Dean blanched, his eyes wide as Esme’s ‘no’ slapped him in the face. She had never told him ‘no’, when he broke down and apologized. As she pulled away from him, Dean turned and watched her, holding his hands out in confusion. When she turned and spoke what she was actually feeling, Dean shook his head at her rhetorical questions, “I don’t know what you want from me.”

Dean winced at the irritation in her voice, and as she kept going, he shook his head, genuinely confused. There was never a day in his life that he had put any effort into even apologizing to people, unless he felt like he was the one who had made the situation…the worst. Now, he was apologizing for being horribly possessive, and what he thought was the answer to what she wanted was apparently the direct opposite? He didn’t know what to do with that information. It was contradictory to everything that his brain was telling him to do. When people are enjoying themselves or working through emotions…you leave them alone. No. Maybe that was just what he needed when he was upset.

“Esme…I don’t know what to do…” Dean tried to reason, but Esme stopped him in his tracks by telling him to fix things with Duke. He narrowed his eyes and crunched his nose in confusion, finding it ridiculous that anything was even wrong with Duke. Duke never got mad at anyone. There wasn’t any bad blood between them, that Dean could see. He turned his eyes toward Duke and noticed how he was standing, “What?”

Duke didn’t even make eye contact with Dean. He simply turned to look at Esme from under his hat. She was coming to bat for him, in a way. She was calling Dean on his bullshit behavior toward him, and he would have to thank her for that later, if the conversation with Dean didn’t devolve into a fist fight. He simply nodded and turned his eyes down to his feet again, “Yes Ma’am. We’ll figure it out.”

“Esme where are you going?” Dean called out to her, ignoring Duke for a moment, until he realized that Esme wasn’t going to answer him, and he dropped his shoulders dramatically, turning in a circle while wiping a hand down his face in frustration. Then, he turned to Duke with a glare.

“Don’t give me that look.” Duke scoffed, scooting his hat back on his head so he could look at Dean a bit better. Dean snarled at Duke, pointing a finger at him.

“It’s been a long week of cleaning up your messes.”

“My messes? I never asked you to come save me at any point this week and if you think this…” Duke waved his arms around, and then pointed toward Esme’s retreating form, “is my mess? Oh boy do I have bad news for you. This is all you. Why did you tell her about me runnin’ like its somethin’ that’s gonna affect her in some way?”

“Because it will! What happens when she gets attached to you, like the good little puppy you are, only for you to disappear? Hm? What was her name? Ariel?”

“Rachel, you idiot.” Duke scoffed, kicking some dirt in frustration as he listened to the same speech he had heard a million times.

“Fine. Rachel. What happened when she fell head over heels in love with you? You proposed to her. You might have even loved her. Then, summer time comes along, Duke falls into the self doubt hole, and runs away. She came around every single day for a month, man! We didn’t know where you were. We didn’t even know how to contact you, after you threw away your phones…and that girl was broken. Completely destroyed.” Dean lectured, and Duke sniffled in frustration, reaching up to wipe a bit of sweat from his nose. Duke turned his eyes up to meet Dean’s face, “The only person that will tolerate you, is me…”

Duke suddenly jolted forward, shoving Dean backward with both his hands and his teeth gritted. Dean was a bit surprised at his anger.

“While we’re talkin’ about our big ones. Why don’t we talk about yours, hm?” Duke growled at Dean through his teeth, but Dean shook his head. “No. You can’t talk about the people you mess up, because the only thing that matters is who LIKES you. You have to have constant admiration, like some kind of God.”

Dean held a hand out, placing it on Duke’s bare chest with a huff, “I’m not fighting with you and I’m not gonna talk about her.”

“Oh! We can bring up all Duke’s mistakes, but heaven forbid that Dean Winchester admits he’s ever been wrong. Like right now! All that girl in there wants is for you to snuggle up with her, to maybe take her out and buy her a beer, to show her that she’s not alone after a really…really bad night. Which by the way, I haven’t heard you ask her about. I did…” Duke ranted, shoving Dean hard again. “Maybe, you’re afraid to admit that what she needs, is me, right now. That’s why you can’t fix it. She needed someone who knows nothin’ about her to spill to…and not you.”

Dean suddenly swept Duke’s leg from under him, following his body to the ground as he attempted to wrap his arms around Duke’s neck to choke him out. Anything to stop the flow of guilt that Dean was already feeling. But Duke was a little bigger and stronger than Dean, quickly rolling over, and squeezing both his knees against Dean’s ribs as he sat on his back. Dean groaned, and Duke’s arm pressed into the back of his neck, Duke’s other hand wrenching Dean’s behind his back, pressuring his elbow painfully.

“Me and you? We’re good. But you ain’t got shit to say to me about how I treat people. You know that. I know more about you than anyone and you are the same with me. But I’ll be damned if you’re gonna bring it up like I’m some sort of poison…” Duke whispered angrily in Dean’s ear, applying pressure to Dean’s elbow until he heard his adopted brother cry out, “Fix…your…mistakes…yourself. Stop draggin’ me into it, or I might have to turn up that charm until Esme sees how much of a hypocrite you really can be…brother.”

With a huff, Duke shoved Dean’s head and arm away from him and stood up, swiping his cowboy hat off the ground and dusting it off before placing it back on his head. He stepped off and began to walk back toward the house, turning to call back to Dean, “Unload those and put them in the shed for me. I need a beer.”

As Esme walked past the boys, she gave a nod to Duke, even if he was looking at his feet when he spoke. “Good,” she said softly to him. She quickly walked away from the range, wincing as her sore muscles protested. She shook her head when Dean called to her but said nothing to him. She was done, and she had said her peace. Now it was time for them to work out their crap without her there to listen in. She knew there was a possibility it could end in a fistfight, but she hoped it wouldn’t. She just couldn't stand to be around either of them with that much built-up tension between them. It was exhausting trying to push through it all. By the time Esme reached the porch steps, she was utterly winded. She stood at the steps momentarily to catch her breath, not looking back to check on the guys, slightly worried about what she might see if she did. Once she collected herself, she ascended the steps, walked to the door, opened it, and walked inside. She then went to the stairs where her weapon duffle was and placed her small bag on top.

Esme knelt by the duffle and unzipped a small pocket on the side. Pulling out a bottle of aspirin, she opened it and dumped a couple in her hand. Replacing the cap, she put the bottle back into the pocket and zipped it back up. Standing, Esme headed to the kitchen. Once there, she pulled a glass from the cupboard, went to the sink, and filled it with water. While standing at the sink, she took the aspirin, downed the whole glass of water, rinsed the glass, and put it in the dish strainer. Esme turned her back to the sink and leaned against it, trying to decide what she should do. What on the boys to come back in? Take a nap? Or maybe see how Bobby was doing in the garage? She knew what she wanted to do but was far too sore even to attempt it. She’d have to wait till most of the pain subsided and she didn’t feel so stiff. As she rolled things around in her head, Esme walked to the living room, combing her fingers through her hair and bringing it all to rest on her right shoulder. She quickly braided it and tied it off with an elastic band pulled from her pants pocket.

Esme had decided to do none of the above. She walked over to the couch, pulled her phone out of her back pocket, and sat down. She still needed to update Sassy on everything that happened and let her know how she was doing. Going through her phone, she found Sassy’s number and dialed it. As it rang, she heard the front door open and close. “That went quicker than I thought it would.” she thought. Just as Sassy picked up her phone, Esme had concluded that Duke had just come in, only because the footsteps didn’t sound like Dean’s. “Hey, Sassy.” she answered the woman on the other end. “Yes, I know. I’m sorry I worried you.” Esme rested her elbow on her knee and then rested her head on her hand. “Things didn’t quite go as planned yesterday after I dropped you off at your car….. Yes, I’m alright, just a little bruised, sore, and pissed off.” As she spoke, she heard Duke come in but kept her mind on the phone call. “Yeah, that one ghost turned out to be four…. Yeah…. The woman and child were easy. It was the other two that took some effort.”

