Wolvena

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.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

As Esme stood with her hands stretched out to Anna, she watched Anna react to what she had just seen her do. She sighed inwardly and held up her hands. “Yes, I came with Duke.” she told her as she stepped back, showing she wouldn't do anything to Anna. Of course, Anna would be wary of her after seeing her melt the steel doorknob and then crumble the handcuffs and chains under her hands. She didn't mean to scare Anna in any way with her magic, but it was the only way to free her quickly. Thinking about it now, she should have given her a bit of a warning before going straight into it. And now, out of the whole group, Anna was the only one who knew Esme could use magic. She wondered if Anna would bring it up to anyone later after they were out of there. The first person she could see her telling was Sam. Momentarily getting lost in her thoughts, she didn’t see Anna nod to her instructions, but her next words pulled her out of her thoughts. A slight smirk played at the corners of her mouth at the question. ‘Of course, you’d ask that.’ she thought.

Esme had already started to shake her head when Anna told her not to answer. She may not know what exactly she was, but she was sure she wasn’t a Witch. She may know how to use magic thanks to her Godmother, who was a fairly powerful Witch, but that didn’t make her one. “Yes, let’s.” she responded with a nod. Once Anna stepped off, Esme followed closely behind her, looking for a stairwell leading down to the basement. Lucky for them, it was lit up brightly. Esme could have laughed at the luck, but now was not the time to laugh. Following Anna to the staircase, she could feel her stomach cramping with anxiety already for what they would find. Pieces of her visions flashed before her eyes as they descended the stairs. She wished she wouldn’t have to see any of it, but something told her that no matter how much she wished, she would see exactly what she saw in her visions. Before they reached the boiler room door, Esme could already feel the emotions radiating from behind it, and she didn’t like it at all. Then, she could hear the chaos taking place in the room.

Esme swallowed heavily as she ran to the door with Anna and heard Sam yelling at Alastair. Her stomach cramped more, fearing that he was going to get himself killed. When Anna opened the door, Esme didn’t have a chance to take anything in with her eye before Anna cried out Dean’s name, grabbed her hand, and pulled her toward Dean. Her eyes became saucers as they landed on Dean, with Anna pulling her closer. He looked exactly like he did in her vision. Pulling her gaze from Dean, she looked over at Sam just as he used his powers to kill Alastair. She watched as she watched Alastair’s body spark and slump over. At that moment, Esme didn’t know if she should be scared of Sam or relieved that he killed a major threat, as if it were nothing. Anna’s movement pulled her gaze from Sam, and she looked around the room, her eyes falling on Duke. She felt frozen where she stood as she stared at his back, watching him free Mika’s body from the pillar before he collapsed with her to the floor. Her eyes welled up with tears as he looked just like he did in her vision.

“No. Out of everything I saw, I didn’t want this to be true.” she whispered softly to herself. “Mika didn’t deserve this.” Hearing Duke’s words to Mika’s body, Esme wanted to go over to him, but she was still frozen to the spot, her whole body feeling like lead. It only got worse and was followed by an aching burn in her chest when Dean crawled over to Duke and cried with him. It was all becoming almost too much to handle. Esme knew that she would lose him mentally if she didn’t go to Duke soon. She knew that he’d run off and become reckless and get himself killed. She also knew that they could lose Dean as well. Taking a breath, Esme was about to walk over to them when she heard Casteil speak to Dean, causing her to narrow her eyes at the angel. She wanted to yell at him for not stepping in and stopping this from happening. Esme flinched just as Duke did when Dean cried at Castiel, pulling her slightly from her frozen state. When Casiel disappeared with Dean, Esme looked at Duke’s back sadly as she sniffled.

Her mind was racing with thoughts of what Duke would do once they got out of the warehouse and back to Bobby’s. She knew he more than likely wouldn’t do anything until the numbness wore off, but she knew he would do something that would result in him doing something stupid. Esme was once again pulled from her thoughts when Dean re-entered the room, now healed, walked over to Duke, and took Mika’s body from him without a word. She watched as Dean placed a kiss on Mika’s forehead and then left the room. When Dean was out of sight, Esme looked back at Duke, her heart dropping at his state. Willing herself to move from her spot, she quickly went to Duke and dropped to her knees in front of him as he brought up his bloody hands and stared blankly at them. Esme forced back her tears as she looked at Duke’s blood-soaked hands, trying to be the strong one for them, then looked into his pale, tear-stained face. “Duke, My Love?” she said sadly before gently pulling his hands from in front of his face. She wanted to tell him it would be alright, but she couldn’t because she felt like it wasn’t.

