Wolvena

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

As Esme stepped closer to Valdin, her glowing eyes took on an eerie lavender hue. Valdin scrambled back, pushing himself up against the wall behind him and holding his hands out in front of himself. She was projecting a heavy load of fear onto him. He opened his mouth to speak, but his words caught in his throat, and his eyes went wide with fear. He grabbed his throat as if fighting for air as Esme tilted her head to the side with a malicious grin on her lips. “There’s no talking your way out of this, Valdin.” she growled. “It all ends here tonight.” Esme quickly closed the rest of the gap between them and jammed her knife into Valdin’s shoulder as she knelt in front of him. His scream bounced off the walls of the room. Grabbing a handful of his hair, she threw his head against the wrench protruding from the wall so hard it left a large gash. “Goodbye, Valdin.” she growled, placing her hands on his face. While Valdin screamed in pain from his melting face, Esme hadn’t noticed that Cason had entered the room behind her. All of her focus was on killing Valdin.

She didn’t stand and collect her knife until Valdin was nothing more than a puddle of bubbling goo at her feet. She stood over the puddle of goo, breathing heavily and angry tears running down her cheeks. At the sound of the door coming down, Esme spun around with an almost feral growl in her throat, her glowing eyes locking onto Cason. His words barely registered in her brain. She was still in fight mode and looked like she would attack him at any moment. Sarah came running into the room toward Esme but skidded to a halt and backed up beside Cason with a whimper. Sarah was scared and didn’t know how to take this side of Esme she’d never seen before. Suddenly, Esme threw her knife toward Cason. It flew just inches from his head and stuck into the forehead of a demon coming up behind him. “You sure took your sweet time getting here.” she growled between breaths. Just then, Morana appeared in the room behind Esme, her face still charred, and screamed when she saw what was left of Valdin. “You little bitch!” she shouted, hitting Esme in the back of the head with a pipe.

Esme fell forward with a growl, then quickly took to her feet, spun around, and charged her, ramming her into the wall. Morana screamed in pain as her skin burned and sizzled from being so close to Esme. “Now, it’s your turn.” Esme growled in Morana’s face. She placed her hands on Morana’s face, watching it melt beneath her hands. She then took the screaming woman by the collar and threw her toward the two Hellhounds in the room. Sarah jumped on Morana and bit down on her head, silencing her. Esme turned back to Cason and the two Hellhounds growling and breathing heavily. She fought against the urge to attack Cason, even though her stance said she would attack him at any moment. As Esme stood there, she was slightly surprised she was still standing, surprised she survived all that she went through that night. Part of her wished she hadn’t. She had nothing to go back to now that Valdin was dead. If she were to attack Cason, would he put her out of her misery?

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

As Esme decided to go with Cason, she was relieved to hear that he had sent dogs to find Natalia, and that’s how he knew where she was. “I plan on it.” she replied to his comment about Sarah. She had been a lifesaver and a great companion to her since Cason had given her the ability to see her, and she still wondered why he allowed her to keep the ability after their almost-relationship failed. Before she had time to think much more about going for Natalia, Cason had wrapped his arm around her waist and teleported them into the asylum. When she heard the glass crunch under her boots, she knew she was in the asylum. When Cason released her and stepped back, she looked around the hall as he disappeared. It hadn’t changed much. Everything that happened in that god-forsaken place flooded her mind, sending a shiver down her spine. She never thought she’d find herself within its walls again, but there she stood in one of its dimly lit halls. Esme balled up her fist and clenched her jaw. She knew this would be one hell of a fight to get Natalia out of this place.

Esme breathed deeply through her nose, pushing the memories from her mind and trying to focus on the task at hand. That’s when she heard Natalia’s faint scream just before Cason popped back into the hallway. She spun around to face him, noticing the wrench in his covered hand. She took the wench from him as he spoke, sighing slightly. Of course, she knew she didn’t need to pass out in the middle of it all. He didn’t have to tell her that. She also didn’t like him ordering her to use the wrench. Esme was about to say something but stopped when she noticed his reaction to hearing Natalia’s screams in the distance. Her eyes then went to Sarah and the two hounds that appeared, and she watched them for a moment before lifting her gaze back up to Cason. The fear she saw in his eyes was hard to miss, and it was something she hadn’t seen since they met. She almost stepped back when he stepped back up to her. His words and his new behavior caught her off guard. At that moment, she saw how much he cared for Natalia. She knew they’d get her out.

“At least there will be one happy ending tonight.” Esme whispered after Cason disappeared. “Let’s go kick some ass.” she told Sarah. Turning on her heel, she walked down the hall with the wrench in a death grip. She planned to keep demons from getting past her and to find Valdin. She didn’t know what shape she’d leave this place in or if she’d leave at all. All she knew was that if she were to die in this place, she was going to take down as many demons as she could with her, including Valdin. He had to pay for sending his minions to do his bidding and taking Duke away from her and to keep him from torturing another poor soul. Esme walked down the hall with Sarah, not attempting to keep her footsteps quiet. There was no point with all the glass blanketing the floor. It wasn’t until they rounded a corner that they found their first three demons. As soon as they were spotted, the demons ran at them. Sarah tackled the first, ripping him to shreds as he screamed. Esme took the second, knocking him upside the head with the wrench, then bashing his head when he was on the ground.