“They both gave me a run for my money….. Uh-huh…. It was his bowler hat that kept him bound to that house. His brother possessed my car and took me for a joy ride. God, I am glad Daddy can’t see what the car looks like. He’d have a hissy fit. I’m also glad he can’t see what I look like. I’m sure he’d panic.” she told the other woman. “It was an old bowler hat of his….. Yep….. I had salted and burned other objects before I found it. Then, the house started to break apart, and I almost didn’t make it out because my car wouldn’t start….. Yeah….. Once she started, I slammed her in reverse. The bumper just barely cleared the house before it collapsed.” she explained. A small, soft smile then came to her lips. “Yes, Sassy. I’m fine….. I’m at Bobby’s…… Yes, with Dean too…… Yes, his brother Duke is also here…… “Yes, Sassy. I’ve been patched up, and they’ve all been making sure I’m taking it easy. Even Duke, after how rude I was to him last night…. Yeah, I lost my temper and took it out on Dean and Duke…. Yes, I did.”

Esme fell silent, nodding as she kept the phone to her ear. She sighed heavily, closing her eyes. “I know that….. No…….. I don’t know.” she answered after a moment, her tone sounding down. She went silent as Sassy gave her a long speech. She had heard it so many times that she could recite it word for word if she were asked to. “I know, Sassy. I love you too…. No, I haven’t called or texted him yet….. I know I need to, and I plan to. I just want to heal up a bit first…… Sure, if you want….. Okay, talk to you later.” Esme ended the call, placed her phone on the couch cushion next to her, and sighed heavily before leaning back onto the couch and staring at the ceiling, resting her hands on her stomach. It could be so exhausting talking to Sassy sometimes, and this was one of those times. After a moment, she carefully shifted so she was sitting sideways on the couch, folded her arms on the back of the couch, and rested her chin on her arms, looking at Duke. “Did you two get anything worked out after I left you out there?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

She genuinely wanted to know if they had or not. Esme also hoped he would be truthful with her, even though she didn’t expect much of an answer since he hardly knew her. She also wasn’t going to ask what caused their tension. That wasn’t any of her business. She just wanted them to work some of it out before a whopper of a fight broke out between them, which was something she didn’t want to witness or try to break up. She was also sure she wouldn’t be able to handle the rage that would be radiating off them during the fight. “If you don’t want to say anything about it, it’s fine. It’s really none of my business anyway.” she added.

Duke opened the door of the house in a huff, grass clippings still stuck to his sweaty chest and back as he walked straight to the kitchen without saying anything. Esme seemed to be preoccupied anyway. He opened the door of the fridge with shaky hands, and grabbed a beer from the top shelf, turning to glance out the kitchen window. Dean was still laying on the ground, but he was now laying on his back, his arm over his face, just defusing himself. Duke shook his head, watching as Dean stood up ranting out loud to himself and began gathering things like Duke had asked him.

With a sigh, Duke walked toward the living room, picking pieces of grass off his chest as he walked. He cracked his beer open, and took a long drink, before looking down and picking at the grass again. As he stepped into the living room, he looked up and Esme had ended her call, her turn to him causing him to flinch. Duke didn’t really know the answer to her question. He had put a stop to Dean’s blame game, for the moment, but whether or not they had worked anything out was up in the air.

Duke stepped over to Bobby’s desk and grabbed a chair, spinning it on one leg to turn it with the back toward Esme. He straddled the chair and reached up to pick a piece of grass from his hair that was sticking out of the front of his cowboy hat.

“Um. It seems that way.” He spoke up, taking another long drink of his beer. He then slung both his arms over the back of the chair, his shoulder muscles flexing with the tension that he still held there, and he tilted his head to the side, “He seemed a little more calm when I left him. So, he’s all yours. I’m gonna go out for a bit, after I go grab a shirt. Maybe it will help you two loosen up…”

Duke was upset, but he was mostly just frustrated and the buzzing in his brain that told him it was probably time to get away from everyone for a while was ever present. He took a final long drink from the beer bottle, and then reached across to Bobby’s trash can, tossing it in. He tapped his toes, letting the living room fall into a bit of silence and then nodded his head, awkwardly picking at a couple of pieces of grass that were still stuck to his arm.

“I’ll be back…” He said suddenly, standing from the chair. He didn’t make eye contact, afraid that she would be the one to talk him into staying, this time. He barely knew this woman, and yet she had his brain in a bit of a chokehold. The need to get to know her, to find out everything he could about her, and to just spend time with her was overwhelming. He had to go. He pushed the chair back to Bobby’s desk and stepped off, a shudder of regret causing him to crack his neck as he walked toward the kitchen.

Esme saw Duke’s flinch when he turned towards him, making her think he wasn’t expecting her to say anything to him. She watched him, noticing the grass stuck to him, telling her there was a scuffle after she left him and Dean together outside. She watched Duke make his way over to Bobby’s desk and grab a chair, spinning it around before straddling it, then picking a piece of grass from his hair. When he finally answered her, she didn’t quite like his answer. It was too vague, but she could also feel and see how he was feeling. The tension in his shoulder muscles was hard to miss. She sighed silently when Duke said he was going out, which she felt held more than it sounded. “He may seem calm, but that doesn’t mean he is…. You also don’t have to leave, but I can understand why you feel you have to.” she replied. Esme fell silent as she looked at the floor at Duke’s feet. She could feel how upset and frustrated he was over whatever had been said by Dean this morning. She wasn’t one to pry, but she wondered what Dean had said to Duke to stir such strong emotions.

Esme’s eyes lifted from the floor when Duke finished his beer, threw it in the trash can, and then tapped his toes. She lowered her eyes as the room fell silent, getting lost in her thoughts on what was said and what she still needed to do until he nodded and picked a few more pieces of grass from his arm. Esme lifted her chin from her arms when he said he’d be back and suddenly stood without making eye contact with her. She watched him push the chair back to Bobby’s desk. Then, she saw him shudder and crack his neck. She had seen that before from her father, a sign of regret. As he walked toward the kitchen, Esme dropped her arms from the back of the couch and stood up so quickly that her braid almost popped her in the face. Which she instantly regretted. She gasped and groaned as pain shot through her body, doubling her over and causing her to almost fall back onto the couch. But she wanted to stop him. She couldn’t let him leave in this state of emotion. It didn’t matter that she didn’t know him that well. She felt it was partially her fault he felt like this.

“Duke, wait.” Esme said in a pain-filled tone. She lifted her head to look at him, resting her hand on her knees. “I’m sorry…. I stuck my nose somewhere it didn’t belong.” she started. She took some breaths to work herself through the pain. “I just wanted to help, but it seems I just made things worse for you. I’m really sorry.” she told him in an apologetic tone. “You don’t have to leave, Duke…. If anyone should leave, it’s me. I’m the one that kicked this hornet's nest.” She dropped her head to look at the floor, noticing her body was shaking from the intense wave of pain that shot through it. Esme stepped back and sat back down on the couch with a hiss. “If you still want to leave, I can’t and won’t stop you, but I hate to see you leave this way. Especially when I’m part of the cause of it.” she told him, her voice still holding pain. She looked at the floor between her feet as she sat curled in on herself, unable to straighten up because of the ache in her body.

