JustAnna

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

Dean

Dean finished removing the bolts, and he disconnected the crankshaft rods, pulling them to the side before he pulled the piston that seemed the worst. With an quiet ‘AHA’, he laid it against the towel he had placed over the front of the car. As he did, he shrugged off Lexi’s comments about him being simple, but he chuckled at her comment about a bald Sam, the mental image flashing through his own mind briefly.

“You’re welcome for that.” He chuckled a bit louder. “I think she could be either really good for him, or a really good distraction that he does…kinda need right now. He’s been through a lot over the past year, and he has a bit of a bad spot in the back of his brain that keeps…itching for him to feel guilty about everything under the sun.”

Dean failed to mention the angel that had taken Sam for a ride for a while. He was nowhere near ready to talk about that. It was one of his biggest regrets and almost losing Sam in the process would probably haunt him forever. Lexi knocked him out of his internal thoughts as she stepped over to him, watching him work as he removed the piston ring that was completely obliterated and wiped the piston down, before toying around in Bobby’s old toolbox for one that fit at least a similar car to her own.

“Well, it’s actually a simple fix for anyone with the tools to fix it and either a manual or a general knowledge of engine blocks.”, he explained, holding the piston up in front of him as he stood up straight. He attached the new piston ring, and then reached back under the hood, dropping the piston back into place. “When that ring is all jacked up, it lets oil leak onto all the parts around the engine block. The pistons create fire, and that’s what drives the car forward…kinda. That’s why you need gas. So, fire…plus oil…and you got smoke. The rattling was probably caused by this crank shaft bolt right here.”

He reached across and tapped the top of the crankshaft, “It was loose. So, sounds a lot worse than it is. Once I put that back on, and tighten that bolt, you can take it out on the road and burn off the rest of that oil. It’ll smell like crap and it’ll smoke a bit at first…but she’ll be purring after that.”

Dean leaned over the car and began to reassemble everything he had taken apart, while he got used to the idea of being watched in the garage. Not that he minded Lexi’s eyes on him, but it was still new.

“And if you want, because I’m almost positive they didn’t, I’ll change your oil for you too, while I’ve got it in the garage. Something tells me you have a thing for men with a little grease on them.” He finished his sentence, tilting his body just enough to smile brightly back at her.

Anya

Anya was so happy to see Sam smile at her plans, and it told her that in some small way, he was having fun. Either it was because she was so happy, and he was having fun watching her or he was just relieved to be out of the bunker. She practically danced when Sam said that he was willing to go for a carriage ride. If anything, it was a simple snuggle moment under a blanket, letting someone pull them around the large fair ground. No effort. No showmanship. Just a carriage, covered in lights, carting them around. It was a bit of a neutral holiday olive branch to Sam.

She didn’t tug Sam as hard this time, linking her fingers with his as she walked across the small road, to one of the brightly lit horse drawn carriages. The handler didn’t step down, only gestured for them both to get in. Anya climbed up carefully, not using the rails as she daintily tiptoed her way to the other side of the carriage and sat on the bench, pulling the lap blanket back to let Sam get underneath with her.

Once he was settled, she made sure his legs were covered, almost feeling bad that he was folded up a bit in the tight space. But she leaned against him, resting her head against his shoulder and took a drink. The handler glanced back at her.

“You guys good?”

Anya simply held up a thumbs up and wrapped her arms around Sam’s, getting comfortable. She reached forward, placing her cup in the wire cupholder on the back of the handler’s seat and then pulled her phone into her lap, typing with one hand.

“I can tell that you hate things like this and so I wanted to tell you thanks for coming with me, while we’re still and stuff. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else than with you, during all this mess. So, thanks for letting me stay. And thanks for coming with me.” 

She didn’t press play. She simply held the phone out to him so that he could read the message and left her soft smile on her face.

All Roads Lead To You

Dean and Duke

Duke pressed his lips together as Esme teased him, taking it as an absolute flirtation. He pursed his lips and tilted his head back, before breaking into a wide smile, “Well, we’ll have to see, now won’t we.”, he quipped back at her with a wink, but as she turned her back to him, he quickly turned to Dean and slapped his thigh as Dean was handed a glass of wine, “You have to help me. Please.”

“I have to help you what? Flirt with my girlfriend?” Dean grumbled, taking a drink of the wine. He glanced down at his glass with a frown, snarling his nose just a bit and then turned his eyes back to Duke.

“I need you to help me clean up. You’re all clean cut and…you. I can’t look all messy and thrown together in a tuxedo, man. We’re gonna be there with…all this.” Duke whispered to Dean, waving his arms around to gesture to the dresses and the expensive jewelry all around them. Dean scoffed, shaking his head and Duke slapped his leg again, almost making him spill his wine, “Please?!”

“Alright, alright. I’ll…what do you want me to do?”

“I don’t know. Make my hair look good under my hat, you know…trim up my face. That stuff. Stuff Esme would expect you to do.” Duke responded frantically, as a woman took his empty glass from his hand and replaced it with a full one.

“Esme doesn’t expect anything from me. She knows me better than that. I put on the tux. I flatten my hair to the best of my abilities and I go with it. With your hat on, no one is going to see your hair anyway. But it wouldn’t kill you not to wear a hat tonight.” Dean shrugged his shoulders as Esme stepped out of the dressing room in the first dress she decided to check out. Dean turned his eyes to look at her, raising both his eyebrows as he sat up a bit straighter. His eyes scanned over the front of the dress, noticing that it was a bit precarious and might…gather some attention. Not that Dean minded.

