FuriePhoenix

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

NATALIA

When Sam ignored her question as to why he was doing this and just left in a hurry, Natalia sighed. Running a hand through her hair she looked around the room, now very much on her own as everyone had left to either get Dean and Mika back or talk Castiel into joining them. Sitting on the couch, she wondered what to do, her foot rapidly tapping the floor. She wasn't getting any good feelings from the situation. She couldn't get how Sam looked pumped up on demon blood out of her mind. It was haunting as she never wanted to see her brother looking like that. It also saddened her to think he felt he had to do it to help Dean and Mika. Sitting still was just not an option for her at this moment in time, so she got up and went to Bobby's stash of alcohol behind his desk, poured herself a drink of whiskey and put the bottle back where she found it. Walking back to the couch, she lifted the glass to her lips and forced herself to only sip the drink even though she was wanting to just down it in one go.

So much of her didn't want to disturb Bobby, but she also didn't want to be alone. Downing the drink, putting the glass on the empty table, she looked out the window to see what Bobby was actually doing. She couldn’t spot him from where she was so she turned back round, standing up and deciding to just go outside to get some air. Every now and then she would check her phone for any kind of update but unsurprisingly, there was nothing. Walking over Dean's car, she saw the damage she did in daylight and actually winced. “How he didn't kill me for this I'll never know” she muttered to herself, reaching her arm through the broken window carefully and unlocking the door from the inside, where she took out the hammer she had thrown through it and inspected the rest. She saw the glass everywhere on the seating that wasn't outside on the gravel and I ew she had to clean it. It was the least she could do for Dean in time for when he returned home.

Looking around, she found one of Bobby's toolboxes and walked over to it, putting the hammer down on top of it before looking for a dustpan and brush, finding one, grabbing it and walking back to the impala. By hand, she swept all the glass that was on the seat into the dustpan and cleaned it up. Satisfied that the inside of the car was now glass free after she also swept up the floor, she carried the lot to the outside bin and chucked the glass fragments inside it. She hoped the small action would be enough to start her apology before putting the pan and brush down and heading back inside. Going back to the couch she sat down and a while later Cason returned beside her. Looking across at him, she saw him utterly unharmed which was a good sign, “hey, so..do you think your plan is working?” She asked him.

MIKA
As Cason and Castiel circled each other and started talking, she kept back and watched on. Ready to defend Cason if she thought it was warranted. They all hurt Nat by not helping Cason, she wasn't going to make it happen again. She looked towards the door when she heard spluttering, coughing and screaming from the other room. She didn't like it, she couldn't help but have a feeling if was getting closer to Dean getting more hurt. That dread only got worse when it suddenly got quiet for a moment and all she heard was Cason and Castiel talking with each other. Forcing her eyes back to the other two, she saw what Cason saw. Castiel was breaking, he was doubting everything Uriel had told him. He was actually listening to what Cason was saying to him, more than when she tried to get through to him. When Cason then finished speaking, agreeing to leave at Castiel's mercy, she gave a nod to his request in keeping Cas talking. Taken off guard internally at him kissing her temple, she let him leave to go back to Nat before looking back at Castiel.

“He's right Cas, you know he's right. I can see the doubt in your mind, it's written all over your face. You wouldn't have made Dean do this because you know it's not just or righteous.” She spoke calmly, stepping up to him a little bit more closely, not taking her eyes off of him.

Then it happened, she heard commotion in the room and her head snapped towards the door. Dean was in trouble, she could feel it in her gut and soul. “Open the damn door!” She barked at Cas, giving him a look that said she ain't playing anymore to make him open it. When the door opened, she stormed in with no real plan. Dean had ruby's knife, she had nothing. She just had to save Dean. Grabbing a crowbar off the ground swiftly, ignoring it was hurting her hand as she smacked it right around Alastair's head, just hard enough to make Alastair drop his eyes from Dean and turn his attention to her. With him now facing her, shebquickly grabbed Ruby's knife and plowed the knife into him, but missed the heart. “shit” she muttered as she took a step or two back, almost tripping over the crowbar she had moments ago dropped.

“Ah my students little lover!” He coyly teased, walking toward her, pulling the knife out of his shoulder and chucking it on the ground. “this'll be fun!” He smirked, Mika keeping her eyes on him to try and predict his next move. “I’m more to him than that” she replied, “I'd say!” He closed the gap, sniffing her, “there's definitely a fire in you, an ancient fire” He grinned, making her shudder at his closeness, understanding why Dean was actually scared of this guy. Without a second to open her mouth to retort back to her, he balled his fist and threw a punch, making her stagger backward as her head snapped sideways before she regained her balance and punched him back with all her might. She had to fight long enough for one of the others to get Dean out of here. “get Dean out of here!!” She barked out, hoping someone would hear her as she held her own as long as possible until she could no more.

Alastair grabbed her by the collars of her vest top, lifted her off the ground so she couldn't get a footing and slammed her against a pillar. She gasped as she felt the wind completely get knocked out of her lungs, and felt some kind of shank go through her spine. With a flick of his wrist, the chains that previously held him down now flew across the ground, up the pillar, over a pipe, back down and round her neck. Her skin burning hot as the iron coated chains touched her skin. She felt her feet lift up off the ground higher as the chains pulled her up, ripping the shank that was in her back out again, nothing below her to grab onto, the soles of her boots just sliding off the pillar as she felt herself being hung, the pillar scraping up her back as a guide for the chains, blood marking her trail upwards. Her eyes wide and full of fear. “now you stay right there for teacher. Class will be in session soon” Alastair coyly instructed, finger waving at her, going to turn back to focus on whoever else would be stupid enough to follow Mika inside the room, when Sam barrelling in eerily calm, arm reached out.

“Let them go and why are the demons killing Angels?!” He demanded to know answers, Mika watching as she scrambled trying to break free but each time she did, it just got tighter around her neck, and the less she was beginning to be able to move the lower half of her body. Her fingers unable to get under the chain to try and make some breathing space.This was it...this was truly her time to die after surviving an attack she shouldn't have years ago. Her extended time was done, game over. Tears welled up in her eyes as the realization hit her heart as well as her mind. She could barely struggle anymore, her flailing getting slower. Her vision blurred, voices becoming nothing but an echo and she couldn't even see where Dean was to say goodbye. She just hoped the others would look after him when she was gone, and look after Bobby. Oh god, Bobby. She couldn't say goodbye to Bobby, her Uncle, pseudo father, the man who basically raised her all through her teen years. Tears began to fall down her face.

“Dean…” she choked out, barely loud enough to even be considered a whisper. She didn't want to die like this, not here, not now. “Dean!!” She could have sworn she heard someone shouting at him, was that Natalia? Cason? Anna? Sam? She couldn't make it out. It could have even been Esme or Duke for all she knew, but their voices just all blurred into one sound. A voice seemed to scream again, but it was no good, she couldn't hold her eyes open any longer as she felt the last breath escape her lips, her head dropping down, her arms limp by her side, eyes closing. She was gone…..and she never got to say goodbye to any of them. She just wanted to see Dean one last time, die in his arms and not hanging like some demon trophy. She didn't even know if they got to Dean and got him off the floor, she didn't know if they killed Alastair or at the very least sent him back to Hell. She just wanted Dean….to feel his arms around her. To tell her it's going to be all okay and she isn't dying or dead.

