[h3] Cason [/h3]

Cason nearly gave a disgusted look at the puppy as the carnie handed it to her, shaking his head with a goofy smile on is face.  He had pleased her.  He had made her night better, just by winning her some plush animal.  Her life was so chaotic and tragic, that something so simple could completely change her mood, and give her hope.

He flinched, frowning for a brief second when she kissed his cheek.  It was what he considered an unwarranted display of affection, one that he definitely didn’t expect in public. He nodded his head, a bit speechless, “You’re welcome.”

But then she asked where he wanted to go, her mood still high and happy.  That brought the smile back to his face, even though he rolled his shoulders, attempting to bring back at least a little of his bravado.  He was about to open his mouth, and ask her if she wanted food, but then she decided for him, causing him to laugh.

“Alright, alright.  Let’s get some food.”, he chuckled, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, before leading her over to a cart.  The cart had some of the most random disgusting food he had ever seen, but it was intriguing.  He only really ate food to keep up appearances, and although he had a few favorites, he just…didn’t see the need for taking the time around Nat.  Then again, he would feel awkward just watching her eat, like some spectacle.  As soon as he reached the counter, he leaned his elbow on the surface and looked up at the cook with a smile, “I’ll take a cheeseburger.  Lots of rabbit food and no salt.  Drink…I’ll take a coke.”, he ordered, before turning to Nat, “And then whatever she wants…”

[h3] Dean [/h3]

Dean took a deep breath, not at all surprised that Mika would agree to go back to the motel.  She always was a bit lower key, even if they enjoyed their crazy nights out…that typically led to them having way too much alcohol and often a fight or two.  Her touch and tenderness was welcomed, and his eyes became a bit hazy as he listened to her speak.  

After a moment, he pulled his hands away from her waist slowly, and reached up to grab her hand, lacing his fingers with hers without another word.  He pulled his wallet with his other hand, and walked back to the counter.  Tapping on the counter to get the bartender’s attention, he tossed a bill down and waved to let the bartender know they could keep the change.  With that, he pulled Mika toward the door, smirking as they walked by several couples that definitely would not be going back to their motels any time soon.

“I say we hit this little gas station next door.  They look like they have some cheap beers and snacks…maybe even some pizza.  Then, it’s cheese.  Any movie you want.  Cheesy lovey movies, horror movies, action…whatever…”, he beamed, as he dragged her across the parking lot once they exited.  He turned to her, and kept her hand in his as he walked backward, “Junk food.  Beer.  Quiet.  No drama.  No siblings.  No demons.  Just us.”

[h3] Anna [/h3]

Anna stood with Sam from the floor, and on their way to the bed, she kicked off her boots, remembering that she wasn’t wearing much under the buttoned up flannel she wore as a dress.  It would do as a gown for the night at least.  She climbed onto the bed, and once up to the headboard, she kicked the covers out of the way, and then pulled them over her legs, “I will text Max on my way out, and let him know that I’ll see him soon, after he cools down.  I don’t know if he fully understands what happened, and I don’t want him to be hostile toward you, as if I can’t take care of myself.”

She shook her head, making sure he understood that she didn’t want to stay in California any longer than necessary.  Otherwise, she would lose her courage, and wouldn’t be able to come back with him.  Around and around the circle…not exactly what she wanted.  She laid back against the pillows, rolling on her side so she could look up at him.

“I say we leave tomorrow afternoon.”, she started, before his words crossed her brain again, “Nat ran away with Cason?  After everything?  Must have been a good night after I left…”

She frowned, and then cringed, as she tried to compute the two of them in her mind, and then a sudden giggle left her throat, “Though, Cason with someone like Nat is pretty funny to think about.  She’ll eat him alive.”

[h3] Duke [/h3]

Duke nodded his head with his lips pursed as Esme explained why she was thanking him.  She was right.  Sending her alone was the worst idea on the planet with the current situation in the demon world, one that they didn’t even truly have complete understanding of.  He kept walking around the car, but he saw no physical damage that he could make out without opening the hood.  

“I would have to take a closer look to…”, he started to mumble, but she spoke up about getting food and he took a deep breath, exhaling quickly.  He had a bad feeling that the car wouldn’t start.  There was no way that a pack of demons would just key the car and walk away, when she was able to get away from them so quickly.  He placed both his hands on his hips, “Yeah, we should probably go grab some food, reassess what’s happening out there…and maybe see if we can hear anything through the wire about what might be coming.”

As he was speaking, she began to move things out of the way of her car, springing him into action.  She was still injured but of course she wouldn’t let him help, she never did.  He walked over to a set of spikes that were attached to a board, and thrown across the road.  Grabbing a side of it, he picked it up, and dragged it to the side, before tossing it into the ditch.  He reached for the second barrier, at the same moment that Sarah grabbed it, invisible to him, and began dragging it away.

“Show off…”, he spoke in the general direction of where he thought her eyes might be.  He brushed her off as Esme commended her for her actions, and he realized that he was playing second fiddle to a dog…well…a hellhound.  Chuckling to himself, he began to walk back to his truck.  He heard Sarah bark, which caused him to flinch, and then watched the truck bed dip as she jumped in.

Duke vaguely heard Esme’s car refusing to turn over, and he wondered if maybe he was correct, but after waiting a few moments for her to come to him and tell him what he already knew, he heard her cry out in anger.  Flinching, he quickly looked over the back seat of the truck, and didn’t see her as she was still hidden by the car.  But Sarah jumped out of the truck, checked on her and quickly ran to him, barking like crazy.  He frowned in confusion, looking up in the direction of Esme, “Alright!  Alright.  I’ll go check…”, he told Sarah, climbing back out of his truck and following Sarah as best he could back over to Esme.

As soon as he walked up close enough to her, he gasped, not even sure what he was seeing as his eyes scanned over her face, “I’m not a demon.  She can’t hurt me, right?”, he asked Sarah, as if she was magically just going to start talking to him any second.  He didn’t know how to handle all this.  He had never met a demon nuke.  Well, of course he had, but he didn’t know it at the time!  

He pushed his hat back on his head and carefully wiped his hands on his pants, nervously trying to figure out what to do to dissolve this situation.  She was also speaking in a foreign language, which didn’t seem like a good sign, and made him even more afraid to reach out to her.  But he did.  

“Don’t you kill me…”, he grumbled, shaking his head, his blue eyes massive as he finally reached her and wrapped his arms around her, “C’mon sweetheart.  There’s nothin’ under this hood we can’t fix.  Ain’t no reason to kill your puppy and get yourself all worked up…I don’t even know if you can kill me.  So take a deep breath with me.  C’mon.  Don’t make me knock you out…”, he cooed to her, chuckling at the last part, to try and break through with humor if he needed to.