JustAnna

All Roads Lead To You

Dean and Duke

Dean watched Esme carefully as she nursed her coffee, and then seemed to be thinking of something. He was ready to ask what it was, and kick Duke one more time for good measure, when Esme replied to Duke and shut him up for the moment. Duke was one that would try to win her over with a bright smile, his best pretty boy blue eyes stare. It was like a damn super power with the kid, and women.

When Esme mentioned her car, Dean shook himself out of his thoughts and nodded, wincing with her as she iced her face. He wished there was some magic cure for the injuries they tended to come home with. Not just for the moment, when he wanted her to just…be okay, but also, it would make hunting more efficient. That was something to have Bobby research later on. He made a mental note and cleared his throat.

“I can take a look at it.” Dean spoke finally, and Duke quickly turned to look at him, his smile fading a bit as he scanned Dean’s face and then turned back to Esme.

“Yeah. We can look at it. You don’t need to be crawlin’ up under the thing, right now anyway.” Duke offered, his bright eyed smiling demeanor serious and helpful all the sudden. Bobby sighed from his desk, and folded his paper up, standing. He walked through the kitchen, out into the garage to go take a look at the damage to Esme’s car, without being asked, like the dad he was.

“And you can rest. A little beer. A little music. Rest.” Dean ordered, holding his coffee cup in both hands, as he pointed.

“And then we go shoot.” Duke chimed in and Dean rolled his eyes taking a long drink of his coffee, and fighting the urge to kick him again. “If you feel up to it, that is. I’m cool with just gettin’ dirty under the hood of a car. It’s been a while.”

“Then you take over the wrench and I’ll play dutiful best friend.”

“I wouldn’t really say you guys are friends, by the way you’re actin’…” Duke started, and Dean landed a heavy kick to his knee, signaling for him to shut his mouth, and Duke frowned, staring at Dean with wide eyes. They communicated silently, similar to how Dean used to be with Sam and Duke scoffed, turning back to his food. “I heard ya…”

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

Anya

Anya sighed with relief as Sam reacted exactly how she hoped to her words. She was worried he would brush it all off and ask her what she was talking about, as if he wasn’t covered in tension. Anyone could see by just looking at him. She could have chalked it up to grief, or him being worried about his brother, but every time their eyes met, the tension rose higher. When he pushed off the counter, her heart jumped into her throat, and her hands began to shake with nerves. It was the first time that they seemed on the same page since the moment they met, not awkwardly dancing around each other.

She turned her eyes away from him briefly, thinking about typing another message. But she decided against it, laying her phone on the table behind her, before stepping up toe to toe with Sam. As if asking permission, she reached a nervous hand out and placed it on his chest, feeling his heart beat beneath her fingers.

Looking up at him, she smiled softly, trailing the same nervous hand up to his shoulder and then the side of his neck, curling his hair around her fingers. She was terrified to kiss him again, but everything on her face made it clear that she really…really wanted to.

Dean

Dean sighed with relief as Lexi not only didn’t pull her hand away but verbally agreed with him, and squeezed his hand. It was a step. It was a tiny step toward allowing themselves to get closer, without instantly jumping into each other’s arms, which he wasn’t sure he was ready for. He knew he wanted to be around her, but he wasn’t sure he was ready to just…allow himself to.

—

At the meeting point, Dean perked up when Lexi pointed out the nervous looking guy standing near an old beat up car. He scanned the guy over, and judging by his demeanor, he didn’t look too hard to take down, if the need arose. He looked as if a stiff wind would blow him over. Dean scoffed, “He looks about like I expected.”

As Lexi moved to get out of the car, Dean pulled her hand back, kissing her knuckles one more time with a stern look, “You stay…”

The words buzzed in his brain, the same warning he always gave Mika. It was the same speech, different hunter. Same speech, different attachment. The thought made his stomach churn, and he couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence. He cut himself off and shook his head with a sad smile, “Get out of here. Go get him.”

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Anna

Sam’s quick burst of emotion toward her words caused Anna to frown and watch his face even closer. She had made him cry. It wasn’t something she ever wanted to do and he was usually so good at keeping his emotions in check, even if he was devastated. He didn’t hide them. They read all over his face, but tears falling from his eyes were jarring. Him correcting her so quickly and with so much conviction caused her heart to do a flip, as she grappled with believing him, or believing that he would always choose his brother.

Another tiny sob broke from her throat as he continued, and in that moment, she believed him. Against every part of her brain screaming not to, she believed every word he was saying. Taking a deep and shaky breath to calm the sobs that threatened to break through, and derail her confidence, Anna looked down.

“I believe you.” She whispered, turning her eyes back up to meet his. She looked between his eyes, her own eyes frantically searching for a reason to stay away from him, a reason to run, but she couldn’t do that either. She couldn’t forgive him for following his brother, even if it meant driving off a cliff. But she did have to admit that she loved him. “And I love you. I do. So much. I just don’t know how much more of this prophetic control mess I can take. I-I’ve lost everything to this, like you have. And I don’t want to lose you, but I-I have a…I have a feeling I will, before this is over. I’ll lose you too.”