Esme brought a hand up to the left side of her face and sighed softly, closing her eyes. She mentally kicked herself for stirring the pot of tension between Dean and Duke. That was never her intention. ‘I should have never pushed it. Surely not after how upset Dean was about Duke and me hugging. You need to learn to keep your nose out of people's business, Esme. You should have known things would go south with that much tension.’ she thought.

Esme even bringing up that he didn’t have to go made Duke’s chest hurt. She had never been around when he was ready to go. She had never had a chance to talk him out of it. And just telling him that he ‘didn’t have to’ was almost enough to make him stomp his feet and return to the living room. But as he stepped into the kitchen, he slowed his footsteps as he heard her groan in pain from standing from the couch.

The sound bothered him in a strange way, and he felt as if he was causing her pain. Her voice telling him to wait stopped his footsteps cold, his cowboy boots squeaking against the tile floor as he stopped. He slowly turned around, and knitted his eyebrows together, “Sorry? Why would you be…”, he started as his eyes widened and he quickly walked back into the living room, as she kept apologizing, and saying she was the one who should leave. What was she talking about?!

As she sat back down on the couch, Duke quickly lowered himself beside her and wrapped an arm around her back, wrapping his other hand around her upper arm to support her. He shook his head quickly as he held her, “You ain’t got nothin’ to be sorry for. The tension between me and…and him has been brewin’ since a couple years ago. I made some mistakes and he ain’t gonna forgive me for them any time soon.”

Duke reached in front of Esme, wedging his hand between her body and her legs and placed his hand on her stomach gently, trying to urge her body to straighten up, even a little.

“But I can’t leave while you look like this, darlin’.” He murmured sweetly, suddenly realizing that Esme was going to be a problem, for him. His need to make sure she was safe was trouble. His inability to upset her was trouble. His need to touch her, as long as she would let him was trouble.

He was in trouble.



Dean brushed the last bit of grass off his jeans as he stomped up the steps and opened the front door. He stepped inside and instantly stopped, seeing Duke sitting on the couch next to Esme, leaning with her and speaking to her in a low voice. He was taking care of her, and Dean, being the idiot he was…had been outside throwing a fit. He frowned, slowly walking over to the couch and sitting on Esme’s other side without a word at first.

Dean reached up, brushing Esme’s braid back to her back, and leaned forward, almost double on himself to press his forehead to the side of her face, “What’s going on? You okay?”

“I’ll stay…” Duke nodded to Esme, and Dean raised his head quickly, looking over at Duke with wide eyes. Was he thinking about leaving? Had he been on his way out the door? So, Esme had talked him into staying somehow. It sat weird in Dean’s mind, and as Duke lifted his own head and met Dean’s eyes, Dean gave him a look that asked ‘what are you doing?’. Duke simply tilted his head, pressing his lips tightly together, which caused Dean to sigh and bend back to whisper in Esme’s ear.

“Everything’s okay. Just try to relax…” He whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to her ear.

Esme hardly noticed when Duke sat beside her on the couch until he wrapped his arm around her back and held onto her arm. She half expected him to be still standing in the middle of the living room or continuing his walk out the door. So, it surprised her that he actually came and sat beside her after she sat back down. She listened to what he said and softly shook her head as she opened her eyes and dropped her hand from her face. “Even with that. I shouldn’t have demanded that you two work things out. It wasn’t my place. I haven’t been around you with Dean long enough to make such demands.” she said softly, as she felt Duke wedge his hand between her legs and stomach gently, knowing what he was trying to do. Esme tried to straighten up but took a sharp breath through her nose as she did. She couldn’t just yet. Duke’s following words caused her to cut her eyes over to him. Why would her like this stop him from leaving if leaving was what he wanted to do? What did her physical state have to do with anything he did?

The next thing Esme knew, Dean crossed the living room and silently sat on her other side. She turned her head more towards him as he brushed her braid behind her, then leaned down to press his forehead against the side of her face and ask his questions. “I’ll be fine. Just give me a bit.” she said softly, trying to mask the pain in her voice, just before Duke spoke. When Dean lifted his head from hers, Esme nodded silently to Duke with a weak smile on her lips. She was glad he wasn’t going to leave in his state of mind but also wondered why he actually decided to stay. During the brief silence, Esme could feel the looks the boys were giving each other, and she slightly worried something would break out right there with her stuck between them. She mentally relaxed when Dean sighed, leaned back in, and whispered to her, then pressed a gentle kiss to her ear. The sweet action caused Esme to close her eyes and softly nod. “I’m trying.” she whispered, taking a breath and slowly letting it out. She leaned her head against Dean and focused on relaxing, which was proving to be a bit difficult with how strange it felt being sandwiched between the two boys.

She did everything she could to relax, like pushing everything from her mind, including her anger at Dean, Duke leaving while upset, her need to call her father, and that Duke’s hand was still on her stomach, and his arm was still around her with Dean on her other side. She focused on her breathing as well as Deans, finally feeling herself starting to relax. It took a few minutes before she felt relaxed enough to try to straighten herself up again. Lifting her from Dean, she took a breath and straightened herself up, with a few choice words in Gaelic under her breath and a groan. She leaned into Dean, taking another breath and slowly letting it out. “Please, don’t let me get up like that again any time soon.” she whispered to them. “I’m usually pretty good with pain, but god, that was horrible.” She was still hurting quite a bit, but it was slowly becoming more tolerable as she sat there leaning against Dean. After all that, Esme felt she could take a long nap, but she really didn’t want to. “Alright, so what’s next?” she asked.

That girl is trouble.
That was the thought that kept rolling over in Dukes brain as he lay on his bed. He stared at the ceiling of the RV, trying to find a water spot or some shape to concentrate on. It had been 24 hours. Just 24 hours, and his thoughts were consumed by the way she hugged him, the way she said his name, the way tears looked in her eyes, the specific tone of her skin under bruises, the way her hair fell onto her shoulder when she wasn’t paying attention, the way she seemed to care…

He growled as he wrinkled his nose in disgust at his own mushy feelings, never really paying much mind to women in any way than a colleague, when he was forced to work with people other than Dean. It wasn’t like him to even make friends, much less be this infatuated with someone. And that someone? Well there was a very well defined wall between the way his hands vibrated when he was in the same room with her, and his actual ability to try and form some sort of relationship with her.

Dean.
She was crazy about him. And obviously, by how sweet and awkward and weird Dean could get around her, the feeling was mutual. Duke groaned and wiped his hands down his face, embarrassed even though he was alone in the quiet trailer.

He sat up suddenly, “That’s enough…”
And as he threw his legs over the side of the bed, he sighed. She wasn’t awake to talk him out of leaving this time. He would be most of the way to Kansas before she even opened her eyes. He shoved his feet in his boots, opened the tiny closet next to his sink and pulled out his bug out bag. He hadn’t even stripped down for the night before bed, because he felt that he might change his mind. Sure enough, he grabbed his hat from the table, placed it on his head and then swiped his keys, throwing his backpack onto his shoulder. With one final look to make sure he wasn’t forgetting anything, he turned and walked out of the RV.

A few moments later his white truck roared to life, and he slowly pulled out of the parking lot with a sigh.



Duke pulled into the gravel lot, the familiar wave of “home” washed over him, the second he parked beside Bobby’s Chevelle SS and turned the engine off. He didn’t know why he came back. Maybe it was to finish healing up from the last hunt he had managed to survive by the skin of his teeth, or maybe it was just the need to touch familiar ground. Maybe he just missed home.

