Wolvena

All Roads Lead To You

Esme

Esme couldn’t help but smile slightly at Duke's words before she suggested they go shooting. She found it sweet how he felt so deeply about the situation. Other than Dean, her father, and Sassy, she hasn’t had anyone act in such a way about things that have happened to her. It was strange to her. Her smile grew when she saw how surprised he was when she said she wanted to shoot with him. She gave a slight nod to his question as he spoke, almost laughing as he continued to talk. She followed his finger to the garden of mannequins and other various items to shoot. “Alright. Seems like plenty to take some anger out on.” she responded. She watched him stand and descend the stairs, fully intending to wait for him there on the steps. But then he turned around and asked her if she wanted to go with him, and he held his hand out to her. Esme thought about it a moment, then hesitantly took his hand. “Okay. I need to grab mine as well.” she replied. “If he tries any funny business, I’m gonna deck him.” she thought. She didn’t care how sore she was. She’d do it.

A few little later

Esme walked with Duke to the RV. Once there, she stopped when he turned to her and smirked before opening the door. It was almost as if he wanted her to see it inside. “Did he have this planned from the start, or was he just hoping I’d say yes to coming with him?” she thought. She sighed softly to herself and tried to clear her thoughts. It was too early to judge him in such a way, wasn’t it? After Duke climbed the steps and offered his hand to her again, Esme stepped up to the steps and took his hand. Once up the steps and inside, she winched a little at his words. “Yeah, you got kicked out last night when I showed up and blew up. Sorry about that.” she said as she stepped in further. She took in her surroundings as he approached the small table, noticing how they were all torn apart. “He was hoping I’d agree to go shooting with him. I don’t understand why after how I treated him last night.” she thought. Esme took note of his collection of books on religion and the small radio playing country music.

As she looked around, she crossed her arms loosely over her stomach, taking in everything to learn a little more about him. She was pulled from her exploring when Duke stood, and she could feel him looking at her, but she didn’t turn to face him until he spoke. A smile graced her lips at his kindness and his comment about Dean. It was true. It was like pulling teeth to get Dean to open up about things. Then she laughed when he welcomed her to her new therapist's office. She grabbed her ribs with a wince but continued to laugh. “My new therapist, huh? Pfft. You sure you can handle what I might come to you to talk about? I could possibly come in here with some doozies.” she said, a laugh till in her tone. In this line of business, she felt every hunter could do with a therapist or someone they could talk to who understood what they dealt with pretty much daily. She couldn’t lie to herself. Knowing she had someone willing to listen to her when she couldn’t talk to Dean, her father, Sassy, or Bobby about things was nice.

Even if she didn’t know Duke all that well, but it was nice just to have him tell her he’d be there if she needed to talk. She couldn’t think of anything she’d want to talk to him about at that moment. However, she knew that would more than likely change over time, just like it did with Dean. After collecting herself, she looked back at Duke. “Thank you. I appreciate that.” she smiled warmly. “You’re also welcome to talk to me if you ever need to. I know there is only so much you can talk to Dean and Bobby about. It’s always nice knowing you have someone else you can go to when you need them.” Esme went silent, waiting for the rest of the ache in her ribs to subside from her laugh. It had been a bit since she had laughed like that, and she needed it after being taken over with rage. She then took a breath and slowly let it out, feeling slightly better after her laugh. “So, now that you have what you came for. Why don’t we go get mine and head over to the range?” she suggested. She didn't want to sound rude, by suggesting they go so quickly, but she wanted to be out in the sun with the light breeze blowing in her face. She enjoyed being outside and wanted to spend some time outside while she could before Dean decided she needed to take it easy and rest inside.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

Esme watched Natalia as she processed her words but couldn’t find the words to respond. When Natalia nodded at her, Esme softly smiled and nodded back. She wasn’t expecting her to say anything back; she just wanted to try and comfort her a little. When her attention went to Cason, Esme looked down at Sarah, still lying at her feet. Her eyes then went up to Dean and Castiel, who were conversing deeply about healing her and Natalia. A light smile came to her lips at his concern for them. She felt Natalia was much worse off than herself and needed to be healed more than herself, but it was nice to hear him include her. She listened to the back and forth between them, getting upset that Castiel wouldn’t heal Natalia. Then came the words from Castiel’s mouth that took everything out of her. She wasn’t human. She felt Dean and Cason staring at her before she completely zoned out. Esme’s gaze dropped to the ground in front of her. She saw and heard nothing else but her thoughts. “If I’m not human….. Then what the hell am I? A monster that needs to be taken care of before I kill someone close to me?

