Wolvena

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

Before the mischievous smile came to Esme’s lips, she nodded to his suggestion about going to the bar and then laughed lightly at his tease. They did get into a bit of trouble at times, but it was worth it. She also had been happy to see how happy Duke was to have his hat back, even if he did flinch when she placed it on his head. She had never intended to make him flinch from her putting his hat on his head, but the chuckle and the way he ran his fingers along the hat's brim made it so much better. There was hardly ever a time she could remember him going without, and she also knew how he felt about his hat. When he looked down at her and raised his eyebrows at seeing her mischievous smile, she couldn’t help but go along with the thought that went through her mind. Duke’s laugh was music to her ears, especially after seeing him so upset after his and Dean’s conversation. But when he wrapped his arm around his stomach, she hovered her hand over his stomach too. “Yeah, just like the old days.” she said with a laugh.

Esme continued to hover her hands over Duke’s stomach when he stretched back and laughed again, watching his face as he laughed, taking it all in. She then nodded when he said he thought it was too cold for swimming and he’d be shrinking in all the wrong places as he brought a hand in front of his crotch with a worried and teasing look. Now it was Esme's turn to laugh and wrap her arm around her sore stomach. “No, we can’t have that…. I guess we’ll have to save the skinny dipping for when it warms back up.” she said between laughs. “And yes, you almost did, and that was only because…. Well… You play dirty, you ass.” she said, playfully slapping his arm. Esme then moved to his side and started walking again but stopped after a few feet, looking at herself and Duke. “Before we go anywhere, we need to get you a shirt, and I’d like to change out of these clothes.” she told Duke. “And I need to try to hide the mess on the back of my head so I don’t freak anyone out.” Her smile slightly faded as a partial memory came to her mind, reminding her how it happened.

Esme unconsciously raised her hand to gently touch the back of her head, wincing as she touched the spot. Shaking the memory away, she removed her hand from her head, wrapped her arm around Duke, and headed for the RV. That’s where Sarah had taken their bags. “Also, you can thank Sarah for saving your hat.” she told him. “She came out of the barn with it and has had it since.” Esme winced and shivered when she said the word barn. She didn’t want to think about it or anything associated with it after everything. Plus, it was still too early to start thinking back on it anyway. It was still too fresh in her mind. As soon as they reached the RV, Esme grabbed her bag at the base of the steps, walked up the steps, opened the door, and walked in. She dropped her bag on the couch, unzipped it, and pulled out some fresh clothes, laying them on the couch. Zipping up her bag, she tossed her bag on the floor and began the painful process of getting out of her jacket, wincing and hissing as she felt the stitches on her shoulder pull. Just now realizing Bobby and Dean must have done it after she passed out.

After a bit of a struggle, Esme finally got out of her jacket. Folding it in half, she tossed it to the side with a sigh. Closing her eyes, she sighed again and rolled her shoulders a bit. She still had two shirts and pants to remove before putting something clean on. Once she took a slight breather, Esme returned to work, removing her dirty clothes as carefully as possible, wincing and holding hisses back from pulling her stitches and sore muscles. She never liked being this sore. It was a pain to get anything done.

All Roads Lead To You

Esme

5 Weeks later

Esme was sleeping peacefully next to Dean, her head on his chest and arm draping over his stomach. The past month had been relatively peaceful. There hadn’t been much to worry about after she got Dean to talk to her and share feelings, even though she had to twist his arm, and the two of them had gotten closer. With nothing to do the past week except answer phones and help Dean and Bobby help other hunters, things were too eventful. It was getting quite dull, actually. Her father, Sassy, and other family hadn’t even contacted her to help with anything they had going on. But she couldn’t complain too much. She had a roof over her head, food in her belly, and she was with Dean. Esme couldn’t ask for much more at that point, even if she was itching to get out and do something because she didn’t know how much longer she could stay in the house. However, it had helped with her and Dean’s relationship, having nothing by time together.

