JustAnna

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Dean

Dean’s heart fluttered with nerves as he waited for Mika to come around to the idea of having ‘that’ conversation. It wasn’t that he wanted to talk about it, but he wanted to clear the air. It had been hanging over them since way before he died, and now that he was back, it was time for that conversation so they could move forward. As soon as she said the word, ‘okay’, Dean sighed with relief, his puffed chest relaxing just a bit. But he tensed when she mentioned telling her side of the story. Her side of the story wasn’t exactly something he ever wanted to think about.

He didn’t want to think about her with someone else, not that he could really judge. He didn’t want to think about how hard she tried to stay away from him, or why, but it was also something he had always wanted to ask. He had always had the temptation to ask her why…or to pry into things, and never felt it was appropriate. What was done was done.

“Alright. I um…I’ll try to talk to Duke about things. I don’t really know how to bridge that gap with him. He seems so happy, you know? But it’s weird. The relationship he’s aways had with…with her. It’s been a sore spot.” Dean admitted, turning his eyes down briefly, but then he turned his eyes back up to hers. The sound of the panic room’s heavy door opening caused Dean’s eyes to flash to the side briefly, “I’ll talk to him. Then me and you will sit down, and we’ll get all this off our chest. We’ll move on, alright?”

Hearing the sound of footsteps coming up from the basement, Dean pressed a tight kiss to Mika’s forehead, holding her there for a moment with his eyes closed, as those same tiny footsteps entered the kitchen. Dean opened his eyes, looking up to see Anna standing there, her arms crossed.

“Morning Anna…” Dean murmured with a soft smile. Anna didn’t say anything, flashing him a small fake smile, and then she pushed through the doorway, into the kitchen to grab coffee.

Cason

Cason shrugged happily when Nat agreed that he didn’t exactly have the healthiest reactions to her being in the smallest bit of danger, but she was happy that he wanted to keep her safe. It’s all he asked for. ‘Shut up and let me protect you.’ He sighed happily, and almost slipped into intrusive thoughts, when Nat spoke up about being hungry. There it was, her humanity, screaming back into the room in the most delightful way. Cason found it adorable.

He smiled, and loosened his hold on Nat to allow her to untangle from him and get out of bed. He laid back, pulling his hands behind his head to watch her as he walked with some effort over to her bag. The protective side of him wanted to stand up and dress her like a doll, to keep her from any pain, but if he did, her muscles wouldn’t heal and strengthen. He knew that much about humans. She had to work through this on her own.

“So, I’m assuming we’re hanging around Bobby’s for the night. We can grab you some food, and see what Bobby’s been on the phone about all night. I’m kinda curious if his…idea…thing for Esme worked. I thought I heard her voice.” He mused as he glanced up at the ceiling, wondering if Esme was yet another person he had to nurse with his blood. Anna would be fine. She just needed to keep microdosing, but the addiction she was developing gave him pause. He wondered if Sam was buzzing with the same lingering addiction…or maybe that was Ruby’s entire plan. He didn’t trust her as far as he could throw her, and boy did she have her hooks in Sam. If only Anna knew…

“I don’t know how many of the group would even be up for another hunt after last night…”

He quickly rolled onto his side, and stepped off the bed, walking by Nat to swipe his jacket from the top of her bag. He disappeared for a moment, and then when he reappeared, he was dressed and wearing his jacket, simply walking over to the door and standing against the wall with his arms crossed.

Anna

Anna allowed her eyes to flutter closed as Sam’s thumb brushed her cheek, taking in the feeling of his skin against hers, something that was real. The way his breath brushed over her lips as he told her he loved her…that was real. The look in his eyes as she opened her own and watched the Hazel in his eyes almost fade to blue…that was real. The overwhelming feeling of relief almost brought a smile to her lips…almost.

She leaned back on her heels as Sam moved to stand, and she took his hand, her body feeling heavy as she allowed him to support her weight and pull to stand. She nodded simply and sighed, looking around the room as he mentioned leaving the room and checking in on the others. As much as she wanted to leave the room, she was still a little worried about being around everyone else with demon blood in her system. She was worried that the second she left the room, she would be able to hear Cason’s heart and she would lose her cool.

But she followed him to the door, stepping out in front of him, after the door was open. She took to the stairs, her sore body screaming with every footstep, but she kept moving, just wanting to feel some sense of normal. At the top of the steps, she pushed the basement door open and the first thing she saw was Bobby sitting at his desk, pouring over a book. She sighed softly at the sight, genuinely happy to see him and then her eyes turned to Duke and Esme. They were having a moment that she felt she was intruding on, just by being there. She didn’t say anything, simply walking into the living room and then the kitchen.

