could've 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 Zack 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, Zack's house?" Sam said.
"We could."
"Why? I mean, what could you do?" Rebecca asked.
"Well, me not much, but Dean's a cop." Sam said and Dean laughed.
"Detective, actually."
"Really?" Rebecca asked and Dean nodded. "Where?
"Bisbee, Arizona. But I'm off-duty now."
"You guys, it's so nice to offer, but I just – I don't know.
"Bec, look." Sam said. "I know Zack didn't do this. Now, we have to find a way to prove that he's innocent."
"Okay." Rebecca said. "I'm gonna get the keys." Rebecca said, walking down the hall.
"Oh, yeah, man, you're a real straight shooter with your friends." Dean said.
"Look, Zack and Becky need our help."
"I just don't' think this is our kind of problem." Dean said.
"Two places at once? We've looked into less." Sam said and Dean said nothing, defeated.
**SPN**SPN**
They all stood outside of Zack's house, Rebecca was clearly uncomfortable.
"Are you sure this is okay?" Rebecca asked.
"Yeah. I am an officer of the law." Dean said as they walked up to the house.
They walked in and looked around. The furniture and walls of the house are smeared with blood, Rebecca stood on the porch steps.
"Bec, you wanna wait outside?" Sam asked.
"No, I wanna help." Rebecca said, ducking under the police tape and entering the house.
"Tell us what else the police said." Sam said.
"Well," Rebecca said, tearfully. "There's no sign of a break-in. They say that Emily let her attacker in. The lawyers – they're already talking about plea bargain." Rebecca said, bursting into tears. "Oh, God."
"Look, Bec, if Zack didn't do this, it means someone else did. Any idea who?"
"Um, there was something, about a week before. Somebody broke in here and stole some clothes – Zack's clothes. The police – they don't' think it's anything. I mean, we're not that far from downtown. Sometimes people get robbed."
Dean moves to the open front door and sees the neighbor's dog, barking loud. Rebecca came up behind him. "You know, that used to be the sweetest dog."
"I'll be outside, Dean." Lily said.
"Stay close." Dean said.
Lily walked near the fence, the dog slowly stopped barking.
"Hey, buddy." Lily said, softly. "What'd you see?"
The dog whined and pressed his head against the fence.
Tentatively Lily petted him with one finger through the fence.
"It'll be okay." Lily whispered.
"Come, Lil." Dean called.
Lily patted the dog's head one last time and hurried away.
**SPN**SPN**
Bored, Lily sat in an armchair watching the security tape that Rebecca had stolen from her lawyer.
"Here he comes." Rebecca said as the tape showed Zack entering his house.
"22:04, just after ten. You said time of death was about 10:30."
"Our lawyers hired some kind of video expert. He says the tape's authentic. It wasn't tampered with." Rebecca said.
"Hey, Bec, can we take those beers now?" Sam asked.
"Oh, sure." Rebecca said, getting up to go to the kitchen.
"Maybe some sandwiches, too?"
"What do you think this is, Hooters?" Rebecca teased.
"I wish." Dean mumbled as she walked away, once she was out of sight he turned to Sam. "What is it?"
"Check this out." Sam said, rewinding the tape and pressing play. The frame shows Zack looking directly at the camera, his eyes are silver.
"Well, maybe it's just a camera flare."
"That's not like any camera flare I've ever seen." Lily said. "You know, a lot of cultures believe that a photograph can catch a glimpse of the soul."
"Right." Dean said.
"Remember that dog freakin' out? Maybe he saw this thing, maybe this is some kind of dark double of Zack's, something that looks like him but isn't him. Like a Doppelganger."
"It'd sure explain how he was in two places at once." Sam said.
Lily smiled gleefully; it always felt nice when she was able to contribute to the hunt, since there was so much she couldn't do.
~~SPN~~SPN~~
Lily sat in the backseat of the Impala, trying to stay awake but failing miserably, every few minutes she'd doze off and jerk awake.