When Dean nuzzled her head and groaned tiredly, Esme’s wake-up process started, but she wasn’t ready to open her eyes yet. She wasn’t even ready to move yet. She was far too comfortable. When Dean tightened his arm around her and brushed his finger through her hair, she snuggled up to him more. Despite the sounds from the garage below them, Esme felt she could sleep a little longer and felt herself trying to drift off again. If it hadn’t been for Dean mumbling into her hair and scooting himself down on the bed, she would have drifted back off. She couldn’t stop the soft smile that came to her lips when he nuzzled her nose and spoke to her under his breath. She also took note of the mischief in his tone and almost laughed with him. It was hard to turn down. As he traced her eyebrows, Esme let her eyes flutter open and looked at him. “I’ll hold you to it.” she said tiredly, smiling warmly. It was at that moment that Esme realized just how strong her feelings for Dean had grown. It was almost scary, but she couldn’t deny it. She really did love him.

An hour later

Esme was sitting on the floor, Indian style, in front of Bobby’s desk, pouring herself over books and cross-referencing to help out one of Bobby’s hunters. At the sound of a truck door slamming outside, she looked up from the books and out the window but couldn’t see much from where she sat. She hadn’t been around long enough to know that it was Duke who had just pulled in and was outside talking to Bobby. When Dean called to her, she looked to the kitchen and nodded, even if he couldn’t see it. “Really? With how you talked about how he runs off, I figured he’d be gone longer.” she called back with a soft sigh. Picking up her coffee cup that sat next to her, she brought it to her lips and took a drink before setting it back down and returning to what she was doing. Esme knew she should probably take a break to stretch and rest her eyes, but she couldn’t get herself to do it, even if her back was starting to ache with the way she was sitting and her legs and feet felt like they were going numb.

Esme found the place she left off, sliding her finger over the page as she read it. Holding her place with her finger, she switched to another book and used her other hand to keep her place as she read through the book. Grabbing the pad of paper and pen on the opposite side of her, she jotted down notes, making them as legible as she could. Then dove right back in to find out more to help the hunter, who had gotten lucky enough to find something to do. She wasn’t a fan of this part of the job, but she knew it was just as important as going out there and hunting. With a sigh, she ran a hand through her hair as she continued to pour herself over the books in front of her silently. Everything around her faded out as she concentrated on the words within the books.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

Esme had watched Duke drop his shoulders after she had made her assessment, but she didn’t like how he answered. She wished he would stop saying he was fine when he clearly wasn’t. That’s why she continued to speak about what she thought happened, and his squint in frustration and words in response confirmed that. “Knowing him, that does sound like something he’d do, but at least you’d be able to get it all out without him interrupting you. Then, as soon as he starts to tell you all the reasons he’s not wrong, you slap the tape back on his mouth.” she said in all seriousness. Esme’s eyes never left Duke’s face as he sadly shook his head and looked over her head before looking back into her eyes. His following words caused her to knit her eyebrows together and shake her head. “Like hell, it’s not my problem. It’s you and be now. We go through things together now, not alone.” she told him sternly. “I do know how this goes, and you both may say it’s fine, but it’s not. It shouldn’t be fine…..” She broke off her words when Duke sighed, cupped her cheeks, and pressed his forehead to hers.

Duke’s words caused her to tear up. Closing her eyes, she nuzzled her forehead against his, staying silent momentarily while his words echoed in her mind. This was the first time he had ever asked her to run away with him, and it hit her hard. It brought a lump into her throat, but she refused to cry in front of Bobby’s house with Duke. She had done enough crying. It was her turn to stay strong for Duke. He had seen her cry enough since he returned to her. She wished the same. Esme wanted to run away from it all, but she knew, just as Duke did, that it would follow them since they were both targets to use against Dean to lure him into a trap. Opening her eyes, she looked into Duke’s, bringing her hands up to rest on the side of his neck, and rubbed her thumbs against his jaw. “In a heartbeat, Bright Eyes.” she told him softly. “I would go with you to the ends of the earth and further…. But you know as well as I do that now is not the time to run off and leave all of them with what’s coming.”

