Dean couldn’t help the loud laugh that left his throat at her words, squeezing her thigh playfully as he sat back in the passenger seat. He road most of the way to the safe house quietly, just feeling her skin against his, and trying not to nod of to sleep with a content smile on his face as she rubbed his hand. This was nice. This was something he never thought he would have again with her, and honestly, had pushed back so far he didn’t know he needed it.

He smirked at the sound of her stomach and her words, “I think Sammy can get over it. He’ll probably just be glad we’re not out and about leaving him to babysit anymore. Now Cas? Let me handle Cas…”

He and Cas held a bond that most people couldn’t understand. Dean was usually the only human that Castiel would listen to, unless he wasn’t around, and Sam could talk him down. But Cas didn’t put a lot of faith in Sam, after the situation with Ruby. He mostly just tolerated him.

“He’s been alone with Sam for hours. There’s no telling what his attitude will be like, especially if he’s bored out of his mind.”, he rolled his eyes and glanced over at her, his face staying soft and light.



Madison took a deep breath as she saw the smile on Sam’s face. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to be there with any bad news. He was just…checking on her? Even after protecting her, in spite of himself at the diner, the idea that a Winchester was simply checking on her scared her a bit. Her eyes flashed gold for a second, before turning back to blue, almost instantly.

“I don’t know…”, she answered his question, “I have never been asleep before. It was dark. No light or things my mother would see in her sleep. Just dark.”

She reached out and picked his hand up off the mattress, playing with each of his fingers, “This is all really scary. I see how everyone looks at me, like I’m going to kill them, and like I’m something to be afraid of. Even Castiel looks at me that way. I just don’t know how to do all of this yet, but I would never, ever hurt any of you…”

Esme had also stayed pretty quiet on the way to the safe house. She was enjoying Dean’s company as well as his touch. As she drove, she would occasionally look over and see him trying not to fall asleep as she rubbed his hand. She couldn’t help but smile at the effect her touch had on him. After she asked her question, she looked over and saw his smirk in response to her words and her stomach, then nodded at his words with a small smile as she looked back at the road. She could see Sam as one to get over it, but not too quickly. Castiel, on the other hand, was a little harder for her to read being an angel and all.

She trusted Dean could handle whatever happened with Castiel when they reached the safe house. As Dean continued to talk, she looked over, catching his eye roll before he looked at her and she smiled. “I see…... With what I’ve seen of Sam, it does seem like one could get bored easily if left alone with him for too long.” she said as she looked back at the road. “You on the other hand….” she trailed off purposely with a smirk on her lips. They were quickly closing the gap between them and the safe house, and she was still smirking at her comment to Dean. When they reached the safe house, she pulled in and parked the car, then looked at the place she would be staying for a bit, taking it all in. Esme then turned to Dean with a warm smile and gave his hand a squeeze. “Ready?” she asked, giving his hand an affectionate squeeze.



Sam watched Madison as he sat there, focusing on her face as she took in his words of just checking on her. He caught the flash of gold in her eyes, but didn’t make any move to show that he saw. He was honestly glad that she didn’t lose it after looking so concerned about something being wrong when he woke her. He stayed quiet as she answered his question, nodding in understanding as she told him what she saw. He was about to ask another question when she picked up his hand off the mattress. He watched her as she played with his fingers, then looked up into her eyes as she spoke once again.

A soft sigh escaped his nose at her words. He could see how hard it was for her and it tore at him. Sam gave a small smile as he took her hand in both of his, giving it a small squeeze to comfort her. “I know it's scary and I’ve seen the looks. I know I’ve even had the look.” he said softly. “But I can see how hard you’re trying to learn and you’re making good progress.” He paused to study her face to see if any of what he said was helping or making things worse. He looked down for a moment at their hands, then looked back up into her face. “I know you wouldn’t hurt any of us, but you have to know it could happen if you ever lose control. But know, I’ll be here to help you through it if it happens…. I won’t leave you alone. I promise you that.” he told her warmly.

Dean chuckled at her little comment, not having seen himself as particularly fun, other than maybe in bed. He raised his eyebrows at her, and turned to look at her face as he chuckled.

Dean squeezed her hand back, as she asked if he was ready, “I guess as ready as I’m going to be. The quicker we settle in and figure out what we need to do, the quicker everyone can loosen up, and you’re definitely bunking with me…”

He smiled brightly, releasing her hand to get out of the car. As he opened his door and stepped out, he stretched, feeling a bit of his normal numbness take over. Dean scratched the back of his head, and walked around to Esme, picking up her hand and lacing his fingers with hers.

“Now, Castiel is really easy to get along with, as long as you’re firm with him. He needs to be stood up against, or he tends to steamroll his way past your thoughts, to do whatever the hell it is that he has on his mind. For some reason…he listens to me. So, don’t be afraid to just give me a look, if he’s being an idiot.”, Dean explained as they walked up to the door and he knocked.

Castiel opened the door, almost the instant Dean’s knuckles touched the wood, “Dean…Esme…”

“Cas? How is she?”, Dean asked, looking past Cas into the small two story house.

“She’s fine. Sam is waking her from a nap. Come in.”

“She sleeps?”, Dean asked with a confused look. Cas simply rolled his eyes and walked away from Dean, toward the middle of the living room.

“Of course she sleeps. She’s half human.”, Castiel explained as if it was the most obvious answer in the world, “And I wanted to test a theory with Sam. So I sent him to wake her up.”

“What kind of theory? Cas?”, Dean asked, narrowing his eyes.

“I wanted to see if she would kill him. When Madison sleeps, she goes to a blank slate environment. With very few real world experiences, she only remembers what she heard in the womb. So, she doesn’t dream. Black…silent…waking her could cause another explosion.”, Castiel explained, too which Dean scoffed and held a hand out toward Cas.

“And you used Sam…as bait?”

“Not bait. I used Sam as a defuser. She trusts him. She trusts Esme. Only one of them was here.”, Castiel muttered, pointing his finger at Esme knowingly.



Madison flinched as Sam took her hands, taking a second to realize that he was being affectionate, and not aggressive. She read his face and her shoulders fell at his words, her face softening. He was speaking to her honestly, and actually being incredibly compassionate. She could feel it vibrating off his skin.

“I know you won’t.”, she whispered at his promise to not leave her alone, “I know. Because you promised. I’m still sorry I hurt you back at the house, when I was scared.”

She leaned forward suddenly, her face meeting his chest and her arms around him as she gave over her trust to him, in a tight hug. She didn’t quite understand hugs, or when it was appropriate to give them, but she felt the need, after his words.

“Thank you for trying, Sam…”

Esme had laughed along with him after she made her joking comment about him not being much fun. If she was being honest with herself, this was the most at ease she had felt in some time, and she didn’t want to go back to the way things used to be for her. This was just too good to give up. When Dean spoke about getting settled so everyone could loosen up she nodded, then ended up laughing a little harder then she should have to him saying she was definitely bunking with him. She watched him as he released her hand, opened the door, and got out of the car. She then killed the engine, tucked her keys in her jacket pocket, and got out herself.

After getting out and shutting the door. “I didn’t doubt that for a minute.” she said as she stretched out herself before Dean joined her and took her hand. A warm smile coming to her lips as he interlocked his fingers with hers. Esme listened as Dean spoke as they made their way to the door, giving a nod that she understood. “Do I look like someone to be steamrolled?” she asked with a smirk, not really expecting an answer from him. “But I’ll let you know if he does.” she smiled. She was a bit surprised how quickly the door opened after Dean had knocked on it, seeing Castiel behind the door, and he greeted them. “Castiel.” she replied before Dean spoke to him.

