Wolvena

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

When Duke looked at Esme, she looked into his eyes, holding his gaze just as he did hers. She saw the tears he was battling just like herself, not hiding them from her. She had somewhat relaxed internally because, for once, he was calm and willing to listen as she talked. As Esme looked at him, she could see that her words were getting through to him, and he confirmed it when he said he knew. Having Duke acknowledge her words and admit that things were out of control felt like a breakthrough moment for her and him. Even Duke saying it was maybe his next step felt like another breakthrough. And even before he said it, Esme knew he didn't know how to control his temper. It was also something she wanted to help him learn to control. She needed him to understand that he didn't have to deal with all of this alone anymore, and he needed to let her in instead of shutting her out because he was afraid of how it would affect her. Esme watched as Duke paused and looked at the ceiling, seeming to find the next words he wanted to say to her.

She took this moment to reply softly to him. “I think it would be the perfect next step.” Esme continued to watch him, focusing on his face intently. She could tell he wanted to bottle everything up and focus on her well-being. That was who he was. When Duke sighed and looked back at her, Esme looked into his eyes and listened to what he had to say. She did not attempt to interrupt him, but her tired features softened, and her eyes saddened as he spoke. Duke was telling her everything she had suspected, and it broke her heart to hear it out loud. But his finally opening up to her was another step towards making their relationship work and become closer than they ever were in the past. Esme had always wanted this from Duke, and now that she finally had him opening up to her, she hardly knew what to say as her mind was racing with so many things to say to him, having Duke feel like second best and a burden wasn’t something she wanted him to think or feel. Duke was far more than second best to her, and she had always been in his corner.

Esme ran a hand through her hair, signing heavily, and closed her eyes briefly. Duke's words echoed in her mind, and she thought about how she wanted to respond. Esme stood from her chair with a wince, unable to stay sitting any longer. Taking a few steps away from her chair, she turned and looked back at Duke, her expression soft, her tired eyes sad and teary. “I don't think, I know you have. In the moment, you have always been what you thought others needed or wanted you to be. You've even done it with me when you didn't have to, and I never expected it of you.” she told Duke softly. “You don't always have to be what you think others need or expect. You are allowed to show how you truly feel. And I wouldn't call it screwing up. You just…. Tend to let your heart override your head. As do I.” Esme fell silent, stepped closer to Duke, placed a gentle hand on his, and squeezed it gently. “I know…. I know you're afraid of losing me because of what happened today…. And that nastier side of you is a bit much being an empath, but it will take more than that and getting hit in the nose to push me away.”

Esme softly rubbed her thumb across the back of Duke’s hand as she looked at him. She brought her bandaged hand up to her tight and achy chest. “And I know how much you're struggling with…. Losing Mika. The whole group is struggling. No one is expecting you to move on quickly. It’s going to take all of us time to get to a point where it doesn’t hurt so much, but we’ll never really move on fully. But you don’t have to go through this pain alone. I’m here, and I want to be there for you like you always were and still are for me. Let me in. Talk to me. Please, Duke, don’t shut me out anymore because you’re afraid of how it will affect me. We’re not just a couple. We’re a team.” The tears Esme had been fighting back spilled from her eyes, down her cheeks, and off her chin as she sniffled.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

Esme had looked over at Cason before stepping under Duke’s other arm and shook her head at Cason’s words. She wasn’t expecting an apology from him, but she did wonder what he wanted to talk about and if it was the same thing she wanted to talk about. Knowing Cason, it was probably something completely different. “You have nothing to be sorry about. I knew this wouldn’t be a cakewalk when I demanded you let me help.” Esme told him before Duke spoke. She sighed softly as she adjusted her grip around Duke as Cason answered, which made her smile tiredly and almost laugh. When she caught Cason smirking over at her, Esme kept her smile and shook her head lightly, realizing that Cason was trying to lighten the mood a bit. She was glad that Cason was trying to lighten the mood, knowing Duke would need it. Getting Duke back to his usual self was one of her main goals. If Esme couldn’t do that, she knew that she would more than likely lose him, and that was something she wouldn’t be able to come back from on her own. Duke had become her weakness, and she knew if Ryker and the other demons knew, they would use him against her.

Esme knew things would get difficult during and after saying goodbye to Mika, but she was still grateful that they wouldn’t be burning two bodies. That would be far too much for the group to handle. It was already hard enough having lost Mika. Before the three walked to the door, Esme had slipped the angle blade she was still holding into her belt and placed her hand on Duke’s chest. As they walked through the door and into the lot, Esme looked over at Cason as he spoke about how he was willing to ride in Duke’s truck, then said he would drive it. She softly laughed, but it faded as Duke spoke about having to hot-wire his truck to start it. “Instead of just keeping your keys, I should have removed the starter.” she said softly. Esme wasn’t sure if that would have kept this from happening, but it would have at least given her more time to get to him before he ran off and got himself into this mess. However, she would have also never run into Venrik and learned the name of the demon that started the experiments on her in the asylum.

Then again, did knowing his name really help her out now? Esme had no idea where Ryker was or what he even looked like, and who was to say she could kill him if they ever found him. There was also the possibility that he’d learn she was alive if he didn’t already know, come for her, beat her, and start the experiments all over again. The thought of having to go through all that again scared the hell out of her.

At the hospital

Esme sat in a chair beside the bed Duke lay in. She had two nurses tending to her shoulder after a small fight getting her jacket and flannel off. When they finished with her shoulder, they moved to her burnt hand. After they removed the bandana from her hand, she shoved it into her jacket pocket while she told them a story about what happened when they asked her. Esme spouted a bit of nonsense in her tired state, and they all seemed to buy it for the most part. Probably thinking she was internally struggling by how calm she was acting and staring off at nothing in particular while they tended to her wounds. Esme had barely glanced at Cason as the nurses wanted to look him over, which she usually would have smirked at. Esme had receded into her thoughts, going over everything that went on and what she had learned, causing her to tune out everything the nurses said and did to her. As her thoughts drifted to Ryker, she grew uneasy, and it was her turn to want to run even though she didn’t know his whereabouts. She didn’t want the others, especially Duke, to get tangled up in this part of her past.

Part of her wanted to run and draw this threat away from the group. Esme didn’t even want to call Sassy and tell her about it, even though she knew the woman needed to know and be prepared for whatever could come their way. She was pulled from her thoughts with a sharp intake of breath at Duke’s voice. As he spoke, she looked down at her hands after she realized the nurses working on her were gone. His words made her sigh heavily and close her eyes. Esme knew Duke felt like he really messed up with his actions, especially by punching her in the nose. “I don’t hate you, Duke. But you’re lucky I was worried about you. Otherwise, I’d be kicking your ass right now.” she said tiredly. What I do hate is how you let everything bottle up until it comes out in one giant explosion. I hate that you won’t talk to me before it gets to the point where you….” Esme cut herself off as she grabbed her jacket off the arm of the chair, carefully swung it around behind her, and draped it over her shoulders. Opening her eyes, she looked at the nurse, who was finishing up with Duke’s cast.

