LEXI

Dean's admittance for having a thing for stubborn women did make Lexi smirk. She felt like there were many a story behind that statement and if her phone hadn't been ringing she most definitely would have pried some information out of him for some stories. She was thankful that Dean was happy to go with her as she would need a lift to the garage either way as there would be no way she was going to walk it from the bunker. She was a fit woman, but she wasn't completely insane to do that walk. The bunker was so out the way and hidden from town, she would have been crazy to walk that journey. It would have been a very desperate time for her to do it.

"Thanks, and believe me I know. It's why I never usually deal with them myself" she replied, having in the past got Owen to take her car in on her behalf if it ever needed a fix, or just got Owen to fix it. This time it packed up on her after a hunt with Sam and right near the garage so she didn't have much of an option. Sam didn't have anything to pull her car along to the bunker so it was a case of leave it at the garage or in the middle of the road to get totaled.

"Right" she agreed, even though she knew all she had to really do was pull on some boots and jacket as she got dressed earlier. Dean however seemed to still be in clothing not appropriate for the outdoors. Standing up, she grabbed her phone and shoved it into her jeans pocket. "Whilst you do that, I can check in with how things are going with Anya and Sam?" She suggested.

---

At the garage, Lexi walked in with Dean, hoping that with him by her side, the mechanics wouldn't take her for a ride. Though she wasn't holding out hope that things would go in her favour. Stepping up the front desk, she greeted the staff member there and explained how she got the call that her car was ready for pick up and what her name was. With her details confirmed, another mechanic went off and retrieved her car. She got quoted a price that was almost double what they told her before which visibly irritated her but she didn't have much of a choice but to pay it.

"...fine" she grumbled, taking out her card and paying for the work. Putting her card away she turned to Dean, "I swear, if it packs up again I'm gonna be pissed" she grumbled to him, walking over to her car. She couldn't help but look it over briefly before standing by the driver's side. "I'll follow you back" she told Dean as her phone went off with a text. Pulling it out, she saw it was a group text from Sam, making her smile. "Well, seems they've been successful" she commented.

SAM

Sam was still waiting for Anya at the front of the shop, whilst also keeping his eyes open for anything or anyone suspicious looking. He still didn't see anything but that wasn't to say there wasn't a threat out there.

When Anya would be done, he looked over at her and smiled, checking that the artist got it right under the guise of just wanting to see it. It all looked good and he was satisfied that she was now protected well enough against demon possession. "Looking good!" He smiled at her and without even thinking about it, he paid for the work on her behalf. "Thanks man" he said to the artist before guiding Anya back out of the shop by holding the door open for her. He was now more glad than ever that he parked pretty much outside the shop so it didn't take either of them long in the slightest to get back to the safety of the car.

Pulling out his phone he text both Dean and Lexi, deciding that if one didn't get the text, then the other would. 'Anya is all done, so we'll head back to the bunker'. Clicking send, he put his phone away then opened the car door and got in with Anya. "So, I guess we should head back" he remarked.

At the garage, Dean walked close to Lexi, making sure that anyone inside the place knew that she wasn’t alone, and she wasn’t going to be swindled easily. Dean narrowed his eyes, as Lexi seemed a lot more irritated about the price of the repair than he had expected, meaning that he probably should step in and complain on her behalf. Though, judging by the look on the man’s face and how easily Lexi conceded to pay, Dean didn’t think she would want him to step up. So, he didn’t. He just watched her pay with his hands on his hips, sizing up the man that took her card from her.

As she turned to Dean, he sighed and ran a weary hand across his eyebrow, “I can almost guarantee you it will. They’re charging you so much, because they want to scare you away from bringing it back. Mark my words.”

He followed her to her car, holding his hand out to open the drivers door when Lexi’s phone went off. He breathed a small sigh of relief that Sam and Anya seemed to be okay, and were on task, and probably about to be on their way home. He opened Lexi’s car door, sending back one warning glance to the mechanic who seemed to be having issues keeping eye contact with Dean. He then patted the side of the door and gave Lexi a small smile, “Keep close. Keep your phone out. If anything sounds off, call me and I’ll pull over. Just get it back to the garage. I want to look it over myself.”

Dean paused before he pulled away from the car door, “Please…”, he muttered with a toothy smile, being sickly sweet to Lexi in hopes that she would allow him to be paranoid.



Anya finished up, the artist waiting to put a film over her tattoo, until she could look it over in the mirror. She raised a hand and snapped to get Sam’s attention, smiling softly as he came over and she turned her back to him, showing him the tattoo. She kept the smile on her face as Sam paid for it, and the artist went to work on getting her bandaged up. After flattening the clear bandage, and making sure none of it was stuck to Anya’s hair, the artist sat down and waved at her. Politely, she smiled brightly and waved back before pulling herself close to Sam’s side and following him outside.

Anya slipped her arms back into her jacket as they stepped outside, and she pulled her phone from her back pocket. She glanced across the top of the car as Sam texted Lexi and Dean, opening her car door after a moment and sitting down in the seat. As soon as Sam stepped into the car, he mentioned heading back to the bunker, and Anya gave a tiny pout to the thought. She knew that the demon info from the motel had rattled him, but Dean didn’t seem too worried about it. So, why wouldn’t they just act normal.

She reached across and tapped a finger on the back of his hand, drawing his attention, before pulling her hand back and typing.

“So, no carnival? Dean didn’t seem too panicky about the danger out here. We have a bit of time and I would really like to go with you for some fun, just for a bit.”

She pressed play, giving Sam her best puppy dog eyes, the bright blue in her eyes screaming in the dim light of the car. She then typed without looking, “And we can pick up some pie for Dean.”

LEXI

If it was any other day, Lexi probably would have gotten Dean to step up and try and get the price reduced back to the original quote she was given, but it wasn't any other day. They had a big heart to heart, big information was discussed and her head was, in all honesty, too cloudy to argue with the garage staff. “Yeah well, it's worked because I'm not coming back. They doubled the price on the spot” she explained to Dean as they went back to her car now she had her keys back.

Even though she didn't know what had gone on at the motel, she was glad that Anya and Sam were still okay and Anya was now protected. It was one less thing they had to worry about which soothed Lexi's mind just a little bit. Looking up at Dean when he explained to her about keeping her phone out in case anything went wrong on the way back, she gave a nod, feeling more than happy to do that. She didn't trust this place in the slightest and if Dean felt like it was worth giving her car another once over, then she was going to trust his opinion. In her eyes, there was no way he'd still be driving such a classic car if he didn't spend just as much time looking after it as he did driving it. At his sickly sweet tooth grin at her, she couldn't stop the smile from showing on her lips back at him. “I promise I'll stay close, keep my phone out and get back to the garage so you can look it over yourself. And call if something feels off” she replied to him before climbing into her car and putting the keys in the ignition. Once fully sat down and readjusted her seat position, she pulled out a phone holder from her glove box, attached it to the air-conditioning vents and clipped her phone to it. She figured if the car did suddenly sound off, she could use her voice command function on the phone to call Dean without compromising her driving. Waiting for him to get into the impala, she couldn't help but look in the rearview mirror at the mechanics still watching them both until she stretched a hand out her window to give Dean the signal that she was good to go.

The drive back to the bunker went for the most part, alright and the car seemed to cooperate until the bunker came into view. “No no no…oh come on, give me a break” she complained as she began to hear groaning noises from the car and smoke began to seep out of the hood. “You have GOT to be kidding me!” She said out of frustration, just about getting it into the bunker's garage and pulling in, quickly turning the engine off and getting out, grabbing her phone as she did so. “Well it lasted until we got back I guess” she grumbled, feeling like she just wasted a hell of a lot of money. Turning to Dean once he was out of the impala she spoke up, “help me obi wan, you're my only hope” she smirked as she spoke in a teasing tone.

SAM

Anya's grabbing for his attention made Sam look at her and he saw the pout and puppy eyes that were on her face. It was then he realized there was absolutely no getting out of taking her to the carnival and trying to forget that he said they could go. He listened to what she typed out on her phone and tried to not give in to her puppy eyes, but it was completely useless. There was no way he could fight against her silent plea when she looked like that. She also did make a good point that Dean didn't seem too bothered about what he told him earlier, so why should he? If they were after Dean then he and Anya should be safe…right? Then she added the whole ‘pick up some pie for Dean' line and that was the clincher. He couldn't get out of this so he didn't even bother to try to. Smiling and shaking his head at the way he so easily caved to her, he looked back at her and nodded. “Okay okay, we can still go to the carnival. You win” he chuckled before handing her his phone as he figured she didn't have either Dean or Lexi's phone numbers in her own phone just yet. “text either Dean or Lexi, or better yet actually…I have a group chat with them both set up, can you text in there to tell them we'll be back later than planned because of the carnival? Just so Dean doesn't freak out that we're not back straight away.” he requested of her.

“Then it might be an idea to get their numbers in your own phone if you haven't already.” He added, starting the car up and heading towards the town's carnival when they were both ready to go. As he drove, he couldn't stop thinking about how Anya was most definitely going to have him wrapped around her finger if he continued to cave into her little requests by using her blue eyes as a weapon against him. In that regard he was very much like Dean, unable to resist a pretty face when the girl wanted something.

As they reached the carnival, he looked around for a free space to park up, seeing how busy it was and sighed. It was going to be a bit of a challenge to find somewhere to pull up. “Look out for a space we can park. Seems everyone is here today” he remarked, but he had to admit to himself, if it was this popular then it had to have something going for it. Everyone walking around seemed happy enough and content with what was on offer.

