[h2]Sam Winchester[/h2]

Sam had smiled at Madison’s response to wanting to enjoy the burrito, but most of his attention was on Dean and Esme at the moment. He had noticed how she didn’t notice Esme’s mood change or when she got up and went to the kitchen because she was too wrapped in the burrito Esme had given her. It wasn’t until Esme had given her the note did she even look in Esme’s direction and he saw the nervousness in Madison’s eyes as she glanced at him and then back to Esme as she walked around Dean. Sam opened his mouth to say speak, but closed it and looked at his brother as he brought his fist down on the table and said he messed up and Esme wouldn’t be coming back and it was his fault she wasn’t coming back. He knew his brother truly felt that was true, but he knew she would be back by the way she gave Madison the note and the way she spoke before she left. 

It was clear when she said she would be back soon that she mostly directed her words towards Dean. Sam uncrossed his arms, leaned forward, and stared at Dean, the stare soon turning into a glare as he narrowed his eyes. The look he shot at his bother saying, ‘Really?’ even though he knew Dean wouldn’t see the look with his head leaned back. Then he turned his gaze to Madison and softened it. “Don’t worry. She’ll be back.” he told her softly. He watched her as she looked at Dean, then back to him with her eyes glowing a gentle amber and her breathing had picked up. He then gently took the burrito from her hands and placed it on the table before taking her hands and cradling them within his to calm her. “Hey…..” he said gently as she looked into her eyes. “She said she would be back and I believe her.” He let a moment pass before he leaned in to whisper into her ear. 

“Dean upset Esme and now he’s afraid that she won’t come back, but I know she will be.” He pulled back and gave her a warm smile as he looked into her eyes, hoping that his words would bring her some calm. After a moment, Sam turned his attention back to Dean and giving a small sigh at the state that his brother was in over Esme. “Don’t be so hard on yourself, Dean.” he told his brother. “How long has it been since the two of you were last together?” he asked him. “It would be easy to forget what would upset someone after being apart for so long. But from what I saw, it was you narrowing your eyes at her that seemed to upset her. So, I suggest that you refrain from doing that in the future.” He paused to watch Dean for a moment and to let his words sink in. “You said nothing wrong.” He looked back to Madison with a slight smile and gave her hands a gentle squeeze.

“I’ll be right back.” he told her softly. Sam then pushed himself from the chair and onto his feet, then walked to the kitchen. He went to the fridge, opened it, and pulled out a couple of beers before closing it. Opening the beers, he tossed the caps onto the counter before heading back to the table Dean and Madison were sitting at. Once back at the table, Sam walked up to Dean and set one of the beers on the table in front of him. “She’ll be back.” he told him as he placed a hand on Dean’s shoulder. “She’s far too happy to be back with you to let something like this make her leave again.” He then moved his hand from his brother’s shoulder and patted his chest. “Just give her some time to work it out.” He then walked back around and sat in the chair he was in before, took a drink of his beer then sat it on the table in front of him. He leaned back in his chair and watched Dean and Madison as they waited for Esme to return. 

[h2]Esme Stirling[/h2]

Esme drove to the market, her radio blaring to keep herself from thinking back to what had happened before she left. She tapped the beat of each song on her steering wheel and sang along with the songs she knew, not holding back, since she was the only one in the car. This was something she often did whenever she was upset or even in a grim mood to calm herself, and it worked just about every time. Music was something that resonated with her and could calm her even if she was in the foulest of moods, especially if it was a song she knew and loved. She jammed out all the way to the market, not caring who saw as they drove past her or saw her stopped at a stoplight. She was enjoying herself and the music, probably a little too much, but that was something she didn’t care about at that particular moment. Her mood was calming, and she was now smiling, that’s what mattered at the moment. 

Once Esme was in the parking lot of the market, she found a parking spot and killed the engine. Shoving her keys in her pocket, she opened the door and exited the car, locking and shutting the door behind her before heading inside. Once inside, Esme tried to get what she thought they would need quickly. She didn’t want Dean thinking she had up and left him again, but part of her thought he may already be thinking that with the way she left. She gathered everything that was on the list that she had mentally made and even grabbed a few “special” items that she would use later on in the day. That was if she could get the kitchen to herself and at least keep Dean out of it for a little while. The thought made her smile to herself a little. Once he smelled it, she knew it would be tough keeping him out. After getting through the checkout line and getting everything bagged and paid for, she gathered everything and headed back out to her car. 