She stayed quiet as the two talked about Madison, her eyebrows raising slightly in surprise at what Castiel said as she stepped into the house when Castiel walked away. Esme continued to listen as the two talked, taking everything in that Castiel said about Madison and how he used Sam to test a theory. Her eyes narrowed a bit when Castiel pointed at her after saying Madison trusted her, but she wasn’t here to test his theory. “Meaning you would have sent me to wake her instead of Sam if I would have been here.” she stated bluntly. She only thought it natural since he knew Dean and Sam, better to risk her life than the ones he knew and cared for.

Her eyes traveled around the room, landing on the one door that was slightly open. She could hear faint voices coming from the room, meaning that’s the room they were in. Her eyes then fell back on Castiel, her softness from earlier gone. It was going to take her a bit to trust him, even if he was there to help them with Madison. She sighed inwardly and focused on her hand in Dean’s and their intertwined fingers. The atmosphere here was a bit heavy and she didn’t like it, thankfully she had something, rather someone she could focus on to keep her relatively calm while being here. Esme tightened her grip on Dean’s hand as she stood there next to him.



Sam had felt Madison flinch when he took her hands in his, he had watched her as he spoke. Seeing her read his face, her shoulders dropping, and her face softening at his words. As she whispered, he smiled warmly seeing he was getting through to her. He shook his head softly to her apology to say she didn’t have to apologize. He was about to say something when she suddenly leaned forward, pressed her face into his chest and hugged him. He hesitated for a moment before he put his arms around her and hugged her back, a small smile coming to his lips at her words.

He knew she was still learning when hugs were appropriate, though he knew this was a sign of her giving over her trust to him. He could honestly say he was relieved to know that she trusted him. It meant that he didn’t have to be so on his toes or walk on eggshells when around her. “You don’t have to apologize for that. It was a natural reaction.” he told her softly as he rubbed her back. “And you’re welcome.” He turned his head to the door after a moment when he heard voices drifting through it and into the room. “Looks like they finally made it here,” he whispered.

He even heard Esme speak up and she didn’t sound all that happy when she spoke. Her tone was quite different from when he spoke to her at the motel and she was carrying on with Dean. Sam wondered what could have happened to have changed her mood since then. He then looked down at Madison. “Should we go and see what’s going on in there?”

Dean gestured toward Esme as she asked the question he was just about to ask to Castiel, which caused him to throw his hands up in exasperation, “No…well, YES! You were the least likely to end up dead, considering she’s still a little angry about almost being killed fresh out of the womb, by your ignorance, Dean.”

Dean flinched at his words, but felt Esme’s hand tighten on his and turned to look at their hands, glancing up to her face as he rubbed his thumb along hers, gently, “I’m going to apologize for that, alright? I’m not sure she is going to be much else but a problem for us, and a distraction…but she’s dangerous. I would feel better about keeping a dangerous weapon in a place where we can see it.”

“She’s mostly human, Dean…”, Castiel muttered through his clenched teeth. Dean shook his head.

“No. Nope. You’re not going to convince me that this girl, who almost KILLED me and my brother is human. You’re not doing that, this time, Cas. I’ll do my best to be nice to her, until the time comes when we have to make some decisions…and if you don’t have the balls to take care of it…I will.”, Dean glared at Cas with a face that said he was dead serious and Castiel huffed, turning and walking into the kitchen, his trench coat floating at his fast pace, “Cas. Cas don’t walk away from me!”

But Castiel kept his pace, stepping around the corner, causing Dean to sigh.

“I’m sorry about that. He has some sort of attachment to her, because of her mother…and now he thinks I’m Satan for wanting to make sure she doesn’t hurt anyone…”, he explained to Esme, looking down at the floor.



Madison sighed happily at the comforting gesture of Sam rubbing her back as she hugged him. So far, humans, outside of Sam and Esme hadn’t been the kindest to her, and she didn’t even know if this gesture was normal. But it was nice, and she felt safe, something new. As the voices rang out from outside the room, Madison recognized Dean’s voice, and then Esme’s.

She pulled away from Sam’s hug, and nodded, glancing toward the door nervously, “I want to, but I’m a little scared of Dean. He doesn’t seem happy, and I don’t want to make him mad at me. Castiel told me he can’t kill me…but I like not hurting.”

She said the words innocently, not knowing how much worse she could be injured, with her apparent healing powers. She was worried Dean had some way to permanently injure her, or cause her so much pain…worse than an angel blade.

Esme’s eyes narrowed more as she looked at Castiel and he confirmed that he would have sent her to wake Madison instead of Sam. Yes, she knew the answer was coming, but for him to come out and admit it was upsetting even if she was the least likely to end up dead out of her and Sam. She hardly noticed when Dean turned towards her. Even when he rubbed his thumb gently on her face, she didn’t take her eyes off of Castiel, but it did stop her from throwing out another comment. Her hand stayed tightened on Dean’s as he replied to Castiel. She would have agreed wholeheartedly with Dean if she hadn’t had spent time with Madison alone, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to get that through to Dean right now.

Yes, she knew Madison could be dangerous, but she had to believe that Madison could learn to keep herself in control after what she had seen. Though, after hearing Dean’s comeback and what she felt coming off him to Castiel saying she was mostly human, she knew it was going to take a lot to convince Dean otherwise. She held back the flinch that came to her at Dean saying he would be nice to Madison until decisions needed to be made and would take care of it if he had to. Esme watched as Castiel huffed, turned and walked away into the kitchen, not even turning back as Dean called after him.

She continued to stare into the kitchen with narrowed eyes after Castiel disappeared around the corner. When Dean apologized, a sigh escaped through her nose, but still didn’t pull her gaze from the kitchen. “You don’t have to apologize, Dean. You’re not the only one that doesn’t want her to hurt anyone.” she breathed. It was true that she didn’t want Madison to hurt anyone, but she also didn’t want it to come down to where they had to kill her.



Sam looked up from Madison’s head and at the door, listening to the voices still coming through the door. He pulled his gaze from the door when Madison pulled away from his hug, seeing her nod and glance at the door nervously. He frowned a bit at her words, though he couldn’t blame her for fearing Dean after everything that had happened. Sam then placed both of his hands on her shoulders gently, a serious look came to his face. “Don't worry about Dean. I can handle him.” he told her. “I won’t let him hurt you. I do think it would be a good idea for you to stay close to me and possibly Esme as much as you can.

He won’t do anything as long as you’re close to one of us.” He held back the sigh that tried to escape him. He knew Dean would never forgive himself if he were to hurt himself or Esme, so it was a good bet Madison would be fine if she were with either of them. Sam glanced back at the door, hearing that the voices had died down for the moment. He then removed his hands from her shoulders and stood up from the bed. Looking down at her, he offered her a hand to help her off the bed. “It’ll be alright.” he said warmly with a small smile. She couldn’t stay in this room the whole time they were here.

She would eventually have to be around Dean. He hoped the more they were in the same room, with at least one person between them, he would come around and not feel the need to kill her every time he laid eyes on her.

Dean nodded , “I know that. I just think I’m the one that is being rational about…the specifics.”

He then glanced toward the bedroom door, where Sam was working whatever magic he could to keep wake her up in what Dean hoped was a rational and peaceful way. He wasn’t a fan of how scared Castiel seemed, both of him, and of the situation. When an angel was worried, it heightened the nerves a bit.

“Sammy? How’s she doing?”, he called over to the bedroom door, hoping that his brother would call back to him, or show up in the doorway with Madison, and everything was safe. He
Sighed heavily once again, and wrapped his left arm around Esme, his hand coming down to rest on her waist. He pulled her in for what felt like a side hug, trying to breathe through his anxieties.


Madison listened to Sam’s words intently as he held her shoulders, “Okay, Sam. Just…don’t let me hurt you if I get upset. Okay?”