“She looks uncomfortable.” Duke spoke up, even though he couldn’t deny that she looked gorgeous in the dress. She didn’t seem happy, or like she could really breathe at all. He scrunched his nose and he shook his head, glancing over at Dean who was just staring at her. “She needs to be able to make it through the night, right?”

“Shut up. Just…let her decide.” Dean muttered, taking a drink of his wine as he tore his eyes away from Esme, just as she walked back to the dressing room with the women dressing her. Duke waved as Esme flashed them a smile before heading back in, following the wave with a thumbs up that teetered side to side, as if he was telling her that it was a ‘maybe’, like he had a choice.

After a few more times of Dean and Duke discussing each dress that came out of the dressing room, with Duke giving his very Emperor like opinions, the boys were practically tangled up on the couch, girls on either side and Dean nursing a plate of finger foods. The girl draped over Duke’s lap happened to stand up, just before Esme came out from behind the curtain, and Duke stood up, reaching for her before Dean could rid himself of his plate. As soon as Dean sat the plate down, he came to her other side, grabbing for her hand before Duke could.

Duke huffed, but when Esme commented on his drinking habits, Duke smiled brightly, “I was real good. I only had three glasses. So, I will be plenty ready to drink up at the party.”

“Alright. Let’s get you paid and squared away, so we can get Mr. wine and Hors d’oeuvres cleaned up and dressed. Bobby texted and said he picked up our tuxes from the cleaners.” Dean shot Duke a look and Duke frowned in confusion.

“I don’t have a tux.”

“And we don’t ask questions when Bobby picks things up for us. He said it would fit. So, it will fit.” Dean rolled his eyes and pulled Esme toward the front to pay for her things.

On the way there, Duke lingered back, running his fingers over some of the more expensive jewelry the shop didn’t even bother to put behind glass. Pinching one of the jewels between his fingers, he was a bit surprised that the stones were real. As Dean pulled Bobby’s card from his wallet and paid, Duke brushed his fingers over a few of the necklaces until he found one that he thought would go really well with Esme’s eyes. With a small pop, he removed it from the rack, and slipped it into the sleeve of his jacket, grabbing a matching bracelet that sat underneath it.

“Duke. C’mon…” Dean patted the counter behind him, and Duke tipped his cowboy hat at the lady behind the counter who gave him a polite smile, and he followed Dean and Esme out of the shop.

Back at the house

Duke grumbled through his tightly pressed lips as Dean seemed to be doing surgery on his beard. Dean suddenly pulled back from him, “If you don’t shut up, I’ll shave it off. Do you want me to fix it or not?”

“Don’t shave it. You said you were just gonna shave my neck.” Duke stared up at him with puppy eyes as she sat in a kitchen chair, wearing a blue mechanics tarp over his bare chest, and Dean did his best to trim his beard. Dean had already taken care of his long blonde hair, trimming up to where it feathered out close to the sides of his ears, and cleanly fell against his forehead, as best as could be done. Dean had even taken the time to wet his hair and fold it back from the side of his head.

“Tilt your head back.” Dean ordered placing the scissors between his teeth as he pulled the electric clippers and began trimming Duke’s bears around his neck. Then Dean grumbled, his words muffled by the scissors in his mouth, “You know, if you groomed more, maybe you wouldn’t have to clean up like this for events.”

“And what good would that do me? I live in an RV. I’m covered in blood more than I’m not. I don’t got much of a reason to ‘stay groomed’. Just hurry up so I can get dressed.” Duke groaned, rolling his eyes as Dean placed a palm on the top of his head to hold him still. He tilted Duke’s head back a bit more and sighed, holding him firm, “I just don’t want to potentially end up on that dance floor with Esme and look like some guy that’s kidnappin’ her…”

“I wouldn’t worry about that.” Dean teased him, shaking his head. “No one’s gonna be looking at you. Alright. You’re done. Go get dressed. I’ll help you with your tie.”

“I’ll have Bobby help me with my tie. I’ve had you too close for comfort long enough.” Duke joked, shoving at Dean’s shoulder as he stood from the chair and dropped the tarp from his chest. He flexed his chest muscles a bit and walked into the living room to retrieve his tuxedo bag from the railing of the stairs.

After a bit, Bobby stood in front of Duke, tugging at the sides of his bowtie with a proud look on his face, as if he was sending his little boy off to prom. Once he was satisfied, he clapped both his hands against Duke’s shoulders and turned him to stand in front of the long mirror he had leaned against the stair railing, “I think you look pretty damn good. Look at yourself.”

“I feel naked.” Duke complained, scrunching his nose as he stared at himself in the mirror. Dean stepped around Bobby’s desk, and he stood next to Duke, straightening his own bowtie as Bobby stepped away. Suddenly, a pristine black cowboy hat with a satin ribbon sat atop Duke’s head, and Dean rolled his eyes as Bobby covered all his hard work on Duke’s hair with the hat. Duke glanced up and pressed the hat further onto his head, adjusting the sides to his preferences, “Where did you get this?”

“A friend. Had it nice and pressed, just like you like, oil pressed…not water. It looks just as expensive as that tuxedo you’re in, and suddenly? You’re a rich oil tycoon from Dallas.” Bobby teased Duke, patting his back.