Esme moved for the third, but Sarah beat her to him. After knocking him to the ground, she bit his head to silence her screams. “Good girl. Let’s keep moving, girl.” she told Sarah, moving up to her and patting her head. As they moved on, Esme could feel more coming. Their anger was intense and growing stronger the closer she got, which fueled her own rage. The demons were on them before they could even round the corner. This time, a large handful had been waiting. Esme beat and punched her way through the group, hearing the sizzle of their skin when her fist made contact with their faces, bringing a grin to her lips. Sarah and Esme had taken out five before the rest backed up and circled them. There were six left, and they all had smirks on their faces as they stared down Esme and Sarah. “Valdin didn’t mention you had a pet.” one spoke up. “He also failed to mention you could fry us with a touch.” another chimed in. Esme grinned back at them. “Yeah, he never was one to give details.” she sneered. “Like you’d know.” a female demon snapped back at her.

Sarah growled at the female after she snapped at Esme, and Esme laughed, now recognizing her. “You don’t remember?” she questioned. “I was trapped in this hell hole for two years. You and Valdin both tortured me, along with three others. You were keeping my presence here a secret from your boss.” She watched the female look at her in surprise. “Yeah, I remember you, Morana. I also heard most of your conversations back and forth when you thought I had passed out.” Esme glared at the female with a grin, watching her angrily shake. “Your torture tactics were weak compared to Valdins. I’m surprised he’s kept you around this long.” she teased. “Shut up!” Morana screamed. “Oh, have I struck a nerve?” Esme grinned. “Your name means death. Some death bringer you are. I’m still alive.” Morana took a step towards Esme, a growl in her throat. “You would be dead if those Winchesters hadn’t shown up that night and ruined everything!” Morana screamed at Esme. Esme grinned widely and shook her head with a laugh. “You’re a coward, just like Valdin. The Winchesters didn’t find me that night. You could have come back and finished me off. Even though Valdin ordered you to keep me alive.”

Morana had had enough and charged Esme with a scream. “I’ll kill you now!” Morana collided with Esme, sending her through the gathered demons and into a wall, causing her to drop the wrench in her hand. The others advanced only to be stopped by Sarah by her mauling them. Esme and Morana matched each other blow for blow. “Valdin will be pretty pissed with you if you kill me.” Esme said, connecting a punch to Morana’s face. “I don’t care!” Morana punched at Esme, but she moved just in time, causing her fist to connect to the wall behind Esme. Esme spun around, grabbed Morana by her jacket, and slammed her into the opposite wall. She then took the woman's face into her hands, frying it with her touch. Morana screamed in pain and fought to get out of Esme’s grip, only for Esme to bash her head against the wall and turn to take on another demon. Esme punched him in the gut, then kneed him in the face when he doubled over. Esme reached for her belt, finding her knife’s sheath empty. She never picked up before they left the barn with Duke. Laughter sounded behind her.

“Aww, poor thing doesn’t have any other weapons to defend herself with.” a demon laughed. Four demons closed in on Esme while Sarha took on the other two. Esme grinned, plunged her hand into her pocket, pulled out a handful of salt, and then threw it in their faces. With them screaming, she placed her hands on two of the demon's faces, melting them to the bone. Pulling her spare knife from her jacket pocket, she plunged it into one demon's chest and twisted it. She moved to the next demon, doing the same. Before she could pull her knife from their chest, another had come up behind her and wrapped his arm around her throat. “You're mine now.” he whispered in her ear. “Don’t count on it.” Esme growled. Lifting her feet, she kicked off the wall, sending them back into the opposite wall. He let go when his back made contact. She spun around, jammed her knife into his chest, and twisted it before pulling it out. As she turned to face the last one, more could be heard heading their way. Lifting her arm, she flicked her wrist and sent the knife straight into the demon's heart.

“Sarah, you good?” she called to the hound. Sarah barked just as Esme turned to face Morana, where she had left her, but she had bolted. “Cowered.” she growled. Esme had just enough time to run over and pick up the wrench before the next wave of demons showed. Esme was growing more and more irritated as time passed. She knew they were all being sent by Valdin to tire her out before he revealed himself. She and Sarah were hardly moving forward with how many demons were coming out of the woodwork at once, which further irritated her and fueled her rage more. Esme placed the hilt of her knife in her mouth and ran at the demons with a frustrated growl, with Sarah right behind her. She could feel the heat that was radiating from her body growing hotter. She met the demons swinging the wrench with a newfound strength that surprised her. When she hit the third demon, a female, across her face, Esme heard her jaw break and her neck snap. After that, the rest were easy to take out with Sarah. They had almost seemed afraid to come at her head-on with how she took out the last female.

One last demon came running at her from around the corner towards her. Taking the wrench in both hands, she brought it back over her hand and threw it at the demon. The wrench hit its mark and lodged into the demon’s head. Esme tucked away her knife, walked over, pulled the wrench from the demon, and looked down the hall. It was quiet and deserted. It didn’t feel right after the waves of demons that she had just dealt with. Suddenly, a voice ran out in the hall, and Sarah began to growl. “Welcome home, my Little Dove. It’s been far too long. Oh, how I’ve missed you.” A delighted laugh then echoed through the hall. “My, how strong you’ve gotten.” “Valdin! Come out and face me, you cowered!” Esme yelled. “You’ll see me soon enough. Come to where it all happened.” Valdin said with a sadistic laugh. Gripping the wench tightly, Esme took off with Sarah hot on her heels. It took a little time, but she found the room with little hits here and there from Valdin. She stopped in front of the open, hidden door. She stared into the room, the only light coming from an old oil lamp on a table.