Was everything Valdin told her true? Am I like them in a way? If it was all true, why didn’t Father or Sassy tell me anything about it? How could they keep this from me?” By the time Esme came out of her thoughts, Castiel had already left. Esme painfully lifted her shaking body from the Impala and stood on shaky legs. Sarah immediately stood up and pressed herself close to Esme to support her so she wouldn’t fall. Esme placed a hand on Sarah’s back, leaned against her, and looked at Cason. He was the last person she wanted to talk to after everything that had happened, but she figured he’d be the only one who could give her answers. “Is it true….. Am I not human?” she asked, tears welling in her eyes. “And is what Valdin said true? I should have never been born. The only reason I’m here is because of a deal that was made?” Standing there with Sarah’s help, waiting for Cason to answer, she felt she would be sick. Her whole body screamed in pain as she stood against Sarah. Her head hurt, she was dizzy, and her vision was blurring, but she wanted answers to all the questions burning in her mind.

All Roads Lead To You

Esme

Esme glanced at Duke when he spoke after she explained everything to him, feeling the anger coming off him. She was surprised to see him so angry over something that happened to a stranger. It was then that Esme caught a glimpse of what kind of person Duke was, making him slightly attractive at that moment. She mentally shook her head and looked away at the grass. What was she thinking? She’s with Dean. She then shook her head to Duke’s questions. “All he gave us was his first name. Mark. I have no idea who he runs with.” she told Duke. She fell silent momentarily and looked up and out over the yard in front of them, sighing heavily through her nose. “I doubt he’ll call again. He probably thinks I’m dead, and I probably should be after all that happened last night….. But thank you for your concern and wanting to go after him.” Esme then picked up her cup, drank the last of her coffee, rested the empty cup on her knee, and went into thought. After a moment, she glanced over at him. “Whatcha say we go shoot and blow off some steam?” she asked him with a slight smile.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

As Esme lay under the rubble, she could feel her body growing less numb, and the ringing in her ears was subsiding. She still couldn’t believe she was alive, even after seeing Sarah was there with her. Did she shield her from everything collapsing around her? She must have if she was awake. “You’re a good girl, Sarah.” Esme whispered after the ringing stopped. Sarah nuzzled Esme’s face with a soft whine. “I’m sorry you felt you had to save me from this. You can go. It’s okay.” Sarah softly growled and put her nose on Esme’s cheek. “Okay. Okay. Stay.” Esme whispered. Esme went quiet. She could hear breathing, but it wasn’t her’s or Sarah’s. “Violet?” she questioned. She received an answering whine. “Good girl.” She could hear the breathing of other Hellhounds, along with one more. Her eyes went wide as she realized who the breathing belonged to. “Dean?!” She tried to yell, but her throat was too sore. “Dean, are you okay? Please answer me!” she strained her voice to get loud enough for him to hear her. He didn’t answer or move. She could then feel that he was next to her. The numbness had subsided.

“Dean must have run over just before I erupted.” she thought. “Dean, you idiot. Why didn’t you leave? For once, why could you leave me?” she whispered. “Don’t you dare die on them.” She closed her eyes as tears fell from them and cried softly from the emotion overload she was finally free from. She was shaking, hurt all over, couldn’t move, knew she was bleeding, and she couldn’t yell for help for Dean. She soon heard movement in the rubble. They were looking for them. “Hang on, Dean. They're coming.” she whispered to him. Esme listened as the sounds got closer, then lightly smiled as she heard Dean being uncovered. “They found him.” she thought with relief. Her smile faded when she heard the unfamiliar voice. “Who the hell was that?’ She was pulled from her thoughts when two of the other Hellhounds unburied themselves from the rubble and uncovered most of her upper body. Sarah didn’t move except to keep rubble from falling in Esme’s face. When Sarah moved her head, Esme’s eyes fell on Castiel as he called out to Dean, who still wasn’t responding. She took in Castiel's appearance. Was this the angle Dean spoke of?

