JustAnna

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Dean

Dean chuckled at Mika’s wish for casual drinking, and just being normal for a night. Honestly, he was feeling the same way. There hadn’t been much time for anything other than dealing with all the chaos in their lives in months, ever since he came back from Hell. He deserved, and they all deserved a single day of just…nothing. No angels. No demons. No apocalypse. Just, being human.

“I vote we go to a boring bar, we get some drinks, we see what trouble we can get into, and then we do…whatever humans do these days.”, he teased, holding his hands out in front of him. He stepped up to her, and wrapped his arms around her waist, “Or we just go out and walk around. I don’t care, as long as we’re together and not working.”

He knew these words would surprise anyone else around him, but that Mika would understand. His way of getting his mind back together was always crappy food and alcohol, even if they were beaten up and bloody. If he could get through the night without a bar fight, even better.

Cason

Cason listened to all her own options in response to his laundry list of countries he wanted her to experience, and mentally made a more simple list. She wanted to have fun. She wanted to go out, but not do anything potentially harmful. Those were things he honestly didn’t even know how to give her, but he would try. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his jacket, and smiled softly, “I mean, we could…”

He stopped his words as she stepped over to him with her bag in tow. Reaching out, he took her bag from her shoulder, and shoved his own through the strap, leaning his head forward to briefly bump her forehead with his, a comfort thing for him, “Harm free reckless…”, he repeated her with a smile. Tilting his eyes up, he pondered what they could do, and finally he came to a solution.

“How about…we hit the carnival I saw when I got back to town. I mean, I only bounced past it, while grabbing a drink to wash down all the California-ness of my trip. But, it looked bright and…gross. Might be good?”, he pondered with her, reaching his free hand out to brush a thumb across her cheek, “I’m not exactly human. I’m pretty fire at carnival games.”

Anna

Anna’s face fell even more when Sam said that he was there for her. Of course he was. He was there to try and convince her to come back, and she didn’t even know what to say to him about why she left. When he asked so politely to speak in private, she nearly just slammed the door in his face. It was easier than facing him. It was easier than any of the questions he would have about why.

“Um…”, she started, before Sam started his normal explanation of things. She took a deep breath and shook her head, closing her eyes tightly as she contemplated her next move. Cason was there to scout. Sam couldn’t lie well enough to cover that part up, and no one in the group cared enough about her to send him…other than Sam. Even Cason wouldn’t have come on his own.

“Let’s…let’s step out into the hall.”, she finally said, not looking him in the eyes. As she crossed her arms, Max narrowed his eyes and placed a hand on her lower back, glancing between her and Sam.

“You sure you wanna be alone? You seem uncomfortable.”, Max said softly, glancing back up at Sam with suspicion, “You don’t have to go anywhere with him.”

“Max…it’s complicated, alright? I’ll be right out in the hall, and you’ll know if anything happens. Trust me. But I know Sam wouldn’t hurt me or anything. It’s just complicated.”, Anna explained quickly, turning her back on Sam to place her hands on Max’s chest, just in case. She didn’t want either of them going at each other over this.

“Alright. Call if you need me.”, he answered back, shooting one more skeptical look at Sam. As he did so, Anna turned around and pushed Sam through the doorway, into the hall.

“I don’t have any answers for you. We…we have been in and out of each others lives for so long that I don’t know if I can do…that anymore. I can’t do the whole, whatever we were, anymore.”, she explained unconvincingly, still not looking at his eyes. She stared at his chest, crossing her arms over her chest awkwardly.

Duke

Duke drew circles on Esme’s shoulder as he did his best not to breathe in her hair. Taking a deep breath, he let it out with a small chuckle, “Well, the last 24 hours has been…interesting.”, he teased, turning his head toward hers, placing a soft kiss to her temple.

“If you had told me two days ago that I would not only accidentally save the one person I felt was ‘the one that got away’ but I would end up here…I would tell you that you were insane.”, he teased more, a bright smile breaking across his face as he laughed. It was true, he honestly never expected her to want anything to do with him again, after the big break up of their trio, and yet, it seemed like leaving would be harder than he anticipated.

