JustAnna

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Duke

Duke felt Esme tense against him a bit, and glanced down when she looped one of her fingers through a belt loop. He didn’t acknowledge it, keeping his attention on her face. She was obviously tired, and what little he knew about her empathy, she had to be emotionally overwhelmed around everyone, with all the tension. He moved his hips a bit closer to her, keeping his hand on her hip as she and Mika spoke.

Mika and Esme speaking so calm with one another was a relief, as Duke turned his eyes from Esme over to Mika as she thanked Esme for her efforts with Nat. Duke didn’t know Nat as well as he knew Mika and Dean, but he could tell that she was a lot like Dean. She was more like Dean than she would ever admit, he had to assume.

“Well, I mean, who better to have out there than someone who knows her type…” Duke chimed in before he realized he had spoken up. “I mean, you and Esme know Dean like the back of your hand. Nat doesn’t seem that much different. Maybe a little more closed off…different trauma and all that.”

He shrugged his shoulders, sinking into the calm in the room, between two women that he loved more than anything.

“Seems like we’re all makin’ strides tonight, right?”

Dean

It was Dean’s turn to listen, and listen he did. He waited patiently as Nat gathered her words, and glanced over to her when she finally did speak. Of course she just wanted him to respect her and to see her as a sister, and not some kid to babysit. He was her big brother. But when she mentioned that he resented her, he frowned, shaking his head instantly. It was a gut reaction, and he hoped that she would take it for what it was. He didn’t feel that way at all. There were times that he wished she felt she could come to him the way she came to Sam, but resentment wasn’t the word…

Dean didn’t voice what he was thinking. He just let her vent to him, the way she had probably needed to for a while. This had been brewing for a while. He had lost her trust, completely. He had taken away her agency, under the guise of protecting her…a habit of his. As soon as her eyes met his, Dean’s own eyes began to well up in tears a bit. He snarled his nose to try and press them down, but it was hard to deny the feeling in his chest that told him that he was the one who broke her spirit. He had done a lot of damage, in the heat of the moment.

“I don’t know…” He whispered in response to her question of ‘how can I believe anything you say to me?’. He wasn’t quite sure what he wanted, here. On one hand, he wanted forgiveness but on the other hand, he wanted to hear it all…to be tortured with it. He wanted her to hate him for his actions, and match his own internal feelings.

But her next words sobered him up a bit, and he almost stopped breathing. She felt unwanted. She felt like he didn’t want her around…like he didn’t love her. Dean shook his head quickly, and had to choke back his own sudden overwhelm as she sobbed.

“No no no. You’re wrong about that.” Dean stopped her, clearing his throat and sniffling. He scooted a little closer to her, grabbing one of her hands to wrench her hands away from her knees. He placed the hand on his chest, and used his other hand to push her legs down so he could pull her close to him.

“I want you to listen to me. Take a deep breath and listen to me…” Dean took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling under her hand. “There has never been a day that I regretted saving you. I don’t want you to ever…ever think that. And you’re not half of anything. Nat look up here at me.”

Dean pushed aside any bravado or facade that he had ever put on. They were alone. Nat needed him. His protective brother side took over before he even realized it, and for a moment…he saw Sam sitting in front of him. He remembered these sorts of conversations with Sam, after one of John’s rampages at the boys. Sam would be left feeling helpless and small, while Dean took the brunt of John’s anger to protect him…and then he picked up Sam’s pieces too.

He dipped his head to find her eyes, and he brought his hand up to cover hers.

“You feel that? That’s blood pumping. Our blood. You have that same blood pumping through your veins. You’re my sister…my blood. That ‘half’ crap doesn’t matter. You’re…a Winchester. You understand?” Dean spoke softly, his eyes wide and pleading, “And you’re going to do plenty of stupid shit because of that name. Me and you? We’re a lot alike. But don’t you ever…ever think that I don’t want you. If you can’t believe anything, please believe that.”

Anna

Anna nuzzled into Sam’s leg as he began stroking her hair. For a moment, at least, she felt safe and heard. Hearing that he stood up to Dean was a bit of a surprise to her. Sure, he had followed her out of the house, but she had assumed that he likely just walked away in an angry huff and left all the opinions in the air. It seemed very on par with Sam and Dean. But he actually stood up to him, and voiced an opinion. That was relatively new…

It was then that Anna remembered that Dean had hurt her arm, and she pressed her arm against Sam’s leg, forcing her jacket sleeve up so she could glance at the bruise that was forming. As Sam continued, Anna began to shake her head softly, barely moving it against his leg as the sobbing threatened to break out of her chest, all over again. She believed what Dean had screamed at her. Dean only wanted her around because he was afraid of her. They all were. In some small way, the whole group felt like she was a danger if she wasn’t tied to them.

But as he brought up the way Nat and Duke felt about her, she mulled it over in her mind. She could see Duke’s friendly smile, and sweet way that he called her ‘little one’ and Nat taking the time to talk to her and hug her in the bathroom at the restaurant. He was at least right about the two of them. They seemed to actually see her as a person, mostly because they hadn’t seen anything else from her…the way Sam and Dean had.