He then asked the stupidest question she thought he could ask. Just looking at her, he could see she was. She wanted to be sarcastic, but this wasn’t the time for that. “Yes, but Dean’s worse off than me. Help him.” she said her voice still in a whisper. When he lifted her to her feet, she couldn’t hold back the cry of pain that escaped her lips. A whimper escaped her as he bent down and took hold of Dean’s wrist. The walk to the Impala was hell, even though Castiel was mostly carrying her. Esme’s eyes fell on Cason as he ran over to her. She watched how hesitantly he wrapped his arm around her, which caused her to muffle a cry at his touch. As Cason eased her into the driver's seat of the Impala, she took hold of his hand and squeezed as she whimpered in pain. At his question, she sighed heavily and leaned against the seat. “I’ve been better.” she breathed, releasing her grip on his hand. Her gaze then went to Dean as Castiel spoke, answering Cason. Before Castiel could finish answering, Esme yelled at him, straining her throat more and causing her to wince. “Shut up and heal him!”

Esme’s eyes followed Castiel’s movements, then fell to Dean Esme’s eyes followed Castiel’s movements, then fell to Dean as he woke up with a loud gasp. She sighed in relief seeing him awake, but she frowned when she saw him feeling around her and heard him call for her. “I’m here, Dean. I’m here.” she called, just loud enough for him to hear her. Suddenly, the seat lurched from Mika, who kicked it to get out of the car. Esme groaned as pain shot through her. She watched Mika run over to Dean and skidded on the ground beside him. Mika spoke her fear and hugged him. It was a side of Mika she had never seen before, and she wasn’t sure if she’d see it again. It was definitely something for her to see in Mika. She could hear her thoughts screaming, “She really does have a softer side.” Esme then rested her head on the seat and closed her eyes tightly. Her shaky still hadn’t subsided, and it wasn’t helping with the pain shooting through her body. Sarah came over and laid protectively close to Esme’s feet. “I’m so……. I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” she whispered, not expecting anyone to hear her. Thoughts began to invade Esme’s mind as she sat in the Impala.

Valdin’s words kept echoing in her mind, and she couldn’t help but think, could they be true? Was she really only here because of a damn demon deal her mother unknowingly made? A tear rolled down her cheek, and she sighed through her nose. She would have to ask Cason later and see if he knew anything about it. Opening her eyes, she stared at a spot just past Sarah’s nose, wishing she had Duke’s arms around her and telling her everything would be alright and fussing over her injuries. Having him there would also help her stay awake. She was so tired but knew she had to keep herself awake because of a possible concussion. She then heard Natalia mumble to herself. “Don’t say that….. You know none of us could have left you in this hellhole.” she told her. “I know, just as you do, what that place was like….. We had to get you out. We all knew what we were going into, but it didn’t matter.”

All Roads Lead To You

Esme

Esme had sat her coffee cup on the step beside her and zoned out, looking out over the yard. It was pretty peaceful here, even with Bobby tinkering with things in the garage. She wasn’t even aware that Duke had walked out the front door and was now on the porch with her. It wasn’t until he came and sat down on the steps that she noticed him because it caused her to jump slightly. When he said nothing, she returned to looking out across the yard. She thought it was a little weird he wasn’t talking. Since meeting him, he’s done nothing but talk. But apparently, the silence got too much for him because he asked her about what happened yesterday a few moments later. Esme softly sighed, tilting her head down to look at her lap. Then, let the hand holding the bag of peas fall so both rested in her lap. She closed her eyes, and her hair fell to cover her face. Did she really want to talk to Duke about it? She had planned to talk to Dean about this, but he wasn’t there at the moment. He was still inside, giving her some space.