The thought of leaving caused the corners of his mouth to fall slightly, but he held them up, forcing the smile to stay on his face. That wasn’t a thought he wanted to have at the moment. He just wanted to enjoy the time he had with her, and half way plan a way to not break her heart in the process.

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

Anya

Anya couldn’t help a smile that stayed on her face at the fact that even though Lexi didn’t need to sign to her in order to speak, she did anyway. It could be useful, in the future, considering neither of the boys seemed to know any ASL, especially Dean. As she turned back to Sam, she could feel Dean’s eyes on her, but decided that at least for a while, she would have to ignore Dean. He seemed to see her as some sort of alien, or at least he still treated her as if she was deaf, which would likely complicate things for him later.

As Sam escorted her down the long corridor, she couldn’t help marvel in the fact that the place looked ancient, and it was built like a fortress. The floors all the way to the ceilings had a feeling of safety underneath them, and she touched each brick as they passed them. Each room that they passed made her smile, as they appeared almost like dorm rooms.

She turned to Sam and tapped his arm gently, bringing her hand to her chest, where she signed, “Sorry.” Before bringing her free hand up to her head to signal that she was feeling crazy, and stressed. She then signed a simple, “Thank you for helping me.”

Dean

Dean glanced down at the paper as Lexi looked it over as well. He was surprised by the amount of work that Anya seemed to have done, meaning this was not the first dead end she had found. The thought of her going from hunter to hunter, trying to learn more about her dad’s death felt familiar, and made his stomach wrench with sadness. He let out a sigh, watching her walk away with Sam.

He couldn’t help the bright smile that tried to spread across his face as Lexi commented on Sam being good with Anya, “Yeah. He has a thing for the misfit types, especially the monsters.”

He scrunched his face, “I didn’t mean it like that. I mean he always seems to gravitate toward people he feels like he can relate to. She’s just a girl…who can’t speak. But there’s something about her. Trust me, they’ll be joined at the hip before she leaves. IF she leaves. And you would know about spitfires.”

As Dean teased, he elbowed her playfully, pulling the paper closer to his gaze, looking closer at the photo. He imagined the guy in the photo holding the Colt, and who could have come for him. They had to have had it, or have just lost it right as he was killed, he assumed…or maybe her father was killed BECAUSE they ended up with the Colt.

“I just hope we didn’t get her father killed…”, he mumbled, with a deep sigh, glancing up again as Anya and Sam disappeared down the hall. This research could take them somewhere that could destroy her, and it wasn’t something he was sure was a good idea, “I’m going to need whiskey for this…”

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Cason and Dean

“I’ll take care of her.”, Cason answered to the underlying question, as Nat patted his arms. He released her, but followed her quickly, not letting her out of his sight while she was talking about leaving the group. For all he knew, he would have to go on his own goose chase, with far less information to go on, than Sam had with Anna.

Dean, however, pulled Mika as close as he could, turning her toward their own room, “And what exactly do you want to do with your time off? I mean, I’m good with anything as long as we’re not babysitting…or fighting.”

He laughed, leaning over and kissing the top of her head as they reached their room, gesturing for her to open the door. At the least, maybe they could go out to a bar, like the old days, and just take a load off. Angels could wait.

Cason stepped into the room, behind her, and closed the door. Standing near the table, he tapped his fingers, and stared at her for a moment, “So, where do you wanna go? You can choose literally anywhere…Paris. Rome. I mean…anywhere.”

He smirked as he finished, glancing up from under his brow at her. He wanted to see her relax and smile, for the first time since he had met her. If there was anyone who deserved a little break, it was Nat, and it didn’t hurt that he was on her good side now, and maybe they could get closer in the process.

Anna

Max stepped away from the couch, jogging to the door. He still had the smile on his face as he grabbed the doorknob, looking over his shoulder at her, “But you’re eventually going to have to spill the beans, this is my house, you know…”, he joked with a laugh, before pulling the door open and going silent with a confused frown, “Um, hi?”