“Look at me.” Esme told him as she gently took his face into her hands. “I’m here…. I’m here, My Love.” She scanned his face, trying to read his thoughts, stroking his cheeks with her thumbs. She knew he blamed himself for Mika dying and was devastated about losing her; she could feel that strongly, and it caused her chest to burn intensely with pain. She knew he probably wanted to track down a demon to make a deal to bring Mika back, and he probably wanted to kill every one of them at the same time. But what she could never think of was him wanting to die with her, even if she should have. It was a thought she couldn’t allow herself even to touch on. ‘Don’t check out on me now. Not until we get back to the truck or home so I can take care of you.’ she thought. Esme leaned forward a bit, then gently pulled Duke’s face closer to press their foreheads together gently. “Don’t blame yourself for what happened. In no way is this your fault.” she told him softly but matter of fact. “And I’m sure she’d tell you the same…. I may not have known her well, but I know she wouldn’t want you blaming yourself for what happened.”

Closing her eyes briefly, Esme lightly sighed, then nuzzled her forehead against his to comfort him a little. Placing a soft kiss on his lips, she pulled back just enough to look into his sad blue eyes. She wanted to believe that if Mika hadn’t gone with Dean in the first place, she’d still be alive, but she knew that Mika would have found another way to get to the warehouse, and the outcome would have been no different. Almost as if it was fated to happen, not that she totally believed in fate. If she were to blame anyone for this, she would blame Castiel. He had brought Dean and Mika to the warehouse and was there through it all, but he did nothing to stop Alastair from killing Mika. Thinking about him standing there doing nothing made her furious, and she clenched her jaw. Mentally shaking her head, she focused back on Duke as she fought to keep control of her emotions and not let the emotions in the room overwhelm her. Her main objective was to get Duke outside, into his truck, and back home. “Now, I need you to stand up so we can get out of here and go home.” she told Duke softly. “We’ve been here long enough.”

Releasing Duke’s face, Esme moved to his left side, slipped her hand into his pocket, pulled out his truck keys, and slid them into her pocket. He was in no shape to drive, and there was no way she would let him try. She then draped his left arm over her shoulders, wrapped her right arm around his waist, placed her left hand on his stomach, and hoisted him up off the floor with some difficulty. “Come on. Nice and slow.” she said softly once she felt Duke and herself were steady. Esme slowly led Duke to the door, holding him close to her, half fearing he’d run off. Once at the door, she opened it and pulled him through, down the hall, up the stairs, through the building, and out the next door. Once outside, she took a deep breath and led him to his truck. “We’re almost there.” she told Duke. At the truck, Esme pulled the keys from her pocket, unlocked the driver's door, opened it, and made Duke sit in the seat. She stuck close to Duke, mostly to watch him as the others got settled for the ride home. She couldn’t even bring herself to look towards Mika’s car or at Dean. It was far too painful at the moment while trying to stay strong for Duke.

Once they got back home and she got Duke to calm down and rest, she could break down in her own space, but until then, she would do her best to keep it together. She placed her hand on his thigh and looked into his face, her features soft and caring. “Please don’t bottle what you’re feeling.” she started in a loving tone. “I won’t force you to talk to me, but know I’m here to listen when you’re ready.” Esme brought up her free hand and gently placed it on Duke’s cheek. “All I ask is that you don’t hide from me…. I love you, and I want to be there for you.”

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

Esme sat silently in Duke’s truck, her arms crossed over her chest, her head leaned back against the seat, and looking out the passenger window as Bobby reinstalled the starter relay. She was more hurt than angry at Duke for attempting to leave her behind after agreeing to let her back him up. She fully understood his want and need to protect her, but they weren't dealing with your garden variety monster this time. They were dealing with freaking angels. There was no way in hell she was letting him go this alone, and Duke should have known that. He should have known she’d find a way to follow him if he left her behind. How could Duke even think she’d be okay with him leaving her behind with angels involved? At the sound of the hood slamming, Esme was pulled out of her head. She looked out the windshield and gave Bobby a thankful nod before returning her gaze out the passenger window. Esme remained silent as Duke started the truck, drove the semi-circle, and through the slow drive to the gate. When Duke broke the silence, she sighed silently but didn’t look over at him, just listened to him talk.

