No Strings Attached

Day 267

            "Lisa, it's not like that. My friend—"

            "Your friend can call someone else! For months all you have done is run away from me, but that ends now. I can't move across the country with someone who's just going to up and leave whenever he feels like it. So please, go shower then come help me with these boxes so we can get on with the rest of our lives," Lisa spats, letting out a sigh of exasperation once she's done. She takes a step back, obviously expecting Dean to head upstairs, but his feet stay planted where they are.

            "You don't understand," Dean says, yanking open the front door. "I have to go get them. They could be in serious danger and—"

            "Dean, come on! Grow up! No one is in any danger. Just send someone else to help him. I am not in the mood to deal with you right now," Lisa growls, her hands straightening out her shirt. "The movers will be here any minute and we can't miss our flight. Would you please just go take a shower?"

            "You know what? No," Dean snaps, slamming the front door and taking a menacing step forward. "I have worked my ass off for this family. I have bent over backwards to make you and Ben happy. Hell, I'm moving across the goddamn country for you. You do not get to treat me this way. I am sick and tired of you bossing me around like a lap-dog."

            "You? You bend over backward? That's funny, because last time I checked you have done nothing to make this move easier. I picked the house; I packed all the boxes; I arranged for the movers to come. I've done everything!" Lisa's face begins to turn a deep shade of red, the color almost matching her bright nails. "All you've done is run around with your buddies like a freakin' teenager!"

            "You didn't want my help! You never let me help!" Dean motions with his hands, his frustration getting the best of him. He knows what they're doing, can even see the explosion barreling toward them, but he can't stop himself. All he can see is Elena's tear stained face as he pushes forward with the argument. "It's all about what you want. It has never been about us. Just you."

            "Why do you think I'm doing all this? For my health?"

            "You're the one that wanted to move!"

            "For us! I wanted to move for us! For us to fix whatever it is that's wrong, and you know there's something wrong. But for the life of me I can't figure out what it is. We should be happy, but we're not," Lisa says, her words filling the space between them. Dean knew it was the truth, but it still hurt to hear it out loud. "I just want us to be happy, Dean. Isn't that what you want?"

            "Yes, of course it is," Dean tells her, but even as the words leave his lips he knows it's a lie. Judging by the look on Lisa's face, she knows it too. "I mean... I want you to be happy. And I want to be happy. But... I..."

            "You just don't want to be happy with me," Lisa breathes, finally looking away from Dean as the air settles around them. Breathing heavily, Dean looks down at the keys in his hand.

            Elena...

            "Okay," Lisa finally says, swallowing hard. "Okay. We'll figure this out. We always do. Just... Just go take a shower. We can talk about this when we get to California."

            "Lisa... I have to go. I can't just leave her out there on her own," Dean says, stepping toward the door. Lisa's eyes widen, the use of pronouns not going unnoticed. He'd never used them before when talking about his "friend," and now she understood why.

            "I'm going to California, Dean. Ben and I are going, and I want you to come with us," Lisa says, her eyes welling with tears. "But if you walk out that door... Don't come back."