Anna didn’t like the sound of his voice, assuming it was Cason again, by the disappointment…or rather confusion she heard. She stood from the couch, setting the menu aside as she pulled Sam’s flannel a bit tighter around the front of her body, like a robe. She quickly walked over to stand behind Max, glancing under his arm that was still holding the door protectively. The body she saw on the other side of the door nearly made her faint, and she tilted her gaze down toward the floor.

“Anna it’s…”

“Sam. Dammit Cason.”, she groaned, stepping closer to the door. Max didn’t move his arm as he sized Sam up, still not having answers as to what had driven Anna to call him. But Anna peered over his shoulder, finally seeing Sam’s face, “What are you doing here?”

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Cason

Cason nodded back at Sam as he stepped away, sighing at the thought of how upset Anna would be when she came back, and the damage she could easily do to him, in that anger. But surely Sam could contain her anger, or maybe even head it off before they got back.

“I think we can definitely be civil…”, he murmured, reaching across Nat, and spinning her to where her back was to his chest, and she was forced to face both Mika and Dean.

Dean lowered his head, listening to both the instructions from Mika, and the response from Nat. He took a deep breath, and stepped forward, “I want you to take some time off. Get some rest…take…take Cason with you, and figure out whatever it is that you need to figure out. I’ll be here when you figure it out.”

“I think what he’s saying is that you need to rest, so you guys don’t end up blowing up on each other again.”, Cason said simply, leaning his head over her shoulder, to which Dean shrugged and nodded.

“Pretty much.”

“Maybe all the humans in this group should use the time you’re not defending…or destroying the planet to get some rest. I can’t protect all of you.”, Cason explained with a wave of his hand, to which Dean scoffed.

“I don’t think a rest day would kill anyone.”, he chuckled, wrapping an arm around Mika, “I can’t believe I’m agreeing with the demon.”

Anna

Later that night, Anna laid on the couch, reading a book that she had picked up at the bookstore near the apartment. She couldn’t believe how absolutely normal life was for Max and the other friends that seemed like they were lifetimes away. She hadn’t even imagined that anyone had normal lives, after all the time she had spent with the Winchesters.

And just like that…Sam flooded into her brain, again. She wondered if Cason had told him where she was, or if maybe he had actually done what she told him to do, and was quiet…and just staying with Nat.

“You want dinner? I’m thinking about ordering Asian food.”, Max suddenly startled her out of her daydream, stepping into the living room. He held up a menu, and his free hand as if to make sure she knew it was him, “You’re awful jumpy.”

“I’m sorry. It’s been a long few months, and I don’t honestly know how to explain it to you, at the moment.”, she said with a soft sigh. She closed her book and held her hand out for the menu, and like the precious human he was, Max simply ignored the conversation, and walked over to the couch. Pulling her legs onto his lap, he handed her the menu.

“So, about Cason showing up…”

“Oh no. No. I don’t want to talk about that. Maybe one day, but not today. Today, I want to forget about that…drama. I want to eat crappy food and I want to watch a stupid movie, and I want to not be stressed.”, she said quickly, settling on the food she wanted. She pointed to it, and handed the menu back, causing Max to sigh.

“I feel like there’s more to the story, is all.”, he said sadly, as a knock at the door barely distracted them both. Anna shook her head, tapping on the menu, and pointed toward the door, “Fine! Fine. Crappy food…whoever this is, and movies. Got it.”

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Dean and Cason

Cason dropped his arms, reaching out to pick up one of Nat’s hands as she turned to him and looked into his eyes. He nodded his head, conceding to her threats, and shrugged one of his shoulders, “And if that happens, I’ll pretend I don’t have eyes. I swear.”

He rubbed his thumb across the back of her knuckles, and Dean sighed. There were still a million questions flooding Dean’s brain, but he agreed that they had bigger problems than Nat being just a little too snuggly with the one demon he had his sights on. Unfortunately, Cason was right, like Sam. They had to focus.