Esme was suddenly shoved inside, and the door closed behind her. Esme hit the floor hard and slid a couple of feet across the floor. She quickly got to her feet and spun towards the door, noticing Sarah wasn’t with her. “Sarah!” she yelled. She could faintly hear Sarah attach the demon outside the door before whining to get to Esme. “Hello, Little Dove.” Valdin called out behind her. Esme spun around and glared at Valdin, who just grinned at her. “Valdin.” she growled, brandishing the wrench. He grinned more at her as he stepped towards her, causing her to step back. “I’m so happy you’ve come back to me. Now we can continue our fun that got interrupted.” he cooed. “Don’t count on it!” she growled. Esme charged Valdin and took a swing at him, but he dodged it, hitting her in the stomach. She hit the ground, and she swiftly kicked her, sending her sliding across the floor. “You’re still as feisty as ever, Little Dove.” he laughed. Esme coughed and groaned as she returned to her feet, glaring at Valdin again. Esme charged at him again, then dropped to her knees, slid across the floor, and took out his legs with the wrench.

She spun on her knees when he hit the floor and waited for him to get up. As soon as he was on his knees, Esme threw the wrench at him, lodging it into his back. Valdin screamed in pain and tried to remove the wrench, but it was just out of reach. “So, you want to do things the hard way? Fine.” he growled. He rushed at Esme, sending the two into a fistfight, each returning the other's blow. During this, Esme realized he was wearing gloves, which explained why he was about to touch her. Valdin got in a hit to her stomach, knocking the air from her. He took this opportunity to grab her and throw her across the room and into a wall. “Dammit all.” she growled after hitting the floor. She could really use Sarah’s help right now. She could barely hear her outside the door, scratching and whining to get in. The next thing Esme knew, Valdin was at her side, hoisting her up and slamming her into the wall. He slammed her against it again, her head making contact with the wall. Bringing up his free hand, he took hold of her face and held it tightly, forcing her to look at him.

“You’re not leaving this place again, Little Dove.” he said in her face. “The cowboy is dead. The Winchester is with someone else. They don’t want you around. You’re a ticking time bomb of emotion. There’s no room for you in that little group of theirs.” he told her. He grinned brightly in her face as he took her by the throat and lifted her off the floor. “Besides, would they even take you back if they knew you were one of us?” he questioned. Esme struggled against his grip. “I’m not.” she choked out. “Well, maybe not a demon, but damn well close enough.” he laughed. Esme struggled to get her knife out of her pocket, then slashed Valdin across his cheek. She cried out and smashed her into the wall again. He wrestled the knife from her and plunged it into her left shoulder. She screamed in pain as he laughed. “I know you think I’m lying, but it’s true. Your father never told you why that Hellhound came for your mother, did he?” The look in Esme’s eyes as she gasped for air told him his answer, and he smirked. He was overjoyed to fill her in.

“Allow me to fill you in, Little Dove…. In truth, you shouldn’t even be here. You were never meant to be born.” Valdin told her, grinning from ear to ear. As Esme gasped for air, she could feel her tears burning her eyes. What he was saying couldn’t possibly be true, could it? His grip around her throat tightened, and she could feel herself slipping into unconsciousness. “Don’t pass out on me yet, Little Dove. You haven’t heard the best part.” He loosened his grip just enough for her to get a little air. “You’re here only because your mother made a deal. Unknowingly. She thought she was talking to a “Miracle Worker” when, in reality, she was talking to a crossroads demon at that bar with your father.” “Lier!” Esme screamed angrily, tears rolling down her cheeks. Every word he spoke was pushing her closer to the edge. She thrashed against his grip, trying to kick him to free herself. “I’m afraid not. You’re also barren. You’ll never be able to have a family of your own.” Valdin lagged, squeezing her throat. “So, why don’t you just give up and spend the rest of your days with me as my servant.”

Esme gasped for air and tried to free herself. Her vision was blurring, darkness was closing in on her, and then she snapped. Her eyes rolled back into her head. The heat radiating off her intensified, and Valdin's exposed skin began to burn. He hissed in pain and threw her across the room. She hit the floor with a sickening thud, but she quickly pushed herself up on her feet. “I’d rather die than be your servant. I won’t ever give in to you.” she said flatly with a growl. It was as if she were a completely different person or she was taken over by something. “I may have nothing, but that won’t stop me from killing you.” Esme’s eyes glowed as she ran at Valdin, whose eyes had gone black as he waited for the impact. When close enough, Esme threw a punch, connecting with Valdin’s face and burning it. He hissed, stumbling backward, his black eyes showing slight fear from what he had awoken in Esme. She punched him in the stomach, then the face, sending him to his knees. Then she pulled the wrench from his back, looking down at him as he screamed, then brought it down hard on his back.

Valdin screamed as a couple of his ribs shattered from the blow. “What the hell are you?” he cried out. “No one said you were this.” He tried to scramble to his feet, but Esme knocked him in the head with the wrench, sending him rolling across the floor. Esme walked towards him, hearing his skin sizzling. With the heated energy radiating off of her, his skin couldn’t heal. “It ends here, Valdin.” she growled. She advanced on him, pushing him closer to the wall behind him, then threw the wrench at him, lodging it into the wall mere inches from his head. It was time to finish this. It was time for him to die. Esme swiftly pulled the knife from her shoulder and advanced on Valdin to finish him off.