SAM

Sam kept driving to the address that was on the post it note Cason gave him. Like Duke in his truck, he knew of the address, or at least the area of the address. The fact it was bare there, he knew why Uriel and Castiel chose that area of all places to hold Alastair. No humans could just stumble upon what they were doing and think they were all psychopathic humans just torturing someone. Though that didn't mean he particularly liked it. It meant he would have to be careful when he got there, making sure he did all he could to not get spotted and aware that Duke and Esme had a good head start on him. “Anna please be okay…” he kept muttering to himself to get himself through the drive. His hands were shaking from the demon blood coursing through him as he gripped the wheel tightly to lessen the shakes. He couldn't bear the thought of Uriel hurting Anna in any way and if he did, Sam was determined to kill the angel himself with his bare hands if he had to.

—-

At the location, he saw Duke's truck but not either Esme or Duke. “Dammit Duke!” He hissed, knowing Duke was no doubt just going in with no real plan. Turning the engine off, taking the keys out of the ignition, he opened the door and got out after pulling up behind Duke's truck. Normally he would have gone to the trunk and grabbed some weapons but he didn't see the point now, he was the only weapon he needed. Slapping the roof of Mika's car for good luck, he headed inside, hoping he would spot Duke and Esme at some point. He walked through the grounds, finding a way inside and sneaking around. It was then he found the hallway he needed with the room in question ahead of him.

Storming ahead, he noticed the carnage around everyone, but he didn't let himself focus on it, deciding to solely focus on Alastair in front of him as he lifted his hand and focused on slamming Alastair against the wall and pinning him there. “Let them go and who’s murdering angels? How are they doing it?” He demanded, keeping his focus. “You think I'm going to tell you?” Alastair choked out, “yeah I do” Sam replied with a twist of his hand and making Alastair's eyes roll back to the whites.

“It's not us! We're not doing it” Alastair told him. “I don’t believe you”

“Lilith isn't behind this, she wouldn't kill seven angels. She'd kill a hundred, a thousand!”

Sam paused what he was doing as his nose began to bleed a little bit, which made Alastair sneer. “Oh go ahead, send me back. If you can!” He smirked in a slight sing-song tone. “I'm stronger than that. Now I can kill” Sam replied matter of factly, holding his hand right out, focusing and pulling Alastair out of the body with a golden flickering and crackling. Alastair starts screaming before he falls silent and his body falls to the ground dead.

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

LEXI

Sat next to Dean, Lexi was reading another book in the hopes that it would give her more information that she didn't already know of. The library's collection was impressive and it was clear that the old Men of Letters were extremely thorough in their own research of pretty much anything that went bump in the night and day. As Cason appeared out of nowhere, she flinched ever so slightly and noticed how even Dean went into protective mode before seeing who it was, to which they both relaxed again. She saw how seemingly proud of himself Cason was and she couldn't work out if it was because he made them both jump or because he actually found something useful on his little sluth adventure. Or maybe it was a bit of both, Cason at the moment was a little hard to read but something told her if she was around him long enough, she'd be able to read him well enough to get by and not be as phased by his stints like this. It still amazed her that the youngest Winchester was dating him.

Listening to the boys exchange words, taking on board what Cason was saying. ‘So he actually knows this demon in question…interesting’ she couldn't help but think to herself. She agreed with Dean that they should probably just head out and get it done the moment the others got back, the sooner they could get Anya out of her desk the better in her eyes. She hoped Anya was alright outside with Natalia and that Anya felt she had actually learned something useful as now that she too saw it was getting dark out, she realized how long the girls had been out.

At the mention of Sam and Anna, Lexi decided she was most definitely staying out of that conversation, as like Dean, she too heard all kinds of noises coming from Anna's old bedroom and she did not want to get involved. Even after being warned by Dean hours ago about Sam and Anna, she still didn't want to be involved as she didn't want to think about all the possible ways Anya could react to it if she finds out. Seeing Cason pull a knife out of his boot, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at how comfortably he was making himself. It was bad enough that every part of her wanted to knock his boots off the table, but she didn't know him well enough to feel comfortable in doing it. Turning her attention back to Dean as he looked at her and spoke to her, she gave a nod and smirk back. “Always prepared for a late night hunt. Other than a jacket, I'm all good to go when everyone is here” she replied.

SAM

Laying in Anna's bed the way they were brought back so many happier times that he could almost have fooled himself things hadn't changed between them, but truth was they had. Like Anna, there was that painful feeling in the pit of his stomach knowing this had to be the last time they did this. Despite having said that plenty of times before, he knew this really did have to be the last. He turned his head to look at her as she moved to look down at him, a hand lifting up to hold hers in place on his face before it lowered again at the mention of Anya. There may not have been malice or judgment from Anna when she asked about Anya, but he still felt incredibly guilty that Anna felt she had to mention Anya, and felt guilty towards Anya for having slept with Anna behind her back. Hlat first, he didn't know how to answer the question as he didn't want to hurt Anna, but the truth was he was close to Anya.

They had gotten naturally close so effortlessly that it felt normal. He soon gave a nod as Anna twirled some of his hair in her fingers. “Yeah…yeah I am” he finally said, looking at her with apologetic eyes. He never imagined he would get close to anyone other than Anna, but then Anya came into his life and she felt like a breath of fresh air, a second chance to not screw up. He wanted to do right by someone and not let them down like he let down Anna so horrifically. He didn't know how Anna was going to react to his admittance that he was close to someone else after all this time and that he wanted to be close with someone else, so when she simply said that they have to help her, he looked partially surprised but grateful.

He returned the kiss that she gave him, this time feeling like it was a kiss of closure and goodbye in a way. That Anna was accepting in letting go and starting anew just like he wanted for her. Pulling away from the kiss, he nuzzled her nose back before letting her scoot to the end of the bed and sit up to get dressed once more. Doing the same, he leaned down and grabbed his clothes, chucking them on the bed beside him and, item by item, got dressed once more. He glanced at her as she did him and nodded. “I know…and there will always be a part of me that will love you. That'll never change.” He admitted to her as he pushed his legs through his jeans, doing them up. He didn't know if telling her that was a good idea but he had to get it off his chest. She had to know there would always be a part of him that would still love her, even if that love had changed ever so slightly. They had too much history that would mean that love couldn't ever be fully erased.

At her next words, he couldn't help but smile softly. “I'll make sure to remember that in the future.” He replied, picking up his flannel shirt and slipping his arms through it.

He waited a few moments for Anna to go back to everyone first before he walked to the war room himself, seeing that Anya and Natalia had made it back from his distance. Glancing down, he saw he had buttoned his flannel shirt up crookedly, so he undid the couple of buttons and redid them correctly only to have Nat give him a look that he knew all too well. He just gave her a sheepish look and turned his face away from her, knowing if he kept eye contact with her long enough, she'd insist on pulling him to one side and giving him a lecture. He had hoped that he could have fixed his shirt and made it in before anyone noticed him, but it seemed that wasn't to be. “I'm here” he said back to Cason as he showed himself to the rest of the group.

NATALIA

The moment Anya mastered the throwing knives techniques, Natalia felt incredibly proud of her. She even got the knives quite close together which was even more impressive for a newbie. She clapped out of joy and pride before she too noticed that the sun was setting and it was probably time to head back in, before someone sent out a search party for them both. Probably Dean or Cason, she figured. At Anya's suggestion of also heading back, she gave a nod and smile, “I was just thinking the same thing. Or we'll have one of them searching for us.” She chuckled back as she let Anya pull the knives out of the tree trunk and handing them to her. Taking the knives from her, she stashed them away safely with Anya's help and headed back to the bunker the same way they walked over earlier on in the day.