Esme pulled her head back just enough so she could look into his face, a warm, loving smile resting on her lips. “But with both of us wanting to get away, we can go for a walk or a drive into town and get a bite to eat and spend some time together.” She then softly kissed his nose. “That should give us a chance to relax and clear our minds.” She pulled back a little more and noticed Duke’s hat on the porch swing just behind Duke, causing her smile to grow slightly. She looked at Sarah after hearing the leaves and gravel under her paws. After silently getting Sarah’s attention, Esme motioned towards Duke’s hat, and she trotted over to get it. Esme turned her eyes back to Duke, lifting her right hand from his neck and lovingly brushing Duke’s hair away from his face with her fingers. “Will that work until we can find a good time to run off for a while?” she asked sweetly. About that time, Sarah trotted over with Duke’s hat. Without taking her eyes off Duke, Esme took Duke’s hat from Sarah and placed it on Duke’s head with a warm smile.

Her warm smile suddenly became mischievous as she looked into his eyes. “If none of those options strike your fancy, we could always find a spot to do a little skinny dipping.” she said with a twinkle in her eyes. Esme hoped to at least get a little grin out of him from the suggestion. If it didn’t, then she knew she would have to work even harder to get him to really smile. After she said it, she was reminded of a time when Duke had brought it up to her and Dean after a night in a bar in a drunken state. They had found a spot, but Duke was the only one that had stripped down completely.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

Esme had smiled again behind the kiss at the reaction she had gotten from Duke. His gasp and shudder alone made it all the better. She felt Duke wrap his arm around her back and knew where this was about to head, but then she heard Dean clear his throat. When Duke broke the kiss, she matched his sigh as she opened her eyes. She knew that if Dean hadn’t interrupted them, Duke probably would have before it got much further for fear of hurting her. Esme closed her eyes briefly when Duke brushed noses with her before he leaned back and answered Dean. When Duke looked back at her, she met his gaze and let him remove her hands from the back of his head. Esme watched him as he brought her hands to his lips and kissed each of her knuckles. “Alright, I’ll still be here.” she said softly with a smile. She released Duke’s hands as he scooted himself back and stood from the couch. She followed both guys with her eyes until they were out of sight to the basement, sighing softly as she heard the door close behind them. She looked down at the blanket that was still partially over her.

Esme decided to fold it and toss it to the other end of the couch. Then, carefully turning her body, she rested her arm on the back of the couch, rested her chin on her arm, and brought her knees up towards her chest, resting her other arm on her knees. Esme stared out the window, going into thought. She knew that look on Dean’s face. He wanted to talk to Duke and try to fix things between them, which used to result in only scratching the surface and not fixing the root problem of it all, and would also result in a scuffle between them. After everything that’s happened, a scuffle between them was one of the last things they needed, and she hoped one wouldn’t break out without anyone down in the basement to break it up. Sighing heavily through her nose, Esme closed her eyes and tried to keep herself from thinking about the worst that could happen down in the basement, but she failed miserably. Her mind was filled with all the times the guys had gotten into it when she was around. For the most part, it would start out fine, but it would quickly get heated, and then a scuffle would happen.

Back then, she didn’t even try to step in and break it up except for yelling at them to stop and break it up. And when they ignored her, she could only walk away and leave them alone until they were finished. She couldn’t watch until they got it out of their systems. She asked Bobby to help her break them up a few times before fists started flying, and he did step in a few times to stop it. However, he wouldn’t touch a few of them with a ten-foot pole, saying they needed to work through it on their own, which didn’t sit well with her, even though she knew Bobby was right. As those memories played themself out, Esme felt the tears burning her eyes, but she willed them not to show themselves. Moments of the boys walking back into Bobby’s house or a motel room showed themselves to her. She’d make them sit and would patch them up, but she wouldn’t talk to them as she did for several hours after, only glare at them and not let them anywhere near her. It would always piss her off when they let things between them build so much that it resulted in them throwing punches.

Thinking back on it now, she should have let them patch themselves up and locked herself in a separate room for a while a few times, not that it would have changed anything. That probably would have surprised or confused the hell out of them since that would have been entirely out of character for her. The thought was almost funny but not quite funny enough to laugh at. A scuffle or fistfight between brothers or other family members was nothing to laugh at if there was hostility behind it. It was pretty sad. There were a few times she almost left when the boys had gotten into it. Esme had been completely fed up and done with it all, but Bobby talked her out of leaving for the boys' sake. Even though she stayed, she would give them the cold shoulder and the silent treatment for a while. Thinking about it now, she didn’t know if Bobby ever said anything to them about it or not. She surely didn’t. Esme was pulled from her thoughts at the sound of the basement door opening. Opening her eyes, she turned her face away from the window and watched for Duke to come back into the living room.

