JustAnna

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

Dean

Dean washed his plate and fork, his brain mulling over all of the ways that this whole agreement could go south. But he had to think of it as a potential investment, and saving this girl. She had the potential to be reckless and dangerous, if given the right weapons and without the right restraint. He placed his plate into the strainer next to the large sink and wiped his hands, just as Lexi walked up beside him and nudged him with her hip. Dean chuckled but tilted his head with his eyebrows raised when she said she as proud of him.

“Oh really…” He quipped, turning to stare down at her for a moment, a dopey smile on his own face. Her next words brought him back out of her eyes and he laughed, tempted to grab her and spin her around or something with the way his chest felt. He snarled his nose at the internal thoughts and did a final wipe of his hands on his pants, before nodding. “Yeah. We should probably get her settled in. She can…as much as it grosses me out to say this…borrow one of Sam’s shirt. I mean, she’s a tiny thing. His gargantuan shirts would fit her like a night gown.”

Dean laughed, reaching an arm out to nudge her in the direction of the door, trying his best to make as little contact as possible, as if he could hide his feelings from Sam and Anya. The odds of him being able to stay in his room, down the hall from Lexi…when she was right…there…

Well, he wouldn’t bet on that happening, if he was a betting man.

Anya

Anya watched Lexi and Dean at the sink, a smile planted firmly on her lips as they flirted. She chose not to take her own plate over, until she knew they were leaving the kitchen. They deserved to have their moment, as brief as it was. When Sam whispered to her what she was already thinking, Anya laughed silently, pulling her phone from the table and typing a message. She didn’t press play, simply nudging Sam’s elbow to let him read it on the screen, so that Lexi and Dean wouldn’t overhear.

“No chance. We could almost start counting down…right now.”

Anya thought about the statement for a moment, smiling up at Sam with a twinkle in her bright blue eyes. She then looked down and her friendly smile turned into a mischievous smirk. She typed another message and turned the phone back to him with a brighter smile, the mischief still settled behind her eyes.

“I just heard Dean talking about how big your tshirts would look on me. I would say they are making the same bet about us. Will you be able to control yourself tonight, Mr. Winchester?”

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Name: Jason "Duke" Hatfield

Species: Human/Hunter

Age: 28

Appearance:

Relation to characters (optional): Basically Bobby Singer's kid after his parents were murdered by werewolves when he was seven years old.

Bio:
Duke grew up in the hunting life, unfortunately. His parents were ambushed by werewolves when he was seven, and the person that came to his rescue? None other than Bobby Singer. His life with Bobby has been a mixture of boring and rural to dangerous and life threatening.

But the best thing about his time with Bobby? Meeting the Winchester boys. They grew up close, tight knit and inseparable, particularly Duke and Dean.

As an adult, things between Duke and Dean are a bit different, but his relationship with Deans other half, Mika is just as strong as ever. Mika was there when Dean couldn't be, when Duke was a kid. In some ways, he doesn't think Dean deserves her...or ever did.

He's more than competent in his hunting, but has a temper that tends to get him in trouble, along with a reckless spell. He lives for nothing in particular, and doesn't feel as if he has anyone who will miss him if he dies, other than maybe Bobby and Dean. So, decisions are made on the spot, from the heart, and quick and dirty...much to Dean Winchester's dismay.

It's hard not to get attached to Duke. He's chronically positive, a real glass half full type of guy. He's careless but also passionate when he gets to know people, and his smile draws in even the most hardened hearts.

Weapons:
A bag of various weapons like pistols, sawed off shot guns, lead pipes, iron bars, crosses and dead man's blood.
A silver knife that he learned by accident could kill a werewolf on the night that his parents died.

His Truck:

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Dean

Dean turned as Duke left the kitchen, glancing again to the basement door. The basement had gone quiet and for a moment, at least, Anna’s screams had stopped. He could only assume that Sam had stepped in. A relieved sigh left his nose as the last bit of coffee poured from the maker, and Dean turned to pour himself a cup.

He turned back around and leaned against the counter, shirtless in only his jeans, as usual. This was one of his homes…it was really his only home he had ever had that was solid, outside of his car. He always felt comfortable to just roam around as is, especially when it was just he and Duke.

As Mika appeared at the bottom of the stairs, Dean smiled, watching her walk across the hardwood floor. The tension between them felt like it had dissipated, even if they still had a lot to talk about. Having her safe and sound in such a familiar place…and her not being incredibly angry with him was more than a relief.

“Good morning beautiful…” He called out across the kitchen, pushing off the counter to bring Mika a cup of coffee. He met her at the doorway, pushing the cup into her hands, before dipping and covering her lips in an enthusiastic and deep kiss.

Cason

Cason watched as Nat smiled in her sleep, barely beginning to open her eyes at his touch. He couldn’t help his own smile from creeping up on his lips at her little ‘hi’ and he brushed a finger over one of her eyebrows, “Good morning.”

He scooted himself a bit closer to her, tangling his legs with hers as his nose brushed hers. He hadn’t wanted to wake her, but he had been tempted to hold her the entire night. He was restless and had been left with his own thoughts. There were a few times during the night that he had considered disappearing and tracking down some info or intel while she was sleeping. But every time he thought about leaving, the worry that she would wake up and find him gone stopped him in his tracks. So, he sat…and he thought. He thought about everything. He thought about a million scenarios that should have pushed him away from Nat, but here he was, snuggling up to her in the morning, like a human.

“You slept pretty hard. How are you feeling, this morning?” He asked, his voice soft and gentle. He was hoping that outside of a little soreness, she was doing better. His iron burns were barely visible on his bare chest, and other than a gnarly looking thin scar, the hole in his abdomen was pretty much healed. At least…she wouldn’t feel compelled to worry about him. “I wouldn’t have woke you but I can hear the old man chatting on the phone, and I didn’t know how long it would be before the two bumbling idiots made enough noise to wake you up.”

Of course he was referring to Dean and Duke, as he could hear them quietly talking amongst themselves in the kitchen. Duke’s voice sounded like it had a bit more life in it. He seemed like a loud one. Cason chuckled, his eyes crinkling a bit as he scanned Nat’s eyes.

“I do need to do something really fast. You’ll barely notice I’m gone.” He gave an apologetic look, before disappearing for a brief moment. After that brief moment, he landed with a bounce on the bed next to her, and instantly tangled his legs back with hers with a laugh, “Pet demon duty…medicine delivery…tiny girl whisperer…I’m a saint.”

