JustAnna

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

Dean

Dean popped the trunk of the Impala as soon as they reached it, still laughing at the fact that Lexi actually believed he would let her buy him a beer when they went out. As she approached, and began putting the groceries in the car, he raised an eyebrow. Sam hadn’t texted either of them. Odd. Maybe he was talking to someone.

“That’s weird. But also not weird.”, he grumbled and then closed the tunk as Lexi made a joke about Sam’s ability to research on the road. She was right. Somehow Sam’s wifi always seemed strong, whether or not they had cell service, “Eh. It’s those nerd powers he was blessed with. Dude can read a book in two hours, and can research almost anything in the middle of the woods. Nerd. Power.”

He laughed out loud, and walked around to the passenger side, opening the door for her. Once she was inside, he shut the door and jogged around to the drivers side, “But I do think he’s fine. He probably found some old lady to have a compelling conversation with about gardening…or whatever my brother reads about when he’s alone. On the other hand, you wanna grab some coffee?”

Dean glanced over at her, after putting the key in the ignition. Without pausing, he leaned across the seat, and placed a quick and tight kiss to her lips, pulling back to scan her eyes for a yes or a no.

Anya

Anya nearly rolled her eyes as Sam began to explain why she shouldn’t be a hunter. She had heard it before, from her father and from hunters. But after being involved, she was marked, right? Knowing what she knew, she was already doomed. Why not be equipped to handle what was coming for her, if something was coming for her.

She began to sign her frustration to him, trying to cut his words off with an argument, but she remembered almost immediately that he didn’t understand fluent sign language. So, instead, she pulled the notepad over as he finished speaking with a huffy sigh.

“I’m already in this world, and I don’t appreciate being spoken to like some weak little girl. Everyone that I’ve ever watched die treated me that way, and guess who survived.

ME.

You don’t know anything about me, and if I made a mistake by coming to you, then fine. But I have reasons I don’t want to discuss on a piece of paper for why I want to learn.”

And with that, she punctuated her sentence aggressively, and slid the paper back toward him, sitting back and crossing her arms with a huff. It was the same song and dance that she dealt with the last time she was around hunters. And although Sam didn’t seem to treat her like an object at least, she still wanted to plead her case.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Cason

Cason flinched slightly when Nat reached up and touched his face. He couldn’t place why he half expected her to just slap him, or pull an Esme and shoot him in the head for not dragging her ass out of there. But instead, her touch was gentle, and he leaned his face into it, opening his eyes to scan her eyes.

“I…”, he started, after her words, before she engulfed him in a hug. At first he was still, but then he gently brought his arms up to wrap her up, placing one hand on the back of her head, blanketing his fingers in her hair.

“Trust me, I didn’t want you to remember any more of that place than you were forced to.”, he answered back, flexing his hand against the back of her head, “But if any good could come of it, you should hear it from me. You don’t owe me anything. I know, weird to hear from a demon.”

He chuckled softly, before forcing her to pull back from him, cradling her face in his hands, “And I’ll go…if it’s too much. I’m not sure your brothers would understand my side of things, as much as you might think.”

Dean and Duke

Dean shook his head immediately as Sam began to blame himself after breaking the news to them and himself that Anna was likely going to be very hard to track down. He reached a hand out to Sam and shook his head again, “No. No, you’re not going to blame yourself for this. We don’t know who got to her. It’s not out of the question for it to be any of the sons of bitches we have dealt with. Remember Alastair?”

He held his hand out toward Mika as she basically said the same thing. This wasn’t normal for Anna. She had been stuck to Sam like glue. For her to just bail, it didn’t seem natural. It seemed forced.

But then Esme spoke up, and Dean tilted his head. She had a point. Of all the people in the current group, Esme would be the quickest one to get information out of Cason. Mika was probably the last person he should talk to. Dean and Sam were a non starter and Duke barely knew him.

“I agree with Esme and Mika.”, he spoke finally, in agreement with Mika. Duke however, was still frowning at Mika, as if he was genuinely confused as to what was wrong with the idea of bounty hunting. They were quick and effective, and they wouldn’t hurt her…most likely. But he kept his mouth shut and instead lifted his eyes to meet Mika’s gaze as she looked toward him.

“Sammy we’ll figure this out. Esme can um…she can go over there and butter him up. Maybe he’ll have an old address, or even just narrow it down to a state. He can pop in and out of wherever. It beats driving around with no lead.”, Dean explained with a shrug.

“I still think we should hire a bounty hunter and leave the demon out of it. I mean…is there a reason we shouldn’t just kill him.”