“Would you look at that…” Duke straightened his jacket, and then tipped his hat at himself in the mirror as Dean rolled his eyes, and he walked around to the edge of the bottom step, looking up at the bedroom door at the top.

“You good up there? We’re all dressed down here! If you don’t hurry up, Duke’s gonna start making out with himself in the mirror!”

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Duke

Duke flinched and he gasped through his nose as Esme began to kiss her back, and her breathing deepened. The relief that washed over him mixed itself with the intense fear and sent his heart racing off somewhere into space, as it hammered in his chest and he opened his eyes, looking down at Esme. He scanned her face, making sure she was actually awake and he wasn’t just being hopeful, his blue eyes burning with a mixture of fear and many other emotions.

“Hey there…” He breathed, as she said his name. It was like the sweetest music that had ever played on earth, just knowing that at least…she was alive. As she pulled him in, he squeezed his eyes tight against her shoulder, just burying his face in her neck as she held him and stroked her hair. He wasn’t much of a cryer, but that felt different. The idea of losing her…especially after everything they had both been through was overwhelming. His fear was overtaken by a sense of relief, but his heart didn’t really know the difference, continuing to hammer away under his skin as he pressed a soft kiss to Esme’s neck, letting her voice wash over him.

After a few moments, he sniffled and tilted his head back, pressing a kiss to her jaw. He could tell that she was just as emotional as he was, and he had to assume that it was his own emotion that was affecting her, something he tried really hard not to put her through. She had a hard enough time around the intense emotions that tended to fill every house and motel that the group traveled through. He took a deep breath to calm himself down a bit, and brought his hand up to tangle in her hair, curling his fingers against her scalp to try and sooth her.

“I’m okay. I’m alright. You’re alright.” He muttered against her skin, reaching back with his other hand to pull her hand back, so he could lean back and look down at her. “I’m alright. Let’s breathe together. C’mon…”

He pressed his forehead against Esme’s, sniffling back his own emotions a bit as he took a deep breath, doing his best to calm down with her.

Dean

Dean took a deep breath as Mika’s arms tightened around him. She was alright. He was alright…at least physically. When her voice came through, soothing and sweet, Dean took another deep breath and he glanced down at her face, letting her pull his gaze to her. He nodded simply when she asked if he had slept. Truth was, he had been in a deep sleep, until the images of Hell came washing back in like a tidal wave he had almost forgotten was in his mind. Usually, he was so busy that he didn’t even think about Hell. Yeah, he had the odd flashback here and there, but not the nightmares anymore…not really.

He melted into Mika’s touch a bit, bringing himself down to reality as he gazed into her eyes and tried to slow his heart a little more. No one else would see him like this. He didn’t allow anyone to see his fear, or any sort of vulnerability that wasn’t useful to the job…except her. As long as Mika was with him, he could at least get it out of his system. He could show her those little moments that made him feel weak and small. He could let her shoulder some of that weight with him, even if he really didn’t want her to.

Dean nodded slowly and he swallowed, clenching his jaw as Mika stated that she would stay with him, no matter what they were facing with the angels. On one hand he was so thankful, but on the other hand, he regretted sticking up for her decision, and allowing her to put herself in what he was starting to feel might be a danger she had never faced. Her kiss to his lips pulled him out of his conflicted thoughts, and he kissed her back. He was tempted to pull his hand up, tangle it in her hair and convince her to never leave the bed. If they didn’t leave the house, nothing could happen to them…either of them.

“I love you…” He whispered, his heart swelling a bit as her skin brushed his cheek. He knew they had to leave this room and they had to get some food in them, because they didn’t know what they were even walking into, but he was content to tell the angels to shove it and let them do whatever they were planning to do to him in return. But when Mika broke the silence and said they should get up, Dean sighed, and he nodded. He dropped his head a bit deeper into the pillows for a moment as she left the bed. He brought his hand up and ruffled his own hair, before rolling out of bed and onto his feet.

“I don’t know how we’re going to convince the others that they can’t come with us…” Dean grumbled, walking over to his bag. He quickly pulled a black t-shirt and a simple blue overshirt along with his jeans. He tossed the clothing on the bed and then carefully nudged his boots across the floor until they were next to the bed, “You know they’re gone throw a fit. Maybe if we promise Nat that she can get to us if we can get her whatever location…she will feel less left out. I dunno. And Sam…”

Dean sighed, pulling his t-shirt over his head with a huff. He picked up his overshirt, shrugging his arms through it and then picked up his pants, “I feel like Sam should just sit this one out, like Cas said. If the angels want him out, we probably shouldn’t argue.”

He yanked his jeans over his legs, stepping into his boots as his feet appeared through the leg holes. He turned and sat on the bed, quickly tying his boots, and then flattened his jeans, standing and walking toward Mika. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, and kissed the side of her neck.

“But I need you to be the most careful…alert…all of it, today. We are both coming out of this in one piece. Promise me you’ll be careful.” He whispered against her neck, placing another soft kiss to her shoulder.

Cason

Cason tilted his head back a bit when Nat gasped and jolted awake. He didn’t touch her or say anything at first, letting her ground herself to reality as she wiped her tears and took him in. He nodded gently as she spoke his name, confirming to her that he was indeed real and not part of some terrible nightmare she was having, “Yeah. I’m right here. I got you.”