Dean

Dean held onto Nat’s legs tightly as she settled onto his back. Feeling her arm drape over his shoulder, he reached up and wrapped his fingers around her hand, holding tightly as he started to walk away from the disgusting scene behind them. Her complaining caused him to roll his eyes, and he turned his head, his forehead brushing hers, “Will you stop crying like a baby and let me save your life? A little bit of pain is a lot better than staying here, right?”

As she pitched the idea of burning down the asylum, Dean raised his eyebrow. The idea was solid, but he didn’t have any of the tools he would need to burn down a building this big. Maybe, as touchy feely as Cason was feeling, he could call in some favors and get the thing taken care of for her.

“Well, maybe your boyfriend can take care of it. He seems to have some pull.” Dean joked with her, trying once again to push the idea that he was cool with Cason, if it would keep the truth of him trying to kill someone so special to Nat from coming out.

The trek to the front door was pretty straight forward. No demons. No trouble. But Dean could feel that more demons would show up at any second, and he didn’t want to be here when they came. He carried Nat to the Impala, and carefully lowered her to the ground against the car, so she had something to stand against.

“I’m going to go get him. He’s taking too long, and we’re not leaving him behind.” Dean explained simply. He stepped over to Mika, and pressed a tight kiss to her forehead. “I’ll be right back. Stay with her. Keep her still and safe. I would say keep the dogs around, but I don’t know what they’ll do if I talk to them.”

He turned and jogged back up the stairs of the asylum. The first place he ran to was the room they had rescued Nat from. Glittering in the light of the moon was Ruby’s knife, covered in blood. He ran up, swiped it off the floor and then began searching for Cason, as he held the knife in front of him for coverage, just in case Lilith showed up.

Cason

Cason’s eyes were saucers as Esme finished off Valid, melting him into a puddle. He couldn’t believe what he had just witnessed. He didn’t know how he was going to explain it to anyone who would understand and he also didn’t expect that he would be walking out of this room alive. He threw both his hands up as Esme spun around, looking like an absolute animal but also, something he had never seen before. He stared at her, trying to find the right words to get through to her and convince her that they had to leave. Before he could make that decision, she flung her knife at him and with a gasp, he tilted his head to the side, right as the knife embedded into the demons head over his shoulder.

“Holy shit!” He cried out, breathing heavily as he looked down at the demon and then back up at Esme with wide eyes. He wasn’t sure what to even do. He couldn’t touch her. He couldn’t possibly fight her, considering what he had just witnessed. But then she said something so human that his shoulders fell…only a bit. “I know. It took a minute to take care of the shit downstairs. HEY BEHIND YOU!”

Cason stepped forward, to help Esme and take care of the demon that was attacking her, but other than the Hellhounds, he had no weapons. He was more helpless than she was. And as he suspected, the demon was taken care of quickly by Esme’s hands and Sarah’s strong jaw. He winced as Sarah finished Morana.

Hearing footsteps jogging down the hall behind him, Cason stepped carefully toward the doorway, watching Esme’s every move, “Darling…we have to go. You’re gonna be okay and we can figure out what the hell is going on, but we have to go. I came to get you.”

“Cason, what the hell is taking so long?!” Dean shouted as he stepped through the doorway and his eyes went wide, staring around at the carnage in the room. He saw the pile of goo, and the headless demon, and then his eyes turned up to Esme, Ruby’s knife clutched tightly in his fist.

“Dean, I wouldn’t make any sudden movements…”

“Yeah, I gathered that.” Dean huffed back at Cason. He turned his eyes back to Esme and took a careful step forward. “Hey sweetheart. Why don’t we go somewhere together? Hmm? We can get out of here, you and me. We can go anywhere you want but you have to…you have to calm down.”

All Roads Lead To You

Dean and Duke

Dean nearly jumped out of his skin as he heard Esme’s voice, turning with her plate in his hand. He was just about to pour her a cup of coffee to bring a whole tray to her, when she stepped into the kitchen. He quickly ran over to the table, and sat her plate down, strolling over to her straight after.

“Hey, sweetheart.” He called to her, scanning her face. It took less than a second for him to read every ounce of pain that she was feeling, which told him everything about the ‘are you okay’ question he was dying to ask. He didn’t even bother. “Come sit down and eat, alright? I’ll grab some peas for…for that.”

Dean guided her to the table, as if she was going to break under his touch, causing Bobby to raise an eyebrow as he watched them. Duke also narrowed his eyes at Dean’s behavior, but before he could say much, Dean shoved his feet off the chair at the end of the table and he nearly fell off his chair.

“Hey! I was comfortable.” Duke complained, pushing his cowboy hat back to show more of his face. His blonde hair fell in random strands over his eyes and he straightened up in his chair. “Good morning! You don’t look like crap at all. I promise.”

Duke smiled brightly, and Dean once again fought the urge to slap him. But Bobby was still staring at him as if he was an alien. Dean shot Bobby a ‘what?!’ Look, and Bobby simply shook his head with a shrug, going back to his paper. It was obvious that this would be a conversation later on, when he and Dean were alone. Dean stepped away from the table and poured Esme a cup of coffee, bringing it back over and holding his hands out with a smirk.