Dean was relieved that Lexi took his paranoia as just…a thing, instead of a negative and agreed to stay close and call if she had trouble. He nodded and quickly ran over to the Impala, turning the engine over and pulling out of the lot. The whole way back to the bunker, he kept his eyes on Lexi’s car, watching for any signs that the car was having issues, or she was having issues.

As soon as they pulled into the bunker’s garage, Dean’s stomach dropped as the car began to smoke. He couldn’t hear the sounds it was making yet, but almost immediately, he knew that they had put a bandaid on things, and her manifold was likely screaming at her. He parked the Impala and quickly climbed out, walking around to her with a sigh, placing his hands on his hips.

The smoke was at least a color that told him that nothing under that hood was on fire. It was just screaming because of the heat that was being caused from the leak they had probably cracked an egg on or something. He shook his head, and glanced to Lexi as she teased him, his lips curling into a helpless smirk.

“Yeah yeah. I can have this licked in a couple of hours. Let me get the jack and you can pop the hood and I’ll get under there.” Dean said casually, stepping away from her to go and grab his work cart and a jack. He pulled his jacket off, tossing it over the handlebars of one of the motorcycles, and then walked over to the maintenance bay. He grabbed the handle of the pump jack and his work cart and rolled them both toward Lexi’s car. “And next time, I’ll fix it the first time. It should have taken them a couple of hours and less than two hundred in parts. I might not even need parts. But you can get comfortable, and stare at my ass while I work…”

Dean chuckled and rolled the jack up under the front panel of the car with a shrug. “Just saying.”



Anya’s puppy face melted into a smile as Sam shook his head at himself and agreed to go to the carnival after all. She had won him over. She would have to place the puppy eyes on her shelf to use against him later on, that much was certain. His chuckle caused her to giggle, almost kicking her feet with excitement that she had the ability to win him over so easily. She took his phone from him excitedly, and opened the group chat which was the first message in his texts from earlier. She quickly shot a message to them both, taking a deep and excited breath as she pressed send, knowing that if anything, Lexi would be happy Sam was out and about.

”Hey! It’s Anya. Me and Sam are stopping off at a fall carnival for some snacks. If you guys want anything, let us know. And Dean, we’re getting some pie. See you guys soon!”

She pulled her own phone up and began clicking through the names in the group chat, adding Dean and Lexi’s numbers to her phone as Sam had mentioned. As soon as she was done, she placed his phone on the seat in between them and settled back in her seat. A small smile rested on her face the entire drive toward the carnival. If it was that easy to get Sam to do her bidding, she definitely DEFINITELY had to keep him there…

Anya sat up a little straighter in her seat as they pulled onto the gravel lot of the carnival. The place was packed, and honestly, she wasn’t sure they would be able to find a parking spot, but after a moment, she pointed and snapped at a space that was pretty far in the back, but was wide open, almost as wide as two spots. She waited until Sam pulled in, and as soon as he put the car in park, she opened her door and got out, taking a deep breath of the cool air with the smell of all the baked and fried foods mingled in.

She ran around the side of the car, and typed on her phone as she jogged to Sam, “Smell the air. It’s amazing. This is amazing. Look at us, out on a date!”

She already had a list of things she wanted to try, while they were there. Foods. Games. Animals to pet. There was a corn maze, as far as she could tell by the signs. They could even pick up some pumpkins to carve back at the bunker. Either way, it was her and Sam having a normal moment…

LEXI

Lexi smirked, impressed that her tease and Star Wars quoting didn't make Dean tease her back. She was surprised at herself for quoting it, but it felt so appropriate in this moment. She really didn't want to get rid of the car for good as too many memories of Owen were held in it and she wasn't ready to let those go to scrap yard. Smiling as she saw Dean instantly go to the work station and take his jacket off, she went back towards the car and popped the hood for him before then stepping back and put of the way. When he told her that it should have only taken the garage a couple of hours to fix up and maybe a few parts, she realized that she truly was taken for a total ride by the garage even more so than she knew before.

"Well I'm hoping there won't be a next time, but I promise I'll leave the girl in your capable hands if there is. I would have done this time, or at least, Sam would have said to this time, but neither of us knew how you'd be and the car broke down pretty much outside the garage with no way of getting it here. Sam tried finding a tow truck available..." She explained to him. She also just figured as it broke down right near the garage, it was just easier to get those mechanic to take the car in. She just wouldn't tell Dean that last bit.

"As for your other invitation?" She smirked, leaning her head to one side slightly, "I'm definitely gonna be staring at that ass of yours." She chuckled. "Not everyday a girl gets a gorgeous man tending to things under her hood" she laughed, leaning against a car she was standing in front of. She did briefly glance around the place seeing all the vehicles parked, from cars to bikes, her eyes landing on another impala that was clearly a year older than Dean's and blue. The colouring making it stand out from the rest of the cars but she didn't comment on it, glancing her eyes back towards Dean instead. Though she couldn't help but wonder if the car belonged to someone he knew.

As she waited, she felt her phone ping with a text and heard Dean's go off at the same time which told her it had to be Sam texting using the group chat. Lifting her hand up that still had her phone in it, she looked at the screen, opened the text and read it, smiling and chuckling softly. "seems the kids are on some little date instead. Anya has roped him into going to the autumn carnival in town" she explained so Dean didnt have to read the text if he didn't want to.

"Said she wants to bring you back pie" she added, already knowing that would make Anya remain in Dean's good books. She was also happy for the two of them getting out and making the most of a normal moment. Sam deserved to just let loose and be happy for a moment. Her training with Anya could wait if it meant Sam let go of whatever stress was still lingering on his shoulders as far as she was concerned.

SAM

Sam fully trusted Anya in however she chose fit to let Dean and Lexi know they were going to be later back than he originally said, so he didn't feel the need to double check or ask her what she put.

When Anya spotted a parking spot and signalled where she saw it, he instantly headed for it and made sure he got there before anyone else did without breaking any laws. Parked up, he removed the keys, and pocketing them. He chuckled as he witnessed her quickly get out of the car and smell the cool air. Getting out of the car and locking up, he watched her run around to him and telling him to smell the cool air and all the scents that were in it. She really was so bubbly and innocent and it made his heart soar.

He had never experienced someone so happy about autumn before, her joy being completely infectious to him as he found it difficult to remove the smile from his face. It was actually impossible to not smile around her, even when she declared this was a date. "Come on then, let's head in" he replied to her, reaching out and taking her hand before walking with her to the festivities.

Dean laughed as Lexi decided to comment about his ass, although he invited it. Her added compliment only stoked his ego, and he stepped up closer to her car, grabbing a towel off the cart he rolled over. He laid it out over the front grill, and began checking hoses, “Well, you get a real good look. If you’re enough of a creep, I might have to bring you out in the garage more often.”, he teased her.

As he glanced up at her, he saw her looking around the garage at the other cars and motorcycles. He stood up straight for a second, and glanced back toward Mika’s Impala in the back of the garage. Having a climate controlled garage, he hadn’t bothered to cover it. But his stomach clenched painfully, as he briefly caught a memory of Mika leaning against the side of it, making some snarky comment to him about his driving skills. He turned his eyes back to Lexi for a moment, and then went back to the hoses, checking each of them for leaks.

“Well…not the hoses. Let me…” He grumbled under the hood before reaching down and unclipping the battery. He then carefully unclipped everything away from the engine head and sighed as he got to the cylinders. They were covered in oil. “I think I know what your problem is, and honestly? I’m a little…grossed out by the garage.”

When Lexi’s phone pinged, his did too and he leaned up from the hood, kicking the unneeded jack out of the way. He narrowed his eyes, wiping his hands and looked over at Lexi, “Oh well…wait, Sam’s on a date? At an autumn carnival?”

He scrunched up his nose. Sam hated anything that was themed, or had any sort of sweet treats or fun. He didn’t really celebrate Christmas or any other holiday, and the very thought of kitsch seemed to creep his brother out. He tilted his head, raising his eyebrows in a ‘well well’ sort of way. But then, Lexi mentioned that Anya was bringing him pie, and he smiled widely, pointing his finger at her. “See? I like her. I didn’t think I would, but I do. She gets me.”

He walked back over to his tool cart and he pulled a socket wrench and a couple of sockets, testing them on the cylinder head bolts until he found the size he was looking for. He tossed the extra one back onto the cart and bent over the front of the car, beginning to take the bolts off in order.

“You know, if she talked him into…going on a date to some sort of carnival, she has him wrapped around her little finger. Sam would rather lose his hair than to be caught dead at one of those things.”



Anya wrapped her fingers tightly around Sam’s hand as he reached out to her. She tugged him along, quickly walking to the entrance gate. They didn’t charge them to get in, but handed Anya a small pamphlet that told them exactly what foods and activities were available and where. Anya wasn’t much of a rider of the amusement rides, but she was definitely interested in all of the other fun that could be had at places like this. She looked around, glancing down at the pamphlet every now and then, and finally, her eyes landed on a coffee cart where they had cider, teas, coffees, and hot cocoa listed.

She roughly tugged Sam with her, practically running over to the cart. The line moved pretty quick and when she got to the front, she pointed her finger at an apple chai drink that seemed really popular, on their little hand written menu. The owner of the cart looked at her weird, but she simply pointed to her ears, as if she was deaf, and then pointed at the item again with a thumbs up.

She turned to Sam, pulling at his hand for him to order himself something and then looked around them for her next target. She was torn between doing the corn maze, and a carriage ride with a real horse. There were so many things they could do and still avoid the majority of the crowd.