Anna

Anna squeaked as Sam suddenly woke up and stared up at her with that worried look in his eyes. It was then that she was firmly convinced that she was hallucinating. She brushed a hand over the area the stab wound should have been in his chest, quickly seeing that it wasn’t actually there, and she breathed a quick sigh of relief, her eyes welling up in frustrated, relieved, and sad tears.

As soon as Sam’s arms were around her, Anna climbed into his lap, hanging her legs over one of his thighs as she buried her face in his shoulder. She brought her left hand up, burying it in his hair and just breathed against him, taking in everything she could feel from the softness of his hair, to his strong arms around her, to the way the stubble on his cheek felt against the side of her face.

“You’re here. You’re okay. You’re here…” She repeated, turning her head to just rest her forehead against Sam’s chin with a deep breath. “It’s okay. It’s not real…”

A banging on the iron door caused Anna to flinch, clutching her fist in Sam’s hair briefly, as she feared for the worst. If another hallucination was coming on so quick, things were about to get dicey and she almost wanted to tell Sam to leave, but she didn’t want to be alone.

“I can’t come in. I think you know that…” Cason’s voice sounded from outside the door, and Anna pulled her head away from Sam’s neck with a confused look on her face, wondering if Sam could hear him too. “But I have something that might help with…that. Take it or leave it, Sam, but I think you know this is only the beginning of the show.”

Cason bent and sat a vial of blood on the floor outside the door of the panic room, the look on his face almost reluctant, before he disappeared, not really wanting to make any kind of eye contact with Sam Winchester, while offering his girlfriend demon blood.

Duke

Duke sat back a bit as Esme’s eyes snapped open. It wasn’t his intention to scare her awake, but he couldn’t even begin to imagine what she must have been dreaming about. He watched as she calmed herself down, not moving from his spot. He simply held her hand and allowed her to come back to him, squeezing her hand gently every time she tightened up around his fingers.

“There she is. Hey sweet pea.” Duke smiled, the smile reaching all the way to his eyes as he leaned in a little closer, making sure that all she could see was his face. A tiny hint of mischief brushed across his features as he instantly tried to lighten any sour mood that might be lingering in the air around her from her horrible dreams, “I ain’t gonna ask how you slept, because I know that was crap. But you look like a dream, Miss Stirling.”

Bobby rolled his eyes, grumbling to himself, which only made Duke smile a bit wider, turning his head quickly to poke at Bobby playfully. Bobby simply picked up his coffee cup and shook his head, causing Duke to turn his smiling face back to Esme, “How’re you feelin’? I didn’t exactly have a chance to look at you this mornin’. I passed out. But I’m here now…”

Duke leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to Esme’s nose, a gentle gesture that he always used to make her smile, even when she was still with Dean, “You just take your time and tell me what you need.”

All Roads Lead To You

Duke and Dean

As Esme turned around, Dean knew that body language. She was annoyed as hell with him, to the point that it was bordering on him pushing her away, all over one little reactionary moment. Dean groaned as she began to speak, wanting to interrupt her, but he knew better as she released the safety on her gun. So, instead, he turned to glare at Duke, who smiled brightly at the comment Esme had made about going out with him for a drink.

Both Duke and Dean flinched slightly as Esme fired her gun, hitting every target she fired at while explaining her problems with Dean’s behavior to the letter. Dean shook his head, holding a hand out, trying to find a point to get a word in to defend himself, but as she fired the last shot and put the safety back on her gun, he sighed and dropped his hand, once again glaring at Duke.

Duke shrugged and tilted his head, smirking as he let the rim of his hat cover his eyes for a moment, making Dean stew and listen to Esme, without his eyes to burn a hole into. Dean shook his head, “I know that…”, he replied to her comment about her ability to take care of herself. Of all people, Dean knew that. He just felt the need to protect her heart, over everything else, even if his was a little cold and jaded. She didn’t have to be that way.

“No…no of course not. I don’t think you would do anything to hurt anyone. I’m not a saint and I know how people see me.” Dean started, pausing for a moment before pointing, “But that’s why I worry…you’re good. Your heart is good. You let people in, and you…you take care of them.”

“Even when they don’t deserve it…” Duke chimed in, keeping his head down as Dean paused and then tossed a hand out toward Duke as if he had a point.

“Even if they don’t deserve it, all the time. I just worry about you getting your heart broken…” Dean finished. Duke shifted uncomfortably on his feet. He knew that Dean was referring to his inability to not run away from people, when he got attached. That must have been what Dean told her about him. Dean had told her that he was a ‘bolter’. The thought, especially now that he had even a small connection with Esme made him want to punch Dean in the face, for even trying to keep him away from her. But he knew that would only push Esme away more…but not from Dean.

Dean stepped away from his frozen spot and stepped past Duke, who just awkwardly turned as he walked by. He stepped up behind Esme, and reached out, placing a hand on her hip to pull her into him. He leaned in and buried his nose into her hair on the back of her head and took a deep breath, “I’m sorry. Really. I’m sorry. I protect too much and I’m aggressive and rude. I don’t do ‘I love you’ and I don’t do good with…not getting my way.”

He paused and pressed a feather soft kiss to the back of Esme’s head, tilting his head to rest his forehead against her hair, “If I walk into that house and I answer those phones…and I give you some space, can we start over? Can I talk you into helping me dig out of this hole?”

Duke rolled his eyes, awkwardly scuffing a boot against the grass he stood on. He kept his eyes turned down, trying to focus on anything but Dean groveling his way back in, while fixing absolutely nothing with Duke…as usual. He was tempted to just go on about his day, and go back to the house, but if he did, Dean would see he was bothered. It was either that, or Esme would see he was bothered…possibly a little jealous, and she would never look at him the same way.

“I’m startin’ to think we might need some beers.” Duke chimed in out of nowhere. Though, what he was really thinking about was whisking Esme away from all this hovering and lack of rest and relaxation, to a bar. He could loosen her up, and bring her home in a much better place than she left it. Judging by Dean’s sweet talking, he didn’t see that happening.

Wait…was this jealousy? Or some sort of guilt?