“We’re NOT killing anyone. Will you shut your mouth? Nat will cut off your head if she’s found any sort of comfort in him. Demon or not, he’s off limits.”, Dean quickly corrected Duke who held his hands up to each side of his head in surrender.

“Fine! Fine. But if he…”, he started, before Dean shook his head and gave him a hard look, “I’m not doing it.”

“Then that leaves Esme. Go get dressed and we can get this show on the road.”, Dean said simply, waving Esme toward her room, before placing his hands on his hips.

“Only one problem, chief. She ain’t got no clothes, here.”, Duke chimed in with a sigh.

“Where’s her bag? Where’s your bag.”

“No bag. No car. No things. We came here to get her patched up, man.”, Duke explained and Dean sighed loudly, wiping a frustrated hand down his face, before he turned to Mika with a stone cold face.

“Then Mika can lone her something. Why don’t you go get her something to wear…I can make it up to you or something.”, Dean barked at Mika, before softening his face slightly with a sweet smile, “Please…”

“Honestly, with all this trouble, we should just hire a bounty hunter…”, Duke chimed again, shrugging his shoulders as he hid his eyes under his hat brim.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Cason

Cason smirked as Nat grumbled, her scrunched face amusing him enough to almost laugh out loud. But he stifled his chuckle only long enough to hear her insult her brother, and then his chest shook against hers with soft laughter, “Eh. Don’t be so hard on him…”

He stretched his legs, releasing her knee from between them. He didn’t sleep, but at times he would zone out, and her knee being pinned meant that at the least she wouldn’t hurt herself thrashing around if she had another bad dream. He watched her face for those few moments of silence, doing his best to read her expression, but before he could ask her what she was thinking, she thanked him.

He nearly laughed out loud again, but instead, he softened his face into a relaxed smile and shrugged his shoulders, “I meant what I said. You’re safe as long as I’m alive.”, he explained simply, as she sat up and began showing her remorse for what she had said to her idiot brother the night before.

“I don’t think you were a bitch at all. But then again, I was resetting my nose after being assaulted by the idiot, and so…I might be biased. You were emotional. You were understandably on edge, after what I…you know. I don’t think he’ll hold it against you for more than the time it takes you to inevitably apologize.”, he explained simply, with an amused look on his face. He sat himself up against the headboard beside her, and reached a hand over, pulling her hands away from her face, holding one of them in his own, “And if you want to get that inevitable apology out of the way before we talk, I definitely understand. They are not far outside the door…I can hear them.”

Dean

Dean winced at the look on Sam’s face when he mentioned Anna’s name. It was an instant reaction, and thus answered his own question. When Sam explained further, Dean couldn’t help the miserable groan that left his chest. He glanced down at the note, right as Mika stepped up and asked about the situation.

“I mean, she couldn’t have gone far, right? She doesn’t really know anyone, and she’s never had any reason to leave your side. Even with the…attacking Cason thing, you were right there. You guys even…you know…seemed to get along fine.”, he awkwardly tried to talk his brother down. But he realized quickly that the approach he was taking was probably not the right one. The last thing he wanted to remind Sam of was his…attachment to her.

“Where would she have gone? She must have mentioned something, right?”, he asked, trying to be a little more professional about things as he took the letter from Sam’s hand. Reading it, he frowned, looking up at Sam right after, while handing the letter to Mika.

Sam,
I hate myself for doing this to you…again. It’s just not fair to either of us to pretend that this can work. It never has. We barely speak. We barely look at each other outside of hunting together, which tells me that time has not been kind to whatever connection we made all those years ago.

That’s why I think it’s best that I let you go, for good this time. I shouldn’t have stayed. I shouldn’t have held onto you, as if you were mine to lose. We weren’t each others to lose. So please be safe. Please don’t lose that shine in your eyes, and your smile. Don’t lose yourself in this horror show, and give all that love that I know you have buried somewhere in there to someone who can hold it for you.

I’ll miss you for the rest of my life. Don’t look for me. Please.

Love forever,
AnnaBeth

Part of Dean’s solumn look came from the fact that she signed the letter with her full name. He hadn’t heard that name in months, and just reading it almost made him choke up.

Duke

Duke smiled as Esme nuzzled his nose with hers, sweetly asking how he slept. Truthfully, he had slept better than he had in a while, between the warmth of the Hellhound pillow he was laying on, and Esme being wrapped up in his long arms. He nuzzled her nose back, brushing his lips over hers with a bright smile, “I actually slept pretty amazing. I’m assuming by the smile on your face, it was good for you too.”

He laughed softly, but quickly pulled back from her as she sat up, Sarah pulling from under his head, and hopping over the side of the truck bed. He sat up and glanced toward the others, as Esme turned back to him. With a nod, he reached down and tightened the towel around his waist, “Yeah none of them look very happy to greet the morning.”