When the nurse finished and told them they should be discharged soon, Esme nodded before the nurse left the room. Esme looked at Duke with tired eyes. “To the point where you feel you have to run and find something to take your emotions out on or find something to kill you.” she finished with some difficulty. She turned her eyes back to her lap, fidgeting with the bandage on her hand, her hair falling to cover her face. “I know you thought it was Cason that grabbed you and that you’d never lay a hand on me, but you did because you bottled your anger. You can’t keep this up. It was Dean and me this time. Who’s it going to be the next time you lose control? How far will it go before someone can stop you if I can’t use my empathy or I’m not there?” she told him. Esme refused to let the frustrated tears welling up in her eyes fall. She looked up from her lap and looked at Duke, her tired, teary eyes holding worry for what could happen. “And if you ended up getting yourself…. Before we could get to you. I wouldn’t survive that, Duke.” Esme let out a shaky breath and fell silent.

All Roads Lead To You

Esme

Esme watched Duke’s eyes as he took in her words and the kiss on his cheek. Maybe the kiss on his cheek wasn’t the best idea since it seemed to have gone to his head. She wasn’t expecting Duke to pull her closer to himself when she smirked, causing the jewelry in her dress to dig into her chest again. As Duke answered Esme, her smirk turned into a smile, and she laughed as he chuckled at his words. Her laugh softened as he surprised her yet again by boldly leaning in close to her face and brushing his nose with hers, drawing more attention to them, and spoke again. It was then that he confirmed that he felt the jewelry down the front of her dress and was accusing her of having sticky fingers and calling her a bandit like himself. Before she could respond, Duke stepped forward and dramatically dipped her in the center of the dance floor, whipped her up just as dramatically, then continued to dance with her after pulling her tightly to him again. With how tightly he held her to his chest, it made her feel like he was worried another man was going to swoop in and take her from him.

Which she was sure he wouldn’t let happen. Esme was aware of the hovering women but didn’t mind them. She was about to speak when Duke politely pulled his hand from her back, turned down the hoving women, and again talked to her. Esme couldn’t help but laugh along with him, still surprised by his confidence. It was a side of him she hadn’t seen without the help of alcohol, which she knew he hadn’t had. However, she had to agree with him about things hitting differently when they dressed as they were, pretending to be someone they weren’t. While dancing with Duke, Esme couldn’t only feel the jealous tension in the room. She could also see it in the eyes of many of the guests on the dance floor as they partnered up. Esme could also feel and see the glares she was getting from many of the women in the room, but she didn’t care. She wasn’t there to impress them or get their approval on anything. The three of them were there for a job and a little fun in the process. Ignoring the guests around them, Esme looked up at Duke, a smile still resting on her lips.

“I can’t believe you called me a bandit. That’s not very gentlemanly of you.” she teased. As she looked up at him, her eyes became more serious. “But I can admit that I have sticky fingers occasionally. However, everything I have acquired tonight has nothing to do with me having sticky fingers.” Esme looked away from Duke and to her left. Her eyes fell on both men from earlier, and both their cheeks were still red from her slapping them and staring at her hungrily. When they grinned at her, she looked back to Duke with a soft sigh. “What you feel poking my chest was put there as a bribe by the two I mentioned so they could get handsy.” she told him. “And the two items I have in my wristlet I got from the owner's son with a bit of sweet talking, flattering, and fluttering my eyelashes. Tonight, I’ve behaved myself. I haven’t stolen a single thing stuck up snobs except for maybe a few of the men’s hearts.” Esme grinned brightly at Duke with her tongue slightly between her teeth. Standing on her toes, she leaned close to Duke, her cheek softly brushing his as she whispered in his ear.

“But once Dean is finished getting that necklace, I can show you how much of a bandit I can be.” she told him with a twinkle in her eye. The way she whispered in Duke’s ear earned her quite a few new looks, but Esme ignored them as she continued to play the persona she came up with for herself. To Duke, she was Esme. To everyone else in the room, she was Marabella. “I also need to find time to get all this jewelry out of my dress.” she added before lowering herself off her toes. As she danced with Duke, she caught the two men from earlier out of the corner of her eye, noticing they had gotten closer and were still working their way to her. Esme didn’t stop dancing until they were too close to ignore. Pulling her hand from Duke’s and taking her hand off his shoulder, she turned to face the men with a slight glare. One opened his mouth to speak, but Esme spoke first, which caused him to close it. “I’ve made it clear that I don’t wish to dance with either of you.” she told them sternly as she firmly took hold of Duke’s arm just above his watch.

“Now leave me alone before I cause a scene and have you removed.” Esme intensified her glare and projected a mild nervousness onto the men to get her point across when they stepped toward her as if testing her. “You would both be smart not to test me.” she added harshly. The two took several steps back from her, and two women stepped up to them to dance. Esme turned back to Duke, wrapped her arm up with his, and pulled him further into the room to put some distance between them and the men with a sigh. When she felt comfortable, she stopped, unwrapped her arm from his, and faced him, all while hiding how light-headed she was from using her empathy tonight. She had also secretly taken his watch from his wrist and slipped it into her wristlet. Esme then placed her hand in Duke’s, then put his other on her back before placing her hand on his shoulder. “Before you ask. Yes, I’m alright.” she said after they started dancing again. “I’m just tired of dealing with these jackasses.” A moment passed, and Esme’s hand slid from Duke’s shoulder to his chest as she rested her forehead against his shoulder, inhaling deeply through her nose and slowly letting it out her mouth to calm and collect herself.

Esme needed to calm herself. She couldn’t let her anger get the better of her. She had to get a handle on her emotions, and the best way for her to do that in such a crowded room was to focus on someone neutral or happy or leave the room entirely, but she didn’t want to do that until Dean had made it back from getting the necklace they were after. So, her best option was to focus on Duke’s cheerful positivity, which he seemed to have an endless supply of. Once Dean returned, she could see them going out on the terrace with a drink and some of those chocolate-covered strawberries she had seen earlier. Esme wouldn’t be surprised if Duke chalked her actions up to low blood sugar since she hadn’t eaten much that day. It almost felt like low blood sugar when she overused her empathy or became overwhelmed by it. “Sorry…. I soured the mood a bit.” Esme said, lifting her head from his shoulder with a sigh. “We should be having fun, not letting these rich pompous assholes get to us.”

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

Esme watched Cason after she had spoken what she felt she needed to. She wasn't surprised by Cason gritting his teeth and sighing angrily. She knew refusing to stay outside in the shadows would piss him off, but she didn’t care. Her main focus was getting Duke out, back home, and patched up. Then, once home, maybe she could get him to talk to her. She knew getting him to talk to her would be challenging, but she knew he needed to instead of bottling all his emotions. When Cason began to tell her she could go in too but paused to look for a safe route for her, Esme looked too, seeing there was no safe way for her. That was why she felt the need to bring up the alternate situation, feeling it was the only way for him to see it from her point of view. As he replied, Esme nodded softly. “Exactly.” she said softly. She finally felt they were on the same page in a way. She hated that she had to use Natalia as an example to get through to Cason and not fight her to help him get Duke out of the warehouse.

When Cason pointed, Esme looked to where he was pointing, seeing the demons perched around an entrance that hadn’t noticed or heard them yet. She nodded as Cason spoke, then looked at him, giving him a look that said she understood. She knew it was entirely accurate, even if it was a bit harsh. Esme would fight her way into the warehouse to the best of her ability, knowing there was no way she would get in unscathed. After Cason disappeared, Esme looked back to the demons perched by the entrance again and sighed heavily. She could make out at least four demons from where she stood, but that didn’t mean there weren’t more, just out of sight. Esme pulled the two knives she had on her, then quickly and quietly made her way over to the demons, keeping to the shadows as much as she could. Once on them, she sprung on the first demon, shoving one knife into his back, piercing his heart, and twisting it before pulling it out. The body hit the ground with a thud. The other demon turned around in surprise, then narrowed her eyes at Esme. “Well, look what we have here, boys. The last Stirling.” one demon chuckled.