She stopped off at her car to put her supplies back in the trunk, letting Anya continue forward before she jogged over to catch up and headed inside behind Anya. She noticed the looks and basic signs that Dean and Anya exchanged, wondering when Dean suddenly learned a little ASL. As she descended the stairs behind Anya, she saw how Anna was when she entered the war room and Nat couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. She had an unsettling feeling that the dam broke once again between Anna and Sam and she really hoped she was wrong, but from the distance she saw Sam finally start to make an appearance and from the way he was sorting his shirt out, she wasn't wrong about her guess. The moment Sam caught her eye, she gave him her signature disappointed and annoyed look, which he looked away from swiftly. Pretending she didn't just see Sam, she walked over to everyone else, forcefully pulling Cason's legs off the table so she could perch on his lap. Exactly where she preferred to sit even if there was a spare chair next to him.

As Cason and Anya kept signing to each other, Sam finally entered the room with the declaration that he was here. “Better late than never, idiot” she smirked.

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

LEXI

Judging by the sad nod that Dean gave her in response to her opinions on this case, Lexi guessed he had wished she had a more hopeful reaction or opinion. Yet she didn't and she never saw a point in lying or giving false hope if she truly didn't see it. Unknowingly that was the biggest difference between herself and who Mika was. Where Mika would always try to be as hopeful as possible, even if she didn't believe it, she would still try to give that hope to others, whereas Lexi would be real, even if it wasn't positive. The only time she ever faked hopefulness was when Owen was alive and she didn't have a good feeling about certain hunts. She thought numerous times in the past that she wouldn't come back alive, but she somehow managed to every single time. Yet it was the night Owen died, she lost any point to fake hopefulness, a habit she would have to change now she was with Dean.

She listened to what he was saying and she agreed with every word. “I agree, whatever becomes of this hunt, we get Anya out of this deal and we end this demon’s life. Like you say, if she doesn't get her voice back then we'll make it work, we'll be there for her if she needs it and if that means she goes away with Sam for a while? Then we give her that. At least with Sam she'd be safe” she replied as he reached up and cradled her face. An action that seemed to make her naturally tilt her head into his hands more every time. She looked up at him, not letting her eyes stray away from his when he began to speak once more and asked her to be careful. As he leaned down and kissed her forehead, she closed her eyes, taking it in. She listened as he explained how he couldn't lose anymore people to easy hunts, something she understood well. She had teamed up with hunters before and when they died, she went straight back to being a solo hunter until she met Sam. “I will, I swear to you. I will be as careful as you need me to be Dean and I will be coming back with you all” she said to him.

She figured some of his request wasn't just because they had lost people on simple hunts that should have stayed simple, she figured some of it was still his grief at losing Mika during a hunt. Something she was incredibly sympathetic and empathetic to, so if promising him that she would be careful and even better behind him if needs be was the way to go reassuring him, then she would do that. “Together, with the others, we won't let it be one of those hunts.” She said once more, leaning up pressing her lips onto his for a moment before pulling back.

SAM

Sam knew he should just pull away, apologize for falling into ways and leave, go find Anya and Nat or do something else entirely but he couldn't do it. All he wanted in this moment was Anna, even if it would mean he'd feel incredibly guilty for it towards Anya. He let Anna push him back as he stepped backwards in tandem with her own steps, pausing at the edge of the bed of hers as she pulled away, causing him to chase her lips momentarily. As her hand trailed up and I to his hair, he remembered how much he missed her doing that, causing him to close his eyes and try not to get emotional at such a simple touch. He reopened his eyes when he felt her fingers brush down and over his lips, seeing her smile once again.

He nodded at her whisper, in this moment believing her when she said it to him. Reality was it wasn't okay, they shouldn't be falling into old habits, but right now he believed it was okay and he refused to believe anything else. He kissed her back, desperate for that familiarity that only her kisses could actually give him. He held her close to him as he deepened the kiss, until his hands could stay in one place no more. Running his hands down and under her shirt, lifting it up and over her head before running his hands back down to her waist, holding her close once more and returning his lips into hers.

NATALIA

Nat didn't know ASL like Cason did, but she took what she signed as a positive, even though she didn't understand it really. She made a mental note to herself to get Cason to teach her some ASL so she could communicate with Anya without the use of a phone. After helping her up, Nat waited before continuing as she saw Anya pull out her phone and begin to type. Listening to the message, she couldn't help but smile and find it interesting that Anya used to be a dancer. That flexibility would most definitely come in handy in this line of work. She listened to the second part of what Anya wanted to say and nodded at her words. “Buying yourself time for backup to get to you is always a must. You're right, demons aren't as easy to kill as humans if you don't get it right straight away. Which is why learning ways to either guarantee a kill or at least slow a demon down is so so important. Obviously, none of us will put you in a position where you're alone, we'll do our hardest to keep you close. But like you say, learn to be prepared for any situation” she explained.

Nat was so proud of Anya for seeing this smartly and not thinking it was all like a video game. If she got killed there was no respawning, Anya didn't have an Angel on her side to bring her back like Dean and Sam had Castiel, and she certainly didn't have a demon boyfriend like Cason on her side. She was ready to ask if Anya was ready to learn how to properly throw a knife, when she noticed Anya typing another message, so she waited and listened when the message was played. The message seemed so important and she couldn't help but look at Anya with sympathy but understanding what she was saying. “That's really vital to know. Thank you for telling me Anya. Also, I'm sorry that happened to your dad. That is really one dirty trick to play, but sadly one I've heard be used before by demons and wendigoes. Not many tricks piss me off more than that one.” She replied.

“but rest assured, you're in the safest hands with my brothers, Cason and me.” She gave her a smile, squatting down to pick up the knives off the ground. “So…how about learning how to properly throw these babies? Wanna see if you'll get them in the tree without bouncing out” she smirked.

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

LEXI

Dean's pointing to the holy water on tap, whilst also explaining about it, Lexi has to admit, she was incredibly impressed by the idea. “It is a pretty genius idea, more hunters should have this kind of set up to some degree” she replied, looking at it before he gestured to the clay bottles above the holy water canister. Now she felt like she heard everything, there were ways to trap angels? Lexi was beginning to think she had been hunting old school for far too long, but then again, she hasn't had a reason to be going after angels and learning about how to trap them. She definitely was going to need to up her research if she was going to be learning more things such as this. “Impressive” she replied once more with a smile, seeing how proud he was of what he told her as he pulled out some flasks and salt canisters to fill up with holy water. She continued to look through everything to see if anything else caught her eye on what might be useful to use.

Glancing back at him when he spoke up and mentioned what he thought of Cason's earlier words. Stepping back to him from round the shelving where she was, she thought on it, wanting to give him an honest answer and not just something he'd want to hear. “Honestly? I don't know. I'd like to hope she isn't getting her hopes up in getting her voice, but it's pretty clear how much of an optimistic person she is, so it's really hard to gauge what she expects to get out of this situation” she said as honestly as possible. “I don't want her getting disappointed and hurt if it doesn't go the way she wants, and quite frankly, I really don't think it will. If what Cason says is true, and well, a demon is going to know better than all of us what demons can and can't break deals, then it's not going to be in Anya's favor” she expressed. “I truly hope we're all wrong and some kind of miracle happens for the girl, she certainly deserves it, but I'm not holding my breath on it” she added, looking up at him.

She felt like all they could do is be there for Anya if, and it most certainly wouldn't, go the way she wants, and that Anya won't hold it against them all when it happens.