Once their drinks were ready, Anya grabbed hers off the counter, and she tugged at Sam’s hand again. She wedged her drink in between her arm and her body, and dropped Sam’s hand, pulling her phone up. She typed a message and then held the phone close to his face so he could hear or read it.

“We should do a carriage ride and drink our cute little hot drinks while we are under a blanket. They do pictures, which is so cute! And they have real horses. Doesn’t that sound like date stuff?” She smiled excitedly and pulled her drink back into her hand, taking a long swig of it with her eyes closed in excitement.

LEXI

Lexi hadn't even noticed that Dean had followed her gaze to around the garage and onto Mika's old car. The car certainly felt like it belonged to one of their exes and from what she saw of their styles in the photos, it made sense to her that it would have belonged to Mika. She looked back at him when he mentioned that it at least wasn't the hoses causing her issues, which was one relief at least. Seeing Dean leaned over her hood and working, she knew she could get used to seeing that sight. There always was something about a handsome man working on a car that did it for her, it was just about not letting Dean in on that just yet.

She was about to reply to Dean about what had got him so grossed out over the garage and worried about what the hell they did to her car, when she had to read out the text from Anya. "That's what she's said in the group chat via Sam's phone." she told him as she watched his nose scrunch up at the information before the child like grin appeared on his face at the sheer mention of pie. He really was a simple man when it came to food and it made her chuckle at his reaction. "It's not difficult to get you Dean, a guy with simple pleasures in life, main one being pie" she teased with a smile. "But it's good to hear you like Anya, I get good vibes from the girl" she added.

Continuing her watch of him working, she listened to his theory about Anya having Sam wrapped round her little finger. A theory that although was entirely possible, seemed so out of character for the Sam she had grown to know. The mental image that followed of a bald Sam made her laugh and shake her head. "And now I have a mental image I don't think will ever leave my mind. Thanks for that." she giggled, shaking her head. "But maybe she'll be good for him ya know? She's so positive and bubbly, it's good for him to have that energy around him" she remarked, genuinely believing her words. She hoped Anya would be a good energy for Sam, just as she hoped she herself was a good energy for Dean to be around. He had such an infectious smile that she never wanted to see him lose.

"So uhh...you said you found the issue for the old girl smoking and making rattling noises?" she asked him, trying to get back on track in knowing what the garage did to her car as she tucked her phone in her jacket pocket and walked over to him, standing beside him whilst he worked.

SAM

Sam was prepared to casually walk toward the entrance and inside with Anya, but the moment she tugged him forward he couldn't stop the smirk and chuckle from erupting deep in his throat. She was so excited about what was going to be experienced at this place, that he couldn't even be mad she was dragging him around like a ragdoll. He thanked for the staff member for giving them a pamphlet, letting her look through it as she also looked around to see what she wanted to do first. He really did hate these places, he had been on too many hunts that resulted in them going to these kinds of places over the years, that they always left a bad taste in his mouth.

That didn't mean he wasn't prepared to at least try and enjoy himself for Anya as it was very clear she was loving every single moment and they had just arrived. "hmph!" left his mouth as he got yanked and dragged over to the drinks cart, the very action making him chuckle all over again. He just knew that this was going to be a constant whilst they were here and he made himself succumb to being dragged, pulled and tugged to whatever she wanted to do. At the coffee cart, he picked a drink of cider to her request and waited with her for their drinks.

Once they were given to them and he paid for them just before she tugged him to her next destination, sipping his drink as she did. He got a bit concerned at her wedging her drink in her arm as she typed a message to him, having preferred it if she asked him to hold her drink for her. Leaning down into the phone, he listened to the message and read it as he did so to make sure he didn't mishear anything and he had to smile at her message. Glancing at her face, seeing it so full of joy and happiness, he couldn't say no to her. "Okay, we can do a carriage ride whilst we have our drinks." he replied, whilst seeing her full of happiness as she took a big gulp of her hot drink. She was in her element and it was so incredibly endearing to witness.

Maybe this carnival wouldn't be so bad after all...

Dean finished removing the bolts, and he disconnected the crankshaft rods, pulling them to the side before he pulled the piston that seemed the worst. With an quiet ‘AHA’, he laid it against the towel he had placed over the front of the car. As he did, he shrugged off Lexi’s comments about him being simple, but he chuckled at her comment about a bald Sam, the mental image flashing through his own mind briefly.

“You’re welcome for that.” He chuckled a bit louder. “I think she could be either really good for him, or a really good distraction that he does…kinda need right now. He’s been through a lot over the past year, and he has a bit of a bad spot in the back of his brain that keeps…itching for him to feel guilty about everything under the sun.”

Dean failed to mention the angel that had taken Sam for a ride for a while. He was nowhere near ready to talk about that. It was one of his biggest regrets and almost losing Sam in the process would probably haunt him forever. Lexi knocked him out of his internal thoughts as she stepped over to him, watching him work as he removed the piston ring that was completely obliterated and wiped the piston down, before toying around in Bobby’s old toolbox for one that fit at least a similar car to her own.

“Well, it’s actually a simple fix for anyone with the tools to fix it and either a manual or a general knowledge of engine blocks.”, he explained, holding the piston up in front of him as he stood up straight. He attached the new piston ring, and then reached back under the hood, dropping the piston back into place. “When that ring is all jacked up, it lets oil leak onto all the parts around the engine block. The pistons create fire, and that’s what drives the car forward…kinda. That’s why you need gas. So, fire…plus oil…and you got smoke. The rattling was probably caused by this crank shaft bolt right here.”

He reached across and tapped the top of the crankshaft, “It was loose. So, sounds a lot worse than it is. Once I put that back on, and tighten that bolt, you can take it out on the road and burn off the rest of that oil. It’ll smell like crap and it’ll smoke a bit at first…but she’ll be purring after that.”

Dean leaned over the car and began to reassemble everything he had taken apart, while he got used to the idea of being watched in the garage. Not that he minded Lexi’s eyes on him, but it was still new.

“And if you want, because I’m almost positive they didn’t, I’ll change your oil for you too, while I’ve got it in the garage. Something tells me you have a thing for men with a little grease on them.” He finished his sentence, tilting his body just enough to smile brightly back at her.



Anya was so happy to see Sam smile at her plans, and it told her that in some small way, he was having fun. Either it was because she was so happy, and he was having fun watching her or he was just relieved to be out of the bunker. She practically danced when Sam said that he was willing to go for a carriage ride. If anything, it was a simple snuggle moment under a blanket, letting someone pull them around the large fair ground. No effort. No showmanship. Just a carriage, covered in lights, carting them around. It was a bit of a neutral holiday olive branch to Sam.

She didn’t tug Sam as hard this time, linking her fingers with his as she walked across the small road, to one of the brightly lit horse drawn carriages. The handler didn’t step down, only gestured for them both to get in. Anya climbed up carefully, not using the rails as she daintily tiptoed her way to the other side of the carriage and sat on the bench, pulling the lap blanket back to let Sam get underneath with her.

Once he was settled, she made sure his legs were covered, almost feeling bad that he was folded up a bit in the tight space. But she leaned against him, resting her head against his shoulder and took a drink. The handler glanced back at her.

“You guys good?”

Anya simply held up a thumbs up and wrapped her arms around Sam’s, getting comfortable. She reached forward, placing her cup in the wire cupholder on the back of the handler’s seat and then pulled her phone into her lap, typing with one hand.

“I can tell that you hate things like this and so I wanted to tell you thanks for coming with me, while we’re still and stuff. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else than with you, during all this mess. So, thanks for letting me stay. And thanks for coming with me.” 

She didn’t press play. She simply held the phone out to him so that he could read the message and left her soft smile on her face.

LEXI

Seeing Dean so proud of himself of putting such a mental image in her head, made Lexi just smirk and shake her head. Of course he would find pride and amusement in achieving such a thing. Out of him and Sam, Dean definitely came across as more of a joker than Sam did, but she didn't doubt for a second that Sam probably had his moments. When he mentioned about Sam having gone through a lot this last year, Lexi just assumed it was because of the hunting, leaving Anna behind and losing Mika. Not once did she think that Dean meant anything worse than that. So she didn't ask about what he meant.

It was easier to just force her mind back into the here and now and focus on what was going on with her car. The way Dean was working on it made Lexi think how Owen and he probably would have got on really well. They were so different in many ways but she just knew Owen would have appreciated Dean helping with the car and just willingly redoing what cost her over $400 in a so called professional garage. If anything, she could almost hear Owen's voice in her head complaining about how she didn't fight the cost and just straight up paid it. The thought was comforting and painful to think about, as even a year down the line, there wasn't a day that her heart didn't ache for the man.

She listened as Dean explained what the actual problem was and that it would be an easy fix, making her sigh with relief. As he continued speaking and tapping what he found to be the cause of the rattling noise she heard, she looked over to see, nodding in understanding. Like a lot of drivers, Lexi was someone who understood cars enough to be able to drive them and fix a tire if it needed it, but anything else more technical and she was out of her depth even though she swore to herself countless times, she would actually learn to know the ins and outs of her car better.

"Dean you are a life saver" she remarked when he finished, giving her the heads up about when the rest of leaked oil got burned away. Stepping back to give him room and not to block any of his light to work, she just hovered nearby as she couldn't think of anything else to do whilst she waited. She was just starting to zone out when he commented about changing the oil for her and getting the feeling ahe liked men with a little grease on them, making her almost choked on her own saliva as she looked at him to see he was smiling at her.