He slowly scooted himself down the tailgate, until his booted feet touched the ground, and then reached out to wrap his arm around Esme, making sure that if the blanket fell, at least he would be able to grab it. He walked with her over to the group, and sighed as soon as he stepped up and saw Dean reading a letter, “Who is it, Nat?”

“Anna.”, Dean said simply, nodding at Esme to tell her good morning. He ran both his hands through his hair, and Duke instantly placed both his hands on his hips.

“What do you need me to do? Need a bounty hunter?”

“No. Duke not yet. We’re…we’re letting Sam decide how to handle this. But…do we know if she knows anyone? Anyone that might know…”, Dean started, before it dawned on him, “We do know someone she knows. Someone she knows very well.”

Dean turned to Mika and then glanced back toward Nat’s door.

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

Dean

Dean felt a warmth in his chest after he and Lexi finished part of their conversation enough to go and check out to keep Sam from killing them. It was almost as if something in the universe validated everything he was feeling, all at once, but he couldn’t place what that could be.

He glanced around, as if he would find the answer, until the time came to pay. Jumping in front of Lexi before she even had a chance to pull out her wallet, he quickly threw some cash to the cashier and gathered up the items to place them back in the cart with a cheeky smile toward Lexi.

“I got you. I might…MIGHT let you buy me a beer when I take you out next time.”, he teased, nearly flinching at the words ‘next time’, as it sounded so strange coming off his lips after all this time. But he honestly meant it. He wanted to take her out, on a real date, without his brother being nosey or asking him a million questions.

He turned the cart around and began pushing it out the door as the cashier held out the receipt to Lexi with a smile, as if she found them to be absolutely adorable. As soon as they stepped outside, Dean thought for a moment and then turned to Lexi, “You know what I just realized? Sam hasn’t texted me a single time. Normally he’s more hovery than an angry girlfriend, but he hasn’t…he hasn’t even checked in. Maybe he’s lost in a library somewhere or something.”

Anya

As soon as Sam saw the image, Anya knew he recognized the gun, but the disappointed look on his face echoed on her own before he even spoke up. Taking a deep breath, she braced herself for the let down she knew was coming, letting the breath out through her nose as he explained that he didn’t have the gun…but that he had heard of it. Great. Another goose chase.

She turned her face away from his gaze, and stared out the window of the coffee shop for a moment, pulling her cup up to take a drink of her coffee. She scanned the scene outside, as if reading it like a book, as she tried to decide how to proceed from here.

Should she lie to him, and just leave, like she hadn’t been looking for them to get her closer to the demon that she was now obsessed with? Or did she admit to him that she wasn’t only looking for them for the gun…but rather, to become a hunter herself. She had nothing to lose. She had no one. It’s not like she had anywhere to go.

Thinking for a few more moments, she straightened herself, the corners of her eyes full of tears from concentration…not sadness. She then pulled the notepad toward her, and wrote down, “Can I be honest with you?”

Without waiting for him to answer, she simply pulled it back, writing, “I had a feeling the gun was gone. I didn’t just come here for the gun. I would like to…”

She quickly scribbled the last part out, and simply wrote, “Sorry I bothered you with it.”

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Cason

Cason smirked as Nat pulled her face back to look at him after a few moments, brushing more of her hair behind her ear as her breath washed over his lips, “I just hope when you find that answer, you remember how safe you feel, right now…”, he whispered, trailing his fingers around her face to help her fall back to sleep.

“Get some rest. I’ll be right here.”

—-

The next morning, Cason glanced over toward the window, seeing the light peeking through the thin curtains. Nat was sleeping somewhat soundly, and he didn’t want to wake her. But he also knew it would only be a matter of time before Dean started his normal banging on doors to start their day. The last thing he wanted was to let her oversleep and put her at any new odds with Dean.

“Nat…”, he murmured, brushing a thumb down her cheek as he scanned her closed eyes. He winced at how deep her slumber seemed, feeling a bit guilty, but he still tried again, “Hey, it’s morning. You know as well as I do, your brother will be over here in the next ten minutes.”

He chuckled, and tugged at her ear gently.

Dean

As Dean and Mika returned to their room, Dean closed the door behind them and let out a stressed sigh. He ran both his hands through his hair, his eyes closing with stress, and then dropped them to his sides heavily.

“You can say that again…”, he retorted to Mika’s first statement. Luckily, it seemed like the ‘it can’t get worse and then it does’ part of the day was finally over and they could get some rest. At the same time, it never seemed to be that simple. There was always something worse around the corner. It made him not even want to sleep.