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

Dean and Anya

Dean wasn’t sure he was making the right decision. He was more than adamant about not bringing new people into the life, especially those as young and bright eyed as Anya. He didn’t like watching their life fade from their eyes, the more they saw, and the more they survived by the skin of their teeth. But he was also of the opinion that he would rather her be there, around hunters she could trust, that would do everything in their power to keep her safe, than alone. Judging by Anya’s insistence, she would go off and do it anyway, if she left.

Anya glanced over at Dean, as he ate his pie and smiled softly as Lexi spoke up. The idea of training to be stronger, and a better fighter was exciting. She had never really worked out, outside of jogging, but she was willing to soak up anything they could teach her like a sponge, if she was going to become a hunter.

It was then that she wished she could speak even more, because she wanted to butt in on the conversation, and make sure that they didn’t think they had to hover. Dean glanced over and could see the expression on her face, “Not tonight. Tonight, we’ll get you a room, let you get unpacked and settled in.”

Anya nodded and pulled out her phone, hitting their comments beat by beat as she typed.

“I would love to learn how to fight. And I am fine with tattoos. It won’t be my first…” She pressed play on the first message, playing it while looking up at Sam with a small smile and then typed the next one, “As for unpacking, I need to head back to the motel in town at some point and grab my bags. I have a few clothes in my backpack, but not much.”

Dean smirked, nodding his head, “Hand your key over before you settle in and we can go grab your stuff in the morning. I’m sure me and Sam can come up with something for you to sleep in for the night, so you don’t have to sleep in jeans.”

“Why are you being nice to me?” Anya’s phone suddenly spoke up, and Dean froze for a moment, looking down at the phone that was still clinched in both of Anya’s hands.

“Because I thought about it, and I know for a fact that I would never let something like this slide. Revenge is a slippery slope, but I get it. You’re human and you seem like a good girl. I don’t want to see you get hurt…” Dean spoke honestly, turning his eyes away from Anya to look at Lexi. He smiled softly, truly conceding to the idea of keeping this girl safe. “We’ll play it as we go. You got Sam. I can tell.”

“Thank you guys. I think I’m gonna like it here.” Anya typed, and then went back to picking at her food with an awkward smile. Dean just chuckled and picked up his plate, walking it over to the sink.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Dean

The moment that Mika tilted her head up and kissed him back, Dean was wrecked. Something that sounded more like a whimper slipped from his throat, in his desperation, her fingers in his hair giving him goosebumps. He was tempted to stay just like that, press her up against the wall and just sink into the feeling. He needed the feeling. But as the words ‘I love you Dean’ slipped from her lips, spilling over his own, Dean lost his ability to control the situation.

As she pushed him toward the bed, he stopped every couple of steps, reaching down and untying his boots, before kicking them off. He reached down, still taking tiny steps backward, and flicked open his belt and jeans button, and stepped out of his jeans. The backs of his knees caught the mattress, and he sat down, as if commanded to. He broke the kiss for a tiny moment, just staring up at Mika’s face. She was beautiful, standing in the low light, there only for him, sticking around for the millionth time when she shouldn’t have.

Dean reached out, and wrapped both his hands around the backs of her thighs, pulling her onto his lap before nuzzling her nose with his, “I love you. You know that right?”

After a moment, he smiled softly, and shoved her jacket off her shoulders, before trailing both hands up into her hair. It wasn’t like either of them was going to sleep until they got this emotion that was hanging over them, whatever it was, out of their systems. Tangling his fingers in her hair, he pulled her back in for another feverish and desperate kiss.

Later that day - into the evening

Dean groaned, his body complaining with every small movement as he stirred from his way too deep sleep. He felt a weight on his left shoulder, and used his right arm to ruffle his hair a bit, trying to shake himself awake. He felt hungover, just from allowing his body to relax enough, from all the adrenaline, to sleep. Finally, he opened his eyes, frowning as they focused in on the ceiling, and it dawned on him that they were still safe. The were still at Bobby’s and the weight against his bare chest was Mika, sleeping.

With a soft sigh, he brushed his fingers through her hair, just taking in the peaceful moment for a bit, until he remembered that the rest of the group were pretty beat up, outside of Sam. Even after sleep…or especially after sleep, they were all going to have a rough day of limping around and feeling pretty miserable.

“Hey sweetheart…” Dean whispered, trying not to startle Mika out of her sleep as he trailed his hand down the side of her face, to tilt her chin up, so that he was the first thing her eyes saw. “I’m gonna head downstairs and get some coffee, alright?”

His accent felt super thick in his grogginess, causing him to crinkle his nose a bit. He needed a drink. He pulled his arm gently from under Mika’s head, making sure that the pillow stayed right where it needed to be to catch her, and then he climbed out of the bed with a swiftness that he had mastered over the years.

As he opened the door and walked out, he could hear Bobby talking on the phone with another hunter, and as soon as he made it to the kitchen, Duke stepped in, shirtless and disoriented.

“Hey bud. You good?”

Cason

Cason froze as Nat echoed his words, but punctuated the sentence with his name. There was something about his name slipping off her lips in that context that nearly caused his head to explode. He fought back a groan at the pain that seared through from the back of his brain all the way to his eyebrows. The burn got worse, almost blinding as she turned and made eye contact with him.

As Nat repeated the words again, they buried into Cason’s mind, echoing through and he…shivered. It was a very odd and foreign feeling for a chill to run down his spine and cause him to physically…shiver. He leaned forward just a bit, using her closeness as an excuse to raise a wet hand and rub a small bit of dirt from her cheek, “I’m…I’m glad to…you know, to hear it.”

Trailing that same wet hand down to her chin, Cason pinched her chin, tilting her head up with gentle precision before placing a feather light kiss against her lips. In the back of his mind, he needed to let her know that he meant his words. There was no animalistic touch, or soulless lust behind the kiss, just love.

He knew what this meant for her. He knew the dangers of getting this close to someone who didn’t hold any power. She was just human…fragile and easily broken. Humans could be snuffed with a simple flick of the wrist, or the clutch of a hand to the throat. Every demon in the universe who wanted him dead for betraying Lilith would use her against him, if they knew. It wasn’t impossible for a demon to fall in love, as there had been stories of it in the past…but all those stories ended in anguish. They all ended the same way. The human died. The demon ended up in Hell…or worse, on earth with nothing to lose but themselves, the perfect murder machine.

Cason was confident, maybe stupidly so, that he could keep Nat safe. He didn’t have a choice. There wasn’t a force on earth that could keep him away from her, even if he tried…

So, he gave his signature smirk and kissed her again.