“I’m a little surprised you’re still alive after what I’ve heard going around.” the demon said as he took to his feet. Esme narrowed her eyes at the demons, but they soon widened as the one speaking stepped out of the shadows, and she saw his face. She knew this demon from her asylum days. “Venrik.” she nearly growled, her eyes narrowing again. “I thought you died that night.” Venrik laughed loudly, tilting his head back as he did. As he laughed, Esme adjusted her stance, then locked eyes with him when he looked back at her. “I barely made it out when those two buffoons showed up to save their sister.” Venrik told her. “It’s such a shame they also didn’t find you that night. Maybe things would have turned out differently, and you wouldn’t be so broken.” Venrik smirked as he saw the anger coming to Esme’s face. “Shut up! You, Vladin, and Morana should have died that night instead of running like cowards, but they both got what was coming to them!” she growled. “I killed them both!” Venrik laughed at Esme again and shook his head as he looked at her. As he laughed, Esme glanced at the other demons. They hadn’t moved a single inch.

“Oh, Pet…. Wait, that’s not right. What was it they called you?.... Oh, right. Little Dove.” he chuckled. Esme gritted her teeth and tightened her knife grip upon hearing the pet name Valdin and Morana had given her. Venrik grinned from ear to ear, seeing how the pet name affected her. It showed that she hadn’t forgotten about what had happened to her and hadn’t gotten over it. “Did you really think it was only myself, Valdin, and Morana you had to worry about from your days in the asylum?” he asked with a wide grin. A look of confusion came across Esme’s face as she thought about the demons that always loomed over her in the asylum. She couldn't remember any other faces other than Valdin, Moranna, Venrik, and occasionally one called Caellum. Venrik chuckled at her confusion before speaking as if he had read her mind. “Other than Caellum, there was one more. I'm not surprised you don't remember him. Every time he came to check on your progress, you were either unconscious or completely out of it. He was in charge of everything, and it was his idea to use you for the experiment.” Venrik grinned. “He’s going to be thrilled you’re still alive to finish what he started.”

“And I’m sure he’ll reward me handsomely for taking you to him.” Venrik grinned brightly as if he had hit some good luck. Before Esme could ask for a name, Vinrik nodded his head toward Esme, and the two demons with him charged her. She narrowly dodged the first demon, but the second landed a punch to her jaw, sending her stumbling back a few steps. Regaining her footing, Esme swiped at one demon, catching his cheek with her knife. He cried out in pain as the holy water and salt-soaked blade burned his skin. “Thrilled, huh?” Esme responded with a laugh as she sliced through one of the demon's shoulders. “Perhaps, but you should know I won’t go without a fight.” “Oh, I do know, Little Dove. I wouldn’t expect anything less from someone who runs around with the Winchester’s pet cowboy.” Venrik said as she watched Esme fight. After a moment, Esme plunged her knife into the heart of one demon and twisted it, but before she could remove the blade, the other demon tackled her to the ground and pinned her down after a scuffle, disarming her. He smiled down at her face triumphantly, but it faded as Esme grinned back.

Esme looked into the demon’s face as she projected fear onto him. She watched as the fear overtook him, and as soon as his grip on her loosened, she rolled and placed her hands on his face, melting it as he screamed. Once the demon was dead, Esme took to her feet and faced Venrik again with a glare, who grinned at her. “Well, would you look at that? That’s something we weren’t expecting you to do after everything.” he said in faux surprise. “What else are you capable of?” He whistled, and a large handful of demons appeared out of the shadows and surrounded her, but she held her ground. ‘I wasn’t expecting to fight this many, but I also wasn’t expecting to run into him either.’ she thought. Reaching into the inside pocket of her jacket, Esme pulled her collapsible bo staff, gave it a flick, and expanded to its full length. “Come and get me!” she called out to the demons as she spun the staff in front of her. She took a fighting stance as they charged her three to four at a time. Esme fought to the best of her ability, aiming at their heads mainly, but several got in hits on her.

Her eyes took on a lavender glow as she fought, and her body began to emit heat. She could feel Venrik watching her intently, taking in everything she did so he could relay it to whatever demon wanted her. “That’s right, fellas, rough her up but not too much. Ryker doesn’t want her too broken.” he said from the sidelines. ‘Ryker. That’s who wants me.’ she thought. “He’s not getting me!” Esme growled from the middle of the demons around her. Pressing a button on the staff, a blade popped out on one end, a modification she had made during her three days in the RV with Duke. Twirling the staff, she cut the necks of a couple of demons and cut the hands off a few others. Without missing a beat, Esme stabbed a demon in the heart, then flung their body into another. It took several long minutes to defeat all the demons Venrik sent after her. The bodies that lay at her feet and around her were either decapitated, stabbed through the heart, or had their faces partially melted and stabbed through the heart. Esme turned to Venrik, looking disheveled with a feral look in her glowing eyes and breathing heavily.

“Alright, Venrik! Enough games!” she growled at him. “If you want me to go back to him!.... Take me yourself!” Venrik stood from where he had been sitting, his eyes shifting to black as he pulled out a long, shiny silver blade. It was unlike anything she had ever seen, and she wondered where a demon could get such a weapon. Venrik saw her looking at the blade, and he twirled it in his hand. “This is a little something from those feathered assholes. When they die, they drop them, and these sweet little beauties can kill anything.” he chirped. Without another word, he charged her. Esme narrowly missed his attack, but the blade slid across her cheek, cutting it and causing her skin to sizzle as she gasped from the pain. “What the hell!” she growled as she spun to face Venrik. “Hmmm, interesting. Very interesting. Looks like you’re allergic to angelic weapons.” he said, smiling brightly. Esme and Venrik charged each other, making blows one after the other to each other's stomach, face, and ribs. She lunged and embedded the blade on her staff into his shoulder, causing him to cry out. Esme took this chance to go after the knives she had dropped earlier in the fighting.

As soon as she had picked them up and turned to charge Venrik, he had thrown the angel blade at her, and it pierced her right shoulder as soon as she turned. Esme cried out and dropped to her knees, gritting her teeth as the blade burned her. She reached up to pull the blade from her shoulder, and it burned her hand. As Esme fought with the angel blade, Venrik pulled the staff from his shoulder and walked over to Esme, placed his foot on her chest, kicked her backward onto the ground, and stood over her triumphantly as she hissed in pain. “You ready to give up yet, Little Dove?” he sneered down at her. “Never!” Esme growled. Bending down, Venrik picked Esme up by her jacket onto her feet and looked into her face. “Give up. You have nothing left.” he told her. “I have plenty left!” she growled with a grin. Esme’s eyes began to glow brighter, and the heat from her body intensified, burning Venrik. Without warning, she headbutted him and then jammed a knife into his stomach. As he cried out, she could hear his skin sizzling from where her head had hit his face. “I told you, I’m not going back to him!” she growled.