First, she saw Dean, noticing that he’d been crying, which could be good or bad. She almost narrowed her eyes as she watched Dean walk through, but then her eyes fell on Duke as he came into view. Her eyes instantly went to his face, seeing he’d been crying also. Esme sighed just before he asked her if she wanted to get out of there. She nodded, taking in the bluntness of his tone and the way he wiped his hand down his face. Stretching out her legs, she carefully turned her body and swung her legs off the couch. She slowly took to her feet, standing there momentarily on weak-feeling legs. Esme crossed the room to his side, bringing her hands up to cup his face, using her thumbs to wipe away a few tears she saw as she looked up at him. “You don’t have to hide these from me.” she told him softly. “But yes, let’s get out of here.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him before lowering herself and removing her hands from his face. She moved to Duke’s side, wrapped an arm around his waist, and placed her other hand on his stomach just above his bandage.

Looking at the kitchen and seeing how crowded it was, she decided not to go through to get to the back door and to keep some distance between Duke and Dean. Esme gave Duke a light tug away from the kitchen so they could go out the front door. “Come on, Cowboy. Let’s go this way.” she said warmly. Once he compiled, she walked with him to the front door, opened it, and walked outside with her, where Sarah greeted them with a happy bark. “Hey, girl.” Esme said warmly to the Hellhound, patting her head. Sarah barked softly and whined as she moved in and nuzzled Esme. “I know. You must have heard what went on this morning. Sorry, I worried you, girl.” Esme briefly looked back through the open door, then looked back at Sarah. “You think you could do something for me, girl?” she asked. Sarah barked a reply, and Esme smiled warmly. “Could you run in there and grab the duffles with our clothes, please.” Without a sound, except for her nails on the wood, Sarah trotted into the house, returning moments later with both their duffles hanging from her mouth. “Good girl.” Esme cooed softly.

Once Sarah had cleared the door, Esme closed it and led Duke down the steps after placing her hand back on his stomach. She stopped a few feet away. She closed her eyes and breathed in the cool night air, shivering as the cold finally hit her. Opening her eyes, she turned toward Duke, placed her hands on his hips, and looked up at him, reading his face and emotions. “I want to ask if you’re okay, but clearly, you're not.” she started softly. “Judging by the look on your face, that talk went just like it always has. He barely scratched the surface of the problems and then asked if you two were good.” She sighed through her nose in frustration, noticing Sarah walk past them out of the corner of her eye. “He needs to be tied to a chair, have his mouth taped shut, and made to listen.” she told him. The only ones she could see getting away with doing something like that to Dean were Sam and Mika, but whether they would actually do it was the big question.

All Roads Lead To You

Esme

Esme hardly noticed when Duke sat beside her on the couch until he wrapped his arm around her back and held onto her arm. She half expected him to be still standing in the middle of the living room or continuing his walk out the door. So, it surprised her that he actually came and sat beside her after she sat back down. She listened to what he said and softly shook her head as she opened her eyes and dropped her hand from her face. “Even with that. I shouldn’t have demanded that you two work things out. It wasn’t my place. I haven’t been around you with Dean long enough to make such demands.” she said softly, as she felt Duke wedge his hand between her legs and stomach gently, knowing what he was trying to do. Esme tried to straighten up but took a sharp breath through her nose as she did. She couldn’t just yet. Duke’s following words caused her to cut her eyes over to him. Why would her like this stop him from leaving if leaving was what he wanted to do? What did her physical state have to do with anything he did?