All Roads Lead To You

Esme

Esme laughed a little behind her sweet kiss at his answer. He had a point. She usually didn’t let anyone make her do anything. She could be pretty stubborn when she wanted to be. When Dean returned her kiss and crawled further up on the bed, and brushed his fingers through her hair, she smiled behind the kiss. She missed this, the closeness. She missed being around the one person she felt she could be herself with. She didn’t feel like she could be that way with her family without being judged. When he deepened the kiss, she brought her other hand to his chest, feeling herself melt into his kiss and touch. When he broke the kiss then lifted his head and spoke. She opened her eyes and lifted an eyebrow in surprise at his words. Not believing what she had just heard.“Since when are you the responsible one? And when has being sore stopped you from doing anything?” she asked. This was new for her. She’d never seen him get things spiced up between them just to shut it down. It was a complete mind-blower. She sighed when he started kissing her face and asked his questions.

Usually, she would have said aspirin to knock the edge of the pain, but after everything the day had brought, all she felt she needed was Dean at her side, which felt odd for her to admit to herself. She had tried her hardest to keep from falling for Dean. She tried to keep it as nothing more than a friendship and failed miserably. Maybe it failed because he felt things stronger than most she had been around, and they had affected her strongly. Who knew? All she knew was that she had fallen for him despite all the warnings and didn’t want to be away long. “No, even though aspirin or whiskey would knock the edge off, but I’ll be fine as long as you don’t move.”she told him in a tone just as warm as her smile. Esme was curious to see if he would actually stay there or run off to get her some aspirin or whiskey for her pain. His concern for her pain usually won out in the end, and he would run off to get her something for it. Then would watch over her like a mother hen, ensuring she rested and healed.

Honesty, she just wanted him to lay next to her, hold her close, and fall asleep in each other's arms till morning came. She brought her hand from his chest to her mouth to cover a yawn. The longer she lay there, the more she could feel tiredness settling in. She knew he wanted to know what happened and how she ended up in such rough shape and so pissed off, but that was something they could talk about tomorrow. “I really don’t need it. Just lay here with me.” she whispered, rubbing his cheek with her thumb.

All Roads Lead To You

Esme

Esme sighed heavily through her nose, still feeling Dean's touch on the back of her arm. She slowly let her hand fall from her face and rest on her chest moments before he spoke. Opening her eyes, she tilted her head to look at him. “What?” she asked softly. She watched his face light up, finding it infectious. Her smile almost faded as he turned away from her briefly. It remained as he continued. His concern for her well-being always made her smile. It faded a little when he mentioned she’d run off because of how pissed she seemed at him. Yes, she was pissed, but not at him. It was the situation that had her all worked up. However, she couldn't deny that she was upset about him running into a Vampire nest without backup. This was the first time she had ever taken her rage out on him. It was a side of her she never wanted him to see for fear of scaring him and never having anything to do with her again. If Dean left her, that meant Bobby would go with him. Sure, she had her father, godmother, and other family if that ever happened.

But there was only so long she could stand to be around them, and there was only so much she was willing to share with them. There was only so much she felt comfortable enough sharing with them. Sure, they knew about Dean and how she felt about him. They knew how she’d run off and help him and stay awhile, but they would always give warnings about him. So she stopped talking about him around them. They knew she was different from the rest of them but didn't know how. Her father and godmother were the only ones in her family who knew how different she was. The three feared how the rest of the family would take the news of her being an Empath and having the ability to affect their emotions, which she’d never do. Dean and Bobby were the only people she ever told outside her family. She felt it was only right when her relationship with Dean became more serious, and she didn’t feel right leaving him in the dark about it. Of course, they freaked out, but she swore she’d never use her ability against them without permission unless she felt she had to.

Esme didn’t move when Dean leaned toward her and braced himself over her. As soon as his nose brushed hers, her heart skipped a beat. Her smile returned as he scanned her eyes and smiled. Her smile grew at his words, and she laughed softly. “Don’t worry. Your secret's safe with me.” she said softly. She gently brushed her nose with his with a warm smile. “And I told you I wasn't going anywhere before you got in the shower. Even if everything in me screamed for me to leave, I couldn’t have. I would have only made it as far as the door.” Esme closed her eyes and brushed her lips against his before softly speaking against them. “You know what?..... I missed you too. Don’t let me stay away that long again. Okay?” She lifted her hand from her chest to his cheek, kissing him sweetly.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

Esme sat in the chair, fighting her emotions and thoughts, which caused her to crumple up the pamphlet as her fist curled around it. She then balled up the pamphlet and threw it in the trash can next to her chair. Sarah, who she hadn’t realized had followed her into the hospital, came over and placed her paw on Esme's leg with a worried whine. Esme flinched, taking a sharp breath, then looked at Sarah with a sad, heavy sigh. She placed a hand on Sarah’s paw and squeezed it. “I can’t lose him, Sarah…. Not like this.” she whispered to the Hellhound. Sarah moved closer and gently nuzzled Esme’s cheek in an attempt to comfort her. Esme leaned into the nuzzle before she pulled up her legs and curled herself up in a ball. This caused Sarah to move in closer and lean against Esme to comfort her the best she could. “Come back to me, Duke. Please. Fight to get back.” she whispered softly into her knees. “If I don’t have you…. I’m… Alone…. Again. Then what do I have to live for after we get Natalia back and take care of the demons that caused all of this?”

A little time passed before Esme heard someone walking towards the room. As she sat up, Sarah moved back to let Esme set her feet back on the floor. As soon as the nurse came through the door, Esme took to her feet, waiting to hear what news the nurse had for her. It wasn’t the news she wanted. “No! He can’t be!” She screamed the words, not believing her. She looked the nurse in the eyes, seeing that it was true. Esme couldn’t breathe. All the air had left her lungs. Placing a hand on her stomach, she collapsed to the floor on her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks. Sarah was quick to sit at her side. When the air came rushing back to her, she took a deep breath and let it out in a sob. She wanted to scream, but she couldn’t get it out. All she could do was scream internally. She didn’t hear the nurse leave or when Cason entered the room as she was overtaken with grief, but that grief was gradually being taken over with anger. Demons had taken away the man she loved, and now she felt alone all over again.