Dean and Cason both focused on Sam when Mika asked him where Anna was. Cason already knew, but he wanted Sam to explain it in a way that might convince everyone she was at least safe, which at the moment…other than being alone without them, she was.

Cason nodded his head at Sam’s assertion that he needed to go alone, “She’s going to be mad enough at me for coming back to you. She’ll be doubly pissed if she feels ambushed. Sending Sam alone isn’t the worst idea.”

Dean shrugged his shoulders in a bit of frustration, “I don’t like it.”

“You may not like it, but you know it’s the best idea.”, Cason chimed in again, causing Dean to shoot him dagger eyes. But after a moment, he relaxed his face, as Sam put his trust in Cason to keep Nat safe and to keep her from exploding again, “I won’t let anything happen to her, even if I have to just keep them separate.”

Dean chuckled, visibly amused at the idea that Cason would somehow be able to keep Nat locked up or tied down in some way, to keep her away from Dean, “I’m done fighting. I just want to get Anna back, figure out why the hell she left in the first place, and get some more answers about…the plan or whatever.”

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Dean

Dean cringed as Nat lit into him. Just the inflection on the way she said his name nearly sent him into another blind rage screaming fit, but she continued and his shoulders slowly began to drop in defeat. Hearing that Cason swore to protect her, Dean dropped his eyes from her face to the ground. As her brother, he should be supportive of that. It’s not like a demon couldn’t tear anything apart that came near her. He could disappear and reappear, and take her with him if there was trouble.

“I am happy…”, Dean started as Nat continued to chew him out. He stopped, holding his mouth open for a moment, and then closing it as she came to the meanest part of his questioning, the claims of her sleeping with Cason as some weird way to get back at him. His face instantly turned to anger as soon as she brought up Mika, as if he hadn’t already been down that road, but Mika stepped up right at that moment and he let out a breath, placing an arm in front of Mika, just in case.

Nat’s next words hit him right in the chest and he softened his face, “No hold on a second…HOLD ON!”, he yelled, interrupting both Mika and Nat, as Mika gestured for him to fix things.

Sam stepping in only made him more stressed, nearly an instant reaction. He dropped his arm from in front of Mika’s waist, and took a deep breath.

“I do care about you. I wouldn’t be so…freaked out if I didn’t care.”, he attempted to smooth things over, as he could feel things devolving quickly, and Sam was right. They had bigger issues to deal with than petty fighting between them, “I just don’t want you to get hurt again, or wrapped up in some insane demon situation where we end up right back where we started. And I’m sorry, but I’m not as trusting as you are, Nat…”

Cason

Cason had just nodded to Sam’s promise, only to be bombarded from behind with all the chaos of the argument. He turned at the same time as Sam, sighing in annoyance to see Dean holding Mika back from Nat, as if the two women were going to claw each other’s face off. Taking a chance, he stepped over to Nat, also wrapping his arms loosely around her waist from behind, mostly just to give Dean some room.

“I agree with Sam…”, he muttered, before leaning in, pulling Nat back to his chest, “I agree…with Sam.”

He shushed her in her ear, tightening his grip on her waist before deciding to play devil’s advocate for a moment, “Your brother…is an idiot. But your brother loves you. I’m sure there’s a better way of handling this than having to apologize for yelling at him every day, right?”, he murmured into her ear, before letting her go, causing Dean to take a slow and deep breath, in agreement. There was a small moment of nicety between Dean and Cason, as they made eye contact with one another and simply nodded.

“Now. Are we all calm enough to have a civil discussion?”

Duke

Duke smiled even brighter as Esme pushed his hair from his face, and he saw that smile creep onto her face. It was the only thing he wanted at the moment, was just to know she wasn’t mad at him, and that she could smile. There was enough bad going on. She didn’t need to worry more than she normally did, which was pretty much all the time.