He stepped out of the truck, closing the bloody drivers door with a scrunched nose. He really needed to wash his truck.

The gravel beneath his boots sounded so nice, it was like a choir singing, beckoning him into the old house to grab a beer and just…take it all in.

His hair was a bit longer and messier on the top of his head, now just long enough to lose the slight spike it usually had. It was flattened down, laying over his eyes under a wide white cowboy hat that always seemed to have at least a little blood on it. His flannel that he sported under his denim jacket fit a little tighter across his chest from the tiniest bit of muscle growth. He had been working hard, hunting…surviving, and it showed. His face sported a healing black eye and a pretty deep bruise on his jaw and throat but in hunters terms…he was back in one piece.

Autumn was coming, and Duke could feel it in the South Dakota air as he leaned his head back and breathed deeply. The serene feeling was only broken, when he heard a tool clanging in the garage directly in front of him. Bobby stepped out of the covered carport and as usual, being used to Duke showing back up after his running spells, Bobby’s face didn’t hold any contempt. Bobby simply strolled across the lot, a wrench in his hand and as soon as he approached Duke, he threw his arms around his neck. Duke instinctively brought his hand up and caught his hat before it could be knocked off, and wrapped his free arm around Bobby’s back.

“It’s good to see you boy!” Bobby’s voice shook against the side of Dukes face and Duke sighed with a smile.

“You too, Bobby…”


Dean nuzzled Esme's hair as he woke up with a tired groan, not exactly excited to greet the day. He had work to do for Bobby, and the wire was surprisingly quiet, which meant he had been stuck around the house for the past week, just doing chores and work for other hunters that were lucky enough to have jobs. He tightened the arm she was laying on around her, brushing his fingers through her hair as he allowed his eyes to flutter open and stare at the ceiling.

It had been a peaceful month, even if the boredom was killing him. A lot of talking had occurred, feelings had been shared (even if his arm had to be a little twisted for it to happen) and he was feeling oddly rested and secure. But Bobby would want him. He could hear him tinkering in the garage below them, grumbling at the old car he was attempting to repair for a hunter.

"Good morning sweetheart." He mumbled in Esme's hair, scooting himself down on the bed a bit so that he could face her, as awkwardly as the position wrenched his shoulder. He nuzzled at her nose, and chuckled under his breath, "As much as I would love to lay here with you all day, we gotta get up and get to work. And then tonight...after dinner...I'll make it up to you."

The mischief dripped from his voice as he brought his other hand down to trace her eyebrows, in an attempt to make her open her eyes and look at him. He would never admit it to anyone outside of this room, but now that he had her...practically locked in Bobby's house with nothing to focus on but their relationship: He was in love with her.



Dean looked up as soon as he heard the truck door slam, a sound that he would recognize anywhere, any time, at this point. He was sat at the kitchen table, a map in front of him and a red sharpie in his hand, trying to piece together a pattern to relay to one of Bobby’s hunters. He didn’t expect Duke to be back for weeks. So, he made a mental note that this was some sort of record for the kid. Either he was injured, which Dean didn’t want to think about, or he was feeling more homesick this time. Dean would almost bet money on the former, and the thought caused his stomach to cramp. He really didn’t want to see the shape Duke was in.

He sat back and picked up his coffee cup, calling out to Esme with a sigh, “Dukes home…”

Esme was sleeping peacefully next to Dean, her head on his chest and arm draping over his stomach. The past month had been relatively peaceful. There hadn’t been much to worry about after she got Dean to talk to her and share feelings, even though she had to twist his arm, and the two of them had gotten closer. With nothing to do the past week except answer phones and help Dean and Bobby help other hunters, things were too eventful. It was getting quite dull, actually. Her father, Sassy, and other family hadn’t even contacted her to help with anything they had going on. But she couldn’t complain too much. She had a roof over her head, food in her belly, and she was with Dean. Esme couldn’t ask for much more at that point, even if she was itching to get out and do something because she didn’t know how much longer she could stay in the house. However, it had helped with her and Dean’s relationship, having nothing by time together.

When Dean nuzzled her head and groaned tiredly, Esme’s wake-up process started, but she wasn’t ready to open her eyes yet. She wasn’t even ready to move yet. She was far too comfortable. When Dean tightened his arm around her and brushed his finger through her hair, she snuggled up to him more. Despite the sounds from the garage below them, Esme felt she could sleep a little longer and felt herself trying to drift off again. If it hadn’t been for Dean mumbling into her hair and scooting himself down on the bed, she would have drifted back off. She couldn’t stop the soft smile that came to her lips when he nuzzled her nose and spoke to her under his breath. She also took note of the mischief in his tone and almost laughed with him. It was hard to turn down. As he traced her eyebrows, Esme let her eyes flutter open and looked at him. “I’ll hold you to it.” she said tiredly, smiling warmly. It was at that moment that Esme realized just how strong her feelings for Dean had grown. It was almost scary, but she couldn’t deny it. She really did love him.


Esme was sitting on the floor, Indian style, in front of Bobby’s desk, pouring herself over books and cross-referencing to help out one of Bobby’s hunters. At the sound of a truck door slamming outside, she looked up from the books and out the window but couldn’t see much from where she sat. She hadn’t been around long enough to know that it was Duke who had just pulled in and was outside talking to Bobby. When Dean called to her, she looked to the kitchen and nodded, even if he couldn’t see it. “Really? With how you talked about how he runs off, I figured he’d be gone longer.” she called back with a soft sigh. Picking up her coffee cup that sat next to her, she brought it to her lips and took a drink before setting it back down and returning to what she was doing. Esme knew she should probably take a break to stretch and rest her eyes, but she couldn’t get herself to do it, even if her back was starting to ache with the way she was sitting and her legs and feet felt like they were going numb.

Esme found the place she left off, sliding her finger over the page as she read it. Holding her place with her finger, she switched to another book and used her other hand to keep her place as she read through the book. Grabbing the pad of paper and pen on the opposite side of her, she jotted down notes, making them as legible as she could. Then dove right back in to find out more to help the hunter, who had gotten lucky enough to find something to do. She wasn’t a fan of this part of the job, but she knew it was just as important as going out there and hunting. With a sigh, she ran a hand through her hair as she continued to pour herself over the books in front of her silently. Everything around her faded out as she concentrated on the words within the books.

Duke stepped away from Bobby after promising to help him with the Chevelle later on, and walked across the lot. As he entered the covered garage area, his heart began to beat a little faster. Coming face to face with Dean after a month away never went well. He slowly approached the house, reaching up to press his hat further down on his head and then opened the back door. The first person he saw was Dean, sitting at the table with a map and a sharpie. He figured Bobby had him on information duty, and sure enough, the closer he got, he could see that the case was already started. Dean was just pouring over notes.

“Mornin’.” Duke called to him, walking around the back of his chair. Dean didn’t say anything at first, as he kept drawing the line he was in the middle of, but when Duke wrapped an arm around his neck, Dean sighed and patted his arm.

“Morning. Where you coming from?” Dean asked and Duke shrugged his shoulders.

“Iowa. North Dakota. Few places. I feel worse than I look and I look better than I did when I left. So, that’s a win, right?” Duke joked, tossing his bag into one of the kitchen chairs. It was then that his eyes fell on Esme and he sighed, “Hey there beautiful. Good to see you’re still here…I guess.”

“We’ve been here the whole time. You got any broken bones?”

“No. Just a busted eye and some scrapes and bruises. Nothin’ bad.” Duke murmured back to Dean, before turning his attention back to Esme, “You look better than the last time I saw you. I should leave more often.”