The moment Sarah saw Cason, she ran over to his side, her tail wagging happily as she did so. She nuzzled his leg and hand before returning to Esme’s side to comfort her. As Cason spoke to her, it fueled her anger, turning it into rage. The thought of how the hell he was even alive never crossed her mind as she lifted her head to glare at him with tear-filled eyes. A demon was the last thing she wasn’t to see. Using the chair beside her, she pushed herself onto her feet, slightly swaying. “Yeah, I’m sure you do feel for me.” she nearly growled at him. “We both know you didn’t like Duke. So don’t pretend you're not happy he’s….” She couldn’t say the word, even in her rage. It made her sick to her stomach. Esme thought about Cason saying she could get revenge. Revenge wouldn’t bring Duke back to her, and it would only make her feel better for a short time. So she looked past that. She would be saving Natalia. She’d be saving a life from those assholes that look Duke away from her. At Cason’s next words, she shot him a daggered glare.

She could hardly believe he’d bring that up at a time like this. As much as she wanted to bring Duke back, she couldn’t bring herself to make a deal with Cason. She looked down at his outstretched hand and back up at him before walking over without taking it. If she had taken it, she would have fried it, which she was tempted to do out of frustration from his words. Sniffling, she wiped the tears from her cheeks with both hands, then slid her arm back into her jacket sleeve. “I don’t know how the hell you know I was in that hell hole, but it doesn’t matter right now.” she sighed, closing her eyes briefly. “What does matter is that we get Natalia out of there.” she told him. Esme then turned and looked at Sarah with a gentler look than she had given Cason. “You’re coming too, right girl?” she asked the Hellhound. Sarah barked and came over to her side, and Esme scratched her head before turning her attention back to Cason, her features going serious again. “Let’s go get Natalia.”

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

Esme did her best to keep up with Dean as they walked up the hill to the cars with Duke, his longer strides making it a little challenging. Nearing the top of the hill, she glanced over at Dean to see which car they would take. At his signal, she walked with him around the Impala, also noticing Mika picking something up off the ground. Once at the driver’s side backseat, and the door was open, Esme did what she could to help Dean get Duke lying in the backseat, which wasn’t much because of the room. She stood at the side while the two exchanged a few words, her head popping up to look over the Impala as Mika spoke. “What?” she said in surprise, moments before Dean jogged over to Mika. When Anna murmured, Esme’s eyes shifted over to her, her words causing her to tense up. Her gaze went back to Dean as he growled, then flinched at his scream. This night was just getting worse and worse, and she knew Dean wouldn’t be able to take much more. None of them could. It was all getting to be too much to handle. They didn’t need more.

When Dean looked back to Mika and asked her his question, Esme turned her gaze to the woman. Esme could clearly see that the woman was struggling to get out the words to tell Dean. Making sure Duke was all the way in the Impala, Esme shut the door and quickly walked around the back of the car. She stopped beside Mika, looked at the items in her hands, and then took the pamphlet. She lifted the pamphlet to look at it. As soon as her eyes fell on the picture of the asylum, her face went ghostly white, and she began to tremble. All the memories she had suppressed from that place flooded her mind instantly. Esme fell back against the Impala, nearly falling through the open door. It was then she realized that she and Natalia had more in common than she thought. They had both been taken to that god-forsaken place, held captive, and tortured. Taking a deep breath to collect herself, she looked up at Dean. “She’s been taken to the asylum.” she told him, her voice shaking. She sat on the edge of the backseat and turned the pamphlet over, seeing a note written in red. She read it in a shaky whisper.

Little Dove,
You’ve been away from home for far too long.
It’s time to come home, Little Dove. Come alone, or the little Winchester girl dies.
If you’re followed, she dies, and I’ll let you use your imagination for what will happen to the others.
Valdin

At the hospital

Esme quickly got out of the Impala as the nurses rushed out. As soon as they had Duke on the gurney, she was at his side, holding his hand as they made their way inside. When a nurse stopped Dean, she looked back and met his gaze, giving him a look to say she would update him when she could. She turned back to look at Duke as the nurse that had stopped Dean came up and put a respirator on Duke. “Stay with me, Duke.” she whispered, then kissed his fingers. She pulled her eyes from Duke when the nurse spoke to her, feeling how suspicious the woman was of her. “I am.” she replied, her voice cracking. Esme followed as far as the nurse would allow her and reluctantly let Duke’s hand slip from hers as the nurse stopped her. “Come back to me.” she whispered. She watched after Duke until he was out of her sight, barely earring the nurse's words. She knew there was nothing she could do at this point but let the nurse take her blood and wait. The nurse was right; it would take a miracle for Duke to walk out of here.

Esme was then led to a room and placed in a chair to have her blood drawn. The nurse went to roll up the sleeve of her jacket, but Esme pulled her arm away. She unzipped her jacket and pulled her left arm out with a wince as pain shot through her shoulder from the movement. Once her arm was free of the sleeve, she laid her arm out in front of the nurse, who looked at her concerned. “We’ll have to take a look at that shoulder later.” the nurse said, then went to work drawing Esme’s blood. She nodded silently to the nurse, closed her eyes, and reset her head in her right hand, praying for a miracle to happen and have Duke come back to her alive. Once the nurse had Esme’s blood, she told her not to move before she quickly left the room. Esme said nothing as the nurse left. Opening her eyes, she lifted her head from her hand, pulled her arm into her lap, and pulled her jacket over her shoulder. She pulled out her phone with shaky hands and texted Dean. “Duke’s in surgery, and they’ve taken my blood to give him.”