The next thing Esme knew, Dean crossed the living room and silently sat on her other side. She turned her head more towards him as he brushed her braid behind her, then leaned down to press his forehead against the side of her face and ask his questions. “I’ll be fine. Just give me a bit.” she said softly, trying to mask the pain in her voice, just before Duke spoke. When Dean lifted his head from hers, Esme nodded silently to Duke with a weak smile on her lips. She was glad he wasn’t going to leave in his state of mind but also wondered why he actually decided to stay. During the brief silence, Esme could feel the looks the boys were giving each other, and she slightly worried something would break out right there with her stuck between them. She mentally relaxed when Dean sighed, leaned back in, and whispered to her, then pressed a gentle kiss to her ear. The sweet action caused Esme to close her eyes and softly nod. “I’m trying.” she whispered, taking a breath and slowly letting it out. She leaned her head against Dean and focused on relaxing, which was proving to be a bit difficult with how strange it felt being sandwiched between the two boys.

She did everything she could to relax, like pushing everything from her mind, including her anger at Dean, Duke leaving while upset, her need to call her father, and that Duke’s hand was still on her stomach, and his arm was still around her with Dean on her other side. She focused on her breathing as well as Deans, finally feeling herself starting to relax. It took a few minutes before she felt relaxed enough to try to straighten herself up again. Lifting her from Dean, she took a breath and straightened herself up, with a few choice words in Gaelic under her breath and a groan. She leaned into Dean, taking another breath and slowly letting it out. “Please, don’t let me get up like that again any time soon.” she whispered to them. “I’m usually pretty good with pain, but god, that was horrible.” She was still hurting quite a bit, but it was slowly becoming more tolerable as she sat there leaning against Dean. After all that, Esme felt she could take a long nap, but she really didn’t want to. “Alright, so what’s next?” she asked.

All Roads Lead To You

Esme

Esme saw Duke’s flinch when he turned towards him, making her think he wasn’t expecting her to say anything to him. She watched him, noticing the grass stuck to him, telling her there was a scuffle after she left him and Dean together outside. She watched Duke make his way over to Bobby’s desk and grab a chair, spinning it around before straddling it, then picking a piece of grass from his hair. When he finally answered her, she didn’t quite like his answer. It was too vague, but she could also feel and see how he was feeling. The tension in his shoulder muscles was hard to miss. She sighed silently when Duke said he was going out, which she felt held more than it sounded. “He may seem calm, but that doesn’t mean he is…. You also don’t have to leave, but I can understand why you feel you have to.” she replied. Esme fell silent as she looked at the floor at Duke’s feet. She could feel how upset and frustrated he was over whatever had been said by Dean this morning. She wasn’t one to pry, but she wondered what Dean had said to Duke to stir such strong emotions.

Esme’s eyes lifted from the floor when Duke finished his beer, threw it in the trash can, and then tapped his toes. She lowered her eyes as the room fell silent, getting lost in her thoughts on what was said and what she still needed to do until he nodded and picked a few more pieces of grass from his arm. Esme lifted her chin from her arms when he said he’d be back and suddenly stood without making eye contact with her. She watched him push the chair back to Bobby’s desk. Then, she saw him shudder and crack his neck. She had seen that before from her father, a sign of regret. As he walked toward the kitchen, Esme dropped her arms from the back of the couch and stood up so quickly that her braid almost popped her in the face. Which she instantly regretted. She gasped and groaned as pain shot through her body, doubling her over and causing her to almost fall back onto the couch. But she wanted to stop him. She couldn’t let him leave in this state of emotion. It didn’t matter that she didn’t know him that well. She felt it was partially her fault he felt like this.

“Duke, wait.” Esme said in a pain-filled tone. She lifted her head to look at him, resting her hand on her knees. “I’m sorry…. I stuck my nose somewhere it didn’t belong.” she started. She took some breaths to work herself through the pain. “I just wanted to help, but it seems I just made things worse for you. I’m really sorry.” she told him in an apologetic tone. “You don’t have to leave, Duke…. If anyone should leave, it’s me. I’m the one that kicked this hornet's nest.” She dropped her head to look at the floor, noticing her body was shaking from the intense wave of pain that shot through it. Esme stepped back and sat back down on the couch with a hiss. “If you still want to leave, I can’t and won’t stop you, but I hate to see you leave this way. Especially when I’m part of the cause of it.” she told him, her voice still holding pain. She looked at the floor between her feet as she sat curled in on herself, unable to straighten up because of the ache in her body.