“I honestly like being the magical chill pill.”, he chuckled, snarling his nose as she nuzzled it, “Makes me a bit expendable…”

As she hovered closer to his lips, he let his eyes flutter closed until the commotion outside distracted the both of them, and he matched her sigh, frowning as he flexed his hand around her wrist. He opened his eyes and chuckled softly, and glanced over toward the window. Lifting his gaze into the air in thought, he pondered her words, tightening his lips, “Hmm.”

After a moment, he shook his head and leaned back down to capture her lips with his, kissing her deeply. After the attitude shift, there was no way he was leaving this room with her, only to throw both of them into a potentially volatile afternoon. No thank you.

He pulled back and took a deep breath of air, nuzzling her nose, “I think they can handle it themselves, this time.”

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Dean

Dean watched the way Nat handled Cason and even tilted his head to the side in amusement at the way that Cason simply nodded, almost like a puppy in Dean’s eyes, and pushed past both her and Dean.

“Isn’t that cute?”, Dean muttered without even realizing it. He quickly looked down at Nat’s face, and shot her a cheeky smile, before wiping it from his face completely. She would kill him before she would give him the satisfaction of insulting Cason, at the moment.

“So, he seems to listen to you. That’s nice. My question would be, why?”, he asked, scanning Nat’s face. He knew she was probably going to blow up on him. She would probably find every reason in the world to defend Cason, and honestly? He was tempted to give the guy benefit of the doubt, if his story was true.

Cason

Cason met Sam halfway, after leaving Nat, albeit reluctantly. As soon as the taller man stepped in front of him, he held the paper out in front of him and nodded, “Yeah. She was exactly where I figured she would be. She’s a creature of habit, which is good for you, bad for her, I guess.”

Cason let Sam take the piece of paper and sighed, scratching his neck awkwardly to decide how to even talk to Sam as anything other than some random human, or at the least, the awkward new boyfriend of his ex. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t noticed Sam hovering here and there in the background, at Stanford. Or like Sam didn’t pop up and come across Anna in coffee shops, where Cason would have to distract her to keep her from getting too close to him…for reasons.

“I have to warn you. She’s not alone.”, he started, before holding his hands up to let Sam know he would explain, “I don’t know if you remember Max. Short little guy with a bit of a droopy lip, dreamy blue eyes…had a bit of a crush on Anna before I met her. Well, she’s staying at his place. He’s a good kid. I don’t recommend, if your plan is to bring her home, that you hurt him. Just trust me on that.”

Cason stepped over to the railing of the motel sidewalk, and leaned against it, pulling out a cigarette and a lighter, before lighting up. Now that Nat was all but demanding he stick around, even looking at the others was awkward.

Duke

Duke was relieved as the smile appeared from nowhere on Esme’s lips, and when she pulled her other hand down, he dropped his shoulders with relief, a bright and familiar smile flooding over his face. But that smile faded after a moment, as she started to apologize. He gripped her hands a bit tighter and started to argue with her, but he knew that arguing, while trying to get his own apology in was probably not the best move.

What surprised him was her explanation for her apology. Not only had she lost it on him but apparently she had all but bullied Cason into leaving, which was successful, so he didn’t see harm. But he also knew Esme well enough to know that she was very VERY sensitive to manipulation.

“So, you stop with that…first off.”, he corrected her about him being there with her, “And as far as the blow up at me? You’ve blown up at me before. At least this time, I was being dumb…”

His accent shined as he reached out and tilted her chin with one of his fingers, a smile spreading over his face again, “It takes a hell of a lot more than snappin’ my head off, over bounty hunter drama for me to just run off. You know that. At least you didn’t hit me, this time. No stitches…no foul.”

Duke pinched her chin gently, brushing his thumb over her bottom lip, while watching the contact intently, “I just assumed you were hungry. You always did turn into some other not so human kind of creature when you were hungry. Hangry…”, he teased, before flashing his pearly white smile again.

