[h3] Cason [/h3]
Cason kept his nose pressed to Nat’s, stroking her hair.  His eyes fluttered closed and he attempted to calm her breath with is own, as if it was possible.  With the jolt of her body, he pulled his face back, expecting a massive punch to the face.  After a moment, the pain never came, as Nat processed what was happening, “Hey! Hey you’re good.  You’re…you’re good.”, he whispered in the darkness.

His name falling off her lips caused a heavy and tired sigh to leave his chest, as he nodded gently, brushing more of her hair from her cheek.  And the resolve in the second dropping of his name relaxed his shoulders even more, only for them to tense again immediately as Nat scrambled close to him.  He froze for a moment, taking his time to realize that she was willingly touching him, holding him close.

After that beat to make sure he was assessing the situation properly, he wrapped an arm around her, burying his fingers in her hair as he pressed his lips to her forehead and held her close.  Cason pressed a tiny kiss there, and then rested his chin on the top of her head as he allowed her to catch her breath and process her surroundings.  Her question, however, hit at the heart that he didn’t even have, and he frowned, “I um…”

He paused for a moment, frowning deeper as he contemplated her question, himself.  What was this pain in his chest, that seemed to radiate all the way to the back of his head?  Was it confusion?  Fear?  Anguish?  He wasn’t sure, but it felt oddly…human.  He swallowed it down, mustering up enough of a voice to answer her, “I…I wish I knew the answer to that.”

Actually, he knew at least a partial answer to that question, but he didn’t even know where to begin explaining it to her.  How could he explain that even though he was forced at times to hurt her with the others, he was also the only reason she survived in the asylum?  How could he explain that even though he cut her straps, he didn’t bother carrying her out of the asylum himself…when he had plenty of opportunity?  How could he explain how many times he wanted to…how many times he wanted to just run away with her from that place, before any of the trauma or the pain that he was now trying to clean up…one nightmare at a time?

[h3] Anna [/h3]

Anna glanced up at Sam as he held his hand out to her.  The air felt heavy.  It felt as if they were being watched, and the atmosphere would collapse on them at any moment…out of nowhere.  She frowned, glancing around them for a moment as she disassociated, but then reached out her hand and took his with a small but fake smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

Later that night, after she and Sam had fallen asleep…

Anna laid on her side, her arm stuffed under her cheek, and Sam’s arm slung over her waist protectively. Although they hadn’t crossed intimate boundaries since the night they locked themselves in the panic room, having each other close seemed to just…work. She stirred from her sleep, becoming instantly aware of Sam’s breath moving her hair as she laid there, staring into the darkness. It was oddly comforting, though the feeling in the pit of her stomach was not. She felt sick, and she felt watched. Slowly, she rolled from under Sam’s arm, hoping that his head would hit a pillow and he wouldn’t stir, in case it was nothing she was feeling. To her relief, his head barely moved as she slipped away, slightly pulling her hair from under his face in the process. 

“Aren’t you two just the sweetest couple of love sick for each other but untouchable idiots I’ve ever laid my eyes on…”, an unfamiliar voice sounded in the darkness. 

Anna froze, her heart leaping into her throat as fear gripped her and she slowly glanced back at Sam, “Don’t worry. He’s harder to wake up than you think, and it’s just…me and you, in here. Look closer.” 

As Anna turned back a bit further, she realized that while she was standing next to the bed, she was still wrapped up in Sam’s arms, his face buried in her curly hair as he slept soundly. She was dreaming.



“Who are you and what do you want? Are you an angel? I’m honestly about tired of…”, she started, but the woman quickly laughed. The sound seemed loud enough to break the windows in the room and Anna flinched. 

“An angel?! Oh honey, no. I’m the one you’ve been running from! Your whole life has been spent running from…the idea of me. Destiny. Bloodline stuff. Yada yada. The same song and dance Sam knows he’s running from, but with someone much much worse than me.”, she giggled, finally coming into view. 

She was tall, thin and blonde. Her cheeky smile seemed to stretch from earlobe to earlobe, caked in bright red lipstick. She reached over the edge of the bed and pushed a strand of Sam’s hair from his face, tucking it behind his ear. 

“So what do you want?”, Anna asked in a shaky voice, crossing her arms over her chest. She suddenly felt cold…and angry. But it was an angry fear that chilled her bones. 

“What I want is simple. I think you already know the answer.”, the woman nearly whispered, breathing over Sam’s face before kissing his cheek gently, “You.” 

“M-me? Why me?”



“Don’t you know, silly?! You’re mine. You were promised to me before you were even born. Your mother was pathetic…asking for a way out of her stupid life. Her stupid relationships and her…family. She all but fed you to me the second I offered. Poor thing. Pregnant and desperate, but didn’t give one tiny little shit about you.” 

“Shut up…”, Anna growled, her eyes beginning to cloud with tears. She wasn’t even sure if she was surprised by the woman’s words. She knew she was meant for something. She knew there was a reason she had been hunted her entire life, and ended up in bed with a demon…and then…Sam. 

“I only asked her for access to your bedroom. She said yes. I said okay. And then your stupid idiotic stepfather got in the way.”, the woman continued, “And so he died. Your house burned down. Oh…oh no. You didn’t even know, did you? Azazel got to you, but then your mother tried to run. The idiot.” 