If it was everyone’s opinion against Dean’s, no one would win. Dean took over every situation. In a moment of panic, Dean could send her into a meat grinder, and someone would make an excuse for his decision, as if she died for some ‘greater good’. But yet, Sam was saying everything she had been practically begging him to tell her for months, before the situation at the barn happened.

He needed her. He loved her. He wanted her.

“It’s a bit hard to argue with someone like Dean, though.” She finally murmured, staring off into space as she spoke. Her crying had calmed, but the thoughts were now flooding in, and Anna couldn’t help voice them out loud. “No matter how much you love me…if Dean doesn’t want me around, then he’ll do everything he can to make sure I don’t…stay around.”

She paused and she brought a hand up to wipe tears from the tip of her nose, “And with all this stuff with Lilith and Alastair, I have a feeling he wants me as far away from you as humanly possible. Me telling Nat the truth is just the excuse he needed…”

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

Dean

Dean shook his head at Sam’s reminding him of all the ways he had tried to kill or just torture Nat’s boyfriend over the years. It was true that the two were almost sworn enemies, making the others life hell in any way they could, but Dean had grown. If it meant that Natalia would come and see them, he was willing to play nice. Plus, Cason had ears on Hell that they didn’t have access to, outside of Crowley, who he wasn’t really ready to hear from…just yet.

“I’ll give her a call in a bit. I’m sure they would just be chomping at the bit to come all the way to Kansas.” Dean scoffed sarcastically, although, the thought of hearing Nat’s voice echoing through the bunker halls brought a small smile to his face, “Yeah. I’ll call her.”

Dean gave Sam a look when Lexi asked about Natalia, not really sure how to bridge the conversation about her boyfriend being a demon. He was hoping she wouldn’t ask. But after Sam explained that Nat was their sister, Lexi asked the million dollar question, and Dean sat a bit straighter again with a sigh. He turned his eyes toward Sam. Seeing Sam’s expression, he raised his eyebrows as if to say ‘really? You’re going to leave me alone with this?’

“Um…Natalia’s boyfriend is different from…us. He’s not exactly the stereotypical hunting partner.” Dean started, glancing down at the table as he drew a devils trap on the glass with his finger tip, “He’s a demon. BUT…before anyone says anything, he has proven himself to be…docile.”

Anya

Anya glanced quickly between Sam and Dean, as Sam leaned his head down and whispered straight into her ear about going to get her stuff. She was just as intrigued as Lexi, as to what could be so dramatic about their sister’s love life that Dean seemed nervous. She turned her eyes to Dean and the second ‘he’s a demon’ left his lips, Anya stiffened a bit.

A Winchester was dating a demon? Wait. Sam and Dean didn’t seem bothered by the fact that their sister was shacked up with a demon. That seemed out of character for them. She pulled out her phone and typed, pressing play and holding the phone out to Dean.

“And you’re planning to bring him here?”

“Like I said…docile. Cason won’t hurt anyone. He proved that years ago. He’s a good ally to have, right now.” Dean explained simply, his face stone still as he looked Anya in the eyes and then turned to Lexi, “I promise. Nat wouldn’t be out there alone with him, if we didn’t trust him.”

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Duke

Duke almost breathed the largest sigh of relief as Mika explained what she and Dean had talked about. Other than a few details about Dean’s time with Esme, and what drove Esme away…it didn’t seem that Mika knew much more about the dynamic between the three of them. At the very least, she didn’t know any more than what he had told her about his involvement with Esme back in the day. He just really didn’t want the confusion and ‘what were you thinking’ speeches, when he was actually pretty happy with the way things were back then. It could have worked…if Dean had been able to let go of Mika.

“I remember those days all too well.” Duke muttered, tilting his head down a bit as the memories of Mika being shattered into pieces in his motel room flooded his mind, as well as the memories of her phone calls. Duke had no good answers to give her when she called, but he picked up…no matter what. “You guys always manage to come back together. Now, you just gotta work on all that brutal honesty together, if you’re gonna make it work long term, this time.”

He paused, just before Esme stepped in and as the back door opened, Duke nodded, “Yeah…we’re the best we’ve ever been, if I’m honest. Waitin’ around was worth it, this time.”

As soon as Esme was in the room, Duke stepped over to her and he wrapped an arm around her waist. He pressed a gentle kiss to her temple, and dragged his hand down to rest against her hip. He could feel the pressure change in the room, the second Esme came in, and when he glanced back over to Mika, he was happy to see that she had on her kind face. She was ready to be patient and civil toward Esme, which caused Duke to smile a bit and turn his eyes back to Esme’s face. Bringing his spare hand up, he wiped a spare tear away from her face and sighed.

“Well he walked out there in a much different mood than he had when I first walked in. He was simmered down quite a bit. I don’t think Natalia has anything to worry about.” Duke said softly. He turned his attention back to Mika for a moment with a smile, “Seems like we’re all workin’ toward civil.”

Dean

Dean watched as Esme pulled away from the hug with Nat and started her walk toward the house to give Dean and Nat some space. As she passed, and echoed Mika’s words, Dean gave her a soft smile, even though he was terrified that he couldn’t do what they asked. He wasn’t exactly good at expressing anything toward his siblings other than protection and anger when they made stupid mistakes. But he had to try, or he would end up losing Nat…and from the feeling in the air, Sam was on his way out, too.