At the kitchen door, Anna stopped, as she made eye contact with Dean immediately. She crossed her arms over her chest uncomfortably. As he greeted her, she tensed a bit, letting her hair fall over her eyes as she glanced down at the floor and pushed away from the doorway. She flashed him a fake smile, not able to muster any words for him. She meant what she had said the night before and she wasn’t ready to concede being friends with Dean.

She walked over to the coffee pot, and reached up, hissing as the stitches in her shoulder pulled. She changed arms and grabbed a mug from the cabinet, before pouring a cup of coffee. The smell alone was enough to lighten her mood a bit as she kept her back turned to the room and took a drink of coffee, staring out the kitchen window.

Duke

Duke let out a little content hum as Esme’s hand made it to his hair. His head was usually adorned with a hat, so his right hand instinctively twitched to catch it, and push it out of his face, even though it wasn’t there. He just concentrated on the feeling of her fingers brushing through his hair just felt natural, but also like a dream. All the years of pining for her like a puppy, following her every footstep, taking up for her when Dean was wrong, making sure that he kept tabs on her, even when he disappeared…all those years, and now it was this simple.

Her confirmation that she loved him sent a burning flutter through his heart and he had to fight back more happy noises, tilting his head just enough to press a soft kiss against her temple as she brought up the cheesiness of her next statement. Duke chuckled as she said the words ‘you complete me’, but it wasn’t out of ridicule. It was the strangeness of hearing those words from Esme. She was decent at keeping her feelings guarded and there wasn’t any way you could have told him those words would fall out of her mouth, that he would have believed. The longer she spoke, the more uncomfortable the fluttering in his chest became. It was hard not to make a noise, but he knew it was a good feeling.

It was the feeling of being wanted and being so overwhelmed with the idea of being wanted that he felt like he was going to burst and melt into a puddle at her feet. Duke smiled softly, gathering his voice as best as he could without letting those sounds of overwhelmed emotions out, but his voice came out a raspy shaky mess, “Don’t be sorry. Don’t be sorry for that. None of that matters now, alright?”

As the basement door opened, Duke glanced to it briefly, flashing Anna a bright smile, before turning his eyes back to Esme. He pulled his head away from hers, still dizzy and reeling from her admission. Just the sound of his last name falling off her lips was enough to make his head spin…and would probably rattle around in his brain for a while. He used his hand on her neck to press a thumb to the side of her chin, turning her face back to him gently, and leaned in to press a kiss to her lips, sighing through his nose as he closed his eyes and just took in the way her slips felt on his. He brushed his thumb across her jaw, feeling the soft skin underneath his calloused fingers, and then all of it came crashing down with the clearing of a throat.

“Welp. I’m going to the garage. I’ve had about enough of the makeup party. Clean up after yourselves, and please don’t have sex on my couch…I sleep there.” Bobby grumbled, standing from his chair. He took a final drink of a mostly empty coffee cup before grumbling under his breath and walking out of the room, through the kitchen and out the back door without a word to anyone else. The whole time, he mumbled about ‘can’t wait to get my house back from all these horny kids’.

Duke’s eyebrows rose, and his eyes suddenly filled with mischief as he smiled brightly and turned his attention back to Esme, “He’ll live.”, he shrugged, and pressed another soft kiss to her lips.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Dean

Dean smirked briefly, when Mika joked about drinking coffee. He always knew that the best way to diffuse any potential morning tension was through coffee, even if it was crappy motel coffee. Luckily, this was Bobby’s and Bobby didn’t skimp on the few things he actually enjoyed. When her face went serious, he dropped his smile and listened intently, narrowing his eyes. It had been a while since Mika and Duke had any sort of sibling relationship, and he hadn’t expected them to just snap back to it, after Duke’s last runner. He didn’t say what instantly went through his brain, the same ‘be careful’ he always gave people when they grew closer to Duke. Maybe it was wrong of him, but he couldn’t help it. He knew the kid like the back of his hand.

He opened his mouth to speak on it, but decided against it. If Duke had managed to diffuse whatever bomb was destined to go off between Dean and Mika, he would let it go, for now. He would just pick up her pieces when Duke inevitably ran off. Her next words took him a bit off guard, and he raised his thumb, slipping it under her shirt to rub the skin of her hip with his nervousness.

