Dean sighed, knowing this was a lot for Esme to hear. She didn’t understand what they had been through in the last few months, or even the last two days. But he did want to explain. When she closed her eyes and mentioned him not wanting to explain what was going on, he sighed.

“I’ll explain. I just have to figure out how…”, he started before Sam broke his train of thought, scolding him and then speaking to Madison, again with his textbook empathy. He closed his eyes and rubbed a hand across his eyebrow, turning to Esme, “Since he just spilled the beans, I’ll just come right out and say it…she’s a Nephilum. But she’s not just any Nephilum. She’s Michaels daughter.”

He let the words fall out of his mouth, trying to ignore the look that Madison shot him as he spoke up.



As Sam explained that her actions had scared them, she felt a pang of guilt come across her hungry stomach. She matched his gaze, taking in his words with an almost apologetic look, “I’m sorry I scared you…”

She then changed her gaze back to Esme for a second, peering between her eyes and Dean’s eyes as Dean explained who her father was. She had never heard her mother speak about her father by name. She narrowed her eyes, curious if they knew him.

“Do you know my father?”, she asked Dean, who quickly shook his head.

“No. No, we don’t. We do know that he’s an an Archangel…”, he explained, not expecting her to understand what he was saying. But he also had decided not to lie to her.

Madison turned to Sam, studying his features, “I’ll go with you, after Esme eats food. And then she comes with us. I want to make sure she’s safe, too.”
She had become attached to the first parental figure she had been in contact with. Of course she was. Esme was the first human to show her kindness, and she planned to repay that kindness.

Esme took in Dean’s sighs. She knew he was having trouble finding the words to explain everything to her. If he had that much trouble, it had to be something big. When he said he’d explain and to figure out how, she kept her eyes closed. Even when he trailed off, her eyes remained closed. She hadn’t even heard Sam’s words to Madison. It was odd when he mentioned Sam spilling the beans. She took in what he said, almost in disbelief, but her breath caught and her eyes popped open at the mention of Madison being Michael’s daughter.

She looked at Dean to see if she had heard him right. It was clear she had. So, everything she had caught word of was true. She even had her missing information. She looked away from Dean, to Madison, then to the table. This was absolutely crazy. “So, angels are real.” she whispered and almost laughed. Esme looked up at Madison when she spoke to Dean. She sighed at his response to her. What have I gotten myself into? she asked herself. She then smiled at Madison’s words to Sam.

She wanted her fed and safe. “I think I may have to order something smaller after what I just heard.” she said with a smile to Madison. “That news hit me pretty hard.” It was true, she didn’t feel as hungry as she did when they first arrived at the diner. Maybe she would just go with a dessert of some sort. It really hadn’t been that long since she had eaten last.



Sam smiled at Madison as she apologized for scaring him and shook his head. To tell her it was okay. He then looked over at Dean when he scolded him and rubbed a hand across his eyebrow. He shot Dean a look that said, “What? She didn’t even hear me” before he looked at Esme to see her reaction to the explanation Dean gave her. In his eyes, she took it rather well, better than most would anyway. Learning that angels were actually real, and she was sitting across from a Nephilim was a lot to take in all at once.

His gaze drifted back to Madison as she asked Dean about knowing Micheal, he knew that would come up at some point. He was glad that Dean had told her the truth, she needed to know after all. When Madison turned back to him, he gave a smile at her words and nodded. “You need to eat, too. I heard your stomach growl” he told her. “Plus, by the look of things. I think she’ll want to stay around, she and Dean have some catching up to do.” he whispered to her so only she could hear.

He was also pretty sure that Esme would want to learn more and hear everything that they had learned. Not to mention, the extra help would be nice. At Esme’s words about ordering something smaller, he stifled a laugh but did smile. He couldn’t blame her for losing her appetite over the information dumped on her. “So, what’s everyone getting?’ he asked to lighten the air.

“The fact that you’ve managed to get through the entire past year without finding out about the angels…”, Dean muttered with his eyebrows raised, to Esme. There was a small scoff behind his words as well, considering he had been elbow deep in angels since the beginning of the previous year when he returned from Hell.

As Madison set her terms for coming with them, Dean almost wanted to tell her she didn’t get to make demands. But that wasn’t true. She had the control here. She was the nuclear bomb, here. So, he simply nodded to her and snapped his fingers in the air to get a waitresses attention. An older waitress smiled sweetly at his attention grabbing, which he returned, and she made her way over to them.

“Yeah. I wouldn’t mind having a conversation with Esme, after all this time. There’s a lot to figure out, with the angel stuff, and now this…”, he muttered, smiling sweetly at Esme without making eye contact with Madison.



Madison smiled a bit at Sam noticing she was hungry. He was being so kind, although he had no real reason to, aside from knowing her mother. She nodded lightly, and listened to both Sam and Dean confirming that Esme would probably be staying with them. This set her mind even more at ease, as she turned to Esme and smiled.