As Nat patted the car next to her, Dean sighed nervously, stepping forward with a bit of a foot drag. She was definitely more calm, and seemed less likely to hit him again, which he was thankful for. As he climbed onto the car, his nervousness in the pit of his stomach grew. Where to even begin?

“I’m not going to beat around the bush, because that’s not what you need from me.” Dean began calmly, his voice low as he glanced up at the busted window of the Impala. He took a deep breath, and continued, “I’m sorry that I kept things from you, like you couldn’t handle it. I treated you like a kid, which is probably what you’ll always be in part of my brain. For that, I’m sorry.”

Dean paused and frowned, glancing out into a random spot in the lot, before turning to look at Nat’s face, “I don’t want you to ever think that there’s anything you could do to change how much I love you. Alright? Take swings at me. Wreck my car. It doesn’t matter. When I told you ‘I’ve got you’ back when we first found you, I know I didn’t deliver. I was horrible to you, for the longest time. But I mean it, now.”

He knew that he needed to let her get her own feelings out there, if he was ever going to try and fix any of the mistakes he had made that had led to this level of distrust and vitriol between them. Dean wasn’t a fixer. He didn’t do the whole ‘I’m sorry I made you feel that way’ dance…but he was willing to try for his baby sister.

“I just feel like we’ve needed to talk for a while…”

Anna

Anna was a little zoned out as Sam booked their room, standing close to him, and moving even closer into his side every time someone passed. She really just wanted to be behind a locked door, safe and sound for the night while she processed Dean’s outburst, and where to go from here. If the tension with Dean was going to be as thick as it was before she and Sam had left the house…Anna had no desire to be around the older Winchester.

As Sam led her outside, she just followed along, handing Sam’s heavier bag off to him. Her own bag bounced against her leg as she walked absentmindedly, her body a bit numb, toward the room with Sam. She took his lead and walked into the room as soon as he unlocked the door, walking over to the side of the bed she preferred and dropping her bag on the floor. She then kicked her own boots off, realizing that she desperately needed a shower, but she was too keyed up to deal with it at that moment.

At that moment, Sam was holding his arms out to her, asking her if she wanted a hug. She simply stood there for a moment, his arms looking way too inviting to say no to, especially now that they were alone, and she could fall apart if she wanted to, without prying eyes. After a moment of watching Sam, Anna walked around to him. She stepped up to the end of the bed, climbing up beside him, instead of into his arms, and laid down beside his legs, using his thigh as a pillow. She brought both her arms up, covering her eyes and just absolutely fell apart.

Dean’s words, mixed with the feelings she had dealt with not long before, when she ran away…were all enough to drive her into another fit of tears. As if she felt like part of the family before, she definitely didn’t now. If not for Sam’s actions, choosing her in the moment that she broke down, she would have run off. She was no good to them as anything other than a weapon…that she didn’t even want to be.

“Thank you…” She whispered, her voice shaky and heartbroken as she wrapped an arm around Sam’s thigh.

All Roads Lead To You

Duke and Dean

Duke was a little surprised when Esme was willing to talk to him, and hadn’t left the table, considering their meeting outside. When she told him that he would know if he crossed a boundary with her, he nodded but then tilted his head with a confused scowl when she mentioned that he was drunk. He was probably drunk, but he didn’t want to admit it. Plus, he would just blame Bobby’s top shelf ‘who knows how long it’s been open’ whiskey.

He watched every move she made as she took a bite of chocolate, and continued with her terms. He nodded, turning his eyes down to the table briefly, but when he lifted his eyes, she was staring straight at them. Duke swallowed heavily, and he opened his mouth to speak, before closing it. But then he found his words, “I might need clarification on that. I gotta know where that line is between keepin’ something to myself and lying, for you…”

Duke adjusted in his seat and he tapped his fingers on the table in front of him before nodding, with a smirk, “I’ll get back to you on that.”

“Alright then. Was that so hard?” Dean asked just as a knock at the door jarred both Duke and Dean. Dean glanced over to the kitchen door, and he turned back to Duke. Duke narrowed his eyes in confusion, “Who would be knockin’ on the kitchen door?”

Duke stood up, stumbling just a bit and walked to the kitchen door, before turning to give Dean a look that said ‘you could have told me’. He opened the glass door and leaned in the doorway, failing to block the view of the person standing there. She was a much shorter girl, her long brown hair was pulled up in a messy bun and she looked honestly devastated. She wore one of Duke’s flannels, and jeans, and the second Duke opened the door, she seemed confused, hurt and angry all wrapped in one.

“There she is…” Dean muttered, as the girl began to speak.

“So, you just run off…just like that and now you’re back? You didn’t call. Duke what’s going on?” The girl whimpered, scanning Duke’s face frantically. Duke sighed, and reached his hand out, grabbing for her wrist.

“Not here. Let’s go outside, alright?”