She watched him move to stand from the bed, and shuddered at the thought of meeting with Dean, even if Sam was convinced Dean couldn’t hurt her around him. He was intimidating, and being his target or his worry made her stomach hurt. She wanted to wrap her arms around him, and see if a hug would help with his anger, but she was too scared, herself.

He took Sam’s hand, and stood from the bed with him, holding herself close to his side, just as Dean’s voice rang out. Situating herself behind Sam, she looked at the door and then up at him, “Maybe Esme is out there. Maybe they came together…”

Esme finally pulled her gaze from the kitchen and looked to the floor as Dean spoke. His words caused her to sigh softly and shake her head a bit, letting him know that wasn’t the case. She knew they all had to be thinking it, but just didn’t want to voice it or have it come down to that. She was about to say something when he glanced at the door. Being so close to him, she could feel his anxiety over everything. She followed his gaze when he called out to Sam, asking about Madison. She, too, hoped all was going well in the room and that Sam had been able to keep Madison calm after waking her up.

She was almost tempted to walk into the room and check herself. When Dean wrapped his arm around her, she put her own arm around him as he pulled her into him for a side hug, then rested her hand on his waist. She looked up at him with a slight smile on her lips as she pulled him close to her. Esme quietly sighed as she ran her free hand through her hair. “We'll get through this together.” she told him softly. She then turned slightly to him and placed her hand on his chest, and focused on projecting her calm to him. “Whatever happens, we’ll do what we have to, but let’s not worry too much about it now.”

As she spoke to him softly, she looked up into his eyes, letting him know she’d be there no matter what happened with Madison. She hated seeing him so anxious about the situation with Madison and what they might have to do. If she had to, she’d make him sit down, and she’d do what she had done in the car at the drive thru to mellow him out.



Sam had given a nod to Madison at her words of not letting her hurt him if she got upset before he got off the bed. “I won’t, but I’ll still try to help you get through it.” he told her. When she stood from the bed and held herself close to his side, he had to admit he was glad he got her that far. At Dean’s voice, he looked from her to the door, then back to her as she put herself behind him. He turned slightly so he could see her better as she spoke about Esme. “I’m pretty sure she’s out there.” he said warmly. He then put an arm around her, letting his hand rest on the middle of her back.

“With what I saw earlier, I don’t see her leaving anytime soon. It’s clear they have missed each other and could use each other’s company.” he told her. He then slowly led the way to the door. He was trying to take it easy since he knew she feared Dean and what he might do to her. When they reached the door, he pulled the door open and stopped for a moment to look down at her. He gave her a warm smile to let her know it would be alright, then stepped out of the room, his eyes meeting Dean’s. Sam gave him a look to say, ‘she’s doing okay’ before looking at Esme, who seemed to be trying to calm him.

Then looked back down at Madison as she saw Dean and Esme. Sam could only hope she would stay calm as long as she was at his side and not too close to Dean. Which right now, there was a suitable distance between them. It would take several steps to reach the other.

Dean allowed Esme to just pull him close to her, looking down at her with a small sigh, but also a gentle smile. She was so good at calming his mind, when it raced, like this. Since coming back from Hell a little over a year ago, his mind regularly went straight to worst case scenarios, trying to head them off before they happened, and save everyone both the heartbreak, and the trouble of having to take care of a mess.

“Well, as long as I have my personal anxiety pill next to me, I should be okay. Not that I’m using you, or anything.”, he chuckled at his own joke, feeling his heartbeat slow down as if someone was turning down a dial. Flickers of what might have to be done still flashed through his brain as he stared at her, but he felt safer, and the longer he stood there, the less the images of pain flashed in his mind, “I’ll never get over how you can do that…”



Madison sighed, staying close to Sam with a nod as he stepped toward the door with her. She gulped slightly, her eyes beginning to burn as her fear built up in her chest at her first sight of Dean, but Esme was standing so close to him, she quickly sighed and cooled her eyes.

She looked up at Sam, her eyes flickering with light a bit as she gripped the back of his shirt and followed his steps into the room. She simply stood there, almost hiding behind Sam, resisting the urge to run to Esme.

“Hi…”, she whispered, causing Dean to turn to them both, taking in Sam’s look, before meeting Madison’s face. As his eyes fell on her, she took another deep breath, calming as he smirked.

“Hey Madison.”, Dean said gently, a soft smirk on his face, “How are you feeling?”

“Um. I’m…I’m okay, I think. I was asleep.”, she explained simply, which caused Dean to give an impressed eyebrow raise, calming her nerves even more at how relaxed he seemed, “And I can move the money…”

Dean sighed, taking in her innocent demeanor, and the way she clung to his brother. He felt horrible that she was so scared of him, now that he was in front of her again. But he had to keep his distance, just in case. Getting to close to her would make it harder to do what he needed to do, if she hurt anyone he loved.

Esme watched Dean’s face as she worked her magic to calm his anxiety. She took in the look in his eyes and his gentle smile while she kept a small soft smile on her lips. She could see and feel that he almost instantly relaxed when she pulled him closer to herself. She could see all that he tried to carry on his shoulders, and she wanted to help him lift some of that off his shoulders, but knowing him, he wouldn’t let her without putting up a struggle. So this was the best she could do for now. Ease his stress and anxiety with her gifts that sometimes felt like a curse.

The moment she felt his heartbeat slow under her hand, her smile grew a bit, relieved that she was able to calm him more. At his joke, she gently shook her head as she laughed with him. “Yeah, sure you're not.” she joked back with a smirk. “But I’m glad I’m able to calm you…… You carry so much more than you used to. Someone needs to be around to help you through it.” She sighed a bit sadly as she felt it, but she didn’t let her smile fade. She wanted him in a better mood, not anything else. At his next words, she smiled warmly. “I know, and I’ll never get over how it surprises you.”

Once she knew he was good, she stopped projecting her calmness to him, but didn’t let go of him, she could feel how safe he felt and she wanted him to keep feeling that. When Sam and Madison entered the room, she didn’t turn her head to them until Madison spoke. Esme let her hand slide down from Dean’s chest and rest on his stomach as she turned her body a bit to look at them better. She smiled warmly at Madison feeling how nervous she was, but that changed as Dean spoke to Madison with a smirk, she could feel her calm at his smirk. It was a start in the right direction. Baby steps. she said to herself as Madison responded to Dean.

When Dean sighed, Esme pulled him into a side hug, knowing how he felt about Madison being so scared of him. She also understood why he was keeping his distance from her, she couldn’t blame him for doing so in case the worst were to happen. At that moment she wished she had the ability of telepathy, just so she could talk to Dean without the others hearing. “So, you’re learning to control your powers? Sounds like you’re making some progress.” she said warmly to Madison with a smile as she took in how she clung to Sam. She then decided to try something she hadn’t done in some time, a distance projection of her calm.

The last time she tried it took a bit out of her, but she had to try and calm Madison just to make sure nothing happened. Yes, Esme could feel she was calming, but she just wanted to help it along. They all needed to be calm for this to work between them all. Esme could feel that Sam was a bit nervous even if it didn’t show on his face. Taking a deep breath, she slowly let it out as she projected her calm to the two of them, mostly focusing on Madison. She knew doing this was more than likely going to kick her ass but she didn’t care. If she was close or had a hand on the person she was trying to calm, it took less effort, but at a distance, it took quite a bit more effort.

Esme could feel that it was working on Sam, he had calmed quite a bit and she could feel his confusion about it. She saw the look gave her too before he looked back down at Madison. The effort it was taking must be showing on her face, she knew it more than likely would. The longer she kept it up, the more her hug loosened around Dean.