SAM

Sam wasn't expecting some miraculous turn of feelings towards him when he told Anna his honest truth. He was expecting her to really go for him, but she didn't. She just scoffed at him whilst remaining silent for him to just keep talking. He gave her what felt like so many options but none of it was remotely an option, judging by Anna's body language. He was glad that at least she had stopped stepping further away from him and I stayed stepped closer, close enough so he could have grabbed for her hand. He kept a hold of it as she instinctively placed her other hand on his chest. The dam was breaking and they were falling into their old ways, but at least they started the long talk that they had been overdue for for a long time. He gave a soft nod at her words, wondering if it would be truly possible one day for her to come back and nothing would be awkward.

Sam found himself leaning his head down as she leaned upward to meet her half way, and returned the light kiss. Pausing at the realization of what they did, he kept telling himself in his head not to fall into their old ways. Not to cave under the natural draw they had with each other. He may not have been with Anya long, but he didn't want to hurt her. Yet none of this internal screaming at himself to do the right thing and step back, he couldn't listen. He leaned back forward and kissed her with a bit more pressure into the kiss this time. If the dam was to break, and it had, they may as well get it out of their system, or so he thought.

NATALIA

As Anya mimicked what she was doing, Nat felt happy that Anya was seemingly understanding what she was teaching her easily enough. She could see how much more confident Anya felt holding the knife, and how much more secure the knife was in her hand. “Good” she smiled. If Anya kept understanding her instructions this well then it would be a breeze teaching her Nat thought. Nat couldn't help but think Anya had the markings of being a natural hunter, which although her brothers always found sad because they wouldn't recommend this life to anyone, Natalia saw it as a good thing. Even if Anya left the life, or decided she didn't want to be a hunter after all, she'd come out of this with good survival skills and a new knowledge of how to use her muteness to her advantage.

Nat gave her a reassuring smile when Anya initially shook her head, not wanting to come at her with a knife. “It's okay Anya, you won't hurt me I promise.” She spoke to her, having full faith in her own skills as well as Anya. As Anya gave a nod and squared her shoulders up, Nat gave a single nod to show she was ready whenever Anya was. Watching Anya's eyes as they scanned all over her body to find the best area to go for, before she lunged and stopped just in front of the center of her chest. Smirking, she was proud of Anya for going to the correct area on the chest. “Good! You'd be surprised how many people believe the movies and go too far left for the heart.” She complimented and explained to Anya. “I’m glad to see you know better,” she added. “Now, with the knife here, if your opponent stops you before you get the kill, I'm gonna show you a move on how to regain the advantage” she explained. Going step by step, Natalia lifted her hands up, using her own knife to knock Anya's onto the ground, acting like the enemy initially. “Okay, so the enemy has knocked your knife on the ground, this is what you're gonna do” she said, throwing her own knife on the ground for safety, the blade digging into the ground.

She spoke as she moved, making sure Anya could see every single action, swinging her right leg round and behind Anya's legs, she knocked her balance off, so she could grab a hold of Anya, and flip her onto the ground. “You're gonna want to shake your opponent’s balance, get them on the ground close to your weapon for yourself, but not them. With them pinned, grabbed your knife” she grabbed one of the knives and using the handle for safety pretended to stab Anya. “Obviously with the blade, not the handle. I'm showing for safety reasons”. She finished explaining. “So even when it looks bad, there's always an opening to regain control of the situation. It's about looking for that opening and guessing the enemy's next move before they even use it.” She explained as she stood up and held her hand out to help Anya up.

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

LEXI

Lexi couldn't help but chuckle when Dean called the angels dicks. She may not have dealt with angels, at least, knowingly, herself but if they were as high and mighty as demons thought of themselves, then she could easily imagine angels being dicks. “Not hard to imagine” she replied, glancing at him as she inspected the blade. It truly was quite the piece of weaponry and she just knew if Owen was still alive, he'd have begged Dean for one to keep in his collection if he ever clapped eyes on it. Glancing up at Dean, she saw how he found her little random tidbit of information intrigued him. As he walked a little closer and took a blade for himself, spinning it on his palm, she couldn't help but smirk at the action. “Oh it does and I can most certainly work with one of these. Won't be my first time working with a blade. I can be quite resourceful when I need to be” she smirked.

She kept ahold of the blade she was admiring but looked at Dean and how he was watching the light reflecting off the blade as he held it up to the light. His next words caught her interest greatly, the idea of just stopping a demon dead with something that wasn't the Colt was quite the thought. It certainly made her like the angel blades more, “huh…well these just got more beautiful by the minute” she smiled, taking another look at the blade in her hand before making herself get back on track to the task at hand. Taking a look around the armory, she tried to decide what else she thought they might need. In theory if it was just a rogue demon, who thought they were higher up the food chain than they actually were, then they should be relatively easy to break into undoing the contract for Anya and giving her voice back. Which in Lexi's eyes meant, not too much fighting. But she also learned over the years not to underestimate a demon. So they truly had to prepare for every single possible outcome.

Sure the angel blades were powerful enough for them all, but could they really rely on solely that? Probably not. “See you got a good stock of holy water in here…might be worth taking that just in case.” She remarked.

SAM

Sam was honestly glad that Anna was good. That she has been doing good. It was all he wanted for her. Before he started word vomiting what he wanted to say to her, he gave her a nod to acknowledge her reply. It felt so different this time being so close to her now that he could actually speak to her.

As she replied to his first onslaught of words, he looked up at her sadly as she said nothing had been normal or even stable. It broke his heart to hear that as he had hoped leaving her with Duke and Esme, she would have had a stable life. He expected her to be upset for a while, but still had a stable life. He watched her as she sniffled and began to pace, her actions making him nervous but he knew it was inevitable so he just let her do whatever she needed to to process what he was telling her. When she finally found her voice and words, clearly angry still after all this time he flinched as she told him what Duke did for her, and what she still goes through every single night. Yet the thing that made him hurt the most? Hearing that she saw his face until her very last breath and everything faded to black when she died.

Then she continued on, needing to get a lot off her chest and it was the least he could give her. His heart knotted up even tighter as he listened to her words, listened as she told him how Dean promised to bring her back, that Sam himself would come round, and yet he didn't. He left her with Duke and never looked back. Just walked away, hoped she would move on from him and he got close to Anya. He broke her heart in ways he never thought he could have ever done and it made him feel sick at himself as she really drove that truth home. He stared at the ground until she squatted to gather herself and then stood up again, holding her hand out as she continued to lecture him about everything. He deserved it, he deserves every single bit of pain and anger she threw at him.

“I'm sorry…” he mumbled, forcing himself to look at her. “You're right, it wasn't me. I wasn't myself. Not in the slightest…the trials messed me up so much mentally that looking back, I don't think I even knew who I was or what I should have done” he sighed, trying not to cry himself. He toyed with the idea of standing up from her old bed and walking over to her, but he was honestly scared. As much as he felt she had every right to kick him out of the room, shout and hit him, he was scared of those actions. In the end he decided to face that possibility and stood up, stepping in front of her. “Look at me…please” he asked of her. “I know there's not much I can say to make any of this better. If hitting me will help, hit me. If screaming at me will help, scream at me…if telling me to leave will help? Tell me to leave” he said, the tears he tried to fight away, now spilling over and down his cheeks. “I don't know what to do to make any of this better” he added, reaching out and taking her hand without even thinking.

NATALIA

Natalia was glad that Anya didn't ask anymore questions about her family story, she felt like she had said enough. She was glad though that Anya was willing to move the conversation along and agree to being her mole in the bunker, smirking when she said about asking her own questions about Sam. “I’m sure I can accommodate that request. I can answer to the best of my ability” she agreed. She wasn't sure what Anya would want to know about Sam, but if it didn't delve too much into his history with Anna, Nat didn't see a problem in letting Anya know a few things. The last thing she would want was to scare Anya off so early before she knew how to defend herself. Lexi? Now Lexi she didn't mind scaring off in the slightest, Anya she was liking as a person.