He barely moved, just letting her wrap up in him, burying her face. He stroked the back of her head gently, holding her to him as she calmed herself down but her words about ‘reliving the pain over and over’ made him furrow his brow. Of course she had been dreaming about the Asylum. It was a memory that he wished she didn’t have, along with all of her other partially forgotten memories. But unfortunately, it seemed to be one of the most prominent memories she contended with.

After a few moments, she pulled back and rested her forehead against his, and he found her eyes smiling a bit as she voiced her concern that she had hurt him in her sleep. He shook his head, and chuckled, “No. You were surprisingly still. No attacks. I didn’t even have to hold you down.”

He pressed a soft kiss to the tip of her nose, and brought his hand up to brush some of her hair away from the side of her face, letting his hand rest there as he brushed a stray tear away from the corner of her eye, “Besides, I heal fast and I don’t sleep. The least I could be, if you needed it, is some sort of demonic punching bag.”, he teased, smiling to do his best to cheer up any sort of sadness that might still be lingering from her dream.

Anna

Anna didn’t even realize that she was smiling. The corners of her mouth tried to turn downward, as if the reminder of her smile was something wrong. Like she wasn’t allowed. But she was with Sam, alone in this room. If anyone deserved to see her show an emotion that wasn’t sadness or anger, it was definitely Sam. She leaned into his touch, turning her eyes up with a slightly wider smile.

“And I’m sure there there are a million ways you could make me smile. I don’t do it enough. Sorry I’ve been so sour…” She murmured, leaning in to press a soft kiss to his lips as she brought her hand up and wrapped her small hand around his wrist gently. She tapped each of her fingers against his skin, and the pulled that same hand up to the side of his neck, resting her fingers against his skin. “And being close enough, with enough time to just feel your heart beating, to watch your eyes as they change with the way you talk, to see what Sam Winchester looks like when he’s in love…with no demons meddling with his mind.”

She let his heart thunder beneath her fingers, and brushed his nose with hers, just enjoying the peace for a little while longer while she had him…all of him. This was one of those moments that made her want to snatch him up and run away with him. They could find some place to settle down, where no one could find them. They could live in peace, away from all the angels and the demons…somehow. They could leave the life, together. They could escape. But…

That wasn’t in the cards, while the angels were so focused on the seals. She knew that. She knew that until the job was finished, Sam was stuck. They were both stuck and they had to take advantage of the little moments of normal, in hopes that it could become permanent in the future.

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

Dean

Dean laughed as Lexi decided to comment about his ass, although he invited it. Her added compliment only stoked his ego, and he stepped up closer to her car, grabbing a towel off the cart he rolled over. He laid it out over the front grill, and began checking hoses, “Well, you get a real good look. If you’re enough of a creep, I might have to bring you out in the garage more often.”, he teased her.

As he glanced up at her, he saw her looking around the garage at the other cars and motorcycles. He stood up straight for a second, and glanced back toward Mika’s Impala in the back of the garage. Having a climate controlled garage, he hadn’t bothered to cover it. But his stomach clenched painfully, as he briefly caught a memory of Mika leaning against the side of it, making some snarky comment to him about his driving skills. He turned his eyes back to Lexi for a moment, and then went back to the hoses, checking each of them for leaks.

“Well…not the hoses. Let me…” He grumbled under the hood before reaching down and unclipping the battery. He then carefully unclipped everything away from the engine head and sighed as he got to the cylinders. They were covered in oil. “I think I know what your problem is, and honestly? I’m a little…grossed out by the garage.”

When Lexi’s phone pinged, his did too and he leaned up from the hood, kicking the unneeded jack out of the way. He narrowed his eyes, wiping his hands and looked over at Lexi, “Oh well…wait, Sam’s on a date? At an autumn carnival?”

He scrunched up his nose. Sam hated anything that was themed, or had any sort of sweet treats or fun. He didn’t really celebrate Christmas or any other holiday, and the very thought of kitsch seemed to creep his brother out. He tilted his head, raising his eyebrows in a ‘well well’ sort of way. But then, Lexi mentioned that Anya was bringing him pie, and he smiled widely, pointing his finger at her. “See? I like her. I didn’t think I would, but I do. She gets me.”

He walked back over to his tool cart and he pulled a socket wrench and a couple of sockets, testing them on the cylinder head bolts until he found the size he was looking for. He tossed the extra one back onto the cart and bent over the front of the car, beginning to take the bolts off in order.

“You know, if she talked him into…going on a date to some sort of carnival, she has him wrapped around her little finger. Sam would rather lose his hair than to be caught dead at one of those things.”

Anya

Anya wrapped her fingers tightly around Sam’s hand as he reached out to her. She tugged him along, quickly walking to the entrance gate. They didn’t charge them to get in, but handed Anya a small pamphlet that told them exactly what foods and activities were available and where. Anya wasn’t much of a rider of the amusement rides, but she was definitely interested in all of the other fun that could be had at places like this. She looked around, glancing down at the pamphlet every now and then, and finally, her eyes landed on a coffee cart where they had cider, teas, coffees, and hot cocoa listed.

She roughly tugged Sam with her, practically running over to the cart. The line moved pretty quick and when she got to the front, she pointed her finger at an apple chai drink that seemed really popular, on their little hand written menu. The owner of the cart looked at her weird, but she simply pointed to her ears, as if she was deaf, and then pointed at the item again with a thumbs up.

