AN: Hi everyone! Again! I wasn't planning on writing anymore for a while but I just couldn't stop myself. This stuff is addictive! I'll just warn you that it's not going to come out as quickly as the other two stories since I'm kinda making it up as I go along.

I know Supernatural starts again soon over in the States. I'm in Australia so we probably won't see the new season until next year. With that in mind, I'm not sure how this will fit in with season 2, so we'll just call it an AU fiction, shall we?

I don't own anything Supernatural except for any characters you don't recognize from the show, such as Isabel and Paul. I'm just borrowing some characters and some dialogue.

Here's a summary of the last two stories in case you've either forgotten what they were about, don't feel like reading them again, or just plain flat-out don't want to read them.

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In Thicker Than Water.

After the events of Skin, Sam and Dean continue on their search for their father when Sam has a prophetic dream about their cousin Isabel in Illinois, whom they haven't seen or spoken to since a major falling out eight years ago. Connecting the dream with a string of missing girls in Isabel's town, they reluctantly agree to warn her but she is less than thrilled about their impromptu visit and skeptical when Sam reveals the reason to be his rather vague dream. But when a sixth local girl, and Isabel's old college roommate mysteriously vanishes without a trace, she agrees to let her cousins stay with her.

Putting their differences aside and working together with Isabel, the three investigate the strange disappearances and link them to an incubus half-demon, who seems to be collecting the women in order to breed. As they get closer to the identity of the demon, tempers flare as unresolved issues from their past are brought to the surface and confrontations ensue, with Isabel and Dean clashing about everything from her resentment of John, to Dean's accusation that Isabel's new boyfriend may be involved in the disappearances. But family tensions and old grudges have to be put aside when Isabel suddenly disappears and Sam and Dean have to race the clock to get to their cousin in time.

In Roadtripping

After Isabel's horrendous ordeal in Thicker Than Water she is left physically and mentally scarred though determined to move on with her life. Not wanting to leave their troubled cousin behind alone, Sam and Dean agree to take her along on a road trip as they continue their search for their missing father. Not far into the journey, however, they inevitably get drawn into the world of the supernatural again. In between dealing with the hook man in Iowa to a plague of insects in Oklahoma, the three celebrate Sam's birthday, cope with Isabel's relapse and still manage to squeeze some blockbuster fights and good old family bonding.

Their less-than-perfect road trip ultimately falls apart when another of Sam's dream takes them to the boys' childhood home in Lawrence, Kansas and leads Sam and Dean to an encounter with the ghost of their mother. Meanwhile, Isabel faces demons of her own as John finally comes out of hiding to face his estranged niece without his sons' knowledge. Together with Missouri Moseley, John warns Isabel of looming danger from the demon that killed Mary, and he pleads with her to separate herself from his sons. Isabel makes the difficult choice to remain in Kansas, as Dean and Sam reluctantly leave without her to continue their search for their father and the demon that has destroyed their lives.

Now that we're done with formalities, here's the story...

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Lawrence, Kansas

Dean had always loved his car. His beautiful '67 black Chevy Impala. Loved it and had never ever cursed at it in anger, kicked it in frustration or put up with anyone who insulted it in any way. This moment was an exception.

"Why can't you go faster, you piece of crap?" He hissed at the car as if it were a person capable of hearing him and complying.

He was rewarded with a roar from the engine and as he pushed his foot to the gas pedal as far as it would go, the Impala get a second wind and he noticed with a small amount of satisfaction that he'd finally managed to get up beyond the legal speed limit.

His heart was pounding and his stomach churned as he pulled into the hospital parking lot. He killed the engine and took a deep breath before stepping out, wanting to remain seated in the comfort of his car for a moment to gather himself, but knowing he didn't have the time. He ran to the door as fast as his legs could take him and rushed to the front desk of the small but surprisingly crowded reception room. The nurse at the desk must have noticed his anxious expression because she didn't bother with either small talk or even a courteous greeting. She simply nodded to him and waited.

"Sam Winchester and Isabel Bennet" He panted hurriedly.

The nurse silently turned to her monitor and typed in the names on the keyboard in front of her. She pursed her lips and looked up at him with a frown.

"Are you sure those are the right names?" She asked gently.

"Yes" He said impatiently.

"There's no one here by those names, Sir" She said "You sure you're at the right hospital?"

"Yes, I'm sure" He said with an edge to his tone and a dour expression.

"Are you family?"

"Yes" He answered brusquely. The nurse looked at him expectantly and he huffed at her unforthcoming attitude and her inexplicable desire to waste his precious time "My brother and cousin"

"OK" The woman said, still a perfect picture of calm "Do you know what happened?"

"No, that's why I'm here!" He yelled then took a deep breath to compose himself. Sam might have been carrying a fake ID with him at the time. Maybe that's why they didn't have a Sam Winchester "Look, there was message left on my phone by a paramedic almost two hours ago, saying they were brought here. It came from my brother's phone, I've tried calling back but there's no answer"

"Let's check again" She said soothingly, noticing the young man in front of her was getting more agitated by the minute "Sam Winchester and Isabel Bennett, was it?

"Yeah…no, wait!" He sighed and cursed himself for forgetting his cousin had taken her husband's name "Uh, she got married…Rhoades… Isabel Rhoades"

The nurse typed the name in then looked up at Dean again.

"May I please see some ID?"

He swallowed an insult and pulled out his wallet, fishing out his license and throwing it on the desk. It landed on her keyboard. She picked it up without a word and examined it closely.

"OK Mr. Winchester" She said looking up at him again "What is your relation to Mrs. Rhoades?"

