JustAnna

Supernatural-My Battle (FuriePhoenix+AnnaBeth)

Dean thought about pulling over, and glanced for the first time in a while down at the gas hand. Considering how low the gas mileage was on these old cars, he tilted his head to the side in surrender to stopping at a gas station.

“I’ll stop up here at the next Gas n Sip. She could use a drink.”, he muttered, carefully leaning forward to stare through the windshield closer. He sighed at the thoughts of what had happened the last time they were in Minnesota. He didn’t answer her after she finished explaining that they were okay. He knew they were, but it was something he would never truly get over, when he looked at her.

Pulling into the gas station, he put the car in gear and turned to her, “I just need you to be careful. I’ve said it before, but I wouldn’t forgive myself if something happened to you, simple hunt or not.”

He muttered the words while rubbing his eyes, and opened his door to step out. It wasn’t that he was in a bad mood, as much as he was worried that them being on a hunt together could go south super quickly. He knew he couldn’t leave her if she was in trouble, but he damn sure knew she wouldn’t leave him, if he asked her to. And the simplest hunts could end bloody.

Supernatural-My Battle (FuriePhoenix+AnnaBeth)

Dean nodded with a small smile, closing the door after her legs were safely in the car. He tapped the window gently, as he always used to do when putting Sam in a car, and sighed at the memories, before quickly walking around to the passenger seat and getting in, himself. Her car was slightly nicer than John’s, and much cleaner. He gripped the steering wheel, rolling his hand around it before shoving the key in the ignition and starting it up with a rumble.

“It’s a ghost hunt…and we don’t hate each other. How bad can it be?”, he joked, as they pulled out of Bobby’s place and out onto the open road.

—-

Dean was a bit quiet for most of the first part of the drive, watching the mile markers as they got closer and closer to Minnesota. The town they were headed to was closer to the border, which meant he didn’t have to be there long, if they could finish the job quickly. He turned to Mika a bit as they reached the halfway point.

“You wanna drive at some point? I’m good, if you’re good.”, he muttered, blinking his eyes from watching the road for so long. He did his best to both watch the road and also trail his eyes down to her throat as more memories flooded in from their last run in. The thought made his stomach drop a bit, and he swallowed heavily.

“I um…I can’t help but think of the last time we were here. I mean…the last two days have been spectacular, you know? But, regardless of who you were at the time, I hurt you, and I was so mad. I shouldn’t have let myself get to that place.”, he explained, sighing heavily with a shudder, “I mean, at least Sam’s not here to add to things, right?”

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Annabeth

Annabeth smiled at the fact that everyone seemed to at least be able to joke this morning. After the trauma filled day, before, it was welcomed. She pushed her sunglasses up on her nose, and looked to Nat, “Nat, then. Hi! Call me Anna…”

Saying her own shortened name caused a flash to hit her in the face, a vision of a dark cabin washed through her head. Someone screaming, that sounded like Sam’s brother, and at the end of the vision was a smiling Sam, looking a good decade younger, but with the same smile. She smiled at the vision, but also furrowed her eyebrows and sighed as she came out of it.

“On second thought, I’m not going to lie…I just had a vision.”, he whispered, her hands shaking as she pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear and turned to Sam, “Maybe a quick breakfast before we hit the road?”

Right as she finished the sentence, Cason showed up, smiling and clapping his hands.

Dean Winchester

Dean sighed and threw his hand up at Mika’s running to grab a book. He was so tired of books. He just wanted to kill something. This called for killing something, right? Surely something that could remove eyes was something to kill. Unless it was an angel. Then they didn’t know how to kill them. He worked over the thoughts in his head, calculating slowly on the outside as Bobby cleared his throat.

“Don’t hurt yourself, boy…”, Bobby muttered, stepping over to his desk slowly with a groan and a sigh. He sat down and leaned his elbow over the desk, flipping the page in the book he had been reading before.

Dean rolled his eyes, walking over to the couch and sitting next to Mika, much to the complaint of the old piece of furniture. It popped with his weight but he ignored it, throwing his legs over Mika’s lap and grabbing one of the discarded books lying on one end.

“You sure there’s not a spell we can do? Like…isn’t there something that we can call for and try to figure it out. Maybe something in the veil, or another hunter has heard of her, and what’s going on?”, he asked Bobby. Bobby simply looked up at him with a scowl and shook his head.

“After the nap Mika and Me took yesterday, you want to start summoning things, again? Read the damn book, and help me find something, if you want to help your brother…idjit.”