“We have decided on something called a Turkey Burger.”, she announced to him proudly, her nose in the air. She was proud of herself for learning a food item. She glanced at the menu on the wall next to her, realizing she could read some of the words, or at least make out the sounds from listening to her mother through her eyes, “And a D. R. Pepper.”

Esme looked at Dean when he muttered. A small smile graced her features as she saw his raised eyebrows. “I’ve heard about them and been on the trail for months now.” she started softly, then sighed. “But I was starting to think it was all just a rumor since I hadn’t come across any until now.” She looked away and at the table. “Though there is the possibility I had and didn’t even realize it.” she added with a shrug. She looked up from the table when Dean got the attention of a waitress.

She glanced at the menu to see if there was something small she could order, just as she found something she heard what Dean said. She couldn’t help but smile warmly as she turned back to him and saw his smile. “I wouldn’t mind either. It’s been way too long and there’s a lot to discuss.” she muttered, her smile unfading as she uncrossed her arms. She pulled her gaze from Dean’s and looked over at Madison, giving her a smile in return when she smiled at her. Her smile grew when Madison told Sam what they had planned on getting.

It was cute seeing how proud she was of herself for learning something. When the waitress arrived at the table, Esme looked at her and smiled warmly when she asked if they were ready. She nodded and leaned forwards and gave her order, then leaned back in the booth. She laid her left arm across her waist, then brought her right up and fiddled with her pendant on her necklace. This was turning out to be one interesting day. Running into the Winchesters and a Nephilim all in one day, it was a lot to take in, but she was glad to have met back up with Dean.

She was happy to not be alone for once, even if she was afraid of bringing more down on him than he already had. She felt like she was a magnet for trouble. It followed her everywhere. She couldn’t get away from it.



Sam continued to smile at Madison, taking in how childlike she was and how happy she was to know Esme would go with them. He cut his eyes over at Dean, to see his reaction to her demands about only going with them if Esme did. It relieved him to see Dean’s nod to her. It was the best thing he could have done to keep Madison calm. He looked back at Madison when she told him what she was getting, giving a laugh at how proud she was at learning a food item. “Nice choice.” he responded with a smile.

When the waitress came over, he looked at the menu then to the waitress. He waited for the women to order first before giving his order with a warm smile to the waitress. The look between Esme and Dean before the waitress came over didn’t go unnoticed, but he didn’t let on to it. When Esme leaned back into the booth and fiddled with her necklace he watched her for a moment. She looked like she had spaced out, he then looked over at Dean. After he had ordered and the waitress left, Sam gestured over at Esme for him to look at her.

“Esme? You alright?” he asked her. She gave a silent nod and a small smile, though she still looked spaced out to him. She didn’t even make eye contact with him.

Dean placed his free arm on the back of the booth behind Esme, loosening up as they spoke and ordered food. Shockingly, the only thing he ordered was a slice of pie and a cup of coffee. He wasn’t the hungriest after everything that had happened this morning.

“Well, now that you’re here with us…I guess we can share efforts on the whole apocalypse situation.”, he muttered, glancing over at Madison to read her demeanor. He was happy that she seemed a lot more relaxed near Sam. Maybe he was the good luck charm with wayward monsters. He chuckled silently about the statement.

When Sam asked if Esme was alright, he leaned forward, just enough to see her face. He wasn’t quite used to her being so quiet around him, but he figured it was just the awkwardness of being back with him, but Madison spoke up.

“She’s overwhelmed. But she’s excited to see you…”, Madison spoke softly to Sam, and then turned her eyes to Dean. Dean raised his eyebrows at her, and then turned to Esme.

“Are you overwhelmed? I can give you some space…um. I know it’s been a while.”, he quickly stammered out, his eyebrows raised as he did so. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, now that it seemed like the nuke had been disarmed, momentarily, “Or if you want, after we eat, we can take a walk?”

Esme could feel the fear and tension fading away to nothing as she sat there. The pain in her chest had faded as well. She could feel Madison’s happiness wash over her, she could feel Sam had relaxed as well. She could even feel Dean had relaxed but concerned since she had gone quiet. A bigger smile crept upon her face at Madison’s words. She was excited and a little on edge to see Dean after so long. At Dean’s, she closed her eyes and dipped her head, shaking it gently.

Lifting her head, she opened her eyes and looked at Dean, seeing his raised eyebrows. He was still as kind as ever. It was something she had missed during their time apart, and it warmed her heart. “I’m a little overwhelmed.” she admitted, her smile unfading. “I’m alright though. I was just thinking about things.” she added with a reassuring smile. She held his gaze to let him know she really was alright, then looked away to Madison and gave her a smile. She looked back at Dean, releasing her necklace, leaving it to lie on the outside of her shirt instead of tucking it away.

“A walk would be nice though.” The idea of a walk, just the two of them, sounded like a wonderful idea. It would give them the chance to get used to having the other around and even catch up on things since they’ve been apart. She knew they were bound to touch on touchy subjects, but that was alright. She didn’t plan on keeping anything from him, she wanted to be as truthful as she could be with him.