“There. Breakfast. You kick back, relax and eat. Ignore Duke. And we’re gonna have a day…off.”

He stepped over to the fridge and grabbed a bag of peas from the freezer, laying them next to Esme’s plate before taking his seat across the table from her.

“A day off? I thought we were goin’ out to do that thing at the Peterson’s farm…” Duke spoke up, genuinely confused. Dean kicked his leg under the table and Bobby once again spoke up.

“I sent Chuck and the others after that one.”

“And you don’t think we should go help them?” Duke asked, holding a hand out to Dean. Dean kicked him again with a scowl and Bobby shook his head at him.

“We are taking…the day…off. We have company, and our company had a long day yesterday. And it’s one werewolf. It’s nothing the other guys can’t handle.” Dean explained simply, taking a bite of his toast. He looked across the table to Esme and smirked, winking at her.

“Alright. Well…that just gives me time to get to know Esme, here! I need to redeem myself.” Duke beamed with a bright smile, his blue eyes almost glittering under the dim light of the kitchen. Dean simply rolled his eyes, dipping his head in annoyance before taking a long and annoyed drink of his coffee. “Maybe I’ll take you out for a shoot later.”

All Roads Lead To You

Dean

Dean chuckled at Esme’s very good point. He was never one to turn down sex, even if he was in the worst pain of his life. There were more than one way to navigate things. But he really did want to make sure she was okay, before he allowed himself to potentially injure her worse than she would admit she was feeling.

Her insistence that she was okay enough to forego the normal remedies for the pain she was obviously feeling caused him to frown, ready to argue. But the smile on her face was enough to win him over in any argument. It was a weakness. She had a chokehold on his emotions and as much as he tried to hold her at arms length when they first met, she had broken through something in his brain. All that pain, emotion and self hatred fell away when she was around, or at least it fell away enough to let her love him.

Did she love him?
Wait…did he love her? That wasn’t even a subject he knew how to navigate, at this point in his life. He was a hunter. Love, especially new love, was sort of out of the question. As Dean zoned out and scanned Esme’s face, trying to find answers to his own internal struggle, she reminded him that she didn’t need anything and for the first time since they had known each other, he conceded.

“Alright. Well…” He rolled over her, moving to lay flat on his back on the small bed. He then carefully slipped his arm under her head, pulling her to lay on his bare chest with a sigh, “If that’s all its gonna take to save the day, I’ll take it as a double win. I get the girl and the girl gets some much needed sleep.”

The next morning

Dean blinked as the harsh light from the window hit his eyes. He frowned and opened his eyes, turning them toward the window and wiping his right eye harshly with his hand. He wasn’t used to waking up with anyone, and so Esme’s weight took him off guard, and he quickly turned back to his left and took a deep breath. She looked so peaceful, sleeping on his chest. He couldn’t help himself, bringing his hand up to brush a bit of hair from her face, pushing it behind her ear, careful to avoid any of the overly sore areas he knew had to hurt.

The smell of bacon and coffee were filling the house a little more every second, and Dean just knew that Bobby and Duke were downstairs, gossiping away the morning, probably eating up all the food. With a reluctant sigh, Dean glanced toward the door, playing over in his head how he would be able to get out from under Esme’s head and out that door.

He began to shuffle, pulling his body, little by little to the side, until her head gently began to fall onto the pillow. He quickly reached his hand up and doubled the pillow, so her head wouldn’t fall too hard, and then gently laid her face against it. Hovering his hands, he made sure her breathing stayed even and she didn’t wake up, and then quickly shuffled off the bed and onto his feet, like diffusing a bomb.

As he padded downstairs, he buttoned his jeans he had just pulled on, and scratched absentmindedly at the back of his head. Before he could step into the kitchen, Duke stepped into view and smiled brightly. He was standing there, in the kitchen, his cowboy hat perched on his head, in only jeans. His smile was judgmental and caused Dean to roll his eyes.

“Mornin’ sweetheart!” Duke chimed, picking his piled plate off the counter, before sitting down at the table. Bobby didn’t even look up from his paper as he picked up his coffee cup and took a sip. Dean waved Duke off, smacking his cowboy hat over his eyes on his way to the food. “Rough night?”

“No. Not a rough night. Sleepy night. And keep your voice down. Esme’s still asleep.” Dean grumbled, making a plate for Esme with his back turned to Duke. Duke chuckled and took a bite of his bacon.

“Sure. I’m sure there was no way that after that little outburst, you just…went to bed.”

“I am capable of not having sex with a woman, just because she yelled at me. I know…foreign concept to you, right?” Dean scolded Duke, and Bobby cleared his throat.

“And if you don’t shut your mouths, that ‘Esme’s sleeping’ concept is going to be lost.” Bobby chimed in, glaring at both of them over his paper.

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

Anya

Anya giggled silently at the mental image of Dean just latching onto whoever was willing to make him food. It almost seemed like Dean needed a good maid, rather than a girlfriend. She stepped around to the ovens, opening them as Sam rummaged through the fridge. This was an industrial kitchen, something of dreams for anyone who liked to cook. It was something she could work with, at least, as long as she could remember everything she needed.