She turned to Sam, pulling at his hand for him to order himself something and then looked around them for her next target. She was torn between doing the corn maze, and a carriage ride with a real horse. There were so many things they could do and still avoid the majority of the crowd.

Once their drinks were ready, Anya grabbed hers off the counter, and she tugged at Sam’s hand again. She wedged her drink in between her arm and her body, and dropped Sam’s hand, pulling her phone up. She typed a message and then held the phone close to his face so he could hear or read it.

“We should do a carriage ride and drink our cute little hot drinks while we are under a blanket. They do pictures, which is so cute! And they have real horses. Doesn’t that sound like date stuff?” She smiled excitedly and pulled her drink back into her hand, taking a long swig of it with her eyes closed in excitement.

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

Dean

Dean was relieved that Lexi took his paranoia as just…a thing, instead of a negative and agreed to stay close and call if she had trouble. He nodded and quickly ran over to the Impala, turning the engine over and pulling out of the lot. The whole way back to the bunker, he kept his eyes on Lexi’s car, watching for any signs that the car was having issues, or she was having issues.

As soon as they pulled into the bunker’s garage, Dean’s stomach dropped as the car began to smoke. He couldn’t hear the sounds it was making yet, but almost immediately, he knew that they had put a bandaid on things, and her manifold was likely screaming at her. He parked the Impala and quickly climbed out, walking around to her with a sigh, placing his hands on his hips.

The smoke was at least a color that told him that nothing under that hood was on fire. It was just screaming because of the heat that was being caused from the leak they had probably cracked an egg on or something. He shook his head, and glanced to Lexi as she teased him, his lips curling into a helpless smirk.

“Yeah yeah. I can have this licked in a couple of hours. Let me get the jack and you can pop the hood and I’ll get under there.” Dean said casually, stepping away from her to go and grab his work cart and a jack. He pulled his jacket off, tossing it over the handlebars of one of the motorcycles, and then walked over to the maintenance bay. He grabbed the handle of the pump jack and his work cart and rolled them both toward Lexi’s car. “And next time, I’ll fix it the first time. It should have taken them a couple of hours and less than two hundred in parts. I might not even need parts. But you can get comfortable, and stare at my ass while I work…”

Dean chuckled and rolled the jack up under the front panel of the car with a shrug. “Just saying.”

Anya

Anya’s puppy face melted into a smile as Sam shook his head at himself and agreed to go to the carnival after all. She had won him over. She would have to place the puppy eyes on her shelf to use against him later on, that much was certain. His chuckle caused her to giggle, almost kicking her feet with excitement that she had the ability to win him over so easily. She took his phone from him excitedly, and opened the group chat which was the first message in his texts from earlier. She quickly shot a message to them both, taking a deep and excited breath as she pressed send, knowing that if anything, Lexi would be happy Sam was out and about.

”Hey! It’s Anya. Me and Sam are stopping off at a fall carnival for some snacks. If you guys want anything, let us know. And Dean, we’re getting some pie. See you guys soon!”

She pulled her own phone up and began clicking through the names in the group chat, adding Dean and Lexi’s numbers to her phone as Sam had mentioned. As soon as she was done, she placed his phone on the seat in between them and settled back in her seat. A small smile rested on her face the entire drive toward the carnival. If it was that easy to get Sam to do her bidding, she definitely DEFINITELY had to keep him there…

Anya sat up a little straighter in her seat as they pulled onto the gravel lot of the carnival. The place was packed, and honestly, she wasn’t sure they would be able to find a parking spot, but after a moment, she pointed and snapped at a space that was pretty far in the back, but was wide open, almost as wide as two spots. She waited until Sam pulled in, and as soon as he put the car in park, she opened her door and got out, taking a deep breath of the cool air with the smell of all the baked and fried foods mingled in.

She ran around the side of the car, and typed on her phone as she jogged to Sam, “Smell the air. It’s amazing. This is amazing. Look at us, out on a date!”

She already had a list of things she wanted to try, while they were there. Foods. Games. Animals to pet. There was a corn maze, as far as she could tell by the signs. They could even pick up some pumpkins to carve back at the bunker. Either way, it was her and Sam having a normal moment…

All Roads Lead To You

Duke

Duke laughed quietly when Esme actually teased him back. It was all he wanted, for the moment. He just wanted to know that he was part of her life, enough that she felt comfortable around him. She could joke with him. She could tell him anything. She could ask him…to do…anything.

When she asked if her job was basically to have men drooling over her, Duke’s smile faded just a bit but then he returned it to his face to cover the jealousy that his own intrusive thoughts were causing. He shrugged his shoulders, “You get your own trinkets and if any of those men lay hands on you, I’ll break their hands and whisk you away, the second I get back.”

His voice was serious, despite the smile on his face as he watched Esme’s eyes.

Dean and Duke - A little bit later -

Dean and Duke walked into the dress shop behind Esme, almost as if they were holding hands, they were walking so close. Dean seemed particularly uncomfortable, whereas Duke looked around the room and he tilted his head back, taking in all the glitz and glamor of the dresses and the random racks of jewelry that were obviously way out of most of the town’s price range. Luckily for them, Bobby had managed to talk the old lady out of enough money to get both the boys Tuxedos and to practically pay for any dress that Esme wanted.

As Esme talked to the nice lady at the shop, Dean shifted on his feet and he placed his hands in his pockets, frowning at the way the women talked about the boys. Duke just smiled brightly, “I told her she should go with blue…or maybe purple. Her eyes. Look at her eyes.”