“I’ve tried to call you for weeks, Duke. Weeks…” She continued, as Duke pushed her out of the doorway and into the garage. Dean stood from his place at the table, and he stepped over to the kitchen window, gently raising it to be as sneaky as he could. “I mean, I knew that you did this, the whole disappearing act. But you had changed. My dad has even called you.”

“I just needed to get away from Sioux Falls for a bit, Rachel. I don’t know any other way to explain it, than that.” Duke explained as best he could.

Dean leaned down, dipping his head so he could whisper to Esme, “That…is Rachel. She’s what we call ‘Duke’s big one’. Off again. On again for about two years. Things kinda worked with them until about a month ago.”

“So, I just get thrown away, when you decide to leave?” Rachel asked a bit louder, and Duke said nothing, standing there with his arms crossed and his eyes on the ground at her feet, “You’re all beat up again. You said…that you would eventually tell me about your life. You would let me in. Where is that Duke, now?”

“I can’t do this right now.” Duke grumbled, turning away from Rachel, who instantly followed him, grabbing his wrist. “Rachel…”

“I’ll stay the night and take care of you. But you can’t run off before we can talk.” Rachel whispered, as Duke smirked, his eyes glassy from being a bit drunk.

“You’re pissed at me and you want to take care of me?”

“I love you. So, of course…” Rachel almost whispered, stepping up to Duke’s chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck and she leaned up on her toes, pressing a sweet kiss to his lips. Duke, in his alcohol induced lapse of judgement a mile long, kissed her back. He stepped backward as she continued to kiss him, walking back toward the RV.

“Okay. So that was awkward…but this is what they do. They’ll be running around here like nothing happened, in the morning. Rachel is the only girl Duke has ever ‘dated’ for more than a hook up.” Dean chimed in, grabbing a chair and pulling it closer to Esme. He placed his elbow on the top of the table, and then placed his head on his fist, close to Esme’s face. “So, how are you feeling about the dynamic in the house, now? Did I help…like at all with this situation?”

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

Anya and Dean

Anya dropped her smirk when Lexi brought things back to the seriousness of hunting. She nodded her head, letting Lexi know that she fully expected her to be rough during training. She also interrupted briefly to type a ‘I can do that’ in response to being serious when learning. Anya could be deadly serious, when she needed to be. She just used her wit to counter men that thought they were going to run over her, or explain things to her like a child.

Anya also nodded at the question about training clothes. She typed a simple, “I have workout gear in my bag. I like to run.”, and then she pressed play with a soft smile. In fact, this was one of the first mornings she hadn’t been out on a jog in a while, but it wasn’t like she could just run around the streets of Lebanon in her underwear and an oversized tshirt. The locals might get more of a show than they bargained for.

She turned her eyes up to Sam as he spoke, watching the way that his hair ruffled when he moved his head, and she realized right then that she would be as serious as she had to be, in order to learn more about the way he lived, survived…and to survive to keep the tension out of his eyebrows. When she had met him, there was no way he didn’t have a constant headache from all the tension in his face, as if he was just getting through the day by the skin of his teeth. But now? He seemed relaxed, on mission, and…happy.

Dean turned his eyes from Lexi back to Anya, smirking to himself at the way she looked at his brother. Any other time, he would make a comment, or say it was pathetic and weird, but the girl seemed enamored by him. The look he could read in her eyes was almost laughable, but she seemed to be looking at him like someone she could protect…whether from himself, or others.

He didn’t say anything, just watched them, until Sam spoke up straight to him and he cleared his throat, sitting up a little straighter in his chair.

“Yeah. I heard from her a few days ago. She and Cason are working some…’string of bear attacks that left no real bodies behind’ up in Northern California. She said…and I quote…’I’ll come by to visit when I know the door to the dungeon is locked’. She acts like I’m just gonna lock her boyfriend up the entire time she’s here.” Dean waved his hand with a scoff. He then had a slight thought, “Although, I wouldn’t mind picking his brain about this…”

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Dean and Duke

Dean watched Mika as she walked over to stand in front of him and Duke, echoing Duke’s advice. Dean agreed that he would probably feel better if Nat didn’t go to bed hating him for all of this. He would at least feel better if they were just…okay. Then, he had a lot of work to do with Sam. But first thing had to come first…the catalyst of all this, Natalia. He had never been good at showing Nat that he cared about her. For a while, he chalked the behavior up to not believing she was real. He held her at arms length. But the time for not getting close to her had passed a long time ago. She had been right there, every step of the way, for a while…and Dean never acknowledged it.

Duke’s eyes widened at Mika’s words and the look on her face. He wondered how much Dean had actually told her about his relationship with Esme. Surely, she wouldn’t be so calm and collected and non judgmental if she knew everything…right? But he didn’t speak on it, just in case Dean had conveniently left out parts. He just turned his attention back to Dean and took a deep breath.

“So, should I go, now?” Dean asked, his eyes turning to the floor, as Mika’s hand began rubbing his back, and the fear of approaching Natalia at all filled his chest. It was strange how afraid of confrontation he was, considering his job. He could handle almost anything, except apologizing for being legitimately wrong. That was scary. Demons? Nothing. Accountability? Terrifying.

