The rest of the afternoon passed in relative silence. Sam went researching on his laptop for similar cases of missing girls, whilst Isabel rang around college friends she hadn't spoked to in years to see if she could find out anything about Leslie. It appeared however, that Leslie suffered the same pathological need to be alone as Isabel did, and apart from a couple of people she worked with, no one really knew what Leslie DaSilva was doing with her life.
"No one knows anything Sam" Isabel said frustrated as she hung up the phone "She wasn't seeing anyone, there was nothing wrong apparently, although no one can be really sure. She hardly socialised with anyone. Had no friends, really"
Sam shut the laptop and leaned back on the kitchen chair "I'm not finding anything. Girls go missing everywhere all the time. I don't know what to look for and there's nothing in dad's diary"
"That's probably because it's just some sick twisted guy and not some monster or demon!"
She'd always been sceptical and Sam couldn't really blame her, particularly in this case. Nothing was pointing to the supernatural.
"You're probably right" He said.
They heard the Impala pull up the drive way and a minute later the doorbell rang. Sam looked at Isabel, his face pleading for no more arguments. She smiled at him softly to reassure him and walked over to open the door.
Dean stood on the porch for a minute just quietly watching her and she resisted the urge to laugh, because it looked like he was expecting her to pounce on him and gouge his eyes out. It was strange to see Dean Winchester uncomfortable, she realised, and she didn't really like it.
"Truce?" She said holding out her hand. He looked at it with apprehension "It's not gonna bite you Dean"
"Truce" He said, grabbing her hand and flashing her that smile of his.
She moved aside to let him in "What did you find?"
"Nothing" Dean said walking in and taking his jacket off. He tossed it onto the couch where it hung precariously before it fell on the ground. He didn't seem to notice and continued talking "No one saw anything, no one heard anything. You?"
She resisted the impulse to snap at him for flinging his jacket but decided against it. She bit her tongue and picked it up as he walked away, hanging it on the hook by the doorway "More nothing" She said joining the boys in the kitchen "They don't think she was seeing anyone or behaving unusually"
"Think?" Dean asked "Her friends don't know?"
"She kept to herself. Didn't really have any friends"
"I've got nothing too. No obvious connection" Sam said rubbing his eyes "We don't really have much to go on at this point"
"Well" Dean said taking a seat "There is a connection. The disappearance is just like the others. Unexplained and without any clues whatsoever"
"That's hardly enough to crack the case Colombo" Isabel said handing Dean a steaming mug of coffee.
"We can't do anything" Sam said finally.
Silence settled until Isabel broke it, looking at the clock "It's close to 7. I'm going to start dinner. Spaghetti OK?"
"Sounds good" Dean said "I'm starving"
She started dinner preparations. Dean sat at the table going over his voice mail and looking over their dad's diary while Sam helped Isabel with the chopping.
"You're pretty good" Isabel said surprised "You cook much?"
"I used to" He said quietly "I helped Jess a bit"
With their back turned they didn't see Dean's head snap up as he listened to his brother and cousin's conversation intently. Sam never brought up Jess in front of Dean, unless it was in some way directly directed to the demon that had killed her, and here he was casually talking about her with Isabel. Not getting all defensive and quiet.
"Was she a good cook?" Isabel asked.
Sam smiled sadly "No"
Isabel laughed and Sam joined her. Amazed that this was the first time he'd associated laughter with a memory of Jessica.
"But you never told her that, I bet" Isabel said, engaging him as she noticed his mood was light.
"God no" Sam said shaking his head and Isabel chuckled again.
"Well, I'm actually not a great cook either" Isabel said "I can admit it. This…" She pointed to the pan where the sauce was simmering gently "is pretty much the only thing I can make"
"It smells good" Dean said from the table. Sam and Isabel turned to him.
"It's a family recipe" She said watching him closely "Grandma taught it to our moms. My mom taught it to me"
Dean smiled as he vaguely remembered his mother at the kitchen bench, with their dad next to her helping her in pretty much the same way Sam was now helping Isabel as she cooked. The aroma of the rich sauce almost placed him back inside that memory. He could almost hear his parents laughing.
"I remember" He said softly "The smell. I remember mom making it"
"She used to make it all the time" Isabel said "It was your dad's favourite"
She turned back around and continued cooking, noticing that Dean was now lost in a memory of his mother and happier times. She understood. It happened to her as well when she remembered something about her own parents. It was bittersweet.
Sam still watched his brother. It wasn't often that he saw a wide range of emotions on his brother's face and he found it fascinating. When Dean finally noticed his brother looking at him, Sam expected an annoyed or disgruntled expression to take over and even maybe a comment inquiring as to what the hell he was looking at. But Dean surprised him again, smiling gently at his brother as he nodded.
"He used to help her make it" He said gently, not taking his eyes off of Sam "She'd hold you with one arm and stir the pot with her free hand"
The moment was broken again by Isabel when she announced dinner was ready and would Dean clear the table so Sam could set it. Dinner was a casual affair and the conversation was light, only occasionally touching on memories involving their childhood and their parents. Isabel was surprised she knew more about Mary than her own sons did, thanks in large part to her own mother. They had been close and spoke about almost everything.
"Dad never told us how they met" Dean said at one point.
"High school" Isabel said and the boys turned to her expectantly. She continued "Our moms moved to Kansas in their senior year and Mary sat next to John in History. Apparently it was love at first sight"
"Go on" Sam said, his chin resting on his palm. Isabel laughed. He looked like a little boy being told a bedtime story. Dean's expression was slightly more melancholy.
"The next day, your dad decided to ask her out. Except he didn't realise Mary had a twin sister. He asked my mom out instead when he saw her outside the library!"
"No way!" Sam said laughing.
Isabel nodded "It was a long running joke between them. Your dad couldn't tell them apart. Eventually Mary died her hair"
"Mom dyed her hair?" Dean asked.
"Only for a few years" Isabel said "Wait a minute" She stood up and rushed into her room, coming back out with a photo in her hand. She gave it to Dean.
It was a photo of Jane and Mary on Jane's wedding day. Jane was wearing a wedding dress and Mary, the maid of honour, was in a blue bridesmaid dress. It was uncanny, and Dean couldn't pull his eyes away. They were identical. Just like Isabel had said, the only feature differentiating them were Mary's auburn waves. Sam leaned over and looked at the picture. He looked from his mother's image to Isabel.
"You look just like her" Sam said, gesturing to her hair "With her hair dark like that, she looks just like you"
She smiled and nodded "Well, I only inherited my dad's hair colour and cheekbones. Other than that, I've always looked a lot like my mom, and by default, your mom" She looked at the boys "You two are a good mix of both, I think"
"You and Dean have the same eyes" Sam said suddenly as if he'd only just come to that realisation himself.
Isabel and Dean looked at each other. It was true, Dean realised, as he looked into the blue green eyes of his cousin. They had both inherited their mother's eyes, right down to the size, shape and colour. He'd always known Isabel as his cousin but had never actually paid notice to the fact that they shared physical traits, that they did in fact look a little similar if you really paid attention to detail.
They finished dinner with a few more stories, mostly from Isabel about how their mothers would often trade places and drive their own parents crazy. How they would freak out potential boyfriends and play pranks on their friends.
Sam realised he hadn't laughed so much since Jessica had died, and Dean felt a renewed sense of resolve about finding the thing that had killed this amazing person Isabel was talking about.
Once dinner was over and the boys had done the dishes, Isabel sat quietly at the kitchen table going over her weekly planner and appointment book while the boys went into the lounge to watch TV. She went to bed early after going past the boys to ask them if there was anything on the news about Leslie. There hadn't been.