She took note of his pause and saw him pull his phone and look at it from the corner of her eye. Cason must have sent him to address at some point, and that’s what he was looking at. Before Duke started talking again, Esme shifted her gaze out the windshield, catching the brief look Duke gave her out of the corner of her eye. He was right; she did want to take a swing at him right now, and he was right about saying sorry wouldn’t fix it. Esme closed her eyes tightly and clenched her jaw and fists as he continued. ”Of course, you're not sorry for trying to keep me out of it.” she said in the softest of whispers so he couldn’t hear her. After a moment, she took a deep breath through her nose and slowly let it out through her mouth. “I’m not upset with you wanting to keep me safe, but did you ever stop to think how it would affect us if anything happened to you?” she questioned, her tone still angry. “Did you think about how we would get through losing you?.... I’ve lost you once, Duke. I won’t sit on the sidelines and let it happen again if I can help it.”

Esme raised a hand to her chest to fiddle with the pendants on her necklace, pausing her words momentarily, and sighed. The memory of the nurse telling her that Duke didn't make it came back to her briefly caused her tightly closed eyes to burn with tears threatening to fall. She pushed back the tears and mentally shook the memory away. She wasn't going to lose him tonight, not if she could help it. Esme was going to bring him home along with Dean, Mika, and Anna. They were all going to come home. Opening her eyes, she looked out the windshield. “You heard how well I took losing you last time. Can you imagine how bad it could be if I lost you again? How much more damage could I cause?....” she sighed heavily through her nose, shaking her head. “Plus, you know as well as I do that this isn’t a one-person rescue mission, even with Cason planning to pop in later. As good of a hunter as you are, no one would have let you go alone.”

A Little Later

After Duke pulled into the lot and turned off the engine, Esme took a deep breath and slowly let it out to collect herself, which gave Duke enough time to jog around the truck before she opened the truck door. As soon as she climbed down, Duke took her hand, and she looked up into his face as he spoke. “That sounds like the best way to do this.” she said before Duke took her face into his hands. As he stared into Esme’s eyes, she stared back into his, her features softening as he spoke again. She may have still been upset with him, but she knew she couldn’t go in completely mad because she knew there was a chance neither one of them would come out of this, but she tried to stay positive. Bringing up her hands, Esme rested them on the sides of Duke’s neck. “I’ve always known, and I love you, too. There’s nothing that I love more than you. Nothing.” she told him. Before she could say much else, he pulled her into a rough and passionate kiss that she quickly returned. When Duke pulled back, Esme saw the resolve in his eyes before he nodded to her.

She nodded back, seeing his eyes light up with mischief, and then reluctantly let him step away from her. She watched him grab his backpack, toss it onto his back, jog off towards the warehouse, and disappear into the shadows. “You better come back to me.” she whispered. Taking a deep breath, Esme jogged towards the warehouse and into the darkness, looking for a way into the building. After finding a way into the warehouse, she looked around with a flashlight she pulled from her pocket before concentrating on everything she could feel in the building, trying to hone in on just Anna’s emotions. Dean’s emotions were the first and the strongest, and if she was honest with herself, they scared her. She had never felt anything this intense come from him. Yes, she had always known he felt things more intensely than most, but this was new to her, telling her they hadn’t made it there in time to keep him from having to torture Alastair. Esme moved on from Dean, brushing over Alastair because she didn’t like what she felt from him. She then felt Mika’s worry for Dean and her distrust of Castiel, followed by Castiel’s doubt.

“Where are you, Anna?” Esme mumbled. She briefly picked up on Duke before she felt Anna, and a small, relieved smile came to her lips. “There you are.” she sighed. Concentrating harder on Anna’s emotions, Esme could feel Anna somewhat close. She was led to a room in one of the far corners of the warehouse. Carefully looking through the window on the door, she could see Anna sitting on the floor and chained in place, and she was alone. Trying the doorknob, she found the door locked like she figured it would be. “Don’t worry, Anna. I’m going to get you out.” Esme told her through the door, looking at her through the window. “Are you alright?” Esme then moved from the window, knelt in front of the door, placed the flashlight in her mouth, and pulled her lock kit from her breast jacket pocket. After several failed attempts, she sighed heavily through her nose in frustration. Just when she thought she had it, something prevented the lock from turning. Taking to her feet, she returned the lock kit to her pocket and studied the door as she removed the flashlight from her mouth. The door was solid, and it would take quite a bit to break it down.