Later that evening

Cason had agreed to lay with Natalia. It wasn’t like he needed to sleep, and honestly, he would much rather be laying there with her, knowing she’s safe and not having to deal with the others, than roaming around bored. He heard Bobby speaking on the phone, through the bedroom door and he sighed, tempted to go out and grab a glass of whiskey, but he remained still for a moment.

Luckily, the burn in his head had subsided for the most part, after Nat had fallen asleep. He needed to speak to someone about that…but he wasn’t even sure who to ask. It wasn’t like there was some book somewhere on ‘demon love sulphuric acid to the brain’ or something. It wasn’t like his situation was normal or even that common. The one person he considered was Ruby. She was a pretty formidable witch and one of the most ardent defectors he knew, but he hated being around her. He didn’t even like the way she smiled, and she was connected to Sam, a bit more…biblically than he had been with Anna.

Shaking from his thoughts, he rolled onto his side and brought a hand up, brushing his fingers down the side of Nat’s face. He knew that if Bobby was already at work, the others would be stirring eventually, and he wasn’t sure if Nat would want to sleep through it all, or try to wake up. So, he kept his motions gentle, just watching her sleep.

Anna

Anna sighed at Sam’s insistence that he was going to stay with her. His words seemed far away, and even when his lips made contact with her blood stained knuckles, it didn’t seem real. He didn’t seem real. She constantly reminded herself, deep in her brain that he was sitting in front of her. He was real. She could touch him. He loved her, even when he had no good reason to and he was promising to take care of her…to ride out the high with her, no matter how bad it got.

Just the tenderness of his hands helping her remove her shirt tugged at her heart, and she shifted on the bed a bit, the feeling in the pit of her stomach beautiful but uncomfortable. It was a mystery why he was there. But she tried not to think too much on it, as she turned her eyes back up to study the side of his face, watching him go through the kit. There was something beautiful about the way Sam’s brain worked, and she wished he could see it. He wasn’t just a useful tool in this whole mess.

She was broken from her thoughts by the sudden cold liquid feeling and then a sharp sting from the alcohol making contact with every little scrape and open area of skin on her arm. She said nothing, just hissed quietly at the sting, but as he readied the needle and thread, Anna zoned out. The demon blood brought forward images of the moment the Hellhound chomped down on her shoulder, finding out the hard way that she could burn them as well. The smell of the demon blood, the burning rotting flesh of the hellhounds and the screams flooded her senses as she stared at the wall behind Sam.

But then the pain in her shoulder subsided and Sam’s voice began to echo back through the memories, letting her know that he was finished. Anna took a deep breath and nodded her head, tilting her chin up and returning his kiss eagerly. She could do nothing but nod, as she stared up into Sam’s eyes, “I’m safe. You’re here and I’m safe…”

Later that evening

“Oh little lamb…” Alastair’s voice suddenly rang out in the panic room, echoing off the metal walls. Anna’s eyes shot open, and she searched for him, knowing that there was no way he was there. There was no way for him to get in. This had to be a dream. It had to be.

Please be a dream…

“You’re not an easy one to find, but also so…so predictable. I’m getting a little annoyed by the…stubbornness.” Alastair murmured with a tsk tsk at the end. He stepped out from the shadows, and Anna reached over the side of the bed, only to be made to stay still by what felt like invisible chains. “Ah ah ah. No. It’s just you and me. You…and me. Let’s get those pesky clothes off and have some fun, shall we? I can’t hurt your pretty face, or Lilith would give me the cold shoulder for centuries, but I don’t think she would mind if we carved up the rest. She’ll heal.”

“You’re not real…” Anna sighed, closing her eyes tightly as Alastair shook his head and pulled a knife from behind his back. He stepped over and knelt beside Sam’s sleeping form, causing Anna to wrench her head to the side, staring down at the scene.

“I guess you didn’t hear me. It’s me…and it’s you.” And without another word, Alastair drove the knife through Sam’s heart, Sam’s breath coming out a strangled gasp as he woke up, his eyes wide and helpless before they faded to nothing and he fell dead against the floor. Pulling the knife from Sam’s chest, Alastair smiled sadly up at Anna, “I warned you, little one. I told you how this was going to go.”

Anna’s eyes were still wide, as tears pooled around the edges and she struggled to breathe, just staring at Sam’s lifeless face. She then turned her eyes back to Alastair and closed them tightly, causing Alastair to laugh…as he disappeared, “Sam!”

As the weight came off her chest and she was able to move, Anna pulled herself with her hands, toward the edge of the bed and off the side, falling next to Sam with a painful ‘thud’. She ignored the pain of the fall and crawled up to his face, placing a hand on each of his cheeks and shaking his face, “Sam?! Sam wake up. Please wake up…Please please…”

She knew it was a hallucination, but there was no way to separate things anymore. She could feel Sam’s heartbeat but she needed to see his eyes. She needed to feel him move.

Duke

Later that evening

Duke hadn’t moved since he laid down. He was still sleeping on his side, his head pressed into the pillow and drool pooled beneath his mouth. He felt like he was hit by a train, as he groaned and rolled onto his back, glancing toward the window of the RV. From the lack of snoring or even breathing in the RV, no one had come out, while he was asleep. They must have worked out whatever it was, all on their own.

He sat up, groaning rather loudly as the stitches in his stomach pulled and every single muscle screamed at him to just…not move. Not listening, as if he ever did before, Duke reached down after throwing his legs over the side of his bed, and he pulled his boots on. He didn’t know what to expect when he walked into the house. He didn’t know if Dean and Esme had sorted out their crap, or if he would walk in and see them snuggled up on the couch, like the million times he had made that same walk in the past. He didn’t figure that was the case, if Mika had anything to say about it, but it still made his stomach knot uncomfortably.

A few moments later, he opened the door to the trailer, and stepped out, quickly bridging the gap to the back door of the kitchen. As he stepped in, he looked around, as if making sure he was really in Bobby’s house, and Dean’s voice caused him to flinch and stare at him with wide eyes.

“Hey bud. You good?”

“Um…yeah. Yeah. I think so. What time is it?” He asked, reaching a hand up to rustle his messy blonde hair. Dean glanced toward the living room and narrowed his eyes to read the clock behind Bobby’s desk and he smirked.