“Go now. Go later on…but don’t leave it sittin’.” Duke chimed in, glancing at Mika again, before reaching up, grabbing the back of Dean’s neck in a movement that instantly made Dean feel calmer. He turned his face to look Duke in the eyes, which was what Duke was signaling for him to do. “She’ll forgive you. I’ve been on this side of the Dean Winchester apology tour…and I forgave you. Mika forgave you. Just make sure that whatever you’re tellin’ her is the truth and you ain’t gonna stab her in the back later on…”

“Like I did you.” Dean muttered and Duke shook his head.

“This ain’t about us. None of it is. Me and you can have that conversation later.” Duke spoke calmly, tilting his chin up to show Dean with his body language that he was fine…they were fine.

“Alright. I’ll go.” Dean sighed, and Duke released him, stepping back for him to walk around. Dean turned and pressed a kiss to Mika’s lips, pulling away pretty quickly and just walking toward the back door. As Dean disappeared out the door, Duke turned to Mika.

“So…you and Dean are good, I see…”, he awkwardly addressed to Mika, pulling his phone from his back pocket, and texting Esme. He typed quickly wanting to head her off and just sent a simple.

‘Dean’s on his way out. He’s more civil and he wants to talk to Nat. I’m in the kitchen.’

Dean stepped onto the lot, his boots feeling a million pounds as the cold air hit his skin. He glanced toward his car, his brow furrowing at the fact that Bobby had to replace another window on the Impala. A tiny bubble of anger rolled into his chest, but he pushed it down, taking a deep breath as he stepped forward, his eyes set on Natalia.

He slowly walked over, and Cason’s head perked up, as he was walking back over to the girls. He approached Dean, placing a hand on his chest without thinking and Dean stopped in his tracks. Dean glanced down at the hand, and then back up at Cason’s serious expression, realizing that Cason was protecting Natalia…from Dean.

“I’m not coming to fight.” Dean said simply, looking Cason in the eyes. Cason watched his face for a few moments, saying nothing. But then, Cason dropped his hand, and turned to let Dean by, walking close behind him as he passed. Dean approached Natalia as if she was going to explode, the second that he got to her, and he crossed his arms over his chest. “Can we talk?”

Anna

Anna followed Sam to Mika’s car, holding his hand loosely as she did so. She felt safe with Sam…but after the last time they left, she didn’t know if she felt safe away from the group. But there was no way she was going anywhere near Dean Winchester. When Sam opened her door, she got into the car, placing her hands on her lap and staring at the glove box in front of her. The car was eerily similar to Dean’s car, and the thought made her almost smirk. Dean and Mika were a lot alike. It made sense that they were essentially soulmates.

As soon as Sam was in the car, and he spoke up, Anna couldn’t help but notice the smile he put on for her. He was already working to diffuse the situation, and she couldn’t help the polite tug at the corners of her mouth, “I like relaxing…”

Anna felt tension leaving her shoulders almost immediately when they passed under the ‘Singer Salvage’ sign and onto the road. She didn’t feel the need to talk, just staring out the window as pastures and warehouses passed in the foggy night air. But when they pulled into the parking lot of the B&B, Anna’s shoulders tensed a bit. The last time she was in a hotel situation with Sam, all hell broke loose and after the warning from Cason about Ruby, Anna was a little more than nervous about being in Ruby’s presence. She always seemed to be right around the corner…

When Sam spoke up, Anna nodded, glancing down at their hands as she laced her fingers with his. She didn’t expect him to fix anything. She just wanted him to be…with her, while she navigated all of this. And it seemed he would be. She didn’t say anything, only squeezed his hand back and turned to open her door. Before she could fully open it, Sam was already helping her out of the car, and handing her the car keys.

“I can get the bags. Go. Get the room. Let’s get to quiet.” Anna reassured Sam, taking the keys from him and walking around to the trunk. She quickly popped the trunk and grabbed both their bags, slinging them over her shoulders, before putting the keys in her jacket pocket. She walked toward the reception area, and quickly stepped up close to Sam, her shoulder nudging his side.

After a little bit, when Sam had the key to their room, Anna sighed, and looked up at him, “Thank you by the way. I really don’t want to be alone, right now…”

All Roads Lead To You

Dean and Duke

Duke shook his head at Dean’s words and he threw his hands up, “And it gets me into a world of trouble.”

“Why would it…” Dean started to ask, but he was interrupted by Esme’s squeak from out of nowhere. He didn’t know how long she had been listening, but he hoped she had heard everything from Duke. It was the first step in getting her and Duke on the right foot, and resolve this tension. But he was curious what Duke meant by ‘a world of trouble’.

Duke glanced up, seeing Esme step into the kitchen, and he sighed, “Well that’s great…”

He lowered his eyes to the table, watching out of the top corners of his eyes as Esme came to sit opposite him at the table. He almost laughed out loud as she broke her silence and said that she felt better after getting some sleep.

“You seemed like you needed it. Hold on.” Dean broke his own quiet, stepping away from the table to the grocery bags on the counter. He pulled the chocolate he had picked up for her, and turned handing it to her as if the awkward conversation had never happened, but Duke seemed quieter than he should have been. Dean returned to his place next to Duke, and he clamped a hand down on Duke’s shoulder, urging him to speak up.