Luckily, Sam alerted her to the fact that Lexi and Dean had been grocery shopping. So, she could probably find everything she needed and she tapped on the counter, rather excitedly. But her mind went blank for a moment when Sam stepped back over to her, a little closer than she expected and his fingertips brushed her face, pushing the stray strand of curly hair behind her ear. The simple gesture caused her heart to skip a beat, and she had to hide a shudder with a soft smile, turning her eyes up to his.

This was a moment she wished she could speak more than anything, as the tension in the room instantly raised and she was once again tempted to just tilt up on her toes and kiss him. But he changed the subject and she let out a breath she didn’t even realize she was holding.

With a nod, she broke eye contact and took the can of soda with a smile. She stepped away from him, walking over to the fridge to gather the supplies she needed for baking and luckily for Dean…meat. She slid all of the ingredients onto the butcher block counter, and pressed a few buttons to turn the oven on as she whipped around the room.

After several minutes of mixing and making a mess, she wiped her hands and placed the last pie in the oven, closing the door and taking a deep breath. “Done…”, she thought before turning to walk back over to Sam. She pulled her phone from the counter on her way by, and typed out a simple message before setting it down and pressing play.

“We just need to wait about twenty minutes and I’ll have stolen your brother’s heart.” She teased in the message, smiling as she stepped in front of him. Standing there, she wrapped her hand around he elbow and awkwardly stood, tapping her toe for a moment as she tried to decide what to say to him. As was the case before, the kitchen fell into a bit of tension. She scanned over the features of Sam’s face, taking in his height over her, and the way he stood. His empathy wasn’t an act. Neither was his ability to calm someone when they were close to him. Unlike his brother, he didn’t feel the need to use bravado and wit to push his way through someone’s walls. He was…interesting and beautiful.

She only realized she was zoned out staring at him after what could have been minutes, but she assumed was only seconds and she snapped herself out of it, reaching up to rake her hair out of her face. She picked up her phone and sighed, deciding to just break the ice on their tension.

“I’m having a very hard time being around you, right now. I feel the tension, and everything in my brain is telling me to touch you. You feel it too, right?”

She looked up at him briefly, and then typed another bit before pressing play on the whole thing, nervously tilting her eyes up to meet his.

“It’s just me and you, here.”

Dean

Dean smirked as Lexi told him he wasn’t being bossy, he was being careful. He did feel a bit bossy though. He was protecting her with aggression, his PTSD screaming through as he looked at her and saw just as formidable of a hunter as Mika, but also someone who was vulnerable, as long as he was connected to her. His better judgement wanted her to run as far away from him as she could. He also knew that he would never tell her that, out loud.

With a nod, he tightened his grip on the steering wheel, and glared through the windshield, “I’ll let you take the first swipe at him if he’s running us around. Let’s hope he’s dealt with hunters before and knows better. Somehow I doubt it.”

Dean glanced down, seeing her hand drop to the seat. He stared at her hand for a moment, and chewed at his lip, fighting the urge to comfort her, even if she didn’t seem upset. He was long past the days of being soft with his partners…or women. That part of his soul had likely been crushed into oblivion over the years. He just couldn’t quite place ‘when’. He squeezed the steering wheel with his left hand, and reached down with his right, picking up her hand without warning.

“It’s just a milk run…” He muttered, more to himself than to her, as his mind ran over every single way this appointment could go wrong. He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles, ending his internal screaming against showing affection, when it was obvious they weren’t going to be able to stay away from each other…professional or not.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Anna

Anna scoffed at Sam’s comment about keeping her safe from demons. She could still feel the buzzing in her brain from all the demon blood and she was covered in it. There wasn’t much that Sam would be able to add to the equation, other than his size, when she was apparently a demonic flame thrower.

As the truck fell into silence, Anna sighed with relief, not wanting to hear any sort of apology or anything from Sam. She just wanted to get away from the entire group. She wanted to meet up with Cason and hash out…

But Cason was dead. She had no one. In this whole mess, she felt really alone, even with Sam sitting right next to her, but then he spoke up and Anna held her breath. His apology was sincere. She could feel it in his heartbeat, as their hearts tried as always to even out and match up. He was scared. She couldn’t quite place why he was scared…her leaving? Her hating them? His brother and Mika being hurt? Either way, his discomfort was hurting her chest.

The tears pricked at her eyes as the gravity of what they had done set in. They had left Cason behind. After everything he had done and risked for the group, Dean Winchester was allowed to make a decision out of emotion. Anna didn’t believe for a second that they couldn’t have saved him. She didn’t believe for a second that he was left behind for any other reason than malice.

“Dean left him behind because he wanted him dead, and didn’t want to upset Nat. You know that.” She whimpered. As she turned to look at him, her eyes full of angry tears, her face softened a bit at the look in his eyes. There was no anger in her face, only hurt and betrayal. “I know that we weren’t close, after what happened between us…but he deserved better than that, Sam. And I-I don’t know…”

She paused, shaking her head as she fought a sob, “I don’t know that I can trust you not to do the same to me…if push came to shove and Dean told you to. You follow his lead. You’ll always follow his lead.”

