From The Mind Of Jemma Winchester

Unlike You

WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS A MAJOR SPOILER FROM THE SEASON 11 MID SEASON FINALE. IF YOU WANT TO AVOID SPOILERS, DO NOT READ THE PARAGRAPH WHERE CAS EXPLAINS WHY HE'S DOING THE THING (he literally says "do you want to know why I____?")

I'm sorry in advance for the amount of emotional trauma this chapter could cause you. The synopsis really downplays how intense it really is.

Synopsis: Shapeshifters can now change their skin without shedding it. Cas is acting very stoic and distant. What the hell is going on?

TW: kidnapping, drowning

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dad, Cas and I pile into the Impala. We've decided to all go on this supply run, because whenever someone goes alone, something inevitably gets forgotten to be bought. We pull into the grocery store, and hop out of the car. Well, everyone except for Cas. He still sits facing forward in the backseat.

"Cas, you coming?" Dad asks and taps on the window.

"I'll wait in here," he says simply.

"Okay..." Once we get inside, he says, "You know, Cas has been acting really weird lately."

"Yeah, he has," I reply.

"I've tried talking to him about it, but he won't say anything."

I shrug. "He'll talk when he's ready to talk. I'm almost out of toothpaste; I'll be right back." I pass Dad and head into the aisle next to him. As I'm browsing the various toothpaste flavors, I see a movement out of the corner of my eye. I whip my head around, only to see a stock boy placing mouthwashes on the shelf.

I exhale deeply. I pick up the toothpaste I usually get, and glance back at the stock boy, but he's been replaced by an older woman with dark skin. She's restocking the same shelf the boy was.

Something isn't right with this picture. I heard no departing footsteps, nothing to indicate the boy left. Carefully, I take a few steps backward, making sure to keep my eyes glued to the woman.

She changes again.

This time, she's a teenage girl with long, blonde hair. She glances up from restocking the shelf and stares at me. I turn and run into the next aisle, nearly screaming as I run smack into Dad.

"Whoa, what's wrong?"

"The stock boy turned into a woman, and then into a girl."

He gives me a puzzled look. "Are you saying it's a Shapeshifter?"

I shake my head. "There was no skin left behind when it changed."

"Is this a hallucination?"

I shake my head again. "I'm positive this isn't a hallucination. I swear."

I glance past him down the aisle, where the girl is placing cans of soup on the shelf. "That's her," I tell him. Again, she stops restocking the shelf and advances, very slowly, toward us. An older man appears next to her, out of nowhere. And then a woman.

"Jemma, go get Cas," Dad mutters.

"I can't leave you!" I whisper.

"Go," he demands.

I nod and sprint out of the store, the sound of flesh being stabbed and screaming already commencing. I run through the parking lot, and see Cas has moved into the driver's seat. I fling open the door and crash into the passenger seat, slamming the door behind me. "Cas--"