Flashes of Duke’s angry face from that morning flooded Dean’s brain as Mika spoke, and Dean sighed, nodding his head, but another confused frown graced his face at the words ‘reminding you’re glad he’s still with us’. Did Duke believe that Dean wanted him dead, for some reason? Or was it just a moment of jealousy, Duke was feeling in his emotional state? Dean wasn’t sure, but his face softened when Mika told him that Duke needed his brother. He understood exactly what she meant, as she pecked his lips and he tried to catch her lips briefly as he nodded.

“You’re right. I should have been there for him when he got here. I can’t imagine how he must have been feeling after getting back and seeing Esme like that.” Dean said honestly. He sighed softly, hearing Esme and Duke talking in the other room, “And me and you? We need to talk about the time that you were gone, when we get some alone time. I told you I was going to be honest and I was serious. I want you to know everything…”

He scanned her eyes, and reached a hand up, brushing his finger tips over her cheek, and then he pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear with a soft smile, “You just tell me when.”

Cason

Cason shook his head at first, when Nat touched his cheek. He didn’t want her to talk away the fact that he hadn’t been able to save her as fast as he should have been. He wanted to use it as fuel to do better, and to make sure that she was never touched again. He would murder anyone who so much as looked at her, if he thought they might be a threat. What had happened to her would never happen again.

But as she said the simple word ‘hey’, Cason looked up and met her eyes. The fact that she didn’t hold anything against him made the back of his head burn with that familiar wash of acid pain. He almost had to close his eyes, his vision blurring just with Nat’s faith in him. Knowing Nat, if he didn’t forgive himself, even just a little, she would force him to. She wouldn’t allow him to bring it up again. She would make sure that he forgave himself, and let it go.

So, when she teased and smiled to lighten the mood, Cason matched her smile with a smirk of his own, nodding his head, “Obviously. It would be a little weird if Dean kissed you after saving your life. At least I looked cool doing it…”

His frown returned for a moment as she explained that she was willing to put herself in danger to save him from the barn. That wasn’t what he wanted from her at all, and honestly, he would have cuffed her to the steering wheel himself, if he knew she wouldn’t be able to follow him. He would have to thank whoever had talked her out of it, later on. She likely would have been seriously hurt in the barn, as she would have wanted to hang back and wait for Cason…and the demons would have shown up. It was one of his worst fears, after admitting that he loved her. Demons would know and would be all over her.

“Better be glad I wasn’t there. I would have absolutely cuffed you to the steering wheel…” Cason teased, with a chuckle. “I love you. It feels weird to say it out loud but I love you. No one will ever hurt you again. Scorched earth. Entire families killed. The amount of Hell I would unleash if you were even in danger of a paper cut is probably not healthy…”

Anna

Anna smiled softly, a rare smile that he couldn’t see, as she was suddenly engulfed in Sam’s arms again. She buried her face in his chest, suddenly feeling a happy buzz in her mind, just at his scent. Just being so close to Sam, while the demon blood reached all part of her body was something akin to heaven. She was half expecting him to turn into some horrible hallucination, bringing her back into the detox like whiplash. But as she sat there, feeling his warmth and his heart beat under her fingertips, she realized that it was actually over, for now.

Anna took a deep breath, as Sam mentioned that they could go upstairs with the others. She wanted to get the hell out of this room, and she wanted to feel somewhat normal, even if it meant being around Dean. She could already feel the looks she was going to get, of everyone knowing that she had drank demon blood in order to cut the detox short. That was also something she wasn’t looking forward to. But she was so thirsty and she wanted to smell something other than whiskey and iron for a bit.

“I do want to…” Anna mumbled against Sam’s chest after a moment. She pulled back from him, and looked up at his eyes, finally seeing him clearly. There was no hallucinated blood on his face. He didn’t seem scared. He didn’t seem like had been through the ringer, and to her surprise, he looked relatively okay after the events of the previous night. Anna couldn’t help herself, rocking up on her knees to press a kiss to Sam’s lips. It wasn’t a kiss of sadness or any negative emotion. It wasn’t overly desperate. It was just a passionate…pleasant kiss, for the first time in what felt like forever.

She dropped the empty vial on the floor, and brought both her hands up to tangle in Sam’s hair, pulling herself impossibly close to his chest as she deepened the kiss, taking advantage of the privacy for a little while longer. After a long few minutes, Anna was forced to break the kiss to catch her breath, and as she gasped for air, she pressed her forehead against Sam’s, not releasing his hair at first.

“I love you.” She whispered against his lips, loosening her fingers from his hair as she opened her eyes and scanned his, once again searching for proof that he was real, before they joined the others.