Sam kept his arm around Madison, resting his hand on her back to give her some comfort, but he could see her fear as her eyes lit up. He rubbed her back in a comforting way, but noticed her calm when she laid eyes on Esme and how close she was standing to Dean. Did she know something he didn't know about the woman? He pushed the thought back as her eyes flicked and she gripped the back of his shirt and almost hid behind him when they stopped, which made him move his hand to her shoulder. His eyes went back and forth between Dean and Madison as they spoke, feeling her relax little by little as Dean spoke calmly to her and even gave her a smirk, the action calmed him a little bit.

Sam looked over at Esme and how close she stood to Dean, and also took note of how calm Dean seemed to be. He couldn’t help but wonder again what it was about her that calmed him so much. If she was able to keep him so calm, then maybe it wouldn’t be so bad having her around, but it still didn’t calm his nerves completely. His eyes went to Dean when Madison mentioned about being able to move the money, his sigh didn’t go unnoticed and he was sure he knew what was going through his brother's mind. The thought caused him to sigh inwardly, but he didn’t want to think about that.

Sam looked at Esme when she spoke to Madison in such a warm tone and he nodded to her words. “She is.” he responded. “She gave me a small demonstration earlier to show me what she and Cas have been doing. She’s making good progress.” He spoke looking at Esme, but he also said it for Dean to hear to try and calm him and himself. After a few moments, he could feel his nervousness fading, not really understanding it. He knew it couldn’t be just because he had told Dean and Esme of Madison’s progress in controlling her powers, but it was strange how his nerves were calming all of a sudden.

He watched Esme for a moment longer, she was starting to look a bit pale and the rosiness in her cheeks was fading some. He looked back down at Madison to see how she was doing and to see if she was experiencing the same thing he was at that moment.

Dean wrapped his arm around Esme, pinching at the fabric on her back as she hugged his side. He was calm at the moment, but he couldn’t help feel a little guilty. How the girl had gotten any sleep, knowing he was coming was a miracle, one that no doubt was pure exhaustion. But he smiled softly at her, which caused Madison to give a small smirk in return, “That’s great Madison. Really. The more you learn to control things, the more you’ll be able to go out…maybe even help with hunting.”

Dean couldn’t help but notice that Esme’s arm was beginning to loosen from his waist, and he turned to look down at her, as she projected herself to Madison. He furrowed his brow and wrapped his arm a bit tighter around her waist, a bit worried that she was going to pass out, by how pale her face had become, compared to a few seconds ago.

But even Dean could feel the tension in the room calming around him. He could tell that Madison’s face had softened, and her eyes no longer flickered gold as she held onto Sam. It almost looked as if she held onto his brother for support, more than fear, and it was a deep relief.



Madison nodded proudly when Esme and Sam both mentioned the hard work she had done. Although it was a small display of her telekinesis powers, which were just the tip of the iceberg for a Nephilum, she was proud of herself, and it seemed that that the group was at least impressed by her ability to control that part of her powers.

The longer Esme kept her eyes on Madison, the more Madison felt a bit of calm washing over her, similar to when she hugged Esme, or when Sam held her hand. She took a deep breath, her hand loosening from Sam’s shirt just a bit as she changed her position to hold his hand, keeping her eyes locked on Esme.

“Don’t make yourself too tired…”, Madison finally said simply, her eyes locked on Esme’s. She pulled away from Sam and slowly approached Esme and Dean. Dean took a half step back when Madison reached her hands out as she approached them, and placed both her palms against Esme’s cheeks, as if she knew how to do…something.

Madison simply projected her own powers onto Esme, placing energy into her mind, as if to heal it from the massive exhaustion Madison could feel creeping up. She didn’t want Esme to hurt herself, but it was obvious that Esme had powers of some sort. Powers that Madison could also be privy to, if she learned them.

Her fingertips lit up slightly, and then she pulled her hands back, smiling at Esme as she did her best attempt at healing someone from their tiredness or sickness, “There…”

Madison then threw her arms around Esme’s neck, holding her close to her body as she smiled and buried her face in Esme’s shoulder. She was just happy to have her back, and now, Madison realized that she would have to take care of Esme just as much as Esme felt the need to take care of her.

Esme smiled when Dean spoke to Madison about learning to control her powers and even possibly helping on hunts. She was happy to see that he was trying to be nice to the girl. She knew that if she could keep things relatively calm, it would more than likely work out for the best for all of them. Though she knew that if she kept this up the entire time, she’d be worthless in any kind of fight, but maybe, just maybe, she could do small amounts at a time. When Dean wrapped his arm around her a little tighter, she was thankful knowing he’d keep her from falling if her legs gave out or she passed out.

She could also feel his eyes on her and his worry, but she kept going, only pulling back a little as she saw Madison calming. Esme could see that Madison’s eyes no longer flickered gold and that her face had softened, and she didn’t seem so afraid anymore. She continued to watch Madison as her position changed to one that looked more relaxed, Madison had let go of Sam’s shirt and now held onto his hand. Esme pulled back more on her projection, feeling herself fading as her hand slipped from Dean’s stomach and to her side. She had just stopped projecting when Madison told her not to make herself too tired.

It was a little late for that, but she smiled tiredly. “Too late.” she mumbled as she watched Madison pull away from Sam. Her eyes never left Madison as she slowly made her way toward her and Dean, but when Dean stepped back, she stumbled a little but kept her one arm around him. At Madison’s hands on her cheeks, Esme looked into her eyes to read her. As Madison projected her powers to her, she closed her eyes as she felt the energy going into her mind. Esme closed her eyes tighter when Madison’s fingertips lit up. She could feel her exhaustion fading to a more tolerable level, which nothing but food or chocolate wouldn’t fix.

A soft sigh escaped Esme’s nose when Madison pulled her hands away and she opened her eyes to see Madison smiling at her and smiled back. Esme’s smile grew when Madison threw her arms around her neck, held her close, and buried her face into her shoulder. Esme wrapped her free arm around Madison in a one armed hug, holding her close. “Thank you.” she whispered to her. “But how did you know how to do that?”



Sam watched Madison as Dean and Esme spoke to her, seeing the smirk come to her lips as Dean spoke to her about her powers and going on hunts if she could learn to control them. “Three humans, an angel, and a Nephilim. What could go wrong?” he whispered softly to himself with a small laugh. He was glad that Dean was trying, though he couldn’t be sure if it was just because Esme was there or not. What he knew was that Esme had some sort of effect on him and somehow on the room as well. After she had gone pale, he noticed a change in the room and in himself. The room didn’t hold as much tension, and he felt quite a bit calmer.

His eyes darted back and forth between Esme and Madison, watching as the two watched each other and didn’t look away. The longer the two looked at each other, the paler Esme seemed to get, but he felt Madison become calmer to the point where she released the back of his shirt and took his hand. Sam looked down at Madison seeing her gaze was still on Esme. He looked over at her as her hand dropped from Dean’s stomach to her side. The woman looked as if she would pass out at any moment. He looked back down at Madison when she spoke to Esme about not making herself too tired, what did she know he didn’t? He then heard Esme mumble a response about it being too late, which was easy to tell.

When Madison pulled away from him to go to Esme, he let her hand slip from his but took a few steps after her. He saw Dean take half a step back as soon as Madison reached her hands out to Esme. Sam noticed that Esme didn’t move and seemed to be trusting of Madison, even closing her eyes as Madison put her hands on her face. Sam slowly closed the gap, but kept a bit of distance to not disturb what Madison was trying to do. His eyebrows went up in surprise when her fingertips slightly lit up. When the two hugged, he looked at Esme, he could see color already returning to her face. Then he looked at Dean to see his reaction to Madison healing Esme and their hug.

Madison didn’t lift her face from Esme’s shoulder as she was asked about her powers. She only shrugged her shoulders, “I don’t know. I just thought about the fact that I wanted you to feel better, and my hands just did it. Maybe that’s how to control them. I just want it to happen.”