Sam was watching Esme, from what little Dean told him about her. The silence was unusual for her. Concern grew in himself for her and he didn’t even know her. He looked over at Madison when she spoke about Esme being overwhelmed and excited, his eyebrows raised at her words. He looked to Dean, who had the same look before looking at Esme and speaking to her. It was almost funny how he stammered when he talked to her, but knew it had to be awkward talking to her after so long.

He looked over at her and saw her smile grow, and it eased his concern a little, and he lowered his eyebrows. He softly smiled at her actions and what she said to Dean, and the way she looked into his eyes after. She seemed to be telling Dean the truth. When she said she was thinking about things, he assumed it was about what she had just learned. Sam couldn’t blame her for getting lost in her thoughts about the information dumped on her. He then broke his silence when Esme took Dean up on his offer to go for a walk.

“Well, if you two decide to take that walk.” he smiled. “Madison and I can hang out.” he continued, looking at the two of them. Not only would Dean and Esme have time to catch up and learn what the other had been up to, but it would also give him a chance to learn about Madison.

Dean smiled down at Esme, keeping his face empathetic and gentle as she explained that she was okay, with an earnest look. He brought his hand down to fiddle with her hair as she turned from him.

“Well, then why don’t we take a walk? The food won’t be up for a bit.”, he muttered, looking over to Sam for approval, though he got it without much time between, “That sounds like a good idea. Madison, what do you think?”

He asked the question while standing slowly from the booth, after pushing himself out. He reached a hand out to Esme, keeping his eyes on Madison for a second to wait for her response.



Madison smiled in relief when Esme told her that she was okay. It was all she really cared about at the moment, with everyone at the table. Although, Sam was growing on her. She shrugged her shoulders, looking over to Sam, “I wouldn’t mind talking. I don’t know much except what I’ve learned today, but I can try. I have questions too.”

She turned back to Esme, “You should spend some time with Dean. He’s missed you. Maybe you can convince him not to shoot anyone else…”

When she spoke, Dean raised his eyebrows before narrowing his eyes at her in a scowl, rolling his eyes to Sam in a way that said ‘she’s never going to let that go’.

“So go. I’ll be okay with Sam…”, she finished. Smiling up at Sam while taking his hand on top of the table, eliciting another weird stare from Dean.

Esme turned back to Dean with a smile when he fiddled with her hair and agreed to the walk. She then looked over at Sam and Madison when Dean asked them for approval, which he quickly got from Sam. She was happy about his approval. She then looked at Madison as Dean slid himself out of the booth and held a hand out to her. At Madison’s approval, she smiled and gave a laugh at her comment about Dean. “I’ll try my best.” she said as she slid across the booth seat.

Another laugh escaped her at Dean’s raised eyebrows and scowl to Madison. She even caught the rolling of his eyes. She was going to ask Madison if she was sure, but she saw she didn’t need to as Madison spoke again and took Sam's hand. She was happy to see that she trusted Sam enough to be alone with him. She was also glad that she didn’t have to worry about her. She could see that Sam would keep her safe while she and Dean talked. “Well, you two have fun.” she smiled.

She looked at Dean and took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as she let him help her up. “Oh, if my cheesecake gets here before we get back, please don’t eat it.” she said in a joking tone as she looked back at them with a grin. “Shall we?” she asked, as she turned back and looked up at Dean. She had almost forgotten how tall he was and how short she felt standing next to him.



Sam looked over at Madison as he looked at her and gave a small laugh. “I’ll try my best to answer your questions.” he said before she looked at Esme. He looked at Dean as spoke and gave a laugh. “I wish you luck with that.” he chuckled. “It won't be easy.” He saw Dean’s look at Madison and caught the eye roll. He gave a look of his own that said ‘I know’ before looking back at Madison. When she took his hand, his eyebrows went up a little. He wasn’t expecting such a gesture from her in the short time she had known him.

He didn’t move his hand though, he gave her a smile before catching Dean’s weird stare at her. He shrugged his shoulders to Dean, then watched Esme slide over and take Dean’s hand and leave the booth. He gave a laugh at Esme’s joke. “Don’t worry. It’ll still be here if it gets here before you get back.” he told her. “Now you two get going. You two have plenty to talk about. We’ll be fine.” he added. Using his free hand, he gave them a shooing motion to get them going and out the door.

Dean nearly rolled his eyes again at Sam as he shooed them, but turned to Esme anyway and pulled her arm to link with his. He then walked them out the door, keeping a smile on his face, “So, what have you been doing all this time, while we’ve been out on the road?”

He decided to get straight to the burning questions he had, as it had seemed like forever since she had even called or texted him. He had to admit, he was happy she did, today. No only could he and Sam use an extra set of hands, but he was genuinely happy to see her again, after all this time.

“And you’ve gotten short.”, he quipped, looking down at her with his toothy smile. It was his attempt to try and show her that he was the same Dean, with more baggage, but an alcohol induced good sense of humor. He carefully crossed the road with her, strolling along a sidewalk in what felt like the most normal thing he had done in years.