Duke

Duke furrowed his brow, but he followed Esme’s eyes when she told him he was only half right about figuring all this mess out. He didn’t quite know what she was talking about. He always figured out his problems on his own, and those problems he couldn’t handle, he usually just ran off until he could. He reached his hands out, hovering them over Esme’s body with a bit of panic as she suddenly sat up and took his face into her hands, “You should um…”

But Duke’s words broke off as she stared into his eyes, and for the first time that he could remember, someone said that he didn’t have to go through his struggles alone. He couldn’t remember if ANYONE had ever said those words to him, or if they did, he definitely didn’t believe them. His bright blue eyes practically melted as his brow softened and his eyes darted from one blue eye to the other of Esme’s. He felt a weird lump in his throat as his eyes watered, but he refused to cry in front of her again. It had made her so upset to see him cry. He didn’t want to see her face look so sad again, not because of him.

“O-okay.” Duke whispered, not really knowing where to start on the whole honesty thing. His entire being was made up of secrets, unrequited feelings, pushing down emotions and just dealing with life with a smile. It was exhausting, but it was everything to him. But Esme was requesting that he change that. She was requesting to know what was on his mind, and what he was feeling. She was requesting to be an actual partner…not just his best friend. “I um…I want to work on that.”

He closed his eyes at her last kiss to his forehead, breathing her in for a moment as she turned her head. He kept his forehead pressed to her, bringing a hand up to gently wrap around the side of her neck, just brushing his fingertips over her skin, “I don’t think you could imagine how much I love you. I love you so much.”, he whispered, nuzzling his nose against her cheek as he just held her close to him. She was his. She wasn’t going anywhere and for the first time in his life, he didn’t feel the need to run away.

All Roads Lead To You

Dean and Duke

Dean blanched, his eyes wide as Esme’s ‘no’ slapped him in the face. She had never told him ‘no’, when he broke down and apologized. As she pulled away from him, Dean turned and watched her, holding his hands out in confusion. When she turned and spoke what she was actually feeling, Dean shook his head at her rhetorical questions, “I don’t know what you want from me.”

Dean winced at the irritation in her voice, and as she kept going, he shook his head, genuinely confused. There was never a day in his life that he had put any effort into even apologizing to people, unless he felt like he was the one who had made the situation…the worst. Now, he was apologizing for being horribly possessive, and what he thought was the answer to what she wanted was apparently the direct opposite? He didn’t know what to do with that information. It was contradictory to everything that his brain was telling him to do. When people are enjoying themselves or working through emotions…you leave them alone. No. Maybe that was just what he needed when he was upset.

“Esme…I don’t know what to do…” Dean tried to reason, but Esme stopped him in his tracks by telling him to fix things with Duke. He narrowed his eyes and crunched his nose in confusion, finding it ridiculous that anything was even wrong with Duke. Duke never got mad at anyone. There wasn’t any bad blood between them, that Dean could see. He turned his eyes toward Duke and noticed how he was standing, “What?”

Duke didn’t even make eye contact with Dean. He simply turned to look at Esme from under his hat. She was coming to bat for him, in a way. She was calling Dean on his bullshit behavior toward him, and he would have to thank her for that later, if the conversation with Dean didn’t devolve into a fist fight. He simply nodded and turned his eyes down to his feet again, “Yes Ma’am. We’ll figure it out.”

“Esme where are you going?” Dean called out to her, ignoring Duke for a moment, until he realized that Esme wasn’t going to answer him, and he dropped his shoulders dramatically, turning in a circle while wiping a hand down his face in frustration. Then, he turned to Duke with a glare.

“Don’t give me that look.” Duke scoffed, scooting his hat back on his head so he could look at Dean a bit better. Dean snarled at Duke, pointing a finger at him.

“It’s been a long week of cleaning up your messes.”

“My messes? I never asked you to come save me at any point this week and if you think this…” Duke waved his arms around, and then pointed toward Esme’s retreating form, “is my mess? Oh boy do I have bad news for you. This is all you. Why did you tell her about me runnin’ like its somethin’ that’s gonna affect her in some way?”

“Because it will! What happens when she gets attached to you, like the good little puppy you are, only for you to disappear? Hm? What was her name? Ariel?”

“Rachel, you idiot.” Duke scoffed, kicking some dirt in frustration as he listened to the same speech he had heard a million times.