Taking hold of the hilt of the angel blade, she grit her teeth as it burned her, then pulled it from her shoulder with a scream. Esme then plunged the blade into Venrik’s heart. Letting it go, she stepped back as he screamed and sparked before his body fell to the ground. Esme stood there momentarily to catch her breath and took in the scene before her, hardly believing she had done all of it. But on the bright side, she had one less demon from her past to worry about. Esme then collected her knives, tucked them away, and then collected her staff, folding the blade back into it and collapsing it. She tucked it back into the inside jacket pocket and then returned to Venrik’s body and looked at the blade sticking out of his chest. It baffled her that the angel blade burned her like iron burned demons, but why didn’t it burn them? Pulling a purple bandana from her pocket, Esme wrapped it around her burnt hand and tied it. Esme then pulled her gloves from her pocket and put on the right glove, putting the other back in her pocket. Using her bandaged hand, she pulled the blade from Venrik’s chest and placed it in her right hand before finally walking to the door and going into the warehouse.

After Esme walked in, she kept quiet and kept to the shadows. The only thing alerting to her being there were her glowing eyes. She could hear the fighting going on as soon as she entered and instantly knew it was Duke and Cason fighting before she saw them just up ahead of her. Esme walked closer, stopping at some old shelving, and leaned against it just as Duke stabbed Cason, causing him to scream. She winced as his scream echoed through the warehouse as he sparked. She watched as Duke pulled the knife from Cason’s shoulder and held it tightly in his hand, then watched as he leaned back and beat his forehead a couple of times as he sobbed. Esme hated seeing him like this, and it caused her to grip the angel blade tightly in her hand, then tighter as she winced when Cason punched Duke’s temple, almost knocking him out. It took everything in her not to run from the shadows to him as she saw Duke slump over onto the floor. ‘Come on, Duke. Stop fighting him and just come home.’ she thought. Esme’s glowing eyes teared up when Duke told Cason to kill him.

She looked down at the floor and shook her head, wishing she hadn’t heard him say that and not wanting to watch the fighting anymore. Esme closed her eyes tightly and gripped the blade tighter as Cason responded to Duke. ‘I’m already here, and you’re right.’ she thought, sighing silently. She winced at the next blows they landed on each other but didn’t open her eyes until Cason broke Duke’s wrist and he cried out. All she could do was watch and listen with teary eyes as Cason continued trying to get through to Duke. ‘Come on, Duke. Listen to him.’ she thought. Esme’s eyes teared up more when Duke told Cason to kill him once again. Those tears rolled down her cheeks and onto the floor. She lifted her left hand to her aching chest from Duke's emotions, watching as Cason moved the knife from Duke’s chin to his throat. Cason’s next words to Duke made her see him in a different light, and she was thankful for his words to Duke. However, Duke’s response caused her heart to drop. “That’s where you’re wrong, Duke. Without you, I don’t have much of a place in this group.” she said barely above a whisper.

She sighed softly as Cason spoke to Duke again, and Duke stopped fighting and sobbed in Cason’s arms. Esme felt like she could breathe a little better now that Duke had stopped fighting and finally let himself cry. When Cason called to her, she pushed herself off the old shelving and stood there a moment, watching the two and listening. Esme hoped that Duke would let her and the others help him. After carefully dabbing her tears with her bandaged hand, she walked out of the shadows and towards the two men, the glow in her eyes slowly fading as she got closer. She looked up at Duke with soft eyes, even though she wanted to kick his ass for the worry he put her through. “He’s right, you know. You need to let us help you.” she said softly. “And if you can’t let everyone help, at least let me help you.” Esme looked at Cason and gave him a look of thanks before looking back at Duke. “But first things first. We’re getting you to a hospital to get looked over before we go home.” she told him, her tone saying she wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“I’ll get myself looked over as well. If my ribs aren’t cracked, they are severely bruised from the fight I had out there.” Esme then stepped up to Duke's other side, put his arm over her shoulders, and put her arm around him. “Let’s get out of here. I’ll explain what happened once we’re patched up and home.”

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

Esme saw Cason’s face flood with sympathy as soon as he turned to face her after she called his name. When she asked him for help getting Duke back, she wasn't looking for sympathy from him. All Esme wanted was Cason’s help since she couldn't do this alone without possibly being too late when she finally found Duke. After everything she and Duke had been through after meeting back up and reconnecting, she couldn't and wouldn't lose him like this. With losing Mika and hitting her, Esme knew Duke wasn't in the right headspace and knew he would do something reckless that could get him killed. When Cason held up a hand to stop her from continuing after she told him she’d owe him, she did and took a deep breath as Natalia agreed with her. It was then that Esme realized how terrified Natalia was from the whole fight between Duke and Dean. She felt bad she hadn't noticed it before, even if she was distracted by trying to get through to Duke. Esme also knew that seeing Duke hit her must have also affected her. Hell, it surprised her that Duke hit her. She thought she had gotten through to him enough for him to know it was her and not Cason.

Esme’s attention went back to Cason as he answered her plea for help. A little relief came to her face as Cason agreed to bring Duke back, but her eyebrows slightly knitted together at what he said next. His words, ‘by any means necessary,’ echoed in her head. Esme knew Duke didn't like Cason and would no doubt fight Cason trying to bring him home, but the thought of using excessive force to bring him home didn't sit well with her. However, she knew it would more than likely come to that. Sighing heavily, she reluctantly nodded to Cason’s back as he walked over to Natalia. “Alright. Just don’t do anything more than you have to.” she told Cason as he kissed Natalia. Esme didn’t move from her spot until Cason stepped back from Natalia and disappeared. With Cason looking for Duke’s location, Esme took this time to tend to her nose, clean the blood from her face, and grab an extra knife from the duffle in the kitchen. She had just returned to the kitchen when Cason reappeared and wrapped an arm around her. She had just enough time to take a deep breath and hold it before he disappeared with her and reappeared with her at a warehouse.

Esme didn’t release her breath until Cason pulled her into a shadow and pressed her back against the side of the building. As Cason spoke, she looked up into his face, taking in his words and her eyebrows knitted together. Of course, he’d tell her to stay back while he went in and dealt with the problem on his own. He should have known that wouldn’t sit well with her. Esme understood he was trying to keep her safe and out of a situation she couldn’t get out of, but this was Duke they were going in for. There was absolutely no way she could sit on the sidelines while Cason went in and took care of the demons surrounding Duke. Other than her godmother, Duke was the only other person she had to live for on this planet. She had to go in and at least do something to help him. As Esme looked up at Cason, her gaze almost turned into a glare despite seeing the seriousness and worry in his eyes. “Like hell, I’m staying here on the sidelines.” she told him sternly. “I’ll let you do the majority of the killing and stay out of your way, but I’m going in too.”

Even though her eyes held worry, they showed that she was determined to go in and help kill the demons surrounding Duke. “If the roles were reversed and that was Nat in there. Could you stay on the sidelines while I went in?” Esme asked him, looking into his eyes. “I seriously doubt you could. That blonde, reckless idiot in there is my world. We’re going in together to get him, kill those demons, and then taking him home. Even if we have to force him.”

All Roads Lead To You

Esme

Esme continued to look around the room for one of the boys while continuing to fight with the hands of the man she was with. She wanted to slap him so badly but was worried that it would mess things up for the job they were here to do. Being the mansion's owner, she didn’t think it was wise to hit him and cause a scene, so she chose to endure it until she could get help from one of the boys. Esme knew Dravin wouldn’t step up to his father, tell him to stop, and then take her back from him. Dravin seemed like a good guy, but he didn’t have it in him to stand up to his father in any way, even if he thought what his father was doing was wrong. When her eyes finally landed on Duke, her gaze turned desperate for help as she locked eyes with him. When he answered her with a look of his own, she read it loud and clear, sighing inwardly with relief. Esme did her best to keep Duke in sight, watching him shove and push his way through the crowded room until she was turned and her back was to Duke.