"What makes you think that about me huh?" She asked, trying to recompose herself. He was going to be the death of her if he kept up that grin and comments, but she was knew to keep that saying to herself as she didn't want to trigger him. "I'm totally one of those women" she retorted not sure if she was trying to convince him or herself more.

SAM

Sam gladly linked fingers back with Anya's as she gently tugged him towards the carriages, weaving in and out of the crowd to get there before they arrived. With the signal to get in, he let Anya in first, practically tiptoeing as she scooted along before he climbed in, realising just how these contraptions were not made for men of his height. 'if Dean could see me now... he'd never let me forget this' he thought to himself, glad that Dean wouldn't witness this.

He smiled as Anya pulled the blanket over both their laps, letting her curl up to his side, looping her arms through his. He never knew how much he had missed this interaction with a woman until Anya came along. With his own drink in his free hand, he glanced down seeing her type a message on her phone before handing it to him to read, rather than pressing play. Reading the message he couldn't help but smile lovingly at it. "It's not my favourite thing to do, you're right but it's also not the worst thing to be doing right now. I a really forgot how good it is to do something so....normal" he told her honestly.

"I'm glad you're around too and as much you think I'm helping you, you're also helping me Anya. I'm thankful I've met you" he told her honestly and sweetly. As the carriage ride started, he kept her close to him, looking out at the whole carnival and how happy it was making people. "Just promise me one thing Anya" he began to say, glancing down at her, "the further into this life you get? Don't ever lose your positivity. Try and hold onto it as tightly as possible. Our job likes to strip that from people." He quietly told her.

Dean let Lexi’s remark about him being ‘a life saver’ rattle around in his brain as he continued smiling at her. And just like that, she stammered a bit, trying to defend herself…but then admitted that she did have a thing for men that worked on cars. Dean gave a sheepish shrug and he turned back to continue working on putting her engine back together. As he worked, her little tiny praise rattled around his mind a bit more, and he pulled back from the hood, wiping a bit of sweat from his forehead.

He stepped back from the car and quickly pulled his t-shirt off over his head, tossing it over to the same motorcycle, sighing happily as the cool air that was barely seeping into the garage hit his bare chest, “That’s better. I needed a little cooling off break.”

He smiled widely, and stepped over to Lexi, careful not to touch her with his oil covered hands. He tilted his hips toward her, and then leaned in, placing a tight kiss to her lips before pulling back with a smile. He then snarled his nose playfully, surprising even himself as he smiled, “And I figured it might sweeten the view and gather me some favors for later…maybe just maybe, I get the girl…”



Anya smiled brightly with her cheek pressed to Sam’s shoulder as he replied to her message. So, he wasn’t absolutely hating his time out, and he seemed pretty relaxed. She couldn’t feel any tension in his shoulders. He was being normal, and he was enjoying it…as much as he could. She considered that a win. His next words made her heart swim a bit. As sweet and empathetic as Sam seemed, she half expected that he felt that way about her, but hearing him say that he was glad he met her just went straight to her head. She tilted her head, resting her chin against his shoulder to look up at him with a soft smile.

When he asked her to promise him something, she raised her eyebrows, her smile dropping just a bit as she listened and his eyes came down to meet hers. As he told her to hold onto her optimism, she frowned a bit, wondering if at one time in his life…he was also optimistic and happy. She wondered if he smiled more, or if his smile reached all the way to his eyes every single time that it came onto his face. She tried to picture what he looked like when he was younger, with brighter eyes, and his dimples almost permanent. The thought made her a bit sad, but she nodded her head at him.

She pulled her hands up and typed another message.

“I don’t think that will be a problem. I am the eternal optimist, after all, and when I’m with you? I’ll do my best to make you feel that way too. You deserve it, Sam.”

She held her phone out, and tilted her head to press a kiss to his shoulder, deciding that she was going to take care of him, just as much as he felt the need to care for her. He obviously needed it, and if she could make him smile…even a little, it was going to become her mission every single day. As weird as it felt rumbling around in her head, she was growing very quickly attached to Sam Winchester. If she wasn’t careful, he was easily someone she could fall in love with.

LEXI

The fact that Dean kept on smiling at her after making her stammer a little to try and hide her truth before shrugging it off and going back to work, drove Lexi absolutely crazy inside. She knew by not saying 'okay fine yeah I do' was also it's own admission. He was quite literally going to break her one day with how his brain worked and he weaseled under her skin in the way he did. She tried to not watch him as he leaned back to wipe his forehead of the sweat beginning to form, deciding that she wasn't going to be that kind of woman who ogled at her other half whilst he worked, even if they were even an item at this point.

As he quickly pulled off his shirt, throwing it onto the same motorcycle that had his jacket, her eyes glanced up and saw him now completely topless, sweaty and absolutely tempting. She bit her bottom lip as she tried to force herself to look away and restrain herself, whilst he acted like this was totally casual and normal, declaring he needed a break. 'Dean, you are treading on dangerous ground here....' she thought to herself, trying to keep her composure, but that was all for nought when he walked over to her and stood incredibly close.

Feeling his hips against hers, she looked him in the eyes, trying desperately not to moisten her lips and bite her bottom lip all over again when she felt his lips upon hers. She kissed him back, slightly chasing his lips as he pulled back, being a complete tease with her. Opening her eyes to look at him, she smirked, "oh you uhh...you...think?" She stammered, for the first time since they met, she actually felt lost for words and mentally broken by his actions.

Lexi wondered how she was going to get herself out of this situation, or if she even wanted to get out of this situation. "So how much more are you gonna tease me like this? Because you're making it incredibly difficult to keep my mind straight" she told him, lifting her hand up and waving it front of his chest slowly, trying so hard not to touch him.

SAM

It wasn't Sam's intention to make Anya frown at his words but he knew he couldn't keep his wish for her hidden. He didn't want to see another person he was drawn to lose such a positive aspect of themselves to the job. He couldn't imagine Anya being closed off and stoic like he himself sometimes was. He just wanted her to forever bubbly and optimistic. He missed the days where he smiled more, pulled pranks on Dean and everyone else in their now disbanded group. He missed finding pure joy in normal things, or not having to really make an effort to find said joy in things. He missed having the group together, he missed the glue that held them all together in Mika....he missed Mika.

As Anya typed on her phone, he glanced down and read what she wanted to say back to him. Reading the reply, he had to smile as she mentioned about wanting to give him that optimism back. How she saw the old him in him, he didn't know but he was glad that someone did. He pulled her closer after she kissed his shoulder, holding her to him for warmth, comfort and the feeling of being close to someone. It was in this moment that he knew she was his new start, the new chapter in his life he so desperately needed and deserved.

There was only so long he could dwell on the past and those who were in it. There was no going back and he had to accept that. Anya was that key to accepting it and he welcomed it with open arms. "I'm glad you're the way you are Anya. You have no idea how much I want to be happy again" he confided in her. "With everything that's happening or happened, I some kind of normalcy back in my life" he admitted.

Dean smiled even wider at Lexi’s stammering. For once, he had been the one to break her. She seemed completely flustered and like she didn’t know what to do with her hands, or her words. He had her melting in his hands, and he wasn’t even touching her with anything other than a brief brush of his jeans. As she tried to avoid touching him, waving her hand in front of his chest, he laughed, shrugging his shoulders.

“I never said I was teasing you. You said that. I just got hot, and took off my shirt…which I admit is rare for me, these days.” He spoke casually, leaning in a bit closer to her face, “But…I think I’ll just work like this. I need to finish putting your engine back together before we can just go inside and pass…time…”

He brushed his nose against hers, breathing over her lips as he was once again tempted to touch her with his filthy hands, but he showed restraint, dropping his hands to his sides. He pressed his chest against hers, sandwiching her hands against his bare chest as he gently kissed her on the lips, and then pressed a careful kiss to the tip of her nose.

“I should get back to work. Judging by the color of your cheeks, I feel like you’re just dying to get back inside where it’s nice and warm.” He teased a bit more, before pulling away from her completely and walking back over to the car. He went straight back to work, as if he had never stepped away, piecing the parts of the engine back together with quick precision and a smirk on his face.



Anya welcomed Sam pulling her a bit closer, a sign that he was taking her words to heart, and was trying to give himself a little grace and comfort. She would give him every bit of comfort he was willing to take, and little by little, maybe she could build him back into someone who thought they deserved love…and happiness…and safety. He could heal. That was all she wanted for him.

Sam deserved to heal.

As he decided to confide in her, admitting that he wanted the same things, and that he deserved it, Anya’s heart fluttered with excitement. It was a small step in the right direction, and she couldn’t help herself. She sat her phone on her lap and reached her hand up, brushing her fingers against his jaw. She turned his face to look at her and then pulled her hand back, signing one of the things that she had taught him earlier with a single hand.

“I’m glad…” She said simply, with a soft smile. She tilted her head up and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, closing her eyes as she rested her fingers against his cheek and just took in the atmosphere around them. There was nothing coming to hurt them. There were no expectations here, except Sam letting his guard down enough to let her in. They weren’t behind a closed bedroom door or sneaking around in hallways. They were just in the moment, together, moving forward. She knew the peace wouldn’t last forever, and eventually they would all be hunting and working again.

For right now? Her job was convincing Sam that he wasn’t just…broken. To Anya, he had the potential to be the entire world.

LEXI

Lexi looked at him with suspicious eyes when he said he wasn't teasing her, not believing it for a second. He knew what he was doing and it was clear he was loving every single second of it. It had been a long time since someone got her this flustered and stuck for words. She watched his eyes as he leaned even closer to her, causing her actually subtly gulp and bite her bottom lip once more briefly.