Dean frowned and leaned his head against the back of the couch with a loud groan. Hopefully, Sam showing up would make this less painful.

Cason

Cason smiled a bit brighter at how nice Esme was suddenly being. It was welcomed, and he felt as if he had made strides with her, and now maybe she would trust him. As he stared at her, and stood beside her when she asked if he was ready to go, he caught a sound in his head. One of his demon goons was calling him. Rolling his eyes, he spoke aloud, “Get out of here, and leave the keys in the seat.”

Turning back to Esme, he smiled and pointed a finger at her, to tell her to wait, “I’m going to check in with the others, since Samuel isn’t answering my text. Be right back.”

He disappeared and reappeared in front of Annabeth’s chair in Sam’s room, straightening his jacket as he did so.

“So, while I’m at the diner…would anyone like a sandwich? Esme’s car is here, and I think we’re headed out.”, he explained, without explaining his popping in. Annabeth’s head perked up, which caused him to look down at her with soft eyes, before glaring at Sam subtly, “I figure you want to get back to your brother as soon as possible, right?

Supernatural-My Battle (FuriePhoenix+AnnaBeth)

Dean pushed off the side of the car as she approached, watching her walk toward him. He kept his eyebrows raised, but kept a scowl on his face as he stared into space, or rather, her body. He flinched a bit at the trunk slamming and turned to her, matching her smile.

“You would trust me to drive your car?”, he asked, more rhetorical than anything. Every now and then, John would let him drive his own Impala, if he was injured or it was a long drive. But he usually just camped out in the large passenger seat.

He held the keys in his hand and shrugged, “I think this car could use a little exercise, after dealing with your driving for the past several years. After I get ahold of her, she’ll never be the same.”

He waggled his eyebrows with a small laugh, and turned to open the passenger door for her, gesturing for her to get in. He wasn’t looking forward to the drive to Minnesota, or even staying in Minnesota. Nothing good happened in Minnesota, for him, and it was infested with Vampires. He sighed again, and let the smile return to his lips as he came out of his thoughts and held the door frame.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Annabeth

Annabeth smiled at Natalia, nodding her head lightly when she asked her how she was doing, “I’m honestly fine. I slept well…”

If she had eyes, she would have cut them over to Sam, which she attempted to do with her face. When she heard Sam’s phone beep at sending the text message to Dean, she shrugged at his question, “I could eat. And the eye problem isn’t getting any worse, so…we could go eat. Most of these one story hotels tend to have restaurants nearby.”

She wasn’t sure how she remembered that, or why the layout of the hotel in general felt familiar, almost like being around Sam. She felt a small smile creep onto her face, at the smirk she heard in his. She liked seeing him smile, what little time she was able to see his face.

“And we can’t have Natalia hungry the entire drive…”, she joked, saying Natalia’s name for the first time.

Dean

Dean reached out and ran a hand against Mika’s side as she started to the door, sighing at her words. He was almost afraid to know what Sam needed to tell him, after what they had experienced with the angel in the barn.

When the ping came in, he almost jumped, opening the message and hanging the phone down at his hip as he kissed her back quickly and shrugged his shoulders, “I’m assuming so. He’s been up all damn night, and since when does Bobby pull an all nighter without an Irish?”

He chuckled a bit, now alone in the room and read the text message with a gasp, “Lost her eyes…?”

He whispered the words to try and understand what the hell could have been happening, but he knew he wouldn’t get answers until Sam arrived. He stared at the message for a few seconds, running over the words again. The girl was alive, but without her eyes. What the hell could have happened in the short time he was gone, that would have caused that?!

‘No eyes is a little more than not okay, Sam.
Get here as fast as you can.
And keep her alive until she gets here.’

He shoved his phone in his pocket and ran out the door and down the stairs quickly, needing to tell someone what Sam had said. He was met at the bottom of the stairs by Bobby and a cup of coffee.

“Found something about angels.”, he muttered, shoving the cup of coffee into Dean’s hands. Dean took it gladly, but narrowed his eyes as Bobby continued, “But nothing on any Castiel…yet.”

Dean rolled his eyes, and spoke loud enough for both of them to hear him, “Well, Sam’s got his own issues, apparently. Turns out, little blonde girl…um…Anna, yeah she lost her eyes.”

Bobby’s eyes widened, “What the hell?”

“That’s what I said…he should be here in a few hours. In the meantime, do we know of anything that would do something like that?”, Dean took a drink of coffee before sighing at Bobby’s shake of the head. He threw his hands up, “Books…again. Nice."