“Um…I guess I owe you an apology.” Duke spoke up finally, his voice soft and awkward as Dean reached a hand up to pull the back of Duke’s hat down, showing more of his face and ruffled blonde hair. Duke sighed, “You didn’t do nothin’ wrong to make me leave. You showin’ up didn’t make me leave.”

Duke’s cheeks and nose were red, and Dean could really see it in the light, now that his hat wasn’t covering his face. He was pretty out there with whatever he had been drinking, and the sight caused Dean to scrunch his nose a bit with worry, as he took a seat next to him.

“I didn’t like the reaction Dean had when he came out in the yard.” Duke murmured, looking back down at the table and drawing little nervous circles on the wood with his fingers, “And I couldn’t stay away from you, after we talked. You were like…rattlin’ around in my brain. Your voice. All that stuff…”

Dean narrowed his eyes, but what he was feeling wasn’t jealousy as much as concern for Duke, and what he might say while a little drunk. But Duke hiccuped and continued, causing Dean to sigh.

“I didn’t want to be too forward. So, I just decided it was easier to…well…leave you alone. I shouldn’t even be talkin’ to you, now.” Duke pressed his hands against the table to stand up, but Dean reached a hand out, pressing him down by his shoulder.

“Stop stop stop. So, you lied about the reason you left…you said it wasn’t because of her, right?” Dean asked, helping Duke reason through things. Duke nodded.

“Yeah. Because it wasn’t really. It was mostly me.”

“And you really like her…” Dean urged Duke, but Duke’s eyes suddenly widened a bit, and he looked at Esme’s face, and then to Dean’s as if he was legitimately in trouble. Duke’s insides twisted and he was sure that Dean was alluding to what Duke could only assume was a crush on Esme, considering his inability to get her out of his head. But Dean continued, and Duke softened his expression with a nod. “You want to be her friend…”

“Y-yeah. Yeah…that’s all it is. I just didn’t know that was somethin’ that might be possible. Listen, I’m a little drunk, and I don’t wanna say nothin’ that will make me look any worse than I already look. I don’t wanna cross any lines.”

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

Dean and Anya

Dean sat down at the table and he immediately delved into his sandwich, not really hearing anything else that was happening in the room, until Lexi asked his opinion about the plan for the day. Dean rattled the words that had been said around in his brain, picking out what he had actually heard that he could remember and he shrugged his shoulders.

“Since we’re at a bit of a halt on finding the Colt, we might want to prepare ourselves for whatever comes next.” Dean said simply, taking another bite as Lexi handed him his phone. He glanced at it, a bit of nervousness hitting his chest, sending his heart racing and then took it with his empty hand. He pressed the button on the side, to see if he had any texts, and then sat it face down on the table with a smile, “Thanks. I was a bit distracted and left it.”

“I wouldn’t mind learning some things, while we are kinda stuck here.” Anya’s phone chimed in, and Dean glanced up at her, seeing her with the phone in her hand. He smiled briefly, before taking another bite and nodding.

“I don’t see why not. I mean…I’m assuming you’ve handled a gun before, right?”

Anya nodded.

“Then you’re already on your way. The rest is learning how to defend yourself without the gun. You gotta learn how to take a hit…and you gotta learn how to keep your energy up. First things first, eat.” Dean ordered, and Anya pressed her lips tightly together, picking up her sandwich while looking at Dean. She took a bite and smiled, waving her sandwich a bit. “Good. Then, Lexi, being the other woman here…she can work on you. I would say work with Sam but judging by…looks of you, that ship has sailed. No need to add to the bruises.”

Anya blushed and looked down, before she typed a message and smirked, “Different kind of bruises, Dean.”

“Yeah yeah. Alright. Well, either way, it’s better for Lexi to help you with that. Then, sometime this evening, me and Lexi will comb the lines and you and Sam can go out and take care of that tattoo. You’re not leaving this bunker without it…other than to go get it.” Dean muttered before finishing off his sandwich with his eyebrows raised. Anya didn’t even complain about him being bossy. She could tell it was coming from a place of concern and care, not from malice, which from Dean, she would take as a win in her corner.

“A tattoo like Sam’s?” Anya typed, and Dean nodded, pulling down his t-shirt to show his own. “I’m fine with that! It’s not my first…”

“Well that’s good. Should be an easy trip…and before you type…” Dean held a hand up, and stopped Anya who was about to type something about where her other tattoos were, one he had already glimpsed on her thigh, “That’s between you and Sam.”

Dean glanced over at Lexi, communicating with his eyes that they weren’t being hard enough on the kids, and that Anya was winning the wit war. He was practically begging her for help.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Dean and Duke

Mika stepping up and hugging him caused Dean’s shoulders to fall just a bit more. He needed the closeness, even if right now, his whole body felt like it was on fire with conflicted emotions and adrenaline from being punched out of nowhere. He settled, crossing his arms over his chest as Mika explained what she thought was the best method to break through to Nat.