“I think she told us because she thought it would scare us off or something. That seems to be her thing. She’s too broken. She’s too mean. She’s too…something. What she doesn’t understand is that we’ve seen just about everything. How am I going to judge her when I have Sam for a brother?”, he chuckled at the end of his sentence, kicking off his own boots and unbuckling his belt as he watched Mika undress in passing. Any other time, he would have wrapped her up and had a little fun while they were finally alone, but tonight, they were both on the brink of collapse.

“I just don’t know much else to do with the Cason situation. It’s not like I can make her stay away from him, you know?”, he asked, pulling his shirt over his head and then dropping his pants to strip down for bed, “At the same time I want to tie her up…and make her listen. But. I can’t do that.”

He finished his sentence with a sad look toward the floor, but then noticed that Mika was gesturing for him to come to bed. With a small smirk, he crawled toward her on the bed, wrapping his arms around her before collapsing with her wrapped in his arms against his chest. He instantly closed his eyes, hearing her words with a frown.

“I know she will…she always does.”, he muttered, before drifting off to sleep, with a tight grip on Mika’s body.

———

The next morning, Dean’s alarm blared like a shotgun blast through the room. He groaned loudly, and reached for the bedside table, finally landing on his phone, and turning off his alarm, “Ugh. It’s morning. Mika…”, he groaned again, shaking Mika’s shoulders a bit. He finally slid his arm from underneath her, knowing that if he stayed in bed, he would likely fall asleep and sleep all day.

“I’m gonna go get some breakfast sandwiches or something, while we wait for the others to get their lazy asses out of bed.”, he grumbled, quickly grabbing a tshirt from his duffel and a pair of jeans. He slipped them on as quickly as he could and shoved his feet in his boots, before stepping out of the room.

At first, he didn’t even notice Sam pacing outside his room, as he walked sleepily across the parking lot, toward the Impala. Passing Duke’s truck, he noticed the cowboy hat sat on top of the toolbox, and his stomach plummeted for a second, thinking something had happened to Duke, until he got a bit closer.

“Well aren’t you guys disgusting…”, he chuckled, before slapping the side of the truck with his flat palm. Duke quickly turned over, toward the sound, as if Dean had fired a gun near his head.

“What the hell is your problem, man?”, he groaned, as Sarah huffed but simply stared at Dean.

“I mean, I would say this brings back old memories, but if this had happened when we were all together, I think I would have killed you…”, Dean laughed, and Duke simply flipped him off, curling back up on Esme, in case she woke up to the noise, “Get your ass up. I’m going to run for grub.”

“Don’t hurry back, dickhead…”, Jace teased, flipping him off one more time as Dean walked away. But before Dean could open the Impala door, he noticed Sam. And boy did Sam look worried. He tossed his keys back into his pocket, and strolled back across the parking lot, toward his worried looking brother.

“Sammy?”, he asked as he approached, lowering his head so he could gaze up at Sam’s eyes, trying to judge what kind of crisis this was, “You alright? What’s going on? And where’s Anna? She hasn’t left your side since you guys met…”

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Cason

Cason kept his nose pressed to Nat’s, stroking her hair. His eyes fluttered closed and he attempted to calm her breath with is own, as if it was possible. With the jolt of her body, he pulled his face back, expecting a massive punch to the face. After a moment, the pain never came, as Nat processed what was happening, “Hey! Hey you’re good. You’re…you’re good.”, he whispered in the darkness.

His name falling off her lips caused a heavy and tired sigh to leave his chest, as he nodded gently, brushing more of her hair from her cheek. And the resolve in the second dropping of his name relaxed his shoulders even more, only for them to tense again immediately as Nat scrambled close to him. He froze for a moment, taking his time to realize that she was willingly touching him, holding him close.

After that beat to make sure he was assessing the situation properly, he wrapped an arm around her, burying his fingers in her hair as he pressed his lips to her forehead and held her close. Cason pressed a tiny kiss there, and then rested his chin on the top of her head as he allowed her to catch her breath and process her surroundings. Her question, however, hit at the heart that he didn’t even have, and he frowned, “I um…”

He paused for a moment, frowning deeper as he contemplated her question, himself. What was this pain in his chest, that seemed to radiate all the way to the back of his head? Was it confusion? Fear? Anguish? He wasn’t sure, but it felt oddly…human. He swallowed it down, mustering up enough of a voice to answer her, “I…I wish I knew the answer to that.”

