AN: Something weird happened at the end of the last chapter when I uploaded it. But not to worry, I've fixed it. Sorry.
It was Friday again, but instead of being happy about that fact she was just glad the week was over. It had been crap and it seemed that it would get worse before it got better. She finished work and reluctantly drove over to her weekly therapist appointment. She wasn't really in the mood to share the events of last week. And she wasn't really sure if she wanted to bring up the fact that her cousins were even here.
The session started and she was starting to relax as the clock approached the end of the hour. Her calm was shattered by her therapist.
"Are your cousins still with you?" Dr Gilman asked her, his eyes watching her closely through his thick glasses.
She was floored "What?"
"I was wondering why you haven't told me about them"
She swallowed and felt blood drain from her face "How did you know?"
"They dropped by earlier this week" He said casually"They were worried about you"
"Oh my God" She whispered.
"Don't worry Isabel, I didn't tell them anything" He said trying to calm her down "You know I wouldn't break your trust like that"
"How did they even know about you?" She asked aloud, trying to figure it out in her head and then it finally hit her. Her prescriptions "I knew someone had been in my drawers"
She closed her eyes and tried to control her anger. It was blinding, hot and threatened to overwhelm her. Her cousins had gone through her things and found her medication, and instead of asking her about it they'd gone to see her therapist, behind her back. They'd known for days and hadn't said anything. So much for the trust they were trying to rebuild.
She didn't even stay until the end of the hour. She grabbed her purse and yelled something behind her back about paying him for the session the following week, before she rushed out of the office and ran to her car. She hoped her anger would subside before she reached home, but instinctively knew it wouldn't.
She stormed into the house and found them both in the lounge room watching TV. She snatched the remote viciously from Sam and switched off the TV.
"Hey, we were watching that!" Dean protested.
That did it. She flung the remote at him, and he dodged it, just missing his head by a couple of inches.
"You son of a bitch!" She screamed at Dean.
"Whoa, calm down!" He said standing up from his seat "What are you talking about?"
"Don't play innocent with me Dean. You looked through my things. You talked to my shrink?"
"Isabel" Sam started, knowing that if this wasn't handled well it would all end badly.
"You too Sam" She screamed "How dare you?"
"We just wanted to know if you were OK" Dean said.
"I am not one of your jobs!" She said through clenched teeth "My life is none of your business"
"It is our business, you're family!" Sam said.
"Oh now I'm family. Now?" She asked hysterically "For eight yearsyou couldn't give a crap about me, but now you're suddenly interested?"
"Why didn't you tell us you were struggling?"
"I had to tell you? My parents died and I was left alone! The only family I had left turned their back on me! How was I not going to have issues?" Her eyes were filling up with tears "Top that off with two years in foster care! What do you think happened there, huh? Not all evil is supernatural, you know?"
Dean had never thought of that. He hadn't even known she'd been in foster care "I'm sorry, we didn't know"
"No you didn't know! You never bothered to find out either!" She cried "It took everything I had for me to get where I am today. You come in eight years later, after I've put my life back together and you try to fix me? Well, sorry boys but you're eight years too late!"
"Dad didn't want our kind of life for you" Sam said "He was right. It wasn't safe"
"I would have been safer with you!" She finished pointing at them.
Silence settled and all three were looking down at the ground, coming to terms with all that was being said.
"I really don't think I can handle you being here anymore" She said finally.
Sam looked at Dean desperately. He knew where she was going with this "Isabel"
"I want you out" She said looking at them coldly.
"No" Dean said plainly.
She looked at him, clearly not amused by his over confidence. If anything, her eyes flashed in even more cold anger, and when she spoke Sam almost shivered.
"If you don't leave right now" She started in a voice so calm it betrayed the threat and fury behind it, only her eyes showed that "I will call the police"
Sam knew she meant it, and it wasn't the psychic part of him that told him she wasn't lying. It was the part that had always been attuned to people. He knew she was furious, but more than that he knew that the fact she wasn't screaming and crying, but making the conscious effort to speak steadily and calmly that she was not only trying to keep that anger in check but that she meant every single word.
He looked to his brother, but Dean, although, not as smug as a moment earlier was still not convinced "You wouldn't" He challenged her, but in weaker voice than earlier.