Esme felt Duke even before he leaned in close, wrapped his arm around her waist, then placed his hand on her stomach. She gave a soft smile as she spoke. “I’m sure he wouldn’t.” Esme replied before Duke tugged and pulled her into his chest. She followed Duke’s movements, nearly melting into him with relief and almost gripping his jacket. Esme was thankful Duke shaded her face with his hat as he walked her to the center of the room. She didn’t want to see the guy’s face anymore and was glad she would only have to be in the same place as him for the night. Tomorrow, she wouldn’t have to think of or see him again. Once in the center of the room and away from the man, Esme looked up at Duke as he spoke to her sweetly and looked over at the man. She sighed with a slight nod. “I’ll be fine, but I'm glad you showed up when you did.” Esme told him before he asked her several other questions, pushed her out, and spun her back to him with her back against his chest. Before she could answer his questions, he leaned his head in and whispered in her ear.

She couldn't stop the smile that came to her lips at how tempting it was to take Duke up on his offer. The thought of Duke teaching the man a lesson about how no matter how much money you have, no woman should be treated in such a way was almost too good to pass up. But after thinking about it, she shook her head at his offer. Like Duke, she was aware of the eyes on them and the women whispering. Esme even caught sight of the woman Duke was supposed to take home, clearly unhappy with Esme in Duke’s arms instead of herself. It nearly made her laugh as she watched the woman slap her bodyguard on the chest and declare that she wanted to leave. Esme spun around in Duke’s arms to look at him and placed her hands on his shoulders. She then leaned in and whispered in his ear. “If that man were anyone else, I’d say go ahead and break him…. He’s the owner of the place. We don’t need that attention, even if you made it look like an accident.” Esme thought it was sweet that Duke would go and break a couple of bones just to make her feel better about the guy's actions.

“Thank you for offering, though. I appreciate it.” she said warmly. She then kissed his cheek before pulling back to look into his face, a warm smile resting on her lips before it turned into a slight smirk as a thought crossed her mind. “But if you need to get it out of your system. I can point out a couple of other handsy asshats.” she told him. She’d honestly love to watch as the two got taught a lesson since it would be a little hard to do it herself in this dress. As she mentioned the two guys, she was reminded of the jewelry that she had slightly forgotten about, which was still down the front of her dress that they had put there. Esme needed to find time to fish it all out and put what she could in her wristlet before it became too uncomfortable. She was sure Duke had to have felt some of it when he pulled her chest to chest with himself. She surely did.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme (Collab with Duke, Cason, and Dean)

When Esme came out of the RV, she hadn’t even noticed Anna and Sam sitting on the Impala talking. Her mind was so focused on Duke wanting to speak with Dean and what could come of it that everything else was drowned out. Besides Sam, she felt Duke was the only other person in the group who could get through to Dean with Mika gone. She continued to pace, chewing on her lip and avoiding looking through the window. Esme knew that a fight could possibly break out over Duke confronting Dean about needing to burn Mika’s body. It felt inevitable. She was no stranger to any of their fights, which back in the day was mostly a scuffle. However, she had witnessed a few times where they threw punches. But something about this time told her this would turn out much worse than a scuffle and a couple of punches thrown between the two. When Sam and Anna approached her, she nearly jumped out of her skin, not hearing them cross the gravel. She looked up at Sam, sighing softly at his question. She saw Anna out of the corner of her eye looking through the window into the basement but didn’t take her eyes off Sam.

She let Anna talk to Sam before she answered Sam’s question. “I’m afraid so.” she started. “Other than you, I feel like Duke is the only one who can get through to Dean about needing to give Mika the funeral she deserves.” Esme sighed heavily as she closed her eyes briefly before a visible shiver overtook her from all the emotions flowing from the house. “I didn’t want him going in alone, but I’m having difficulty going into the house. The emotions are too strong and overwhelming.” she admitted. “But I don’t have a good feeling about this.” Esme brought a hand up to her aching chest, and another visible shiver ran through her body as her face went pale. She felt Duke’s anger rising quickly. Esme looked to the back door moments before Anna came out screaming for Sam. “Oh no.” she breathed. Anna’s screams told her that Duke and Dean were in a nasty fistfight, just like she feared would happen. She turned her worried eyes to Sam. “We have to step in and stop that fight. I’ll get Duke.” she said quickly. Without waiting for a reply, Esme ran to the back door, pulled it open, and ran inside.

Upon entering the kitchen, she could hear the fight, and her stomach cramped painfully. She hoped she and Sam could break it up before it got too out of hand. She ran through the kitchen and to the doorway, stopping in her tracks at the sight in the living room. It was almost worse than she could have imagined. Esme felt frozen on the spot until she heard Cason talking to Duke, saying she would walk in on this. She winced when Dean punched Duke, clearly not giving up the fight, then winced again, seeing Duke shove Dean's head against the floor. They were both a bloody mess, and she could see they had tears mixing with the blood on their faces. This couldn’t go on much longer. Esme opened her mouth to call out to Duke, but he spoke to Cason, causing her to shut her mouth and listen as Cason replied to him. Her heart ached as she watched the scene unfold in the living room, hearing what was being said. She could pretty much piece things together even though she missed much of what had been said in the beginning. She had to find a way to help Cason and Sam stop this fight from going further.

Esme finally willed herself to move when she saw Duke’s hands grip Dean’s jacket, and then Cason reached out to stop him. “Duke! This has to stop!” she called out. “If this keeps going, you’re going to kill him!” She ran over to Duke and Dean, thinking of what she could do or say to bring this fight to a stop. “Please, Duke, stop. I know you don’t want to kill him.” she begged him, then placed her hand on his. She hoped her voice and touch would bring him enough out of his rage to think clearly and see how much damage he had done.

Duke stopped for a split second as he heard Esme's voice call out his name. He didn't even know she was nearby, but hearing his name snapped his head up for a moment as Dean growled weakly beneath him. Before Esme could reach him, Duke shrugged Cason's hand off his shoulder and turned his angry eyes back down to Dean, who wasn't really fighting him anymore. But then Dean's hand came up to wrap around Duke's wrist that he was holding up.

"No..." Duke growled, twisting his arm out of Dean's grip. Another touch came to his hand, and Duke instantly reacted, assuming it was Cason grabbing him to make him stop. Without another word, Duke twisted his body and he threw a punch at the person closest to him. That fist came in contact with Esme's nose, the sickening sound the blow made causing Duke to wince before he ever realized who he had hit.

Cason dropped his shoulders, realizing that this was the end of the fight. There was no way Duke wouldn't be pulled out of his rage after hitting the ONLY person that he loved with all his heart.

Esme didn't have any time to dodge or block Duke’s fist with how fast he reacted to her touch. She never saw it coming, even if she should have. Never did she ever think Duke would hit her, not even in a state of rage, but it did happen. When Duke’s fist connected with Esme’s nose, she cried out as she stumbled backward from the force of the punch. Holding her now broken nose in her hands, she was in utter shock and could barely wrap her head around what had just happened. Esme lifted her watery gaze to Cason first, blinking quickly to clear her blurred vision. She saw his shoulders drop, then looked to Duke, who was still straddling Dean.