“Well…no broken bones and you don’t seem on the verge of death. So, why did you come back so early?” Dean grumbled. And Duke sighed.

“Because I missed my house. I can’t miss you guys? We should go out tonight…the three of us. My treat.” Duke diffused Dean, definitely not wanting the fight he knew Dean was trying to start. He wasn’t really feeling the whole ‘where were you? What were you doing? Why do you always run? You’re a horrible son…blahblahblah’ at the moment. “We wanna go out together? What the hell happened while I was gone?”

Esme didn’t pay much attention to the back door opening and closing, signaling Duke had walked into the kitchen. She had gotten too engrossed in the books in front of her and making notes on her notepad. She didn’t even look up when Dean and Duke began talking in the kitchen. She wanted to get this done so she could take a break and stretch her back and legs. Esme already knew she wouldn’t be able to stand by the time she finished. They had gone numb and were slightly starting to ache. She couldn’t feel her feet at all, but she was determined to get through it. When Duke noticed her and spoke to her, she was in the process of jotting something down. “Hey.” she said simply while still jotting down her notes. Esme returned to reading while Dean pulled Duke’s attention back to him. When Duke spoke to her again, she had just turned the page in a couple of books and sighed and rolled her eyes at Duke’s words with a shake of her head. She didn’t have time to answer before Dean chimed in again. It was clear to see that Dean was trying to start something, which made her sigh.

Esme read a little more and made a few more notes before it became too hard for her to concentrate on her task with the back-and-forth between the boys. Sitting up, she grabbed her coffee cup and took a long drink before setting it back beside her. Then, Esme closed the books and pushed them off to the side. She then stretched out her legs with a wince and a muffled groan as she listened to Duke’s suggestion to go out tonight, just the three of them. She couldn't deny that it sounded like a good idea, especially with how long Dean and her had been cooped up in the house. Esme ran her hands up and down her legs as she looked up at Dean in the kitchen. “Whatcha say, Dean?” she asked him. “It’s not a bad idea…. I think we could both use a night out with how long we’ve been cooped up in here, and I know the boredom has to be getting to you.” As Esme started to feel the feeling in her legs come back, she moved her legs and feet a bit to help the process along further. After a moment, she brought her knees up and stretched out her back.

She placed a hand on her knee and twisted her torso to the right, popping her back, then did the left side. Then, she proceeded to pop her neck. “That’s better.” she sighed. She then took to her feet, even though her legs and feet were still a tad tingly. She knew she didn’t have to voice her boredom to Dean since he knew she didn’t like being cooped up, even if she could step outside for some fresh air. It just wasn’t the same as getting away for a while. Bending, she picked up her coffee cup and finished what little was in it. Then, she walked into the kitchen and passed the boys to pour herself another cup. After pouring herself a new cup, she turned and leaned against the counter, cradling the cup in her hands, now taking the time actually to look at both boys, noticing the shape Duke came home in and how he had changed a bit in his appearance. “After all we’ve done to help Bobby around here, I don't think he’d mind if we ran off to have some time for ourselves.” she told Dean. Esme lifted her cup to her lips and took a sip of her coffee without taking her eyes off of Dean.

“Nothing happened while you were gone. We’ve been…here. Things have been quiet.” Dean chimed in as Esme began to stretch and ready herself to stand. Duke looked back at Dean, narrowing his eyes and then back down at Esme who still hadn’t really acknowledged him, past a simple ‘hi’. Either they had discussed him, or she was upset with him for leaving…or her and Dean had been way way way closer the past several weeks than ever, which was going to be awkward out with the three of them.

Then Esme suggested that they go out together, and Duke smirked, turning to Dean. Finally, she acknowledged him. Dean took a drink from his coffee and turned his eyes down to the map, as he drew his final line with the marker in his hand. He dropped the marker on the table and looked up at Duke as Esme stood from the from the floor and Duke hovered his hand out, like he was waiting to help her up.

After Esme was on her feet and stretched out, she walked right past Duke, heading to get more coffee without looking at him, and Duke frowned as he watched her. His normally chatty nature was lost, as he just watched her keep the entirety of her attention on Dean.

Dean sighed and leaned back in his chair, placing both hands on the back of his head as he looked up at Esme, watching every move she made, down to the way the coffee cup touched her lips. Duke chewed at his lip, placing his hands on his hips, and tilting his head down as the need to ask about the tension he felt around him, no matter how misplaced or misjudged was. The reality was, the tension was coming from HIS shoulders. He was a little offended that neither of them seemed happy to see him. Neither of them seemed like they cared that he came back.

“I can go on my own. I just thought we might could put last month behind us and have some fun.” Duke sighed, dropping his hands. He walked over and picked his bag up from the chair he had thrown it into but Dean cleared his throat.

“Alright. We can go out.” Dean said, looking up at Esme with an unsure but willing look. He gathered all of the information from the table, and stacked it, writing a quick note for Bobby on a torn off sheet of paper. He placed the piece of paper on the top of the pile, and scooted his chair back just as Duke stepped up to the back door.

“By the way…I’m happy to see both of you. Just thought you might want to know.” Duke muttered, snapping a bit as he pushed the back door open to head out to his RV and change clothes.

“And he’s upset. He’s going to sulk all night…” Dean sighed, waving his hand at the door. He shook his head and walked his coffee mug over to the sink, turning to Esme, “Just because I don’t really trust that he’s back doesn’t mean that you can’t…talk to him or anything. We talked about that.”

Esme remained quiet as she stood against the counter with her coffee. She could feel the tension in the air and see it in Duke’s shoulders. She also knew he had to be upset with her saying nothing but ‘Hey’ to him since he walked through the door, but honestly, she didn’t know what else to say to him. The way he left didn’t sit well with her, even though she had Dean's warning beforehand. Yes, she was used to people coming and going in her life, but not like how Duke did it. With how Dean spoke about Duke, she knew this would be something she’d have to get used to, but she was starting to think it would be difficult. Esme knew that he probably thought she wasn't happy to see him back, but she was, even though she still hardly knew him. She was glad to see he came back relatively in one piece since she knew he left upset in the middle of the night. Duke's sighed comment about him going alone made it clear that he felt they weren't happy to see him. Esme watched as he went over, grabbed his bag from the chair, and then headed to the back door, only stopping when Dean cleared his throat.

When Dean said they would go out, she saw his uncertain but willing look. She felt the same, but she knew they needed to get out before they both lost their minds, with nothing to look forward to but chores and helping other hunters. Esme watched Dean gather all the information into a pile, write Bobby a note, and set it on top of the stack before scooting his chair back. Her attention was pulled to Duke as he stepped to the back door and spoke to both of them, flinching a bit. She sighed as the door closed behind Duke, seeing how upset Duke was. She looked down into her coffee cup as Dean stated the obvious, then took a drink of her coffee, lowering it as Dean walked over to the sink and turned to her. Holding her cup at chest level, Esme closed her eyes and sighed heavily at Dean’s words. She knew that he didn’t have to tell her, that’s not why she didn’t say much to him. “I know that….” she started, opening her eyes and looking into her cup again. Looking up from her cup, she looked at Dean, clearly struggling to find the right words to say to him.

