SKIN [PART ONE]
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"Are we gonna get movin' or are you two just gonna stand there and gaze into each other's eyes until one of you blinks?"
—
"Shush you."

• • •

Dean pulls into a gas station and once the car comes to a halt, Juliet is quick to jump out and stretch her legs. She leans down and looks into the back door window, where Harlow remains in her booster seat in the car, playing on Juliet's phone while Sam sits in the passenger seat going through his old emails on his PalmPilot.

Dean smirks at his girlfriend, not blaming her for wanting to get out of the car. They've been on the road for hours.

Still looking at his girlfriend from the wing mirror, Dean starts talking to Sam. The oldest Winchester brother making sure to raise his voice just a little, so Juliet can hear him as well.

"Alright, I figure we'd hit Tucumcari by lunch, then head south, hit Bisbee by midnight."

When he doesn't hear a repsonse from his brother, Dean stares at Sam with a look on his face, a mixture of annoyance and amusement as a thought pops into his head.

"Sam wears women's underwear."

Juliet rolls her eyes at her boyfriend's playful antics whereas Sam just rolls his eyes in annoyance. "I've been listenin', I'm just busy."

Dean furrows his eyebrows, curious.

"Busy doin' what?"

"Reading emails."

Dean gets out of the car. He starts to fill the tank with gas while replying to Sam at the same time.

"Emails from who?"

Sam not looking up from scrolling through his emails, replies to his brother. "From my friends at Stanford." Hearing that, Dean leans down to look at Sam from the driver's side window, a look of surprise on his face. "You're kidding. You still keep in touch with your college buddies?"

Juliet scoffs at hearing the mocking tone in his voice and is quick to smack his arm with a shake of her head. Dean sucks air through his teeth as her hand makes contact, he's quick to rub the spot where she hit him, which is now sore.

Sam nods his head at Juliet in thanks as he looks up from the email he is reading to look at his brother. "Why not?" Dean shakes his head, "Well, what exactly do you tell 'em? You know, about where you've been, what you've been doin'?"

Sam turns his attention back to scrolling through his PalmPilot.

"I tell 'em I'm on a roadtrip with my big brother, sister-in-law and niece. I tell 'em I needed time off after Jess."

The boyfriend and girlfriend have very different reactions, the latter of the two has a smile on her face at hearing Sam call her his sister-in-law. She puts her hand where her heart is. "Awe, you tell them I'm your sister-in-law. I'm flattered, Sammy."

The said Winchester rolls his eyes playfully while Dean's reaction...well, it wasn't what Sam or Juliet were expecting.

"Oh, so you lie to 'em."

Sam is quick to shake his head, "No. I just don't tell 'em...everything."

It's Dean's turn to shake his head, "Yeah, that's called lying. I mean, hey, man, I get it, tellin' the truth is far worse." Sam narrows his eyes at his brother -Juliet doing the same- "So, what am I supposed to do, just cut everybody out of my life?"

Dean shrugs.

Sam scoffs in disbelief, "You're serious?"

"Look, it sucks, but in a job like this, you can't get close to people, period."

Juliet huffs out a breath of air at Dean's words.

"Dean, we both know that's not true. Do I have to remind you of Cassie and Lisa?"

Dean shakes his head, "Oh, I remember. We haven't stayed in contact with them for years. It was one job in town and that was it, besides I didn't see you take their contact details before we left."

Juliet narrows her eyes at Dean as she puts her hand on her hips.

Dean winces as a small, 'innocent' smile lifts the corners of his lips.

"I love you, honey."

Juliet just lifts an eyebrow, "Mhm-hm."

Sam chuckles at the two while also shaking his head at his brother.

"You're kind of anti-social, you know that?"

He then turns to Juliet and jokingly raises an eyebrow at her.

"You haven't smacked that outta him, yet?"

Juliet chuckles and shakes her head, "Not yet, but I've been meaning to. It's on the list."

Dean rolls his eyes at the two but more so at Juliet, detecting the sarcasm dripping from her words, "Yeah, whatever."