A few minutes after she texted Dean, a male nurse came with juice and crackers for her. She couldn’t bring herself to eat the crackers. Her stomach was too knotted up to eat anything, even something as small as crackers, but she did drink the juice. “Can I look at that shoulder?” he asked after she had drank a bit of the juice. “Yes.” she said, her voice cracking again. She could have said no, but she knew he would insist and not leave until she said yes. As he examined it, she winced as he moved it around, and then he asked the dreaded question: how did they end up in this shape? She turned her head from him and closed her eyes tightly. Everything played out behind her closed lids, and she began to cry silently. After a bit, the nurse left her alone with her thoughts, not saying much as he went. Now alone, she pulled the pamphlet for the asylum from her pocket, looking at the words in red as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. “I never thought I would have to see that place again.” she whispered. “How can I go? I can’t just leave Duke here.”

All Roads Lead To You

Esme

By the time Dean got out of the shower, Esme was nearly asleep on the couch. When Dean sat on the couch beside her and brushed his fingers through her hair, she inhaled deeply through her nose and rolled her head towards him. She was going to open her eyes until she heard Duke’s voice chime in from the kitchen. “Really? After everything, you want to call me cute.” she thought. She didn’t want to be that person, but would be tonight. She didn’t want any more tension between her and Duke tonight. Esme felt the glare Dean and Bobby shot Duke for his comment, forcing her to keep from smiling as she pretended to be asleep. She listened to the back-and-forth between the three, all while trying to stay still and keep her eyes closed, especially after Duke’s outburst at being called Jason. “Jason? His name is Jason? Where did the name Duke come from?” she thought. By the time the thought left her mind, Bobby had gotten Duke to agree to go to bed, which she was ready for. She was ready to crawl into bed, rest, and forget about everything that had happened that long, terrible day.

Esme heard Duke get up and walk towards the kitchen, then rolled her eyes at his grumble as he walked out the back door. “Well, that was kinda sweet.” she thought. When Dean turned to her and sighed, brushing his fingers across her forehead, and spoke sweetly, she gave a little groan and rolled her head slightly away from him. She wanted to see what he’d do if she appeared sound asleep. Would he try to wake her again or carry her to bed? She didn’t have to wait long for her answer. As she felt him stand, it was clear he planned to carry her. She kept herself relaxed, which wasn’t hard with how tired and sore she was as he slipped an arm behind her and under her legs, then hoisted her up into his arms. When her head rolled against his cheek, and he kissed her head, she couldn’t stop the smile that came to her lips. He was just too sweet. Esme continued to smile as he carried her past Bobby’s desk, then up the stairs. Thankfully, her back was to Bobby when they passed. She had gotten out of having to walk up the stairs.

She knew she could have probably asked him to help her up, but it was more fun this way. Once she heard the door open, she forced her face to relax, but her smile returned, and her eyes opened as soon as he laid her down on the pillows as if she’d break. “I’m not that fragile, you know?” she teased in a soft, tired tone. She shifted a little against the pillows, wincing as pain shot through her sore body. Her smile faded as her mind drifted to what happened downstairs, causing her to sigh heavily. After all the yelling she did, he was so sweet to her. “Dean…. I’m…. I’m sorry about earlier. You didn’t deserve that.” she said softly, looking away from him. “I had two cases today, and one didn’t go according to plan because the information I was given wasn’t accurate. Which I believe was done purposely.” she told him with a heavy sigh. “My anger and irritation got the better of me, and I ended up taking it out on you and Duke.” Esme closed her eyes tightly, leaned her head back into the pillows, and ran a hand through her hair, feeling terrible.

She then brought her hand to rest on the side of her face. “It’s been weeks since I last saw you, and that’s what you come into after a day of dealing with Vamps. I’m a horrible person.” she mumbled into her hand. “No wonder you felt the need to say don’t leave.” As she lay there, Esme felt she needed to make it up to him somehow, but what could she do? It had to be something that genuinely showed how sorry she was for raging at him and that she wouldn’t do it again.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

Esme had hardly noticed that Dean had come up and kneeled beside her and Duke as she spoke to him. It wasn’t until Dean had talked to Duke that she knew he was there. She wasn’t even aware that Sarah had quietly made her way in and lay across from them. She was so focused on Duke that everything around her had faded out of existence. She wanted, no, needed Duke to pull out of this, even though she knew in the back of her mind it would take a miracle for that to happen. When she felt Duke return her second kiss, she jumped but didn’t pull back until he broke it. As soon as she saw his smirk, Esme released a shaking breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Esem opened her mouth to say something, but Duke spoke first. It was hard for her to tell who that comment was directed toward most, but she welcomed hearing his voice after the silence. As Dean spoke, Esme lifted a hand and wiped the tears from her cheeks, only to jump again as Mika called him over for help with Cason. She instantly felt Dean's aggravation and anger rise.

As Dean got up and walked away, Esme placed her fingers on Duke’s lips. “Shh, no more talking. You need to save your strength.” she told him softly. She moved her fingers from his lips as she sniffled and looked down at him. “Just stay with me.” she breathed as she held him close. She then leaned down and placed a tender kiss on his forehead. Esme tried to pull herself together, she never did like Duke or Dean seeing her in this state, but it wasn't proving easy. Sniffling, she shifted carefully to make herself and Duke more comfortable before wiping away more tears from her cheek. It was then she realized she was shivering and cold, but she didn’t want to move to reach her jacket and cause Duke any pain. To get her mind off being cold, she focused on keeping Duke comfortable and as pain-free as possible by stroking his hair and taking most of his pain into herself. “We’re going to get out of here soon.” she whispered. Then Sarah’s movement pulled her gaze from Duke. Esme watched as she carefully moved around them and over to Esme’s jacket, which she then brought to her.