Madison realized from Sam’s surprise that holding people’s hands when you first meet them is not normal. She slowly and carefully placed her hand on the table, still bucked up against his. She sat very stoic and quiet as Dean and Esme left them. She didn’t know how to start conversation, especially with someone that she still felt might be a threat to her safety.

“So. About me…”, she started, finally gaining the courage with a small sigh, “I saw your brother shoot at me. And I ran away, because I’m supposed to be safe. That’s why I’m in this body.”

She finished the words with a small glance down at her own body, “I like…Esme, and whatever you call this thing.”

She pointed down at her belt, and ran her fingers across the buckle.

“And I like that woman over there, because she’s polite. I heard her say something about a husband leaving her. Isn’t that sad?”, she asked him, not understanding the point of them ‘answering each other’s questions’. To Madison, what had happened in the last few hours was her entire knowledge of the world.

Esme had to laugh when Sam shooed them, trying to get them to go. It was a welcomed gesture since she really wanted the chance to talk to Dean alone. When he linked her arm with his, she smiled warmly and held onto his arm as they walked out. “I’ve been hunting, mostly.” she told him. “Though it hasn’t been easy on my own.” Which was true. After losing her father, she had been hunting and searching for the thing that had killed him. Every lead so far had led her to a dead end.

She didn’t allow herself to get sucked into that mindset. She’s supposed to be happy right now, not depressing herself by wallowing in her thoughts. She mentally slapped herself for it. She took in the emotions coming off Dean and they lifted her. He was happy, so that made her happy. Even though she was already happy to see and talk to him again, it made her happier. At his quip, she looked up at him and playfully narrowed her eyes at him after they crossed the road.

“Hey now, I’m not that short.” she said, poking his ribs playfully. “You’ve just become a giant.” She tried to hold in the laugh that was building up, but it soon escaped her, followed by a bright smile. He was the same Dean she had met all that time ago, even with his extra baggage. God, how she missed this. Just to have a normal conversation with someone and walk down the street like a normal person would, even if she was far from normal. She wanted to grip his arm tight and not let him go.

She wanted to hold on to this moment forever. Sighing contently, she looked up at him. She had so many questions burning in her mind, but she didn’t know where to start. She looked back ahead of them, thinking about where to start, finally settling on the same question he had asked. “Besides dealing with angels and their children, what have you been doing?”



Sam watched Dean and Esme leave, a grin resting on his face at how the two acted. Even with all their time apart, there was still a strong connection between them. After everything Dean had been through, he needed something good to come along to be a distraction from all the bad. By the looks of it, Esme was that distraction and a welcomed one. After they left the diner, Sam turned his attention to Madison as she moved her hand from his and rested it beside his and spoke. He sat quietly as she spoke.

His smile faded when she brought up Dean shooting at her. He could see how strongly embedded into her memory it was, rightly so, since it was the first action she experienced after being born. He watched her as she continued talking, not being able to get a word in. When finished, he turned so he could face her properly. He searched for his words, not really knowing what to say to her. “Dean……” he started and sighed. “When he’s unsure about something not human, his first instinct is to draw his gun. I’m pretty sure he didn’t intend to shoot you. We do want to keep you safe.” he told her.

“But when you hit us with that blast, it caused him to shoot.” He tried to tell her as gently as possible as to not draw her from her peaceful state. “I can see why you like Esme. I just met her and like her too, she’s pretty nice.” He gave her a warm smile, then looked over at the woman that Madison spoke about, then looked back at her. “That is sad, but that happens sometimes.” he mumbled. Sam went quiet as he looked at her, watching her take in what he had told her. “Is there anything you want to know? I’ll try my best to answer.”

Dean gave a small frown to her saying that she hadn’t had it easy on his own. He wished he had known. He could have helped her out, or at least met up with her to try and get her to come to them, which wouldn’t be unheard of. He jumped and laughed at her calling him a giant, pulling away from her for a second before taking her arm back into his, placing his hand on top of hers, “Well, that’s just a meaner way of saying you got shorter…”

As the came up on a small park, with a lake in the center of it, Dean stepped up to the small fence beside the water. He too was enjoying the normalcy of being with her, again. It was as if they had never been apart. They were the exact same people, despite all of the messed up situations they had both been involved with.

When she broke the small bit of silence, he raised his eyebrows and turned his head to smile at her, shrugging, “Um…well that’s a more complicated answer, I think. I went to Hell, literally. Came back because the angels needed a gopher, and Sam let Lucifer out of his cage. Then we got involved with all the angel stuff out of guilt, mostly…and we’re here.”

He smiled, trying to let her know that none of it was anything to be sad about, at this point. It just was, what it was.

“But, I’ve been hunting too. You could have called, if you needed anything.”