Esme brought a hand up to the left side of her face and sighed softly, closing her eyes. She mentally kicked herself for stirring the pot of tension between Dean and Duke. That was never her intention. ‘I should have never pushed it. Surely not after how upset Dean was about Duke and me hugging. You need to learn to keep your nose out of people's business, Esme. You should have known things would go south with that much tension.’ she thought.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

Esme noticed Duke’s content hum as her hand made it to his hair and then the twitch to catch his hat that wasn’t on his head. It almost made her laugh. If he had been wearing his hat, she would have taken it off herself and placed it on the back of the couch before pulling him close to her. It also amazed her how the simple action of her stroking his hair affected him. She would have to keep it in mind for anything that might come up in the future. However, she wasn’t sure why it amazed her so much. The same action also worked on her a little too well at times, if she was being honest. As she confirmed her love for him, Esme could feel Duke’s happiness rising, which also made her happy, especially when he softly kissed her temple. When Duke chuckled at her cheesy statement, she wasn’t quite expecting it, but she knew it wasn’t out of ridicule. She knew it had to be strange for him to hear it coming from her mouth since she had always been one who guarded her emotions from others, which was a safety precaution for her.

She had always been afraid to let others fully into her heart, especially with what her father had told her over the years. But now, she knew Duke was her soulmate and needed to let him know. She didn’t need to be so guarded with her emotions with him, even though, in the back of her mind, she was afraid he’d bolt at some point. But she wouldn't let herself think about it now that she had him in her arms and she was in his. When he answered her apology, Esme could hear the emotional overload in his tone, and she teared up at his words but softly nodded her head. “Alright.” she whispered as she heard the basement door open. She opened her eyes but couldn’t turn to see who had come out of the basement first, but judging by the footsteps she heard, it was Anna. Esme attention went back to Duke as he pulled his head away from hers, her hands never leaving his head and face. She let him turn her head to face him, a warm smile on her lips as she looked at him before he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips.

Esme closed her eyes and kissed him back, humming softly as she did and feeling his thumb brush across her jaw. She lovingly brushed her thumb across his cheek just before Bobby cleared his throat. She broke the kiss with a slight flinch, then turned her head to look at Bobby, watching him in his office, fighting against the laugh and smirk that threatened to show itself at his words. After he walked out the back door, she turned her attention back to Duke, studying his face, causing the smirk to show itself. At Duke's comment and shrug, Esme lightly laughed as Duke pressed another kiss to her lips. She gladly returned as she closed her eyes with another hum. She lovingly brushed her thumb across his cheek, smiling behind the kiss before breaking it, and brushed his nose with hers as she took a breath. “Yes, he’ll live, but he’ll have both our hides if things move past kissing and whispering sweet nothings into each other’s ears.” she whispered against his lips with a light laugh before kissing him again. Esme deepened the kiss, her fingers slowly working themselves into Duke’s hair. Esme could easily see things moving past the kissing and whispering.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

When Esme sat up on the couch, she took note of panic as Duke hovered his hand over her body and nearly told her what she should do before he broke off when she looked into his eyes. She could see that her words had gotten through to him, and they had made him tear up. It also wasn't hard to see he was keeping himself from crying in front of her. She figured it was because of how sad it seemed to make her the last time he cried in front of her. Esme didn't want him to feel like he couldn't cry around her. She wanted him to be open with her with his emotions, no matter what they were. When he agreed to be more open with her, she smiled softly. Esme wanted Duke to know that she was there for him and always would be. She wanted him to know she wouldn't leave him high and dry when things got tough or felt utterly hopeless. When Duke told her he wanted to work on being more honest and open with her, her soft smile grew a little more on her lips. “That’s all I ask for.” she whispered in reply.