“Thanks, Sarah.” she told the Hellhound as she took it from her. Sarah gave Esme a soft nuzzle and white before laying down next to her once more. Esme carefully slid on her jacket and returned to caring for Duke as Sarah turned her head to look at Dean and Cason. Sarah fought with herself to go and help Cason, but his words about Esme kept ringing in her ears, so she stayed put at Esme’s side, keeping watch.

When Dean returned to Esme and Duke, Sarah quietly alerted Esme to him. Esme looked up at Dean just as he spoke to her. “Yes, let’s.” she said with a nod. She knew it wasn’t the greatest idea moving Duke, but she knew they had no choice. At Dean’s signal, she helped him get Duke into position to be lifted before getting off her knees with Duke’s other arm around her shoulder, then lifted Duke from the ground on his count, all while still keeping her shirt pressed firmly to Duke’s wound and making sure he hardly felt any pain. She walked with them to the barn door, only to be stopped by Anna. Her eyes saddened for the girl as she realized what was going on, they were leaving Cason behind. As Anna begged, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything to her. Her heart went out to the girl, but they had to get Duke out here. Esme closed her eyes tightly briefly and sighed heavily, Anna’s cries tearing at her heart. When Dean began walking again, she followed along, a sick feeling overtaking her as she walked out with Dean and Duke quietly.

Sarah had taken to her paws and followed quietly behind the three, keeping close but not too close to alert Dean of her presence. When Anna stopped the three, her head kept darting between Dean, Anna, and Cason. She quickly picked up on what was happening, and it became even more evident when Dean and Esme continued to the barn door with Duke. Her head darted between Esme and Cason, a whine escaping her as she felt torn between who to be with. Sarah ran over to Cason and whined, then nudged his arm. His words about Esme rang in her ears again as she looked down at him. With a whine, she nuzzled his cheek and reluctantly followed after Esme, stopping briefly to pick up Duke’s hat on the way out. Sarah quickly closed the gap between her and Esme and took her place just a little behind Esme. As they walked to the cars, Esme kept looking up at Duke to monitor how he was holding up. “We’re almost there. Stay with us.” she told him.

All Roads Lead To You

Esme

Esme dropped her hand from her head, crossed it over her chest, and opened her eyes when she felt Dean become uneasy. Did he think she would still leave after she said she was staying? Before she could reassure him she was staying with a warm smile, Duke chimed in about the shower. “I never…..” She was cut short by Dean slapping the back of Duke’s head. Esme stifled a laugh as Duke spun around to look at Dean. Duke definitely had that one coming. When Bobby chimed in, she held back the grin that threatened to show itself. These two were acting like a couple of two-year-olds, and then it was taken further as they decided to play a game of rock, paper, scissors to determine who got the shower. Esme lightly shook her head as the game played out in front of her, with Dean winning and Duke being a sore loser. If she was being honest, she was glad that it was Dean who got the shower, knowing that once he had cleaned up, he’d be at her side checking on her. Plus, you could only do so much with a bucket of soapy water and towels.

As Dean moved around the chair and to the linen closet, Esme didn’t move from her spot on the wall. She didn’t need him seeing her stagger to a chair or the couch. When he stopped at the bathroom door and asked her not to leave, she looked at him with a soft smile. “I’m not going to leave.” she told him reassuringly. Her gaze shifted to Duke, and her smile faded as he stood from the chair. She watched his movements as he went to the linen closet, his hands in front of his face as if she would lash out at him again. She sighed softly as he raided the linen closet and waited for him to pass her to get to the basement stairs, but he stopped and looked down at her. She looked up at him as he spoke. “As am I. And we’ll see about that.” she replied after Dean yelled at him. After Duke went down the stairs, Esme stood up a little straighter, getting ready to attempt to walk to the couch, when Bobby stepped around his desk. She watched Bobby move the back into place, then pick up Duke’s hat and sigh.

When he spoke about Duke, she sighed a little. She could agree with the first part of what he said but wasn’t so sure about the other. “If you say so, Bobby. If you say so.” she replied tiredly. After the first impression she made, she doubted he’d want to be anywhere near her anyway. She shoved him into a chair and told him to shut up, and she insulted him in less than five minutes. She wouldn’t be a bit surprised if he had nothing to do with her after that. “I doubt I’ll get the chance to find out after what I did to him.” she said, pushing herself off the wall. She slowly walked over to the couch, deciding it would be more comfortable than a chair, occasionally catching herself on something as she swayed. Esme lowered her sore body to sit on it with a wince and slight hiss. She sank low to rest her head on the back cushion and crossed her arms over her stomach. Once comfortable, she closed her eyes, sighed heavily through her nose, and tried to clear her thoughts. She needed to relax and not get herself all worked up again.