Supernatural-My Battle (FuriePhoenix+AnnaBeth)

Dean nodded lightly, his bag thrown over his right shoulder as he assessed in his mind everything they needed. He assumed that since Mika was going, Bobby had probably packed her up, to make sure they didn’t forget anything. He spun on his heel after the small kiss to his cheek and walked over to the coat rack, rummaging his hands through her pockets.

Finding her keys, he twirled them on his fingers and caught them in his palm with a ‘hmph’. He turned to Bobby and held the keys up, “Keep your phone on. I’ll text you when we get there and everything. Take care of yourself, while we’re gone…”

He wanted to make sure that Bobby was thinking of himself while they were gone, but also was on call, because at times he was all they had to fall back on. He then opened the door and made the small walk to Mika’s Impala, running his hands from the hood, all the way down the side of the car and then around to the trunk before slipping the key into the lock. He opened it with a smile, at how similar it was to John’s Impala, despite being a different year. Throwing his bag in the trunk, he turned back to the house, and leaned against the side of the car, waiting for Mika.

Supernatural-My Battle (FuriePhoenix+AnnaBeth)

Dean smiled brightly and clapped his hands, before standing up from the table finally, “YEAH! I actually got something I wanted…Today’s going to be a good day.”

He scooted over to the liquor cabinet, rummaging through the bottles carefully. His eyes finally landed on the cheap scotch Bobby always saved for the end of a good hunt. Considering Dean never seemed to be there when Bobby came back, whether with Rufus or some other hunter. He pulled the bottle out and danced back across the room with it in his hand, just as Mika confirmed they were taking the Impala.

He ran up to her with the Scotch clutched above his head and wrapped his arm around her, giving her a kiss on the top of the head, “Yeah, yeah..salt, iron, maybe some holy water just in case…”

As he confirmed what they needed to get, he waved Bobby off. Then he realized Bobby wouldn’t let them leave until they packed. So, he sighed and stepped out of the kitchen, “Fine…fine. I’ll go grab my clothes. Make sure we have salt and iron. You guys are no fun, not being happy for me…”

It was one of Dean’s babyish pouts he tended to have out of rare bouts of selfishness. He knew it got his way with Sam, but not typically with Bobby. Sighing, he threw his hands up and ran up the stairs to get his bag. By the time he got back down the stairs with the bag, his pout was gone.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Cason and Esme - collab

Cason wiped his hands on his pants, with a grossed-out look on his face. He looked over at the mugger's body and shrugged his shoulders.

"I mean, there's no better lesson than Hell, right? I'm not the 'let a guy insult someone and live' kinda guy.", he explained, as she ran away from him to the diner. He sighed and ran to catch up with her, "I mean...right now the odds are against me not killing more than one person on any given day. You are like a chihuahua covered in honey. You attract trouble, it seems...but you want to fight all of it alone."

Esme sighed at his words. She knew he was right in what he said. She shoved her hands in her pockets once again as they walked to the diner. “A chihuahua covered in honey?” she scoffed, cutting her eyes over at him. She looked down at the ground as she thought about how trouble seemed to follow her wherever she went and balled her fists in her pockets. “You’re right. I do attract trouble.” she sighed before looking back over at him. “Over the years I’ve become accustomed to it, it’s nothing new,” she told him. “Fighting it alone…….. It’s nothing new either. No one has wanted to stay around long with everything that comes around.” She then looked away and towards the diner.

Cason cringed a bit at the fact that he had obviously hit a small nerve by mentioning that she wanted to fight her trouble alone.

He gave a sympathetic look he wasn't even sure he was capable of when she looked at him.

"Sorry I um...that I brought it up. But I'll tell you this...as long as I'm around, and you're stuck with me for now, you're pretty safe, love.", he explained as they approached the door to the diner. He stepped around in front of her and opened the door, ushering her in.

Esme shrugged her shoulders as he apologized for bringing it up. It really didn’t bother her all that much. Hell, she’s been alone, fighting a good fight for years. She never really thought that she’d ever meet back up with Dean or join a group of hunters.

She couldn’t help the small smile that came to her lips at Cason’s words. Feeling safe was something she never truly felt. “Thanks, I think,” she replied. After he opened the door for her, she stepped inside and looked for an empty table. There were plenty of empty tables. She made her way over and sat down.

As he sat down across from her at the table, he placed both his hands together on the top, looking her over to make sure she wasn't bothered by her body language.