When Duke didn’t pull away after she turned her head, she knew she had gotten through to him. Esme closed her eyes when Duke brought his hand up to her neck and brushed his fingertips over her skin. It was a simple touch, but it spoke volumes. His next words, his nuzzle against her cheek, and how he held her close to him made her smile warmly and melt into his embrace. Keeping one hand on his cheek to hold his head to hers, she moved her other hand to the back of his head to stroke his hair. “I think I can if it’s anything like how much I love you.” she whispered. She nuzzled her head against his and sighed contently. “I know this will sound cheesy, but I don’t care…. You complete me, Duke…. All those years I was alone, I felt like a part of me was missing. But as soon as you walked back into my life, saved me from those demons, and we rekindled what he had, I felt whole again.” she whispered, being completely honest with him. “You’re my world, Mr. Hatfield…. I’d be utterly lost without you…. I’m sorry it took me so long to figure that out.”

Esme nuzzled against him again and pulled him in a little closer. She didn’t want to let him go or for him to let her go, but she knew they would have to release each other at some point. So Esme took in the moment, breathing him in and taking in his embrace that she thought she had lost only hours ago. She still didn’t know how he had returned to her, but she wouldn’t question it anymore at that moment. Esme just wanted to hold him close and have him hold her close, to snuggle, to live in the moment, and to talk. She didn’t care about the aspirin and the coffee anymore. She’d be perfectly happy if he whisked her away to the RV with a little snack, and they spent the rest of the night there together in each other's arms.

All Roads Lead To You

Esme

As Esme walked past the boys, she gave a nod to Duke, even if he was looking at his feet when he spoke. “Good,” she said softly to him. She quickly walked away from the range, wincing as her sore muscles protested. She shook her head when Dean called to her but said nothing to him. She was done, and she had said her peace. Now it was time for them to work out their crap without her there to listen in. She knew there was a possibility it could end in a fistfight, but she hoped it wouldn’t. She just couldn't stand to be around either of them with that much built-up tension between them. It was exhausting trying to push through it all. By the time Esme reached the porch steps, she was utterly winded. She stood at the steps momentarily to catch her breath, not looking back to check on the guys, slightly worried about what she might see if she did. Once she collected herself, she ascended the steps, walked to the door, opened it, and walked inside. She then went to the stairs where her weapon duffle was and placed her small bag on top.

Esme knelt by the duffle and unzipped a small pocket on the side. Pulling out a bottle of aspirin, she opened it and dumped a couple in her hand. Replacing the cap, she put the bottle back into the pocket and zipped it back up. Standing, Esme headed to the kitchen. Once there, she pulled a glass from the cupboard, went to the sink, and filled it with water. While standing at the sink, she took the aspirin, downed the whole glass of water, rinsed the glass, and put it in the dish strainer. Esme turned her back to the sink and leaned against it, trying to decide what she should do. What on the boys to come back in? Take a nap? Or maybe see how Bobby was doing in the garage? She knew what she wanted to do but was far too sore even to attempt it. She’d have to wait till most of the pain subsided and she didn’t feel so stiff. As she rolled things around in her head, Esme walked to the living room, combing her fingers through her hair and bringing it all to rest on her right shoulder. She quickly braided it and tied it off with an elastic band pulled from her pants pocket.

Esme had decided to do none of the above. She walked over to the couch, pulled her phone out of her back pocket, and sat down. She still needed to update Sassy on everything that happened and let her know how she was doing. Going through her phone, she found Sassy’s number and dialed it. As it rang, she heard the front door open and close. “That went quicker than I thought it would.” she thought. Just as Sassy picked up her phone, Esme had concluded that Duke had just come in, only because the footsteps didn’t sound like Dean’s. “Hey, Sassy.” she answered the woman on the other end. “Yes, I know. I’m sorry I worried you.” Esme rested her elbow on her knee and then rested her head on her hand. “Things didn’t quite go as planned yesterday after I dropped you off at your car….. Yes, I’m alright, just a little bruised, sore, and pissed off.” As she spoke, she heard Duke come in but kept her mind on the phone call. “Yeah, that one ghost turned out to be four…. Yeah…. The woman and child were easy. It was the other two that took some effort.”