As he brushed his nose against hers, she had to close her eyes for a moment as she felt his breath on her lips, reopening her eyes when she felt his bare chest on her hands and against her. She kissed him back, matching the gentleness in it before she found herself smiling as he then kissed the top of her nose before just walking back as if he didn't do what he just did. The way he just acted so casually after drove her crazy and she found it incredibly difficult to not tell him to forget the car and just get back to her, but she managed to withhold her tongue.

"You are something else Dean Winchester" she remarked, amused. She saw how smug he was feeling with himself for getting her so hot under the collar, and she even instinctively touched her own cheek as he had commented on how flushed she had gotten. Lexi was falling deeper and deeper in love with this man and how he always seemed to keep her on her toes. He was so different to Owen, but she was loving the excitement and unpredictability of him. With Owen, she had security, calmness to contradict her chaotic lifestyle, it was something that she cherished at the time because coming home to him was utter bliss. It meant she didn't have to think about what she had witnessed or what she had done, it was needed. Owen never asked about what she dealt with, he just took it in his stride and accepted her for who she was.

When moments arises, they took weeks out to go out hiking or do normal couple related activities. He got to use his photography skills, she got to appreciate the scenery around her when monsters or demons weren't chasing her. She knew she would never have anyone like Owen again in her life and if she let herself be honest to herself, she didn't want anyone else like him. Her job was what got him killed, but with Dean she didn't have to worry about that. Dean knew the risks as well as she did, hells, he probably knew them even more than she did. Dean was exhilarating to be around and matched her so strangely perfectly that it made her want him so much more.

She waited for him to finish, shoving her hands in her jeans pockets as she got more and more impatient. She didn't think she would have spent so much time trying to get in Dean's pants, but here she was just wanting to constantly be in touching distance to him. Lexi also hoped that sometimes soon, they'd be able to get to work properly so they could be distracted from each other.

SAM

Sam watched Anya as she put her phone down on her lap before raising a hand up to his jaw and turning his face to look at her. He wondered what she was thinking, why she was so drawn to him. Whatever the reason to the latter was, he was glad she was drawn to him. Seeing her sign 'im glad' at his words made him smile at her before he signed 'thank you' back at her, feeling like it was the only thing he could say to her before she kissed him, which he lovingly returned. He cupped her face in his hand as he kissed her back, just letting the world faze out around them both. This was what normal was like and what he wished he had more of.

Eventually pulling away from her, opening his eyes, he gave her another smile, his thumb stroking her jawline he did so. "Thank you for making me come here Anya." He said to her as they rode around before it coming to a stop and it was over. "So where to next?" He asked her, then turned to the driver and thanked him, getting up and out and holding his hand out for Anya to help her down. After she got gotten out and back on solid ground, he kept his hand wrapped in hers, keeping her close and safe.

After teasing Lexi nearly to death in the garage, they had fallen into the same muscle memory of running back into the bunker like teenagers, hands all over each other. Sam and Anya had stayed out long enough that by the time they got back to the bunker, Dean and Lexi were plenty tired and napping, which caused Dean to wake up before dawn, groaning as he rustled his messy hair and looked around the dark room. Lexi was plastered to his chest, and he smirked as he glanced down at her bare back, pulling the covers up just a bit to cover her skin.

His phone buzzed, lighting up the corner of the room near the nightstand and the memory that Natalia was on her way flashed across the backs of his eyes. He lazily reached over, picking up the phone and glanced at the message. They were in Kansas, and they would likely be arriving sometime after dawn. Dean sighed, a bit relieved that they were almost there…and a hunt was coming up, hopefully.

Dean shot her back a simple message to confirm that he knew they were coming, and then he went to work shuffling himself out from under Lexi’s body. He wedged his pillow under her face, dropping her hand gently against it as he scooted off the bed and walked over to his dresser, snatching a pair of boxers and a pair of jeans. He pulled them on, choosing to wear a shirt, since Nat would be there soon and would definitely have something to say about his ‘nudity’ if he didn’t. He tugged his simple black t-shirt over his head, dropping it around his hips. He returned to the bed, leaning over to press a feather light kiss to the side of Lexi’s face, and then he snatched his phone off the table and walked to the door, quietly stepping out into the hallway.

He stepped into war room and instantly flinched with a slight yelp as his eyes fell on Anya, sitting on a chair. Her legs were tangled and she looked exhausted as she read over a book she had found with her head in her hand. Dean cautiously stepped toward her and he held his hands out.

“You good?” He asked quietly and Anya glanced up, her poor tired eyes meeting his for a moment as she nodded. “Couldn’t sleep?”

She shook her head. So Dean nodded slowly and he stepped toward her, carefully reaching forward to take the book from her hands. He closed the book and sat it aside, before stepping up to the table, and perching himself on the edge of it with his hands clapped together, “I guess the easiest way to talk to you, is ‘yes’ or ‘no’. So, is it Sam?”

Anya shook her head. “Okay good. Is it your deal?” Agains she shook her head, but also tilted her head in a way that told Dean it was at least partially the deal that was keeping her awake.

“Well, my sister will be here soon and um…her boyfriend is gonna help us with that whole thing. So, my next question, you want a drink? I can whip up something that will make you take a little nap at least.” Dean spoke softly, trying his best to comfort her. And as he had hoped, Anya shrugged her shoulders. “Alright. Give me a second. I’ll be right back.”

Dean stepped off the table and walked over to his liquor cabinet. He grabbed a few things he had stashed for the nights when Sam would refuse to sleep while he was ill, and he grabbed a glass with one of his fingers. He stepped over to one of the library tables and placed everything on the top, before mixing his concoction for Anya. When he was finished, he left the bottles there, and swirled the glass around in his hand, before walking back over to Anya and handing it over.

“It’s gonna taste like crap, and if you need something to chase it with, I can go grab something. But bottoms up. You’ll be asleep in a few minutes. Sam still asleep?” He asked as Anya took the glass and nodded to him. She tipped the glass up and drank it all in one big gulp, making a sour face that Dean echoed in sympathy. She shook her head and handed him the glass, which he sat on the table behind him with a sigh. “Everything’s gonna be fine, alright? Go snuggle up with my giant brother and get some rest…”



Anya and Sam had a beautiful night, just drinking hot drinks and enjoying the autumn food. They played games and when they were thoroughly tired, they had driven back to the bunker. At some point, they were followed by a strange black car, and Anya’s anxiety had been a mess ever since. The car had turned off before the cemetery at the head of the road that led to the bunker, but it didn’t stop Anya from wondering if they knew the bunker was there…

At some point early in the morning, Anya snapped awake. She would have screamed from the sudden jolt the nightmare gave her, if she had a voice. Luckily, she hadn’t woke Sam up with her movements, running her hand against his bare chest to try and calm herself down. In fear of waking him up, Anya had decided to get up, carefully untangling herself from his arms and stepping out of the room into the bunker halls. She didn’t know what to do with herself. So, she found a book about demons, and she perched herself up…until Dean woke up and found her.

She just hoped that Sam was resting and hadn’t noticed she was missing. After she drank down the concoction Dean had forced on her, she slipped off the edge of her seat, and stretched, glad that Sam's flannels were incredibly long on her legs. She reached forward and patted Dean's chest, just over his heart with a thankful smile and then turned to push her chair up, following Dean's 'doctors orders'.

SAM

Sam had remained asleep for a little while during the time Anya had woken up. The day they had had actually worn him out and made him for once, have a peaceful sleep knowing he didn't need to worry about his brother for once. Yet as he fidgeted in his sleep, he was subconsciously aware that Anya wasn't in the bed, making him stir awake. Looking around the room, he tried to find her in the dark room but he couldn't spot her anywhere. "Anya?" He quietly called out, leaning over to his bedside table and switching the small lamp on. She really wasn't in the room and that started to panic him. Grabbing for one of his guns that he kept inside his bedside table drawer, he got up, glad he was still in his boxers and rushed out the room.

He couldn't hear the alarms going off, so no monster had broken in, but could a human have broken in without triggering the alarms? It was possible. He felt panicked, worried that someone got in and taken Anya, but the tension in his shoulders instantly dropped when he found her talking with Dean in the library. Lowering the gun, safety back on he sighed with relief. Sam decided to stay back as he watched his brother chat and what he assumed, calm Anya down from whatever had woken her up. Seeing Dean getting her an alcoholic drink made him wrinkle his nose in slight judgemental disapproval.

Then Dean convinced Anya to go back to bed which is when he made himself known as Anya stood up. "Everything okay?" He asked, acting like he didn't just watch the whole scene play out in front of him. Walking over to meet Anya half way, he wrapped an arm over her shoulders. "I got worried" he admitted. He wasn't even aware of what the time was or how close it was to Natalia's arrival. All he cares about was making sure Anya was okay.

LEXI

Lexi didn't move or stir when Dean carefully moved from under her and got out of his bed. She didn't even stir when he got dressed and left a kiss on her face. The sleep she had found herself in was deep. She had been sleeping peacefully with not even a dream coming to fruition when Dean was with her, but as he left, her mind transcended into materializing a dream, a memory even. Only this time was a pleasant one and not the night she walked in on Owen dead and torn to shreds in their living room by the fireplace.

"Owen what is this all about?" She asked him, putting her phone down beside all his spare photography equipment and turning around to find him in front of the white backdrop and props, down on one knee. Initially she got so confused because it felt so out of the blue after they just took a couple of selfies in a break. Then it dawned on her exactly what was happening. "Oh my..." She gasped, stepping up closer to him, "Owen?" She questioned, as he pulled out a box from his back pocket and opened it, revealing a simple but beautiful silver ring with her birthstone encrusted into the band. "Lexi, I have known you for six years now and every single day you remind me exactly why I fell in love with you that first night in that bar.

