A/N: SOOOO sorry about not updating, life is busy, to say the least! So here's chapter 3.

The smell hit her as soon as she crossed the threshold. The smell of Home. It smelt of her past, of the days she spent watching cartoons on Saturday mornings with Noah, or running after each other with water pistols or flour bombs. It reminded her of the nights she stayed with her aunt and cousins because her parents were yelling at each other, of the times she baked cookies with her Aunty Deborah, Noah and Sarah's mother. Nothing like her parent's house back in Texas. It smelt of bleach and depression.

Ilyssa looked around room she just entered. The front door opened directly into what was obviously a living room. The once-cream coloured walls were now an off-white with scuff marks at the bottom. The brown leather sofa was worn and saggy and the armchair was just the same. There were toys strewn carelessly around the floor. The oldish television was on, playing Spongebob Squarepants, although no one was watching it.

She decided she loved her new home. At least, it would be if Deb didn't send her packing to Texas.
"Yo Ma! I'm home!" Noah shouted, startling Ilyssa. He dumped his school bag on the floor by the sofa and made his way towards the door on the other side of the room. Before he opened it, he beckoned Ilyssa over.
"I'll go in first and talk to them a bit, and then I'll call you in. Okay?" He said, voice low. Ilyssa just nodded, unable to speak as her nervousness took over her body. She didn't understand why she was so scared. She was usually such a calm, confident person who loved to speak in public. And it was only her family, after all. Her own flesh and blood. The people she spent day and night with for years. So why was she so nervous?

Noah looked at her curiously, obviously seeing her internal meltdown, and walked into the other room, being careful not to open the door too much. As soon as he shut it, Ilyssa pressed her ear against it, trying to hear what was being said, which wasn't that hard since the walls weren't very thick.

"Nono! We're making oat bars, your favourite!" She heard her nine year old cousin Sarah say. That surprised her. She'd pegged Noah as more of a chocolate brownie type of guy.

"Nice! But save them for later, I need to tell you something."
"You haven't got some poor girl pregnant again have you?" Deb said. Ilyssa could hear the amusement in her aunt's voice. She couldn't believe she could make jokes about the fact that her son was a teenage father.

"No, Noah said, but we have a visitor"
"Who is it? Is it Quinn? I liked her. Whenever she came over she gave me Red Vines, and when she stayed here she helped braid my hair."

Ilyssa laughed silently at her cousin's 9-year-old logic.
"No, it's not Quinn. You may wanna sit down though, Ma." Noah said. Ilyssa heard the sound of a chair scraping on the floor.
"Noah you're starting to scare me a bit. Last time you told me to sit down I found out I was going to be a grandmother. What's going on?"

"It's a good thing, honest!" Noah insisted. "Come in!" he half-shouted, and Ilyssa took that as her cue to enter.

As she opened the door she got her first glimpse of her aunt and cousin in 3 years. Her Aunt Deborah looked exactly how she remembered her, except maybe a little older. Her face had a few more wrinkles and her hair was a little greyer, but that was to be expected when you work two jobs to try and support two kids. Sarah had changed drastically though. She was so tall, and pretty. Her hair was all the way down to her waist, and her features were more prominent than the last time she saw her. The only thing that hadn't changed were her eyes. They were as big and as blue as they always were. They both looked as shocked to see her as Noah had.

"Hey guys" Ilyssa said, trying to break the tension.

There were a few seconds of silence before Sarah shouted "Lise!" and jumped down from her seat to run towards her cousin. Ilyssa only just realised what was happening before Sarah jumped on her and hugged her tight. Ilyssa returned the hug with the same enthusiasm.

"Hey Sarah, you're getting so big !" She said, putting her cousin back on her feet. She then turned to her aunt, who had stood up and extended her arms towards her niece. Ilyssa smiled and stepped into her aunt's embrace, taking a deep breath as she did so and inhaling the smell of oats from the snacks Deb and Sarah were making, and the familiar smell of lavender, the perfume that her aunt always wore. The smell reminded her of her childhood.
"Hello Ilyssa dear, what on earth are you doing here ?" Deborah said. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but shouldn't you be back in Texas ?"

Suddenly, It was all too much for Ilyssa. She broke down into tears on her Aunt's shoulder.

"I had to leave Aunt Deb, I had to ! I couldn't take it anymore ! Being in a house with them ..."

Deborah, shocked, sat Ilyssa down on a chair and told Puck to make some herbal tea, which she knew Ilyssa liked and would calm her down. She sent Sarah to the bathroom to go find some tissues for her cousin, and sat on the other side of the table. Once the tea was ready Puck told Sarah to go play, as he could sense Ilyssa's story was probably something she shouldn't hear. He sat down next to his now slightly more composed cousin and put his arm round her, comforting her.
"Now, said Deborah, hands round her mug of tea, Tell me what's happened."

A/N 2: Oooooh, what's gonna happen? Find out next time, folks !
Review and tell me what you think. And give me your ideas for the rest of the story, as i am currently without plot line i'm just sort of winging it. Who do you think should be a love interest for Ilyssa? I'm only using characters from seasons 1, 2 and 3 so tell me whoyou think would go well with her.

Toodles, my lovers !