“I just don’t know how to talk to him after how he left, and then he just randomly shows back up as if nothing happened. I know I shouldn’t be, but I’m still bothered by how he left. Maybe it’s because I feel it was partly my fault. Which I know you’re going to say it wasn’t.” Sighing heavily through her nose, Esme looked at the back door Duke had just gone through. She knew she could either let him stew or go after him, talk to him, and smooth things over. With the type of person she was, she couldn’t just let him go and stew. She had to try to smooth things over. “And you know he’s upset because he thinks we’re not happy he’s back.” she added. “It was written all over his face, as well as how he spoke.” Esme took another drink from her cup and set it on the counter before looking at Dean. “I can’t let this sit. I have to fix it. I’m going to go talk to him.” she told Dean. “I’ll be right back. And don’t worry about my mess in there. I’ll get it when I get back in.”

She then stood on her toes, kissing Dean’s cheek before turning and walking to and out the back door. As she made her way through the garage, she watched where she placed her bare feet so as to not step on anything. She finally caught up to him and called out to him. “Duke?.... Wait!” She closed the gap between them just enough to where she would have to yell over Bobby’s tinkering. “Duke, I’m….. I’m sorry for upsetting you in there.” she started, looking up at him. “First, I was so engrossed in those books and talking notes, it was hard to pull away to give you a proper welcome. Then…..” she stopped herself and sighed heavily. “I don’t quite know how to talk to you now.” she admitted as she looked off to the side, then back to him. Esme almost felt like she needed to sit down and talk to him all over again, but she knew Dean wouldn’t go for that. He’d prefer she not get too comfortable with Duke because he didn’t want Duke to hurt her by his bolting nature.

Dean looked down at Esme expectantly, but not pushy as he let her collect her thoughts. He had worked on his patience, a lot. He didn’t feel the need to hold her so close to his chest anymore. They had made long strides in the past month, and he was happy about that. He couldn’t help the scoff that left his chest when she said ‘he shows back up as if nothing happened’.

“Yeah, he tends to do that. I probably should have included that in the warning label.” Dean muttered, placing his hands on his hips as he grappled with the idea of a mopey Duke all night. Maybe he could get him drunk, hook him up with some random girl, and he would be better. Duke’s problem wasn’t anything other than Dean not being exactly ready to clean his boots for him, just because he stepped back into the house. Dean was tired. He was tired of worrying about one of a very small group of people he couldn’t cut out of his life if he tried.

“He’s upset because he thinks I’m not happy to see him. He does this every other time he leaves. You don’t have to fix him, Esme. He’s a big boy. But if you will lose sleep at night, which I feel like you will…go talk to him.” Dean sighed, shaking his head, “Just…never mind. Go. If anything, it will put him in a better mood when we go out.”

As Esme kissed his cheek, he leaned into her briefly, before dropping his hand and rolling his eyes. He needed a shower, and he needed to prepare himself for Duke’s first night back…


Duke was already most of the way to the RV when Esme’s voice called his name. He frowned, but didn’t turn around at first, until she was close enough that he knew he couldn’t ignore her. He closed his eyes tightly, huffing through his nose. Of course she followed him. Of course the trouble was going to start up again and he had just walked through the door.

“Esme…” Duke warned, but as he turned to look at her, her blue eyes took him off guard and he shut his mouth, sighing as he placed his hands on his hips and scuffed his boot on the gravel below him. When she began to apologize, he shook his head, though he was lying through his teeth.

“You didn’t upset me. I’m not upset. I just…”, he started, only to press his lips together again. It’s not like he could lie to her. She could obviously read every expression on his face and he wasn’t good at hiding any of them, anyway. Poker wasn’t his game for a reason. Duke simply nodded at her words, but tilted his head when she cut herself off, genuinely curious what she was going to say. But it didn’t take long for her to say something that completely crushed him.

‘I don’t quite know how to talk to you now.’

Duke shuddered, and frowned, a sad chuckle breaking from his chest as he looked down at the ground and tightened his grip on his bag, “I’m the same person I was when I left. Little banged up. A little more muscle, but it’s still me. I don’t…”

He shook his head, bringing his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose as he sighed, “This is about me leavin’ after I said I wasn’t, isn’t it? I don’t even know where to start explainin’ that in a way that won’t get me in a world of trouble. But I…I’m sorry? I didn’t know it would mean so much to you.”

Duke realized that he had just rambled to this girl. No flirtations. No winks or flashing the blue eyes. Just rambled and he instantly regretted it. So he sighed, unable to stop the frustrated growl that left his throat as he shook his head, stepping back from her a few steps.

“But hey. Dean warned ya…right?”

Esme could feel the lie coming even before Duke opened his mouth, and apparently, he could tell she knew he was lying before he cut himself off. Plus, she hated it when people lied to her. It rubbed her the wrong way. She would much rather someone keep it from her than lie to her face. His lie about not being upset caused her to narrow her eyes at him slightly. They remained that way even when he shuddered, frowned, and sadly chuckled at her statement of not knowing how to talk to him. She could tell how hard it hit him, but that was how she felt. She didn’t see why she should hide that from him. But when he answered, he spoke about his physical appearance, which wasn’t what she was referring to, and Duke seemed to realize that after he spoke. Esme watched him as he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed before talking about him leaving. Yes, she was referring to that, but she didn’t nod when he asked. She just listened to him as he spoke, not really liking how he said he couldn’t explain without getting himself into a world of trouble.

Even after he apologized and said that he didn’t know it would mean so much to her, Esme almost wanted to tell him to try. But something told her that he wouldn’t as he rambled to her. His frustrated growl caught her off guard, and she looked back at him as he stepped back from her. Duke’s following words caused her to knit her eyebrows together. So, that’s how he wanted to play it. Play it like she knew what she should expect from his running. Yeah, maybe she should have, but Dean did leave out a few details. But that didn’t mean Duke had to throw it in her face. Esme sighed, threw up her hands, and turned her back on Duke. “I don’t even know why I felt the need to try.” she said softly and mostly to herself. She came out here to fix what she did, feeling bad for upsetting him, and now he’s deflecting. Why? If that’s what he wanted to do, then fine. She ran a frustrated hand through her hair and sighed heavily through her nose, not realizing she was channeling some of his frustration as she stood in the garage with him.

“You know what? Forget I even came out here.” Esme told Duke. Without another word, she stepped away from him and back towards the back door, hissing after a few steps. “Dammit to hell!” she growled. Her bare foot had come down on a socket wrench that didn’t make it into a toolbox. Bending down, she picked it up, tossed it into a nearby toolbox, and continued on her way with a slight limp in her step. ‘Next time, I’ll just let him pout.’ she thought as she walked through the garage. She was now wondering if they should even go out together tonight. There would definitely be some tension in the air around them after this. The talk with Duke surely didn’t go the way she had planned, and she regretted even running after him to apologize.

Oh no…There was that feeling in Duke’s gut again.

As Esme threw her hands up and turned her back on him, Duke’s stomach dipped and it was as if he was watching himself hurt her all over again. Though, he wasn’t sure why she was so hurt by him leaving in the first place. They had shared a moment…a moment that ruined Duke’s ability to keep away from her, knowing she was just right there. He could touch her any time he wanted, but at the same time, he couldn’t. She was trouble…

“Esme wait…” Duke muttered, dropping his chin almost to his chest as she stepped away from him, clearly frustrated and finished trying to fix whatever it was she could see as broken between them. He couldn’t place it either. But when she called back to him, telling him to forget she even came outside, Duke’s shoulders fell and he dropped his bag next to the RV, stepping off from his planted place in the gravel. “Wait wait wait.”

He had broke into a run, until he heard her cry out in what he could only assume was pain. He broke into a light run, and skidded to a stop beside her, wrapping his hand around her upper arm before he even realized what he was doing. He turned her quickly to face him and caught her eyes with a worried look on his face. He realized pretty quickly that she had just stepped on something barefoot and she would live, but also that she was genuinely upset with him for leaving.