Actually, he knew at least a partial answer to that question, but he didn’t even know where to begin explaining it to her. How could he explain that even though he was forced at times to hurt her with the others, he was also the only reason she survived in the asylum? How could he explain that even though he cut her straps, he didn’t bother carrying her out of the asylum himself…when he had plenty of opportunity? How could he explain how many times he wanted to…how many times he wanted to just run away with her from that place, before any of the trauma or the pain that he was now trying to clean up…one nightmare at a time?

Anna

Anna glanced up at Sam as he held his hand out to her. The air felt heavy. It felt as if they were being watched, and the atmosphere would collapse on them at any moment…out of nowhere. She frowned, glancing around them for a moment as she disassociated, but then reached out her hand and took his with a small but fake smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

Later that night, after she and Sam had fallen asleep…

Anna laid on her side, her arm stuffed under her cheek, and Sam’s arm slung over her waist protectively. Although they hadn’t crossed intimate boundaries since the night they locked themselves in the panic room, having each other close seemed to just…work. She stirred from her sleep, becoming instantly aware of Sam’s breath moving her hair as she laid there, staring into the darkness. It was oddly comforting, though the feeling in the pit of her stomach was not. She felt sick, and she felt watched. Slowly, she rolled from under Sam’s arm, hoping that his head would hit a pillow and he wouldn’t stir, in case it was nothing she was feeling. To her relief, his head barely moved as she slipped away, slightly pulling her hair from under his face in the process.

“Aren’t you two just the sweetest couple of love sick for each other but untouchable idiots I’ve ever laid my eyes on…”, an unfamiliar voice sounded in the darkness.

Anna froze, her heart leaping into her throat as fear gripped her and she slowly glanced back at Sam, “Don’t worry. He’s harder to wake up than you think, and it’s just…me and you, in here. Look closer.”

As Anna turned back a bit further, she realized that while she was standing next to the bed, she was still wrapped up in Sam’s arms, his face buried in her curly hair as he slept soundly. She was dreaming.



“Who are you and what do you want? Are you an angel? I’m honestly about tired of…”, she started, but the woman quickly laughed. The sound seemed loud enough to break the windows in the room and Anna flinched.

“An angel?! Oh honey, no. I’m the one you’ve been running from! Your whole life has been spent running from…the idea of me. Destiny. Bloodline stuff. Yada yada. The same song and dance Sam knows he’s running from, but with someone much much worse than me.”, she giggled, finally coming into view.

She was tall, thin and blonde. Her cheeky smile seemed to stretch from earlobe to earlobe, caked in bright red lipstick. She reached over the edge of the bed and pushed a strand of Sam’s hair from his face, tucking it behind his ear.

“So what do you want?”, Anna asked in a shaky voice, crossing her arms over her chest. She suddenly felt cold…and angry. But it was an angry fear that chilled her bones.

“What I want is simple. I think you already know the answer.”, the woman nearly whispered, breathing over Sam’s face before kissing his cheek gently, “You.”

“M-me? Why me?”



“Don’t you know, silly?! You’re mine. You were promised to me before you were even born. Your mother was pathetic…asking for a way out of her stupid life. Her stupid relationships and her…family. She all but fed you to me the second I offered. Poor thing. Pregnant and desperate, but didn’t give one tiny little shit about you.”

“Shut up…”, Anna growled, her eyes beginning to cloud with tears. She wasn’t even sure if she was surprised by the woman’s words. She knew she was meant for something. She knew there was a reason she had been hunted her entire life, and ended up in bed with a demon…and then…Sam.

“I only asked her for access to your bedroom. She said yes. I said okay. And then your stupid idiotic stepfather got in the way.”, the woman continued, “And so he died. Your house burned down. Oh…oh no. You didn’t even know, did you? Azazel got to you, but then your mother tried to run. The idiot.”

“Why I was hunted…”, Anna realized suddenly, zoning out on the wall near the woman’s head. Her world spun for a moment as she realized that the problems started while she was still in the womb. She was marked, hunted, put up for slaughter from day one, “And um…and the demon blood?”



“That was my idea. You were a…failed experiment of sorts. I didn’t necessarily agree with torturing you, if Hell didn’t have a plan, but Azazel made me a promise. I could have you, when you came of age and just…look at you.”

Anna’s stomach lurched in disgust at the way the woman sized her up. She tightend her arms around herself a bit tighter, snarling her nose, “And that would make you…”

“Lilith.”, the woman explained simply, tugging at Sam’s ear with her fingers, playfully. Anna’s blood ran cold. Lilith. That was a name she had heard before, but the idea of her standing in the room sent chills down Anna’s spine. A few tears escaped her eyes as she stared blankly at her, her body beginning to visibly shake, “And here’s what I want you to do for me…for him.”

Lilith ran a finger down Sam’s jaw, causing Anna to reach a hand out, her jaw clenched and her fearful expression turning to one of rage.