Dean nudged Duke with a slight pang of jealousy, wishing that he had thought to make some sort of suggestion. Duke just paid more attention to those sorts of things, where Dean was happy to see Esme in anything. She would know what looked good on her.

As the woman led Esme away, both boys followed like twins, and as if he belonged there, Duke stepped away from Dean just as they arrived in the dressing area. Duke tossed himself on the couch, and a pretty blond brought him a glass of wine, asking if he wanted anything else, “No beautiful. I think this will do me just fine. You goin’ to the party tonight?”

“No. Why? Do you need a date?” She asked him, blushing. And Duke tilted his hat back on his head as he picked up the wine glass with a dazzling smile.

“Maybe I’ll get back to you on that…” He flirted, winking at her as she walked away from him, gossiping with another girl excitedly. Duke turned his eyes up to Dean who was just staring down at him with a look of disbelief.

“Really?”

“What? Free booze and pretty girls. Lighten up a bit, brother. C’mon!” Duke beamed at him, before slapping Dean’s thigh, and patting the couch beside him.

As Esme turned to them, showing them the dresses she had chosen to try on. Duke raised his eyebrows as he thought of her body in each choice, and he was speechless for a moment, mulling it over. He elbowed Dean and Dean opened his mouth, before frowning in thought.

“I think…you’ll be very distracting in that dress.” Dean stuttered out, blushing red in his cheeks. Duke laughed and he pointed, as Dean was handed a glass of wine.

“Plenty distracting…forget your boyfriend kind of distracting…” Duke chimed in, taking his bottom lip between his teeth. Dean glanced over at him with a look that told him to shut up, but he simply smiled brightly, “But these ladies seem to know what they’re talkin’ about. I’m sure you clean up real nice.”

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Duke

Duke laughed softly as Esme complained about him giving her the eyes. He knew it would work. It always worked. It was like his super power with the women in his life. He turned the eyes off, softening his face into a comfortable smile as she picked up the sandwich and took a bite, causing him to sigh with relief, “Good. Eat. That’s all I want you to do.”, he murmured, bringing up his hand and brushing her cheek with his thumb in a quick motion. He followed her eyes down to his stomach and he frowned a bit, tilting his head before turning his eyes back to hers. He started to shake his head, but she cut him off before he could argue too much.

Her words caused him to smirk with mischief and he shrugged his shoulders, “I don’t know. That don’t exactly sound bad, as long as its you tyin’ me up. I’m down for…new things.”

As she leaned into him, a memory began to slip into his mind, thanks to Esme being tired and accidentally projecting it onto him. The memory was one of the strangest and yet best nights of Duke’s life. As the memory played out, Duke remembered distinctly the sound of the woman he had been dancing with calling the name he had given her. He had pulled away from her the second that he saw Esme’s pleading eyes, and the groping that she was dealing with. He remembered the pang of jealousy that flooded his chest, but also the worry for her safety that took over that jealousy.

As he cut in, Esme’s body pressed to his, safe and sound as they danced caused his head to swim. His own voice flooded through some of the haze and he smiled outwardly at the offer.

“I can break his arm. He won’t be feelin’ anyone up for a while…”

But she had refused his offer, and simply danced with him. It was the closest he had been to her, other than the hug they had shared right after they met. That dress, her makeup, the way her hair sat just right against the side of her face…it all drew him in and for a moment, he had to admit that he was a bit more attached to her than he would ever express out loud.

It was that night that he had admitted to her one of his favorite grifts, swindling old rich women at parties. He wooed them, took their husbands to the cleaners, bedded a few of them, and then blew through town like the cowboy he was. As they danced, the memory began to fade just a bit, and he shook his head, turning his eyes back to Esme’s face in the present as she mentioned the masks. His eyes turned to them, and he smiled softly, “Just a little reminder of…that night. Better times.”

Back in the day, Duke would have been weirded out by the fact that Esme’s memories were projecting onto him, but now that he knew about her powers, and her lack of control over them when she was tired, he just…accepted it. As long as the memories were good, he would just roll with it.

Duke scooted back on the bed, and he moved his pillows around, laying back and pulling the covers up around his shoulders. He reached out, pulling Esme close as she snuggled up to him, her legs tangling with his in their little puzzle game they always played under the blankets. He could tell that she was about five seconds away from passing out, when she pulled him close and whispered sweet words against his lips. He smiled softly, reaching his hand up to brush through the side of her hair, “I love you, Sweet Pea.”

As he kissed her back, he felt her face relax, and he chuckled through his nose, pulling her into his chest. He kissed her hair and wrapped her up in his arms, leaning his cheek against the top of her head as he fell asleep.

—————————

Duke awoke from the most vivid dream he had dealt with in a long time. As his eyes shot open and he gasped for air, he replayed some of the dream in his brain, trying to figure out where he had seen any of it. He didn’t remember that being…a thing for him. He knew it couldn’t be the future or anything, because Esme looked so much younger to him in the dream. It was then, thinking of Esme, that he realized that the dream was most likely a night mare she was projecting onto him in her sleep.

With a sigh, he brought his hand up and ran it through his sweaty blonde hair, staring at the ceiling as he realized it was morning, and the sun was peeking through the small windows of the RV. He turned his head, glancing down at Esme as she slept, but she felt extra heavy on his arm, like she was really….really out. He frowned, and leaned his head a little closer to her, realizing that her breathing wasn’t blowing his hair at all. In a slight panic, he pulled the blankets back from them and pulled his arm from under her head.