“It’s like 6 pm. I think we were all a little tired.” Dean chuckled and Duke sighed.

“Yeah, I’d say so. How is everyone?”

Dean raised his eyebrows. Duke sounded almost normal, asking about everyone else. Whatever Mika had said to him, had apparently brought back at least a tiny bit of himself, “Um. Well, I haven’t had a chance to check on everyone yet but…”

Both their heads shot toward the basement door as Anna screamed and Dean sighed, closing his eyes.

“Well that answers for one…demon blood?”

“Yeah. Sam’s down there. I don’t figure either of them got any rest. I don’t know how long she’s been going like this.” Dean explained, as he pressed the button on the coffee maker and he and Duke both gritted their teeth as another scream sounded from the basement.

Duke said nothing else, scooting himself away from the back door and into the living room, where he saw Esme sleeping on the couch. His shoulders fell a bit, and he had trouble moving his feet forward, but forced them to. He stepped up to the couch and gently lowered himself to sit on the edge, turning to lean his body over Esme, “It’s mornin’…”

He had just spoke up, when Bobby hung up his phone and looked over at him, shaking his head, “She’s been out, barely movin’ other than a few mumbles here and there. She had it pretty rough before she went out.”

“Is she okay?” Duke asked, picking up Esme’s hand and placing it on his knee as he held onto her. Bobby shrugged his shoulders.

“I hate to say it, but I don’t know, son. I was just letting her sleep it off.”

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Dean

Dean shifted as Bobby finished up his last stitch on the outside of the knife wound in Esme’s shoulder. He didn’t figure there was any way he was going to be able to carry Esme anywhere that she would rather sleep than the couch, and with Bobby up for the day…he didn’t need it. Dean turned and carefully laid Esme down, as Bobby stood from the couch and gathered everything to return it to his desk.

“I think she’ll live. She’s just gonna be sore if she doesn’t heal up super fast.” Bobby grumbled, walking over and grabbing his trash can, before walking toward the kitchen. Dean heard him stop in the kitchen and he heard Mika’s voice, not turning at first. Dean sighed, looking down at Esme with concern etched in his eyebrows as she continued to mumble in her sleep. He then turned and looked toward Mika, nodding his head simply at her offer to head to bed. He was beat, and it seemed like they had done everything they could for the time being.

He stood from the couch, just as Anna and Sam stepped through the front door, his eyes going straight to Anna for a fleeting second. He quickly turned his eyes toward the floor, as Anna did the same and simply walked past him with Sam. Dean ruffled his hair and walked over to Mika, instantly reaching out for any sort of skin contact. He brushed the backs of his fingers down the side of her face with a tired but warm smile, “Let’s go to bed. Just me and you, alright?”

Dean dropped his hand to pick Mika’s up, and he tugged, pulling her toward the stairs. He walked up the stairs with her, his footsteps heavy as the tiredness in his muscles began to officially set in, and as he pushed open the familiar door to her room, he pulled her inside and quickly turned to her. Placing both hands on her cheeks, Dean kissed her desperately, as usual pouring all of the stress, anguish, anger, and desperation of the day into the kiss.

Cason

Cason froze as Nat reached her hand up, and began gently brushing her fingers over the wounds on his chest. He didn’t even realize that he had closed his eyes, until she spoke and he took a deep breath, shaking his head. “I had more pressing issues, sweetheart. It’s not that easy to kill a demon.” But that’s not what she was asking. She wanted to know how it happened, or at least what happened. He wasn’t even sure how to start answering the question.

‘Oh! Alastair happened…then your brother.’ Was the first thing that popped into his head, but there was no way he was saying that to her, not here. So, he took his eyes off her for a moment, and stared at the wall behind her head, and then turned his eyes down to pick up her smaller hand in his.

“The short story, I wasn’t going to let them hurt Anna. Not that the demons made it easy for me to defend anyone. They shackled me by the neck…to a wall and then skewered me…” Cason explained simply, shrugging his shoulders. But as she looked in his eyes, he was tempted to explain further. There was that familiar acid burn in the back of his mind, as he scanned her eyes and sighed through his nose, “And I fed Anna…a lot of blood. I was getting out of there one way or another. Things just got really really complicated. But hey…I’m alright. I’m right here.”

He leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to Nat’s forehead, before gesturing toward the bath. As she turned to get in the bath, the took the opportunity to finish removing his clothes and boots, walking over and stepping into the bath behind her. He brought his knees up to frame her body, making sure she knew that there was no way she was going under the water, as long as he was with her. She was completely safe.

He frowned as she balled up, wrapping her arms around her legs, but he quickly cupped his hands, gathering some water and began to work on the bloody mess on the back of her head. He said nothing as he worked on things, somewhat glad that the blood seemed to come out easier than he expected. He had to assume it was because the hair had already been wet, just a bit earlier.

“You won’t have to cut your hair…” He murmured, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to Nat’s shoulder as he pulled her wet hair over her other shoulder. As he peppered sweet little kisses along her shoulder, up the side of her neck and finally to the base of her skull, the acid burn in the back of his head grew, and he nearly had to sit back and let it dissipate, due to the pain. “Just relax. You’re safe with me. As long as I’m alive, you’re safe.”

That word was rumbling around amongst the burning sensation in the back of his mind. It was the dirty word that Anna wouldn’t let him say in the barn. It was honestly an emotion he wasn’t sure existed for demons. Their souls had been so twisted and broken that all that existed was a plume of smoke that could possess human bodies. Even this body wasn’t his…not really. He hadn’t had his own body in 200 years. But the word felt like acid in his throat, just as much as the burn hurt the back of his head. He closed his eyes tightly, and pressed his forehead against the back of Natalia’s head and sighed, “I love you…”

Anna

Anna’s lips pulled, as if trying to smile when Sam spoke about the wound to her shoulder so protectively. She should have expected it, but it was still a pleasant surprise to hear such a protective tone from him. He was changing with all of this, and honestly, the change was a bit intoxicating in itself. He looked stronger. He spoke as if he felt stronger. For a fleeting moment, she felt like they might come out of all of this okay…and that Sam really could take down Lilith, if for no other reason than to protect Anna.

She stood back, allowing Sam to take the lead as he stepped into the house and she instantly made eye contact with Dean. They both turned their eyes to the ground, silent submission from them both, which she was grateful for. If she wasn’t avoiding him, she would have thanked him for not trying to reach out for her. She stayed quiet as Sam explained their plan to Mika, and took a deep breath, watching Sam’s hand open that dreaded door to head down to the basement.