Once at her car, Esme pulled out her keys and unlocked her car. Opening the back driver’s door, she placed the bags into the backseat, making sure anything that could get crushed was in a safe spot. The next thing she knew, she heard footsteps approach behind her before she could close the door. A silent sigh escaped her as she heard a man’s voice, who was clearly drunk. “Hey, gorgeous! How about you and me go grab a drink?” he asked as he stared at her ass. You didn’t have to be an Empath to know what this guy's intentions were, but being an Empath, she could strongly feel what the guy wanted, which made her uncomfortable. Pulling her head out of the back, she shut the car door and turned to face the man that stood behind her, her eyes quickly scanning over him and taking in his biker appearance. “Thanks, but no thanks.” she said in a firm tone. Turning on her heel, she went for the driver’s door, but the man stopped her by grabbing her upper arm and spinning her around to face him again. 

“Oh, come on baby. Don’t be like that. I could show you a good time.” he cooed as he stroked her arm with the back of his fingers. “Get your hands off me.” she snapped. Esme pulled away with a glare, her eyes glimpsing the Biker’s Goon behind him, who was smirking. “You’re barking up the wrong tree. Now leave me alone, if you know what’s good for you.” she almost growled as she narrowed her eyes at him. She went to turn once again to get into her car, but the Biker grabbed her once again, taking her by her upper arms and shoving her back hard into the car, and knocking a bit of air from her lungs. He leaned in close, pressing himself against her with a large smirk. “Mmmm, you’re feisty. I like em feisty.” he whispered before smelling her hair. She struggled against his grip but failed miserably against his larger size. “Get off me, you gorilla!” she yelled at him as he began to lean in to kiss her.

Esme tried to pull away from the oncoming kiss, but soon found out she wouldn’t be able to avoid it with how he had her pinned under his weight. Thinking quickly, she kneed the Biker in the groin, then punched him in the face once he released her and fell to his knees. “I told you to leave me alone!” she yelled, pushing herself from her car, then kicked him in the face for good measure and sending him sprawling. “You bitch!!” yelled the Goon as he rushed her, then punched her in the face. The force of his punch sent her to the pavement beneath her feet. Before she could look up at the Goon, he kicked her in the stomach, forcing a groan from her lips as she rolled to her side, holding her stomach and feeling blood run down her cheek from where his ring had left a gash. “Hellfire!” she groaned. [i]Why does this happen to me?[/i] she asked herself. The Goon knelt down and grabbed hold of her jacket and pulled her to her feet, a smirk still resting on his face. 

“Now be a good girl and we won’t have to punish you anymore.” he told her as he slammed her against her car. Esme smirked at his words as he held her jacket firmly and pressed her against the car. “Punishment? You call this punishment?” she sneered. “You don’t know what punishment is.” She then punched the Goon in the face, then grabbed his shoulders, and kneed him in the groin when he released her. Pushing herself off the car, she kicked him and drew her gun, releasing the safety as she pointed it at the two men who were on the pavement. They looked up at her wide-eyed as they saw the gun. “Now scram before I shoot off something you might need later!” The two scrambled to their feet and muttered something about her being a psycho bitch before running off. Sighing loudly, she brushed her hair from her face as she watched them run off as she put the safety back on her gun and tucked it away. 

Holding her stomach with her left hand, she looked around for the keys she dropped after being grabbed. Spotting them, she picked them up and opened the car door with her right and slowly got in. After closing the door, she lifted her shirt to look at her stomach. It was red and already starting to show bruising. Esme let her shirt fall from her grip, then placed the key into the ignition and started the car. She then took time to look at her face in the rearview mirror, since she could still feel the blood running down her cheek. The Goon’s ring had left a pretty nasty-looking gash on her cheek. Reaching over, she opened the glove box and pulled out a bandana, then closed it before bringing it to her cheek to stop the bleeding. Holding it in place, she threw the car in reverse and backed out of the parking spot, then put it drive and drove out of the parking lot and back to the safe house. 

Once back, she parked the car and killed the engine, then shoved her keys in her jacket pocket as she normally did, then opened the door, not attempting to fix her slightly disheveled appearance. Once she got out and shut the door, she opened the driver’s back door and grabbed what she could with her one free hand, and headed inside with a little difficulty with both her hands full, one hand full of bags and the other holding the bandana to her cheek. As she entered, she gave everyone a small smile before heading to the kitchen with the bags. Her smile growing as she heard Sam say, ‘See, I told you she’d be back’ as she entered the kitchen. “Could one of you grab the rest, please?” Esme called warmly from the kitchen as she set the bags on the counter with a small sigh.