Skin.

"That Shifter knocked you on your—"

"Athy..."

"What? I was gonna say butt." Athena looks at Sam.

"You think he found another way underground?" Sam asks.

"Probably." Dean says. "You got the keys?"

Athena glances at her eldest brother. "Hey, didn't dad once face a Shapeshifter in San Antonio?"

"No, that was Austin. Remember?" Dean chuckles. "And it turned out not to be a Shapeshifter. It was a thought-form—a psychic projection."

Athena's back straightens, "Oh, silly me." She sputters. "How could I forgot?"

"Here you go." Sam tosses Dean's the keys and he catches them with ease.

Athena watches as Dean moves his former left arm without any pain.

Sam and Athena exchange a suspicious look and round the car. Dean opens the trunk, before he could grab anything, Sam stands beside him.

"Don't move!" Sam aims his gun at Dean. "What have you done with him?"

"Dude, chill. It's me, all right?" Dean holds his hands up.

"No, I don't think so. Where's our brother?" Sam asks, not budging.

"You're about to shoot him. Sam, calm down." Dean chuckles nervously. His eyes dart to the young girl.

"Athy, come on—"

"Don't talk to her!" Sam snaps. "You caught those keys with your left. Your shoulder was hurt."

"Yeah. It's better. What do you want me to do, cry?" Dean shrugs.

"You're not our brother." Athena speaks.

"Why don't you pull the trigger, then, hmm?" Dean takes a step forward.

Athena notices Sam's hands start to shake with doubt. "Don't let him trick you."

Dean squints his eyes at the girl and she tenses. "Really? After everything I've done for you?"

Athena squints her eyes. "If you were my older brother. You would know that you haven't done anything for me." She tilts her head. "He knows that he has a lot of making up to do."

Dean shifts his gaze between Sam and Athena. He lets out a silent chuckle. Faster than the girl could blink, Dean slams the gun out of Sam's hand and hits a pipe over his head. Athena's eyes widen.

"You are too smart for your own good, Athy." The Shifter walks over to her.

Athena steps away from the creature wearing her brother's face. Before she could do anything else, he slams her head into the side of the car; knocking her out.

☆

Athena flinches from the Shifter backhanding Sam. The Shifter walks past the siblings.

"Where is he?" Athena asks. "Where's Dean?"

The Shifter lets out a breath, "Oh, I wouldn't worry about him." He walks back over to them. "I'd worry about the two of you."

"Where is he?" Sam asks this time around.

"You don't really want to know."

Athena squints her eyes, not able to tell if he's lying. Do all Supernatural creatures not have a tell?

"I swear, the more I learn about you and your family..." The Shifter shakes his head. "I thought I came from a bad background."

"What do you mean, learn?" Sam asks.

"It's like uploading memories to a computer." Athena clarifies. "Once the Shifter takes shape of someone...they collect their memories."

The Shifter clicks his tongue. "Y'know...you sure are a know-it-all." He turns to the girl. "I mean, what? You wanted all the praise to be better than Dean...me. So you look at every book you set your eyes on. Then you brag...the bragging is what gets me—"

"Too bad you're not him then." Athena squints her eyes. "If you think you can hurt my feelings, you're wrong. I've been through worse—"

The Shifter slaps Athena across the face, causing her head to snap to the side.

"Don't touch her!" Sam shouts.

Athena winces slightly from her throbbing face. She lifts her head up and blinks a couple of times. "Like I said..." her sapphire blue eyes Pierce into the Shifter's. "I've been through worse."

The Shifter tilts his head and chuckles softly. "So strong for a girl who can't even keep her food down."

Athena falters and the shapeshifter smirks. She knows that's not Dean. And she has heard Dean say some harsh things to her, but never about her eating disorder.

"It's not like the two finger rule is doing you any favors." The shapeshifter winces, looking at Athena's body. "Maybe you should try cutting a few pounds...literally, am I right, Sammy—"

"Shut up!" Sam snaps.

Athena's eyes burn and she inhales a shaky breath. The Shifter only has memories of Dean's. But Athena never told Dean that she tried to hurt herself before.

"You really suck at pinky promises, don't ya, Sammy?" The Shifter clicks his tongue and chuckles.

"Dean's sure got issues with the two of you, that's for sure."

The Shifter looks at Sam, "You got to go to college. He had to stay home. I mean I had to stay home—with dad and...that." He carelessly motions to Athena.

"You don't think I had dreams of my own?" The Creature scoffs. "But dad needed me. And where the hell were you?"

"Where is our brother?" Sam asks.

"I'm your brother." He shifts his gaze between the siblings. "See, deep down...I'm just jealous. You got friends. You could have a life. And you..."

He shifts his attention to Athena. She squints her eyes. "You have had so many chances to leave. But you just keep coming back. Why?"

Athena's throat tightens and she stays quiet. The shifter shakes his head. "Things would just be...so much easier without you here anyway."

"Athena, that's not true." Sam says.

"Oh, come on, Sammy—don't lie to her!" The creature looks at the girl on the verge of tears. "We all know she's a freak. And sooner or later everyone's gonna leave her."

