The Shape-Shifting Winchester

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Dean wasn't one for running, in fact if for any reason other than getting to his siblings, he never did, but after getting that call from Trinity, he was sprinting down the highway at full speed.

Trinity was shaking with sobs when Dean reached her, stopped on a side road. Without pausing to alert her of his presence, he yanked open the door and reached in.

"Trinity, hey, look at me. Trinity! What's going on?" His voice was urgent, scared, and panicked, all at once. How was she hurt? Who hurt her?

When she didn't respond, he gently pulled her from the car and wrapped her in his arms, just letting her sob into him. She was short enough that he could rest his chin on her forehead.

"What's this about?" he asked when she had calmed down some.

"My dad."

He felt his chest tighten and he pressed his eyes closed. "I'm sorry, Trin. I know you loved him, and I'm sorry we killed him."

"You didn't," she said, erupting again into a bout of tears. "I did. Your shot missed his heart, but I moved it. I killed him."

"It was an accident. I'm sure you were just trying to help." He was trying to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"No, I wasn't." She pulled away from him and leaned against the car. "He told me I was a disappointment, that he hoped you guys killed me. I was mad, and I did it on purpose."

He didn't even flinch, just raised his hands to lay on her shoulders. Since she wouldn't look up at him, he moved one hand to her chin and lifted it. "Trinity Annabella Winchester, you are not a disappointment. You do not deserve death. And you were not wrong for what you did. He was almost dead anyway; you did not kill him." He enunciated each word very carefully, so that she couldn't misunderstand.

"But Dean-"

"No." His face hardened. "Trinity, listen to me. Your father, he was a jerk. Okay? He didn't care about anyone. You didn't deserve that. You hearing me? That man was a monster."

"So what does that make me?"

He pursed his lips at the childish, defeated tone in her voice. "You're Trinity Winchester, my sister, one-of-a-kind. You are not a monster. You may be a shifter, but you are not like them. You're special; you're different. And this kind of different is good, okay? It's a little bit of humanity, Trin. That makes you who you are, and you are not a disappointment. You are anything but."

She took a deep breath and nodded, closing her eyes. "Okay."

When they got back to the room about thirty minutes later, Sam was just picking up his phone. "Hey, I was about to call you guys. Where'd you go?"

"Donut run," Dean said simply.

"Both of you?"

Trinity shrugged. "He never gets the cinnamon roll for me, and I got you a fruit salad." She tossed the plastic box at him along with a fork and he caught both easily.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

He sat down by them and opened up the fruit. "So, I've been thinking, maybe the spirit goes after people, like really specific people, and she can't kill anyone who doesn't exactly conform to that pattern."

"Okay, so what're the qualifications to be on her hit list?" Dean asked.

"Killing someone you care about, and not having other people forgive you for it. I mean, Dean, we've caused the deaths of a lot of people we care about, including each other, but we've forgiven and gotten forgiveness from everyone who was still alive."

"And I never forgave myself for killing my dad, which puts me on her list," sighed Trinity.

"Exactly."

Both Dean and Trinity froze. "What-you knew?" she asked.

"Yeah. I saw the blood under your nails during the ride to Bobby's, kinda figured you'd done something," he chuckled.

"Wow, okay," she looked back down at her donut and continued to eat.

"So forgive yourself," said Dean. "Then she can't kill any of us."

"It's not that easy, Dean. I think it's best if I just sit this one out; you guys find her."

The two nodded, and Sam stood up. "I'll get a head start on figuring out who she is. If you need me, I'll be at the library."