She didn’t move from her spot as she looked at Duke and Dean, taking in the state they were both in more clearly. “Duke?” she called his name softly yet sternly, pain evident in her tone. “This fight needs to end now before anyone else gets hurt. You’re not the only one who wants to put Mika to rest, but do you really think beating Dean to death is going to make it happen easier?” She slowly stepped closer to Duke. “I also know it’s not just Dean’s inability to put Mika to rest that brought on this much rage.” Esme slowly stepped around in front of Duke and placed a gentle hand on his arm. “It’s time to stop, Duke. Take a deep breath.” she told him. “We will give Mika the funeral she deserves. Deep down, Dean knows it’s the right thing to do.”

Duke heard Esme's voice as he turned his eyes up to look at Cason, who was still standing beside him. It was then that his stomach dropped. Cason was untouched, unharmed and was now just staring at him in shock and sadness. Duke looked down at his bloody hands, and Dean's face, and after a moment, he willingly dropped Dean roughly on the floor as Esme spoke to him. His hands began to shake as he realized how bad his anger had come over him, and how much damage his rage had actually done.

Duke flinched at Esme's touch, like a scared animal, but as he turned his puffy eyes up to see her face, he realized that he had, in fact, hit her. Instantly, his eyes softened and he tilted his head, reaching his shaking hand out to touch her cheek. Every ounce of rage turned to regret, and a new type of anguish that settled somewhere in his feet as he looked over her nose and what he had done.

"Oh god..." He sobbed, dropping his hand to Dean's chest. Dean didn't move, just taking deep breaths as he lay there, his own anger completely squashed by the uncharacteristic outburst, and violence. It was over. Duke's shoulders slumped for a moment as he cried openly, something that he would never have done...

"Let's get you cleaned up." Cason spoke softly to Duke, trying his best to offer an olive branch and help Esme, but all it did was bring Duke back to the reality of what he had done. With Cason wrapping an arm around Duke's, Duke stood from the ground and he instantly stepped over Dean onto shaky legs, limping toward the kitchen, "Where are you going?!"

Duke only stopped briefly, grabbing Ruby's knife from the open duffel on the kitchen table. He then pulled the kitchen door open and stomped through it, as Cason looked to Nat for any sign of what to do about the situation. The kid was going to get himself killed.

Esme wasn’t entirely sure she was getting through to Duke until he looked up at her with puffy eyes. She saw the moment he realized he had hit her in his rage. She watched as his eyes softened and his shaky hand touched her cheek. She tilted her head into his touch, feeling as his rage turned into regret and anguish as he looked at her nose. Esme’s eyes softened as she looked into his puffy eyes. As she sobbed and dropped his hand to Dean’s chest, she knew Duke would never forgive himself for hitting her, even though she wasn’t mad about it or holding it against him. She watched both Duke and Dean; their anger had been completely squashed, and neither had anything left to fight each other anymore. Esme knew it had to do with the uncharacteristic outburst and violence. As Duke openly cried, she gently squeezed his arm before Cason stepped over to Duke and spoke to him, then reluctantly stepped back as Cason helped Duke to his feet. She gave a look of thanks to Cason for the help but soon grew tense as things changed quickly. When Duke stepped over Dean and limped to the kitchen, her stomach knotted painfully.

She saw the look on Duke’s face as Cason lifted him from the floor. She knew the emotions that were pouring off him. He was going to bolt, which knocked all the wind out of her. She felt like she was losing him all over again. Duke grabbing Ruby’s knife from the duffle on the kitchen table only confirmed everything she felt was happening. “Duke, don’t do this! Please!” she called after him before the door closed after he opened it and stomped out. Esme couldn’t control the fear and worry that overtook her. Duke was hurting emotionally and injured from his fight with Dean. She couldn't see it ending well. She would surely lose him again if he ran off now. She had to try despite still having his truck keys in her pocket. If she was fast enough, she could get to him before he could hot-wire his truck. Esme ran to the kitchen, then through it. As soon as she grabbed the door handle, she heard Duke’s truck roar to life and then peel out of the lot. Yanking the door open, she ran into the garage, seeing Duke drive off. “Duke! Come back!” she screamed at his truck. “Don’t do this to me.” she breathed, tears filling her eyes, watching his truck disappear from her sight.

Esme nearly collapsed on the gravel with how badly she was shaking. She couldn't run after him and couldn’t get in her car to drive after him; it was still being repaired. Her chest ached and felt tight, making it hard to breathe. As much as she didn’t want to, she would have to ask Cason to help her find Duke and bring him back. It was her only option other than borrowing a car and searching every place she came across for Duke. They had to find Duke before he got himself killed. Turning on her heel, she quickly walked back into the kitchen and to the living room, worry written on her face and tears in her eyes. “Cason?” she said, barely getting it out. “I feel I have no right to ask you this, but I have to. Can you find out where Duke’s gone and help me bring him back? With the states he’s in, I’m afraid he’s going to get himself killed.” As Esme looked at Cason, her eyes were almost pleading with him to help her, and they showed just how scared she was that something was going to happen to Duke. “I’ll owe you one.” she added.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

Esme was quiet the whole way home, but she kept a close eye on Duke as she drove. While making sure to keep her focus on the road, she also made sure to watch Duke’s face and keep tabs on how he was feeling. Esme wanted to ensure she stayed on top of any change in him so she could jump into action if she had to. Duke’s face remained blank for the most part, and all she could feel was grief, pain, and guilt from him. But that didn’t stop her from worrying about what was going through his mind as he remained quiet for the entire trip. Esme knew he had a lot to think about on the way home. It was just which one was the most prominent. The sorrow of losing Mika, blaming himself for her death, or wanting to bolt so he could cry, stew, and beat himself up on his own. None of which she wanted to leave him alone with, but she knew he would need a bit of time to himself at some point, which honestly scared her. As they pulled into the lot, Esme glanced up at the ‘Singer Salvage’ sign swinging above the entrance just as Duke did.

Her stomach knotted painfully, knowing how devastated Bobby was going to be once he saw Mika’s body. She was devastated; she and Mika had just gotten on good terms, and now she’d never know where it would have led. Esme could have seen them working well together to keep Duke and Dean on the right path, but now she would never know if that was true or not. She sighed heavily as she parked Duke’s truck in its usual spot and killed the engine, pulling the keys and shoving them into her pocket. Esme looked at Duke to watch him for a moment, noting how he hesitated to get out of the truck, which tore at her heart. When Duke opened the door, stepped out, and closed the door, Esme opened hers but didn’t get out. It wasn’t until after he patted the truck window did she get out of the truck with a nod. “I’ll be there in a bit.” she told him as he walked to the RV.

Day 1

Esme didn’t leave Duke alone except to use the bathroom and to get food from the kitchen for them. She kept his truck keys on her and only ever bothered him to see if he needed anything, which usually resulted in a shake of his head. She left him alone for the most part.

Day 2

Once again, Esme mostly kept to herself, only talking to Duke to see if there was something he needed, and she actually had him speak to her coherently a few times. The only time she left the RV for a length of time was to go take a shower, but not before asking Sarah and Anna to keep an eye out for Duke, even though she had taken his truck keys with her. Esme finally broke down in the shower after holding in her emotions for so long.

