[b]NATALIA AND CASON (PART COLLAB)[/b]

Of all the people in their group, Cason being the one to tell her 'don't be too hard on Dean' was not the one she was expecting to hear those words from. Sam, Mika, Anna... even Esme she could picture any of them saying those words to her, but Cason? That was a new experience for her to say the least but feeling him shake from the withheld laughter felt comforting to her. 

Nat also found it calming that he still stood by his words from last night and that he was determined to keep her safe and be there for her even though she hadn't done too much before last night to make him exactly like her. Or at least in her mind she hadn't. Not only that, he reassured her that she wasn't that much of a bitch to Dean and he would forgive her for what she said to him, and that her outburst was justified and valid, even if she thought it was uncalled for. She sighed in her hands until she felt him pull her hands away from her face and held him. 

Cason's offer for her to get her apology to Dean out the way first was appreciated, but she didn't think she was ready to see Dean just yet. She needed to muster up that courage to look her eldest brother in the eye and truly apologise, not to mention, do so in fresh clothes and not the ones she fell asleep in. "I'd rather have our talk first. And judging by the faint talking I can hear, they're deep in conversation anyway out there" she replied honestly, after letting him remove her hands from her face and hold one hand. "Also if I put off our talk, I'm afraid I'll never have the courage to have it." She admitted. 

Cason nodded, turning his head straight forward as he pondered the talk that they needed to have and how to even start the conversation.  He knew it was likely better to rip off the bandaid.  It wasn’t like he could make her situation much worse.

With a deep breath, he nodded, “Alright.  So, where to begin…”

Cracking his neck, he glanced down at his own hands, and just bit the bullet, “I’ve known you…well…of you for a while.  Like, a good while.  One of my first assignments after my last little trip to Hell was to work undercover, I guess you could say, to drag information out of people.”

He took another deep breath, not even wanting to say the words,  but with a wince, he blurted the words out, “As a nurse.”

The moment Cason turned his head to Infront of them both, she knew this talk had to be bigger than she ever realised last night. But there was no backing out of it now. So she did all she could do in this moment and listened to him. She listened as he said he knew of her for a long while and wondered how that was even possible. Wasn't he with Anna for years before this? She looked at him, even if he didn't look at her as he spoke, confused and curious as to where his words were going. Undercover? Dragging information out of people? It wasn't making an ounce of sense to her, that was until he said the last three words. 

She froze in her spot on the bed, but unable to remove her hand from his grip, despite her blood running cold. "Y-you were at my...asylum?" She asked wearily. Her mind began racing a million miles a second as she tried to compute the true depth this talk was taking.
Cason cringed again as Nat’s brain finally computed what he was saying.  He himself wanted to run away, which would be as simple as disappearing and leaving her on edge, but he honestly couldn’t do that.  It was worth it to just get the information out, even if she hated him for it after.

“Y-yeah.  I was there.”, he admitted, closing his eyes and shaking his head.  Clenching his jaw, he continued, “But I never hurt you, like the others.  I swear that to you.  I came out of Hell, fully ready to just leave.  Disappear.  But I couldn’t leave without knowing that I did something to bring my own torturers down.  That’s how it started.”

He shrugged his shoulders, letting her know that at first, his motives for helping her weren’t for her benefit.  He squeezed her hand, “But then I guess I grew attached to you being…alive.  I decided that if I was going to take them down, I was taking you with me.  I made sure you had food, water, and that your wounds were somewhat clean.  I changed your clothes, and left the doors open for your brothers to find you.  Once you were gone, I killed them all…well, all the ones that were left.”
She continued to listen, even whilst seeing him visibly cringe as her memories started to piece things together as he spoke. Yet at the same time it made so many more questions. Why her? Out of every victim in that dreadful place, why her? Why was she so special to get solace in such a place? She glanced down at their hands as he squeezed her hand, then glanced right back up at him as he continued speaking. His words coursing through her mind like a cannon ball as it tore through those walls in her mind, unblocking those memories she couldn't remember or at least, were fogged over. 

It was then she began to see everything play out in her head clear as day. His face leaning down over her to help her sip water when she could barely hold her own head up. Or loosening her restraints as they cut into her wrists, causing bleeding and bruising. The door...opening and staying open on that night of freedom. The words spoken.... "It's freedom night. Shout for them Natalia" before he was gone from view and minutes later Sam showed up as she crawled to the door begging for help. Every time it was Cason's face. "you helped save my life...you guided Sam to me..." She realised, tears pricking at her eyes, her hands shaking.

Cason debated running everything that he said back as the silence overtook them for a moment, until Nat spoke again, her voice soft and he could hear the tears behind her words.  He nodded in admission to her, and shrugged his shoulders lightly, barely moving them.

“I wanted to send a message and I wanted you to survive.”, he stated plainly, letting out a deep sigh, before slowly glancing over at her face, “And now you’re here.”

Nat's memories wouldn't stop replaying through her mind but it was like her present and past were weaving between each other in her head. She didn't know at first what to do, or how to react but she looked at him , truly looked at him this time. A hand reached up to his face as she let those few foggy memories clear up completely and now it made sense to her. Why him sweeping hair from her face and holding her felt so familiar. Why his scent smelled familiar and comforting to her. "You're the one who gave me hope that whole time. The only reassuring memories I have of that place." she spoke softly and slowly before just engulfing him in a hug. It was the only thing she could think of doing. "You gave me hope, saved my life and gave me family. I'm sorry I didn't remember until now" she told him. 

[b]MIKA AND SAM[/b]

Whilst Natalia and Cason were having their heart to heart discussion in their room, both were still very much involved in their conversation outside with the others. Sam let Dean read the note just after Mika had walked over to the two of them, before seeing his brother give it to Mika to read, which she did. He honestly didn't know what to say initially but once they read the note Anna had left him, he finally found his voice. "I don't know where she could have gone. I mean, over the years she's been all over the place like we have. The list could be longer than we even realise it is" he replied to Dean, seeing the power of Anna signing the note with her full name hit Dean as hard as it hit himself. 

"I can't believe I messed up this badly to have pushed her away. I thought she knew how much I love her" he replied, seeing the look of utter sympathy on Mika's face as Esme and Duke made their way across to the three of them. "Sam you didn't mess up. I can't believe these are her real thoughts on the matter. She was all about staying close to you last night, this feels so out of character for her" Mika told him, rubbing his arm comfortingly. 

Mika shot Duke a look of disapproval when he offered the idea of a bounty hunter to find Anna, after Dean explained what they were all talking about. She didn't need to say how much she disapproved of that idea so quickly to make her opinion known on that matter. She then looked at Dean as he glanced at her, followed his gaze to Nat's room and back at the group and it seemed that Esme was cottoning on to what he was hinting at just as well as she herself was. 

"I hate to say it, but Cason is our only hope right now to finding out where she's got to." Mika spoke up, "If that's what Sam wants that is" she added, giving her pseudo baby brother another soft glance. 

Sam gave everyone's comments and thoughts a real thought over before sighing and nodding. "Cason is the key but I don't feel comfortable going to ask him for help. Not after everything. It's hard enough knowing he's in there with Nat and he was wanted more than me as well as this situation" he admitted to the group, feeling like he could be open with them all. "So can someone else do it?" he asked of them, looking them all in the eye one by one. 

"I don't think it's a good idea myself or Dean go. I'd prefer staying with you Sam right now. So that leaves you two" she said, looking from Sam to Duke and Esme, even though she wasn't exactly impressed with the choice of 'attire' Esme was currently in.