“Hey.” He started, his bright blue eyes scanning hers for a moment before he swallowed thickly and then wrapped her up in his arms. He tilted his hat back onto the back of his head. It was a mistake to hug her. He knew that. Any touch was a mistake, after the weird intense emotions he had felt last time she was in his arms. But he held her there for a while, pressing his lips to the top of her head. “I’m sorry. I’m…I’m a little nervous to be back is all. I mean it when I say that I can’t explain why I left. There’s no way you would understand in a way that wouldn’t make me look horrible.”

Duke pulled away from the hug, his hands lingering against her body a clear indicator that it took everything he had to let her go, and then he placed both hands on her upper arms, holding her in front of him so he could lean down with wide eyes and talk to her on her level, “You promise to at least let me buy you a drink and me and you will sit on that tailgate out there…and I’ll…I’ll do the best I can to explain everything. When I’m done, if you want me gone…I’m gone.”

Esme didn’t stop when she heard Duke call to her. She just wanted to get back inside and away from him momentarily. She needed to collect her thoughts and rethink everything, especially why she felt the need to come out here and apologize to Duke. Esme hardly knew him. She had only been around him for 24 hours before he had decided to bolt and stay gone for a month. What was it about this guy that made her feel this way? She had stepped between him and Dean and demanded that they work out the problems between them, and now she felt the need to come out and fix what upset him. What was her empathy picking up about him that she hadn’t caught on to yet? Thinking about it made her head spin and hurt at the same time. Duke’s running footsteps echoed in the distance as she searched her mind for answers. She didn’t hear him skid to a stop next to her. When he grabbed her arm and spun her to face him, she gasped and caught his eye, seeing the worry on his face, but that didn’t stop her from narrowing her eyes at him.

As Duked pulled Esme into a hug, she raised her arms and placed them between them. She didn’t want to hug him, and she didn’t want him hugging her. Pushing against his chest, she tried to push herself away from him but couldn’t. So she kept her face turned away from him until he let her go. She took in his words, not liking them one bit. She couldn’t quite understand what could make him look so horrible at that moment. Esme also couldn’t understand why he cared how she saw him. It wasn’t like there was much between them except for that moment of comfort a month ago. When he pulled away from the hug, she noticed how his hands lingered against her body as if struggling to let her go. When Esme thought Duke was going to let her go, he didn’t. He took hold of her upper arms, held her in front of him, and came down to her level to talk to her. Her eyes remained narrowed as she took in his words and looked into his wide blue eyes. When he finished, Esme shrugged out of his grip and took several steps back from him.

“I can't promise anything.” she said, nearly snapping at him. She took a few more steps back to avoid getting drawn into another hug by him. “I’m not upset because you left, Duke. I get you had to leave after you and Dean sparred.” she told him. The frustration was evident in her tone as she spoke to Duke. “What’s upsetting about you leaving is the way you left. I know it was mostly Dean that caused you to go, but it also made me feel like I was part of the reason to…. I know it shouldn't bother me since we don't know each other that well, but it does.” she admitted, not knowing why. Esme looked past Duke and sighed heavily through her nose. Her hands clenched into fists. “I don't want to be someone that puts tension or stress between you and Dean, and I’m not going to force you to leave your own home. I'm the guest here…. If things go south, you can bet your ass I’ll be the one leaving here.” As Esme spoke, you could feel she meant every word she said. Esme fully planned on leaving if she felt she was a problem between the boys.

Duke held his hands up in defense as Esme shrugged out of his grip and took a few steps back from him. He had felt her struggling against his chest when he hugged her. He had assumed it was just her frustration with him in the moment, and so he had hugged her through it. But now, it was obvious she didn’t want to be touched…at all. The tone of her voice stung a little, but Duke straightened his cowboy hat and placed his hands on his hips, listening to what she had to say.

He was a bit surprised to hear her say that she wasn’t upset with him for leaving and that she understood why he left. In fact, he was instantly confused and he tilted his head, opening his mouth to speak before she continued. But she began speaking almost instantly and he closed his mouth again, his eyes widening at her assertion that he had blamed her for his leaving…or that she was at fault in some way. There was truth to her statement, but not because she had come between him and Dean. It was because his feelings toward her were complicated and he had only just met her.

“I didn’t…” He started as she continued again, looking almost more angry than before. He turned his eyes down to her clenched fists and he sighed. As she finished, he huffed, and took a step forward, holding a hand out in front of him to make sure she knew that he wasn’t going to touch her unless she wanted him to.

“Okay. First off…I’m glad that you want me around.” He half teased, his nose twitching as he fought down a smirk, to make sure she didn’t think he was patronizing her in any way. “Second, you ain’t puttin’ no more tension on me and Dean than we put on ourselves. We have been at it for a while. I’ve known him almost my whole life. In fact, I’ve picked up a few…quite a few of his girls and put them back together before sendin’ them home to their parents. You know how he can be.”

He shook his head, and pointed his finger at her, “And you are not leavin’ this house, because of me. Bobby likes havin’ you around and apparently so does Dean. You gotta understand that I leave to relieve that pressure valve, a lot of times. It’s easier to give Dean a breather, than to beat each other’s asses every few months when we butt heads. We’re too much alike.”

Duke raised a single hand, and he slowly reached down, leaning forward a bit while keeping enough distance to keep her comfortable, and he picked up her hand.

“How about we take a deep breath, alright? I’m sorry I made it weird the second I walked into the house. I’m sorry I ran off when things were tense and made you think I ran away from you. And I’m sorry…that I have to refuse to leave well enough alone, because I want to be around you. I want us to be friends.” He explained sweetly, taking one more step forward as he dipped his head. Half of what he said was an absolute lie.

He did leave to get away from her, at least partially. He could see her being a huge problem for him, but she was a problem his brain wouldn’t let him leave alone. He should have walked back into the RV, unpacked his stuff, and gone to a bar to pick up some sweet girl. But he was standing there, in front of Esme, practically begging her with his bright blue eyes to give him a chance…maybe not quite the chance he wished he would have had in a perfect world, but a chance none the less.

“So, how about this…” He glanced out toward his truck and then back down to her, “After we go to the bar, and we get back home…no girls tonight. I will be out there sittin’ on that tailgate and if you show up, I’ll do my best to explain. If you don’t, I’ll take the hint and we don’t have to be friends.”

Esme continued to look past Duke as he spoke, focusing on nothing in particular. She didn’t know why she was standing there. She should have walked into the house after she had said what she wanted to say, but yet she was still standing in front of him. Her jaw tightened at his half-tease, not finding it funny or the right time to be teasing. Esme listened to his second statement, only partly believing she wasn’t putting more tension on them than they already had. She didn’t find it very surprising that Duke would pick up the girls that Dean had been with, and yes, she knew how Dean could be. When Duke pointed at her, she returned her eyes to him, narrowing them a little more. She listened to his words but still shook her head at the fact that he was the only reason she would be leaving. She knew how much Bobby and Dean liked having her around. Not only had she felt it from them, but they had also told her. But she couldn’t stick around any place long if there was a lot of tension hanging in the air. It made her sick and quite challenging to be around.