“Fine. Rachel. What happened when she fell head over heels in love with you? You proposed to her. You might have even loved her. Then, summer time comes along, Duke falls into the self doubt hole, and runs away. She came around every single day for a month, man! We didn’t know where you were. We didn’t even know how to contact you, after you threw away your phones…and that girl was broken. Completely destroyed.” Dean lectured, and Duke sniffled in frustration, reaching up to wipe a bit of sweat from his nose. Duke turned his eyes up to meet Dean’s face, “The only person that will tolerate you, is me…”

Duke suddenly jolted forward, shoving Dean backward with both his hands and his teeth gritted. Dean was a bit surprised at his anger.

“While we’re talkin’ about our big ones. Why don’t we talk about yours, hm?” Duke growled at Dean through his teeth, but Dean shook his head. “No. You can’t talk about the people you mess up, because the only thing that matters is who LIKES you. You have to have constant admiration, like some kind of God.”

Dean held a hand out, placing it on Duke’s bare chest with a huff, “I’m not fighting with you and I’m not gonna talk about her.”

“Oh! We can bring up all Duke’s mistakes, but heaven forbid that Dean Winchester admits he’s ever been wrong. Like right now! All that girl in there wants is for you to snuggle up with her, to maybe take her out and buy her a beer, to show her that she’s not alone after a really…really bad night. Which by the way, I haven’t heard you ask her about. I did…” Duke ranted, shoving Dean hard again. “Maybe, you’re afraid to admit that what she needs, is me, right now. That’s why you can’t fix it. She needed someone who knows nothin’ about her to spill to…and not you.”

Dean suddenly swept Duke’s leg from under him, following his body to the ground as he attempted to wrap his arms around Duke’s neck to choke him out. Anything to stop the flow of guilt that Dean was already feeling. But Duke was a little bigger and stronger than Dean, quickly rolling over, and squeezing both his knees against Dean’s ribs as he sat on his back. Dean groaned, and Duke’s arm pressed into the back of his neck, Duke’s other hand wrenching Dean’s behind his back, pressuring his elbow painfully.

“Me and you? We’re good. But you ain’t got shit to say to me about how I treat people. You know that. I know more about you than anyone and you are the same with me. But I’ll be damned if you’re gonna bring it up like I’m some sort of poison…” Duke whispered angrily in Dean’s ear, applying pressure to Dean’s elbow until he heard his adopted brother cry out, “Fix…your…mistakes…yourself. Stop draggin’ me into it, or I might have to turn up that charm until Esme sees how much of a hypocrite you really can be…brother.”

With a huff, Duke shoved Dean’s head and arm away from him and stood up, swiping his cowboy hat off the ground and dusting it off before placing it back on his head. He stepped off and began to walk back toward the house, turning to call back to Dean, “Unload those and put them in the shed for me. I need a beer.”

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

Dean

Dean could hear Lexi’s voice reacting to his touch just rattling around in his brain as he huffed, buzzing around the laundry room. He grabbed a couple of large blankets, draping them over his arm, before wiping a flustered hand down his face as he turned and Lexi tossed some sheets over his arm. He quickly brought his hand down to catch the top of them, smirking as he saw how flustered she was.

The temptation to lock them in this room and just continue their little meeting in the hallway was high, but Dean shook his head slightly, shaking the feelings down. He had to keep it together, keep his…head…on straight, and stop being so desperate. Just looking at the way Lexi stood and smiled at him drove him crazy and honestly frustrated the hell out of him.

“Great. Lets…lets go make a bed. I feel like we’ve adopted a child.” Dean quipped, turning toward the door. He balanced the blankets and sheets on one arm, and then pressed the cracked door open, stepping back into the hallway. It felt like a year, walking all the way back up to the door adjacent to Sam’s. Dean figured he would set her up rather close to Sam, because for the time being…he was making her Sam’s problem, if something went wrong.

He reached out and turned the doorknob, shoving the warded door open to reveal a simple desk, a dresser and a bed, like all the other rooms. He flipped the light switch and stepped in, quickly sitting all the blankets and sheets on the dresser to his right.

“It’s bare, but it’s home for the time being…” Dean spoke up randomly, grabbing the fitted sheet from the top of the stack. He unfolded it, and as if he was dressing a bed in military barracks, he had the sheet placed and flattened on the bed within seconds. He stood straight and turned, grabbing the regular sheet and blanket from the dresser, tossing them to the foot of the bed with a clap. “And there. If she’s gonna be a hunter, she can spread her own sheet.”

Dean turned to Lexi, and immediately, the sound of her voice rang out in his head, and his throat went dry. Here they were, standing in a room. It was as easy as closing the door. All he had to do was close that door and they could get this out of their system, but no. This wasn’t his room. This wasn’t the place.