You looked so beautiful despite looking beyond tired. Dusty clothing from who knows what and some hair totally out of place and not in that braid you love doing so much. Yet you looked so real compared to anyone else in that room. It's why I had to come over and say hi to you. Six years on and I can't imagine my life without in it. I don't even care what your work entails because I know and have full faith you will come back home to me. I swear to you I will always be there to be your sense of home and sanctuary if you would have me be that for you. I love you more than I could love anyone or anything- even my photography" he smirked and chuckled before continuing, "Lexi, will you marry me? Because I want nothing more than to marry you" he proposed after a long speech that was perfectly him.

She smiled and cried, nodding her head, rushing over to him as he stood up and hugged him tightly. "I will" she replied, pulling away just enough for him to put the ring on her finger. "I love you Owen" she said through teary eyes and a smile. "I love you too" he replied, kissing her deeply and holding her close.

As she slept, a tear fell down her face, gripping the cushion that Dean had placed under her. "Owen...." She cried in her sleep.

-----

NATALIA

Natalia was glad that they were finally a few minutes away as she was officially getting tired from driving so long. She was thankful for the stop over they did a few hours ago to get Anna and a much needed coffee off of Duke for the drive to the bunker. She used the break to visit the new horse and give Duke the whole rundown on how things had been. Now she was glad that she had two co pilots as she nicknamed Cason and Anna to keep her awake with stupid stories and bad singing.

As she reached the bunker's location, she pulled in and down the path to park up and noticed more than Sam and Dean's cars. "Weird..." She muttered to herself but ignored it for now. It was about an hour after dawn and she could finally stop driving. Turning the engine off, she pocketed her keys and opened the door. "Let's see how bad a shape Dean is in and what this case is all about" she remarked to the other two, stepping out and stretching her legs and arms.

Pulling her phone out, she shot Dean a quick text of "we're here" before entering the bunker and when she got to the inside door, thumped her fist on it in a rhythm only she ever used on the door.

Anya glanced up as her heart jolted at hearing Sam’s voice. She had hoped she wouldn’t wake him, but as keyed up as Sam was half the time, it wasn’t all that surprising that he would be jarred by her not being in bed. She nodded when he asked if she was okay and wrapped her arm around his waist, realizing she had no way to communicate in her little excursion out of the room. She had left her phone under her pillow. With a sigh, she smiled up at Sam, giving him a look that clearly read ‘sorry I scared you’.

“Yes or no questions, Sam.” Dean called out and Anya laughed, before shooting him a look. “But I think I can fill in the blanks. A little anxiety, cured by the Dean Winchester special. She’ll be back to sleep before she hits the pillow.”

Anya nodded, and she turned back to Sam, reaching across to grab his other hand and drag him back to the bedroom. She threw up a peace sign to Dean, who just chuckled to himself before stepping into the kitchen to grab some coffee to start his way too early day.



Dean had been buzzing around the bunker for a while, when he decided that the bunker was too quiet, and glancing down at his watch, he realized why. Everyone was sleeping in. On one hand, he was grateful that Sam was actually getting some rest, but on the other hand, Natalia would be there any minute and they needed to be up and around to work the case with Cason. Stepping off from his place in the kitchen, his fourth cup of coffee in his hands, he made his way toward the corridor and stopped first at his own door, banging his fist against the old wood.

“Rise and shine sweetheart! It’s time to get up.”

He then stepped across the hall and down a bit, reaching Sam’s door and did the same thing, banging on the old and heavy wood, “Up and at ‘em kiddos! We got work to do and it’s almost ten. Let’s go!”

Dean didn’t wait for any of them to answer him. He simply walked back down the corridor, walking straight for the library to turn the lights on. He figured it was the best place to work on whatever Cason would need to find when he got there. He moved some books into a pile and after a little bit, his phone buzzed and he picked it up, seeing that everyone else had arrived.

“There you are…”, he whispered at his phone, sliding his coffee mug across the table he was leaning against. He stepped away from the table and walked up the spiral staircase, across the walkway and to the garage door, opening the gate before walking up to the large wooden doors that Nat was hammering on.



“Do we want to bet money that he’s already drunk this morning?” Cason chimed in as Nat knocked on the door and he stood back with Anna, keeping her close to him in case it was Sam that answered the door. It had taken everything short of pulling teeth for Cason to convince her that she didn’t even really have to see Sam, as she was coming to help them bring Dean back from whatever ledge he was on…not to torture her with being around Sam.

But the anxiety in Anna’s stomach told her that there wasn’t much of a way she was going to avoid him. She glanced over at Mika’s car at the far end of the garage and she swallowed heavily, brushing a strand of her shorter blonde hair out of her face. As Dean opened the doors, Anna narrowed her eyes. He looked completely sober, like he had been eating, and he didn’t even look that tired.

Anna turned her eyes up to Cason and she frowned at him, shooting daggers that he ignored as he smiled, “Well don’t you just look chipper this morning!”, he called out to Dean, who rolled his eyes and turned, leaving the heavy door open behind him for them to come in. Dean didn’t even seem to notice Anna was there at first. As Cason stepped in front, leading the way behind Dean, while keeping his hands tight against his sides, avoiding any potential death traps in the process, Dean turned and his face paled.

“Anna…”

“Yeah. We brought her for an extra brain…nothing else. So, get it out of your head.” Cason instantly defended the decision to bring her. “I expected you to be a bit worse off than you are, Dean.”

“You’re here for me?” Dean asked, his breathing still a bit shallow and Anna softened her face, seeing how hard it was for him to even look her in the eyes. She stepped forward, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. Dean hesitated at first, and then he buried his face in her hair, hugging her back almost tight enough to bruise. “It’s good to see you.”

“It’s good to see you too.” Anna muttered against Dean’s neck. As she stared over his shoulder, at Sam’s jacket hanging near the railing, the memory of that horrific day flooded her brain.

=====

“You’re not going. Sam, you’re not doing this without me! Sam!” Anna cried out, as Duke reached a hand out and wrapped his fingers around her wrist. Sam walked away from her, emotionless from where Anna could see the back of his shoulders. He stepped past Dean and out of the cabin as Dean turned to her with teary eyes. “Dean please. Please! I can handle this. Tell him I can handle this!”

“I know you can…I know. But, I have to back him up on this. You can’t be there when…” Dean tried to reason with her, and Anna shook her head at him with tears streaming down her face. “You’re safer here, Anna!”

“I’m safer WITH him. We’ve always been safer together.” Anna cried out, but Dean shook his head.

“I’ll come back for you when this is over. I promise you. Anna I swear to you that I will come get you when this is over. If Sam comes out on the other side of this, you can come home and we will act like none of this ever happened.” Dean cooed to her, walking back as Sam slammed the door of the Impala behind him. He wrapped his arms tightly around Anna’s body, burying his face in her hair as his hand came up to hold her head to him, “I promise you. I will get him through this, and I will come back for you.”

“Please keep him safe. No matter what you have to do…you keep him alive, Dean.” Anna sobbed into his shoulder, and Dean nodded.

“I will. But please…let them take care of you. Sam will be okay.” Dean cooed in Anna’s ear as she nodded. After a moment, without another glance back at her, Dean huffed. He forced himself away from her, not able to handle looking back, and walked out the door, closing it behind him. The last thing she saw were the tail lights of the Impala shining through the window, and they were gone…

====

Anna came out of the memory with tears in her eyes, and she let Dean pull her back to look her over for a moment, before Dean turned his attention to Nat.

“And you look good. What have you been up to to stay in shape like that? Let me guess…food police.” He teased her, glancing between her and Cason.

LEXI

Dean's banging on his door and calling out to her made Lexi wake with a start. “Huh what?” She muttered to herself, looking around the room and remembering where she was. Sighing as her mind came back to reality, she ran a hand through her hair, trying to come to terms with the fact that once again, bringing the photos out the day before triggered a memory induced dream. “At least it wasn't a nightmare this time…” she mumbled to herself, looking down where Dean was only to find he was gone and it was clearly him who banged on the door to wake her. Reaching over to where she left her phone the night before, she looked at the time and saw how late into the morning it was which made her swing her legs out of Dean's bed and get up. Dropping her phone on the bed beside her, she reached down to grab her clothing and underwear, getting dressed once more so she could at least leave the room with some dignity so she could make it to the bathroom.

Once dressed, phone in jeans pocket, she left his room and headed to the bathroom where she had a quick shower before heading to her room and getting dressed again. Heading down the corridor once suitably presentable, she found Dean heading up the stairs to let his sister into the bunker. ‘damn, have they arrived already? I really did sleep in’ she thought to herself. If she was to meet this sister of his and her demon boyfriend, she needed to be more coherent, so she swiftly headed to the kitchen and got herself a coffee before making herself seen, seeing that Cason was already inside the bunker and being careful not to touch anything that could hurt him. ’huh…he is not at all what I would have pictured’ she thought to herself even though she wasn't really certain what she would have pictured in the first place. Standing back, she waited for Dean to get everyone inside when she spotted a blonde hugging him and from where she was standing below, she didn't recognise it to be the same Anna who she saw in the photos.

She did see which of the girls were Natalia as she looked so much like her brothers, despite not having the same mother. There was no mistaking that Winchester defined jawline.