“Oh my. You really are struck with him, aren’t you? That’s depressing and cute, all at the same time.”, Lilith chuckled, brushing her fingers over Sam’s lips, “I need you to just be ready. Stay strong. Be willing to kill anyone, and I mean anyone when the time comes. I need you…to be a good little soldier. If that means getting away from your cute little family, then you do it.”

“And if I don’t?”



“Don’t leave them? Well, if they become a distraction, or they become need for collateral damage, I’ll kill them. One…tiny…pressure, and Sam’s neck will snap, right here. Right now.”, Lilith murmured, her lips close to Sam’s chin as she wrapped her hand around his throat, gently.

Anna stood, shivering as she watched Lilith slowly tighten her fingers around Sam’s throat, until she couldn’t stand still any longer and took a step forward, “Stop…”

“There she is.”, Lilith cooed at her, releasing Sam’s throat and taking a step back from the bed. She placed both her hands on her hips expectantly.

“Fine. I’ll leave.”, Anna choked out, more tears streaming down her cheek. She hadn’t expected this to happen, tonight. Although she didn’t know where she stood with Sam, she didn’t want to leave him, friend or more, without saying goodbye, “Can I at least say goodbye?”

“No. No, because then, you might be tempted to send some sort of message to my little boy next door, and I’ll have to rip his throat out, while I kill your entire family right before your eyes. I would hate that. That would ruin my day.”, Lilith explained, as if it was a minor inconvenience such as forgetting your keys at home.

“Then leave. You can watch from afar and I’ll leave a note. I’ll at least let them know I’m alive, and not to look for me…and I’ll go.”

“Perfect. See to it that you’re gone before he wakes up or…”, Lilith explained simply, pulling her thumb across her throat to signal she would kill Sam, “Higher ups won’t be happy with me, but that’s not really my concern. I’m out for me. You understand.”



And with that, Anna awoke with a start once again, stilling herself almost immediately as a sharp sob rocked her body under Sam’s arm. She slowly removed his arm from her waist, again, pulling her own hair…like some sort of twisted deja vu.

She stepped out of the bed, and over to table, where she pulled the hotel notepad and began writing the note to say at least a small goodbye. She didn’t know how she would get back to California, but she would figure that out when she forced her body to pick up her backpack and leave Sam behind. As much as she wasn’t sure of their relationship, she was sure that beside him was the warmest bed she had ever known, and that counted for something.

Duke



Duke said his goodnights, almost silently as Nat’s situation weighed on him heavily. But he didn’t let on too much about it. He knew Dean would shut him down at any turn. So, instead, as the others dispersed, he turned and headed in the direction he had left Esme.

He glanced at his truck, and pretty instantly figured out where she was, walking toward it. As soon as he approached, his theory was proven correct as he caught a glimpse of her blanket over the side. He smiled softly, and placed his hands on his hips, wondering how the hell he was going to either get her inside, or convince a damn hellhound to let him get in with them.

“I can’t see you, you know.”, he said softly, glancing all around the truck bed to try and catch Sarah’s eyes somewhere along the way. Sarah simply huffed, growling softly to let him know where she was, “Alright. I hear you.”

He chuckled, approaching slowly as Sarah calmed back down. He noticed that Esme’s face didn’t seem to be unpleasant or as if she was having a bad dream, but rather a happy one. His face softened once again, and he sat down on the tailgate of the truck, scooting himself back until he bumped into Sarah, who once again huffed.

“Calm down. I can’t see you, remember?”, he growled back at Sarah in a whisper, lowering himself to lie in front of Esme, “Darlin’? Hey…you wanna go in and get some sleep?”

He scanned her face for a moment, brushing his fingers along her jaw, in hopes that it would stir her, but it didn’t. Sighing, he glanced up in the general direction of Sarah’s breathing, and then down at his own torso and legs, “Because I don’t wanna give you the pleasure of seein’ me run around naked out here…I guess we’ll just hang out here. You gonna bite me in my sleep?”

Sarah let out a huff that almost sounded like laughter, but eventually, Duke felt her shift in the truck bed, as if she was getting more comfortable, while her hip stayed under his head, a peace offering. He relaxed his body, and pulled his hat from his head, laying it on the truck bed beside him. Then, he wrapped his arms around Esme, pulling her close to his chest, and eventually dozed off with her, much needed sleep coming fast.

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

Dean

Dean’s heart hammered away in his chest as Lexi tried to find a way to answer him. He honestly wanted to lift a hand and wave her off to tell her that it was no big deal, and that he didn’t really want to talk about it. The conversation made his stomach hurt, if he was honest. But as she spoke up again, he couldn’t move. He was honestly too afraid of what she was getting ready to say.