Sam goes back to reading his emails as Dean takes the gas pump out of the tank. Sam's voice, however, gets his, as well as Juliet's, attention.

"God..."

"What?"

"What's wrong?"

Sam doesn't look up and continues to read the email that he has stumbled across.

"In this email from this girl, Rebecca Warren, one of those friends of mine."

"Is she hot?...ow!"

Dean looks to Juliet, she lowers her arm back to her side after just hitting him for his comment. Annoyance is the emotion swirling in her chocolate brown eyes, annoyance at his comment. "Baby, it was a joke. I was kidding."

Juliet just rolls her eyes, her attention going back to Sam as his voice greets her ears. She gathers that it's gotten to the point where it's easy for him to ignore the two, let their bickering go through one ear and out the other.

"I went to school with her, and her brother, Zack. She says Zack's been charged with murder. He'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."

Dean tilts his head and narrows his eyes, a look of skepticism on his face.

"Dude, what kind of people are you hangin' out with?" Juliet scoffs at Dean's words as Sam shakes his head, "No, man, I know Zack. He's no killer." His older brother shrugs, "Well, maybe you know Zack as well as he knows you."

Sam shakes his head once more.

"They're in St. Louis. We're goin'."

Dean chuckles, "Look, sorry 'bout your buddy, okay? But this doesn't sound like our kind of problem."

Harlow, having heard most of the conversation, pokes her head out of the window. "Please, daddy. I want to meet unca Wam's fwiends."

Dean sighs as Harlow starts to pull the 'Puppy Dog' face. Her bottom lip is jutted out and her green eyes are wide, begging her father to let her meet her uncle's friends.

Dean moves his eyes from his daughter to his girlfriend, who funnily enough, is pulling the exact same expression, not to meet Sam's friends, but to just get a rise out of Dean and help her daughter, as well as Sam, to get what they want. The older Winchester brother groans and rolls his eyes as he eyes his brother.

The said Winchester brother is giving Dean a pointed look. "It is our problem. They're my friends."

Dean continues to shake his head, adamant on not going.

"St. Louis is four hundred miles behind us, Sam."

The Winchester brother's exchange a look, having some weird stare down.

Juliet eyes the two, already knowing what the decision is going to be, especially when Sam starts to do the 'Puppy Dog' look also.

Having enough of the staring contest, Juliet sighs, rolling her eyes as she leans on the side of the Impala.

"Are we gonna get movin' or are you two just gonna stand there and gaze into each other's eyes until one of you blinks?"

Dean, without breaking eye contact with his brother, addresses Juliet.

"Shush you."

Juliet just sighs in annoyance but a smirk plays on the corner of her lips as a few seconds later, just like she predicted would happen, they all pile into the car and pull out of the gas station. The brunette can't help but laugh as Dean turns the car around, driving the way they just came from.

• • •

Dean, Juliet, Sam and Harlow, in Dean's arms, stand outside the front door to Rebecca's house.

The three hunters eye each other, silently deciding who will be the one to ring the doorbell or knock on the door. Eventually, Sam takes the lead and knocks on the door. The three hunters wait for someone to answer and eventually someone does.

Juliet raises her eyebrow as a blonde woman answers the door.

The brunette is taken by surprise as the said blonde woman bounces on her heels in excitement at seeing the taller Winchester brother.

"Oh my God, Sam!"

The said Winchester smiles down at his friend, happy to see her again.

"Well, if it isn't little Becky."

The blonde woman, Becky, playfully scoffs at Sam's jokey comment.

"You know what you can do with that 'Little Becky' crap."

The smile returns to her face as she hugs Sam. The two then pull away from the hug.

"I got your email."

Becky, still with a smile on her face, eyes Sam.

"I didn't think that you would come here."

Juliet rolls her eyes as Dean, ever the classiest, shoves his hand in between the two, a smile on his face as he addresses Becky. "Dean. Older brother." Becky accepts his hand shake.

"Hi."

Dean smiles at her.

"Hi."

Juliet huffs a breath as she looks to Dean.

"You can stop shaking her hand now."