Dean and Cason

Dean was rattled by Cason popping in and popping out like he did, but he was even more rattled when the Hellhounds seemed to growl at him to follow them. He followed them reluctantly, making sure that he and Mika were touching, or at least within touch distance as he quieted his steps behind the giant invisible dogs. Without hesitation, the Hellhounds began going to work, taking down demon after demon as they were slashed at.

He passed a demon that swung a knife at him, grabbing the demon by the collar and pulling his foot up to its chest. With a kick, he kicked the demon directly into the jaws of a Hellhound he couldn’t even see. Looking back to make sure that in all the chaos, Mika was still holding her own.

“No…he isn’t.” Dean gasped, as the Hellhounds bit the heads off the last few demons by the door, leaving the path open but strewn with body parts. He walked past the Hellhounds, uneasy with them breathing on him, and reached for the handle of the door. One of the Hellhounds jumped up and pushed the door open, breaking the lock with ease, and leaving Dean and Mika standing there in the doorway.

What he saw as he looked around shook Dean to his core. Cason had done all this? There were body parts everywhere. The floor, walls and ceiling were painted in blood. Dean’s eyes turned to Cason, who stood there with Nat, as if she was this breakable thing he had to protect and hold onto. He recognized the look on Cason’s face, but shook his head, refusing to believe the body language. He began to step forward, but Mika’s arm barring him from doing so told him that she wasn’t concerned with Cason hurting Nat, despite the little pained sounds his sister was making. He sighed, shifting on his feet and then Cason kissed Nat, and Dean’s face changed to something more protective as he turned to Mika.

“Are we going to do anything? Just…let this happen?” He asked, but Mika had apparently read his mind. As she coughed, Dean smirked, proud of her for stepping up and being the less awkward, bigger person here.

“We really do need to go.” Dean spoke, turning his eyes to Nat to give her a knowing look. “And I want to take a look at you, the second we survive this hell hole, you got it? He didn’t hurt you did he, because if he did…”

“I wouldn’t hurt her. I told you that, already. And Yes, let’s get out of here. Lilith will send more, now that she knows I’m here.” Cason agreed, wrapping an arm around Nat’s waist. He reached under the water and picked up her legs, turning to carry her out of the room.

“So, they’re here for you. Great. All roads lead back to…” Dean started, a sarcastic and annoyed expression sweeping across his face.

“So leave me behind, tough guy. That’s a solid plan, right?” Cason reminded Dean, causing Dean to narrow his eyes at the tone of Cason’s voice. Cason was threatening to call him out in front of Nat…right then. “Take a swipe at me when I get your ass out of here. Until then, keep your mouth shut and follow close.”

Without another word, Cason pushed past Dean and into the hallway, flanked by all three Hellhounds. Dean stood, frozen for a moment, until a Hellhound pushed past him and pulled him out of his thoughts, his heart thumping in his ears. He didn’t even want to think of how much Natalia would hate him for leaving Cason behind. It was worse than killing him.

The dogs pushed in front of him, as Cason stopped to listen, for any sign of Esme in the asylum. After a moment, he picked up on her, and lifted his eyes to the right side of the ceiling, switching them to black. At least Nat wasn’t new to his demonic side. He turned his head to her, and scanned her eyes.

“I’m going to have to leave you for just a second. I promise, I’ll be right back. Stay with Mika.” He explained to Nat, his eyes still glossed over in black as he slowly lowered her to the ground, making sure she was firmly on her feet. He snapped at one of the Hellhounds, who stepped over, standing almost chest level with Nat. The giant dog leaned against her, offering it’s back as support. “I’ll be…right…back.”

As Cason disappeared, Dean quickly jogged up to Natalia, squatting in front of her to offer his back. He didn’t give her much of a choice, backing her into a wall and wrapping both her legs around his waist, before lifting her up, “Let’s get you out of here. I’ll come back for him.”

Dean glanced to Mika, letting her know that he was serious. He wasn’t leaving Cason behind, even if every single fiber of his being wanted to.

Cason landed just inside the door, his eyes instantly changing back to blue and nearly bulging out of his head as he watched Esme. She was vicious, and at that moment, Cason wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to be locked in the same room with her. His fight or flight mode was kicking in. He backed toward the door, ready to disappear back to Natalia and let Esme hold her own. But Violet showed up, bursting the door down with a quick jump into the metal plate. Cason flinched as if a gun had fired next to his head and he quickly looked from the door to Esme, holding a hand out. There was no way she didn’t know he was there.

“So…I came back.” He chimed sheepishly.

Duke

“Mr. Hatfield, we don’t know what is happening but you can’t just leave. We made a mistake and we need to be able to document the mistake by giving you a once over.” A nurse called from behind Duke. He was naked, standing in the middle of the holding area of the morgue, thoroughly confused. He had woken up with no explanation, covered in a white sheet that was smothering him, naked, and alone in the morgue.

“I have to find my brother. I have to…My brother will know what to do.” Duke spoke with a shivering voice. He grabbed the effects bag they had packed for him, and quickly ripped it open, pouring it out on the gurney, before rummaging through it. He picked up his bloody pants, slipping them over his bare legs, then picked up his belt. He buttoned his pants and slipped the belt through the loops before buckling it with some effort, due to the shaking in his hands.