She pulled back from Esme a bit and scanned her eyes, seeing that she didn’t seem as tired as before. Madison sighed in relief, looking down at her hands as she pulled them around in front of her. They were no longer glowing, but Madison had to take pride in how powerful they were.

Dean stared in shock as Madison did what looked like Angel magic on Esme’s emotions and exhaustion. He couldn’t help but smile excitedly at the idea that they had two angels, in the group, now. That could definitely come in handy. But he also saw the good in Madison, at that point, and how much she cared for the people she knew.

It was something that he and Sam could both relate to. When they took someone into their little family, they tended to defend them to the death, and were willing to try anything to make sure they were safe. Madison wasn’t a part of their family, but at the rate she was going, Dean had some issues with hating her.

“That was unexpected. Did you just learn that?’, Dean asked, stepping back up to Esme’s side a bit, so he could judge Madison’s face.

“Not really. I just assumed that if I could be calmed by closeness and intention, by someone like Sam, I could do the same with closeness and intention.”, she spoke intelligently, which also caused Dean to raise his eyebrows, and look over to Sam. It was clear that Madison was connected to them both, but would use her powers without harming people, when she needed to. That was a hard pill for Dean to swallow.

“Well, we need to eventually see if you can heal exterior wounds. That could definitely come in handy, if you get to hunt with us.”, Dean chimed, his lazy smirk returning to his lips. He still expected to have to kill her, eventually, but he was willing to treat her as human, even if she was only half.

Esme softly smiled at Madison’s shrug at her question, then it grew more at her words. “Maybe so. It might be something worth testing.” she said, so only Madison could hear before she pulled away from her. She watched Madison scan her eyes and sigh with relief. It was easy to see she was glad she had helped her feel better. Esme continued to watch Madison as she brought her arms from around her neck and looked at her hands that were no longer glowing. Esme loosened her hug on Madison and rested her hand on her arm, feeling the pride that Madison felt. She couldn’t blame her for taking pride in how powerful her hands were.

She could still remember the first time she was successful in calming someone that was pretty much unconsolable. She couldn’t have been more proud of herself for that. She could also remember how shocked those around were. The memory made her smile a bit before Dean spoke and stepped back up to her. Esme wrapped her arm back around Dean’s waist when he was close enough, looked up at him and saw his smile. Looking back to Madison, she listened to her response to Dean’s question. It was an appropriate answer. Esme knew Dean couldn’t deny Madison's connection with them and that she would use her powers without harming anyone.

She also knew this would be hard for Dean to accept and that it wouldn’t keep him from thinking he may have to kill her later. At Dean’s next words, she pulled him a little closer to her, to show she was happy he was calm and was talking to Madison. “Dean’s right. That could come in handy.” she smiled. “But that’s something we can figure out a little later.” She gave Madison’s arm a little squeeze and let go of her arm. She then turned to Dean, letting her arm fall from his waist and nabbed the bag of food from his hand with a playful smirk, then stepped around him.

“I’m going to eat my breakfast before it gets too cold and my stomach protests again.” she said with a laugh. She then walked over to the table and sat down in a chair after placing the bag on the table. Opening the bag, she dug out her burrito, unwrapped it, then pulled out her knife and cut it in half. Cleaning it with a napkin, she tucked it away before picking up half of the burrito and taking a bite. “Mmmm. God that’s good.” she mumbled softly with a mouthful.



Sam looked to Madison and Esme, seeing that Esme said something to her but couldn’t hear what it was. He then watched Dean for a moment, seeing his look of surprise and excited smile. He knew his brother well. He knew this act from Madison would help in calming him a little, but he knew he would still struggle with things about her. It was still a small step in the right direction for them to stay around each other comfortably. Sam crossed his arms over his chest as Dean stepped back up to Esme and he and Madison spoke. He couldn’t stop his eyebrows from raising at Madison's intelligent answer to Dean.

It made sense to him. He saw the look from Dean and sighed inwardly. He knew that Madison having a connection to himself and Esme and Madison using her powers without harming anyone when she had to was hard for him to swallow. He also knew the thought of killing Madison was still something Dean expected to have to do if he felt he had to. Sam knew there was nothing he could do to keep that from his brother’s thoughts and they would cross that bridge when they got to it. The main thing right now was that he was actually treating her like a person and not some creature, and he was actually smiling and smirking around her.

When Dean mentioned her healing exterior wounds, he had to think about it for a moment. If she could heal Esme from exhaustion, why wouldn’t she be able to heal exterior wounds. He was in agreement that it would come in handy if she could if she came on hunts with them. He was about to say something when Esme chimed in with her thoughts, then completely changed the subject. He watched her with a raised eyebrow as she took the bag of food from Dean, then headed to the table. Sam shook his head with a small chuckle at her actions. She had switched gears as if it was nothing.

Maybe the current events and the need to eat were the cause, but he was glad to see she seemed less tired. He watched a little longer, then stepped up to Madison side. “They are both right. It would be good to see if you can, but it's not something we have to do now.” he told her. He looked back at Esme as she bit into her breakfast and made a comment. A smirk made it to his lips on how much that sounded like a Dean comment when he ate something he really liked. “I think you’ve spent too much time with Dean. You’re sounding like him when he eats.” he laughed.

Sam watched Esme swallow her mouthful and look over at him with a grin and then laughed. “Maybe so. That’s necessarily a bad thing though.” she said with another laugh. When she turned back to her breakfast and took another bite and gave another content sound he chuckled again, then looked at Dean. “I can see why you like her so much.” he said with a smirk and so only Dean and Madison could hear him.

Madison kept her smile on her face, watching Esme pull from her to go and eat her breakfast. Madison had forgotten about food, not completely needing to eat, although she wondered what food would taste like, since she was different. She turned her eyes back to Sam with a small nod in agreement that she wanted to try out her powers on exterior wounds later on. The idea of being able to help people made her heart swell in her chest, and made her feel just a little more normal, with the Winchesters.

She didn’t feel scared around Dean, at the moment, since he had shown that he was both impressed by her, and had a use for her. Those two things together calmed her enough for her to stand near him, without as much fear. Even if Dean didn’t like her, being of use to him was better than being a monster.

Madison turned her eyes toward Esme as Sam spoke and laughed gently, “She’s a weird human, but I do…like her. She’s nice. She likes food. She likes me, and Dean likes her.”

She beamed at Sam, her eyes shifting toward Esme briefly at the noises she made around her burrito.



As Esme’s hand pulled away from his waist, Dean flinched and let the food bag go as she grabbed it. He watched her all the way to the table, with his eyebrows raised. He had almost forgotten they had bought food, but he knew she was starving long before they left the motel. She was likely ravenous now.

When she took a bite of her burrito and exclaimed her appreciation for it, Dean’s heart melted and he smiled over at her, shaken only by his brother’s joking words. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other with a small smirk, proud that his brother and Esme were having a bit of banter about the similarities between Esme and himself.

Dean didn’t necessarily agree that they were that similar, but he could agree that he was easy to pick up bad habits from. He had his fair share of bad habits. He couldn’t help but laugh, when Sam chimed in that he could see why Dean would like Esme so much, and shook his head.

“I’ve been trying to tell you. I swear she’s the one that got away…”, he spoke honestly, only to his brother, stepping close before patting Sam on the chest with a wink. Esme was truly the only girl he had really mourned over, as far as relationships went. Their relationship was short lived, and fiery, but it had touched a chord in Dean that he didn’t know existed.