“Esme?” He whispered, adjusting to lean over her as he rolled her onto her back. She was completely limp, and looking down at her from this angle, she didn’t appear to be breathing at all. He brought his shaky hand down to her neck, feeling for her pulse, which made him sigh with a tiny bit of relief. He could feel it, but it was deep and slow, “Don’t do this to me. C’mon. Wake up sweetheart.”

He moved his hand from her neck, wrapping his fingers around her jaw to shake her head a bit, trying to jar her from her sleep. He patted her cheek and nothing. Closing his eyes, he clenched his jaw, trying to find somewhere in his brain the solution here. She could have fallen asleep and started bleeding in her brain or something. She did hit her head really hard back at the barn. He let out a shaky breath, tempted to go get Dean. Dean would know what to do.

“Baby please…c’mon wake up.” He whispered, as his eyes clouded over with a few scared tears. After a moment of just scanning her face for any signs of movement, he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her lips, inhaling through his nose as a tear fell onto her cheek.

Dean

Dean sighed as Mika suggested that he should rest with her, after Castiel left them. He wasn’t ready to be dragged into anything with angels, after everything they had dealt with. Typically, they at least got a few days of downtime in between hunts, and he didn’t know why it couldn’t be the case this time…other than the stupid seals and the stupid apocalypse looming. Dean unbuttoned his jeans and he slipped them off his legs, as she let him go and walked over to the bed. He shrugged off his jacket and then reached back to pull his t-shirt from his body, tossing it toward the dresser as he walked over to the bed.

As Mika chuckled, Dean glanced to her and he smirked, “I mean, it’s only appropriate that he gets to feel as uncomfortable as he makes others feel when he just shows up. I swear, he’s going to pop into the bathroom to talk to me one day, while I’m fully nude…”

Dean walked around to his side of the bed, and he pulled the blankets back, climbing in and settling against the pillows. He laid his arm out against the other pillow, expecting Mika to curl up on him, and when she did, he sighed happily, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

“I’ll do my best to rest. My brain is buzzing a lot right now…” Dean muttered, tilting his head to press his cheek against Mika’s head after she kissed his cheek. He stared off into space, thoughts of what the angels had planned for him…with Alastair of all people buzzing around in his head. After a while, he had apparently fallen asleep.

——————

Dean awoke with a start, having nightmares of Hell for the first time in what felt like forever. He tensed up on Mika, breathing a sigh of relief the second he felt her breath against his jaw. She was fine. He was fine. They were alive and it was apparently morning. He didn’t move, just stared at the ceiling for a moment as he tried to still his racing heart.

He had a bad feeling about today…

Cason

Cason stared at the ceiling all night, frowning at times when Nat would twitch in her sleep, or he would notice her breathing changing. But he didn’t wake her up. Even with the nightmares he could tell she was having, she needed the rest. But as the morning broke, he wrapped his arms tighter around her, deciding that enough was enough as she began to cry again. He could feel the hot splatters of tears against his bare chest and he frowned.

“Hey. Baby wake up.” He whispered in the dim light of the room, shaking her shoulder a bit. He didn’t know what she was dreaming about, but he could imagine a few scenarios. He scooted himself to where he could whisper in her ear, nuzzling his nose against the side of her face, “Wake up. I’m right here.”

Anna

Anna didn’t stir when Sam first touched her, brushing a strand of hair from her face, but when his touch came back and he wrapped up on her, she smiled pleasantly and her eyes fluttered open a bit against the side of his neck. His kiss to the top of her head made her smile a bit wider, “Good morning. You seem mighty lovey after last night.”, she murmured against his skin, before kissing his neck.

She pulled her head back a bit to stare into his sleepy hazel eyes, just sinking into them. She felt as if she had never really watched his eyes, or been able to appreciate the wave of humanity that just sat behind them, screaming to be seen. He held so much empathy and repressed love there, and she wanted to swim in the bluish green.

“Waking up with you sure is nice.” She whispered against his lips as she smiled, brushing his hair back from the side of his face with her fingertips. She trailed her fingers down his jaw and over his cheek, before tracing his eyebrow, just taking in all of the features she had yearned to see this close for what felt like a lifetime. “Seeing your face is also nice…I’ve missed you being so close.”

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

Dean

At the garage, Dean walked close to Lexi, making sure that anyone inside the place knew that she wasn’t alone, and she wasn’t going to be swindled easily. Dean narrowed his eyes, as Lexi seemed a lot more irritated about the price of the repair than he had expected, meaning that he probably should step in and complain on her behalf. Though, judging by the look on the man’s face and how easily Lexi conceded to pay, Dean didn’t think she would want him to step up. So, he didn’t. He just watched her pay with his hands on his hips, sizing up the man that took her card from her.

As she turned to Dean, he sighed and ran a weary hand across his eyebrow, “I can almost guarantee you it will. They’re charging you so much, because they want to scare you away from bringing it back. Mark my words.”

He followed her to her car, holding his hand out to open the drivers door when Lexi’s phone went off. He breathed a small sigh of relief that Sam and Anya seemed to be okay, and were on task, and probably about to be on their way home. He opened Lexi’s car door, sending back one warning glance to the mechanic who seemed to be having issues keeping eye contact with Dean. He then patted the side of the door and gave Lexi a small smile, “Keep close. Keep your phone out. If anything sounds off, call me and I’ll pull over. Just get it back to the garage. I want to look it over myself.”