“Why I was hunted…”, Anna realized suddenly, zoning out on the wall near the woman’s head. Her world spun for a moment as she realized that the problems started while she was still in the womb. She was marked, hunted, put up for slaughter from day one, “And um…and the demon blood?”



“That was my idea. You were a…failed experiment of sorts. I didn’t necessarily agree with torturing you, if Hell didn’t have a plan, but Azazel made me a promise. I could have you, when you came of age and just…look at you.” 

Anna’s stomach lurched in disgust at the way the woman sized her up. She tightend her arms around herself a bit tighter, snarling her nose, “And that would make you…” 

“Lilith.”, the woman explained simply, tugging at Sam’s ear with her fingers, playfully. Anna’s blood ran cold. Lilith. That was a name she had heard before, but the idea of her standing in the room sent chills down Anna’s spine. A few tears escaped her eyes as she stared blankly at her, her body beginning to visibly shake, “And here’s what I want you to do for me…for him.” 

Lilith ran a finger down Sam’s jaw, causing Anna to reach a hand out, her jaw clenched and her fearful expression turning to one of rage. 

“Oh my. You really are struck with him, aren’t you? That’s depressing and cute, all at the same time.”, Lilith chuckled, brushing her fingers over Sam’s lips, “I need you to just be ready. Stay strong. Be willing to kill anyone, and I mean anyone when the time comes. I need you…to be a good little soldier. If that means getting away from your cute little family, then you do it.” 

“And if I don’t?”



“Don’t leave them? Well, if they become a distraction, or they become need for collateral damage, I’ll kill them. One…tiny…pressure, and Sam’s neck will snap, right here. Right now.”, Lilith murmured, her lips close to Sam’s chin as she wrapped her hand around his throat, gently. 

Anna stood, shivering as she watched Lilith slowly tighten her fingers around Sam’s throat, until she couldn’t stand still any longer and took a step forward, “Stop…” 

“There she is.”, Lilith cooed at her, releasing Sam’s throat and taking a step back from the bed. She placed both her hands on her hips expectantly. 

“Fine. I’ll leave.”, Anna choked out, more tears streaming down her cheek. She hadn’t expected this to happen, tonight. Although she didn’t know where she stood with Sam, she didn’t want to leave him, friend or more, without saying goodbye, “Can I at least say goodbye?” 

“No. No, because then, you might be tempted to send some sort of message to my little boy next door, and I’ll have to rip his throat out, while I kill your entire family right before your eyes. I would hate that. That would ruin my day.”, Lilith explained, as if it was a minor inconvenience such as forgetting your keys at home. 

“Then leave. You can watch from afar and I’ll leave a note. I’ll at least let them know I’m alive, and not to look for me…and I’ll go.” 

“Perfect. See to it that you’re gone before he wakes up or…”, Lilith explained simply, pulling her thumb across her throat to signal she would kill Sam, “Higher ups won’t be happy with me, but that’s not really my concern. I’m out for me. You understand.”



And with that, Anna awoke with a start once again, stilling herself almost immediately as a sharp sob rocked her body under Sam’s arm. She slowly removed his arm from her waist, again, pulling her own hair…like some sort of twisted deja vu. 

She stepped out of the bed, and over to table, where she pulled the hotel notepad and began writing the note to say at least a small goodbye. She didn’t know how she would get back to California, but she would figure that out when she forced her body to pick up her backpack and leave Sam behind. As much as she wasn’t sure of their relationship, she was sure that beside him was the warmest bed she had ever known, and that counted for something.

[h3] Duke [/h3]

Duke said his goodnights, almost silently as Nat’s situation weighed on him heavily.  But he didn’t let on too much about it.  He knew Dean would shut him down at any turn.  So, instead, as the others dispersed, he turned and headed in the direction he had left Esme.

He glanced at his truck, and pretty instantly figured out where she was, walking toward it.  As soon as he approached, his theory was proven correct as he caught a glimpse of her blanket over the side.  He smiled softly, and placed his hands on his hips, wondering how the hell he was going to either get her inside, or convince a damn hellhound to let him get in with them.

“I can’t see you, you know.”, he said softly, glancing all around the truck bed to try and catch Sarah’s eyes somewhere along the way.  Sarah simply huffed, growling softly to let him know where she was, “Alright.  I hear you.”

He chuckled, approaching slowly as Sarah calmed back down.  He noticed that Esme’s face didn’t seem to be unpleasant or as if she was having a bad dream, but rather a happy one.  His face softened once again, and he sat down on the tailgate of the truck, scooting himself back until he bumped into Sarah, who once again huffed.

“Calm down.  I can’t see you, remember?”, he growled back at Sarah in a whisper, lowering himself to lie in front of Esme, “Darlin’?  Hey…you wanna go in and get some sleep?”

He scanned her face for a moment, brushing his fingers along her jaw, in hopes that it would stir her, but it didn’t.  Sighing, he glanced up in the general direction of Sarah’s breathing, and then down at his own torso and legs, “Because I don’t wanna give you the pleasure of seein’ me run around naked out here…I guess we’ll just hang out here.  You gonna bite me in my sleep?”

Sarah let out a huff that almost sounded like laughter, but eventually,  Duke felt her shift in the truck bed, as if she was getting more comfortable, while her hip stayed under his head, a peace offering.  He relaxed his body, and pulled his hat from his head, laying it on the truck bed beside him.  Then, he wrapped his arms around Esme, pulling her close to his chest, and eventually dozed off with her, much needed sleep coming fast.