As she moved the topic along and Anya then said her assumption about using a knife, Nat couldn't help but smirk and chuckle ever so slightly. “I mean…you're not entirely wrong. Yes, this end you use to stab” she said, pointing the blade as she walked over to Anya and handed her the knife, before then pulling out the second knife she brought. “But, you wouldn't have to hope for the best if you know where to stab and you learn how to do that without breaking your own wrist,” she explained. She gestured for Anya to watch her as she showed how to grip the knife at the handle properly, “you need to hold it like this or you run the risk of losing a grip on it” she said to her. Waiting until she was satisfied that Anya had understood what she was saying, she then moved forward with the teachings.

“Okay…so, come at me as if I'm an enemy. Just don't actually make contact with me. Show me where you think would be the take down with a knife” she instructed.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

MIKA

No matter what the motives were for Castiel raising Dean, Mika was still thankful because he literally brought back the light of her life and the one person she saw a reason to live in. It still scared her how badly she fell mentally when he died thanks to Lilith's hounds, how willingly she let grief just rule her life and body for those four months he was gone. Just one of the many reasons she was more determined to be there for Dean and keep him alive. It was partially selfish of her, but she never wanted to feel that lost ever again. She now knew what it must have felt like when Dean thought she was dead as teenagers.

Seeing Cas turn his eyes away from her made her wonder if he was beginning to doubt the legitimacy of this whole plan. Could she really get through to him? Make him begin to think for himself and not blindly follow orders that she had serious doubts about? She didn't know, but not seeing anyone else in the room with them to try, she figured she had to. She listened to his reasoning and she didn't buy a single word that came out of his mouth. It didn't feel like it was just that simple. Especially when he mentioned how he only knew of the orders through what Uriel told him. It all felt too suspicious to her. She watched as he looked up at the ceiling, sensing something new in the building she presumed, or more than likely Uriel's return which meant she didn't have long to try and get through to Castiel. “Cas I get it, you wanna be a good soldier but can you seriously stand there and believe what Uriel has been instructing sounds remotely believable or normal of your superiors? It's so clear to me he's going rouge on this” she practically pleaded in her frustrated state of mind.

“As for if Sam is here? How am I meant to know Cas? We got no cell service down here and I'm actually keeping up my end of the bargain of not telling anyone where we are” she replied, with a sigh.

When Cason showed up a few minutes later, she wondered initially who Castiel was talking to, until Cason showed his face. She gave him a questioning look, wondering why he was here, only to have her silent question answered as he said to Castiel that he was there for him.

NATALIA

Cason reminding her that even on death's door, he still found his way back to her and saved her life single handedly, made Nat nod once more. He was right, and she had trust in him; he'd come back unscathed. At his words saying her staying back was the best help she could provide in keeping him alive, she gave him a small smile. “I'll stay here, for you” she replied as Sam's entrance just completely drowned out her words back to Cason. Sam's words made her go wide eyed, in disbelief that angels would burst into their motel room and kidnap Anna when they wanted Dean so much. None of this made any sense to her whatsoever.

She watched as Cason pulled away from her, her hands reaching out to try and stop him going towards Sam, but he slipped through her fingers. She didn't know what to do as she watched Cason push Sam and scream at him for letting angels take Anna. Yet it was the accusations of Sam being high on demon blood that shocked her the most. “Sam…no” she sighed, raising a hand up to her mouth. She didn't speak loud enough for anyone to really hear her, she couldn't even walk over and stop Cason from being aggressive with Sam, she was just too stunned to stop her two favorite people from going at each other verbally. Anna being hopped up on demon blood she always expected, but she didn't expect it from Sam. How could he keep such a big thing from her like this?! It felt like such a betrayal. If Sam had ANY kind of responsibility in Cason possibly dying as he said, she didn't think she could ever forgive Sam.

As Cason walked away from Sam, she looked at Sam with contempt and confusion in her eyes. She didn't know how to react to his current state of what he just declared to the room, whilst Duke and Esme had made a quick exit to the RV. “How could you Sam?” She asked him, eerily calmly, but she just watched him look away.

SAM

As Duke and Esme headed out, Sam stepped aside for them to leave, giving Esme a nod to acknowledge what she had said to him. “We have to” he simply said back as she left the room, only to have his focus rapidly go to the one person he was actually dreading seeing and hearing the news…

Cason storming over to him and shoving him was no surprise. He knew Cason would be angry at him when he said what happened, so he just took it. “It wasn't our plan okay? We didn't want to do it!” He replied to Cason about the demon blood consumption. “We couldn't get rid of Ruby no matter how hard I tried…she was forced feeding Anna and would have kept going if I didn't drink her blood, I had no choice” he explained. “Then this angel showed up after Nat called and before I could even get between him and Anna, she was gone. Said he had to get her away from me…take away my chokehold so not to distract me…” he said, trying to remember everything Uriel told them both. “That's all I remember” he finished, deciding to ignore the comments about being at fault for possibly breaking Nat's heart if Cason dies trying to fix his mess.

As Cason walked away to Bobby's desk, he looked at Natalia with apologetic eyes, but the moment he saw the way she was looking at him, he had to look away when she asked him how he could drink the demon blood. He didn't have answers for her, knowing this was her finding out what had been going on behind her back. That for the first time, he had pulled a Dean level move and kept her in the dark over something. He only looked up again when Cason walked back to him and slammed the post it note on his chest with the address of a warehouse on it. He just nodded at him, taking hold of the note and checked it over. “I'm getting them all back…I swear to you Nat…I'm ending this” he swore to her but Nat could only look away from him. “Get them back and maybe I'll talk to you again” she said coldly, walking away, into the main room and flopping herself down onto the couch, back to Sam. Sam sighed, knowing he deserved the cold shoulder treatment before exiting out the back door and decided to take Mika's impala again as Dean's was still out of action.

Getting in, he started up the engine and began the drive to the warehouse, hoping he would make it in time.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

MIKA

Mika felt she had to force herself to not just take his hands and make a run for it. She wanted to remove him from this situation so much and protect him. She felt she could find an exit if she looked hard enough, but she also knew deep down that Castiel or Uriel would find them and retaliate if she tried anything. “See you on the other side” she replied, letting him go reluctantly and watching him take the cart of torture devices and head into the room, only for Castiel to close the door firmly behind Dean. Letting out a long breath, she turned around on the spot, lifting a hand up to her mouth, her other sitting on her hip. If Castiel wasn't here or she remotely trusted Angels, she would have prayed to them to keep Dean safe and protect him. She eventually turned back round so she was facing the door and Castiel, but the screams of Alastair's sent shivers down her spine. This felt so wrong on so many levels and she couldn't see any reasons for what Cas could say that would justify making Dean do this. So when he spoke up, she stared right at him. “You’re right, I don't trust you right now. I don't trust any of you angels. However, that doesn't void out how grateful to you I am for bringing Dean back from Hell, saving him at the asylum and healing Nat. My trust still needs to be earned but you have my respect for those three actions” she said to him honestly and oddly calmly for her, considering the situation she was in.