Athena's heart rate quickens.

The Shifter walks away.

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Athena asks, the worry evident in her voice.

"Oh, come on—Sam left." The shifter starts. "You do everything Dad and I ask of you. He ditched you and I just...I can't stand the sight of you—"

"He's lying!" Sam shouts.

"—no explanation for why he vanished either. He just left me with your sorry ass." The Shifter scoffs.

"But still this life..." he grabs two tarps and walks over to the siblings. "...it's not without its perks. I meet the nicest people! Like Little Becky."

"You know, Dean would bang her if he had the chance."

"Let's see what happens."

☆

Silence settles in the cold sewer. Only the sound of water dripping to be heard. Sam shifts his position, noticing Athena's silence.

"You know what he said wasn't true, right?" Sam calls out. "He was just trying to mess with your head."

Athena inhales and she nods. "I know, it's just weird hearing those words leave his mouth. Sounded just like him."

"But it wasn't him." Sam says. "Dean would never say anything like that."

Athena's chest tightens, but she pushes the memories away and chuckles softly. "Right."

A small groan comes from afar, causing both siblings to straighten their backs.

"That better be you guys and not that freak of Nature."

Relief runs through them. "Yeah, it's us." Sam calls out.

"Are you okay?" Athena asks.

"Yeah, my arm's still busted though."

"He went to Rebecca's." Sam says.

"Well, he's not stupid." Dean speaks. "He picked the handsome one."

Athena pulls her brows together. "Wait...are we all talking to each other with the cloths still over us or is it just me?"

"It's just you." Sam and Dean chorus.

"Oh...okay. Good to know." Athena nods her head. "I've gotta tell you. Shifter's are interesting!"

"Oh, yeah!" Dean voices, sarcasm heavy in his voice. "I'll ask for the guy's autograph after this."

Athena stays silent, confused. "But...I'm positive you're gonna kill them after we're done. Why—"

"He's being sarcastic, Athy." Sam clarifies for the girl.

Her mouth slightly opens and she nods. "Ohhhh—okay."

"He didn't just look like you. He was you!" Athena continues to explain.

"Or he was becoming you." Sam adds.

"What do you mean?" Dean asks.

"Well, it's like Athena said earlier..." Sam starts. "...he was gaining your memories the longer he was you."

"You mean like the Vulcan Mind-Meld?" Dean questions.

Athena's face lights up, "Yes—exactly!"

"Maybe that's why he didn't just kill us." Sam suggests.

Suddenly the tarp over Athena's head is taken off of her. "Ah, thank you." She gives her eldest brother a smile.

Dean crouches down and cuts the ropes around Athena's wrists. She stands up and rubs her wrists as Dean frees Sam.

"Maybe he needs to keep us alive—a psychic connection." Dean adds.

"What? Like he cares about us?" Athena sticks her pinky in her ear. "Huh...never thought of it like that."

"Yeah—come on we got to go." Sam says, standing up from his restraints. "He's probably at Rebecca's already."

The three siblings make their way to the surface. "Come on. We got to find a phone, call the police."

"I'm sure we can do this without the pigs involved." Athena sighs, patting the dirt out of her jeans.

"Well, they can get there faster than us right now." Sam explains.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Dean holds his hands out. "You're gonna put an APB out on me."

"Sorry." Sam shrugs.

Dean lets out a defeated sigh.

"So, how many stars do you think you're gonna have after Sam calls the cops on you?" Athena asks.

"What? What stars?" Dean looks at his little sister.

"Grand Theft Auto." Athena shrugs.

Dean blinks.

"The video game." Sam clarifies.

Dean pulls his brows together, not knowing the game. While, Sam pulls his brows together, knowing the game.

"What are you doing playing that game?" Sam asks.

"What? You think that I'm this happy go lucky person without having a way to release my anger?" Athena shrugs, pressing her lips together in an awkward smile.

"Grand Theft Auto—you're stealing cars?" Dean cranes his neck forward.

"Not anymore." Sam shakes his head. "Lay off the video games and focus on your homework—now lets go!"

Sam and Dean run down the alleyway and Athena's mouth hangs open.

"We're running now?" She slumps her shoulders and sighs.

Dean sighs, he spins on his heel and runs back toward the girl. He picks his sister up and throws her over his shoulder and follows after Sam.

"Thank you!"

☆

"They said attempted murder. At least we know—"

"I didn't kill her."

"We'll check in with Rebecca in the morning to see if she's all right." Sam says.

"All right, well, first I want to find that handsome Devil and kick the holy fuck out of him." Dean quickly speaks, anger lacing his words.

"We have no weapons. No silver bullets." Athena says.

"Athy, the guy's walking around with my face, okay? It's a little personal. I want to find him." Dean stops, causing the other two to stop.

"Okay." Athena frowns. "Where do we look?"

"We could start with the sewers." Dean shrugs.

"We have no weapons." Sam says. "He stole our guns. We need more."

"The car?"

"I'm betting he drive over to Rebecca's." Dean snaps his fingers. "The News said he fled on foot. I bet it's still parked there. Oh, the thought of him driving my car."