“Sir, no brother was here with you.” The nurse explained, holding her hands out in front of her as if Duke would hurt her. He frowned at her, and then realized that Dean must not have been the one to bring him to the hospital, and wouldn’t be listed as his brother anywhere in his records. “Your girlfriend hasn’t been seen since we…since the doctor spoke to her. We could t-try to get ahold of her, but Mr. Hatfield, we really need to figure out how you’re alive, alright?”

“Nah. I’m good.” Duke answered simply, shoving his wallet, and phone into his pocket. He unrolled his jacket, and slipped it over his bare shoulders, before turning and walking through the door of the morgue. As he walked down the hallway, he could hear the nurse calling behind him, but he only had one thing on his mind.

Find his family.

An exit door stood out to him, and through his blurry vision, he limped toward it, shoving it open with a loud alarm blaring after him. As soon as he was outside, he glanced down at his stomach and frowned. He needed bandages. For some reason, the nurses had stitched him up but they didn’t bandage the wound.

That was a worry for down the road, as the chill hit him, and he pressed forward.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Anna

Anna wanted to turn around and tell Mika that she wasn’t necessarily upset with her. But truth was, Anna didn’t even want to look any of them in the eyes. She didn’t feel like a part of the group before, and now? Even less so.

She made it back to Duke’s truck, quietly opening the door. She tossed her jacket on the seat between her and Sam, and climbed in with absolute silence. She pulled her legs up in the seat and twisted them like a pretzel before running her hands through her thick hair with a sigh. She knew Sam was dying to talk to her and honestly? If she wasn’t so angry, she would have been happy to have that conversation with him. If anything, it would clear the air.

As if reading her mind, Sam asked her if she was okay physically, and Anna didn’t look at him but she did nod, “Yeah. Just a few stitches in my shoulder from the Hellhound bite. I’ll be fine.”

Dean’s words to her suddenly flooded her mind, as she tried to avoid having a conversation with Sam. She didn’t want to talk to him. She didn’t want to talk to any of them, or be near any of them. She wanted to just…be alone for a while. Then again, angry or not, she loved Sam and she wanted to keep him safe.

“We’re um…we’re not going after Dean and Mika. We’re supposed to wait here. I probably wasn’t supposed to say anything, but Dean asked me to stay here, with you.” Anna murmured, staring down at her hands as she picked at her nails, only then realizing that she hadn’t washed Cason’s blood from her skin and was covered in dried blood. “I guess as long as there aren’t any demons around, we should be covered, right?”

Dean

Dean climbed into the drivers seat of the Impala with an exhausted sigh, bringing the engine to life without pause as he stared blankly through the windshield. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel for a moment, and then turned so he could see out the back window to back them out of their space, just as Mika spoke up. With a sigh, he put the car in drive and peeled out of the parking lot. “She knows. Nat knows I would never stop until I found her. I just hope she’s strong enough to hold on until we get there.”

—-

During the long drive, Dean ran over many possible scenarios for how this night would go. The fight was going to be brutal either way, and the odds of them succeeding weren’t the highest. If only they had Cason there as a buffer, they could be in and out in no time, and Nat would come home with them…safe, even if Cason had to revive her himself. He shook those thoughts from his head as they pulled up to the asylum. For the most part it looked the same, to Dean, but older…forgotten. He stared at the building, looking for any sign of life before shutting the car off and taking a deep breath as Mika spoke up.

“Yeah, well…it’s not like we’ve never been here before. Same crappy gothic building, different demon era.” He quipped, stepping out of the Impala. He stepped around to the back with Mika, loading himself down with every weapon he knew could take down a demon, including Ruby’s knife, which he kept in his hand as he closed the trunk and began to walk to the doors with her. As he reached for the door, all the crickets and cicadas stopped singing, and the entire area went quiet, heightening Dean’s senses.

With a huff, he pulled the door open and ushered Mika inside, only for the door the slam behind them and within seconds they were surrounded by demons. One particularly snarky demon showed up and called them out on their codependency, which caused Dean to snarl, glaring at the demon. But they were surrounded, and Dean flinched, turning around in a full circle before the fight began.

“Son of a bitch…” He growled, stabbing the first demon and shoving it against the wall, before turning to another who landed a heavy blow to Dean’s jaw.

Cason

Cason frowned as Esme accused him of being happy that Duke was dead. He wasn’t happy that any of their cursed little gaggle died. It didn’t make anyone stronger…except Dean Winchester’s anger. He flinched even more at the look that Esme gave him as soon as he brought up a demon deal. It was the Winchester way. He had just assumed that she wasn’t so different from the two stooges he was unfortunately tied to.

He followed Esme’s eyes down to his hand and then glanced back up at her face as she mulled over her options. He didn’t feel the need to explain anything to her. He didn’t need for her to know how much he helped her, or that his attachment to her started while he was working at the asylum. In this moment, she probably would have taken it as a sign that he had helped with all that happened, not helped her escape.