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

Dean and Anya

Dean watched the way Sam acted around Anya. So warm, which was his nature, but he could tell that Sam had either stepped in it and was trying to make up for something he had said, or he was a bit fascinated by Anya. Both ideas made him smirk a bit as they stepped away.

Anya however, couldn’t help but return his smile. She wasn’t sure she was his biggest fan after the way he wrote her off, especially when Dean pretty much jumped on helping her immediately. But as he agreed to settle her in, she nodded with a smile, stepping in close to him in case the dangerous stuff Dean had talked about was somehow attached to the walls.

“Um yeah. We should probably get ahold of some people from wherever she’s from…see what we can find out about the people her dad hung out with. That might be the best place to start.”, he agreed, walking around the war room table to clear some books. As he stacked them, he noticed that Sam took up for Anya as if they were somehow asking too much of her, and he narrowed his eyes, “Sam we just…”

Holding his hands up in surrender, he continued stacking books with a sigh, but Anya shook her head with a frown, glancing up at Sam before walking back over toward the table, as if to say ‘it’s no problem at all’. She pulled the paper she had shown Sam from her pocket, and unfolded it with one hand. Turning it over, she tapped her finger against it, showing that she had been down this road before. Her dad’s name was written on the paper, along with his date of birth, the last person he was seen with, and the day he died. Taped to the paper was a photo of him, from a few months before he died.

She looked up at Lexi’s eyes, and smiled softly, doing her best to sign with her one hand, “A place to start at least.”, before backing toward Sam to follow him to her room.

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

Dean and Anya

Dean sighed, and gave his brother a look as Anya turned to him and apparently had been expecting him to say ‘yes’. He shrugged his shoulders, “Then let’s go. You guys head out and I’m gonna get Lexi some coffee, like I promised.”

He gave Lexi a mixture of an apologetic and a hopeful smile, and guided her to the counter as Anya, stepped up to Sam. She didn’t even bother saying anything to him, but led he way outside.

Back at the Bunker

“Don’t touch anything that’s isn’t clearly labeled. If I can’t hear you scream, I don’t know you’re hurt.”, Dean ordered to Anya as they decended the stairs. Dean had circled the Impala around to her hotel room, to grab her things, which were now slung over both shoulders.

She looked around the expanse of the room, as everything came into view, and stopped at the bottom of the stairs, turning in a circle.

“And we’re gonna have to get one of the white boards for you or something, some way for you to talk. I don’t know any other way for this to work.”

Anya frowned, snapping her fingers at Dean, before patting her bag, to let him know she already had it covered. She then pulled her fingers across her throat to tell him to stop giving her orders. She would be fine.

“Fine. Sam…keep an eye on her.”

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Cason and Anna

Cason dropped in the middle of an empty hallway, in the old apartment building that he had lived in…when he met Anna. He knew where she was. She always ran to one person when they would fight, or when she had a bad test day and needed someone who could relate. In fact, it’s where she was living when they met in this very hallway.

He smiled fondly of the memories that flooded his mind of the parties, and the late nights helping guys back to their apartments after a bender. Glancing around at the numbers on the doors, he oriented himself and walked down the hallway. Only a few doors down, he came to the apartment he was looking for, and straightened his jacket, before knocking.

He could hear voices behind the door, both of which were familiar, and surprisingly happy. He could even hear Anna giggle as Max stalked over to the door and swung it open.

“Cason!”, he beamed, a bright smile gracing his face as soon as he saw Cason’s face. Anna’s head popped up in the background as she stood to her feet, looking almost faint.

“Hey Max. Hello, Anna.”, Cason answered back, as Max stepped aside, letting Cason into the apartment. Cason glanced at the ceiling, and scanned his eyes down to his feet, just in case Anna had already planned for him to come after her, but from what he gathered, she had no idea he was coming.

“What are you doing here?”, Anna asked with a shaky voice, causing Max to frown in confusion. She might have forgotten to mention that they were long broken up, and not…exactly on the best terms. She sighed, and Cason shrugged his shoulders.

“You kinda ran off without saying anything. I was worried.”