Esme continued to eat, a smirk coming to her lips as she heard the talk going on between Dean, Madison, and Sam. She didn’t hear all of it, but she could guess what they were talking about. From where she sat, she could see each of their faces and saw that each of them had a smile on their lips, which kept her at ease. She slightly looked over her burrito at the three, watching them silently as they talked, and looked over at her as she ate. What relieved her the most was that she couldn’t feel the fear she felt earlier coming off Madison as she stood near Dean. Just him showing she impressed him and had a use for her, seemed to have calmed her a great deal.

Just feeling the tension and stress leave the room had caused her shoulders to come down and relax. Esme’s eyes lifted a bit more from her burrito after she took a bite as she saw Dean and Sam speaking in a lower tone. She watched as Dean stepped close to Sam and patted him on the chest with a wink. She could only guess what they were talking about, but she knew it was something good by what she felt coming from them. As she watched Dean and Sam, she remembered when she had first met him and how their relationship grew from there. How their fathers tried to keep them apart, but they would sneak off to be with each other every chance they had.

She would also call Dean for help on cases that proved to be a little more than they could handle. Esme dropped her gaze to the table, a smile now on her lips from the memories that flooded her mind. She let the slowly fade away before she looked back up and at Madison. “Madison, would you like to try some of this?” she asked her warmly. She then grabbed the wrapper that the other half of the burrito sat on and pulled it across the table and in front of a chair.



Sam continued to watch Esme as she ate and made sounds of contentment. She acted like she was starving or had a serious case of the munchies, which caused him to rais his eyebrows a bit. He was about to ask Dean a question when Madison spoke. He gave a chuckle and a nod to her words as he looked down at her. “I have to agree with you on that. She is weird, but I have to say I like her as well.” he said, so only Madison could hear. “I haven’t known her long, but I agree she is nice and does like you and very obvious Dean likes her.” he continued with a laugh.

Madison beaming up at him made him smile back at her, even when she glanced back at Esme as she made her sounds around the burrito she ate. He looked at Dean as he shook his head at his comment about liking Esme, a grin coming to his face at Dean’s response, as he stepped over and patted his chest with a wink. “I’m beginning to see that now.” he said with a laugh in his tone. “If she meant that much to you, how could you let her get away?” He said it in a joking way, not expecting Dean to give him an answer, as he clapped his hand on Dean’s upper arm. He let his hand drop to his side and looked to Esme as Esme spoke to Madison and offered her the other half of her burrito.

“You sure you want to do that?” he asked her with a grin. “It seems you could eat the whole thing, plus another one.” Esme mocked being hurt by his words but then gave a small laugh followed by a nod. “I’m sure. Plus, it’ll give her the opportunity to try some food since it didn’t pan out yesterday.” she told him. Sam had to agree with her. It would give Madison the opportunity to try some food, even though he knew she didn’t really need to eat anything. He then watched Esme as she dug into the bag and pulled out something else and her eyes landed on Dean as a mischievous smirk made its way to her lips.

“Heads up!” Esme called just before she threw it at his brother. Sam couldn’t stop the smirk that crept its way to his lips at the action as he held back the laugh that threatened to escape him.

Madison’s stomach rumbled at the idea of eating food, almost like it was telling her that she definitely wanted to try the burrito as Esme offered it. She nodded her head carefully, and walked with her hands crossed in front of her, linking her fingers together, over to the chair. She sat down in the chair, just as Sam chimed in about Esme’s decision to let Madison eat some of her food. Madison paused.

But Esme’s answer, and the excitement to try human food, and act like a human made Madison’s heart stutter with excitement. She reached forward, having watched Esme eat and mimicked how she picked up the other half of the burrito, holding it up to her face and staring it over. Sighing, she brought it to her mouth and took a bite, her face instantly turning up into a smile as she chewed.

“This makes me very happy.”, she chimed, chewing a large mouthful. She turned to Sam, holding up the burrito and smiled widely around her food, “I like the food!”



Dean’s face fell a bit when Sam asked about letting Esme get away. It wasn’t something he had really pondered, and even though his brother meant his words as a joke, it stung in the pit of Dean’s stomach, a bit. He didn’t have an answer for the non-question, because it wasn’t really his choice to ‘let’ Esme do anything. She just…didn’t come back. He smirked, giving a small and fake chuckle when Sam clapped his upper arm, and shook himself out of the thoughts he had begun having again.

He turned his attention back to what was happening at the table, watching Madison dig into the burrito, extremely happy with the results of her first meal. Dean couldn’t help but smile proudly at her, giving her a thumbs up as her face turned to Sam. The kid was already growing on him, whether he wanted to admit it or not. He had a soft spot for orphans, especially girls that were on their own in the world.

If he wasn’t careful, he would end up absolutely attached to her, like a father. As Esme threw his burrito at him, Dean’s reflexes barely stopped it from hitting him in the face. He caught it with one hand, and narrowed his eyes at her, “Really? Is this something I have to look forward to again? I thought we had grown out of that, by now.”

He laughed and walked over to the table, glancing at Madison as he sat down in another free chair, gesturing for his brother to follow them. He turned his eyes back to Madison, and reached across to tap his fingers on the table, “Slow down there, kiddo. You’ll end up with heartburn…and I don’t want to see what your body tries to do when it has indigestion."

Esme had watched Madison come and sit at the table and try the burrito before she threw Dean’s burrito at him. The way Madison’s face lit up with a smile warmed her heart and brought a warm smile to her lips. She even gave a warm laugh when Madison said the burrito made her happy, then turned to Sam to tell him she liked the food. “I’m happy to hear that you like it.” she said warmly before taking another bite of her half. When she threw Dean’s burrito at him, she watched him as he barely stopped it from hitting his face and narrowed his eyes at her as he spoke. Esme lifted an eyebrow as she looked at him and her smile faded. She then sat her burrito on a napkin, which she had a few bites left of, and crossed her arms over her chest as she listened to what he said. Even when he laughed and walked over to the table and sat down, her posture and face didn’t change.

She chewed and swallowed what was in her mouth as Dean spoke to Madison about slowing down so she wouldn’t get heartburn and didn’t want to see what her body tries to do when it had indigestion. She could tell that Madison was growing on Dean, just by how he was acting with her, but that still didn’t change the way she was looking at him at that moment. It was clear that Dean, narrowing his eyes at her, had triggered something. Dean should have remembered that it bothered her tremendously when he or those she cared for narrowed their eyes at her, especially when she was playing around and trying to keep everyone’s mood light. Esme turned her gaze to the table and closed her eyes. Dean’s words replayed in her head. Had hell changed that part of him, that he didn’t find her antics funny anymore, but annoying? She sighed inwardly at the thought as she opened her eyes.

Knowing what once made him laugh and throw it back on her all in good fun no longer had the same effect saddened her to think about it. Before she could get too far into her thoughts, she lifted her gaze to Madison to watch her eat the burrito she had offered her. Esme’s gaze softening a little as she looked at Madison. It was then she noticed Sam had come and sat at the table with them and noticed how he was looking at her. His look was one of concern and what made her mood change so drastically. When Esme saw Sam was about to say something, her gaze stayed soft as she lifted her hand from her arm and gently shook her head as her eyes closed briefly to tell him she was fine and not to worry about her sudden change. When he still kept looking at her, she gave him a look that said she really was fine, then finished the last few bites of her burrito.

Balling up her trash, Esme threw it into the bag that still sat on the table, then stood and heading into the kitchen without a word but gave a smile to Madison. Walking into the kitchen, she took in what it offered them, still unsure of how long they’d be there. She looked in the refrigerator and the cabinets to see what they had. It really wasn’t all that much. She sighed a bit at the thought of eating nothing but takeout or having pizza delivered to them. That wouldn’t do for her. Esme walked out of the kitchen and back to where everyone was sitting, stopping next to Madison. She pulled out a piece of paper and a pen from the inside pocket of her jacket, setting the paper on the table she wrote on it, and leaned down. “I’m going to go out for a bit, but if you needed me, you can call me on this number. I’m sure either one of the guys will help you figure out how to use a phone.” she said so only she could hear. “I’m going to pick up a few things we might need.”

