Brothers ◇ SPN

Yep, You're Right, That's Toxic Waste.

Chapter Song - All We Know ~ The Chainsmokers ft. Phoebe Ryan

Being at the diner was eerily strange. It felt so different to before, probably because it was. My phone buzzed repeatedly on the table as I waited for my childhood best friend. It was just my brothers, wanting to know where I was and if I was okay. I didn't want to talk to them right now. It was too complicated, I would kill to return to the simplicity of my old life. But I couldn't, and at this point I could never give up Sam and Dean. My thoughts tangled in my head, when Maddie walked in.

At first I smiled at her, but the closer she got, the more obvious the injuries on her face were. She had a black eye and a busted lip, which you could tell she had made an effort to conceal, but it was still pretty obvious. Suddenly I stopped worrying about me, and turned all my attention to her. She caught me staring, and shot me a weak smile. She couldn't fool me, never has done, never will.

I was angry. "Where is he? I swear I'll kill that son of a-" I growled, but she cut me off.

"I did it, Iz" she beamed, a single tear rolling down her cheek, as she sat in the booth across from me.

"You killed Jake? I'll help you hide the body, my brothers no thing or two about-" I began before she interrupted me again. Her abusive boyfriend deserved to rot in the depths of hell, and I had no problem helping.

"No, Izzy," she responded light-heartedly, shooting me down. "I left him," she blurted, with the biggest smile you could imagine. I got up and ran over to her, engulfing her in a hug. She laughed with the same joy you'd expect from someone who'd told their friend they were engaged.

"That's amazing, Mads. I'm so proud of you," I gushed, pulling back to wipe tear from her face. She looked as happy as I'd seen her in months, and was wearing clothes I could tell she'd picked. I had been feeling guilty for ages, leaving her alone in that apartment. Knowing that she'd gotten out alive made me happier than any comfort that I had wanted earlier could've.

Moving back to my seat, we caught up for a while. She told me about the fight her and Jake had gotten in that had made her leave, and I had shared what I had gotten up to with my brothers - minus the monsters. Maddie had already dealt with all the monsters she could handle in this lifetime.

The diner door slammed open, and we turned to look. In burst Dean, with Sam and Cas not far behind. I sighed audibly, I had known they'd find me at some point; I hadn't exactly picked the most covert meeting place. They stormed up to my table, looking a mixture of worried and angry.

"What the hell, Izzy? Do you know how worried we've been, you can't just-" Dean trailed off when he realised I had company. "Oh, hi," he muttered, looking to Maddie as she gave him an awkward smile. Sam stifled a laugh and Cas watched confused.

"Maddie, meet my brothers. That's Sam, Dean and their friend, Cas," I remarked, pointing at them. "Boys, meet my best friend, Maddie Santiago," I finished. Dean smiled and looked like he was going to go off on a rant again, but Sam put a hand on his shoulder as a warning. He sighed and gestured for me to move up, as they piled onto the seat next to me, and Cas sat next to Maddie. It was very squished.

"Nice to meet you," Maddie beamed, relaxing and looking more at home than ever. I could slowly see her regaining her confidence and it warmed my heart. Although, my brothers now being here reminded me of why I had asked to meet here in the first place, and that thought made me sick to my stomach.

Talking to my best friend had done what I wanted it to, it had returned a sense of normalcy to me life, but now reality came crashing down once more. It must have been visible on my face because Sam gave my shoulder a quick squeeze. I smiled back at him as Cas started a conversation.