He stepped up to Lexi and gently took the pillows from her, turning and tossing them onto of the blanket at the foot of the bed with a smile, “There. I gave her a place to sleep. Whether she stays in here…well that’s a whole other issue Sam can deal with.”

Dean chuckled, and swallowed down the hammering in his chest as he glanced to the door and then down at Lexi’s lips. He couldn’t hear Sam and Anya. Anya’s quietness was going to be a pain, as she was hard to keep up with, and Sam seemed to be so gentle with her, he was practically mute, too. But not hearing anything except the faucet turn on as he listened carefully, Dean lost that little sliver of control he was holding in. He took a wide step forward, covering Lexi’s lips with his, one hand tangling tight in the hair on the back of her head and the other coming down to grip her hip. He walked her back quickly, bumping her against the desk in the corner, the old wood banging against the wall as he pressed her against the edge of the desk.

It was his turn to make little noises as a soft moan rumbled out of his throat, straight into the kiss. His fingers searched for skin against her hip, trailing soft touches under the hem of her shirt as he deepened the kiss even more, making his intentions very clear.

Anya

Anya laughed with Sam and she tilted her head, teasing him with a look that said ‘You didn’t say you’re not’ in response to him being loud in bed. The fact that their tension was mutual, and still light hearted was even more exciting than the kiss they had shared earlier in the night. This was what she wanted, with him. She barely knew him. She wanted to be light hearted. She wanted to be sensual, since he seemed completely on board with it. She wanted to possibly be the one person who passed through his life that he remembered, after she inevitably left…after the case.

As he stood, Anya stayed for a split second to type a message that she could play. After pressing play, she stood and walked her own plate over to the sink, handing it over to Sam as she went to cover the food and put away the leftovers.

“I was implying that you don’t seem like a good whisperer. Let’s just say that. With all this tension, breakfast is going to be nice and awkward.”

As the message finished playing, Anya giggled, her giggle coming out as a breathy laugh behind Sam as she pulled down some aluminum foil from the shelf above the stove. She wrapped both pans in aluminum foil and, being careful to barely touch Sam as she passed through the narrow space behind him, she walked it to the fridge and placed it on the shelf, right next to the beer for Dean.

The kitchen was relatively quiet, and the wind outside rattled the metal upstairs of the bunker as Anya realized that now would be a great time to have a voice, and to be able to break some of the tension and silence with small talk. She turned and wiped what little liquid was on the counter top, and then wiped her hands on the towel and walked back over to the table, picking up her phone and leaning on the edge of the table.

“Your room?” She typed, pressing play and turning her eyes down to her boots as she waited for him to finish up at the sink.

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

Dean

Dean was glad that Lexi could take a subtle request, and as she willingly turned and walked toward the kitchen doorway, Dean awkwardly turned around, ready to smile politely at Anya, but she and Sam were smiling at each other and…canoodling. Dean scrunched his nose, mental images grossing him out until Lexi called for him and he turned his head to look toward the door way. He pushed off the counter without even bothering to answer her and glanced down at Sam on his way by, “You kids be good.”

He practically jogged to Lexi, grabbing her hand on his way down the hallway. He dragged her until they turned the corner, just before the boiler room where the laundry facilities were, and backed her against the wall by the door with a sigh.

“It’s in there…” he murmured with a smirk, before he pulled both of Lexi’s hands to rest against his chest, and he leaned in, kissing her desperately. He felt like a teenager, hiding around corners and behind doors, anything to be able to kiss her without Sam’s judging eyes. If Sam said a word, he would likely knock his brother out for even insinuating that Dean was moving on, or even enjoying the company of another woman.

He released one of Lexi’s hands, bringing his hand up to wrap around her neck, his thumb pressed firmly under her chin to tilt her head up as he deepened the kiss. After a few moments, and before his hands could wander in the middle of the open hallway, Dean broke the kiss and pressed his forehead to Lexi’s, sighing through his nose.

“We need to get that bedding. They’ll be roaming soon…” He murmured, pressing another quick kiss to Lexi’s lips before pushing himself back from her reluctantly. He turned and opened the door to the laundry room and stepped inside, scanning the shelves for everything they needed to set up a new room. He was obviously flustered, but he tried his best to just…stay on task.