Dean, as if realizing that his hand is still shaking the blonde's, is quick to pull his hand away. Juliet can't help but find the sheepish smile on his face, cute. The brunette smiles at Sam's college friend and gives her a small wave.

"Hi I'm Juliet, Sam's sister-in-law."

The smile on Becky's face widens, so much so that Juliet thinks the poor girl's face will start to split in two.

"Hi, oh my God, Sam has told me so much about you. It's so good to finally meet you."

Becky goes in for a hug but Juliet is quick to take a step back.

Dean, seeing this, is quick to explain the reason why before Sam's friend can get offended.

"She's not a hugger."

Becky nods her head, smiling towards Juliet.

"Sorry, didn't mean any harm by it."

Juliet shakes her head, "No, you're fine."

A throat being cleared gets the three adults' attention. The three hunters and Becky move their eyes down to Harlow, who is looking up at them all with her arms crossed with an expectant expression on her face.

The three hunters try and hold back their laughter as Becky looks at the small child in confusion.

"Hello?"

Dean lets out a hearty chuckle as he ruffles Harlow's hair.

"And this trouble maker is Harlow, our daughter."

Harlow looks up at her uncle's friend, a big and beaming smile on her face.

"Wello, unca Wammy's fwiend."

Becky smiles at the little girl as a look of recognition crosses her face. The blonde looks to Sam as she motions to Harlow.

"She's your niece? I thought she just a baby."

Sam rubs the back of his neck, "Yeah, she's kinda grown up a bit since I last saw her but now that the introductions are out the way, we're here to help. Whatever we can do."

Sam's words bring a smile on to Becky's face as she motions to the open front door.

"Come in."

• • •

Juliet walks alongside Dean, holding his hand and interlocking their fingers. Sam follows behind them, holding Harlow's hand. The older Winchester brother looks around Becky's house in wonder, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Nice place."

Becky looks at him from over her shoulder, the smile still on her face.

"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."

Sam looks around in curiousity, wondering why Becky is the only one here. The taller but younger Winchester brother voices his thoughts to his friend.

"Where are your folks?"

Becky looks to Sam, "They live in paris for half the year, so they're on their way home now for the trial."

The three hunters plus the littlest Winchester follow Becky into the kitchen.

"Do you guys want a beer or something?"

Dean smiles at the mention of beer. "Hey—" The smile is immediately wiped off his face as Sam interrupts him. "No, thanks. So, tell us what happened."

Dean gives his brother a look for interrupting him as Becky starts to relay all she knows about what's happened with her brother Zack.

"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."

Juliet looks to Harlow, a small smile on her face.

"Honey, why don't you go and explore the house?" The huntress looks up at Becky, "She's okay to do that, right?"

Becky nods her head, already knowing why the mother would want her daughter out of the room for this conversation.

Harlow smiles at the confirmation to do so and runs off to do just that, explore. But before the five year old can get very far, her fathers voice stops her.

"Look with your eyes, not with you fingers, Harls."

The little Winchester nods her head, once more before walking out the room.

Once her daughter is out of the room, the brunette looks to Sam and Dean as the blonde starts to cry from the whole ordeal that she has been through, but before either of the hunters —and when I say either of the hunters I actually mean Sam— can offer her any comfort, the blonde shakes her head and gets back to retelling the events of what had happened.

"So, he called 911, and the police—they showed up, and they arrested him. But, the thing is, the only way that 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."

Juliet, having listened to the story, shares a look with Dean. A few ideas on what it could be swirling 'round her brain but she doesn't get very far with the theories as Sam's voice interrupts her thought process.

"You know, maybe we could see the crime scene. Zack's house."

Dean and Juliet share a look before the former out of the two nods his head.

"Could do."

Becky shakes her head and narrows her teary eyes in confusion.

"Why? I mean, what could you do?"

Sam sucks air through his teeth, "Well, me, not much." He then motions his head to his big brother. "But Dean's a cop."

Juliet holds back the laugh that is desperate to escape past her full, round lips. Could you imagine, Dean? A cop? He hates cops, any kind of cop. Juliet then tilts her head as she eyes Dean up and down, a smirk playing on her rose pink lips as she imagines her boyfriend in a cop getup.