Madison narrowed her eyes at Sam’s words, making the make sense in her mind. Dean was extremely impulsive and he had shot at her because she scared him. She seemed to scare anyone who knew anything about her, which caused her mind to wonder if she would always be shot at, or stabbed. That thought didn’t bring her much joy as she accepted Sam’s confirmation that Dean did want her safe, “So, don’t scare Dean and I won’t get shot…I think I can do that. I understand my emotions a little better. I don’t feel fear, right now, or anger.”
She shifted herself in her seat, turning toward him and crossing her legs like a child on a stool. She looked into his eyes, earnestly, and asked, “Why wasn’t my father with you guys, when I was born? I felt Dean. I felt you. I felt my mother’s soul leaving the room, but not my father. And can I stay with you? I don’t really have anyone else, and you’re nice.”

Esme had missed his frown when she mentioned it hadn’t been easy going it alone, she had been looking ahead of them to see where they were going. When he jumped and laughed while pulling away, she laughed as well. When he took her arm back to his and placed his hand on hers, she had to smile, as it felt so natural. She shrugged her shoulders to his comment as if saying ‘Maybe so’. When they entered the park and stepped up to the fence, she looked out over the lake. It felt quite peaceful, and she drank it in.

When he started to answer her question, she looked away from the lake and up at him. As he spoke, her eye widened, and she unconsciously squeezed his arm, not expecting to hear what came out of his mouth. She couldn’t imagine going through such events, especially going to Hell. It sent a shiver down her spine, thinking of going to Hell. At his smile she calmed a bit, but couldn’t keep herself from feeling bad for him. Here she thought she had it terrible. It was but nothing compared to going to Hell.

When he mentioned she could have called, she looked away and at the lake with a heavy sigh. “I know I could have called but…….” she whispered, unconsciously gripping his arm again. “I didn’t want to put more on your plate than you already had.” She breathed in deeply and slowly released it as she closed her eyes. “I didn’t want to burden you with my problems when you had your own to deal with.” she mumbled. She knew that he would have come to her aide if she had called him or would have had her meet him somewhere.

But she didn’t want to dump all the crap she had following her on him, she still didn’t. But Madison had pulled them back together and had formed a bond with her. She sighed again and dipped her head as she remembered how she had left it off with him, and she felt terrible about it. She knew it had to have hurt him. “I…... I’m sorry for…... The way I left things.” she whispered.



Sam grew a little worried at the narrowing of Madison’s eyes to his words. He watched her as she seemed to think over things. He relaxed when she finally spoke and gave her a nod when she finished. He gave her smile as she spoke about her emotions; he knew they had to be confusing to her. “That’s good to hear. I hope you feel happy right now.” he told her as she turned in the seat. He couldn’t help but grin a little with the way she sat in the booth, just like a child would. When his eyes met her and she asked her question, his smile faded.

Sadness plastered itself on his face at the mention of her mother. The question she asked was a question he knew would come up eventually and had been dreading it, since he didn’t have a good answer for her. “Honestly, we don’t know.” he told her, still looking into her eyes. He knew this would be an answer she probably wouldn’t want to hear, but it was the truth. They had heard Micheal was on earth, and they searched for him with Castiel when they found her mother.

He pulled himself from the thought of Michael to answer her other question, a small smile coming back to his face. “Of course you can stay with us.” he told her. “You don’t have to worry about being alone.” he smiled warmly.

Dean noticed the small squeeze to his arm, and gave a reassuring squeeze to her hand, letting her know that it wasn’t anything she should worry about. At this point, he had come to terms with a lot of what had happened to him, and just used it as more fuel.

He gently sat them down on the nearby bench as she spoke, gripping his arm tightly. He knew this was something that bothered her greatly, and it was something he wanted to dispel from her mind. He listened intently, but pulled his arm from her, wrapping it around her shoulders. He couldn’t remember ever saying anything that would make Esme feel like a burden, but she did. Asking for help, felt like something she should have felt bad for. He sighed, furrowing his eyebrows as he stared out over the water, not knowing how to straight up tell her that she was wrong. A lot of the time, he would have loved the company, and the extra work.

When she brought up the way that things left off, he let out a sigh he had been holding in, shaking his head while looking at the ground, “No. No don’t be sorry for that. I mean, it’s not like I tried too hard to tie you down…”

He gave a small laugh as he mentioned tying her down to keep her with him, “I’m sorry that I didn’t try harder enough to be…around. I should have known you needed someone.”



“I do feel what I think is happy. I’m not alone…”, she explained when Sam mentioned that he wanted her to be happy. She then got an answer she didn’t want, but she was trying to stay calm. Michael wasn’t with the Winchesters, and had left her alone, and let her mother die.

Her eyes tried to glow a soft white as she processed the information with anger on her face. Realizing she was about to lose control again, she closed her eyes and then looked at her fingers, taking a deep breath. Hearing that she could live with them, her eyes raised to his, the small white light still dimming behind her blue eyes.

“Then, everything is going to be alright.”, she whispered, a small smirk threatening the edges of her mouth. She wanted to meet Castiel, and she wanted to be able to hunt, like her mother had conversations about with the brothers. She wanted a family, most of all.

“And I’m happy I found a family…”, she muttered, not truly understanding the meaning of the word, but that she had heard it before. She let out a long sigh, and her ear perked up, turning to stare at a man that had just sat down at the breakfast bar. She didn’t say anything about him, but his power aura felt similar to hers, and her curiosity raised as she stared at him.