As she stepped in front of him, he couldn’t help but scan her eyes, looking for some sign of hope or at least a sign that he hadn’t just completely wrecked whatever it was that they had. But instead, he saw a mixture of peace and nervousness, just as he felt in his own mind.

Her words pulled an honest smirk from the corners of his mouth, and he let out a sigh he didn’t even know he was holding, echoing her chuckle, “Not as bad as you think. Liking me better than Sam is a good start…”

He linked his fingers with hers quickly, and ran his thumb over the tops of her fingers, “I like seeing where things go. I’m just glad you’re better at saying what’s on your mind than I am…I’m a mess. We are a mess…”

He chuckled again, and brought her hand up to his lips, kissing the backs of her knuckles, “We should probably check out and go check on Sam. I would hate to see the bitch fit he throws if we’re not back when he’s ready to go…”

Anya

Anya waited for Sam to finish reading her words, not lifting her gaze until she heard his voice ring out, and she quickly raised her eyes to meet his. She was in the right place. She found them. And she found Sam.

But as he asked about the deal she was offered, she furrowed her brow, a bit confused. If he wasn’t a hunter, why would he care about her deal? She was told to give that information directly to the Winchesters…not some cute stranger in a coffee shop.

But before she could pull the pad back, her fingers stopped close to his, holding the pen as he clarified why he wanted to know. A wave of relief washed over her and she outwardly sighed with a small smile teasing her lips. He was a Winchester. Sam Winchester. Biting her bottom lip, she fought the urge to get up and dance, as it seemed like this stupid goose chase had taken years off her life, only for her to accidentally stumble across a random computer nerd that happened to be an elite hunter. What were the odds?

She quickly pulled the pad back toward her and began writing:
“This man offered me my voice. He said I could speak for the first time in my life, and I could be basically normal, and all I had to do was give him something after ten years. Obviously I know this is a demon. I’m not stupid.”

She paused, glancing to the side to decide how to word the next bit of her sentence. Finally, she decided to just be blunt, “When I called him out on the whole thing, he said he would give it back to me for something else. Something my dad had.”

She turned the pad back to Sam, for him to read but reached into her pocket for a piece of folded paper. She unfolded the paper and laid it flat in front of Sam, showing an image of the Colt.

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

Dean

Dean was pretty happy with the small smile he saw on Lexi’s face as she took in his joke. But her own joke caused him to flinch, though he knew she was joking. He feigned heartbreak, holding his hand over his chest as if she had shot him in the heart with a gun.

“A little perfume and I lose her hand forever…”, he joked, his eyes closed. He chuckled loudly, and grabbed the side of the cart, following her as she weaved through the isles.

“So since you’re staying…”, he muttered, bringing up the most awkward thing he could think, at the most awkward moment he could bring it in, “How exactly do we balance…the us thing. I mean, not that I think Sam would care, considering he roots for any woman that comes within a mile of me to be in my face and all that. But…I was just you know…wondering.”

He cringed at how awkward the spiel sounded, and cleared his throat, “I guess what I’m trying to say is…do we make this a thing thing? Or just…a thing.”

And again he cringed, closing his eyes and dropping his hand in defeat. Hopefully she would catch onto his line of thought, but he highly doubted it. Mika was always the only one who could decipher his manic moments.

——-

Anya

Anya watched Sam’s face after she turned the pad around, a bit surprised at the opening and closing of his mouth. He was frazzled. Something she had said had frazzled him. But after a moment, he spoke and Anya sighed with relief, but quickly gasped when he asked if she was a hunter. Her brow twitched as she gave quick thought to her next words, but didn’t want to show enough emotion or thought to give herself away, too much.

She pulled the pad back, turning the page so she could write a pretty long explanation, wishing at that moment that she had her laptop or phone nearby, just to make things a bit easier to get out to him.

“It’s complicated. I know of the hunters. I know hunters. And when I asked a hunter I was following about a deal I was offered, and all that…they pointed me to the Winchesters. It took me forever to try and find them, but if you say you know them, I think I’m in the right place. It doesn’t hurt that I like your company.”, she finished writing the last sentence, holding the pen against the paper for a moment as she reread things, and with a small cringe on her lips, she slowly turned the paper toward Sam, not looking up to make eye contact.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Cason

Cason smirked as Nat began to speak about how corny his words were, scrunching his nose up again, ready for a retort. However, before her thought could even began, she dozed off and Cason sighed sadly. He simply stared off into space for a while, as she slept, not sure whether he should actually stay or if he should sneak out and hope she slept well enough to not need support. Eventually, he made his decision, sliding a hand carefully behind her back to force her body down the bed, until she was lying. He protected her head with his other hand, carefully laying her head against the pillow.