Standing back up straight, Esme gave Madison another warm smile, then looked at the guys with the same smile before walking around behind Dean and running her hand along his shoulders as she went to the front door. “I’ll be back soon.” she told them before reaching the door. Opening the door, Esme gave the three one last look that said she would be back before walking out the door and to her car, smiling as she heard Sam’s words. Once in her car, she started it and pulled out.



Sam watched Dean after he asked his joke of a question, seeing his brother's face fall a bit. He instantly regretted asking, even though it was a joke. He continued watching his brother as a smirk came to his face, followed by the small fake chuckle when he clapped him on the arm. The smile he had faded a bit as he watched Dean being shaken from his thoughts, then followed his gaze to the table to watch Madison. A large smile made its way to his face as he watched her and saw how happy she became as she ate the burrito Esme shared with her. When she turned to him with a smile and said she liked the food, he couldn’t help but give a chuckle. “That’s great. We’ll have to see what else we can get for you to try.” he said warmly. From the corner of his eye, he saw Dean give Madison a thumbs up. He could see that she was already growing on him, but he couldn’t help wonder if that would end up being a good thing or a bad thing in the end.

His brother, like himself, had a soft spot for orphans, especially girls, that were thrown out into the world on their own. They always felt the need to help them if they could if they ever came across any. Madison was now different. Her situation pulled at that part of them and he couldn’t just leave her on her own, even if he knew she wasn’t fully human. She was also too childlike to leave in the world alone, and there was still no telling just how powerful she was and just how much destruction she could cause if her powers got out of control. So, the way he saw it, he needed to stick around and do what he could to help her and help Castiel teach her all she needed to know. Esme, throwing Dean’s burrito, had pulled him from his thoughts. The laugh he had been holding in escaped him at his brother’s words to Esme. “Apparently not.” Sam said with a laugh that only Dean could hear.

Sam then noticed how the narrowing of his brother’s eyes at Esme had affected Esme’s posture and mood. He could see how much it bothered her that his brother narrowed his eyes at her, causing him to make a mental note of it. At Dean’s gesture to follow, he did and sat in a chair next to Madison just as Dean told her to slow down and made his comment about her getting indigestion. Sam agreed with Dean on that. He didn’t want to find out what would happen if she ended up getting indigestion from eating too fast. “He’s right. I’d hate to see how your body would react to indigestion.” he said as his smile faded a bit. “Plus, the slower you eat it, the more you can enjoy it.” He then leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes drifting over to Esme, who now seemed to be in thought. The more he watched her, the more concerned he grew about her at how much it bothered her that Dean narrowed his eyes at her.

He had never seen someone take the action the way she did. He was starting to see that she took things and felt things differently than most, just like how his brother felt things more strongly than most. When Esme opened her eyes, Sam watched her more intently as she watched Madison and smiled at her before meeting his gaze. Before he could open his mouth to say something, she stopped him with a simple gesture to tell him she was fine. He wasn’t so sure as he continued to watch her even after her look of trying to confirm she was and then finished her burrito. Sam turned his attention back to Madison as Esme took care of her trash and threw it into the bag that sat on the table, but when she stood, his attention went back to her. His eyebrows knitted together after she smiled at Madison and headed into the kitchen and disappeared from his sight as she checked out the kitchen.

Sam glanced at Dean before looking back at the kitchen, glimpsing Esme as she checked out the cabinets, realizing just what she was doing in there. When Esme returned and stopped by Madison, he watched her actions with her. He could see that she was getting ready to leave and was making Madison comfortable enough to be okay with her leaving. Sam was about to speak up when Esme straightened and headed to the door and said she’d be back soon, then gave a nod confirming she’d be back, which he knew was mostly directed at Dean. “Be careful. There are some real weirdos around.” he called before the door closed. He then looked to Dean to see how he was reacting to her suddenly leaving in the way that she did. With how they had acted with each other earlier, he thought she’d say more to at least Dean and show some sort of affectionate gesture, like a kiss on his cheek, not running her hand along his shoulders as she passed behind him on her way to the door.

Dean turned his eyes from Madison to Esme, noticing that she was no longer smiling. She honestly seemed upset. He almost gave her an incredulous stare, his mind completely boggled by her sudden mood shift, until he realized that she acted this way the last time he had narrowed his eyes at one of her jokes. As she turned her gaze to the table and closed her eyes, he furrowed his brow, his stomach knotting with guilt that he had possibly upset her with his words or his facial expressions. After so much time apart, he wasn’t even sure what upset her, anymore. He wanted to know. He never wanted to see this look on her face again.

He watched as her face changed, but the bother stayed, and his eyes never moved. He couldn’t concentrate on anything other than the fact that he had possibly upset her greatly. He followed her with his eyes, as she stepped into the kitchen, and then he glanced at Sam. When she came out of the kitchen and wrote a note for Madison, Dean tapped his fingers on the top of the table.

A little hope sparked in his chest as Esme stepped around behind him, as she walked toward the door, and her fingertips brushed his shoulders.

“Esme wait…”, he called out to her quietly, but she was already out the door. Turning his eyes back to Sam, he let out a loud sigh, bringing his hand into a fist and knocking on the wood of the table, “Well damn. Did you see me mess up back there? I messed up. And all it took was me forgetting how gentle I have to joke with her.”

He leaned his head back exasperated as Madison gave him a confused look. Brushing his hand down his face, he groaned, “She’s not coming back. She’s not coming back and it’s my fault.”



Madison smiled blissfully at Sam and nodded her head as she chewed, “Well I definitely want to enjoy it. This is really…good. I love it.”

She didn’t notice Esme leaving the room, as she became concerned with their food situation. She was too wrapped up in the burrito in her hands. However, she glanced up and noticed that Esme wasn’t sitting near her, her head perked up.

Madison took another bite of her food as Esme came back from the kitchen and she looked down at the piece of paper, confused. As Esme mentioned the boys helping her with using a phone, she glanced up at Sam, nervously and then turned her eyes back to Esme’s as she pulled away from her to step around Dean.

“She’s leaving?”, she asked Sam, as he called out to Esme, but it was Dean’s words, as he made the mistake of mentioning that Esme might not come back that hit Madison deep in her stomach, and caused panic to rise, “She’s not coming back?! Why?!”

Her eyes glowed a gentle amber, not quite out of control but afraid as she turned her eyes from Dean back to Sam, her breathing quickening.

Sam had smiled at Madison’s response to wanting to enjoy the burrito, but most of his attention was on Dean and Esme at the moment. He had noticed how she didn’t notice Esme’s mood change or when she got up and went to the kitchen because she was too wrapped in the burrito Esme had given her. It wasn’t until Esme had given her the note did she even look in Esme’s direction and he saw the nervousness in Madison’s eyes as she glanced at him and then back to Esme as she walked around Dean. Sam opened his mouth to say speak, but closed it and looked at his brother as he brought his fist down on the table and said he messed up and Esme wouldn’t be coming back and it was his fault she wasn’t coming back. He knew his brother truly felt that was true, but he knew she would be back by the way she gave Madison the note and the way she spoke before she left.

It was clear when she said she would be back soon that she mostly directed her words towards Dean. Sam uncrossed his arms, leaned forward, and stared at Dean, the stare soon turning into a glare as he narrowed his eyes. The look he shot at his bother saying, ‘Really?’ even though he knew Dean wouldn’t see the look with his head leaned back. Then he turned his gaze to Madison and softened it. “Don’t worry. She’ll be back.” he told her softly. He watched her as she looked at Dean, then back to him with her eyes glowing a gentle amber and her breathing had picked up. He then gently took the burrito from her hands and placed it on the table before taking her hands and cradling them within his to calm her. “Hey…..” he said gently as she looked into her eyes. “She said she would be back and I believe her.” He let a moment pass before he leaned in to whisper into her ear.