"Are you serious?" He asked in aggravation "I just told you, she's my cousin. Sam Winchester is my brother"

"I have no record of a…Sam Winchester" She said with a glance at her monitor.

"Lady, you're getting on my last nerve" He warned her darkly as he banged his hand on the counter "Tell me where my brother and cousin are before I lose it!"

"I can't disclose that information until…"

"Just tell me if they're OK!" He pleaded desperately. He knew the nurse had found them on her computer. Sam and Isabel were somewhere in this hospital "Please, just tell me that"

"I don't know that Sir, I'm sorry" She said, and she did sound it "I'll page the ER and get a doctor to come down. I don't have access to that information. Please just take a seat"

He rubbed a hand over his face in frustration. His nerves were so frayed he didn't know how much more of this he could take before he snapped. What if the nurse wasn't telling him anything because something really bad had happened? What if Sam and Isabel were already…dead? He shook his head. No. That wasn't going to happen. His cell rang and he jerked like a madman as he fumbled desperately for it. He read the ID and groaned in frustration and dread.

It was Isabel's husband, Paul, no doubt wanting to ask about his wife. What was he going to tell him?

"Paul" He said hesitantly into the phone.

"Dean!" He said "What the hell is going on? My plane's just landed and I've been calling Isabel for the last hour! She's not picking up"

"Paul" Dean started.

"Sam's not picking up either" He continued over the sound of planes landing and taking off in the background. Dean figured he was still at the airport or somewhere near it "Is she still out with him? I've told her a million times to take her phone with her when…"

"Listen, Paul" Dean cut him off "You need to come to the hospital right now!"

"Hospital?" Paul's voice rose an octave as curiosity over the whereabouts of his wife was replaced with anxiousness over her welfare "Jesus! Dean, what the hell happened?"

"They were brought here a couple of hours ago but they won't tell me anything else" He snapped back, not dealing with the situation well enough himself to be able to placate his cousin's husband "Just get down here now!"

"Twenty minutes" Paul said and hung up.

Dean took a seat and waited for someone to come down and talk to him. He waited for Paul to show up. He waited and waited and thought of the last time he'd seen his cousin and brother. It had been earlier that morning.

Isabel had a doctor's appointment. Paul was still in Houston on business and she didn't want to go by herself, so Sam offered to drive her. She'd smiled brightly in excitement and said they could make a day out of it, go out for lunch afterwards, and even check out the new exhibition at the art gallery. They'd looked Dean's way across the kitchen table in invitation and he'd laughed at them as if they'd just suggested he take part in the Mardi Gras parade.

"I think I'll pass" He said sarcastically "Tempting as all that sounds"

She's stuck out her tongue at him in her favorite childish expression and grabbed her purse as she stood to leave.

"Fine. Don't spend any time with the cousin you hardly ever visit" She'd said using her favorite emotional ace, the guilt trip "Stay and sulk all day. Come on, let's go Sam"

"See if you can get the engine fixed" Sam had suggested as he walked out with Isabel.

The Impala's transmission had been failing lately, and while Dean was no mechanic, he knew enough to get by, or at least diagnose the problem. He'd taken the car to Guenther, his dad's old mechanic, who'd fixed it in just under two hours. Guenther couldn't understand why Dean couldn't just get rid off it. Ever since it had been hit by that truck in the 'accident', it had caused nothing but headaches. Dean didn't feel like explaining to the mechanic that it was more than just a car to him. It was a one of the only things he had left of his dad, with sentimental value well beyond any material figure imaginable. He would keep that car until it literally fell apart.

He'd spent the rest of the afternoon lounging in Isabel and Paul's house. Sitting and watching TV until he eventually dozed off. When he woke up it was dark and he noticed he'd had a missed call from Sam. He went to his voice mail and that's when the paramedic's controlled voice told him Isabel and Sam had been taken to hospital. Nothing about what happened, nothing about if they were dead or alive.

He thought back to the time Missouri had first warned them of the danger of staying together. Could this be what she was talking about? Probably not. Back then the psychic had said they were in danger from the demon that had killed their mother and Sam's girlfriend, Jessica. Especially Isabel. So they agreed, albeit reluctantly, to leave her in Kansas, though still managed to stay in touch over the following months. A big part of Dean felt that separating themselves from her was the best thing they could have done for her, but a smaller part of him believed it had been a huge mistake, from the start. Sam and Isabel would disagree with him on that. In any case, the demon was dead now. Gone. It was over. Or was it? What if the danger Missouri had seen in their future wasn't' actually related to the demon at all, but something else entirely.

Had everything been leading up to this? Was fate nothing more than reality waiting to happen? Maybe all they'd done two years ago was delay the inevitable.

He thought back to the day he'd lost his dad as they'd hunted the demon. It seemed so long ago, though only a couple of years had gone by since John Winchester had died. He thought he'd never recover from that, and yet with his brother and cousin's help, support and refusal to let him wallow in his own grief , he'd been able to crawl out of that deep dark hole of rage and anguish he'd dug for himself and was now beginning to salvage a semblance of life and his old self. But, what if today all that changed? He'd lost his mother, his father….if he lost Sam or Isabel, or God forbid both of them, he would truly have no one left. He knew that was a hole it would take him longer than one lifetime to crawl out of.

He took a deep breath and tried not to get ahead of himself. As he waited for the doctor to come to him he thought back to that time, a couple of years ago, when he and Sam had just left Isabel in Kansas, safe and sound with Missouri, and were still trying to find their dad. Isabel always said that it was pointless to ponder life's 'what ifs', but right now, by himself in the hospital waiting room, Dean had nothing else to do. What if it had all been leading up to this?