SAM

At the hammering of the door happening and Dean's call out, like he was some kind of drill sergeant to them all, Sam woke up with a groan of disapproval of being awake. He had slept so hard once he was happy that Anya was getting some sleep, that he didn't realize just how long they had been asleep for. Rolling partially away from Anya to reach his phone to check the time, he now understood why Dean was waking everyone up. It really was almost ten and Dean wasn't lying. Putting his phone back down, he looked over at Anya and brushed her hair out of his face, “time to get up” he cooed, before gently sliding away from her after having curled himself round her like an extra blanket in the night.

Sitting upright on the edge of his bed, he leaned down and grabbed his jeans, pulling them on then standing up and walking over to his drawer of clean shirts. Pulling out a basic t-shirt, he lifted it over his head and pulled it on before using his hands to brush his hair into some kind of decent state. Picking up his boots, he went back to the bed to sit on and pull them on before standing back up again.
“I'll see you out there, okay?” he told Anya before leaning forward and kissing the top of her head.

Out of his room, he went straight to the kitchen where he saw Lexi exiting it with her own coffee. She seemed a little mentally out of the bunker but he wasn't going to pry, as he went straight to the coffee machine and made himself and Anya a mug each. With a yawn and tucking a bit of his hair behind his ears, he made the drinks and headed out of the kitchen to where the others were and that was when he saw her. Anna. He froze on the spot, scared at what to do, did he run or did he act like everything was fine? This wasn't part of the deal, she wasn't meant to be here, why did they bring her? His mind raced through the day he left her with Duke and Esme, without so much as looking back. He wasn't sure he could do this, especially with what was brewing between him and Anya. Every part of him wanted to walk away and hide but he knew he couldn't.

Deciding to stay back, he wasn't going to acknowledge anything until he got personally greeted, but he was now worried how he was going to get through this with Anna and Anya in the bunker.

NATALIA

Cason's comment about betting on whether or not Dean was already drunk again made Natalia roll her eyes. “I'd like to hope not. If he is, I'm confiscating every bit of alcohol in this place. He'll never move forward if he keeps drowning in the bottom of a bottle” she replied to him. She knew she was tough on Dean and his drinking habits whilst grieving, but someone had to be. Sam, last she knew, had all but given up on trying to stop Dean being drunk so she felt it was her job to get him on the straight and narrow. Mika would have clipped upside the back of his head if she could see him constantly drunk. She followed Anna's eyes and saw what she glanced at and her heart sank. They hadn't even covered Mika's car up and she didn't know if it was a helpful thing to do or detrimental to Dean’s ability to move forward. She missed seeing the car out on the road though and even remembered when she childishly raced Mika on an empty road, only to be beaten by the woman. As she turned her head back towards the door, she could have sworn she saw Mika standing by her car, but she shook the thought from her mind, deciding she was just imagining things. ’it's all because you miss her’ she thought to herself.

When the sounds of the heavy door began to echo from the other side, she knew Dean was opening it up for them. The moment his face came to view, she took in his appearance seeing that he seemed pretty well put together and very much sober. She let the other two get in first, seeing how cautiously Cason walked inside and she didn't blame him. She hoped that Dean prepped the place enough for Cason's sake or she would be gone in a flash. Nat looked apologetic toward Dean as he suddenly realized that it was Anna who was with them. She didn't want to bring Anna as she didn't want to make her or Sam uncomfortable but Cason not only convinced Anna, but convinced her that it was worth bringing her along. Watching Dean and Anna share a hug, Nat knew that both of them needed it and was glad that both were being so willing to hug each other. As they hugged, she waited for her turn to hug her brother. Over the years she had grown much closer to Dean, going her own way making a big difference to her relationship with him. Now she cherished the times she visited, even if it was rare because of the bunker’s anti demon set up.

When Dean did get to talk to her, she smirked at his teasing, nodding at his guess at why she was looking better. “Nope, not the food police. Just finally looking after myself” She replied, lying completely because a lot of it was because of Cason and making her gain much better eating habits. She couldn't even remember the last time she ate a greasy pizza because of Cason. Yet she was also sort of looking after herself more, having started to actually fit in a morning run whenever she could and kept up the fitness so she was capable of doing the hunts. After half joking, she hugged Dean tightly, “you look good too, better than I thought you would. I've missed you” she told him honestly, it dawning on her just how much she missed his face and hugs. After a moment, she pulled back and properly walked inside, looking down at the bunker below and spotting Sam and someone she didn't know. “Hey Sam!” She greeted, deciding she was going to ask about the red haired woman after she saw her other brother. Carefully jogging down the stairs, she ran over to Sam, only giving him the tiniest of windows to put the mugs down and hug her back.

“Hey Nat” he smiled, hugging her tightly after he snapped out of his frozen state from spotting Anna. “How you doing kiddo?” He asked her, “I'm good” she replied, squeezing him as she hugged him. “And I'm sorry about Anna, it wasn't my idea” she whispered to him which made him hug her a bit tighter, “I figured it wouldn't be your idea” he whispered back before letting her go. Stepping back a bit, she then looked at Lexi, eyebrow raised in curiosity. “And you are….?” She asked, looking Lexi up and down. “Hi, I'm Lexi, fellow hunter, friend of your brothers” Lexi greeted, holding her free hand out to Natalia, who didn't reciprocate the gesture. “Huh..see they told you about me, but not the other way round” she replied, glancing between Sam and Dean. “Be nice Nat. Lexi is good” Sam told Natalia.

“Hmm…anyway, what's this demon issue you wanted us over here for anyway?” She replied, looking between Sam and Dean, deciding to change the subject.

Anya barely stirred when Dean banged on the door. After his little night cap, she was pretty out of it, still. She had slept so hard that the idea of opening her eyes made her pout in her sleepy state. But when Sam’s hand came to her forehead, brushing some of her hair away, she sighed, and reached for him. Unfortunately, his warmth disappeared as he got up, causing Anya to pout again and drop her hand. She finally opened her eyes and she brought a hand up to ruffle her own hair, looking around the room to see Sam getting dressed.

As Sam came back to the bed, Anya reached her hand out and brushed her fingers across his arm, watching him pull his boots on. She sighed again when he leaned over and kissed her head, realizing that he wasn’t going to accept ‘I don’t wanna leave the room’ as an answer. Before she could complain too much, Sam left the room and Anya reluctantly pulled the blankets back, sliding out of bed. She quickly walked over to her bag and grabbed a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, deciding that if they were expecting company, she probably shouldn’t just run around in Sam’s clothes all day.

After taking a quick shower, just to wash up a bit, Anya jogged toward the door and then took to the corridor in her bare feet, smelling the coffee that was obviously brewing over and over in the kitchen. She walked into the war room, not really seeing anyone at first, until she got to the library, where she heard voices. As she stepped in, everyone was greeting each other, but Sam seemed absolutely frozen in place, as if he had seen a ghost…all the way until the person she had to assume was his sister hugged him and they muttered to each other about something. She closed the gap between herself and Sam, stepping up beside him. She didn’t grab for him, the way she normally would, just stood nearby and picked up one of the mugs that Sam had sat on a table near him.

“And who are you, little one?” The man with Natalia suddenly spoke up, and Anya’s eyes snapped to his face that was smiling warmly at her, as if he was afraid he would scare her. She glanced between him and Nat, and narrowed her eyes. “Cat got your tongue?”

Anya sat her mug down on the table briefly, tilting her head.

“I don’t talk.” Anya signed simply, testing the waters to see if he understood her. As he tilted his head back with an ‘ah’ sound, Anya almost broke into a smile. He brought his hands up and signed to her.

“Sam’s new girlfriend, I presume?”

“No labels, yet. Are you the boyfriend? The demon?” Anya asked him and Cason smiled, nodding his head before signing.

“Yep. My name’s Cason.”

“Anya…” She signed, letting her hands linger for a moment.



Dean smiled a bit brighter as Nat confirmed that Cason had kept her on the straight and narrow, something he would have to thank him for before he was out of the bunker. He held his arms out as Nat approached him, wrapping his arms tightly around her, and burying his face in her shoulder for a moment. When she commented on his appearance, Dean shrugged his shoulders, pulling back from the hug with a sheepish grin, “Well, I’ve been a little more at myself lately. Things are…okay…”

He stepped back from her, shoving one of her shoulders before turning and walking the group toward the stairs. As they stepped onto the landing, Dean’s eyes immediately went to Anna as she caught sight of Sam and stilled, just staring at him. She awkwardly brought both her hands up to her shorter blonde hair and pulled it behind her ears with a heavy gulp, nodding. She turned her eyes toward the floor and sighed, pressing her lips together.

“So, he’s here…” She muttered, and Dean stepped over to her, leaning in close to her ear with a soft sigh.

“It’s been almost a year. You can handle this. If things get too tense, I swear, I’ll send him out.” Dean whispered in her ear and Anna nodded, her face blushing a bit at the idea of even speaking to Sam. Judging by how frozen Sam was in place, not only had no one told him she was coming, but he was just as scared to be face to face with her as she was him.

As Natalia jogged down the stairs and quickly hugged Sam, the others followed her, a bit more orderly. Anna turned her eyes to the ground and Cason placed a hand on her lower back, following her down the stairs with Dean trailing in the back. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Anna glanced up, seeing a girl slightly smaller than herself wiz by, and stand near Sam. She tilted her head, but then the girl started to speak to Cason in sign language, and Anna’s curiosity deepened. She frowned, trying to make out anything she could from the conversation, but the only thing she made out were the names.

Reading Sam’s name and then Anya’s introducing herself, Anna glanced up at Sam and then back to Anya. She kept her distance from Sam, putting Cason between them as Cason talked up the younger woman, but she had trouble tearing her eyes away from Sam and how different he looked from the last time they had met up in Denver.