Dean didn’t like the idea of approaching Natalia this early, but Mika was right about the way to approach it. Nat wouldn’t want to hear reasoning, or explanation. She wouldn’t want to hear any sort of ‘greater good’ lies, when she would be able to tell that Dean was lying. Dean had left Cason behind for no other reason than he wasn’t willing to fight for him, and would rather Nat not be around him. He would rather Cason be dead, than with his sister.

“No explanations…no lies…” Dean whispered, nodding his head with a sigh. The thought of even standing in front of his sister gave him a nervous pause, his heart hammering in his chest as he moved himself so that he could also see out the window. Of course it was Esme that was trying to diffuse the situation. She had always been so good with quick anger, and reasoning. Dealing with himself and Duke, she had to get good at it. Mika pulling his hand away from his chest caused him to look down at their hands for a moment, and he sighed.

“I can do my best. I mean…I don’t know how to be the caring brother. That’s Sam’s job…” Dean started, his eyebrow twitching with the awkwardness of having to open himself up to Nat, when he had always wanted to portray himself as the strong, quiet boss of the family. But that was the exact opposite of what Nat would want to hear from. He was broken from his thoughts by Sam coming through the back door, and keeping his head down.

“Sam?” He called out to him, but Sam just marched straight over to the bags, grabbing his own and then Anna’s. Dean nodded, not moving from his spot, as he was definitely not feeling being punched in the face by Sam, of all people. After his outburst, he was a bit surprised that Sam hadn’t already decked him.

He listened to Sam and Mika talk, and hearing that Anna was scared of him, Dean clenched his jaw and closed his eyes, letting a sigh leave his nose. Duke shifted a bit at his side, and came to stand next to him with a shrug.

“It can’t be that surprisin’ from what I heard…” Duke muttered, and Dean simply shook his head.

“No. It’s not surprising.”

“Looks like a famous Dean Winchester apology tour.” Duke teased him, as Dean saw Mika hand Sam a set of keys, after he missed Sam saying that he and Anna were headed out overnight. He straightened a bit, as Duke reached an arm over and squeezed Dean’s shoulder, “Don’t you dare chase him. Let them go…C’mon. Fresh wounds. Let him go.”

Dean didn’t move, just watching Sam from the corner of his eye until he couldn’t see him anymore. He heard the door open and close and he let his brother go.

“That’s my boy…” Duke murmured, patting Dean roughly on the chest. “Now, lets get you simmered down enough to go talk to that little sister of yours.”

Cason and Anna

Cason didn’t say anything when Nat was working through her emotions, wrapping up on him a bit tighter. He knew the renewed anxiety was her fear of being left alone with a very pissed off Dean Winchester. He could understand the sentiment. Dean was pretty terrifying on his best day, and he was at peak terror inducing when angry. Cason didn’t even want to think about the look Dean had given him, before trying to kill him at the barn. It’s a look that most demons don’t survive.

As Nat held onto him, oddly asking Esme for help, which surprised him, Anna suddenly approached but didn’t say anything. She just stood to the side of the metal awning and wrapped her arms around herself. Cason perked up and glanced over Nat’s shoulder, before wrapping his fingers around her wrist to remove her hand, “Hey. I um…I’ll be right back, alright? I’m just gonna check on something.”

He slipped off the hood of the car, nodding to Esme to tell her to stay and talk to Nat, and to keep an eye on her. He then crossed the small gap between the cars and covered bay, where Anna was standing.

“Are you good? I don’t want to get roasted.” Cason teased, to test Anna’s mood. Anna didn’t say anything at first, just tightened her arms around herself, before sighing.

“I’m going with Sam.”

“That’s a good idea. Actually, I think that’s a great idea.” Cason beamed at her, causing Anna to narrow her eyes at him, before sniffling. She then remembered out of nowhere that she was wearing his jacket, and she began unwrap herself and shrug the jacket off her shoulders. “You can take it.”

“No. Because I don’t know if I’m coming back…” Anna muttered honestly, removing the jacket from her arms and holding it out to Cason. Cason sighed, frowning at the thought of her running off with Sam…and possibly Ruby. But he didn’t say anything. He just took the jacket from her, and then nodded his head toward the Impala.

“C’mere…” He muttered, holding his hand out to her. She didn’t take his hand, but she did follow him as he walked over to the busted window of the Impala, his boots crunching in the pile of glass next to the car. He carefully reached into the backseat through the window, and pulled Anna’s jacket, shaking it a bit to make sure it wasn’t covered in glass. “I thought you might want this.”

Anna reached out and took her jacket, her face softened and neutral. Cason reached into his pocket as he watched her put her arms through the sleeves, pulling the front around herself. He pulled out a vial of his blood, holding it up in front of her face. Anna reluctantly took it from him, placing it into her pocket as if he was giving her illegal drugs in a parking lot.

“That will help, if you guys are gone for a few days. If you’re gonna be longer, Sam can summon me. I give full permission. Don’t…take anything from Ruby. Nothing. No matter what she tells you, or tries to convince you of, you summon me…only me.” Cason explained and Anna nodded, her eyes tearing up again with a bit of fear. “Hey…don’t cry. You’ll be safe with Sam, remember?”

