[h3] Dean [/h3] 

Dean smirked as Mika pulled away from the kiss and took a sip of her coffee. He would always come second to coffee, after a heavy sleep. He picked up a piece of Mika’s hair and twirled it around his finger lazily while watching her enjoy her coffee, until she asked who was up. Dean glanced toward the living room door, and scrunched his nose to try and remember if he had seen anyone else other than Duke, but no one came to mind.

“Duke came in. He’s in the living room with Esme, I assume. He seems a little better this evening. Anna and Sam are still downstairs and…I don’t think its going too good. She didn’t sound so good earlier. But I don’t think they ever slept.”  Dean explained, reaching up to flatten the hair on top of his head. He shrugged, “And Nat and Cason, I haven’t seen them. So, I think it’s just us and Duke, for now.”

“How are you feeling this evening, hmm?” He asked, absentmindedly scratching his chest, before reaching out and placing his hand on her hip, pulling her in and keeping her close. The lingering conversation he knew that he and Mika had to have about Esme buzzed around in his brain. He wasn’t sure what all Duke had told her while she was out in the RV taking care of him. He didn’t figure it was much, as Duke usually didn’t talk about their past, much, other than a cross joke here and there.

“You sleep good? You came to bed with me, this morning. So, I assume we’re good. But we didn’t talk about much. Are we good?”

[h3] Cason [/h3]

Cason smiled as Nat pulled herself closer to him, reaching an arm up so he could frame her jaw with his hand, brushing his thumb across her cheek. Her comment about him being more than a pet demon made him chuckle and he shrugged, “Like I said…also a saint. If I keep being this nice, maybe my soul can be saved, after all.”

He leaned in a pressed a tight kiss to Nat’s lips, only lingering for a few seconds before looking into her eyes again with a soft smirk, “You know…I’m fine with just laying here in bed all night and pretending that the idiots out there aren’t going to pull us into whatever mess they’re planning. But I also know that as a human, you’ll eventually need to eat.”

Cason sighed, brushing his thumb over the bruise on Nat’s cheek, wishing that she could heal as fast as he did. He knew she was probably still a little worried about his wounds, or at least how he was actually feeling. He was fine, but convincing a human of that, especially after what she had seen the previous night, was nearly impossible. 

“Can I tell you something, about last night?” He asked, his smile fading a bit as he watched her eyes, the eyes he honestly feared he would never see again. The eyes that could cause him to nuke the entire planet. “When I sent the dogs to go and find you guys, the first thing they came back and told me was that you were…there. I was so hurt, that I couldn’t come right then. I had to sit there in the dirt and wait. I can’t begin to explain the things that went through my mind…blinding anger. Panic? Maybe? I am so sorry that I didn’t get to you faster. I’m sorry all this is because…it took me so long.”



[h3] Anna [/h3]

Anna listened to what Cason was saying, and her heart suddenly began to hammer in her chest. She didn’t want to drink anymore blood. But she also didn’t want to go through this detox cold turkey. She didn’t want to watch Sam die a million times or end up carved up by Alastair or see Dean the way he had come to her earlier in the day. She sighed, trying to think of what to do, just as Sam shifted her to sit on the floor.

She pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs and stared straight ahead, just as Dean’s voice called out to her from the desk, directly behind her. At first, she couldn’t hear what he was saying but then his voice came clear, as Sam’s voice barely sounded in her mind while he walked to the door.

“So, you know I’m not actually here, but do you? Or are you expecting me to walk down those stairs and stab you through the heart? It would put my brother out of a lot of misery. You’re gonna die. Lilith is going to wear your pretty little body, and Sam is going to have to watch you as you are ridden to the apocalypse.” Dean nearly growled at Anna as she closed her eyes, and covered her ears.

“Shut up, Dean. Please. Just shut up.”

“Shut up? Well isn’t that appropriate. Cason coming down here tells me everything I need to know about you, you blood junkie. You hate me because I’m trying to protect him…from you.” Dean sneered, leaning over the back of the chair he was sitting on.