Each thump of the stairs made Anna’s face flinch, until they reached the bottom and Sam’s hand squeezed hers a little tighter. She nodded at his words, her feet refusing to move as he first stepped over the threshold of the panic room. The last time she had been in this room, they had shared their first moment together…but she had also gone through the worst pain of her life, chained to the floor like an animal, covered in demon blood, “Right…”

Anna took a tentative step over the threshold, the room suddenly falling into silence. The buzzing stopped, as the iron drowned out all of the noise from upstairs. Anna reached back and flinched heavily as she closed the door behind her, just to be safe. While the iron was quieting the sound of Cason’s heart, it was also causing the demon blood in her veins to almost bubble, tickling beneath her skin. Her skin erupted in goosebumps and she crossed her arms in front of her. She stared at the handcuffs that were attached to the bed. Bobby had told her that he hadn’t sorted anything out in the basement, but that wasn’t completely true. Someone had tipped him off about the demon blood, and he had prepared for her to be locked up…at least that’s how it seemed.

Anna zoned out, the sound of Cason’s screams filling her brain as she began to replay the events of the night before, over and over. Even a few of the thoughts she had created in her mind about Sam’s death, and the state of the rest of the group seeped in. Sam’s voice brought her back to reality and she flinched, nodding her head, and stepping over to the bed. She sat down as if the bed was going to electrocute her, her hands shaking violently until she was finally sitting and let out a sigh.

“You’re not going to leave me here, right?” She asked, without even realizing she was speaking at first. She turned to look up at his eyes, and reached for the hem of her shirt. She couldn’t stand the stickiness of the blood anymore. It was all over the front of her shirt and felt like glue, sticking to her skin. She carefully reached down and lifted her shirt, groaning as the stitches in her shoulder pulled, but she managed to peel it from her skin and toss it aside, glad that she had thought to wear a sports bra for this hunt. Even covered in blood, it made her feel less exposed in this giant room.

“Alright. I guess I’m ready…” She grumbled, turning to give Sam a better look at her shoulder.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Duke

Duke scooted back on the bed, as Mika stepped away to go retrieve the first aid kit. He kicked his boots off, and kicked the over by the table, before listening to Mika’s request for him to lay back. The soreness of his body was beginning to set in, and he was pretty sure he had stitches in his back, as well, but they didn’t hurt nearly as bad as the ones in the front. They also seemed to be bandaged, which told him that it was the first set that they had done, before he died.

Mika’s comments brought a small smile on his face, and for the first time in what felt like an eternity, he couldn’t help but joke back with her, “I guess it makes me look more…rugged. I’m too pretty, otherwise. Too sweet. These blue eyes were what go you on my good side all those years ago.”

He lifted his head, letting Mika adjust things so he was completely comfortable in his own bed, and then he turned his eyes up toward the ceiling as Mika went to work on the stab wound beneath his ribs. He hissed, and the smile fell from his face when she mentioned that she felt like she was losing Dean. It was definitely an echo of his own feelings, with Esme. But it was insane for her to believe that Dean would rehash old flames, when he had full access to Mika. Duke knew that things with Dean would never be the same…at least for their little trio, when Mika showed back up, fully there and willing to talk. Duke knew it was over…right then. Dean would always choose her over almost anyone.

“That’s ridiculous, you know.” Duke chimed in, that mischievous light behind his eyes, to let her know he was talking to her as her little brother, completely confidential. “I mean, I think he’ll always have…somethin’ there for her. He didn’t do a lot to hold onto her way back then. He has regrets. He hovered. He was worried. He treated her like this breakable thing that would fly out of his hands at any moment if he didn’t cling to her. But then you showed up, and like a light switch, he slipped through her fingers and she ran off. I don’t know the full story, there…but I think I might have a good idea. She was just as scared back then as you were.”

As she scoffed, Duke shook his head, “Shut your mouth. If anyone gets the situation, it’s me, right? You…don’t let him allow you to slip through his fingers. Judgin’ by the way your talkin’, you already are. Nobody can stop that, but you…”

Duke glanced down at Mika’s handiwork as she finished, brushing his fingers over the covering with a soft sigh. He then turned his eyes up toward the ceiling, as his own words to Mika settled into his brain. All this cloud of feelings surrounding Esme and Dean was just old baggage. If push came to shove, Duke felt like Esme would choose him, now…even if Dean ran into her arms like some sort of savior. But did he? He understood how Mika felt, but he needed to take his own advice.

Mika’s voice broke him from this thoughts again, and he turned to look at her with a soft smile, “Nah. I’m good. I think I’m just gonna pass out, honestly. I don’t think I could walk back into the house right now and I don’t exactly see Esme walkin’ out here, tonight. If anyone needs any more room, or you wanna crash, I got the couch.”

He sighed, and pulled one of the many blankets on his little bed over himself reaching a hand out to grab Mika’s, running his thumb over her knuckles, “Thank you, Meeko.”

Dean

As Dean held onto Esme, Bobby quickly worked on her head, stitching a bit on the inside, before starting in on the outside. Dean and Bobby sat in silence as he did so and Dean glanced around the room. The house was silent, now. Sam and Anna were still on the porch, Cason was presumably watching Nat sleep, like a creep and Mika was…

“Mika outside with Duke?” Dean asked Bobby, who tied off a stitch, clipped it, and nodded. Bobby didn’t elaborate and Dean sighed, realizing he had likely hurt Duke’s feelings…again. Not to mention Mika was probably pissed beyond measure at him. This was just great. He brought himself back to the present as Bobby finished up on Esme’s head, and waved for Dean to turn her so that he could get a better look at her shoulder. “You think we’re gonna be okay?”

“No. But what choice do we have? The world’s crumblin’ around us. We can either sit around in a circle and cry about what’s ailin’ us, or we can suck it up and work together. When everyone gets some sleep, we’ll hash it all out.” Bobby muttered as he cleaned the stab wound on Esme’s shoulder. Before pulling another needle he had threaded, “It’ll work itself out with some hard…truths.”

“Hard truths?” Dean asked, tilting his head.

“Figure it out. Tilt her head that way for me…” Bobby grumbled, as Dean tilted Esme’s head to lay closer to his cheek, just as she began to mumble something that sounded oddly familiar. He reached a hand up, brushing her hair from the side of her face, around behind her ear as he closed his eyes, taking some deep breaths.