Esme still attempted to ram the door and kicked it a few times, but not much happened. She wasn’t giving up yet. She still had one more option in her tool box. It was one option she didn’t use very often, but she saw no other way that would get the damn door open other than shooting its hinges or lock. Placing her flashlight between her neck and shoulder, Esme took a breath and rubbed her hands together while whispering, her eyes lightly glowing a light purple. She then hovered her hand over the doorknob; it glowed brightly and melted beneath her hands. Pushing the door open, she ran to Anna's side, dropping to her knees to look her over quickly. Being this close to Anna, she could tell she had drank demon blood, but she wasn’t going to say anything about it. “I’m so glad you’re alright.” Esme told her. “Now, let’s get you out of the chains and meet up with the others.” Looking away from Anna’s face, she looked down at the handcuffs and chains on Anna. Esme placed one hand on the handcuffs and her other on the chains on Anna’s ankles, being careful not to touch Anna’s skin, then softly mumbled some words, causing her eyes to glow lightly once again.

After a few seconds, the handcuffs and chains crumbled away under Esme’s hands. Looking back into Anna’s face, the glow faded from her eyes as she pulled her hands away. “Are you good to walk out of here?” Esme asked her. “We need to get down to the basement.” She scanned Anna’s face briefly before taking to her feet, then held out her hands to help her off the floor.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

Esme watched Duke, knowing he was more than likely still thinking about locking her up and forcing her to set this one out, but it seemed her kiss on his nose helped her words sink in a bit. She nodded at his response to her jumping in if things got bad. “You have my word. I won’t jump in unless absolutely necessary.” she told him honestly. After her request to go to the RV, Esme thought she felt something other than nervousness come from him for a split second, but she shook it off. She knew going to the RV would give him a chance to run off without her, but she hoped he wouldn’t. Once Duke helped her to her feet, she went to follow him out the back door, but Sam came bursting in with news about Anna being taken by the angels. Esme’s eyes widened to saucers, knowing that this whole thing had just worsened for them. This had gone from going and saving Dean from doing something he didn’t want to do to a possible hostage situation and hostage exchange, and she didn’t like it one bit. She couldn’t help but hope that Anna was alright.

Esme nodded at Duke’s next words and followed him out the back door past Sam. “Don’t worry, Sam. We’ll get her back.” she told him before the door closed. At the RV, she stopped briefly as Duke let her go and patted himself down. “Alright.” she told him. ‘You better not leave me.’ she thought as she jogged up the steps into the RV and shut the door behind her. Once inside, she quickly slipped off her boots and walked over to the bed, picking her jeans off the floor. She wanted to change into a pair of jeans quickly. By the time she got her sweatpants off and one leg in her jeans, she heard Duke’s truck door slam. “You gotta be kidding me!” she growled. She quickly slid her other leg into her jeans, buttoned them, and did her belt going to the door. She stopped hearing voices, and she sighed. “Thank you, Bobby.” This allowed her to return to her bag, grab a hair tie, and pull her hair back into a low ponytail. Grabbing a few other things and placing them in her pockets, then walked back to the door, slipped her feet into her boots, grabbed her jacket, yanked the door open, and walked out the door, slamming it behind her.

Esme angrily made her way across the gravel to where Duke had his truck parked, listening to the conversation between Duke and Bobby as she put on her jacket. She had just come around to the other side of the RV when Bobby yelled at Duke, causing her to flinch slightly and pause in her steps momentarily. ‘Is that what all this is about? He’s afraid he's going to get me killed.’ she thought. She closed the gap, glaring at Duke even though he was still looking at the ground. She approached Bobby, softening her face as she looked up at him. “Thank you for stopping him, Bobby.” she said gratefully, standing on her toes and kissing his cheek. “I’m glad I’m not the only one who sees he needs backup on this. Could you please quickly reinstall that so we can get going? The sooner we leave, the better.” Esme then quickly walked around the truck to the passenger side, opened the door, and got in. “You’re an asshole, you know that?” she told Duke angrily before shutting the door and crossing her arms over her chest.