As more screams echoed through the walls, her shoulders tensed up more, as she forced herself to not cry at knowing what Dean was doing against his will. “Cas this isn't right. I know you say you will do what you can to get him out as unscathed as possible, but you don't know him like I do. Have you even truly made sure it's demons that are killing the angels? Truly done a deep dive into checking whatever is leading you to believe it's demons at play, is actually true? Because no offense, but I don't trust Uriel and what he says in the slightest.” She said to him, not afraid to talk about Uriel this way as he wasn't in the room with them anymore. “Actually, I correct myself there, I mean full offense when talking about that asshole. He had no right talking to my family the way he has. He's lucky I kept my mouth shut back at the house and here” she added. Sighing, she began to pace herself in the little spot she was in, playing by Castiel's rules and not going to the room Dean was in. She made a promise to behave herself and for the time being she had full intent on keeping it.

She didn't know what else she could possibly say to Cas so she continued her pacing as she tried to block out Alastair's screams, knowing they weren't Dean's which was the tiniest bit of comfort, but not enough for her to really acknowledge it. So much of her wished she could tell the others in a text or call what was happening and how much she was concerned, or take this burden off of Dean and do it for him, but she couldn't and it made her hands feel tied.

NATALIA

If things hadn't panned out the way they did in the barn the other night, Natalia wouldn't have been nearly as worried about being the only one left behind this time round. But things did happen the way they did before and the last time she was left behind, she got taken, almost murdered and Cason almost died as well. She had every valid reason to be hesitant about this upcoming situation. Of course she wanted Cason and the others to go get Dean and Mika and bring them home, more so now that she has finally begun to break through barriers with Dean the night before, but she didn't want that to be at the cost of losing Cason either. As he pulled away from her and cupped her face in his hands, she looked him in the eye to listen to what he was about to say to her. Instinctively, she grabbed his jacket and gripped it back as he spoke, nodding lightly so as not to move his hands from her face.

She believed his words when he said he wasn't going yet to get them, trusting him when he said he would do everything to come home to her. Closing her eyes as she felt his forehead pressed against her own, she let his words sink in before reopening her eyes. If he truly believed he was the only one who could do whatever crazy plan he had concocted in his head, then she was going to trust him on this. “Ok-” she began to say when she felt his lips on hers, kissing him back.

She stood there silently as he brushed his nose against hers, a rapidly becoming common sign of affection she noticed from him, as he then said he would remain here at Bobby's until he knew he had an opening. “I trust you. Wholeheartedly. I guess I'm just paranoid after…you know…” she told him with a sheepish smile. “But I know if any of you can do this, it's you.” She said honestly.

SAM

Sam was ready to go and get his family back from Alastair, he was ready to end Alastair for what he had done to Anna, all the torment and games. He didn't want Dean doing whatever it was the Angels wanted him to do, but he knew it couldn't be anything particularly good. Times like this, he was starting to believe that Angels were as bad as demons and there was no good guy in the fight to stop the apocalypse between them. As he pulled away in response to Anna's pulling away, the flutter of wings and an intimidating voice echoed in the room made him quickly turn around and stand in front of Anna protectively. “Who are you?” He asked, but Uriel just ignored him and spoke to them both like they were less than human. Then came the words that he was to take Anna away from him and his shoulders instantly tensed up, not being okay with that in the slightest.

“You stay away from her!” He warned but again, it all went on deaf ears and Uriel took Anna in a blink of an eye. “Shit!” He cursed, looking around wondering how to get her back. As he quickly gathered what things were still laying around, he grabbed the car keys and room key and exited the room, rushing down the stairs, dropping the room key in the drop box outside the reception and power walked to Mika's car, where he got in and began to drive back to the house.

Panic was overriding him as he didn't know how to explain to the others that some angel just came in and kidnapped Anna. Cason was going to be so angry at him now doubt because yet again, he failed to protect her. “I'm not gonna fail you again Anna…not this time” he swore out loud to the air as he sped his way back to the house, pulling up in the back lot and making his way inside. “Some angel took Anna” he simply said.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

MIKA

It wasn't entirely surprising that Dean refused to look away from Mika, so she kept looking at him back, trying to transfer some kind of calm through her eyes to him. She had no empathy power like Esme, but she hoped if she could remain calm, at least on the outside, then hopefully Dean could find some comfort and calm for himself. It was times like this she wished she did have Esme's ability to share emotions with him, hating seeing him so terrified of what the angels clearly wanted him to do. When Castiel called out to him, she sighed, and even though Cas may have wanted to talk to Dean alone, there was no way she was going to let that happen. She needed to know exactly what they wanted Dean to do so she could be there for him when it was done. One glance through the window into the room from behind Dean, she instantly had a sinking feeling in her stomach as it all began to come together as to what they wanted Dean for. The only comforting words Cas said were how heavily bound Alastair was bound, and even then it wasn't a great amount of comfort. She didn't trust the fact that Alastair couldn't break free whenever he wanted. She didn't trust that Alastair wouldn't manipulate Dean in some way and get free.

Mika saw how he shuddered and looked around once more for an exit door, only for Castiel to tell him there was nowhere for him or her to go. She grabbed his hand back with both hands, using her thumb to rub the back of his hand in an attempt to be a soothing influence on him. When Uriel appeared once more in front of Dean, declaring how Angels were dying, Mika was tempted to say how they didn't give a rats ass about angels dying. Dean just got there first, and she squeezed his hand back. She didn't want him doing this anymore than he didn't. This wasn't in the least bit fair on Dean, especially when he was still dealing with the trauma of Hell in his head. As Uriel finally agreed to leave them alone, she exhaled a breath she didn't even know she was holding, glad that Uriel was gone. He really gave Mika the creeps which she found ironic considering he was meant to be an Angel, a being that people found comfort in the idea of seeing.

She let Dean and Castiel discuss the gravity of what the angels were asking Dean to do and when Cas turned to her, making her just look at him as blankly as possible, but that wasn't enough as her annoyance and disapproval of this request was still written all over her face. She wanted to just take him away from this place, find an exit herself and pull him to safety and it upset her that she couldn't do that for him. She always swore she would pull him from the brink anytime he found himself there and it felt like the angels were making her break that oath to him. As he pulled her across the warehouse just far enough for Castiel not to hear them have a discussion, she listened to him speak.

She shook her head, “I'm not going anywhere Dean. I won't watch if that's what you want, but I won't leave this place. If you come out not the same person as standing in front of me now? Then I'll bring you back. I have always said to you I will bring you back from the brink when you need to be brought back. That oath to you will not change now.” She started to say, lifting one hand up and wiping his tear off his face. “I know you can come back from this because this time you got me. I love you and I need you to keep that in your mind when you're in there okay? Don't let Alastair in there destroy that one little part of your mind that's full of love and protection. Remember, we have gotten through a lot, you have been there for me through some of my hardest times and now it's my turn to do that for you” she said, looking him straight in the eyes as she spoke. She had to drill it into him that whatever happens in there, she was going to bring him back off that mental ledge no matter what and no Angel or demon was going to stop her.

“I got you..I got you” she said once more, leaning in and pressing a firm kiss on his lips before pulling away.

NATALIA

Nat's back was turned to Cason, Duke and Esme as she got through to Sam on the phone and she had to admit, he didn't sound right. He sounded almost high and she knew that wasn't like him. This was not something they needed to be dealing with right now, if what he sounded like on the phone was remotely near to the truth of how he was in person at the local bed and breakfast. When Sam said they will head back, she sighed with relief, “thanks Sam. Cason thinks he knows where they were taken to, but I got a really bad feeling about this. So hurry back” she replied to him, “I will, we will. Just hang tight” Sam's voice said back down the phone and with that Natalia hung up. Pocketing her phone once more, she turned round to see Cason speaking very quietly to Duke and that sent her down the path of worrying what he was planning. ‘please don't be thinking of doing anything stupid’ she thought to herself before walking back to the group, or who was left of the group. *They're heading back now but uhh…Sam sounds kinda like..he's high” she warned them all.