'To be fair, he would look good in the uniform.'

Dean, playing along with Sam's idea, shakes his head acting as if his brother got his place in the police force, wrong. "Detective, actually." Juliet shakes her head as Becky looks up, intrigued. "Really?" Dean nods his head as a small smile starting to turn the corner of her lips. "Where?" Dean takes half a second before replying. "Bisbee, Arizona. But I'm not the only one who's a cop in the family—" Juliet narrows her eyes as he motions his head to her "—Juliet's a cop as well, the deputy sheriff, actually."

The brunette subtly shakes her head as she looks at Dean.

'Are you out of your mind?! I'm blaming you if this goes wrong.'

Dean shakes his head.

'It won't get to that. Don't worry.'

The huntress just rolls her eyes before plastering a smile on her face as she meets Becky's eyes.

"We're off duty, though."

The small smile on her lips starts to dampen as she sucks air through her teeth.

"You guys, it's so nice to offer, but I just—I don't know."

Dean and Juliet share a look as Sam looks to his college friend, a certain look in his eyes.

"Bec, look, I know Zack didn't do this. Now, we have to find a way to prove that he's innocent."

Becky takes a moment to think Sam's words over before nodding her head, "Okay. I'm gonna go get the keys."

Juliet watches as the blonde walks off and down the hall to get the keys to Zack's house.

As soon as she's out of earshot, both hunters turn around and look at Sam, Dean with a mixed look of annoyance and frustration, and Juliet with a look of interest. Dean is the first one to speak out of the three and he rolls his eyes while doing so. "Oh, yeah, man, you're a real straight shoot with your friends."

Juliet huffs as she looks at Dean, a look of irritation on her face.

"Why'd you have to drag me into it? You have any idea what kind of trouble we'll get into if Becky goes to look?"

Dean shakes his head, "You're worrying for nothing and besides, blame Sam, he's the one that dragged me into it, if he didn't do that, I wouldn't of said anything."

Juliet rolls her eyes at Dean's reply as Sam looks to the bickering couple.

"Look, guys, Zack and Becky need our help."

Dean shakes his head at his brother, "I just don't think this is our kind of problem." Juliet looks to the heavens, begging them to give her strength and willing them to stop her from rounding on her boyfriend and hitting some sense into him.

"Y'know, everytime you say those words, you're proven wrong. Every. Single. Time."

Dean, however, stands firm.

"Nope. I mean it this time. You'll see that this whole thing will turn out not to be our kinda gig."

Sam looks to Dean, "Two places at once? We've looked into less."

Juliet nods her head, "He's right, Dean."

The said Winchester brother looks to the two, remaining silent as he knows that both hunters are right. Juliet smiles as a look of defeat flashes across his face. The huntress pinches his cheek, "Cheer up, honey." She then places a kiss on the cheek she had just pinched causing a small smile to lift on the corners of his lips.

• • •

Dean parks the car before the three hunters and Becky get out the Impala, her and Sam start to make their way toward Zack's house, leaving the mother and father to tend to their daughter.

Before following Sam and Becky, Dean and Juliet stay behind.

The brunette huntress opens the back car door and her and Dean peer in at Harlow, who is already looking up at her parents.

Juliet is the first to speak.

"We're gonna check out the house while you, stay here."

A sour expression flashes across Harlow's face as she gives her mother and father the stink eye at being told to stay in the car.

The little girl is quick to cross her arms and shake her head.

"No."

Dean and Juliet turn to one another in shock at Harlow letting out a defiant no. Sure, she sometimes puts up a fuss but she's never told them no before, at least not so directly.

Dean's green eyes meet his daughter's identical apple-green eyes. A stern look is in the former's eyes, a look that dares his daughter to say no to them, again.

"What did you just say, young lady?"

Harlow's bottom lip starts to tremble at the sound of her father's voice. Juliet sees this and gently lays her hand on his shoulder causing her boyfriend's eyes to meet her's. Juliet shakes her head, silently telling him not be so stern with her. Dean sighs and drops his head before relenting and doing as Juliet says.