But he allowed Duke to come out with her, which surprised her after everything she had witnessed. “Do you really want to hear about it, or are you just trying to be nice?” she asked. Esme fell silent, thinking once again if she should tell him. She hardly knew him. It was also strange for her to hear someone she had just met say they would sit and listen to what was bothering her. But she did feel like she needed to get it out before it festered and turned into what it did last night again. Opening her left eye, Esme briefly looked over at Duke before lifting her head and looking back across the yard. “The day started like any other.” she started, deciding to talk about it. “Sassy and I got a call with information about demons running rampant in one town and a ghost problem in another. Since we were together, we took out the demons without much trouble. They weren’t too smart.” she told him. She paused to pick up her coffee, take a drink, and then set it back down. “After that, I told her to go home. I’d take care of the ghost….”

“It was only supposed to be one, according to what the guy told us.” Her grip on the peas in her lap tightened. “That one ghost turned into four. Two were easy enough to take care of. The third gave me a run for my money. He threw me around that decrepit house like a rag doll.” She paused again, taking a few deep breaths, her grip on the peas tightening again. “It took some trial and error to send him off finally. I thought I was done. I collected what I had dropped, then headed for my car…. I got in and called Sassy to let her know it was done, then that’s when all hell broke loose.” Esme closed her eye, seeing everything play out again and feeling her anger rise. “That last ghost possessed my car, locked me inside, and took me on a joyride I won’t soon forget. He dove my car into every object in that giant yard, every dip and every hole. Then drove straight into that damn house. I barely got out before it collapsed after I salted and burned his hat.” Esme released a heavy, irritated sigh through her nose as she dropped her head and shook it.

“I’m pretty sure the guy Sassy got the information from is out to get my family. There are so many that don’t like us…… If you were to ask me why. I couldn’t tell you. Maybe it’s the way we handle things, or maybe it's because of what happened to my mother.” Esme tensed up as she brought up her mother. She hoped Duke didn’t notice, but if he did, she hoped he wouldn’t ask about her. That was one thing Esme couldn’t bring herself to talk about. She barely touched on it with Dean. “That guy needs to be found and have a bullet put right between his eyes.” she mumbled.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

As soon as the words about Duke left her mouth, she felt how hard they hit Dean. She wanted to be the one to tell him first, but not like this. Not in this state. Not when she was about to blow and take out the whole place with her. She clutched her head more, watching Dean and Cason trying to get each other out, with Dean refusing to go. “Get out of here!” she yelled at them, not even sure they were listening. Suddenly, Cason disappeared, and Dean ran up to her, causing her to step back. She didn’t want to hurt him more than she already had with her words. She also didn't want him to get caught up in the rubble after she went nuclear. But Dean quickly closed the gap and placed his shaky hands on her cheeks as he begged. As he spoke, she took in his words. They stirred up the memory of the first time he told her he would also jump if she jumped. More tears streamed down her cheeks, and a glow started to take over her body. It also tore her up seeing him begging her to go with him.

When Dean closed his eyes and looked down, Esme pulled her face from his hands, walked past him, and stood in the center of the room, clutching her head with both hands with a whimper. “I remember,” she replied with a tear-filled voice. She then turned around to face him once more. “I remember the first time you told me that, and every other time we said it to each other... when we were in desperate situations.” She fell silent except for the whimper that escaped her from the pain engulfing her, and the glow of her body grew steadily brighter. She heard his whimper and saw the tear trailing down his cheek. She didn’t want to take him with her. She didn’t want to take him away from the others. They needed him. Esme doubled over with a cry, closing her eyes tight and holding herself as the next wave of intense pain, just as Dean spoke again. She looked over at Dean, her eyes returning to normal. “I know he wouldn’t.” she cried. She then collapsed to her knees, muffling a scream. “That’s why you have to leave now…… You have Mika….. Natalia and Sam…. They need you.”

She breathed heavily as she looked over at him through blurring vision. “I’m not jumping because I want to…… I can’t stop it….. I’m not strong enough.” she cried to him. The glow around her got brighter, almost blinding. “You still have time to get out….. If you go now.” Esme leaned forward with a cry, trying to hold it back longer to give him a chance to run for it, but something told her he wouldn’t. “I love you….. Dean….. Please…. Don’t jump with me.” She knew she couldn’t hold it back much longer and was terrified of the blast's strength. She was afraid of dying alone but didn’t want Dean to die with her. She hated the thought of him dying because of something she did. Her soul would never find peace after that. Esme reached the point where she couldn’t hold it back any longer. She took a deep breath as her body reacted on its own. Her glow intensified, filling the room. Her torso lifted and arched back, her face lifted to the ceiling, and then a gut-wrenching scream erupted from her throat, followed by a strong blast of energy that shot out in all directions.