She watched on as Duke walked over to Esme and knelt down in front of her, talking with her and it kept the anxiety of what was happening just build up more in the pit of Natalia's stomach. She reached out and grabbed Cason's hand, resting her head against his shoulder, not knowing if she would ever get the chance again if he decided to go after Dean and Mika. “You're going to go with them…aren't you?” She spoke up, glancing her eyes up towards his face. “I'm not stupid Cason, I can tell by your body language.” She commented. She really didn't want him going, she couldn't bear the thought of losing him after she almost lost him once already. Only this time angels were involved and Uriel made it abundantly clear how he feels about Cason and herself. “I know nothing I say is going to make you change your mind and Duke and Sam will need the backup but I won't lie to you and say I'm not scared of losing you. You cannot, and I mean CANNOT tell me you love me last night, only to go and die in me today okay? Promise me you'll fight to come home to me?” She requested of him, for once, being mature about the situation.

SAM

Sam had tried his hardest to sound completely sober on the phone, but there was something in Nat's tone that said she was concerned about his state of health. He was trying to block out the pulsing of Ruby's blood coursing through her body, as he focused on what Natalia had been telling him. She sounded terrified and he knew they had no choice but to go back to the house briefly, get Dean and Mika's location and head straight back out. The real test was being able to do all that without attacking Cason, something that Anna voiced, whereas he just thought it.

“We just gotta try our damndest to not do that. But Nat sounds incredibly scared about the situation. We have no choice but to go” he replied to Anna, walking back to her and taking her hand, linking their fingers together. *If you want you can wait outside and I'll fill you in once I get the information” he suggested, deciding it was better to give her another way to deal with this. “This is bigger than us” he said.

*Got that right handsome” Ruby chipped in, only to get a stern look from Sam as if to say ‘I didn't ask you’, which made Ruby smirk, “well then, I'm outta here, you know how to contact me if you need a boost” she told him, then disappeared in a blink of an eye, to not come back. Sam sighed and walked over to Anna, taking her hands, “I know you're scared to hurt Cason, but the angels have taken Dean and Mika to Alastair. Nat is terrified but Cason swears he knows where the others are. We have to go help. This could be our only chance to do what Ruby wants- kill Alastair.” He said to her softly but urgently. Leaning down, he kissed her forehead after wiping his mouth once more of any blood around it, so as not to leave a bloody mark on her head, pulling her into his arms and hugging her. They both felt so hot to the touch but it couldn't be helped, not after drinking so much demon blood that shouldn't be even remotely possible. Hugging her tightly for a few moments, he tried to compose himself before pulling away. “We gotta finish getting sorted and leave.” He said once more, despite the risks of them both going back to a house that had a demon inside it, and a demon his sister was very much in love with at that.

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

LEXI

Dean's words to her stuck in her mind instantly as he tried to reassure her about Natalia. At his first words, she simply gave a nod before he leaned in closer and promised her nothing will screw up what they got going on, and Nat is only being like this because she's being over protective of him basically. It made sense, she could have imagined if she stuck around and got anywhere near Owen's family, they would no doubt be just as cautious of Dean as Nat was of her. If anyone would be able to get through to Natalia, then it surely would be her brothers. She trusted that Dean could get through to Natalia whenever Nat got back from starting Anya's training, even though she knew it was probably important to keep being nice to Nat, so as not to give the girl more ammunition against her.

When Dean said about how he wasn't holding out on her about the angel blades, just making sure he could trust her, she had to smirk at the taunting. The way he winked at her made her heart flutter and skip a beat, glad that he was willing to entertain her attempts at changing the subject. Walking with him, she stood back when they reached the large metal door to the armory, letting him open it up before stepping inside and seeing everything. It felt familiar in so many ways and new at the same time. It was an impressive collection and she instantly spotted the angel blades, guessing it was them from the design of them. “You were kidding about the amount you collected” she remarked, as he commented about Natalia once more. Dropping her smile briefly, she looked back at him and smiled softly with a nod. “I trust your judgment Dean” she replied simply before looking back around the armory and walking over to the angel blades. She couldn't help picking one up and testing the weight distribution of it, “impressively balanced” she commented. “Gotta say, whoever upstairs is their blacksmith has incredible skills” she half chuckled, knowing it probably wasn't even a blacksmith, but it still impressed her.

“And yes…I know a good weighted blade when I see one. Owen was a bit of a nerd for these things in his spare time, so I kinda picked up a few things, which came in handy for our line of work” she smirked, before the smirk grew a somberness to it. She remembered the day Owen got his first fantasy sword in the mail and he was so ecstatic about it, it was like watching a kid getting their first Pokémon plush or their very first lightsaber toy for Christmas. She had intended on buying Owen said item herself, but Owen went and bought it for himself anyway, which started a snowball avalanche of collecting. Sadly, once he died, apart from the one she insisted on burning his body with, she sold the entire lot of them to be able to leave town. Something that Owen probably wouldn't have been happy about, but she couldn't take looking at them at the time. It brought too much emotional pain.

SAM

Sam was ready to walk away when the door opened and Anna was standing right in front of him and looking up at him. He really took in her new look, how much healthier and fit she looked, clearly living with Duke on the ranch had done a lot of good for her. Then there was the hair change, which kept taking him aback every time he looked at her, but he liked it. It somehow suited her more than he ever thought it could, even though he still had a soft spot for her natural brunette hair. He also was under no illusion that she probably thought very similarly about him. He knew the last time she saw him, he looked ill and practically on death's door. It was a miracle back then that he even had the body strength to take her to Duke's with Dean's help and walk away. But the time apart meant he could work on himself, get fit again, get healthy again and overcome the side effects of what the trials brought onto him.

At her question, he gave a sheepish nod and at her gesture and permission, he stepped inside into her room and saw that Dean had left it exactly the way she had it, with nothing overturned. Following her toward her bed as she wrapped her fingers around his wrist, he did as she asked and sat on the edge, whilst she remained standing. As he listened to her say about the temptation to ask him to let her come home, his heart pulled tightly in his chest. So much of him wanted to fall I to old habits, but he knew if they did then he'd never get out what he needed to say to her, so for now, he would do the talking first then see where it led them.

“I am…for the most part” he replied to her, “well, you know as good as anyone can be when they're trying to keep Dean from drowning in self pity and alcoholism” he gave a sad smirk. “You look good too,” he then said. “Anna, I want you to know none of what happened between us was your fault” he sighed, knowing he had to get it off his chest as soon as he could. He looked down at his hands in his lap, his foot tapping constantly and rapidly out of nervousness. “It was…IS all on me. I truly thought I was doing the right thing letting you have a chance at a normal life with Duke and Esme on the ranch. You deserve all of that Anna” he said, glancing up at her then back down again so he could get his words out. “I want you to have stability in your life, and I can't give you that… I couldn't give you that, back then. It wasn't fair on you for me to keep you nearby when I was dying, and I couldn't take the thought of seeing you die again. It was too hard to deal with. We have dealt with too much death in this family….” He explained, trying to hold it together but it was proving more and more difficult by each word that left his mouth.