Dean paused before he pulled away from the car door, “Please…”, he muttered with a toothy smile, being sickly sweet to Lexi in hopes that she would allow him to be paranoid.

Anya

Anya finished up, the artist waiting to put a film over her tattoo, until she could look it over in the mirror. She raised a hand and snapped to get Sam’s attention, smiling softly as he came over and she turned her back to him, showing him the tattoo. She kept the smile on her face as Sam paid for it, and the artist went to work on getting her bandaged up. After flattening the clear bandage, and making sure none of it was stuck to Anya’s hair, the artist sat down and waved at her. Politely, she smiled brightly and waved back before pulling herself close to Sam’s side and following him outside.

Anya slipped her arms back into her jacket as they stepped outside, and she pulled her phone from her back pocket. She glanced across the top of the car as Sam texted Lexi and Dean, opening her car door after a moment and sitting down in the seat. As soon as Sam stepped into the car, he mentioned heading back to the bunker, and Anya gave a tiny pout to the thought. She knew that the demon info from the motel had rattled him, but Dean didn’t seem too worried about it. So, why wouldn’t they just act normal.

She reached across and tapped a finger on the back of his hand, drawing his attention, before pulling her hand back and typing.

“So, no carnival? Dean didn’t seem too panicky about the danger out here. We have a bit of time and I would really like to go with you for some fun, just for a bit.”

She pressed play, giving Sam her best puppy dog eyes, the bright blue in her eyes screaming in the dim light of the car. She then typed without looking, “And we can pick up some pie for Dean.”

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

Dean

Dean fought the urge to frown at Lexi bringing up the way that Sam spoke about him. It wasn’t that surprising. His personality irked the hell out of his brother plenty of times, and almost got him killed just as many times. But it was a reminder that Lexi was Sam’s friend first, and a lot of the things she knew about them and their dynamic was from Sam. He smiled a little wider when Lexi admitted to being stubborn. She was indeed the most stubborn woman that he had known in a long time. No one could top Mika, but Lexi was damn close.

“I have a bit of a thing for stubborn women.” He murmured with a wide smile. Lexi’s phone ringing pulled their eyes apart and Dean sat back a bit but didn’t move from his spot. He just watched as Lexi spoke on the phone, making sure that it wasn’t bad news from anywhere, or that Sam wasn’t calling with a problem. But from the sounds of it, it was good news. Dean raised an eyebrow, asking quietly what the call was about when Lexi explained that her car was ready.

With a relieved sigh, Dean nodded, “Yeah. Yeah we can go grab it. I wanna check it over, anyway and make sure they didn’t mess anything up. A woman dealing with a garage usually never ends well.”

He reluctantly pulled away from Lexi, and glanced around the table for his car keys. He found them with his eyes, over in the corner of the map, where Sam’s were missing. Dean was really tempted to pick up his phone and text Sam, just to make sure he and Anya were still good to go, but he also wanted to give them space. Demons weren’t after them. They were after Dean. He was the one who needed to look over his shoulder, for now. With the first blade in the trunk, worst case scenario would be if he had to use it.

“Alright. Keys are acquired. Let’s get some clothes on and we can head out.”

All Roads Lead To You

Duke and Dean

Duke tilted his head to the side as Esme asked if he thought he should ask more questions about the necklace and he ran a hand over his mouth, thinking it over, but he paused as she agreed that she was up for a party. She was going to go out…with him. He had done plenty of groveling and keeping his hands to himself over the past couple of weeks. Taking her out for the night, dancing and drinking and having fun was almost his consolation prize for being ‘good’.

“Well. I can call the old lady back, ask her what the necklace is, if she’ll tell me. Then we can get you somethin’ to wear.” Duke chimed in as Esme turned to Dean. He also turned his eyes up to Dean, giving him his best puppy eyes from under his hat and Dean sighed.

“I have to wear a tuxedo?” Dean asked, popping another piece of candy into his mouth as Duke nodded at him, a mischievous smile on his lips. “And you’re good with wearing a dress?”

Dean’s eyes turned down to Esme’s face and raised his eyebrows, making sure she was a hundred percent okay with dressing up and going out. After a few moments of glancing between Duke and Esme, not able to deny Duke’s excitement, Dean shrugged.

“How hard can it be to steal one necklace? Did she say where it would be?”

“Locked glass case with an alarm. Ten seconds, and either one of us can have that thing in our pocket and ready to go.” Duke quickly explained, holding his hand out to emphasize his confidence. Dean shrugged again.

“Alright then. Let’s go shopping. But, I’m gonna drink and I definitely want some of those finger foods. No questions…” Dean grumbled, stepping away from the wall. He walked over to Esme, placing his hand on Duke’s shin to lean down and peck her on the lips quickly. “I’m gonna go shower and get dressed. Then we can haul ass out of here. Don’t forget your wire kit?”

He pointed a finger at Duke and Duke tipped his hat, “Gotcha brother.”

As Dean stepped away and toward the stairs, Duke leaned in close to Esme with a bright smile, “So, if I’m helpin’ you pick out a dress, I vote for somethin’ that’s gonna make your eyes pop. They’re awfully pretty not to use against the old men at the party. There’s no tellin’ what they got in their pockets.”