AN: Thankyou for the reviews, they really do inspire you to keep writing, don't they? This story will probably take a little longer to come out because I'm writing it as I go along. Here's another chapter, a light hearted one before the Winchesters get dragged into the world of the supernatural again.

Please R&R, AT

>>>>>>>>>>>

Preston, Minnesota

The following day Sam woke up slowly to the rhythmic sounds of Dean snoring. He lifted his head groggily from the pillow and jealously watched his brother sleeping deeply. Why couldn't he ever sleep like that? He rolled over on the bed, spreading out comfortably as he realised he was alone on the bed. Soft splashing sounds from the adjacent bathroom let him know that Isabel was already awake. He closed his eyes as he relaxed on the bed.

Ten minutes later he heard the door to the bathroom open and Isabel quietly stepped out. He turned his head and opened his eyes, watching her silently as she walked over to her suitcase on the other side of the room and pulled out some clothes. She hadn't noticed he was awake, which was obvious by the fact she was only dressed in panties and a tank top. He waited for her to put on her jeans and a light green cardigan before speaking out.

"Morning" He said softly, to not scare her.

She was still a little jumpy, and was often easily startled when spoken to suddenly and would flinch when anyone touched her without warning. With this in mind, Sam had mad a point to touch her as often as he could; a playful ruffle of her hair, a casual arm around her shoulders, the occasional hug. She was trying hard too, he had to admit, often reaching out to him and Dean out of her own will.

She turned to him, only slightly surprised, and smiled.

"Morning" She looked to Dean who was still dead to the world "One of these days I'm going to duct tape his mouth"

He chuckled softly "You'll get used to it"

She frowned at him like he was trying to convince her that the Earth wasn't round "Hopefully before I end up smothering him with a pillow" She looked at her watch "It's almost ten. Should I wake him?" She said walking over to stand between Sam and Dean's beds.

She bent over to Dean's sleeping form, extending her arm towards him. Sam caught it quickly.

"Don't wake him" He said firmly and she looked at him weirdly "He's got a knife under his pillow"

"He what?" She asked, unsure she'd heard him right but Sam's expression was serious "Oh my God, you're not kidding"

"Always wake him up from a safe distance, never up close"

She looked at Dean curiously, before turning to Sam. She nodded unsurely and walked away.

"That's a little creepy" She said, putting on her socks and sneakers.

Sam decided to get up at this point "I'm going to take a shower"

"OK" Isabel said, now combing her wet hair.

"Why don't you look over the map and pick a place to go?" Sam suggested as he picked out clean clothes from his bag.

"I might go to the reception and ask what they recommend" She said "You know where I've always wanted to go? Mt Rushmore"

"Mt Rushmore" He said pensively before shrugging "Never been"

"Can we go then?" She asked excitedly "It's not that far from here"

"Sure" He said walking into the bathroom "But you tell him" He said pointing behind his back to Dean.

He stripped and stepped into the hot shower. He closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of flowers. It was strange to be living with a woman again. Jessica had been the first girlfriend he'd actually lived with, and his introduction to the female lifestyle. The most obvious and intriguing being the numerous mystifying bottles of flower and fruit scented lotions and gels and creams. He often wondered how they could be bothered with the whole ritual, every day. Isabel was the same. Her bathroom at home had also been stocked with similar products and he marvelled that even though Jessica and Isabel were in most ways complete opposites, when it came down to basic female habits, they were identical.

He switched the water off and wrapped a towel around his waist, standing in front of the mirror as he brushed his teeth and hair. He walked out of the bathroom to hear what he could only assume was the start of an argument.

Initially, after her attack, Dean had been unnaturally nice to both Isabel and Sam. Sam figured Dean possibly felt that Isabel would benefit from a sense of calm and an absence of tension, the latter which had been present and unyielding since the very instant they both turned up unannounced at her doorstep just a couple of weeks before with the questionable story that Sam had had a prophetic dream warning him of her immediate danger. Little did the three of them know that it would in fact come true.

It had obviously been just as disconcerting for Dean to keep the 'nice guy act' up as it had been frustrating for Isabel to tolerate it, eventually telling her older cousin to drop it and just be himself again because it was freaking her out. That was all Dean had needed to pick up where he'd left off and renew their incessant squabbling, although, to Dean's and Isabel's credit, and Sam's immense relief, they were keeping their fights in check. He watched them curiously as he leaned against the open bathroom door, they hadn't even noticed he'd come out.

"Mt Rushmore? Are you serious, why?" Dean asked, sitting up on his bed as he watched Isabel from across the room.

"Why not?" She asked back "Have you ever been?"

Dean was momentarily silenced "No"

"Well, there you go" She said, dropping a bunch of brochures on the small table near the tiny kitchenette "It'll be something new. And the lady at the reception told me about this storybook theme park in South Dakota and…"

"What?" Dean asked "Oh no, I ain't going to no fairyland"

Her cheerful expression soured immediately "Well, aren't you just a ray of freaking sunshine today?"

"Give me a break, I just woke up" He said defensively "Look, I'll go to Mt Rushmore, but that's it"

"Why is it up to you?"

"Because I'm the driver, it's my car, and I don't want to go to the fairypark!"

"You know Dean, the more you complain, the less I care"

"Isabel, I don't want to go" Dean said firmly.

"Then don't go" She said, like a mother talking to petulant child "You can stay at the motel and sulk, like a baby!"

Dean rolled his eyes and threw himself back on the bed, letting out a defeated groan because he knew if he didn't give in the whole thing could go on forever

"Fine, we'll go to Mt Rushmore and the fairy land" He said in exaggerated defeat.

"Storybook land" She corrected with a cheerful smile.

"I'm really looking forward to regretting this" Dean said sarcastically.

"And I thought Sam was the drama queen!" Isabel muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" Dean asked looking at her through one open eye.

"Why don't' you have a shower and get ready so we can head off?" She said sweetly.

Sam watched them quietly with a smile on his face. This was more like it; he thought to himself. It had been more than bizarre to watch his cousin and brother get along so well the way they had these last few days and he was afraid that if they didn't let out their frustrations in little bursts, like just now, they would just build up until one day one of them or, God forbid, both of them, just snapped and then all hell would break lose. No, he thought happily, this was much better.