“They both gave me a run for my money….. Uh-huh…. It was his bowler hat that kept him bound to that house. His brother possessed my car and took me for a joy ride. God, I am glad Daddy can’t see what the car looks like. He’d have a hissy fit. I’m also glad he can’t see what I look like. I’m sure he’d panic.” she told the other woman. “It was an old bowler hat of his….. Yep….. I had salted and burned other objects before I found it. Then, the house started to break apart, and I almost didn’t make it out because my car wouldn’t start….. Yeah….. Once she started, I slammed her in reverse. The bumper just barely cleared the house before it collapsed.” she explained. A small, soft smile then came to her lips. “Yes, Sassy. I’m fine….. I’m at Bobby’s…… Yes, with Dean too…… Yes, his brother Duke is also here…… “Yes, Sassy. I’ve been patched up, and they’ve all been making sure I’m taking it easy. Even Duke, after how rude I was to him last night…. Yeah, I lost my temper and took it out on Dean and Duke…. Yes, I did.”

Esme fell silent, nodding as she kept the phone to her ear. She sighed heavily, closing her eyes. “I know that….. No…….. I don’t know.” she answered after a moment, her tone sounding down. She went silent as Sassy gave her a long speech. She had heard it so many times that she could recite it word for word if she were asked to. “I know, Sassy. I love you too…. No, I haven’t called or texted him yet….. I know I need to, and I plan to. I just want to heal up a bit first…… Sure, if you want….. Okay, talk to you later.” Esme ended the call, placed her phone on the couch cushion next to her, and sighed heavily before leaning back onto the couch and staring at the ceiling, resting her hands on her stomach. It could be so exhausting talking to Sassy sometimes, and this was one of those times. After a moment, she carefully shifted so she was sitting sideways on the couch, folded her arms on the back of the couch, and rested her chin on her arms, looking at Duke. “Did you two get anything worked out after I left you out there?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

She genuinely wanted to know if they had or not. Esme also hoped he would be truthful with her, even though she didn’t expect much of an answer since he hardly knew her. She also wasn’t going to ask what caused their tension. That wasn’t any of her business. She just wanted them to work some of it out before a whopper of a fight broke out between them, which was something she didn’t want to witness or try to break up. She was also sure she wouldn’t be able to handle the rage that would be radiating off them during the fight. “If you don’t want to say anything about it, it’s fine. It’s really none of my business anyway.” she added.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

Esme had noticed the fake smile before Duke answered that he could get her what she asked for. She knew he had to be thinking why did she suddenly not trust Bobby and thinking the same thing she was. What did Bobby give her this morning? When he got up to get what she asked for, she had to stop him and know how he was. So she was glad when he stopped and looked back at her. But she didn’t like how his smile faded from his lips and how he shrugged his shoulders. Esme’s eyes never left his face as he spoke, cleared his throat, and rolled his head to force himself to answer her question. She wasn’t sure if she fully believed his answer about being fine physically, but she knew he had to be struggling mentally, even if he told her he didn’t know how to answer that yet. She didn’t like the answer but would take it for now. The important thing for her right now was that he seemed better than he was this morning. He had a glimmer in his eyes and had been smiling before she asked how he was.

When he looked down at the blanket just above her stomach, she could tell he was looking for answers she wanted to hear. She didn’t expect him to find the answer right then, just as long as he was okay. When Duke turned his eyes back to her, Esme met his gaze and softly smiled back. “You’re half right this time, my sweet Cowboy.” she told him. She forced herself to sit up with a wince and groan as her head and sore muscles protested her moving. Taking his face into her hands, she looked deep into his eyes. “The only difference this time is that you don’t have to go through it alone. You hear me? I’m here with you through it all, and don’t you dare try to keep anything from me. I want you to be honest with me, even if you think it’s unimportant or will hurt.” Esme looked at him for a moment before pulling his face closer and placing a sweet kiss on his forehead. “I don’t want there to be any secrets between us. Okay?” She spoke softly against his forehead before placing another kiss on his forehead. She wanted them to be open with each other, without any more secrets.

Too many years had gone by with them keeping things from one another. It was time to open up and be honest with each other. Otherwise, Esme felt that this relationship wasn’t going to last long. Plus, she didn’t want their relationship built around secrets and lies. It wasn’t healthy, and it wouldn’t last. Esme also didn’t want to drive him away. She needed him just as much as she felt he needed her. Esme slightly turned her head so his forehead was resting on the side of her head. “I love you, Bright Eyes. Nothing will ever change that.” she whispered.