He noticed he had made her smile. That was a start! Trust always seemed to start with a smile.

"So, you seemed to be making some eyes at the older Winchester, back at the hotel in Illinois...", he started, wanting to probe more while he had her captive, "What's up with that?"

Esme took her hands from her pockets and leaned back in the chair as she watched Cason take a seat across from her. By the way, he was looking at her, she knew he was trying to read her. When he spoke about making eyes at Dean, she couldn’t hold back the little laugh that escaped her. “I wouldn’t really call that making eyes,” she told him.

She then reached over and grabbed a menu that was sitting on the table and opened it. “I was a teenager the last time I saw him,” she said, looking over the menu. “I was just trying to figure out if he recognized me or not. Come to find out, he did.” Esme then tilted the menu down slightly to look at Cason, she had a feeling she knew what his next question would be. “And before you say it. We’re just friends.”

Cason tilted his head to the side and smirked when she said that she wasn't making eyes at Dean. He loved the drama of all of it, but he had also watched Dean with the other girl...Mika. So, he understood it.

He picked up a salt shaker, fiddling with the top carefully, as to not burn his hand with it as he stared at the contents. He sighed, glancing back up at her as she explained their connection and that they were just friends, "Well that's boring. But, I guess that makes me being around less...stressful. Dean Winchester is particularly possessive. Our arrangement wouldn't go unnoticed, or appreciated, I assume."

He sighed once again and adjusted himself with a frown, "You know the little blonde one...missing eyes and all that? I cared for her for months. She doesn't have a clue who she is...aside from what I've told her. And now she won't even look at me."

As he complained, he realized he needed a drink, pouting at the thought of Annabeth not wanting to be near him, but clinging like static to Sam.

Esme watched him as he carefully fiddled with the salt shaker as he spoke. “You would think that boring,” she said with a laugh. “Less stressful with you around. Are you sure about that?” she questioned, not really expecting him to answer. She hadn’t been around Dean long enough to see his possessiveness, so she couldn’t really give an answer to that. Though she was sure that Dean wouldn’t be too happy about their arrangement, as Cason put it, she only nodded to the statement.

When Cason’s demeanor changed when talking about Annabeth, she brought the menu down to rest on the table. She nodded as he spoke about her. She could feel the change in him. “You really do care for her, don’t you?” she asked in a soft tone. She wanted to ask him what he knew but knew that question would most likely come later.

“Can you really blame her for not looking at you?” Esme asked in the same soft tone. “You lied to her for some time. Then she learned the truth in a pretty shocking way.” She watched him to see how he’d react to what she said, hoping that she didn’t strike a nerve with her words. The last thing she needed this morning was a pissed-off demon.

Cason nodded lightly at the question of his caring for Annabeth. He had to admit, he had become a little attached to her, even if she was a means to an end at first. He turned the salt shaker to the side as she continued and watched the grains fall against the glass.

"Honestly? I can't blame her. I'm the one who tracked her down, after hearing buzz about her. I'm the one who convinced her to move me in...and just never got around to telling her the truth.", he explained, furrowing his eyebrows. He then sat the salt shaker down and shrugged, "But, now that she's near Sam Winchester, who undoubtedly can do no wrong, as long as they're connected, that's all...just done."

He smiled sadly at her, as the waitress came to the table to bring water and take their order.

As Cason spoke, Esme’s features softened as she listened to what he said. She couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for the guy as he explained what happened between him and Annabeth. She sighed as he talked about how Annabeth was with Sam. She had no words as if they caught in her throat. She felt a pain well up in her chest as she looked at him and saw his frown and furrowed eyebrows.

When she found her words, the waitress had come up to their table. She looked away from him and to the waitress with a small smile. After clearing her throat, she gave the waitress her order. Eggs over easy, turkey bacon, and toast. She looked away and down at the menu as she closed it and put it back where she got it from. She took in a breath to rid her chest of the pain, then grabbed the glass of water and took a drink.

After setting the glass back on the table, she brushed some hair away from her face and looked down at the water glass. As she looked at it, she rested her arm on the table and hovered her hand over the glass, then moved her finger around the rim of the glass. She became lost in thought, not even hearing if Cason ordered anything or not.

Cason had watched her while she ordered, and became overwhelmed with her thoughts. He didn't address it while she ate, and he never ordered anything. He didn't really need to eat unless he felt like it. When it seemed she was finished with her food, he smirked over at her, looking down to text Sam,

"At a diner with Esme. About to head back."

