[h3] Dean [/h3]

Dean turned as Duke left the kitchen, glancing again to the basement door. The basement had gone quiet and for a moment, at least, Anna’s screams had stopped. He could only assume that Sam had stepped in. A relieved sigh left his nose as the last bit of coffee poured from the maker, and Dean turned to pour himself a cup. 

He turned back around and leaned against the counter, shirtless in only his jeans, as usual. This was one of his homes…it was really his only home he had ever had that was solid, outside of his car. He always felt comfortable to just roam around as is, especially when it was just he and Duke.

As Mika appeared at the bottom of the stairs, Dean smiled, watching her walk across the hardwood floor. The tension between them felt like it had dissipated, even if they still had a lot to talk about. Having her safe and sound in such a familiar place…and her not being incredibly angry with him was more than a relief.

“Good morning beautiful…” He called out across the kitchen, pushing off the counter to bring Mika a cup of coffee. He met her at the doorway, pushing the cup into her hands, before dipping and covering her lips in an enthusiastic and deep kiss.

[h3] Cason [/h3] 

Cason watched as Nat smiled in her sleep, barely beginning to open her eyes at his touch. He couldn’t help his own smile from creeping up on his lips at her little ‘hi’ and he brushed a finger over one of her eyebrows, “Good morning.”

He scooted himself a bit closer to her, tangling his legs with hers as his nose brushed hers. He hadn’t wanted to wake her, but he had been tempted to hold her the entire night. He was restless and had been left with his own thoughts. There were a few times during the night that he had considered disappearing and tracking down some info or intel while she was sleeping. But every time he thought about leaving, the worry that she would wake up and find him gone stopped him in his tracks. So, he sat…and he thought. He thought about everything. He thought about a million scenarios that should have pushed him away from Nat, but here he was, snuggling up to her in the morning, like a human.

“You slept pretty hard. How are you feeling, this morning?” He asked, his voice soft and gentle. He was hoping that outside of a little soreness, she was doing better. His iron burns were barely visible on his bare chest, and other than a gnarly looking thin scar, the hole in his abdomen was pretty much healed. At least…she wouldn’t feel compelled to worry about him. “I wouldn’t have woke you but I can hear the old man chatting on the phone, and I didn’t know how long it would be before the two bumbling idiots made enough noise to wake you up.”

Of course he was referring to Dean and Duke, as he could hear them quietly talking amongst themselves in the kitchen. Duke’s voice sounded like it had a bit more life in it. He seemed like a loud one. Cason chuckled, his eyes crinkling a bit as he scanned Nat’s eyes.

“I do need to do something really fast. You’ll barely notice I’m gone.” He gave an apologetic look, before disappearing for a brief moment. After that brief moment, he landed with a bounce on the bed next to her, and instantly tangled his legs back with hers with a laugh, “Pet demon duty…medicine delivery…tiny girl whisperer…I’m a saint.”

[h3] Anna [/h3]

Anna squeaked as Sam suddenly woke up and stared up at her with that worried look in his eyes. It was then that she was firmly convinced that she was hallucinating. She brushed a hand over the area the stab wound should have been in his chest, quickly seeing that it wasn’t actually there, and she breathed a quick sigh of relief, her eyes welling up in frustrated, relieved, and sad tears.

As soon as Sam’s arms were around her, Anna climbed into his lap, hanging her legs over one of his thighs as she buried her face in his shoulder. She brought her left hand up, burying it in his hair and just breathed against him, taking in everything she could feel from the softness of his hair, to his strong arms around her, to the way the stubble on his cheek felt against the side of her face.

“You’re here. You’re okay. You’re here…” She repeated, turning her head to just rest her forehead against Sam’s chin with a deep breath. “It’s okay. It’s not real…”

A banging on the iron door caused Anna to flinch, clutching her fist in Sam’s hair briefly, as she feared for the worst. If another hallucination was coming on so quick, things were about to get dicey and she almost wanted to tell Sam to leave, but she didn’t want to be alone.

“I can’t come in. I think you know that…” Cason’s voice sounded from outside the door, and Anna pulled her head away from Sam’s neck with a confused look on her face, wondering if Sam could hear him too. “But I have something that might help with…that. Take it or leave it, Sam, but I think you know this is only the beginning of the show.”

Cason bent and sat a vial of blood on the floor outside the door of the panic room, the look on his face almost reluctant, before he disappeared, not really wanting to make any kind of eye contact with Sam Winchester, while offering his girlfriend demon blood.

[h3] Duke [/h3]

Duke sat back a bit as Esme’s eyes snapped open. It wasn’t his intention to scare her awake, but he couldn’t even begin to imagine what she must have been dreaming about. He watched as she calmed herself down, not moving from his spot. He simply held her hand and allowed her to come back to him, squeezing her hand gently every time she tightened up around his fingers. 

“There she is. Hey sweet pea.” Duke smiled, the smile reaching all the way to his eyes as he leaned in a little closer, making sure that all she could see was his face. A tiny hint of mischief brushed across his features as he instantly tried to lighten any sour mood that might be lingering in the air around her from her horrible dreams, “I ain’t gonna ask how you slept, because I know that was crap. But you look like a dream, Miss Stirling.”

Bobby rolled his eyes, grumbling to himself, which only made Duke smile a bit wider, turning his head quickly to poke at Bobby playfully. Bobby simply picked up his coffee cup and shook his head, causing Duke to turn his smiling face back to Esme, “How’re you feelin’? I didn’t exactly have a chance to look at you this mornin’. I passed out. But I’m here now…”

Duke leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to Esme’s nose, a gentle gesture that he always used to make her smile, even when she was still with Dean, “You just take your time and tell me what you need.”