"Alright, so what are we doin' here at 5:30 in the morning?" Dean asked.
"I realized something. The videotape shows the killer goin' in, but not comin' out."
"So, he came out the back door." Dean said, as they got out.
"Right. So, there should be at trail to follow. A trail the police would never pursue."
"'Cause they think the killer never left. And they caught your friend Zack inside. I still don't know what we're doin' here at 5:30 in the morning."
Sam looked around the outside of the building, and noticed blood smeared on a nearby telephone pole.
"Blood." Sam said. "Somebody came this way."
"Yeah, but the trail ends. I don't see anything over here." Dean said, just as an ambulance drove past.
They followed it and spotted an Asian man handcuffed and being put into the backseat of a police car.
"What happened?" Dean asked, a nearby woman.
"He tried to kill his wife. Tied her up and beat her."
"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."
They walk around the house and take started to look around.
"Remember when I said this wasn't our kind of problem?" Dean said.
"Yeah."
"Definitely our kind of problem." Dean said.
"What'd you find?" Sam asked.
"Well, I talked to the patrolman who was first on the scene, heard this guy, Alex's story. Apparently, the dude was driving home from a business trip when his wife was attacked."
"So, he was two places at once." Lily said.
"Exactly. Then he sees himself in the house, police think he's a nutjob."
"Two dark doubles attacking loved ones in exactly the same way." Sam said.
"Could be the same thing doin' it, too." Dean said.
"Shapeshifter?" Sam asked. "Something that can make itself look like anyone?"
"Every culture in the world has a shapeshifter lore. You know, legends of creates who can transform themselves into animals or other people." Lily said.
"Right, skin walkers, werewolves." Sam said.
"We've got two attacks within blocks of each other. I'm guessing' we've got a shape shifter prowling' the neighborhood." Dean said.
"Let me ask you this, in all this shapeshifter lore, can any of them fly?" Sam asked.
"None that I know of." Dean said.
"I picked up a trail here. Someone ran out the back of this building and headed of this way."
"Just like your friend's house."
"Yeah, and just like at Zack's house, the trail suddenly ends. I mean, whatever it is just disappeared."
"Well, there's another way to go." Dean said, looking at a manhole. "Down."
"Lily, I want you to go back to the Impala and stay there." Dean said, leaning down to lift the manhole open.
"No." Lily said. "I'm not staying behind."
"Do as I say, Lily." Dean said.
"No, Dean, I'm not doing it. I have every right to do be down there, I need to learn. I need to prepare myself." Lily said, stubbornly. "There's no other way, if you make me stay I'll just wait until you two go down and then go down on my own, is that what you want?"
Dean looked away, he'd never dealt with someone so defiant and he didn't like it, he wanted so badly to keep Lily safe but she wasn't letting him.
"Lily…" Dean said, turning to look at her. It surprised him then how much she looked like him, standing there with her arms crossed and a cocky look in her eyes, Dean knew she was coming down one way or another. "Stay close."
"Thanks." Lily said, smiling.
They climbed down the manhole, which smelled awful, Lily standing in between Sam and Dean.
"I bet this runs right by Zack's house, too. The shapeshifter could be using the sewer system to get around."
"I think your right." Dean said, bending down to examine a pile of blood and skin. "Look at this."
"Is this from his victims?" Sam asked.
"You know." Dean said, taking out a pocketknife and holding up some of the skin. "I just had a sick though. When the shapeshifter changes shape – maybe it sheds."
"That is sick." Lily agreed.
They all climbed back out of the manhole and to the Impala, Dean opened it and started to take out weapons.
"Well, one thing I learned from Dad, is that no matter what kind of shapeshifter it is, there's one sure way to kill it."
"Silver bullet to the heart." Sam said.
"That's right." Dean said and then Sam's cell phone rang.
"This is Sam…we're near Zack's, we're just checkin' some things out…What are you talkin' about?" Sam's facial expression changed for a moment. "Why would you do that? Bec…We're trying to help…Bec I'm sorry, but-." Sam hung the phone up a disappointed look on his face.