He looks back to Harlow, a more gentle look in his eyes.

"Why don't you want to stay in the car, Harlow?"

The little Winchester looks up at her father, her eyes wide with curiousity about how gentle her father's tone is.

Dean softly smiles as it seems the change of tone in his voice is working and seems to stops Harlow's lip from trembling as well as calm her down.

The five-year-old meets her dad's eyes once more but this time, she opens up.

"'Cause, I don't wanna be awone."

Dean and Juliet share a glance before looking back at their daughter. The latter of the two sends her daughter a comforting smile, her big brown eyes softening at her daughter's confession. The brunette bends down and gently pokes her daughter's belly, knowing that, that's where she's most tickilish, this causes a small giggle to errupt from the small Winchester, a giggle that sounds so pure, like a music Juliet will never tire of hearing.

"If that's the case, how about your dad leaves the radio on? He can put our mixtape on, if you want?"

Harlow nods her head at her mother's suggestion, a small smile still on her face. Juliet smiles in return, and stands up, before gently shutting the car door as Dean is quick to go 'round to the drivers side. Juliet watches as he selects a mixtape from the box in the passenger's side footwell before sliding it into the tape deck and pressing play.

'Fool in the Rain' sung by Led Zeppelin starts to sound through the speakers, Dean turns the dial down, just a little, so it's not blasting out of the car. He turns to look at his daughter with a smile on his face before closing the car door, the music in the car can hardly be heard.

Dean grabs Juliet's hand, the two making their way over to Sam and Becky.

The blonde turns to Dean, an unsure look on her face.

"You're sure this is okay?"

Dean looks to her, a smile on his face.

"Yeah—" He looks to Juliet and gives her a wink "—we are officers of the law."

Juliet smirks at the small amount of sarcasm that had seeped into her boyfriend's words. A sarcasm only those who know Dean, can detect.

The three hunters duck under the pale yellow tape and walk into the house and immediately the smell of blood, the iron, hits Juliet's nose. The huntress scrunches her nose up in disgust at the smell flooding her senses. Her brown eyes analyze the scene before them, blood is smeared on the walls and furniture and it looks as if the crime scene has been untouched since the incident.

The brunette then notices that Becky is still on the porch and she isn't the only one who's noticed, Sam has as well.

The younger Winchester brother's dark green eyes land on his friend, a look of concern and empathy on his structured face.

"Bec, you wanna wait outside?"

The sound of sympathy dripping from his tongue and seeping into every word of his, is enough to make Juliet's heart twist and squeeze for the poor girl, if this does turn out to be a monster their hunting, then the girl's brother would be innocent also meaning that he's been wrongly accused and if that's the case, then how on earth are they going to be able to pull of freeing Becky's brother? Because it's not like the cops are going to be willing to listen to what they say, and they definitely wouldn't believe a word that comes out of their mouth's.

A hint of a smile lifts the corners of Juliet's lips at seeing the blonde shake her head, no.

"No. I wanna help."

Juliet watches as Becky ducks under the police tape without hesitation and enters the house, otherwise known as the crime scene. A twinkle of admiration and respect can be seen in the huntress's eyes, both feelings aimed at Becky. Juliet can't help but think Sam picked a good friend.

The said Winchester brother looks to his blonde friend, a friendly yet buisness look on his face. No, not buisness, a hunters look.

"Tell us what the police said."

Becky starts to become tearful, again.

"Well, there's no sign of a break-in. They said that Emily let her attacker in. The lawyers—they're already talking about a plea bargin."

Juliet's brown orbs watch as Becky takes another look around the room.

"Oh, God..."

Sam shakes his head, a hard yet soft look on his face.

"Look, Bec, if Zack didn't do this, it means someone else did. Any idea who?"

Dean and Juliet share a glance at hearing the tone in Sam's voice, like the hunters side of him is taking over. Juliet is quick to analyze her best friend, remembering a time when he was so against hunting and just wanted a normal life but then Jessica died and now he wants answers, and she gets it, she does, but Juliet also knows that you can't let the hunters mindset take over and it seems, as more days go by and the more things they hunt, Sam's doing just that, letting the hunter side of him, take over.