Anya

Anya was a bit surprised as Sam’s demeanor seemed to change a bit into what appeared to be flirtation? He had been so sweet and so gentle the entire time she had known him, that seeing that smirk appear on his lips made Anya’s heart do a little flip in her chest. She watched his every move, watching how his shoulders rose and fell as he held that same smirk and decided to openly flirt with her, with a little bit of secrecy from the others. It was a bit thrilling.

“Well behaved…” seemed almost sinful the way it fell off his tongue, as if there was another side to him that she hadn’t seen yet. She glanced down at his lips, taking her own bottom lip between her teeth as he asked her if she would be able to control herself. The answer was: “Absolutely not.”, but she fought with herself, fighting for the idea of getting to know Sam and taking things as slow as he originally seemed to want to.

But…she could take his lead on this, if he seemed to want to flirt. After their kiss in the kitchen, it wasn’t exactly surprising that there would be tension between them. If Dean hadn’t called when he did…well…

She turned her eyes away from him only briefly, to type a message on her phone, before turning them back up with that same mischievous smirk. She held her phone up beside her head as she leaned in close so Sam could read it. She knew the message was more seductive than she would EVER usually be, but she also knew, as she chuckled that it was exactly what Sam was thinking. The entire bunker was hanging thick with tension, as if it just needed to boil over and release the awkwardness.

“The idea that you’re in the same building with me, and I’m wearing your shirt is going to complicate the idea of control. At least the rooms don’t echo.”

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Dean

Dean smirked as Mika pulled away from the kiss and took a sip of her coffee. He would always come second to coffee, after a heavy sleep. He picked up a piece of Mika’s hair and twirled it around his finger lazily while watching her enjoy her coffee, until she asked who was up. Dean glanced toward the living room door, and scrunched his nose to try and remember if he had seen anyone else other than Duke, but no one came to mind.

“Duke came in. He’s in the living room with Esme, I assume. He seems a little better this evening. Anna and Sam are still downstairs and…I don’t think its going too good. She didn’t sound so good earlier. But I don’t think they ever slept.” Dean explained, reaching up to flatten the hair on top of his head. He shrugged, “And Nat and Cason, I haven’t seen them. So, I think it’s just us and Duke, for now.”

“How are you feeling this evening, hmm?” He asked, absentmindedly scratching his chest, before reaching out and placing his hand on her hip, pulling her in and keeping her close. The lingering conversation he knew that he and Mika had to have about Esme buzzed around in his brain. He wasn’t sure what all Duke had told her while she was out in the RV taking care of him. He didn’t figure it was much, as Duke usually didn’t talk about their past, much, other than a cross joke here and there.

“You sleep good? You came to bed with me, this morning. So, I assume we’re good. But we didn’t talk about much. Are we good?”

Cason

Cason smiled as Nat pulled herself closer to him, reaching an arm up so he could frame her jaw with his hand, brushing his thumb across her cheek. Her comment about him being more than a pet demon made him chuckle and he shrugged, “Like I said…also a saint. If I keep being this nice, maybe my soul can be saved, after all.”

He leaned in a pressed a tight kiss to Nat’s lips, only lingering for a few seconds before looking into her eyes again with a soft smirk, “You know…I’m fine with just laying here in bed all night and pretending that the idiots out there aren’t going to pull us into whatever mess they’re planning. But I also know that as a human, you’ll eventually need to eat.”

Cason sighed, brushing his thumb over the bruise on Nat’s cheek, wishing that she could heal as fast as he did. He knew she was probably still a little worried about his wounds, or at least how he was actually feeling. He was fine, but convincing a human of that, especially after what she had seen the previous night, was nearly impossible.

“Can I tell you something, about last night?” He asked, his smile fading a bit as he watched her eyes, the eyes he honestly feared he would never see again. The eyes that could cause him to nuke the entire planet. “When I sent the dogs to go and find you guys, the first thing they came back and told me was that you were…there. I was so hurt, that I couldn’t come right then. I had to sit there in the dirt and wait. I can’t begin to explain the things that went through my mind…blinding anger. Panic? Maybe? I am so sorry that I didn’t get to you faster. I’m sorry all this is because…it took me so long.”

Anna

Anna listened to what Cason was saying, and her heart suddenly began to hammer in her chest. She didn’t want to drink anymore blood. But she also didn’t want to go through this detox cold turkey. She didn’t want to watch Sam die a million times or end up carved up by Alastair or see Dean the way he had come to her earlier in the day. She sighed, trying to think of what to do, just as Sam shifted her to sit on the floor.

She pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs and stared straight ahead, just as Dean’s voice called out to her from the desk, directly behind her. At first, she couldn’t hear what he was saying but then his voice came clear, as Sam’s voice barely sounded in her mind while he walked to the door.

