The Shape-Shifting Winchester

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Sam rapped anxiously on the wheel of the car he hijacked. Trinity really wanted him not to kill Rick, but he was twitching to do just that.

The scars he saw were burning holes in his mind; he couldn't believe anyone would do that to a little girl. She was younger than ten. A hammer? Really? If she had been human, she doubtless would've died.

This was one of the hardest decisions he could remember making. Either he disappointed Trinity (for whatever reason), or he denied everything he'd ever been taught was right. Never had he imagined that those two things would be different, and it was killing him.

Sitting in the parking lot, he looked up at the insurance office in front of him and took a deep breath. He had to make a decision now. With a huff he grabbed the silver knife, shoved it into his jacket, and got out. His stomach knotted as he walked in. Everyone he looked at was potentially the person who tortured his little sister.

"Hello, how can I help you?" the receptionist asked.

"I have an appointment with Mr. Rick Tomlin, can you point me to his office?" He barely kept the hostility out of his voice.

"Sure thing! Rick Tomlin is in room 1013."

"Thanks."

He walked to the elevator, pressing the 10. Rick Tomlin. Trinity's uncle. The man who scarred her, gave her problems. He thought suddenly that maybe her dad would leave her there, and that's how she developed the abandonment issues. He was the cause of her panic attacks. Sam huffed.

Stepping out, he considered calling Dean, but stopped. He knew exactly what his brother would say. So he just texted Trinity.

One more time. Are you sure you want me to let him live?

Yes. He's a jerk, but he doesn't deserve death.

Sam sighed and shoved his phone in his pocket. Great. Well...he would talk to Rick, and if Rick happened to piss him off, then the world would have one left shifter to deal with.

He walked stiffly down the hall to room 1013 and paused, but flung open the door.

Inside sat a man who looked like he could be Trinity's dad, with sandy blond hair and dark brown eyes. He was leaning over a piece of paper, scribbling with his left hand.

"Hello, Sam," he said.

"I'm here for Trinity."

He looked up and smiled, but there was a glint in his eye that made Sam's jaw set. "Are you? Linda said that she was living with hunters these days, but I didn't expect it to be the famed Winchesters."

"Yeah, shocking." He closed the door and walked over. "She said you could tell me about her mom."

"Trinity's mother?" he said in surprise. "There isn't much to say. Uriah kept her in the house for the nine months she was pregnant, and Linda and I weren't allowed to see her."

This was surprisingly easy, Sam thought, but started to wonder how much was true. "And? What do you know?"

"I know that her name was Mary, and that her family was a family of hunters."

"Mary? You have a last name?"

"No, sorry." He signed the paper with a flourish and set it aside, finally looking up at Sam as he laid his arms on the desk.

"What's the story on Uriah and Mary then?"

He shrugged. "Mary was a pure-blooded hunter, back twenty generations. Supposedly she was the only one in the country with such a great lineage, but she was special. Fragile, Uriah said."

"Fragile? How?"

"Not sure. The way he spoke of her, it was like she was on the brink of death."

"Did you ever see her?"

"Sure. Once."

Sam crossed his arms, his fingertips brushing the silver blade. "Describe her to me."

He shrugged. "Blonde hair, blue eyes. Petite, apart from her pregnancy."

Sam nodded. "Okay. That's all, I think."

"Sorry I couldn't be of more help." He gave a small smile and turned to his work as Sam turned to walk out.

Suddenly Sam paused. "Actually, there is one more thing I want to ask you."

"Of course," he said without looking up.

"Why shouldn't I kill you? Right now."

Rick looked up, his smile seeming deadly now. "Oh, Sam. You know I haven't hurt anyone. Killing me...well, you'd just have one less ally."

"That isn't quite true though, is it? You have hurt someone. A very specific someone, actually."

"Who would that be?" He didn't sound even interested.

"Trinity."

Rick paused and looked up. His voice got dangerous, warning Sam to leave. "She was a bad girl. She deserved it."

His lip twitched. "You tortured a little girl."

"She isn't just a little girl, Sam." He chuckled and sat back. "You don't know, do you?"

"Know what?" His fingers twitched and curled, itching to be holding a blade.

"She's the trinity, Sam. Why do you think Uriah gave her that name? A pure-blooded shape-shifter is very, very rare. Many of us have simply been Changed, not born into it. And many more are disbelievers in the trinity. The fractional percent that are pure bloods, that believe in such a shifter coming to be, that can find a hunter who is pure, and that can trap the hunter long enough to get a child...my boy, you're looking at a decimal so far out it's smaller than an atom."

That was it. Pulling the blade, Sam flew forward and pushed him over. The chair hit the wall and spun off. Sam punched Rick in the face with the butt of the blade and turned it to stab him, but Rick caught his hand.

"Security!" he shouted.

"You abused her! She has scars because of you!" Sam howled, but before long he was being wrangled off of Rick. He'd only gotten in one shallow cut on his cheek.

"Whatever remains is a façade, Sam," said Rick calmly as he straightened himself. "She is more evil than you or I." Glancing at the security guards, he said, "I don't want to press charges. Just get him out."

~

"Did you kill him?"

"I tried."

Dean grimaced. "He's still breathing? Great."

Sam sighed and leaned against the wall. Trinity was dressed in pjs now, laying on her bed. Apparently seeing Linda had been more taxing than she'd thought.

"What'd he tell you about Mom?" she asked.

"Her name was Mary. From his description, you look more like her than you do your dad. She was a 20th generation hunter."

In astonishment Dean looked over. "You got a last name?"

"Nope. But she had to have filled out some kind of form when she was in the hospital, so I'll see if I can find it." He sat down at the table and pulled his laptop out.

"Anything else?" Trinity asked.

As he typed, he answered, "She was fragile, whatever that means, and Uriah locked her in his house for nine months. Sounds like she showed up, got pregnant, then left nine months later, never to be seen again."

"Well, let's see what we can find for May 9, 1985, on a Mary," Dean said.

"You mean what I can find while you two sleep."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, pretty much." He flopped down beside Trinity and she glared at him.

"No knives," she said.

"Fine," he sighed. She smiled and laid down.

"Sammy, get some rest. Don't be up 'til five, yeah?"

He nodded. "Will do. Goodnight, Trin."