Baltimore...

The detective came into the room holding a cup of coffee and gave me a short smile. I crossed my arms over my chest and stared down my nose at him.

"Hey there." he said cheerfully.

"I wanna see my brothers." I said back, my voice flat. He paused, and the forced joviality left him.

"You'll be able to see Sam once we decide we're through with him. But Dean is going to be here a while." he replied, and sat down across from me, sliding the coffee over the table to me. I glanced at it and then looked at the wall, ignoring him.

"I've already heard their story. So tell me, what are you doing here?" he said, leaning forward on his elbows. I sighed, glancing back at him.

"I came here with them." I said simply, and he gave me a tight smile, unamused.

"So I gathered. But you have family in Texas, don't you? A Mr. and Mrs. Graves?" he went on, earning a raised eyebrow from me. He let out a fake gasp of surprise, and then gave me a sympathetic look.

"Oh, sorry. Had. They died in a house fire a few months ago, didn't they?" his voice held a note of spite behind the apologetic tone. I narrowed my eyes at him, gritting my teeth.

"Yeah. They're all I got left." I said, my voice a low growl. The detective nodded, looking down at the table top.

"I see. And, uh, when did you find out they were your brothers?" he asked. I threw him a 'what-the-hell' look.

"I've always known. They were visiting me when the house went up." I lied, frowning at him. Was he going to try to pin the fire on Dean too? I mean, technically yeah, the boys did burn the house down, but they didn't kill my family. They killed the thing that did.

The detective drummed his fingers on the table top for a minute, and we watched each other. Finally, he sat forward again, talking with his hands.

"Look, how do you know that it wasn't Dean who started that fire? Hmm? How do you know?" he said, and I stood abruptly, slamming my hands on the table-top, my chair toppling over behind me. Training a 'murder-you-gruesome' glare on him, I blew out a slow breath, so that when I spoke I wouldn't be yelling.

"He wouldn't do that. They saved my life that day, and Dean has been pulling my ass from fires ever since. He's not a murderer. Just in the wrong place, at the wrong time."

The detective stared at me for a few minutes, then he shrugged and stood. I watched him like a hawk, bristling with hatred.

"So, you say. But we have evidence against that claim." he said, crossing to the door and looking back at me. My eyes narrowed as his gaze traveled down to my feet and back up again. Did he just 'up-down' me?

"Enjoy your stay, Ms. Winchester." he added with a smirk, and left. I listened to his footsteps fade and shook myself. I got a bad vibe from that guy, he creeped me out.

Sighing, I paced to the wall, crossing my arms over my chest and staring out the window. There was a knock at the door, and I turned to see a female detective standing in the doorway. She didn't look happy.

"What now?" I said bitterly, turning away.

"We're letting you go. You're brother Sam took off on us, out the window. We're looking for him now, but we can't hold you. We've got nothing on you." she explained. I sighed, turning back to her and giving her a weary look.

"Can I have my stuff back?" I asked, and she tossed me a plastic bag. It felt a bit light, and when I opened it I realized all it held were my phone, my wallet, my silver charm bracelet, and my pocket knife. I frowned up at her.

"Where's the rest?" I demanded, and she put her hands on her hips, skeptical.

"You really think we're gonna let you run around with an unregistered handgun?" she asked, and I paused for a moment. Then I gave in, nodding.

"Fine. Whatever." I muttered, and she led the way to the front door. As I started to walk out, she grabbed my arm. I looked down at her hand with narrowed eyes, then glanced at her face. She was watching me with a look I couldn't quite place. Indecision mixed with worry.

"I don't wanna see you in here again, you hear me?" she said quietly. I hesitated, then nodded, shaking her off. I could feel her eyes on my back as I headed down the street, pulling out my cell-phone and dialing Sam. He picked up on the third ring.

"Ace?" he said worriedly. I smirked and stopped in the mouth of an alley to talk.

"Yeah, I'm okay. They let me walk." I replied. He let out a relieved huff and when he spoke again I could hear a smile on his lips.

"How'd they handle my little disappearing act?" he asked jokingly, and I laughed.

"They were pissed. But, since they got nothin' on me, they couldn't keep me." I said, and frowned, remembering. I let out a soft noise, frustrated, and Sam heard me.

"What is it?" he asked quietly, concerned. I looked down the alley, watching a stray dog as it nosed through a trash can for scraps.

"They knew about the fire, Sam. They're gonna try and pin it on Dean. All of it." I explained, and felt my throat tighten up. I did my best not to think about it, but with it shoved in my face like that, keeping my head clear was proving to be difficult. Dragging a hand across my eyes to clear the tears building in them, I swallowed hard and threw a glance around for something to distract myself.

Sam spat out a curse, sighing harshly. I smirked, nodding.

"Yeah." I said, and looked up at the grey sky. A stray tear slipped down my cheek, and I grit my teeth, rubbing at my eyes again and cursing under my breath.

"You okay?" he asked, and his voice was a little harder now. He was getting angry. I sighed, long and slow, and blinked away a few tears.

"Yeah. Yeah. I'm fine. I'm gonna lay low for a while. They might try to follow me back to you. I'll call if I find anything." I replied, glancing around again. I didn't see any suspicious vehicles around, but better safe than sorry. On the other end of the line I heard Sam shuffle some papers.

"Be careful, Ace. We'll meet back up when this is all over." he said quietly. I lowered my phone and pressed my hand to my mouth for a minute, sniffling again. Then I pocketed it and pushed off the wall, heading down the alley. I needed cash, and to get it, I needed to find a bar.
I was in the mood for some billiards.