His eyes then fell on Sarah, who he was tempted to call back, and have stay behind. He was a little bit attached to the pup. But he also knew that she would be a fierce protector of Esme, something he was going to need if he was going to save Nat.

“I sent dogs after Nat. That’s how I found out where she is. They’re not mine, but they’ll do. You keep Sarah close. You’re gonna need her.” Cason explained simply, as Esme finally made the decision to come with him. “Sarah, you know where to go? Good girl. We’ll see you there.”

Without giving Esme much of a choice, he pulled his jacket sleeve down over his hand and wrapped an arm around her and disappeared as Sarah took off toward the door of the hospital. They landed in the broken down asylum, the glass crunching under their feet from the various broken windows and doors of the corridor they had landed in. Cason released Esme’s waist and stepped away from her, quickly popping into a nearby storage room, a room that he had used often while working the halls of the institution. He returned, his covered hand now holding an iron wrench the size of a small baseball bat.

“Not that you technically need it, but the last thing you need is to pass out in the middle of this whole thing. So, use the wrench.” Cason ordered Esme, as he turned and listened closely, his fists clenching as he heard Nat screaming from far off in the building. Sarah stepped up beside him, nuzzling his knee as the other two dogs also appeared next to him. The three Hellhounds growled to each other and Cason composed himself quietly. He turned back to Esme with fear in his eyes, and stepped close to her, “I will come back for you. Sarah will stay with you, and you can use her to find the others.”

Cason stared into Esme’s eyes with a knowing look, his fear and anguish evident on his face. It was new from his normal stoic behavior he showed toward the humans he was forced to work with. Without another word, he took a deep breath and disappeared, suddenly appearing in front of Dean and Mika. Dean nearly fainted, he flinched so hard. Releasing the dead demon he was holding, just as he and Mika finished the first wave of assailants.

“What the hell?” Dean breathed, staring at Cason as if he was seeing a ghost…and wasn’t Dean Winchester. He stared at Cason’s face for a long moment, seeing the danger that stood right in front of him, but Cason’s face wasn’t exactly showing anger as much as fear and resolve. Cason stepped up to him, their noses nearly touching as the shorter man stared him in the eyes and reached down to Dean’s hand.

“I need this.” He murmured, taking Ruby’s knife from Dean with a snarl. He stepped back from Dean, and Dean still didn’t move, glancing down at the knife, now clenched in Cason’s fist. Cason looked away from Dean, up at Mika as he took a deep and even breath, “Down this hall. Take a right. She’s in the second door on the left. I’ll take care of the rest.”

Cason nodded at Mika, and then disappeared once again. When he reappeared, it was behind a demon that stood near the door, as a separate demon was in the process of slowly drowning Nat in a pool that he had seen them use…way too many times. With a snarl, Cason stood up straight, cracking his neck as his dogs took care of every demon that came between Dean, Mika and the door he didn’t bother to use. The demons’ screams curled a smirk into the corners of his mouth.

“Well there he is…” Another demon called from the dark corner of the room that Cason hadn’t bothered to check. The demons knew he was alive, well before he showed up. With an evil smirk, he turned and held the blade out in front of him, guiding every demon in the room, except the one torturing Nat, to attack him. “I’ve waited ages for this. Lilith will be so pleased.”

“She really doesn’t take breakups well, does she?” Cason teased back, turning in a circle as more demons slid into view, a clear ambush they had sat up for him. Cason tilted his head with a nervous scoff, “And it’s going to take six of you to take me down? I’m flattered.”

“We’re making sure that the job stays done. There’s no universe in which you’re walking out of here…with or without the girl.” The head of the snake sneered at him. “Palling around with the Winchesters is one thing…but falling in love with one? Wow. That human soul is just clinging on for dear life in that brain, isn’t it?”

“Could explain the temper and the drinking…and the self preservation.” Cason shrugged, scanning each of them as he made a plan to survive the scenario.

“But you’re not 100% there, are you? You’re still injured.”

“Yeah. Iron will do that to you. Maybe I’ll have to show you, while I gut your lackies.” Cason quipped, his stance getting lower every time the demons took a step toward him. And then all at once, they rushed him. Now would be a good time to have a Winchester. But alas, he was alone.

Twisting on his heel, he drove Ruby’s knife into the first demons stomach, slicing all the way across until the demon fell to the floor, burnt out. Another demon rushed him, placing his arm across Cason’s neck and driving him into the nearest wall, tilting his chin up, while grabbing his knife hand with the other hand. Cason growled, his eyes turning black as he struggled, eventually dropping the knife and catching it with his other hand. The demon bashed at his face, breaking Cason’s nose in the process.

On the third hit, Cason flipped the knife up and stabbed the demon in the chin, between his own arms. With an evil smile, Cason twisted the knife and shoved the demon’s body off himself, turning to the other four.

“C’mon! We all know how this ends. We all know who walks out of here alive. We’ve been here before.” Cason called to them, his nose bloody. The blood began to seep over his teeth, making him look even more unhinged as he stood straight, “Who’s next?”