“I said shut up! I’m not going to hurt him. I wouldn’t hurt him, Dean. Just please leave me alone.” Anna whimpered, as the door slamming closed on the panic room caused Dean to disappear, Anna coming back down to earth and blinking as she opened her eyes and looked up at Sam. She glanced behind her, as Sam approached her, seeing that Dean was gone. He wasn’t real after all.

Anna turned her eyes back to Sam as he sat down, and explained that Cason left her a vial of blood. Just seeing it, Anna could taste it. She could smell it through the cap, and her body felt like it was reaching out for it. With a shaky sigh, she nodded at Sam, “I um…I don’t want to drink it, but I can’t…I can’t do it like this anymore. Dean. He keeps showing up. He keeps showing up and trying to convince me that I’m going to kill you or something worse. Alastair. Dean. Some woman I don’t know…Even you. There’s a version of you…and he’s cold. He doesn’t care and he says the worst things.”

Anna reached out and took the vial from Sam, holding it in her hand for a moment as she thought about whether staying exposed to the blood would be worth it, to stop the hallucinations. If things kept up, she wasn’t even sure if she would be able to look Sam in the eyes, no matter how real he was right in front of her.

“I’m um…” Anna’s hands began to shake violently, and brought up her other hand to wipe her forehead with frustration, “I’m going to drink it but…can you um…can you not watch?”

Anna turned her head, making direct eye contact with Dean who was sitting once again, straddling the chair by the desk. As her shaking hands uncapped the bottle and she brought it to her lips, she toasted him, and downed the whole thing in one drink, the effects almost immediate. Dean slowly faded away to nothing as he smirked at her, and she let out a soft growl, feeling the warmth flood through her body, bringing color back to her face.

“He’s gone…” She whispered to Sam, breathing a sigh of relief at how quickly the small amount of blood brought relief.


[h3] Duke [/h3]

Duke watched Esme’s face as she admitted that she wasn’t really okay. He didn’t expect her to be, if he was honest. He had only heard half of what everyone was saying, after he got back to the house, but he had heard enough. She wasn’t human…but she was human enough. She had apparently taken down a whole building, and walked out of it with some bangs and bruises. Of course she felt like Hell. Of course she wasn’t doing so hot.

As her eyes fell to his stomach, and she brushed her fingers over the bandage, Duke shook his head and raised his eyebrows, “Don’t worry about all that. Mika came out and patched me back up. I crashed pretty quick after that. I barely even noticed that I was alone after she left. I promise.”

Duke tilted his head as Esme zoned out, obviously remembering something that seemed to bother her. He wanted to ask, but he wasn’t sure if it was digging up more feelings about the conversation he had only heard part of. Until she was feeling better, he didn’t want to dig any of that crap up. He just wanted her  to rest and to get better. The rest could come after. But her next words caused him to narrow his eyes and almost turn to Bobby for clarification.

What had Bobby given her that would suddenly make her not trust him? Maybe it was just a spiked drink to make her sleep or something. Either way, Bobby cleared his throat and didn’t clarify either, and the whole thing felt sticky. Duke faked a smile for a split second and nodded, “Alright. I can do that.”

He started to turn and stand, but her hand touched his cheek and he was brought back into her eyes with a soft sigh. The glimmer in his eyes didn’t fade, but his smile did as he shrugged his shoulders,  “I um…I don’t really…”, he started, before clearing his throat. He rolled his head around to force himself to answer the question and then sighed again, “I’m feelin’ fine. Honestly. I got a couple holes and some bruises, but physically, I’m alright. Mentally? I-I don’t really know how to answer that yet.”

Duke turned his eyes down, staring at the blanket that was sitting just above Esme’s stomach, his eyes searching for the answers he was sure she would want to hear, but he found nothing. So, he turned his eyes back to hers and smiled softly, “I’ll figure it out. I always do, right?”