"I hate to say it, but that's exactly what I'm talkin' about." Dean said. "You lie to your friends because if they knew the real you, they'd be freaked; it's just – it'd be easier if –."
"If I was like you." Sam said.
"Hey, man, like it or not, we are not like other people. But I'll tell you one thing. This whole gig – it ain't without perks." Dean said, holding up a gun, without a word Sam took it put it in his jeans.
"Here, Lil." Dean said, handing Lily a .22.
Lily also put her gun in the waist band of her jeans.
Down in the sewer they retraced there steps.
"I think we're close to its lair." Lily commented.
"Why do you say that?" Sam asked.
"Because there's another puke-inducing pile next to your face." Lily said, and Sam turned to see another pile of blood and skin on a nearby pipe.
"Looks like it's lived here for a while." Dean said.
"Who knows how many murders he's gotten away with?" Sam said.
Sam turned to see the shapeshifter still in the form of the Asian man.
"Dean!" Sam yelled. Dean turned at the exact moment the Asian man punched him, sending him falling to the ground, the Asian man ran off down the tunnel and Sam let off a few shots that echoed around them, Lily clasped her hands to hear ears and screamed in terror.
"Get the son of a bitch!" Dean barked as Sam started to get closer to him.
All three of them took of down the tunnel and then up a manhole.
"All right, let's split up." Sam said.
"All right, I'll meet you around the other side."
Lily followed behind Sam.
Sam and Lily search but find nothing and eventually walk back to the Impala.
"Hey?" Dean said and Sam turned around. "Anything?"
"No. He's gone." Sam said.
"All right, let's get back to the car." Dean said.
"You think he found another way underground?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, probably. You got the keys?" Dean asked.
"Hey, didn't Dad once face a shapeshifter in San Antonio?" Sam asked.
"Oh, that was Austin. It turned out not to be a shapeshifter, it was a thought form. A psychic projection, remember?"
"Oh right, here ya go." Sam said, throwing the keys and walking away.
Lily nervously watched Dean, something felt off…wrong. Dean watched her for a second before opening the trunk.
"…Hey Dad, what time is it?"
"Quarter after seven." Dean said, casually.
Lily felt the blood leave her face, she never called Dean Dad and if she had suddenly started, she was sure there would be something in Dean's face, but he had answered her in a such a casual way. Shocked Lily turned to Sam who motioned quietly for her to step toward him.
"Don't move!" Sam called, stepping toward Dean his gun aimed. "What have you done with him?"
"Dude, chill. It's me, all right?" Dean said.
"No, I don't think so." Sam said. "Where's my brother?"
"You're about to shoot him. Sam, calm down." Dean said.
"You caught those keys with your left. Your shoulder was hurt.
"Yeah, it's better. What do you want me to do, cry?" Dean asked.
"Lily called you Dad. She's never done that. Dean would have been surprised…You're not my brother."
"Why don't you pull the trigger, then? Hm? 'Cause you're not sure. Dude, you know me."
"Don't." Sam said. Dean paused before hitting Sam twice with a crowbar; Lily let out a squeal and backed away as she pulled the gun from her jeans.
"Leave me alone…" Lily said, tears forming in her eyes.
"Come on…it doesn't have to be this way." "Dean", said.
Lily pulled the trigger and "Dean", staggered backwards clutching his stomach. His face changed into anger and pain and he started toward Lily but she ran off.
She ran a few blocks and then paused, no one was following her, slowly and carefully she made her way back to the Impala and sat "Dean", dragging Sam off. Lily followed and staid hidden in the shadows.
Just as "Dean" got Sam tied up he started to wake.
"Where is Lily? Where's Dean?'
"I wouldn't worry about them. I'd worry about you."
"You're hurt…" Sam said.
"Yeah…Lily shot me." Dean said, smirking. "I'll take care of her later."
"Where is she?"