Cason

Cason watched Nat’s face, until she finally agreed to take a bath. As if a load was taken off his shoulders, Cason sighed and relaxed a bit, glad that he could sweetly convince Nat to just take care of herself, even if it meant working with her fears and her completely justified fear of water, after what had happened to her. He nodded his head, and smirked. “Thank you.”

When she made the comment about running the bath, he glanced toward the bathroom, studying the clawfoot tub until he was confident he knew every pipe and fixture in the tub. Keeping his promise to not leave her alone, Cason turned his head back to her with a slightly larger smile.

“Wanna see a magic trick?” He asked, the mischievous smirk that he knew she couldn’t resist creeping onto his face. He snapped his fingers beside his head, keeping his smile, and the water taps began to turn. The bathtub plugged itself and the water settled to a comfortable temperature. “Now. Let’s get you out of those clothes. I got your bag. I’m pretty sure I can get the blood out of your hair…for the most part and then I will happily stand guard while you sleep.”

Cason stood from the bed, pulling Nat with him as gently as he could. He wrapped an arm around her waist and guided her into the bathroom. He didn’t figure anyone would be barging in. So, he didn’t bother to close the bathroom door, walking Nat over to stand next to the tub. “Not that you’ve been…shy around me…but if you need me to turn around or something, I can. I don’t know how modest humans are, from person to person.”

He chuckled softly, and lifted his arm, grabbing the back of his shirt and whipping it off over his head. As he did, he groaned with the lowering of his arms, trying to keep his voice low as the pain from his stomach caught him off guard. Glancing down at it, he sighed, seeing that the hole was not completely closed off, even hours later. Shrugging It off the best he could, he unbuckled his belt and pulled it from his jeans, before unbuttoning his pants and glancing up at Nat, the iron burns around his collar bones glaring in the brighter light of the bathroom, “Before you ask…I’m fine. Iron sucks. I’ll be back to normal in a couple of days…maybe less.”

Anna

Anna relaxed a bit as Sam agreed that if she went to the basement, he was coming with her. The thought of not being alone while she dealt with whatever the detox was going to bring, if Cason didn’t give her any of his blood, was at least a relief. She nodded. There was, at that moment, no reason to believe that Sam would just abandon her the second that Bobby closed the door to the panic room.

When he brought up that they should go see if it’s even a possibility, Anna nodded once again and sighed, “Yeah. Okay. Hopefully they are at least done talking about the inevitability of…me for the time being. I just don’t think I can take any more earth shattering revelations, in the next few hours.”

She took Sam’s hand, standing up from the step, and at first she gave him a confused look when he brought up her shoulder. She hadn’t even thought about the bite, while sitting out in the numbing cool air. There was a bit more on her mind than some stupid Hellhound making her it’s chew toy. From what she could tell, the wound wasn’t even bleeding anymore…or it was just scabbed over and gross. She couldn’t tell.

“I forgot it was there, to be honest. The pain in my head kinda drowned it out.” She scoffed, stepping toward the door but staying close to Sam. With Dean in the living room, there was no way she was walking through the door first. She tightened her grip on Sam’s hand and crossed her other arm over her stomach protectively, preparing to do her best to avoid eye contact.

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

Anya and Dean

Anya smirked as Lexi stated that her comeback to Dean was a deep cut, but judging from Dean’s face, he seemed more impressed by her, than he was offended. Dean turned his eyes back to his food, shoving more of it in his mouth as he thought about his next words.

“So, we came up empty on the Colt, but I have to ask, what exactly do you think becoming a hunter is going to solve for you? Not getting heavy, just asking.” Dean asked, now that Anya could speak to him a little easier using her phone, instead of paper or her hands. Anya didn’t seemed as bothered by the question as Dean expected, and he took another bite as she typed on her phone.

“My dad was killed and it seems like every time I get close to someone, they end up dead. I am always the one who survives. If I have that much good luck, I figured I might as well help people with it.”

“And you think that hunting is about luck? What about your voice? You can’t even scream for help if you’re on your own, or get separated from whoever you’re with. How would you work through that?” Dean asked, his voice genuinely concerned, as if he was considering her request, but wanted to make sure she knew what she was getting herself into.

Anya nodded, thought for a moment, before glancing up at Sam. She then typed on her phone and raised her eyebrows at Dean as if to ask if her answer was sufficient, “I could always wear a whistle around my neck. Airhorn maybe?”

“A whistle. Well that would be a new one…” Dean chuckled, glancing up at his brother for a moment, before back at Anya. “Alright. Since you’re obviously not going to kill my brother and take over the bunker, I’ll make a deal with you.”

Anya raised her eyebrows and listened a little more intently, as Dean finished off the main course of his food and scooted his slice of pie over to the middle of his plate, before pointing his fork at her.

“If we find the colt, I’m not willing to give it over to a demon…not for anything. But I would be willing to make sure you have what you need to use it on the son of a bitch, yourself. Full backup from the three of us. But you’re gonna have to hit the books, the range…all of it. And we’ve gotta fatten you up a bit. Those tiny arms are not gonna get you far with demons.” Dean explained, and Anya nodded, suddenly excited and her demeanor not aggressive at all. It tugged at something in Dean’s heart. He turned back to his food, breaking his gaze from her face to take a bit, before mumbling, “And you’re gonna have to find a tattoo shop and…protect yourself. Sam can take you.”

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Dean and Bobby

Dean’s shoulders relaxed a little thinking about Esme’s words of ‘I’ll keep fighting’. It was all he could ask for in that moment, when all he wanted her to do was try. If not for him, he wanted her to try for Duke. He matched a lot of her expressions, as he knew that some of the injuries she had must have been painful, even for a hunter. That head gash alone was one of the worst he had seen, for her to still be walking around. It was a miracle she was on her feet at all.

He turned his eyes up from Esme’s face to Bobby’s as Esme began to drink the concoction Bobby had made. Dean was silently asking Bobby what was in the glass, to which Bobby just tilted his head, silently explaining that it wasn’t something Dean was going to like, or agree to, but it wasn’t just whiskey. Dean glared at Bobby briefly, before turning his eyes back down to Esme as she downed the entire glass.