The walls of the asylum shook and cracked from the force of the blast, then started to crumble slowly. When everything passed through her, Esme took a shaky breath as her body rocked forward on its own accord, she couldn’t hear anything but ringing in her ears, she couldn’t see, and she was numb all over, but she knew the building was going to come down around her and on her. She didn’t know if Dean got out or not, but she prayed he did. Esme sat on her knees shaking and breathing heavily. She couldn’t move, and her body felt made of lead. Esme closed her eyes and waited for everything to end for her. Unbeknownst to Esme, Sarah and Violet stayed behind after Cason left, watching over Esme. They had braced themselves during the blast. At the first signs of the place coming down, they ran over to her and tried to get her to move. When she didn’t respond, they stepped closer and used their bodies as shields from the crumbling walls and ceiling. Not long after that, the whole building crumbled into a heap of rubble around them, leaving a cloud of dust in its wake.

A little later, Esme opened her eyes and saw nothing but darkness, but she could smell the dust in the air from the building collapsing. She coughed and winced at the pain she felt. She wondered if she was dead, but that was soon answered when she saw Sarah’s eyes shining in the darkness. “How am I still alive?” she whispered from the lack of a voice. She still couldn’t move, her body was still numb, and there was still a ringing in her ears. She was trapped under the rubble. There was no reason she should be alive except for Sarah shielding her, but she knew there was no way she was getting out from under it.

All Roads Lead To You

Esme

When Dean and Duke offered to fix her car, she hardly knew how to respond. She didn’t look up from her plate until Bobby got up from his desk, walked through the kitchen, and headed out into the garage. “You two don’t have to trouble yourselves with looking at it.” she said, looking between them. “I enjoy working on that old car. I can fix her when I can move around better.” If she were being honest, she’d rather work on it than have someone else. Her father would probably flip his lid if he knew someone other than him or her had worked on that car, but he’d flip even more at the state it was in currently. When Dean spoke again, she shot him a slight glare with her good eye at his order. He should know she didn’t like being told what to do by now. Just because she was in rough shape and in quite a bit of pain didn’t mean she got to be ordered to do anything. She knew Dean wanted her to take it easy and heal; it was sweet, but she wasn't going to allow him to keep her under house arrest.

Yes, she wanted to rest and heal, but didn’t want to be trapped in the house. She needed air, especially with how these two bickered. Esme sighed heavily, eating a little more, and fell silent as the two boys talked, noticing the extra hard kick Dean gave Duke for implying they were more than friends. She also found it odd how Dean kept kicking Duke over certain things. Was he afraid Duke would charm her? She could have laughed at the thought. Esme picked up her coffee cup and took a drink. With a wince, she silently took to her feet and walked around the table to the doorway. “When you two are done with….. Whatever this is, I’ll be out on the porch getting some air.” she said without turning to face them. Then she walked out of the kitchen. Usually, she would have cleaned up herself, but she couldn’t be stuck between them a moment longer. After going through the living room, she opened the front door and stepped out on the porch, shutting the door behind her. Walking to the steps, she slowly and carefully lowered herself to sit on them with a light groan.

Resting her cup on her knee, she breathed in the morning air with a small smile. “It’s going to be hard getting any rest around here with those two.” she said softly. “The bickering and the kicking to shut one up is going to get old fast. It kinda already is.” She sighed before taking a long drink of her coffee and adjusting the bag of peas on her face.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

[h2]Esme[\h2]
Esme’s white eyes didn’t waver as she gazed at him and watched him approach the door when he heard footsteps approaching. Clearly, he wouldn’t fight her if she attacked him. When Cason spoke, she shook her head. “No!” she growled harshly. She had no intention of leaving with him now that she felt she had nothing to return to. Everyone in their little group had someone but her. She also felt like the ticking time bomb of the group. She never knew when her emotions would get the better of her and she would lose control. Esme planned to use the oil lamp in the corner of the room to aid her in burning down the damn place. Esme’s eyes darted to Dean when he came through the door with Ruby’s knife clutched tightly in his fist. She knew he would try to talk her down even before he spoke to her. She didn’t want to be talked down. Esme just wanted it all to end. She didn’t want to feel the pain of loss again, and she didn’t want to look upon Duke’s truck without him in or near it. It was just too hard to cope with now.

