[h2]Esme[/h2]
Esme opened her eyes when she felt Duke approach her. She was so lost within everything going on in the moment, she really hadn’t realized that he had followed her outside after her invitation. She still couldn’t believe that she had broken down this much in front of Duke. It was the one side of herself she never wanted him to see, because she knew how much it would hurt him, and she didn’t want to come off as vulnerable and weak. No one in her family, including Dean, had ever seen her state of mind. She was still mentally kicking herself for letting herself fall into such a state, but then again, it had been some time since she had been hit with so much raw emotion in such a short period of time. Plus, becoming a demon nuke didn’t help either. She felt drained and sleep deprived from it all. All she wanted at that moment was a decent night's sleep so she could recharge and get a handle on her empathy once again. Being an Empath with sleep deprivation wasn’t a good mix, there was no telling what could happen if they came across someone in a state of pure rage.

A tired smile came to her lips when Duke spoke. She couldn’t help but smile from the way he called her darlin’. Esme turned slightly as she brought her gaze down from the sky to meet his gaze, as he brought his hand up and brushed his thumb across her cheek, then gently kissed the tip of her nose. This time she didn’t flinch at his touch, both actions caused her to smile a little more as did his words. “Don’t worry, I don’t plan on going anywhere. Plus, I’d have to steal a car if I did.” she replied with a small laugh. She watched him as he backed away and then jogged away. It was then she noticed the others. She wondered what could be going on to have them all outside talking, and assumed Duke was thinking the same. She didn’t feel the need to follow him over, because she knew Duke would relay any important news to her when he got back. She also didn’t want to go over in nothing but a blanket and have to explain to everyone why she was in a blanket and Duke was in a towel. She wasn’t feeling up to being put in an awkward situation, but knew it would more than likely be brought up later.

Turning her gaze back to the parking lot, she breathed in more of the cool night air, before she felt a gentle nudge against her leg followed by a whine. “I’m alright, Sarah.” she said as she worked a hand out from under the blanket and placed it on the Hellhounds head. “It seems that this is a trying night for not just me but everyone.” She looked down at Sarah as she scratched her head and ears. After a little scratching, Esme retracted her hand and held the blanket tight around her frame. Looking up, she saw Duke’s truck was a lot closer than she had realized. Picking up the blanket from around her feet, she walked over to his truck and to the back. Being careful not to drop the blanket, she worked her hands free and put down the tailgate of his truck. Then carefully, and with some help from Sarah, Esme climbed up into the truck bed. Once she was seated, she patted the spot next to her, inviting Sarah up. Without hesitation, Sarah hopped up in the truck bed and laid down behind Esme, curling up around her slightly in a protective manner. Esme then leaned back against the Hellhound, feeling everything around her being drowned out.

Once comfortable, Esme adjusted the blanket and curled her legs up close to her body to make sure her feet were under the blanket. Leaning her head back, she looked up at the sky and what stars could be seen. Slowly her body relaxed against Sarah’s, now that she could feel her mind and emotions relaxing from everything that had gone on the past several days. Sitting under the stars and having a shield from all the emotions he felt on a daily basis was something she had desperately been needing since meeting up with all the Winchesters. She never could have imagined that her empathic ability would get such a workout being around them. Yes, she went through some emotional rollercoasters with Dean and also Duke in the past, but nothing like she experienced being around all of them. She sighed heavily as she stargazed. Even though her emotional state had settled, the dreams of her past were still fresh in her mind and she wished she could forget the worst ones so she could have some peace of mind for the night.