Dean matched Esme’s scrunched face, as she reacted to the taste of the whiskey, wondering what Bobby had poured in the glass to make it taste like crap. The only thing he could think of was possibly African Dream Root, but there was no reason for Bobby to want to knock her out, ESPECIALLY after the trauma she had just gone through.

“Yeah. I might wanna grab another bottle when I go to town later on. You know how quick it can go off when you drink straight from the bottle…” Bobby quipped, and Dean glared at him once again, only for Bobby to shake his head at Dean. Dean’s attention came right back to Esme when she placed a hand over her stomach. He echoed her, hovering his hand over hers as he watched her face. Out of nowhere, she stood from the couch and ran to Bobby’s trash can, puking to the point that Dean had to assume it was her body rejecting something.

“What did you give her?” Dean asked Bobby, who was just watching Esme with both frustration and worry. “Bobby! What did you give her?”

“A hunch. We were goin’ off a hunch. If she’s connected to demons, maybe demon blood…”

“You gave her demon blood?! Great. Wonderful. Just what we need…” Dean sighed, reaching up and rubbing his eyebrow with frustration. Esme seemed to get everything out of her system, and Dean heard Bobby’s desk scoot as she leaned against it, and he glanced over to her, sighing again. He couldn’t hear what she was mumbling, but he could tell she wasn’t going anywhere on her own any time soon. When she stood, he jumped up, quickly running over to her. “Hey! I got you. I got you. Let’s get you…”

As soon as his arm wrapped around Esme’s waist, she fainted, causing Dean to groan as he barely caught her, quickly reaching for her legs and hoisting her off the ground, “Dammit…”

He carried her back to the couch, not wanting to put her back down, in case worse things were to come. He had seen Anna on demon blood and they knew what Anna was. He chose to sit on the edge of the couch, turning Esme so that Bobby could access the back of her head.

“Patch her up. And no…more hunches.” Dean scolded Bobby, causing Bobby to straighten up, as if he was going to tear Dean down, only to sigh and rummage through his tool box for what he needed to fix up Esme’s head and shoulder.

Duke

Duke was a little surprised, when Mika began to scold him for his words. She had never really spoken to him like this, and for a moment, it felt like he was sitting in front of a mother. He watched her eyes, his own eyes filling up with tears again. He didn’t expect Dean to mourn him, really. It was obvious that Dean would. They were practically brothers, but at the same time, it felt like Dean should have felt relief, not having to worry about Duke anymore or protect him…or save him.

He rolled all of it over in his mind, trying to decide whether he believed her, or whether she was telling him what he wanted to hear, in that moment. But Mika never said anything that the others simply ‘wanted to hear’. She was the most blunt and brutally honest person he had ever met, more so than Dean. So, he didn’t have much of a choice but to nod, as the soft touch to his cheeks calmed the tears that were now flooding over her hands.

“Alright.” He nodded, agreeing to let her look at his stitches. She was right. He needed to sleep on all of this. He needed to get patched up and maybe tomorrow, he would feel better, or at least he would feel safe…and home. Duke carefully sat back, shrugging his flannel off his shoulders and he tossed it to the side. Mika was one of only four people who had ever seen the scars on his body. So, he didn’t feel self conscious about her seeing them again.

“After I sleep on all this, I will take any advice short of screwin’ my liver with whiskey…and even that’s not off the table.” Duke murmured, attempting to stretch, but he only raised his arms a tiny bit, before the stitches in his stomach caught and weeped a bit, causing him to hiss. “Where do you want me?”

Cason

Cason watched Nat’s face as she seemed to be struggling with something. Her words of being grateful he came made him smirk and shake his head. There wasn’t a universe where he wouldn’t have fought his way out to get to her. He couldn’t exactly explain why, but something in the back of his head burned like acid when she looked at him like this. Even with that pain, he relished in it, and he just didn’t quite know which human emotion was trying to kill him, but it felt oddly familiar.

Her next words caused him to wince, scanning her entire face for a way to explain to her that giving up was never an option. He wouldn’t have allowed her to give up. He would have kept her alive against her will, if he had to do so. He would have wrangled some strange human off the road, and forced them to sell their soul for her, if that’s what it came to. He could be very persuasive…

When he didn’t say anything in return, a bit worried about how harsh his words would sound, he noticed that Nat looked down and seemed ready to go to sleep. Sighing, Cason shook his head, “No. You need to shower. Trust me. If you could see yourself, you would agree with me.”

Then it hit him. The last thing that Nat would want to get anywhere near after what had happened, was water. So, he tried another angle, glancing briefly toward the small connected bathroom, “I have an idea. That tub in there is a clawfoot, which means it has plenty of room in it. Lucky for you, neither of us are particularly large.”

He chuckled, in an attempt to make Nat smile…just a little.

“So, if I go run some warm water, and I am there…the whole time, like a magnet, will you let me clean you up?” He asked sweetly, pulling her back toward him so she couldn’t just lay down and pass out. He leaned in, trying to sweeten the deal, and pressed an oddly gentle kiss to her upper lip. “I’ll be there, the whole time.”

Anna

Anna almost shook her head at Sam’s words. She didn’t want him to make up for anything that happened when they were kids. She was on the run. He was stuck with his family. She would have been hunted, because even though John knew about the demon blood in Sam’s veins, no one knew what the special children were. All anyone knew was that they were ‘different’ and different to the Winchesters meant dead.

Her heart fluttered, hearing Sam echo her words. This was right. Sam in front of her, under her touch, his heart beating steady beneath her fingers…was right. Anna honestly didn’t even hold any anger toward him, anymore. Was she scared that he would choose Dean’s judgement over her, when push came to shove? Of course. But was she angry that he had done what he felt was right, and that it had lead to Cason…not dying? Not anymore.

“I don’t know where we’re going to sleep, but I’m tired. I don’t know if I can sleep, though.” Anna admitted, glancing down at Sam’s lips before glancing toward the deck beside them. She sighed, and closed her eyes, a sign that she was about to suggest something that made her uncomfortable. “If there’s no room, I’ll go to the basement…if you’ll go with me. I don’t want to be alone while I dry out. It doesn’t feel as dangerous this time, but I can feel that it’s going to be a bit of a mess.”

She trailed her hand down Sam’s cheek, and brushed them over his lips with a soft smile, “Rest with me? And then we figure out what…next looks like for us. I can’t think about it anymore, with Cason’s stupid heart buzzing in my ears.”