However, that was something Duke didn’t know since he didn’t know she was an Empath, and she wasn’t sure any of them would ever tell him. That wasn’t something she shared openly with just anyone. In the short time she’d known Duke, she could see how much alike Dean and Duke were and could see why they would butt heads often, but that didn’t make her feel much better. Esme’s eyes dropped to his hand as he raised it. He slowly reached down for her hand as he leaned forward a bit. He just couldn’t help himself. He just had to touch her when he knew she didn’t want to be. She clenched her teeth as her eyes returned to his face as he spoke again. Esme listened, picking up on his lie straight away. He had done it again, lied right to her face, and then dipped his head. He wanted to be friends, but here he was, lying to her face again. She knew the lie was about her, but she didn’t know the full extent of the lie. She could tell he liked her, but nothing more than that since she didn’t concentrate too hard on it, and she was still learning the extent of her empathy.

Esme would never think it was more than that from Duke. She stayed quiet, his begging words rolling around in her mind until he spoke again, watching him glance to his truck and back at her. When he finished, she pulled her hand out of his and took several steps toward the back door. “No.” she started, looking at him. “When you can stop lying to me. Then we can think about being friends. I don’t do well with being lied to, Duke. The sooner you figure that out, the better it’ll be for you. I understand keeping things from me, I can’t be friends with someone who lies to me.” she told him flatly. “Dean keeps things from me, but he doesn’t lie to me. Not after the last time I called him out on it.” Without another word, she turned and walked to the door, opened it, and walked inside without looking back at Duke. Once inside, Esme walked through the kitchen and into the living room, where she left the books on the floor and tidied up the mess she had left in front of Bobby’s desk. Once that was picked up, she headed for the stairs, went up to the guest room, shut the door behind her, walked over, and sat on the bed with a heavy sigh.

Esme laid back on the bed, closing her eyes tightly and running her hands down her face in frustration. Then brought her hands to rest on her stomach, taking slow, deep breaths to calm herself. She hated getting this worked up. It always took her some time to calm herself back down, and it always made her crave a lot of chocolate. It also drained her, making her feel horrible.

Duke looked down at Esme’s hand as she pulled it away from him, furrowing his brow in confusion. He couldn’t fathom her not at least wanting to talk to him about this. But then she said the word ‘no’ and Duke blanched, his head yanking back as if the word had slapped him in the face. He watched her face intently, searching for any sign where he had said something wrong.

“Esme I’m not…” Duke attempted to defend himself, cutting his words off as she continued accusing him of lying to her. He didn’t feel like he was lying, not really. He felt like he was protecting what could be some very delicate feelings toward him.

‘I can’t be friends with someone who lies to me’

That was the gut punch. He zoned out a bit after that, hearing Dean’s name. Of course she would bring up Dean, as if Dean hadn’t lied about a handful of things. Most likely, half the things she knew about him were lies. He reached his hand out, just as she disappeared into the kitchen and Duke let out an exasperated sigh, growling to himself through gritted teeth.

“You alright, kid?” Bobby called out from seemingly nowhere. Duke flinched, turning around with his fists balled up as Bobby walked up, wiping his hands on a shop towel. Duke lowered his fists and sighed, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.

“Jesus Christ, Bobby. How long have you been watchin’ us?”

“Oh. I ain’t watching you. This metal awning echoes, boy. I heard everything, including you offering a girl to…what was it again? Sit on the tailgate and talk about your feelings. I think it’s all adorable and everything, but what’s going on, Jason?” Bobby started with a smile on his face, but when Duke reacted badly, and then a little more badly with his body language, Bobby’s expression turned more to concern.

“It’s Duke.”

“Yeah. Alright. I’m sorry. What’s going on…Duke?” Bobby corrected himself, stepping a little closer as Duke threw up his hands. He wanted to spill the feelings and get them off his chest but he didn’t even know where to start.

“It’s nothing. I just wanted to try and make the best out of her bein’ here, you know? I’m back and I thought she could use a friend. But it seems like a lot changed while I was gone.” Duke muttered sadly, and dropped his eyes to his feet. Which caused Bobby to shake his own head, his expression softening as he tried to think of a way to comfort the kid.

“I would say so. They’re stuck at the hip, now more than ever. They work all their cases together. They sleep in the same bed. It’s a little more…advanced than when you left.” Bobby explained, his voice gentle.

“Yeah. I can see that…”

“So that’s why you had a real hard time letting that girl walk into that house to her boyfriend. You…in your ramblin’ little brain…” Bobby started, before smirking sadly, “That heart of gold has feelings for a girl. Well…ain’t that something.”

“It’s not like that. I just want to get to know her, okay? She’s…I can’t get her out of my head…” Duke started and Bobby held up a hand, pointing at the kitchen door before gesturing toward the bay where his car sat, hood up.

“Lets go grab a couple glasses of whiskey, alright? No need to complicate things.”


Dean turned the shower off, his ear perking up as he heard the bedroom door open and close before he could step out. He assumed it was Esme and shrugged it off, before stepping out of the shower and drying himself off a bit, “Esme?”

He wiped at his hair for a second and then wrapped the towel around his waist, tying it off and then stepping out of the bathroom. The second he stepped out, he saw Esme laid back on the bed, her hands on her stomach. He sighed, stepping off and closer to the bed. Duke had obviously not been very receptive to whatever it was she had tried to say.

“Sweetheart? You okay?” Dean asked, walking over to gently sit down on the edge of the bed. He narrowed his eyes as he looked over her face, and noticed how pale she was. Reaching across, he carefully placed the back of his hand against her cheek, and then her forehead. “Really…what’s going on?”

As Esme laid on the bed, she focused on nothing but her breathing, tuning all other sounds out. She even missed Dean calling her from the bathroom. Esme wished it was raining so she could focus on the sounds of the water hitting the roof of the house, as well as the sounds of thunder. But since it wasn't, she had to focus on her breathing or her heartbeat. It wasn't until Dean came out of the bathroom that she felt his presence and turned her focus to him, but she didn't open her eyes. She heard his sigh and knew he knew her talk with Duke hadn’t gone well. She shook her head softly to Dean’s words as she listened to him walk over to the bed and gently sat on the edge. She was unable to find her words just yet to tell him what happened in the garage with Duke. Dean’s hand touching her cheek and forehead nearly caused her to flinch. Reaching up, Esme took his hand, interlocking her fingers with his and then resting them on her chest. Finally opening her eyes, she looked at Dean, meeting his green gaze with her blue.

“You were right,” she started softly, her tiredness and unwellness showing through her tone. “I should have left him alone. It completely backfired on me.” Esme closed her eyes with a sigh and squeezed his hand. “Duke got frustrated as we talked, and I now realize I channeled that frustration, which made everything worse. What started as a nice and calm conversation turned into me nearly biting his head off because I couldn’t control the frustration that took over.” she told Dean. Opening her eyes, Esme looked at the ceiling, squeezing Dean’s hand again. “I think what made it worse was that he lied to me. He looked straight into my face and lied to me.” She then brought her free hand up from her stomach, wiped it over her face, and shook her head softly. “I’ve never channeled someone's frustration like I did with Duke’s, not even my father's, and you’ve seen how he can get. And now….. I don’t feel that hot.” She fell silent as she looked at the ceiling, a soft sigh leaving her nose as the conversation echoed in her head. ‘He lies to me about me not being the reason he left, and then turns around and tells me he wants to be friends.’ she thought.

‘If he wants to be friends. Why did he leave to get away from me? It doesn’t make any sense.’ Esme continued to think. She also couldn’t understand why she channeled Duke’s frustration so strongly. Maybe it was because her mind was tired from all the research she’d done to help Bobby’s other hunters. Or perhaps she wasn’t getting enough sleep when she thought she was. Whatever it was, channeling someone else's emotions so strongly could get tricky and put her in a position she couldn’t get out of easily. This ability was both a curse and a blessing at times. Esme just wished she had more control over it.