He brushed her hair from her forehead, as her hand fell onto the bed, near his leg. Sighing again, he pulled the covers up around her shoulders and lowered himself back into a seated position against the headboard, his hand falling to rest against her palm.

At some point during the night, while he stared off into space, he felt her stir. Her hand moved from under his, balling into a fist as she whimpered in her sleep. He loosely caught the words, as she relived what he could only imagine was the worst days of her life.

“Nat…”, he murmured, falslely assuming that she would wake up just at the sound of her name, but she continued to dream, and it only seemed to get worse. Not sure what else to do, he scooted himself down the bed until he was positioned with his face not far from her own, “Nat. Hey…you’re dreaming sweetheart. I’m right here. You’re safe. Shh. You’re safe…”

He whispered the words as close to her ear as he could, brushing her hair with his fingers as he spoke. He wished at that moment that he could do some sort of telepathy, and move through her memories to just let her get some rest, but he couldn’t decide in his mind why he cared so much.

“You’re safe with me…”, he whispered one more time, pulling his face back from her ear to settle his nose against hers, hoping the touch would calm her.

Duke

Dukes face changed from a variation of shocked to angry to confused and back to surprise as the group explained what was happening. He knew about Cason. Hell, he had helped save Cason, along with Esme. From what he could tell, the demon cared a great deal about her, considering the pet hellhound.

Then again, the idea of Nat being left with demons, considering the loose history he knew about her time with them made his skin crawl. He cracked his neck, his nostrils flaring as he tried to decide how to react to the news, but as soon as he glanced up at Dean, his face softened a bit.

“We’re gonna keep an ear out…”, Dean explained simply, communicating with his other little brother through his eyes. Duke stared hard for a few seconds, finally coming to a resolve. He sighed, and nodded his head gently as he finished his silent conversation with Dean.

“If you’re sure…I’m sure.”, Duke said simply, nodding his head again.

“Good. Now, we should probably get some rest before whatever happens tomorrow comes. Like Anna said, this isn’t the end of it. It never is.”, Dean said simply, glancing to Anna and then Sam, before wrapping an arm around Mika’s waist, “Everything okay with you and Esme?”

“Yeah. She’s a little banged up. Nothin’ a little rest and whiskey can’t fix.”, Duke chuckled, and glanced back at Esme, “I just gotta convince her to either go to bed or at least be still. She’s…not having the best go at it mentally.”

“Anything I can do?”, Dean asked.

“Nah. I can handle her. You know that. Just gotta get her used to me being around.”, Dean nodded once again, but narrowed his eyes.

“And how long you planning to stay around?”

“I honestly don’t know yet. But I don’t need to go worryin’ her about it tonight. It’s been a day, man.”, Duke deflected, shaking his head. Dean simply sighed, tightening his grip on Mika’s waist.

“Take care of her. Get some rest. We’ll all reconvene in the morning…Sound good?”, he asked, looking around the group.

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

Dean was awkwardly silent as he and Lexi walked through the store. She didn’t seem to want to talk much, but at the same time, the silence between them was heavy, as if she had something to say. But he let the silence lie for a while, just enjoying the simplicity of grocery shopping for a bit.

However, when she zoned out while near the deodorant, Dean recognized that look all too well. He watched her, before grabbing something for himself, and spritzing it in the air with a smirk, “What do you think about this one? I mean, if you’re gonna be riding around in the car with me, I might as well smell good, right? Unless you’re more of a flowers and…powder? Type?”, he teased, picking up another brand that had more of a soft powder scent. He held it up with his eyebrows raised.

—————-

Anya watched Sam’s face as he began to explain himself to her. She stared between his hazel eyes, knowing that usually she would have instantly pegged him as a man with way too much baggage. But, as he kept talking, she felt the weight of empathy hit her chest and she chewed on her bottom lip a bit.

She could relate heavily to being dragged all over the country for some arduous task of her father, or nothing at all other than him running from his problems. Then, only to find herself continuing that stupid path when she was out on her own. She narrowed her eyes for a moment, wondering if Sam was a hunter. But she quieted her mind and tilted her head to the side at his question.

Pulling her pad, she wrote down her answer, “I can relate. I’m here on a ghost hunt of sorts. I guess.”

She turned the pad to him and sighed, before pulling the pad around to her again, trying to think of how to ask him the next question she had. If she didn’t play her cards right, he might think she was some crazy stalker, or possibly a murderer trying to track down people he knew…or didn’t know.

“Do you know anyone by the last name Winchester?”