Day 3

Esme lay next to Duke silently. After the past few days, she felt mentally and emotionally tired. She hadn’t had much sleep due to her sleeping so lightly that whenever Duke would move, she’d wake up and keeping tabs on his emotional state. When Duke spoke after such a long silence, she nearly flinched. Tilting her head, she looked at Duke as he spoke and nodded. As Duke got out of bed, Esme sat up in the bed and watched him as he grabbed his flannel. “I agree, but you know as well as I do it’s going to be hard to get that through his head right now.” she told him. She wholeheartedly agreed with Duke that they needed to burn Mika’s body, but convincing Dean of that was going to be easier said than done. Esme also knew that things could go south very quickly, depending on how Duke handled this. A feeling of dread came over her as she sat there watching Duke. She didn’t see things going smoothly but knew it had to be addressed for all their sakes. They all needed closure, and Mika needed to be put to rest. She deserved a hunter’s funeral, not having her body rot down in the basement of Bobby’s house.

Esme didn’t know if she could step foot in the house or even the basement just yet, the emotions were still incredibly strong in the house, but she also didn’t want Duke having to do this alone. Before she could fully make up her mind on what she wanted to do, Duke had returned and climbed partially back on the bed after talking quickly. She kissed him back when he kissed her quickly, then watched him as he put on his boots. “Okay.” she replied with a nod. “Just be careful.” She added the last bit a little softer than she had intended. After Duke left the RV, Esme sat there momentarily in thought, contemplating what she should do. She finally decided she couldn’t just sit there and wait for whatever came of Duke going and talking to Dean. Willing herself off the bed, Esme grabbed her flannel, slid it over her arms, and buttoned it as she walked over to the door. Grabbed her jacket, she slipped it on, and then stepped into her boots before walking out of the RV. Esme didn’t go inside, she chewed at her lip and paced outside near the outdoor basement door, listening for the moment she may have to run in and try to stop anything between Duke and Dean that she felt coming.

All Roads Lead To You

Esme

Esme’s smile grew as she felt how her voice, words, and actions were affecting Dean at the moment. It was precisely what she was going for, showing her that she hadn’t lost her touch. The clenching of his jaw, his shudder, and the heat building around his collar all excited her and egged her on more. She knew she should pull back a bit since they had a job to do, but she was having fun, maybe a little too much fun getting him worked up and possibly falling apart internally. But it wasn’t every day they got to come to places like this and were able to forget themselves and become someone new for a night. So, why wouldn’t she play the role as far as she could? Next, it was her turn to shudder and bite her bottom lip as Dean spoke low and brushed his lips against her cheek, then his nose. Her lip-biting turned into a bright smile with her tongue pressed to her teeth as she looked deep into his green eyes, took in his words, seductive smile, and the brushing of his lips on hers. She was tempted to kiss him right there in the stairwell.

Her bright smile quickly turned into a smile to match his, and she brushed her lips against his. Then, she raised her hand and gently ran a finger along his jawline before answering with a purr to her tone. “Take care of your business, handsome, but don’t take too long. I won’t wait forever.” Her eyes sparkled with playful mischievousness as she looked into his eyes and rested her hand on his neck, her thumb brushing along his jaw. Esme was moments from giving in to the urge to kiss Dean when she felt Duke walk up. From what she could feel, he had gotten the information he was after, which she was happy about. His timing was terrible, though. Duke then cleared his throat and stepped up to them. When Dean pulled his face away from hers, Esme let her hand fall from his neck to her side as Duke spoke and placed a hand on her lower back. Her face changed to a more serious one, and she was a little surprised by Duke’s action but said nothing. Before she could turn and look at Duke, Dean was already looking back at her and asking her to wait for him.

She opened her mouth to reply, but Duke sighed and spoke again. Emse turned so she could look at both while they talked about what they would do. She remained quiet between them as there was no way she could get a word in edgewise. When Duke announced he was taking the owner’s ex-wife home, she lightly shook her head with a light laugh as the boys laughed like teenagers. ‘Of course, the first woman he came across would have been the owner’s ex-wife.’ she thought. Her gaze returned to Dean when he shrugged his shoulders and looked down at her. “I’ll be fine. You two, go and get that necklace.” she told him warmly as she looked into his green eyes. When Dean kissed her, she returned it with a soft smile behind the kiss. Then Duke kissed her on the cheek moments after she and Dean broke theirs. She couldn’t help but laugh lightly at how comfortable he was getting at placing kisses on her cheeks. Esme watched Duke jog up the stairs before Dean could even step away from her, then looked back at Dean. “I’ll be waiting for you. Just don’t keep me waiting too long.” she smiled with a sparkle in her eyes.

Esme waited for Dean to step away from her and walk up the stairs before she moved from her spot to make her way to the ballroom. She stopped just before entering, taking a deep breath and slowly releasing it, taking in the grand room. She felt a little awkward walking in alone. This was the first time she had ever walked into a room this grand alone. After spotting the bar near the back of the room, Esme stepped in and headed straight for it, weaving through the people and saying a few ‘excuse me’ and ‘pardon me’ along the way. Before she could make it to the bar, she was stopped by a man in a dark green mask. “Excuse me, gorgeous. Would you dance with me?” he asked. She momentarily thought about it, thinking it would be a good way to pass the time while the boys did their thing. “I’d be happy to.” she replied with an air of sophistication and a warm smile. The man smiled back, pulled her toward him, and placed a hand on her middle back as he led her to the dance floor.

The two shared an awkward dance, and they talked, and he led her around the room. He was extremely handsy and forward. He had no boundaries, even with Esme moving his hands where they should be and warning him. He slipped several pieces of jewelry down the top of her dress to buy her affection. When he grabbed her breasts, that was the last straw. She drew back her hand and slapped him as hard as she could across his face, turned, and walked off right into the arms of another man in a crimson mask. He immediately pulled her into him for a dance, and the process started again, almost the same as the last guy. Just this guy actually had the audacity to slide his fingers down the top of her dress, resulting in him getting slapped, too. Not many paid attention to the two interactions, to her relief. ‘If Dean and Duke were in here to witness that, all hell would have broken loose.’ she thought. She stifled a laugh at the image that came to mind of Dean and Duke beating the hell out of the two men. If she had been anywhere else, she would have punched them in the face instead of slapping them.

Esme then pushed through the crowd again, trying to get to the bar for a drink she desperately needed and to get away from all the men trying to grope her. Before she could make it, she was stopped yet again by a gentleman in a navy blue and silver mask. “Excuse me, Miss.” he said politely. “Would you join me for a dance?” He carefully picked up her hand and kissed the back of it. Esme hesitated to answer, and this caused him to look up from her hand with a warm smile. “I understand your hesitation after the two that asked you. They had that slap coming. A lady as beautiful as you shouldn’t be treated as such.” he told her. “Thank you.” she replied with a small smile. “I swear I’ll give you the respect you deserve. You deserve to have a good time while you’re here, and I plan to give you that with a decent dance.” he told her. “When the dance ends, I’ll get you a drink.” Esme softly sighed and nodded, and the man smiled brightly and gently pulled her to the dance floor. He took her into his arms just as a new song began to play and led her around the dance floor, his hands never moving from their starting positions.