Esme had opened her eyes and followed Dean’s lead as he led them over to a bench and sat down as she poured herself out to him. Which was something she hadn’t done with anyone for a long while. When he pulled his arm away and wrapped it around her shoulders, she closed her eyes again. She could feel that her words had an effect on him, like he was trying to find a way to tell her she was wrong in her thinking. She moved her hands into her lap, placing one over the other, waiting for him to say something.

At Dean’s sigh, she opened her eyes and looked at the ground. His words brought a small smile to her lips and a small laugh to escape her. It was funny thinking of him trying to tie her down. She gave a sigh at what he said next and shook her own head. She lifted her head to look at the lake. “Don’t be. It’s not like you could have known.” she mumbled. “I was pretty vague on what I told you.” She sighed again before leaning into him and rested her head on him.

“I knew you would have come if I contacted you, but I…… I was in a terrible place…… I didn’t want you to see me like that.” she admitted. To be truthful, she still wasn’t her full self, but she couldn’t bring herself to admit that to him. Esme also didn’t want to bring the mood down any more than she already had. They should be happy right now, not upset about things that happened in the past. “But if I want to be honest with myself. I would have been better off if I had called you.” She knew it was true, but it had been hard to admit to herself until now. If she had called him for help, maybe she wouldn’t feel so broken inside and only half of the woman she used to be.



Sam studied Madison as she took in what he said about not knowing why Michael wasn’t there. He could see that she didn’t like his answer, just as he thought. He grew worried when it looked as if she was about to lose control. He was about to reach out and take her hand when she opened her eyes. His eyebrows raised at the dim light behind her eyes. He let them relax as she spoke, and he nodded with a small smile. It seemed that she had kept herself calm after thinking it over. When she spoke about finding a family, his smile grew.

“A family?” he questioned. He thought it over, going over everything that had gone on over the past few days in his mind. “She was right. They were the closest thing she had to consider family. Him and Dean had been with Amy through most of the pregnancy and even the birth. How could she not see them as family? He was about to confirm when she seemed distracted. He followed her gaze to a man that came in and sat at the breakfast bar. He wondered what it was about him that grabbed her attention, then looked back at her. “Madison?” Sam said her name softly so as to not startle her out of her stare. Concern was written on his face as he looked at her.

As she spoke, he shook his head, “No. I still should have known. You’re enough like me that I should have known. I’m not good alone.”

As she leaned into him, he leaned his head down and gently kissed the top of her hair, a motion he saved for those he cared about most, even if he couldn’t say the words out loud. He closed his eyes, his cheek pressed against the top of her head as she explained that she knew he would have come to her. She was right. Their brief time together had made Dean question a lot of things, as her presence genuinely calmed him.

“I don’t know how long you want to stick around, this time. But I’m telling you, I’m always around. I go to people I don’t even know. I damn sure wouldn’t have left you hanging…know that, okay?”, he muttered, wanting to make sure that she never worried about calling him again, although, he couldn’t imagine she would be leaving at this point, considering the way they had met again.

He opened his eyes, staring out toward the water, and hugged her carefully, “You’re here, now. It’s rough, with me and Sam. We have gained a bit of notoriety since you were with me last. Lucifer…knows our names. But I promise you, if you want to tag along, I’ll do everything I have to do to keep you safe…even if that means going easy on the girl, Madison.”



Madison continued to stare at the man who sat at the bar, her eyes narrowing in curiosity and her head tilting to the side, much like Castiel when analyzing something. She began to hear a high pitched squeal, followed by the faint sound of voices in her head as she stared, barely hearing her name slip out of Sam’s lips. However, at hearing her name, she turned her face to him, and shook her head.

“I’m okay. There’s a man, and his thoughts are about power. Someone in his head just said ‘Gods power remade’…”, she explained. Suddenly, the voices became overwhelming, causing her to cover her ears. At first, she could make them go away with just her hands over her ears, but then the voices pierced her hands. They were voices and noises Sam couldn’t hear, and no one in the diner could hear, but it felt as if her head was going to explode as she leaned into Sam’s chest and began to whimper.

Her anguish caused the lights above them to flicker, and a slight wind to blow within the diner as she sheltered her head and ears, “Stop it! Shut up!”

Patrons within the diner asked questions, confused by the napkins and styrofoam cups flying about, as the lights flickered. One by one, each lightbulb burst, sparks falling onto the ground, and prompting a sort of stampede as everyone in the diner, except Sam, Madison and the strange man tried to run from the building.

Esme took in his words about them being alike. He was right, especially the part about being alone. When he kissed her hair and rested his cheek on her head, she closed her eyes, taking it in. She felt so at ease with the calm that was radiating off of him and the near silence surrounding them. Maybe she was enjoying the moment a little too much, but it felt like ages since she had been this calm. She just wanted to drink it in forever, but she knew it would have to end at some point. So, she would enjoy it while she could.