“Max…could you excuse us for a moment?”, she asked, hesitantly taking her eyes off Cason long enough to turn to Max.

“Of-Of course. I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me, alright?”, he responded, glancing between her and Cason with suspicion. She simply nodded, crossing her arms as he left her alone with him.

“What the hell are you doing here?! I hope you’re not here to bring me back. I’m not going. I will scream.”, she started immediately, but Cason raised his hands to stop her.

“First. I know you will. Second. I’m not here to bring you back. Your boyfriend was losing his mind, and I’m just here to make sure you’re alive and well. You are. I have what I need and I don’t plan to make any more drama for you than necessary.”, Cason explained, shrugging his shoulders. Anna narrowed her eyes in suspicion, scanning his face for any sign that he was lying, but she could find nothing.

“How is he?”, she asked finally.

“A mess. He’s confused. He’s a bit zoned out and upset, if I’m honest. He doesn’t understand why you left. Why did you leave?”

“It’s what I do, I guess.”, she answered, shrugging her shoulders. She turned her eyes awkwardly to the ground and kicked her boots against the floor, causing Cason to narrow his eyes.

“Right…”, he said, but his voice held suspicion. He knew that there was more to her story, and that something had caused her to leave. But instead of pushing it, he reached out, cradling her face in his hands. He pulled her forward and pressed a tight kiss to her forehead, “You know you can call me if you need me…even now.”

“I know.”, she whispered, her eyes closed, “But can you leave?”

“Of course. I need to let them know you’re alive. Keep him safe, alright? Don’t open the door, and put a trap under that door mat, just in case whoever made you leave shows up.”, Cason explained casually, stepping back from her. He disappeared before she could even correct him, and she dropped her arms in exasperation, tears threatening the corners of her eyes.

Dean

As soon as Cason disappeared, Dean stayed silent for a moment, until Nat turned to him, and accused him of having something to say. At first, he feigned innocence, shaking his head, “I don’t know what you want me to say…”

He crossed his arms but then held a hand up, shifting to one leg, “He suddenly decides to protect you, after all this time. What is it? He has been taking care of you from afar and suddenly he feels the need to be close enough to sleep in your bed? I’m just confused, Nat. This is Cason. You know…Cason? The guy who slept with my girlfriend. The guy who essentially lied to Anna for God knows how long about what he was. And suddenly he’s a saint. Saint demon…”

He took a deep breath, and shook his head, “I didn’t mean it like that. I just need to know…how do you…feel about him? Is it an ‘I owe him’ kind of attachment or is it a ‘he’s dangerous, let me jump in bed with him’ kind of thing?”

Before he could even get an answer from her, Cason appeared behind her, much faster than he had anticipated. He rolled his eyes, and gave Nat a look that said ‘I expect that answer when you’re finished with him’. Luckily for Dean, Cason stood still and quiet, holding a piece of paper in his hands as he waited for the stress to leave the area around Nat.

Duke

Duke listened carefully for Esme’s voice in the room, breathing deep through his nose. Finally, he heard her voice and a wide relieved smile spread across his face. He gently pressed on the door, pushing it open, before removing the trashcan from the gap, and closing the door behind him. He didn’t immediately go to touch her, deciding instead to get some clothes on, just in case she decided to continue screaming at him. At least he wouldn’t end up back outside, naked.

He kicked off his boots and threw his hat on the dresser, before grabbing a pair of boxers and a tshirt, throwing them both over his body. He stood still at the foot of the bed, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, and then crawled onto the mattress. He carefully crawled all the way up until he was leaning on his hands and knees beside Esme, and reached a gentle hand over to wrap his fingers around one of her wrists.

“Hey. Darlin, look at me.”, he whispered, bringing her hand up to his lips, where he pressed soft kisses to her knuckles, “I mean, I can’t flash my baby blues and apologize right if you don’t look at me.”

As he lightly teased her, he smiled against her knuckles so she could feel it, and then balanced on just his knees, reaching for her other hand, “C’mon, sweet pea…”