The two shared a wonderful dance, talking and getting to know each other through the story she fabricated about herself. By the song's end, she had him wrapped around her little finger, and he didn’t want to let her out of his sight. He asked her for another dance, which she accepted after he came clean about who he was. She did her best to hide her shock, but she never could have guessed that she would have met up with the owner’s son, Dravin. One more dance turned into two more, with the whole ballroom watching them and clapping when they were done, as they were not simple dances. After the last dance, Dravin linked her arm with his, like the gentleman he was, led her to the bar, and got her a drink as he said he would, a glass of wine. No other men came to her while she stood by Dravin’s side, which relieved her. “Marabella?” Dravin said after a moment, using the name she had given him. “If you’d allow me to, I’d like to show you something.” Esme smiled warmly and nodded. “Okay, lead the way.” she said just as warmly at her smile.

Dravin smiled ear to ear at Esme’s acceptance of his offer. Taking her left arm, he wrapped it around his arm, led the way out of the ballroom, and up the stairs in the stairwell. Esme grew a bit nervous as they walked up the stairs, but it vanished when they turned to go down another hallway and through the room's double doors. The room was massive and filled with many artifacts from different periods. “This is my personal collection.” Dravin said, letting go of Esme’s arm and gesturing her forward to look as she pleased. Walking further into the room, Esme took a sip of her wine and looked around. “My, this is some collection you have.” she said, putting a little surprise in her tone. Dravin chuckled and shook his head. “This is only part of it. There's more through that door to the far left.” he told her with a bright smile. Esme felt Dravin’s eyes on her the entire time she walked around the room, looking at the objects in glass cases. She could tell that most of the objects were the real deal, while others seemed fake. When Dravin felt she had seen the best pieces in the room, he led her to the other room door with an excited smile.

Esme could feel his excitement and couldn’t help but smile as she walked with him into the room. It was just as massive as the previous room and filled to the brim with artifacts. She felt there was something, in particular, Dravin wanted her to see, but she didn’t dwell on it as she felt something strange in this room. It was like something was drawing her in. It was a strange sensation. Dravin stayed close to her side as she walked around the room, watching her face as she looked at each artifact. As she moved around the room, the pull she felt became stronger and was difficult to ignore. After getting through most of the room's artifacts, Esme finally came across the glass case she was being pulled towards. Inside was an antique silver ring that obviously had magical properties from what she felt. She looked at it from every angle she could, taking in the stones and noting that it could be used by an empath or as a witch talisman before looking at Dravin. “How did you get your hands on such a rare piece?” she asked with genuine interest. “I’ve looked for years and only ever come across them in books.”

Dravin stepped closer with a chuckle and looked down at the ring. “This isn't the item I figured you’d be drawn to, but I can see why you are, due to how rare it is. I now see you’re drawn to the rarer artifacts.” he said in slight surprise. He went through a long spiel of how he got it from a crazy older man in Utah and got it for a steal a couple of years ago after she confirmed she was drawn to the rarer artifacts. Esme nodded as he spoke and looked back at the ring in the case. A ring like this shouldn’t be in the hands of someone who knew of the supernatural through stories and nothing about the real things. Esme fell into deep thought as she stood there. If she played her cards right, and with some help from her empathy, maybe she could talk Dravin out of the ring and have him give it to her. She knew she couldn't leave this room without that ring. After some emotional manipulation and some sweet talking, Esme managed to get Dravin to open the glass case and give her the ring along with a beautiful purple jade hairpin, which was the item he thought she would have been drawn to.

Esme quickly put both items in her wristlet and talked him into going back to the ballroom. As they entered, they were met by Dravin’s father, who had been waiting for them. He immediately took Esme’s glass from her, handed it to Dravin, and then pulled her into a dance as he asked her to dance with him, giving her no time to refuse or give Dravin a chance to protest. He led her to the middle of the room and started a conversation with her that quickly turned awkward. He talked about looking for a good woman for Dravin, how he was looking for a new wife, and how he felt she could be that woman for either of them after watching her. As the conversation continued, she began to fight with his hands traveling over her body and him trying to kiss her. As he became more aggressive, she started looking around the room for Dean and Duke to give them a look of help to get her out of this spot.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

Esme looked deeply into Duke’s eyes as he looked into hers, seeing his face go blank as a tear rolled down his cheek before he nodded at her words. Her features softened as he spoke, then broke down in front of her. She sighed softly as Duke reached out, slid his hand through the hair on the side of her head, and then touched his forehead to hers. As she stood there, she gently took her hand from his cheek, reached up, removed Duke’s hat from his head, and tossed it on the truck's dash. Esme then raised her hands, placing one on his cheek and the other on the back of his head. “There you go. Just let it all out, " she said soothingly, stroking his hair softly. “I’m here. I got you.” It took everything she had not to break down with him and not wince at the pain growing more painful in her chest and heart. It tore her up inside seeing him this upset and crying this hard. He had always tried to keep from breaking down in front of her, which was something she couldn’t ever remember seeing him doing but had heard it from behind closed doors a time or two in the past.

Tears escaped her closed eyes and rolled down her cheeks. Esme wanted to take away all his pain and his guilt. She wanted to hop into the truck and drive off with him, away from everything that was a reminder of what happened. Other than being there for him and using her empathy, she didn’t know how else to help him through all his pain and guilt. A thought finally crossed her mind as she held Duke’s head against hers. Not only did she have to worry about Duke going off the reservation and Dean, but there were also Bobby and Natalia to worry about. Esme didn’t know how they would all bounce back after this loss. Thankfully, they were all together and could get through it together. Most of her worry was on Duke and Dean. Duke would possibly bolt when the numbness wore off, but when it came to Dean, she wasn’t sure what he might do. Other than taking his frustration out on someone in the group. That was just something they’d all have to deal with when it happened. After a few long moments of letting Duke have a good cry, Esme pulled back just enough to kiss his forehead.

“I think it’s time we get everyone home.” she spoke softly against his forehead. Esme kissed Duke’s forehead again, then the bridge of his nose, before pulling her face away. She took this moment to finally look over at Mika’s car parked behind Duke’s truck. She swallowed hard, and her stomach knotted as she looked at the car. Everyone but Sam had gotten in. As she looked at Sam, she could see how disassociated he was. “Sam?” she called over to him. “We need to get everyone home.” She knew he wasn’t driving after seeing Anna in the driver’s seat, but she wanted him to feel like he had control over a little of what was going on and maybe give him that push he might need to get into the car. Looking at Sam momentarily, Esme turned her gaze back to Duke and brushed some hair from his face. “Alright, My Love. Scoot over so I can get in.” She tried to keep her voice even but knew she didn’t do a great job of it. Once Duke scooted over, she pulled the keys from the door and climbed up in the truck.

After she was in and shut the door, she placed the key in the ignition and started the truck, then used both hands to wipe away the tears from her cheeks with a sniffle. Turning towards Duke, she reached over, took his hand in hers, and gave it a loving squeeze as she looked at him softly. “We’ll be home soon.” she said as she placed her other hand on top of his. She looked into Duke's face and scanned it, sighing heavily, followed by another sniffle. Esme wanted to say something comforting to him, but she wasn’t sure what else she could say that would get through to him at the moment that wouldn’t sound like she was repeating herself. The main thing she wanted him to know was that she was there for him and that he didn’t have to go through all this pain alone. He didn’t have to bottle up his emotions and push them down. Esme also wanted to pull him toward her, force him to lay down in the seat with his head on her lap and rest on the drive home, but something told her he’d fight her on that or he’d lay down but stare at the roof of the truck and let his mind wander back on what happened.