"Okay, calm down." Athena says, continuing down the alley with her brothers.

"It's killing me." Dean sighs.

"Let it go."

They make it to the Rebecca's neighborhood and spot the Impala.

"Ah. There she is!" Dean holds his arms up. "Finally, something went right tonight."

Before they could reach the Impala, police cars approach the car.

"Oh, Fiddlesticks!" Athena turns on her heel and goes the opposite direction.

The Winchesters were greeted with another cop car on the other end of the alley, caging them in.

"This has to be like—3 stars." Athena murmurs. She takes a step back and sighs.

"This way! This way!" Dean points to the fence.

"You go, we'll hold them off!" Sam says.

Athena's eyes widen, "Huh—wh-what?!"

"What are you talking about they'll catch you guys!" Dean says.

"Exactly!" Athena holds a hand up. "I disagree."

"Look, they. And hold us! Just go. Keep out of sight. Meet us at Rebecca's."

Dean shifts his gaze to Athena and she rolls her eyes. "Yeah, go!" she waves her hands toward the fence.

Dean nods, he runs over to the fence and starts to climb it.

"Dean, stay out of the sewers alone!" Sam calls out.

Without saying anything, Dean disappears over the fence.

"I mean it!"

Athena presses her lips together. "He's totally not gonna listen to you." She holds her hands up as the Police approach them.

Sam sighs, "Yeah, I know."

☆

"I can't believe this is happening to us—again." Athena presses her head against the wall. "I mean, the first time is understandable, but a second time..." she shakes her head. "...this is embarrassing for you."

Sam pulls his Brows together, "Me? Why me?"

"You're the adult." Athena states. "The professional Hunter."

"I'm rusty."

"You've been on the road with us for a month! You're rust is gone!"

"Oh, My God—will you two shut up?!"

Simultaneously, Sam and Athena turn to the Shifter who was once again wearing their brother's face.

"What are you going to do to us?" Sam asks.

"I'm not gonna do anything." The Shofter speaks. "Dean will, though."

"They'll never catch him." Sam says.

"Knock on wood..." Athena murmurs.

"Our hands are tied right now—literally." Sam says.

"Murder in the first of his own siblings." The Shifter nods. "He'll be hunter the rest of his life."

The Shifter grabs a knife and clicks his tongue. "I must say...I will be sorry to lose this skin." He walks over to the girl and grabs her wrist.

"Let go of me!" Athena growls. She starts to struggle against his grip, not wanting him to touch her. He forces her onto her back and ties her arms in front of her.

"Someone's sensitive to touch." The Shifter pouts his lip. "Bad life?"

"Suck my butt—imposter." The 10-year-old seethes with all the coldness she could gather.

"Language, miss Winchester." The creature chuckles. He grabs Sam, places him on his back as well, and ties his hands in front of him.

"Your guy's brother has got a lot of good qualities" The Shifter says. "You should appreciate him more than you do."

"Funny, I could say the same exact thing to him about me." Athena raises her brows.

The Shifter rolls his eyes, he pours himself a glass of whiskey. "Cheers."

He stabs the knife into the table. The Shifter takes a sip of his drink, giving Sam a chance to kick them to the ground. Sam stands up and cuts the rope off his wrists.

Once his hands were free, Sam grabs the knife and swings it toward the Shifter. They grab Sam's arm before the knife could make contact with their face. The Shifter forces Sam's arm behind his back and slams him into the ground.

Athena watches as the Shifter and Sam continuing to fight. There was a point in the fight when the shapeshifter had the upper hand until he tried. Eating Sam with the pool cue.

Lights shattered, causing the room to go dark. Sam continued to block and dodge the Shifter's hits. Until, the shifter tackled Sam over the couch, slamming the WinchEster into the table.

"Oh, Nuggets!" Athena gasps. She rolls around the floor until she gets to the knife and tries to cut herself free.

Athena flinches every time she hears the creature punch her brother across the face. Frustration builds up in Athena, not being able to cut herself free. Athena finally feels the ropes snap off her wrists and she exhales a triumphant chuckle.

She quickly stands up and sees the Shapeshifter choking Sam. Athena inhales a deep breath and sprints forward. She steps onto the back of the couch and jumps off of it, landing onto the Shifter's back.

"SNEAK ATTACK!"

The shifter lets go of Sam and stands up, struggling to get the 10-year-old off of him.

"Get the hell off of me!"

"Never!"

Athena claws at his eyes and he lets out a pain filled cry.

"Athena, down!"

The girl looks at the door and sees Dean holding his gun. She hops off the shifter's back and covers her head as Dean shoots the creature wearing his face.

Athena crawls over to her brother, who was on the ground. "Oh, Jeez." She examines his bleeding face.

"Sneak attack? Really?" Sam chuckles.

"It saved you, didn't it?" Athena raises her brows. "I 'sneak attacked' my butt off!"

"Yeah, you did!" Dean laughs.

Athena turns to Dean, noticing the look of pride in his face. He raises his hand, "Up top!

Athena's face lights up and she slaps her palm against her brother's.

Author's Note:

Athena's Sneak Attack will make future appearances