[h2]Esme[/h2]
 Esme watched Duke, knowing he was probably thinking he wished he had never let her learn his body language and facial expressions so well. He had promised to let her in when she asked him to, and she was glad he did. It made things better between them, but she knew that she sometimes took advantage of what she could see. She didn’t mean to take advantage, but sometimes it was the only way to know his thoughts since she couldn’t read his mind. Esme just wanted to be there for him and to keep him from doing anything stupid, which she hoped he knew. She also knew his way of thinking was to keep her safe and would do anything to keep her out of harm's way. Esme knew that if she let Duke, he’d lock her away somewhere safe and not let her out until he returned. She couldn’t allow him to do that, even if it would make him happy. She wasn’t one to just sit on the sidelines and do nothing while others needed the help. With everything she had gone through in this way of life, she had to do what she could, even if it sometimes scared the hell out of her.

Using the trio’s motto, Esme knew she was playing a little dirty, but she knew he’d never be able to leave her behind if she used it. She watched Duke freeze as soon as the words left her lips, then whispered as he watched her eyes. She watched him nod his head, and his eyes darted around momentarily as if he were looking for a solution to keep her safe. As soon as she heard Duke sigh and saw him scrunch his nose, she knew he was taking her with him. Esme sighed a bit through her nose at his words but nodded as he turned his eyes back to hers and spoke again. Keeping hold of his hand, she brought her free hand up to his face, stroking his cheek lovingly with her thumb. “I promise I’ll be careful.” she told him, still looking into his eyes. “If anything feels off, I’ll let you know. But you have to promise me you’ll also be careful. Okay?” Esme leaned forward, her nose just inches from his. “I don’t plan on doing anything that will hinder us in bringing Dean and Mika back home. After seeing how Dean looked in my vision, I want him back here just as much as you do.”

Esme looked deep into Duke’s eyes to show him she meant her words. “If it makes you feel better. Think of it as me going with you as backup. You have the lead on this. I won’t put myself in any situation that makes you feel like you need to come to my rescue.” she told him. “But if you get into trouble, you can bet your ass I’ll jump in.” Closing her eyes and sighing softly, she tilted her head and kissed his nose softly, then touched her nose to his. “Before Sam and Anna get here, I’d like to go to the RV and get some things.” she said softly.