NATALIA

Nat knew it would take a little longer for Anya to reply to her, having quickly noticed back in the bunker that she needed her phone to communicate. In Natalia's eyes it was actually quite smart that she could use a phone to still have a voice when she couldn't use her own. Though, it wouldn't be very convenient on a hunt if she had to remain either silent or be quick with communication. So she hopes Anya would get her voice back to make life so much easier for her. When the message was done being typed, she listened to the phone explain the story of how Anya met Sam and hearing it was in an electronics store made Nat smirk and half chuckle. Of course they met in a geeky store, she thought to herself. She gave an intrigued nod at the rest of the story, curious to who that hunter was. “I see” she replied, “Sam is always willing to help people so you were certainly lucky you bumped into him. Even if it wasn't hunting related, knowing him, he'd have helped if he could” she added, whilst Anya was typing something else out.

As the next message played and Anya was mentioning Lexi, she sighed but listened anyway. The moment Anya said about how Lexi had gotten Dean to eat and lower his drinking, she raised an eyebrow. So Red was actually helping Dean out of his grief out of the goodness of her own heart? Interesting, she thought. “You're right about him struggling. He lost the love of his life, his endgame you could say. That woman was like a sister to me, bordering on a mother figure. She was so important to us Winchester's, especially Dean. They had known each other since they were about 13 years old. Been through so much together. So when demons killed her with a unique blade, it hit us all hard. I was convinced that Dean was going to kill himself to be back with her for a while…” she sadly explained to Anya, to give the woman more context as to why she was so uptight about Lexi.

“and I can tell you're close with Sam, it's sweet.” She added as they made it to their desired destination in the fields and Anya asked about what was first, and she was willing to be a mole for her. The very notion of her own little spy in the by ker made her chuckle. “First up, knife work” she instructed, pulling out one of the knives she brought with them, handing her one, handle first. “And I might take you up on that offer of being my mole on the inside. Think Cason would prefer it to be someone else too” she laughed.

“Okay, so, have you ever used a knife before? And not for chopping foods” she asked, wanting to know how much Anya knew.

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

LEXI

Lexi didn't even notice initially that Dean was as close to her as he was. She thought he was further behind than he was, until he spoke up and she suddenly saw that he was right beside her. She briefly closed her eyes at his soft touch of sweeping a strand of her hair behind her ear and out of her face. She thought she had hidden her cues of needing a breather well enough, convinced that it hadn't been long enough knowing Dean for him to not see said cues, but he proved her wrong by picking up on them instantly. Looking where he was tilting his head, she followed him to the deeper part of the corridor, squeezing his hand back to try and convey that she was okay deep down. She looked up at him when he spoke to her, practically giving her the okay to vent to him no matter what it was, something she appreciated. “It's not that…well, not entirely. I'm just computing everything discussed whilst feeling like I've been put in the position to prove myself to your sister like some kind teenage girl.” She admitted to him. Now she had said it out loud, she came to the conclusion it sounded absolutely ridiculous, she was older than Nat, her own person, and knew Dean wouldn't have gotten close to her if he didn't want to. So why was she letting herself feel like this?

“It's stupid I know. I just don't want Nat's judgment of me to add to the tension that's around the bunker right now. We don't have time to be piling on the tension and I just wanna help Anya.” she explained with a sigh, briefly looking down at the floor between herself and Dean before she looked back up at his eyes. “Natalia seems like a great sister, truly, I just don't want to come between you both, but I also don't want to sacrifice our happiness for what we've got going on either.” She finally said, lifting her hands up and stroking his arms as a way to soothe herself more than anything. She wanted him to know she would be okay, that he didn't have to worry about her when they had so much work to do.

Then it dawned on her what he said before this heart to heart in the corridor. “Did you say you had Angel blades in the armory?” she questioned with an raised eyebrow. “You've been holding out on me!” She smiled once more.

SAM

With Natalia having guided Anya out of the bunker for some basic training, Lexi and Dean leaving the library and Anna walking off, Sam saw it was just simply himself and Cason in the library. He pondered what to do, should he really go after Anna or should he focus on the job at hand? Thinking about it, he decided on the former choice. The girls were right, he did have to talk with Anna even though he knew how it would probably end up. Heading towards the corridor, he paused to look over his shoulder at Cason, “if you're hanging around for a bit before asking around, there's drinks in the kitchen or I'm pretty certain Dean has a secret stash somewhere in this room” he said, then walked off down the corridor. He couldn't see Lexi or Dean but didn't worry about where they went, assuming they already made it to the armory and were packing supplies. He searched for Anna, not finding her initially, but then he remembered the one place she would have gone to. Walking to her room, he stood out her door for a moment, hesitating for what felt like hours, but was in fact only about a minute. Plucking up the courage, he lifted his hand up and using his knuckles, he knocked on the door.

He hoped he wouldn't have to call out to her, for fear of her refusing to see him or talk with him. In the end, he decided to just call out anyway, “Anna? Can we um…can we talk?” He said through the door, just wanting to try and make an attempt at putting some kind of closure to everything. She deserved that and deserved to finally hear why he did what he did. He stood still, waiting for her to make a decision whether or not to let him in, letting himself acknowledge that he hadn't been at her room since she was last here. The thought of being in the room was just too painful for the longest time. He knew one of the last times he was in there he was incredibly sick from the trials, he was barely surviving and she became a carer for him. He didn't want that for her. Then came the time she died and Cason had to bring her back and that was the last straw for him. He couldn't stand around and watch her die again, or have her watch him die. He was so convinced that the trials would kill one of them and he couldn't be with her when he thought it was going to happen.

But that was some time ago and the longer the time went by, the harder he found it to go get Anna back. Now they were at another moment of being near each other and thoughts and feelings were racing through both their minds all over again. He hoped she would answer the door before he decides to bolt it, but the longer he waited, the more he was convincing himself she didn't want to talk to him

NATALIA

Nat let Anya look over all the equipment and tools of the trade, knowing that sooner or later Anya would have to familiarize herself with every single one. She listened to the voice that came out of the phone, giving a nod of approval that she had some kind of self defense training under her belt. “Good because you'll need to remember all of it if you're seriously wanting to stick around in this biz” she replied. “You’re also very lucky you found my bozo brothers. They're the best in this world and I'm not just being biased in that. Once they set their minds to a case, they don't stop until it's solved, so if there's a way out of this deal of yours, they'll find it. Just as Cason will.” she explained with a smile. She really hoped a way out could be found because no one deserved to have their voice just stripped from them like they were in some kind of Hans Christian Anderson novel. Grabbing a couple of her knives and a flask of holy water. “Okay, think I got all that's required for now. So let's head out” she commented, stashing the tools away and closing the trunk.

“No need to take the car. You've no doubt seen the fields just opposite, that's where we're going.” She explained, leading the way out whilst also staying close to Anya. “So how'd you come into contact with Sam and Dean? If you don't mind me asking that is and if I'm ever prying too much, just tell me to shut up” she smiled at her. It was clear that Sam was doting on Anya and even though she always thought he and Anna were endgame, she also wanted Sam to be happy again and clearly Anya was being the right kind of influence on him. Sure it made her a hypocrite as Lexi was clearly making Dean happy but she couldn't help but find it being a completely different situation. Anna was still alive, Anna and Sam all but silently broke up, but Dean was looking at another woman when he had been so swallowed up in grief of Mika being dead. She just wanted to know that Lexi wasn't taking advantage of that or Dean wasn't using Lexi as a scapegoat to pretend Mika was never in his life. That's why she was suspicious of the redheaded woman. She was just terrible at explaining that.

—--

Over on the fields, she went to a pretty secluded area that had enough trees to hide them for privacy but also for targets to throwing knives. Close combat was one thing, but she already knew Anya would need to know how to do ranged attacks with melee weapons as well.