Dean stepped over to Lexi, around the same time that Sam warned Nat to be nice to her. He placed a hand on Lexi’s lower back and leaned in close to her ear, “She’ll come around to you. Don’t worry. She’s…weary of new people.”, he almost whispered, brushing his nose against her ear before turning to Nat as she asked about the reason he had called them.

“Well, it’s a bit more complicated than just a demon problem. Have you ever heard of a demon making a deal that is quid pro quo? Like ‘you do this for me, I do this for you’?” Dean asked, looking over at Cason. His eyes glanced over Cason’s shoulder a few times, seeing Anna’s tension and his heart dropped a bit. As much as he didn’t know if it would help, Anna and Sam needed to talk to each other, before this trip ended…

“Not crossroads demons. They give you something. You give them your soul. It’s pretty simple.” Cason replied with a shrug, but he winced, “But your ‘less friendly to hell’ demons can sometimes use deals like that to get through to unlikely victims. You pick someone vulnerable and convince them that you can do the bidding…even if you can’t. They give you what you want and you kill them. I know some demons who have made similar deals.”

“And how do you get out of it?” Dean asked quickly.

“Kill the demon that holds the fake contract. Should be easy enough. They’re likely young, fresh from Hell and think they’re getting one over on whoever smoked out their soul. If they get caught? They’re dead. Dust.”

“Interesting.” Dean said softly, suddenly very happy with their phone call. But Cason continued and Dean sighed.

“Give me a day or two, and I can point you in the right direction. Kill the demon. Release the victim. Who’s your victim?”

Dean nodded gently toward Anya, and Cason shook his head with a frown, and then placed his hands on his hips, “Well, then we kill the demon as quick as we can. What did he promise you?”

“My voice.” Anya signed, and Cason shook his head at her sadly.

“Other than parlor tricks…no demon outside of the crossroads can give you that.”

SAM

When Anya appeared finally, he gave the gesture to what mug was hers as she grabbed for it. It was clear to him how tired she still was due to the night cap that Dean had given her in the middle of the night. He looked amongst the group, trying to avoid eye contact with Anna even though he didn't want to make it awkward for everyone around the two of them. Luckily for him, he had a distraction that was Cason greeting Anya. He was about to explain that she was mute when Anya beat him to it, then got surprised at how Cason just knew fluent ASL and was speaking to her without any issues whatsoever.

He was actually impressed and thankful that there was someone here that could communicate with Anya without issues now. Sure there was Lexi, but even her ASL was basic at best, but Cason seemed really fluent in it which would come in handy in Sam's eyes. Sipping his coffee, glad to have caffeine getting into his system, he let the two of them chat, wondering what they were saying, only catching the names being signed.

When it came to Natalia giving Lexi a light third degree questioning, he knew Natalia wasn't going to drop this anytime soon. It was why he had to tell her to be nice, but he was pretty sure it was going in one ear and out the other straight away. Glancing up, he watched Dean step beside Lexi and place his hand on her lower back, hoping that would put the end to Nat's suspicions, but the way she looked suspicious at them both, something told Sam that Dean was not going to hest the end of this. It was rather ironic to him that the roles between Nat and Dean seemed to have swapped in mere seconds.

He still remembered all the months that Dean didn't trust Cason as far as he could throw him and hated it even more when Cason was close to Nat. Now it was Nat not liking someone new being near to Dean, only difference was that Lexi was a human and a hunter and not a demon. "She's cool Nat, seriously, be nice" he repeated to her before the conversation got moved forward to why Nat and Cason, and subsequently Anna, were called to give them a hand.

NATALIA AND LEXI

With the conversation changed to why she was brought here with Cason, Natalia listened to everyone chat and discuss the situation. The moment Dean nodded his head towards Anya when Cason asked who the victim was, she instantly felt sorry for Anya. "That's seriously gotta suck" she commented, understanding the sign for 'my voice' as it felt pretty obvious. "So with that information, we find the demon and kill it. Seems pretty standard for us...right?" Natalia then added, as much as she felt sorry for Anya for not having her voice, she knew they couldn't just let a demon run around making fake deals and hurting people like this.

She was aware of how close Dean was being with Lexi and that made so many more questions flood through her mind than what she should be thinking about. She was also aware how awkward Sam and Anna were being so close to each other and she knew she'd have to step in somehow. She was leaning towards taking Anya out so Anna and Sam could hash out whatever it was that was left lingering between them. If they didn't have a chat sooner than later then this job to help Anya would be compromised and she wasn't prepared to have that happen.

Before the discussion moved forward onto Anya's demon deal, she gave a nod to Dean's comment about Natalia coming round soon enough. She could t help but wonder why the sister was instantly against her when she barely said two words, but she was also willing to just ride it out, reminding herself that it was just because his sister was worried about him. Sipping her coffee, she let everyone talk and was impressed how well versed Cason was in ASL and how charming the guy seemed to be for a demon.

"Is it really that simple though? It's never that easy" Lexi pointed out, not wanting to contradicting Natalia, and judging by the as squinting of Nat's eyes, she didn't like being like contradicted. Darting her eyes away from Natalia, she looked over at the others to try and focus on the conversation and not the judgement radiating off of Natalia.

"Anyway, I guess no time like the present to start work" Natalia said, "but first I need some of that coffee after this last six hours on the road" she smirked, walking past everyone, but made sure to place her hand on Cason's back on her way. "Watch Red with Dean" she whispered to him as she went by and headed into the kitchen.

Lexi saw how Nat was with this Cason and she didn't know whether to be weirded out by seeing such a close relationship between a hunter and a demon or find it incredibly adorable. Seeing Nat whisper to Cason, she just knew it was about her so she decided to ignore it for now, and try and focus on the job at hand. Stepping up to the table, she sat down, deciding to remain as neutral as possible. Though it was now she was sat down that she saw how uncomfortable Sam was feeling.

Anna was nearly buzzing with the odd pull toward Sam that she felt, just being this close to him again. She barely heard a word that was being said as she stood close to Cason’s back. As she heard Natalia chime in, wanting coffee her attention snapped to the brief exchange between Nat and Cason, and she pulled away from Cason’s back, following Nat instantly toward the kitchen. She carefully angled her body to make sure that she didn’t brush shoulders with Sam on the way by and then as they entered the kitchen, she ran her hands through her hair with a sigh, finally able to breath.

“I shouldn’t have come. I should have never let him talk me into this…” She sighed in a groan, pacing a bit in the kitchen as Nat went to grab coffee. She stepped over to the sink and turned it on, wetting her hands, before wiping them over her face, anything to calm the anxiety that was roaring in her ears. “I mean, I half expected he would be here, but I didn’t expect that there would be others…like are they babysitting? What is going on? And what am I supposed to do? Avoid eye contact for the time we’re here and hope that Sam never talks to me?”

She turned, her eyes tired and sad as she leaned against the sink and wiped her face a bit more, trying to navigate whatever this feeling was. She flexed her fingers a bit and then turned her eyes up to Natalia, “I can’t talk to him, Nat. We…we don’t talk when we’re around each other, anymore. It’s just anger…and pain…and…and I guess lust? Mourning? What even would that feeling be?”



Cason was a bit nervous as Natalia told him to watch Lexi. Dean was a grown man, and honestly? Cason wasn’t super worried about his wellbeing around this girl. If anything, he seemed better off around her. Cason walked over to a table, sighing as Anna scooted past him and followed Natalia, avoiding Sam as if he had some sort of incurable disease she could catch. He turned his eyes back to those in front of him and he scanned over all of them, before his eyes fell on Lexi.

“So, what’s your story? You’re built like a hunter. Dean seems to like you enough, and you’re comfortable here…at least from what I can tell. You a hunter?” Cason asked Lexi as he got comfortable and tossed his legs over the side of the table, kicking back.

“We’re not here to interrogate.” Dean grumbled.

“Alright. No interrogation. Fine. So you two.” Cason started again, before Dean glared at him and he held his hands up. “Alright. Fine. I’m here to work. When Nat gets settled, I’ll poof out of here and go see what I can find. Until then, I’ll just sit here.”

Dean nodded, “That’s a good idea.”

Dean glanced toward the kitchen and he sighed, tilting his head down to whisper in Lexi’s ear.

“The blonde one? That’s…well…that’s Anna. The Anna. The big one. If you watch them, they’re avoiding being within three feet of each other for a reason. If they ever touch…things are gonna get a lot more awkward.” Dean explained, turning to glance at his brother and his body language, “I have a sneaking bad feeling that it’ll happen sooner rather than later.”



Anya watched as tension continued to build between Lexi and Natalia, but what she hadn’t noticed until the two women walked to the kitchen, was how avoidant the blonde one was acting toward Sam. The way she turned to the side to avoid touching him, and the way neither of them could look at each other was tugging at Anya’s curiosity. So, she reached down and took Sam’s hand, tugging him over toward the library shelves with a frown. She sat her coffee mug on the top of one of the shelves and tilted her head pulling her phone from her back pocket.

She typed, but didn’t press play, trying to be as private as she could with him, her eyes full of concern and care.

“Are you okay? You seem really tense and far off, like one of them is the last person you want to see. Is it the girl? The blonde one? Do you know her?”

She turned her phone and let him read the message, before picking his hand back up and running her thumb over his knuckles as she searched his face. Seeing him tense after he had such a pleasant night was concerning and even as tired as she still was, she couldn’t just leave it alone. She couldn’t just let Sam go back down after he was so happy just a few short hours prior.