"You don't really wanna know." "Dean" said, chuckling. "I swear, the more I learn about you and your family – I thought I came from a bad background."
"What do you mean, learn?" Sam asked as "Dean" grabbed his head in pain and grimaced.
"He's sure got issues with you. You got to go to college. He had to stay home. I mean, I had to stay home. With Dad. You don't think I had dreams of my own? But Dad needed me. Where the hell were you?"
"Where is my brother?" Sam repeated.
"I am your brother. See, deep down, I'm just jealous. You got friends. You could have a life. Me? I know I'm a freak. And sooner or later, everybody's gonna leave me. Now I'm saddled with a kid I couldn't even keep safe."
"What are you talkin' about?"
"You left. Hell, I did everything Dad asked me to do, and he ditched me, too. No explanation, nothing', just poff. Left me your sorry ass. But, still, this life. It's not without its perks." "Dean" said, chuckling. "I meet the nicest people. Like little Becky. You know, Dean would bang her if he got the chance. Let's see what happens." Dean said, smiling and covering Sam with a sheet.
Lily slid into the shadows as "Dean" passed. She waited until she was sure he was gone.
"Dean? Sammy?" Lily called.
"Lily!" Sam called.
Lily hurried over and pulled the sheet off of Sam.
"Are you okay?" Lily asked.
"Cut the ropes." Sam said.
Lily pulled a pocket knife from her pocket and began to cut the ropes, as she did she heard sound from the other side of the room and coughing.
"That better be you, Sam and not that freak of nature."
"Yeah, it's me." Sam said. "He went to Rebecca's, lookin' like you."
"Well, he's not stupid. He picked the handsome one." Dean said.
Lily uncut the ropes and handed the pocket knife to Sam, she didn't want to be near Dean right now, the word still rang through her head. It may not have been Dean saying it but it was his thoughts, he was saddled with her. He didn't really want her.
"Yeah, that's the thing. He didn't just look like you, he was you. Or he was becoming you."
"What do you mean?" Dean asked.
"I don't know, it was like he was downloading your thoughts and memories. "Sam said.
"you mean, like the Vulcan mind meld?"
"Yeah, something' like that. I mean maybe that's why he doesn't kill us."
"Maybe he needs to keep us alive. Psychic connecting.
"How didn't you get caught, Lil?" Dean asked.
"I shot him…" Lily said, refusing to look at him. "I didn't get his heart though."
"Good job."
"Yeah, I can do this, even if you don't think so. If you'll around, I'm the only one who didn't get tied up tonight." Lily snapped, walking away and leading them out.
"Come on. We gotta find a phone, call the police."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, you're gonna put an APB out on me." Dean said.
"Sorry." Sam said, shrugging.
"This way." Lily said, running down the street.
As they walked down the street an hour later, they stopped at a TV display that had the news.
"An anonymous tip led police to a home in the Central West End, where a S.W.A.T team discovered a local woman bound and gagged. Her attacker, a white male, approximately twenty-four to thirty years of age, was discovered hiding in her home." A sketch of Dean appeared on the screen.
"Man! That's not even a good picture." Dean complained.
"It's good enough." Sam said, walking away.
"Man!"
Sam turned down an alley.
"They said attempted murder. At least we know…"
"I didn't kill her."
"We'll check with Rebecca in the morning, see if she's all right."
"All right but first I wanna find that handsome devil and kick the holy rap out of him."
"We have no weapons. No silver bullets."
"Sam, the guy's walkin' around with my face, okay, it's a little personal. I wanna find him."
"Okay, where do we look?'
"Well, we start with the sewers."
"We have no weapons." Sam repeated. "He stole our guns, we need more." Sam said and then paused. "The car?"
"I'm bettin' he drove over to Rebecca's."
"The news said he fled on foot. I bet it's still parked there."
"The thought of him drivin' my car." Dean said, shaking his head.
"Get over it." Lily muttered, turning away.
"What's wrong?" Dean asked.
"Nothin'." Lily said, walking away.
"Lily!"