Out of nowhere, an iron rod swept across Cason’s face, knocking him down to the ground in a daze, and he brought his empty hand to his temple, groaning. The demon with the iron then brought it down on his upper back, once, then twice, until Cason was lying face down on the floor, groaning in pain. He reached out for the knife, and the demon stepped on his hand, grinding his fingers into the floor as he gasped.

At that moment, a bark ruffled Cason’s hair, as one of the hellhounds made it into the room, standing over him with a snarl. He recognized that growl instantly. Violet had found him, after all this time. She had come back for him. She always was one of his favorite pups, and one of his most vicious.

He couldn’t see the demons behind him, but Violet stepped over him, backing the demons into a corner, before pouncing on them. Their screams caused Cason to smirk, as he struggled but eventually sat up on his knees and then pushed himself onto shaky legs to stumble across the room. The Hellhound ripped each of the demons apart, scattering limbs all over the room, and Cason did nothing to slow her down. He simply turned the knife over in his hand, as the demon over Nat continued his job, holding her harshly under water with no emotion.

With a flick of his wrist, Cason threw the knife, lodging it in between the demon’s shoulder blades. The demon stood, it’s body sparking and glowing as it slowly faded. Cason growled, his eyes jet black and his body numb with rage as he staggered forward, shoving the demon to the side and leaning over the tub.

Reaching his hand into the water, he didn’t bother to bring the table up, simply busting the straps that held Nat down, and with a sharp tug to her collar, he pulled her from the water and wrapped his arm around her back. All that rage subsided, as he looked at her face, and all of the pain she had suffered while he was stuck in that barn. Guilt was an emotion he wasn’t familiar with, but he was suspicious that it was creeping into his bones in that moment.

“Hey princess…” He smirked, reaching his other hand up to wipe some of the water away from her eyes as he held her in his arms. “I got you.”

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

Anya

Anya nodded, smiling at Sam’s demeanor when he stood and stretched. His shrug almost looked boyish and he pointed toward the door. Anya nodded toward the door and quickly walked through it, out into the hallway. She vaguely remembered the way to the kitchen, and didn’t wait long for Sam to join her, before exiting the corridor into the war room, looking around the large room as if she had never seen it before. It was intimidating, antique, and as weird as it felt to say…it seemed like the most appropriate home for Sam and Dean.

As she walked past the table, she brushed her fingers along the antique wood top, and over the back of one of the chairs, carefully stepping through the swinging doors of the kitchen. She leaned against the stainless steel counter of the kitchen, and waited for Sam, while typing on her phone.

“So, from what I can read about your brother, he’s simple. He likes a lot of meat and hearty foods, right? Beer. Pies. Ice Cream. Burgers. That sort of thing? Find me some ground beef, whip cream, and any fruit you have. I’ll have him wrapped around my finger in two bites.”

As soon as Sam came through the door, Anya pressed play on the message and smirked, looking up at Sam from under her hair as it fell into her face.

Dean

Dean almost breathed an audible sigh of relief when Lexi returned his talk about work, as it was obvious they were both having trouble being this close to one another, considering they had shared a kiss the last time they were in the Impala together. It was a muscle memory thing…he thought. But she had faith in him having her back. That was a relief. Something in the pit of his stomach wondered if he could, after what happened to Mika.

He didn’t necessarily trust himself to help anyone anymore. It had made him almost a hermit in the bunker. He took a deep breath and glanced over at her to find her eyes staring at his.

“I got your back. As far as we know, this kid is just human. So, you give me any sign and I will blow his brains out.” Dean explained, seriousness overshadowing his good mood for a moment, to let her know that he would lay anyone out that tried to come near her. There was no way he was going to let another person he cared about get hurt right in front of him. “One signal. I’ll kill him. Try to stay where I can see you both. Get the info. Get out of there. We’ll be on the road…”

He nodded to make sure Nat understood that he was serious, and then he smirked, “I hate sounding like a bossy dad.”

All Roads Lead To You

Dean

Dean’s heart fluttered as Esme admitted that she wouldn’t have been able to leave the house, after that fight. It’s everything he wanted to hear and part of him was afraid that she, like everyone else in his life, was just telling him what he wanted to hear. But judging by the way she brushed his lips, and the warmth he could feel in her body language, she seemed completely there with him. She was there with him, and she had always planned to stay.

An incredulous look covered Dean’s face when she ordered him not to let her stay away from him, as if he could just force her to stick around. He chuckled, “Since when does anyone ‘let’ you do anything? Hmm?”

He leaned into her a bit as her hand found his cheek, a touch that he had waited for since the moment had walked out that door the last time. He would never speak those emotions out loud, of course. He wasn’t one to get attached, especially now that he was on his own. But he was…attached. He returned her sweet kiss, inhaling through his nose as he crawled onto the bed a bit further, reaching a hand up to brush his fingers through her hair. He deepened the kiss briefly, gently brushing her blonde strands with his fingers.

After a few moments, he broke the kiss, and lifted his head to stare down at Esme, his forehead pressed against hers, “I feel like I need to be the responsible one here, and make you get some rest. You’re gonna be sore enough tomorrow.”

He chuckled, pressing a soft kiss to her upper lip, then the tip of her nose, and finally her cheek, “Do you need any aspirin or anything? Whiskey?”