“So, you know I’m not actually here, but do you? Or are you expecting me to walk down those stairs and stab you through the heart? It would put my brother out of a lot of misery. You’re gonna die. Lilith is going to wear your pretty little body, and Sam is going to have to watch you as you are ridden to the apocalypse.” Dean nearly growled at Anna as she closed her eyes, and covered her ears.

“Shut up, Dean. Please. Just shut up.”

“Shut up? Well isn’t that appropriate. Cason coming down here tells me everything I need to know about you, you blood junkie. You hate me because I’m trying to protect him…from you.” Dean sneered, leaning over the back of the chair he was sitting on.

“I said shut up! I’m not going to hurt him. I wouldn’t hurt him, Dean. Just please leave me alone.” Anna whimpered, as the door slamming closed on the panic room caused Dean to disappear, Anna coming back down to earth and blinking as she opened her eyes and looked up at Sam. She glanced behind her, as Sam approached her, seeing that Dean was gone. He wasn’t real after all.

Anna turned her eyes back to Sam as he sat down, and explained that Cason left her a vial of blood. Just seeing it, Anna could taste it. She could smell it through the cap, and her body felt like it was reaching out for it. With a shaky sigh, she nodded at Sam, “I um…I don’t want to drink it, but I can’t…I can’t do it like this anymore. Dean. He keeps showing up. He keeps showing up and trying to convince me that I’m going to kill you or something worse. Alastair. Dean. Some woman I don’t know…Even you. There’s a version of you…and he’s cold. He doesn’t care and he says the worst things.”

Anna reached out and took the vial from Sam, holding it in her hand for a moment as she thought about whether staying exposed to the blood would be worth it, to stop the hallucinations. If things kept up, she wasn’t even sure if she would be able to look Sam in the eyes, no matter how real he was right in front of her.

“I’m um…” Anna’s hands began to shake violently, and brought up her other hand to wipe her forehead with frustration, “I’m going to drink it but…can you um…can you not watch?”

Anna turned her head, making direct eye contact with Dean who was sitting once again, straddling the chair by the desk. As her shaking hands uncapped the bottle and she brought it to her lips, she toasted him, and downed the whole thing in one drink, the effects almost immediate. Dean slowly faded away to nothing as he smirked at her, and she let out a soft growl, feeling the warmth flood through her body, bringing color back to her face.

“He’s gone…” She whispered to Sam, breathing a sigh of relief at how quickly the small amount of blood brought relief.

Duke

Duke watched Esme’s face as she admitted that she wasn’t really okay. He didn’t expect her to be, if he was honest. He had only heard half of what everyone was saying, after he got back to the house, but he had heard enough. She wasn’t human…but she was human enough. She had apparently taken down a whole building, and walked out of it with some bangs and bruises. Of course she felt like Hell. Of course she wasn’t doing so hot.

As her eyes fell to his stomach, and she brushed her fingers over the bandage, Duke shook his head and raised his eyebrows, “Don’t worry about all that. Mika came out and patched me back up. I crashed pretty quick after that. I barely even noticed that I was alone after she left. I promise.”

Duke tilted his head as Esme zoned out, obviously remembering something that seemed to bother her. He wanted to ask, but he wasn’t sure if it was digging up more feelings about the conversation he had only heard part of. Until she was feeling better, he didn’t want to dig any of that crap up. He just wanted her to rest and to get better. The rest could come after. But her next words caused him to narrow his eyes and almost turn to Bobby for clarification.

What had Bobby given her that would suddenly make her not trust him? Maybe it was just a spiked drink to make her sleep or something. Either way, Bobby cleared his throat and didn’t clarify either, and the whole thing felt sticky. Duke faked a smile for a split second and nodded, “Alright. I can do that.”

He started to turn and stand, but her hand touched his cheek and he was brought back into her eyes with a soft sigh. The glimmer in his eyes didn’t fade, but his smile did as he shrugged his shoulders, “I um…I don’t really…”, he started, before clearing his throat. He rolled his head around to force himself to answer the question and then sighed again, “I’m feelin’ fine. Honestly. I got a couple holes and some bruises, but physically, I’m alright. Mentally? I-I don’t really know how to answer that yet.”

Duke turned his eyes down, staring at the blanket that was sitting just above Esme’s stomach, his eyes searching for the answers he was sure she would want to hear, but he found nothing. So, he turned his eyes back to hers and smiled softly, “I’ll figure it out. I always do, right?”

"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?