She smiled as she spoke how he didn’t know how long she’d stick around and how he’d always be around. When he emphasized, he wouldn’t leave her hanging. Her smile grew, and she nodded softly to show she knew. After everything, she couldn’t see herself leaving anytime soon. Not to mention, this moment they were sharing made her not want to leave either. She didn’t want to go back to going it alone even if she knew she could call and he would come to help her with anything. She felt she would lose her mind if she were alone again.

At his hug, she almost looked up at him, but spoke again. She would wait until he had finished before she said anything. She knew it would be rough if she stayed after hearing they were dealing with angels, but hearing Lucifer’s name surprised her a little. She smiled more to his promise of keeping her safe if she wanted to tag along, and would even go easy on Madison. Which made her laugh. Esme then pulled away just enough so she could see Dean’s face and look into his eyes.

“Listen here, Dean Winchester.” she began with a smile. “I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon. I’m here to stay for a while. Angels or no angels, Lucifer or no Lucifer. You’re stuck with me. I don’t think I can do the alone thing anymore.” she told him, still keeping his gaze. “I can hold my own, but I like knowing you’d keep me safe. Even if I could probably kick your ass.” As she finished her last statement, she grinned with her tongue poked out between her teeth.



Sam had watched as some of her actions remind him of Castiel when analyzing something. Again, he thought about what it was about this guy that had her attention. He soon got his answer when she snapped out of it and responded to her name. “What!” he said, trying to keep his voice down as his eyebrows went up in surprise. When Madison covered her ears and looked in pain, he placed his hand gently on her arms. “Hey, you okay.” His voice was full of concern as he looked at her.

When she leaned into him and whimpered, he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. “It’s going to be okay.” he said just before the lights flickered. He looked around when he felt a wind with up in the diner, then looked down as she yelled. He lifted his head again as the patrons asked questions about the items taking flight around the diner. He flinched when the light bulbs burst and sparked. He did his best to shield her from it. As the patrons stampeded out of the diner, Sam looked down at Madison.

“Shhh, it’s going to be okay. Try to concentrate on my voice and heartbeat. You can get through this.” he told her as a styrofoam cup hit him. He hugged her closer to him and cut his eyes over to the guy still sitting at the bar. He was far too calm in this situation. He should be running for the door, just as the others were. He narrowed his eyes while still trying to keep himself calm for Madison. He needed to let Dean and Esme know, but he couldn’t get to his phone without letting go of Madison.

Dean was a bit surprised when she pulled away from him and began scanning his eyes. He smiled nervously back, keeping contact with hers. Her next words made him smile a bit brighter than he would have preferred to let people see, in public. Dean was happy for her to stay, to be safe.

“I’m stuck with…”, he started to protest as she spoke, before laughing as she finished. Part of what she said was serious, but he couldn’t help feel the banter she was giving in her jokes. It was also kinda true that if she really wanted to, she could take him. He shrugged at that notion, smiling widely back at her. He reached forward and picked up a stray strand of her hair.

“Fine…”, he muttered, carefully placing the strand of hair behind her ear. His thumb brushed quickly along her jaw line and he added another smirk, “I guess I’m stuck with you…”



The wind inside the diner whistled as the entire diner went pitch black, even the exterior lighting not working. The entire building groaned with the power that blasted through it, due to the interference in Madison’s head. She was so overwhelmed that she couldn’t even hear Sam’s heartbeat, but tried to latch onto his voice as she fought through the episode.

Madison continued to scream against Sam’s chest, before suddenly, the voices stopped and all she could hear was his heartbeat. Although fast, it had a rhythm that soothed her. Soon, the wind began to calm, before stopping completely and she and Sam were left, virtually alone as she gasped for air.

The man in the suit, that had been sitting at the bar, suddenly vanished with another gust of air, proving that he was an angel, watching them. Madison barely noticed as she pulled her head up from Sam’s chest, her nose brushing against his chin as she stared at his eyes, her own red and puffy and scared.

“There were so many voices. They were loud, and it felt like my brain was…hot…”, she explained, as she looked around at the deserted diner, “Did I do this?!”

Esme had noticed his nervous look before she started talking, and it had fueled her little ‘speech’ a bit. She couldn’t have been happier to see him smile and laugh after how serious things were earlier. If she was honest with herself, she missed his laugh. It was soothing and always genuine, at least towards her. She watched him shrug at her comment of taking him. His smile at her kept the smile on her face, but she pulled her tongue back in.

She kept his gaze as he picked up a strand of her hair and placed it behind her ear as he spoke. His thumb brushing against her jaw caused her to hold back a shiver at how quick the action was. “I’m glad we understand each other.” she grinned playfully. His wanting her to stay was obvious, but she knew he wouldn’t just come right out and say it. She also knew he wouldn’t want her to feel like he was forcing her.

“If we had to bump heads about this, I don’t know what I’d do.” She sighed dramatically and tried to hold back her smile to make it look like she was serious, but she lost the battle. The smile slowly crept its way to her lips, and she laughed softly.