Anna nodded as Sam came out the back door and walked over to her. Anna stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Cason’s waist, causing him to pause for a moment, before he wrapped his arms around her, patting her back.

“You’re gonna be fine.” Cason muttered against the top of her head, before letting her go. She grabbed Sam’s hand, stepping back from Cason slowly to head over to Mika’s car.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Dean and Duke

Dean’s shoulders relaxed a bit when Mika stepped in between him and Duke, telling them to simmer down. He almost became mad all over again when Duke cracked his neck and nodded slowly at Mika’s response. It was amazing to Dean that Mika was still able to get through to Duke so easily. They were linked, like they were using the same brain like twins. Duke took a step back and crossed his arms, leaning against the kitchen counter as Mika turned to Dean.

He came back to on edge as Mika said the words ‘don’t be mad when I say this’. He knew that whatever she was going to say was going to smash him in the face. But she said exactly what he had been thinking, how his fear was the reason he was so angry. He wasn’t angry that Anna told Nat about the barn. He was angry that she found out, because he had to deal with her anger before he was prepared to. His face softened a bit as he listened to Mika’s explanation, and her reasoning for him stopping the warpath he was on.

She was right.

Nat had been through so much in such a short amount of time, Dean didn’t even want to think about it. And he was sure that to her, he was the most untrustworthy person to come into her life, regardless of whether or not he was her brother. Hell, half the time, he didn’t even feel like her brother. She had Sam. She and Sam were so close, for good reason, and Dean protected her as best he could, similar to Sam. If something he said was going to hurt her, he would never let it slip from his mouth, no matter how big. And in this particular case, he had really messed up with Cason and he was too scared to tell Natalia, only to have it blow back in his face…hard.

“C’mon brother…” Duke reasoned with him, as Mika’s eyes pierced into Dean’s. Between the two of them, Dean’s eyes softened a bit, turning almost into Sam’s signature puppy eyes as the green overwhelmed everything else. He took a deep breath, and tapped his hand on the kitchen table, needing something to touch.

“I’m sorry.” Dean muttered, glancing over to Duke, who just held his hands up and shook his head.

“Ain’t the worst fight we’ve had. You really do need to get some ice on that eye, though.” Duke replied simply with a small lighthearted smirk. Dean reached up and touched his swelling cheek with a shrug.

“I’ll be fine.” Dean said. “I just don’t know what to say to her, now. I was wrong and I admitted it, or so I thought. But now…it’s all fresh again. I mean, what do I say to her?”

Cason

Cason watched as Nat spilled her guts to Esme, a little surprised, but glad that she was actually talking to someone. Bottling things up was the reason these little explosions happened. Cason knew that. That’s why he was trying to make it a personal mission to pull her away from the group every now and then to just have her let things off…

He just let them talk for a bit, seeing a lot of why Esme, Duke and Dean were so tense around each other at times and why those that were around Dean Winchester tended to stick around. He was what they needed, when they needed it. But he also tended to pick up people he needed…only to drive them away when he didn’t feel he needed them anymore.

When she looked up to him, he caught her eyes, lowering his eyebrows into a relaxed and polite neutral gaze. He wasn’t as afraid of her, now. While he appreciated her apology, it wasn’t necessary. It wasn’t hard to see why she was so angry at the asylum, and hopeless…

“It’s alright.” Cason told her honestly, “That was more than just emotions, Esme. I can tell how much you love that blonde idiot…I can’t imagine how it felt when they told you he was dead. I was blunt. I was unkind and coming from a demon, this may sound hilarious, but I’m sorry for that. I really am.”

Cason paused and he sighed, “And then everything else that happened, all that anger and…you know what? Let’s chalk our situation up to wrong place, wrong time. How about that? You don’t have anything to apologize for.”

Anna

Anna held onto Sam for dear life as long as he was willing to hold her. His voice cut through all of the chaos and the anger in her mind. Her heartbeat slowly shifted, from frantic and anxious to calm, if not a little nervous. She could feel it in Sam’s heart, too, the little stutters of his heart every time she took a deep breath. She eventually pulled her head to just press her forehead against Sam’s chest, signaling that she was at least calming down a bit. She always seemed to. There was a reason it was so hard for her to be angry at Sam. His voice brought her down from the worst of her anger, sadness, anxiety…anything. He could get through to her when no one else could, and in some ways, that could be dangerous.

When Sam spoke up again, not just soothing her but actually offering ideas, Anna stopped and listened, catching her breath against his chest. She mulled over his words, not wanting to necessarily sleep outside in the cold, even in a car. But she also wasn’t staying in that house, with Dean under the same roof. After a moment, she nuzzled her forehead against Sam’s chest and then pulled away from him, her nose bright red and her eyes still flooded with tears. She knew she looked pitiful, but Sam wouldn’t judge her for it.

“I think um…I think I want to leave.” Anna told him honestly, as a fresh bit of crying came up, causing her to scrunch her nose as the tears poured down her cheeks. “I can’t be around him. I can’t even go get my clothes, because I don’t want him to look at me. Can we go? You don’t have to stay with me…I just…I just don’t think I can drive right now.”