"I don't want to Dean." Lily snapped.
They walked silently to Rebecca's house, Dean looked at the Impala, relieved. "Oh, there she is! Finally, something went right tonight."
Just as they approached it a police car appeared.
"Oh crap." Dean turned and another police car is parked a few yards away. "This way, this way."
Dean ran toward the fence.
"You go, I'll hold 'em off."
"What are you talking about? They'll catch you."
"Look, they can't hold me. Just go, keep out of sight. Meet me at Rebecca's."
Dean held his hands out for Lily who stepped into them and climbed over the fence.
"Dean." Sam said. "Stay out of the sewers. I mean it!"
"Yeah, yeah!"
They ran until it was safe and then doubled back to the Impala.
"What's wrong?" Dean asked.'
"Who said something was wrong?" Lily asked.
"You've been short to me this whole time, I thought we were better than that."
"So did I, until I realized I'm just someone your saddled with. Listen, Dean, if you don't want me here just say so. My Mom was only a little older than me when her parents kicked her out, I'll be fine."
"Who said I didn't want you here?" Dean asked.
"You did. Well…the shapeshifter did. He said "I'm saddled with a kid I couldn't even keep safe". I can take care of myself Dean, I showed that tonight."
"I'm not saddled with you, Lily, you're one of the greatest things in my life." Dean said. "What else did the shapeshifter say?"
"Stuff about how everyone leaves you, how Sammy got to be normal. How your Dad left you without any reason." Lily said, looking up at Dean. "You don't really don't think your saddled with me?"
"No. I'll admit though that I wish…I wish I hadn't come to get you because I brought the monster with me…I'm to blame."
"It's not you Dean…" Lily said, sighing. "I didn't tell you before…I had nightmares about Logan dying…for months ahead of time. In my dream though all I saw was Logan on the ceiling and then a pair of yellow eyes in the dark…I could have stopped it."
Dean was silent for a long time.
"This isn't your fault. It's mine, I don't how but it is. Now let's go, we've got to finish the hunt we can talk more later."
"What are we gonna do?"
"We're going to the sewers."
"But Sam said not too."
"Since when is Sam in charge?" Dean asked, smirking.
They walked silently through the sewers until they came to a chamber filled with candles and chains, revolting piles of skin and blood on the floor, they both looked over at a sound and then they saw Rebecca in a corner.
"Rebecca?" Dean asked, hurrying over to untie her.
"What happened?" Lily asked.
"I was walking home." Rebecca said, crying. "And everything went white. Someone hit me over the head and I wound up here just in time to see that thing turn into me. I don't know, how is that even possible.
"It's okay." Lily said, "Come on, can you walk?" Rebecca nodded.
"Okay, we've gotta hurry. Sam went to see you."
They get there just in time to see "Dean" pinning Sam to the floor and choking him.
"Hey!" Dean yelled and just as "Dean" looked up he shot him twice in the heart.
"Sam!" Rebecca said, rushing over.
Dean walked slowly over "Dean" and noticed his necklace around his neck, without a word he yanked it.
Tiredly, Lily leaned against the Impala as the sun started to rise. Dean was looking at a map beside her and Sam was a few yards away talking to Rebecca, finally they hug and Sam walks away. Rebecca waved at Dean and Lily and they both returned the wave.
"So, what about your friend, Zack?'
"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."
"I'm sorry, man." Dean said.
"About what?"
"I really wish things could be different, you know? I wish you could just be…Joe College."
"No, that's okay. You know the truth is, even at Stanford, deep down, I never really fit in."
"Well, that's 'cause you're a freak."
"Yeah, thanks.'
"Don't worry Sammy, we're freaks too. We're right with you."
"Yeah I know. "Sam said, chuckling.
"You know, I gotta say, I'm sorry I'm gonna miss it." Dean said.
"Miss what?" Sam asked.
"How many chances am I gonna have to see my own funeral?" Dean asked.
"That's not somethin' I ever wanna see." Lily said.