He glanced back up at Esme, and clapped his hands, "Ready to dive back into Winchester-mania?"

Supernatural-My Battle (FuriePhoenix+AnnaBeth)

Dean continued pouting as Bobby told him to stop. He didn’t want to go to Minnesota…again. He never wanted to drive that far again. He sighed, looking up at them both as Bobby offered a choice of cars, and plenty of bribing to get them to take the case. He did like the sound of that. The bigger the car, the more space they would have if they started fighting.

He perked up a bit, after that and slapped a hand on the table, “Throw in a bottle of scotch just for me, and I’ll do it. I hate Minnesota…I’m gonna need booze.”

After he offered his side of the bargain, he looked over at Mika as she finished her food and winked at her, letting her know that he was willing to go, if she was. He then clapped his hand on the table one more time to offer another piece of bribery, “And I want to take the Impala, hers, I mean.”

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Annabeth

Annabeth smiled at Sam’s chuckle, happy that she could make him laugh, after everything. She wasn’t surprised in the slightest that Cason had managed to get himself shot, although, Esme didn’t seem like the panicky violent type, to her. She thought it over, and mentally shrugged at the idea that Cason seemed at least contained, and entertained with her.

Hearing Sam’s phone vibrate, her interest was heightened, as she could feel his concern for his brother just in the air. She stood from her chair and walked over toward the bed, where her glasses were sitting on the table, next to the clock. Untying the scarf from the back of her head, she picked up the glasses and slipped them back onto her face. She was thankful, because she could see light and she could see Sam.

When Natalia showed up, she turned her head toward the door as Sam answered it, and waved at her subtly when she stepped inside. It was the first peaceful moment she had been in the same room with her, but she sort of remembered what she looked like.

“It seems like everyone’s awake, this morning.”, he whispered.

Dean Winchester

Dean grunted at the idea that Angels were something new to deal with. The very thought of it made his skin crawl, as he still didn’t believe it himself. He and Bobby had a long conversation the night before over the existence of Heaven and God. The conversation hadn’t gone well, and the very thought of either of them made him feel sick.

He sighed with relief as his phone vibrated, from Sam. Reading the message, he narrowed his eyes, wondering what could have happened while his brother was away from him. When he had left them, things were relatively calm, and Sam was away.

“Huh. Apparently something happened to Sam and the others, too. He didn’t elaborate, but he’s on his way here, I think.”, he explained to Mika as she finished dressing. He typed a message back to Sam, with a sigh.

“Is everyone okay? Do you still have the girl?”

He then turned to the door and opened it, “If Sam’s coming, maybe he has some info we don’t.”

Cason

Cason rolled his eyes once again at her, watching her put on her jacket after shoving him. He watched her intently, only shifting his gaze when she mentioned the diner ahead of them. He snapped his head to it and shrugged, “It doesn’t look too terribly gross, considering everything else around.”

He snarled his nose a bit at the idea of eating in this town, considering most of the shops were dead and it was quiet. To him, this meant either the food was really good, or really bad. Neither really mattered, to him, as he didn’t need to eat, but alas: Esme was a human.

As he was thinking, he noticed that Esme became suddenly uncomfortable, and he turned to look behind them, his eyes and ears scanning. He knew, just from being around her when she was with other humans, that she was intuitive in some capacity. So, if she was feeling off, there was probably a reason.

And the reason showed itself, with the click of a hammer being pulled on a gun. Rolling his eyes, he quickly turned around, pushing Esme behind him with his hand pressing against the small of her back. He held a hand out to the man, “Hey. It’s a little early in the day to get yourself killed, isn’t it?”

The man held the gun with a shaky hand and pointed it directly at Cason’s face as he stammered, “I n-need your car keys…and your wallet.”

“Well, I’m so sorry, but that’s not going to happen today. And you really shouldn’t point that thing at someone you’re not willing to kill.”, Cason explained to the man, making sure Esme was firmly pressed to his back. The man stepped forward, shoving the gun at Cason’s face.

“Who says I’m not?!”, the man screamed. Cason simply smirked, until the guy uttered the next words.

“And now…the things I’m going to do to her…”

Before the man could react, Cason growled and closed the gap between them, snapping his neck with one quick motion. The man’s body dropped to the ground with a thud, and Cason turned to Esme, huffing a bit before smiling.

“There. That’s better.”, he quipped before grabbing one of the guys legs, and dragging him over near a dumpster, and rejoining Esme with a sigh.