Her lips turned slightly into a twisted smirk "Wanna bet on that? Because I did a little research myself and I'm gonna bet that when the police get here and arrest you for what I'm assuming is illegal possession of this fine hunting paraphernalia" She said pointing to the boy's duffel bag that contained their weapons "They will run your name and prints through their system and get a nice shock to find out Dean Winchester is alive and kicking" She placed her hands on her hips and shrugged "What do you think?" She asked sarcastically "Wanna leave now or take your chances with the police?"
"Isabel we're only here to help" Dean said slowly.
"Help?" She asked "You've done nothing but turn my life upside down, and you've only been here a week. I will not repeat myself again. I want you out now!" She yelled.
"Fine" Sam said finally "We'll go. Dean" He looked to his brother who was still staring at Isabel in shock "Dean!"
Dean nodded slightly "Fine" He said gruffly "We're out of here"
"You have ten minutes" She said icily "Be gone by the time I come out"
With that she walked quietly into her room and closed the door behind her. Sam and Dean both stared after her.
"We're not really leaving are we?" Dean asked Sam in a hushed whisper.
"Let's just give her some time to cool down" Sam said, packing his bags "Maybe we should go talk to Jack"
They packed the rest of the stuff in silence and when they were finished they moved to the door. Sam stopped outside Isabel's bedroom door.
"We're going Isabel" Sam said, and when he got no answer he tried again "We'll speak to you later then, maybe tomorrow?"
"Don't call me" She said. After a few moments of silence they heard her voice through the door again "I'll call you"
Sam looked at his brother, who was now at the front door "That's something, I guess" He said.
They packed their things into the trunk of the Impala in silence. Sam smiled to himself as Dean took his time getting into the car. He kept looking towards the house, obviously waiting for Isabel to come out and say she'd changed her mind. But if Sam had learnt anything from this last week of living with their cousin, was that Isabel and Dean were as stubborn as each other, and while her anger would most likely pass by morning, right now was not the time to engage in further argument. Eventually, Dean reluctantly started the car and they drove off.
"She's right" Sam said as they drove towards Jack's place. Dean gave him a look and Sam quickly continued "Not about her coming with us. That was always a bad idea…but…we could have at least checked up on her"
"I did" Dean said suddenly.
"What?"
"About three years ago, I tracked her down" Dean confessed keeping his eyes on the road "I never contacted her, but I checked to see how she was doing"
"You did?"
Dean nodded "She was in college, working"He continued "I figured she was doing well"
"She probably was" Sam said "She's obviously strong and can take care of herself. She just needed to know that someone was checking up on her. You should tell her"
"Once she calms down" Dean said "Tomorrow"
"You never did hate her, did you?" Sam asked smiling.
"Dude" Dean said tiredly "She's my cousin"
"I know" Sam said.
They arrived at Jack's place and walked up the steps slowly. Sam stopped when they got to the door and turned to Dean before knocking on the door.
"Let me do the talking?"
Dean agreed with very little hesitation, after all, Sam was the people person.
Surprisingly Jack did not completely flip out when he opened the door to find the two Winchester men at his door. He just rolled his eyes and looked at them tiredly.
"What now?" He asked "I've told you it's not me. You wanna search my place too?"
"Actually Jack" Sam said in a friendly tone "We were wondering if we could talk to you for a bit"
"Did Isabel send you?"
"Isabel kicked us out" Dean said bitterly "There was… an argument"
Jack frowned "You are all a little strange, you know that?"
"Yeah, we know" Sam said "Listen, this might sound a little odd"
"Now I'm worried"
"It's just that with everything that's going on" Sam continued "We don't really like the idea of Isabel on her own. I'm pretty sure that this whole thing will blow over by tomorrow, you know? She just needs a little time to cool off"
"But tonight" Dean cut in "Maybe you could…"
"You're actually asking me to spend the night with your cousin?" Jack asked in surprise.
Dean took a deep breath through his nose and closed his eyes "Let's not overanalyse it"
"You were ready to shoot me yesterday!"
"Misunderstanding" Sam said quickly "Please Jack. We just don't want her to be alone"
Jack let out a deep breath and rolled his eyes "OK. Look, I was thinking of going over tonight anyway, to sort out what happened yesterday. I've just had a call from the deputy though, he's coming over to ask me a few questions. After we're done, I promise, I'll go to Isabel's"
Sam and Dean looked at each other for a second. It seemed like the best option so far.
"Any motels nearby?" Dean asked.