The huntress goes to intervene, not wanting Sam to push the girl but Becky, shaking her head, stops her. Her brown eyes watch as Becky pauses before a spark can be seen in her eyes, like she has just remembered something.

The blonde hesitates before speaking up.

"Um, there was something, about a week before. Somebody broke in here and stole some clothes—Zacks's clothes. The police—they don't think it's anything. I mean, we're not that far from downtown. Sometimes people get robbed."

Juliet rolls her eyes at the police not making a link between the two, or maybe some of them have but just brushed it off because they believe that nothing like what they hunt, exist.

Juliet follows Dean to the front door as Sam walks away, something piqued the younger Winchester's interest. She watches as Dean opens the door, they both see the neighbor's dog, barking loudly. From the corner of her eye, she sees Becky come up behind them, she too, looks at the dog, a look of reminiscence on her face.

"You know, that used to be the sweetest dog."

Dean keeps his eyes on the animal but still addresses his brother's friend. Juliet detects that his curiousity has been piqued as well.

"What happened?"

Becky shrugs her shoulders, "He just changed."

Dean and Juliet share a look, both of them taking note how the dog could be a good lead/clue. Dogs can sense things human's can't, which would explain why this dog is barking so much.

Becky, not noticing the two share a look, answers Dean's question.

"I guess around the time of the murder."

Dean and Juliet look at Becky before walking away and over to Sam, who, Juliet notes, is looking at a photo of him, Becky and Zack, together. It looks to have been taken aroound the time Sam was in college.

Having always been the oblivious out of the two, Dean turns to his brother, not taking in the sad expression on his face when looking at the picture on the fridge.

"So, the neighbor's dog went psycho right around the time Zack's girlfriend was killed."

Sam nods his head, voicing exactly what Juliet thought, aloud.

"Animals can have a sharp sense of the paranormal."

Juliet nods her head, a smile on her face.

"Exactly what I thought, Sammy."

Dean nods his head, "Yeah, maybe Fido saw somethin'?"

Sam raises an eyebrow at his brother.

"So, you think maybe this is our kind of problem?"

Dean shakes his head, "No. Probably not. But we should look at the security tape, you know, just to make sure."

Sam lifts an eyebrow, "Yeah."

Dean looks at him, "Yeah."

Juliet smirks as she leans in to 'whisper' in Sam's ear.

"He just doesn't wanna admit you were right."

A look of offence crosses Dean's face as Juliet just smiles with a lift of her eyebrows but the jokey exchange doesn't last long, as Becky walks over to the three hunters.

Dean is quick to look to the blonde and ask them what they need.

"So, the tape. The security footage—you think maybe your Lawyers could get their hands on it, 'cause we—" He gestures between him and Juliet with his index finger. "—we just don't have that kind of jurisdiction."

Becky gives them all a sheepish smile, "I've already got it. I didn't wanna say something in front of the cop—"

Juliet chuckles as she shakes her head, knowing that, that's something she would do if she was in Becky's situation.

"—I stole it off the Lawyers desk. I just had to see it for myself."

Dean smiles at Juliet before clapping his hands together and looking at Becky.

"Alright."

The three hunters then make their leave, making sure the crime scene is how the police left it, with nothing untouched.

—

Author's note

Chapter Seventeen is done!

I really can't wait until we get into this episode, it's definitely one of my favorite episodes from season one.

Sorry if it was too short. I'm trying to keep it strickly three parts per episode because, as i've said before, this book is estimated to have 100+ chapters or so and I am writing to season five in just one book.

Also, I've decided to publish the one shot book (a companion book for this one, if you will) soon. So keep an eye out for that, the one shot book will be full of cute stuff between the family as well as some angst to go along with the cuteness.

[The One shot book has been published it's called Metanoia. Check it out it's on my page]

But just out of curiousity, who will actually read the one shot book? Let me know!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, don't forget to vote and comment your thoughts, it's very much appreciated.

Until next time...