But her thoughts went to the guy who told Sassy about the haunting. She still felt she needed to track the guy down and let him have it. She felt her anger rising the longer she thought about the guy, so she quickly tried to think about something else. Her car, she needed to fix up her car, then thoughts of how it got damaged angered her again. What could she think about to calm herself? It was hard to think of anything positive with her head still pounding, but it was dying off now she was sitting down. As she sat there, she cleared her mind of everything and focused on the bracelet on her wrist and its charm, which she was rolling between her fingers. Esme could feel herself relaxing and the anger dissipating. At this rate, she might doze off before Dean got out of the shower.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

Esme vaguely heard Dean’s words when he spoke to her as she stood there trying to collect herself. “I know we will.” she mumbled against his chest. She knew they would find him. She felt it. It was how they would find him that terrified her more than anything, making her feel like a scared child. When Dean pulled her into his arms and pressed her forehead against his chest, she dropped her staff and wrapped her arms around him, sighing heavily. Her mind briefly drifted to when he would hold her like this when she was emotionally unstable, and just like then, even with his own emotions unstable, helped her pull herself together a bit. When she felt his grip on her loosen, she loosened her own and looked up at him as Dean placed his hands on her cheeks and whispered. “I will.” she whispered back, closing her eyes as he kissed her forehead with a sigh. Esme reluctantly let go of Dean as he stepped away from her. With a sniffle, she picked up her staff, turned to face Duke’s truck, and walked to its bed. Sighing heavily, she pulled down the tailgate and grabbed her duffle.

After unzipping her duffle, she collapsed her staff, made sure it was locked in place, and then placed it in her bag. As she stood there, Esme went over a checklist she had on her head on what she would need for this. She had everything she needed but ended up grabbing an extra knife out of her bag and tucked it into an inside pocket of her jacket. Zipping up her duffle and shoving it back, she closed the tailgate, turned around, and leaned against it as she waited for the others. She watched as they gathered themselves and what needed to go into this. Her gaze stopped on Natalia sitting in the Impala. Esme hoped she would be alright with that head injury while they went in to find the others. She didn’t look good at all. She hoped she would listen to Dean, Sam, and Mika and stay put until they returned. Her gaze then wandered to the barn as she absent-mindedly played with the charms on her necklace, rolling them between her fingers. A nervous habit she had never been able to break. “I know you’re in there. I can feel it.” she whispered to herself.

A little later

Esme followed Dean down the hill to the barn closely, but not too closely. He had asked her to stay close, so that was precisely what she would do. She had her knife in hand, unconsciously white-knuckling it at how tightly she gripped it. Her movements almost mirrored his, primarily out of muscle memory from all those years ago hunting together. At this moment, her body was just going through the motions while her mind was focused on getting into the barn and finding Duke, Anna, and Cason. Her main focus being Duke, knowing his injury. With her back pressed against the barn, she watched Dean assess the situation, giving a nod of acknowledgment when he held up two fingers to the group. Of course, there would be at least two posted out front, possibly waiting for the group to show up, and possibly more waiting in the wings for a possible trap. Esme waited for Dean to make his move, then moved around him, preparing to take on any demon that came out of the woodwork. By the time she moved around Dean, he had taken out the demon and was moving toward the other, but he smoked out.

Cowered, messenger, or both? She thought to herself moments before Dean made his own explanation. “Right. Neither do I.” she replied. Esme hesitated to move with Dean toward the barn door. She wasn’t ready to see what lay behind that door. It wasn’t until the door was open and she heard Anna call out Duke’s name that she moved. Then she saw Dean’s knowing look, causing horror to grip her heart tightly. As she ran to the door, she saw Dean reach out to stop her and heard him tell her to stop and let him go in first. She couldn’t stop. Not after seeing that look in Dean’s eyes. She blew right past Dean, dodging his arms and running into the barn. She stopped long enough to look around and see Anna and Cason against the far wall of the barn. She was relieved to see her alive, but Cason didn’t look so good. Her eyes soon fell on Duke’s bloody hat, and her stomach knotted in worry. “Duke!” she called out to him. Then she saw him. He was in a dimly lit corner with his back to them. She couldn’t tell if he was breathing or not.

“Duke!!” Esme nearly screamed his name as she ran over to him, sliding to a stop on the straw beside him. Her knife fell from her hand as she dropped hard to her knees at Duke’s side. Reaching out, she rolled him over on his back with careful hands, her breath catching in her throat as soon as she saw his pale face and bleeding stomach. He didn’t look good, not good at all, but he was still breathing. “Duke? I’m here. We’re all here. Can you hear me?” she said to him, fear gripping her tone as she tore off her jacket and threw it to the side. Then, she tore off one of her shirts, placed it on his bleeding stomach, and pulled his head into her lap. Tears welled up in her fear-filled eyes as she cradled his head in her lap. “Duke, open your eyes, please. Please…. Duke…. Open your eyes.” she cried, brushing his hair and straw from his pale face. Esme leaned forward, placing her forehead against Duke’s, unable to control the tears now streaming down her cheeks. “I can’t…. Lose you. Not after I just got you back. Stay with me, Bright Eyes.”

“I love you, Duke.” she breathed shakily. She couldn’t shake the feeling that this could be the last time she could tell him, especially with the state he was in. She sniffled and pressed a kiss to Duke’s head, praying for him to open his eyes and say something, anything. She’d even be happy with a little joke. Lifting her head from his, Esme looked down into Duke’s face as she stroked his cheek with her thumb. She felt utterly helpless. She was losing him, and there was nothing she could do about it. Fear and rage bubbled within her gut at the thought of losing Duke and not having the means to prevent it. Even with calling Bobby for help or taking him to the hospital, she knew, in the back of her mind, his chances of survival were slim with the severity of his wound. Even being someone with unique abilities, she could do nothing but ease his pain and keep his mind calm. Yes, it was something, but it wasn’t enough to save his life and keep him with her. Sniffling once more, she leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. “I love you, Bright Eyes.” she mumbled against his lips and kissed him once more.