Sam held Madison closer when the diner went pitch black. He cut his eyes to the window as the exterior light went out. He looked around the darkness as the diner groaned from the assault of the blast. He looked down at her once more, worry growing more within him, causing his heart to beat faster. Her screams felt as if they tore right through him. He felt helpless with only being there to hold her close and try to talk her through it. When the wind began to calm, he didn’t release his grip on Madison.

He figured keeping her close was the best thing to do until she composed herself. After she gasped for air, he felt a gust of wind from behind him. He looked over at the bar and noticed the guy in the suite had vanished. He sighed heavily, knowing what that meant. He looked back at Madison just before she lifted her head from his chest, he loosened his grip so she could easily look up at him. Her red, puffy, and scared eyes brought for a look of even more concern for her.

Sam listened as she explained what she had just gone through, his thoughts went to what Castiel called angel radio. A sigh escaped him as looked around the room. He nodded to her question, not wanting to lie to her. “Yes.” he whispered. “But it’s okay. Everyone got out unharmed.” He then released her but kept a hand on her arm to make sure she was alright and to let her know he was there. He looked around the dark diner before looking back at her once again.

“Come on, we need to get out of here before others come and start asking questions.” he said, sliding from the booth. He held out his hand to her to help her out of the booth. “Once we’re outside, we can see where Dean and Esme went.”

Dean couldn’t help himself as she smiled brightly at her joking. It was refreshing. His smile almost hurt his face, as his body wanted to reject it, after so much heartbreak and anguish over the last several months. But to his mind, it was an absolute relief. In a moment of ‘fear of missing out’, he leaned forward quickly and stole a kiss, taking a deep breath at the complete and total calm that washed over him as he did so.

He pulled away from the kiss, his eyes still pressed closed and bit his lip gently before opening his eyes and smiling softly at her, “Sorry. I needed to make up for letting you run off without that, last time. You know…just in case you run off again.”

He chuckled at his own words, brushing his nose against hers as he waited for her response. He decided to add a last little joke to the moment, “And now…you have to stay.”



Madison noticed that the daylight was coming back, outside the windows as she calmed but assessed the damage to the restaurant. She could barely believe that she was able to create such a scene, but she also had to remember that apparently she could blow things up with her mind.

She slid out of the booth as Sam did, reaching for his hand as she found her way to her feet. Even though the light from outside was peering in, it was still rather hard to find where to step, and avoid glass. So, she didn’t bother. She simply stayed close to Sam and nodded, “Hopefully they aren’t far. I think I need help to control this stuff. I prayed to Castiel…”

As she spoke about praying, she heard Castiel’s voice in her head and smiled softly as she and Sam walked out of the diner.



His voice was distant and broken up in places, but it brought her calm. Castiel felt like someone who would understand her, and she knew his name from her mother as someone she could trust.

Esme watched the smile on Dean’s face grow at her joking around with him. She couldn’t remember him ever smiling like this, and it looked like it was doing him a world of good. She made a mental note to try to get in more moments like this with him. She loved seeing this side of him. At Dean’s sudden action, she gave a little jump and a squeak of surprise. She wasn’t expecting him to kiss her so quickly after meeting back up, but it was nice. Her eyes closed, and she kissed him back before he pulled away.

She slowly opened her eyes, seeing him smiling softly at her. A rosiness came to her cheeks as she smiled back, her eyes dropped a bit. She looked back up as he spoke, feeling at a loss for words, but still gave a laugh of her own. When he brushed his nose against hers, her eyes closed once again, followed by a bigger smile. “I guess you’re right. I don’t have a choice now.” she whispered with a laugh in her tone. She kept her eyes closed a little longer, still feeling the tingle on her lips from his kiss and was spreading.

Opening her eyes, she lifted her head more to look at him, her nose brushing his in the process. “But I did say I was staying.” Her tone was soft and warm, as well as her smile. After him kissing her, how could she not?



Sam let go of her hand when she was out of the booth and at his side. He put an arm around her, resting his hand on her arm, then pulled his phone from his pocket with the other. “I don’t think they would have gone too far. Knowing Dean, he’d stay pretty close.” he told her. He then used his phone as a flashlight and led them out of the diner. “If anyone can help you gain control, it would be Cas.” he told her when they reached the door. He walked out with her held close to him, his eyes darting around to make sure no one was coming towards them.

He then led the way at a pace Madison could easily keep up with across the street and down the sidewalk. He knew there was a park nearby and assumed they would be there. “I have a feeling they might be at the park.” he said, looking down at her. “It would be the best place for them to talk.” He then lifted his gaze to look ahead of them. He knew he could have called him, but he felt bad for having to ruin his time with Esme. Not to mention, the walk and fresh air were helping him clear his head and think properly.

It wasn’t that far and could easily be seen up ahead. As they neared, he could make out a couple on a bench near the lake. Sam was pretty sure it was them. When they finally were in shouting distance, he could see it was in fact them. “Dean!” he called, closing the distance. He knew their windblown look would probably get a decent reaction from Dean.