[h3] Cason and Dean Winchester [/h3]

Cason’s face fell from a bright smile into curiosity as she agreed to appreciate him more, if he just stopped being provocative and then he heard the edge of her voice, that told him everything he needed to know about why she was so closed off to him.  It wasn’t just that she didn’t know him.  There was something else.  Something stronger than a simple hunter’s disdain for demons.

“Alright.  I’m finished.”, he said softly, just watching her face as she waited for her brother to come rescue her, “I just enjoy your company.  I won’t hover and I won’t pry into your life, like I did Esme.  Clearly that wasn’t as appreciated or even a good idea, really.  She’s in pretty rough shape, but I want you to know something.”

He stood straight from the table, and pushed his hands into the pockets of his pants, “I’ll protect you, if you’ll let me.  There’s not a demon on this planet that could touch you, unless I get ambushed, which most won’t even try.  But you have to let me, and I’ll do my best to not…push you in a weird direction, if you promise me you’ll tell me what demons…”

His words broke off as he heard Mika’s voice ring through the door, and he sighed, turning his eyes toward the floor.  He pushed away from the table and walked toward the door, close behind Natalia, only to be greeted with Dean’s scowl.

“Everything okay in here?”, Dean asked, turning his eyes down to Nat’s face.  He may not have had the full story about her time in the asylum, but he knew that demons were the one big thing that made her skin crawl.  She just happened to be stuck in a room and on a mission with the one demon who seemed better than anyone at making people uncomfortable.

“We’re fine.”, Cason chimed in, grabbing Nat’s bag before she had a chance to pick it up.  He shrugged it up on his shoulder, and stepped close to the door, gesturing with his eyes for Dean to move.  Dean stared him down for a moment, tightening his grip on Mika’s hand, and then stepped to the side for Cason to get past him, with a low growl.

“Seriously, are you going to be okay today?  Be honest with me.”, Dean asked Nat, finally, now that she was alone.  

[h3] Annabeth [/h3]

Annabeth raised her eyebrows as Sam asked her to essentially protect Nat and Cason from each other.  She nodded slowly, although she wasn’t entirely sure she would be much help, other than her ability to calm Cason down if he was angry.  But she nodded her head a little faster, “I promise I’ll try.  I want us all to come out alright, even Cason.  So, that means working on them both.”

She took Sam’s hand, squeezing tightly as they left the room, to walk over to Nat’s.  Seeing Dean there, along with Sam’s eyes meeting their backs, Anna stared up at him and frowned, “Are we surprised?  If he showed up in her room, and started his normal heavy handedness, she probably called Dean for a buffer, because you’re nicer.  I’m sure Dean would love nothing more than to break Cason’s jaw…again.  He’ll heal in a few hours.”

She shrugged as if it was the most normal thing in the world and watched Cason squeeze between Dean and the door frame, walking out toward Nat’s car, “I’ll go work on him, now.  If you want.  I have to ride with him, anyway.  So, I might as well get started early.”

She pulled Sam’s hand up to her lips, and pressed a kiss to his knuckles, smiling sweetly behind his hand.  Without another word, she pulled her fingers from his, took a deep breath and stepped away from him, reluctantly, to go and try to smooth over the tension before the car ride that promised to be long and awkward.

[h3] Duke [/h3]

Duke was surprised when Esme deepened the kiss, his hair standing on the back of his neck as a jolt of electricity shot down his spine.  She was leaning into him.  She wanted him to kiss her.  The thought brought forward the idea to push her back onto the bed and just…love her.  But then she broke the kiss, and her nose brushing across his only furthered the electric buzz along his spine.  He smiled softly at her, his skin blushing as she brushed her fingers along his cheek.

He then listened to her intently, furrowing his brow as she told him she didn’t plan to ever send him away.  He wasn’t surprised as much as relieved that she wanted him there.  She wanted him in her hands, on her lips, just…around.  But as she brushed his long blond hair from his forehead and played with the back of his hair, he smiled a little bigger, his eyes burning into hers until she kissed his nose.  He couldn’t hold back a wider smirk, his teeth peeking out from behind his lips.  He nuzzled her nose a little rougher, and settled into her eyes as she continued speaking.

She spoke his own thoughts back to him, easing his worry a little with every word.  He believed with everything he had in his heart that she would never hurt a soul.  Esme could never hurt anyone that didn’t absolutely deserve it.  He just had to make sure he didn’t deserve it, but as she spoke the worlds ‘I love you too much’, Duke froze and his eyebrows raised almost into his hairline.  They had said it to each other when they were younger, when the three of them were an unstoppable trio, scaring any monster they came across, but that was when he was Dean’s best friend.  That was when he came with a package.  Hearing her say it while they were alone, and he was just himself was a bit shocking.

“So, I don’t have to worry much about gettin’ blown up, or manipulated into givin’ you my wallet…or my heart.  Some sort of mental love potion.”, he murmured, brushing his thumb across her cheek as he softened his face into a wider smile, “That’s a relief and I believe you, babydoll.  You don’t have to give me the serious…mom face.”

He laughed softly, his body less tense, just at the look in her eyes, and he brushed his fingers across her surprisingly rapid healing eyebrow. He couldn’t help himself and tilted her head back gently, catching her bottom lip between her teeth, before pressing a gentle kiss to her lips, “And I love you too.  Just…throwin’ that out there.”