At Dean’s words, Esme shook her head. “No, Dean!” she said harshly. “I can’t leave this place until it is burned to ash! Even then I can’t go with you! I know I promised you I’d stay after that night we all had with Cupid, but I can’t anymore!” Tears streamed down her cheeks as she looked at Dean. Her hands balled into fists, her nails digging so deep into her palms they bled. Taking a deep breath, she briefly looked over at Cason and then back at Dean, her body shaking from everything she felt coursing through her. “As much as I still care for you, I can't stay. There's nothing for me here now that he’s…… gone!…… He’s gone, Dean! And there was nothing I could do to stop it from happening!” Esme’s growl had nearly turned into a scream as she let every emotional word pour from her. She brought a fist to her burning chest and the other to her aching head. She was getting close to going nuclear. Strangely, she welcomed it. Maybe the blast would cause this hellhole to crumble. If that happened, no one would have to worry about this place anymore.

Esme whimpered as the pain in her head and chest intensified. She was at the point where she didn't care if she went nuclear as long as everyone got out. She didn't even care if she got caught in the building when it crumbled. “You need to get out of here, now!” she warned them in a pain-filled voice. “Hurry!”

All Roads Lead To You

Esme

Esme nearly laughed at how Dean jumped when she announced her presence. A smile came to her lips as she saw the plate in his hands. “Was he going to bring me breakfast in bed?” she thought. Her eyes followed him as he quickly ran to the table and then to her. “Hey, yourself.” she replied as he looked her over. It wasn’t hard to tell that her eyes had given away just how much pain she was feeling. It showed in his actions. “Alright, I’ll try.” she replied to his question about sitting down and eating. She sighed softly at how he guided her to the table as if she would break. As sweet as it was, it sometimes made her feel uncomfortable. “I’m not going to break, Dean.” she told him softly so only he could hear. Once they reached the table and Dean pushed Duke’s feet off the chair, Esme nearly laughed again as Duke almost fell out of the chair and complained. She slowly lowered herself into the chair with a wince, holding back a yelp as her sore muscles screamed at her. Esme turned her head to look at Duke as soon as he spoke.

“Lier. I know how bad I look.” she replied with narrowed eyes. While talking to Duke, Esme missed the looks exchanged between Dean and Bobby. She then turned back to her plate, about to pick up her fork, when Dean returned with a cup of coffee. Esme took the cup with both hands and a warm smile. “Thank you.” She brought the cup close to her lips, taking in its warmth as Dean spoke, then grabbed the bag of frozen peas before sitting across from her. She couldn’t remember the last time she had had a day off from anything supernatural-related. She opened her mouth to speak but shut it when Duke chimed in. Esme fell silent, looking into her coffee cup as the three talked, and Dean kicked Duke under the table. “Is this what I have to look forward to if I stick around more? Bickering and complaining.” she thought. When Dean repeated himself about taking a day off and then referred to her as company, she looked up from her cup at him. Was he using her as an excuse not to go after a werewolf? Maybe. Or did he just not want to deal with it?

When he smirked and winked at her after explaining to Duke, she couldn’t help but smile and lightly shake her head. Esme took a sip of her coffee as Duke spoke. She sighed softly through her nose as she set down her cup. Esme looked over at Duke, taking in his bright smile. She felt that he was trying way too hard to win her over after last night. “Maybe.” she replied. She then turned her gaze to her plate of food and then to the bag of frozen peas. She picked it up and held it in her hand, looking at it. “At some point, I need to work on my car. She barely made it here last night.” she said. Esme then moved the bag of peas to her left hand, used her right hand to push her hair away from the right side of her face, and gently placed the bag of peas on her aching face. She took a sharp breath through her nose at the contact and closed her eyes tightly. After a moment, she opened her left eye, picked up a piece of bacon from her plate, and took a bite, chewing it slowly.