“Dean upset Esme and now he’s afraid that she won’t come back, but I know she will be.” He pulled back and gave her a warm smile as he looked into her eyes, hoping that his words would bring her some calm. After a moment, Sam turned his attention back to Dean and giving a small sigh at the state that his brother was in over Esme. “Don’t be so hard on yourself, Dean.” he told his brother. “How long has it been since the two of you were last together?” he asked him. “It would be easy to forget what would upset someone after being apart for so long. But from what I saw, it was you narrowing your eyes at her that seemed to upset her. So, I suggest that you refrain from doing that in the future.” He paused to watch Dean for a moment and to let his words sink in. “You said nothing wrong.” He looked back to Madison with a slight smile and gave her hands a gentle squeeze.

“I’ll be right back.” he told her softly. Sam then pushed himself from the chair and onto his feet, then walked to the kitchen. He went to the fridge, opened it, and pulled out a couple of beers before closing it. Opening the beers, he tossed the caps onto the counter before heading back to the table Dean and Madison were sitting at. Once back at the table, Sam walked up to Dean and set one of the beers on the table in front of him. “She’ll be back.” he told him as he placed a hand on Dean’s shoulder. “She’s far too happy to be back with you to let something like this make her leave again.” He then moved his hand from his brother’s shoulder and patted his chest. “Just give her some time to work it out.” He then walked back around and sat in the chair he was in before, took a drink of his beer then sat it on the table in front of him. He leaned back in his chair and watched Dean and Madison as they waited for Esme to return.



Esme drove to the market, her radio blaring to keep herself from thinking back to what had happened before she left. She tapped the beat of each song on her steering wheel and sang along with the songs she knew, not holding back, since she was the only one in the car. This was something she often did whenever she was upset or even in a grim mood to calm herself, and it worked just about every time. Music was something that resonated with her and could calm her even if she was in the foulest of moods, especially if it was a song she knew and loved. She jammed out all the way to the market, not caring who saw as they drove past her or saw her stopped at a stoplight. She was enjoying herself and the music, probably a little too much, but that was something she didn’t care about at that particular moment. Her mood was calming, and she was now smiling, that’s what mattered at the moment.

Once Esme was in the parking lot of the market, she found a parking spot and killed the engine. Shoving her keys in her pocket, she opened the door and exited the car, locking and shutting the door behind her before heading inside. Once inside, Esme tried to get what she thought they would need quickly. She didn’t want Dean thinking she had up and left him again, but part of her thought he may already be thinking that with the way she left. She gathered everything that was on the list that she had mentally made and even grabbed a few “special” items that she would use later on in the day. That was if she could get the kitchen to herself and at least keep Dean out of it for a little while. The thought made her smile to herself a little. Once he smelled it, she knew it would be tough keeping him out. After getting through the checkout line and getting everything bagged and paid for, she gathered everything and headed back out to her car.

Once at her car, Esme pulled out her keys and unlocked her car. Opening the back driver’s door, she placed the bags into the backseat, making sure anything that could get crushed was in a safe spot. The next thing she knew, she heard footsteps approach behind her before she could close the door. A silent sigh escaped her as she heard a man’s voice, who was clearly drunk. “Hey, gorgeous! How about you and me go grab a drink?” he asked as he stared at her ass. You didn’t have to be an Empath to know what this guy's intentions were, but being an Empath, she could strongly feel what the guy wanted, which made her uncomfortable. Pulling her head out of the back, she shut the car door and turned to face the man that stood behind her, her eyes quickly scanning over him and taking in his biker appearance. “Thanks, but no thanks.” she said in a firm tone. Turning on her heel, she went for the driver’s door, but the man stopped her by grabbing her upper arm and spinning her around to face him again.

“Oh, come on baby. Don’t be like that. I could show you a good time.” he cooed as he stroked her arm with the back of his fingers. “Get your hands off me.” she snapped. Esme pulled away with a glare, her eyes glimpsing the Biker’s Goon behind him, who was smirking. “You’re barking up the wrong tree. Now leave me alone, if you know what’s good for you.” she almost growled as she narrowed her eyes at him. She went to turn once again to get into her car, but the Biker grabbed her once again, taking her by her upper arms and shoving her back hard into the car, and knocking a bit of air from her lungs. He leaned in close, pressing himself against her with a large smirk. “Mmmm, you’re feisty. I like em feisty.” he whispered before smelling her hair. She struggled against his grip but failed miserably against his larger size. “Get off me, you gorilla!” she yelled at him as he began to lean in to kiss her.

Esme tried to pull away from the oncoming kiss, but soon found out she wouldn’t be able to avoid it with how he had her pinned under his weight. Thinking quickly, she kneed the Biker in the groin, then punched him in the face once he released her and fell to his knees. “I told you to leave me alone!” she yelled, pushing herself from her car, then kicked him in the face for good measure and sending him sprawling. “You bitch!!” yelled the Goon as he rushed her, then punched her in the face. The force of his punch sent her to the pavement beneath her feet. Before she could look up at the Goon, he kicked her in the stomach, forcing a groan from her lips as she rolled to her side, holding her stomach and feeling blood run down her cheek from where his ring had left a gash. “Hellfire!” she groaned. Why does this happen to me? she asked herself. The Goon knelt down and grabbed hold of her jacket and pulled her to her feet, a smirk still resting on his face.

“Now be a good girl and we won’t have to punish you anymore.” he told her as he slammed her against her car. Esme smirked at his words as he held her jacket firmly and pressed her against the car. “Punishment? You call this punishment?” she sneered. “You don’t know what punishment is.” She then punched the Goon in the face, then grabbed his shoulders, and kneed him in the groin when he released her. Pushing herself off the car, she kicked him and drew her gun, releasing the safety as she pointed it at the two men who were on the pavement. They looked up at her wide-eyed as they saw the gun. “Now scram before I shoot off something you might need later!” The two scrambled to their feet and muttered something about her being a psycho bitch before running off. Sighing loudly, she brushed her hair from her face as she watched them run off as she put the safety back on her gun and tucked it away.

Holding her stomach with her left hand, she looked around for the keys she dropped after being grabbed. Spotting them, she picked them up and opened the car door with her right and slowly got in. After closing the door, she lifted her shirt to look at her stomach. It was red and already starting to show bruising. Esme let her shirt fall from her grip, then placed the key into the ignition and started the car. She then took time to look at her face in the rearview mirror, since she could still feel the blood running down her cheek. The Goon’s ring had left a pretty nasty-looking gash on her cheek. Reaching over, she opened the glove box and pulled out a bandana, then closed it before bringing it to her cheek to stop the bleeding. Holding it in place, she threw the car in reverse and backed out of the parking spot, then put it drive and drove out of the parking lot and back to the safe house.

Once back, she parked the car and killed the engine, then shoved her keys in her jacket pocket as she normally did, then opened the door, not attempting to fix her slightly disheveled appearance. Once she got out and shut the door, she opened the driver’s back door and grabbed what she could with her one free hand, and headed inside with a little difficulty with both her hands full, one hand full of bags and the other holding the bandana to her cheek. As she entered, she gave everyone a small smile before heading to the kitchen with the bags. Her smile growing as she heard Sam say, ‘See, I told you she’d be back’ as she entered the kitchen. “Could one of you grab the rest, please?” Esme called warmly from the kitchen as she set the bags on the counter with a small sigh.