Esme knew she had to give Duke a chance to redeem himself after what happened last night, but did it have to start today? She felt like utter crap. Like death warmed over. In truth, she would be fine doing nothing, just laying in a bed all day, talking to Dean and filling him in on what went on yesterday, which he knew he was dying to know about. She also just wanted to sleep off the soreness that was overtaking her. But she also felt the need to fix her car before her father saw the state it was in. Thinking about her car caused her to think about what happened last night, and she tensed up, growing angry again. “Easy, Esme, don’t get yourself worked up all over again. It’s too early for that.” she told herself. Esme took a breath to calm herself, then ate more of the food in front of her.

All Roads Lead To You

Esme

Esme watched Dean’s face contort into a frown when she decided to forego the usual remedies for pain. She could also tell he was ready to argue with her about it, but her smile seemed to have won him over. It was always funny to her how her smile could win him over in an argument. It made her smile even more. She had also noticed how he seemed to zone out before she reassured him she didn’t need anything for the pain she was feeling. Esme couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking before his attention was pulled back to her. When he conceded, she smiled warmly, letting her hand drop as he rolled her over. Esme did her best to hide her wince in pain as he did, and again after, he slipped his arm under her head and pulled her to lay on his chest. She gave a little laugh at his words, which she immediately regretted from the pain she felt shooting through her torso. “Would you have wanted it any other way?” she teased softly. Then she moved her arm just enough to rest her hand on his stomach, feeling completely content and relaxed.

Esme sighed softly, gently nuzzled her head against Dean’s chest, and yawned. She was becoming more relaxed by the minute and could feel herself drifting off, but she wasn’t ready to drift off just yet. She wanted to lay there for a moment and listen to his breathing and heartbeat while he was in “puppy mode,” as she liked to call it. Sleep soon won out, and she drifted off with a soft nuzzle against his chest and a sigh.

The next morning

Esme was in such a deep and peaceful sleep that she didn't feel Dean shuffle himself from under her head and then sweetly lay her face against the doubled pillow. When her face touched the pillow, she breathed deeply and shifted slightly but continued sleeping peacefully. She was so exhausted from the day before that it would take much more than Dean moving off the bed and putting a pillow under her head to wake her. Moments after Dean left the room, Esme’s peaceful sleep turned into the complete opposite. She began to twitch and softly whimper in her sleep, and her breath quickened. A few moments passed before she bolted upright in the bed, hissing as pain shot through her sore body. “Not again.” she whispered as she closed her eyes and sighed. Esme brought a hand up and carefully wiped the sleep from her eyes, then opened her eyes and looked around the room, momentarily forgetting where she was. “It wasn’t a dream…. I really am here.” she sighed. She then looked to her right to see Dean was already up and downstairs by the bickering she heard traveling up the stairs. She softly shook her head, smiling.

Carefully and painfully, Esme got off the bed, changed her clothes, and attempted to tame her hair while looking in a small mirror in the room. She sighed as she looked at herself. Her face was bruised and slightly swollen on the right side, and she had bruises on her neck and arms. “Don’t you just look beautiful.” she told her reflection sarcastically. She looked downright terrible. She could easily cause a child to cry with one look. Sighing again, Esme let her hair fall in front of the right side of her face, then turned from the mirror, headed to the door, and walked out to the stairs. She stood there listening to the bickering between Dean and Duke while also taking in the smells of bacon and coffee. Her gaze focused on the stairs before her, and grimaced. “This is going to hurt like hell.” she whispered. Esme slowly descended the stairs, wincing and gritting her teeth with every step she took. Once at the bottom, she stopped to collect herself, regulate her breathing, and wait for most of the pain to subside. She then made her way to the kitchen, stopping just shy of the doorway as she heard Bobby’s comment.

“You know…. You boys make it hard for a girl to get her beauty sleep with all the bickering going on.” she said after a few minutes. Esme crossed her arms loosely across her stomach as she tried her best to hide how much it hurt standing there, but she knew her eyes would likely betray her. Looking into her eyes would almost always tell you how she felt, no matter how hard she tried to hide it.