[h3] Cason [/h3] Cason’s fingers tapped against the edge of the window as they pulled into the parking lot of the motel. He honestly didn’t know what he wanted to do for the rest of the night. Part of his brain was telling him to stay, just to make sure that Natalia was okay. The other part of his brain thought that this might be the perfect place for a clean break. He could watch her from afar. He could make sure she was safe, but without the danger of being so close. It wasn’t like he needed her to fall for him or anything, even if he was the one who initiated contact. Nat’s voice shook him from his thoughts, and he raised his eyebrows, turning to face her. Chewing at his lip, he tilted his head to the side, contemplating his answer. “I um…” He turned his head, to stare out the windshield of the car for a moment, still contemplating, until she confirmed that she wanted him to stay. With a heavy sigh, he shrugged, and pulled the handle, stepping out of the car. He straightened his jacket, and walked around to the front of the car, waiting for her. Once she joined him, he shoved his hands in his pockets. “I can stay. I mean, the worst that’s going to happen is that your brother storms in, and I disappear at the last minute and make him look like a jackass.”, he laughed, and reached a hand up, brushing a strand of her hair from her face. He tucked it behind her ear and trailed his thumb down her jawline. “But I’m tempted to do something stupid…” Cason chewed at his lip a bit, studying her face. A few silent moments went by, as he tried to talk himself out of his impulses. Without saying another word, he leaned in and covered her lips in a deep kiss. [h3] Dean [/h3] The next morning, Dean opened his eyes with a groan. He brushed his fingers lazily over his bare chest, and squinted at the brightness of the sun that seemed to turn the wall into a spotlight. He tried to move his other arm, but it was pinned down. Turning his head, he smirked, seeing Mika’s hair, messy and sticking to random places on his chest and face. There was no way in hell he was waking her up, after all the drama of the day before. The drama. He turned his eyes toward the ceiling and sighed deeply. He needed to get up. He needed to go and make sure that Nat was okay. Or maybe he just felt compelled to make sure Nat wasn’t okay…with Cason. It was ridiculous. Even Dean knew that. Cason wouldn’t hurt her, or at least it didn’t seem that he would. But Dean couldn’t shake the feeling from the back of his mind that the demon was somehow using the women in their group to feed them straight to Lilith. It didn’t seem that farfetched. Lifting his shoulder slightly, he nudged the side of Mika’s face, “Hey, sweetheart. It’s probably time to check on the kids…” [h3] Duke [/h3] Duke laughed, tilting his head back at how excited Esme became when she realized her car was going to be safe, and likely to receive its much-needed repairs. He watched her closely as she walked around to the driver's side, causing him to push off from his spot and follow her. What she said next made him roll his eyes, and he shook his head. “Nothin’ that was said on that phone or by me…says we have to go back to the motel without getting food. I think after all that effort and hell…the shock of it all, maybe we should at least hit a drive-through. I just don’t like the idea of us sittin’ out here like ducks, waitin’ for another crop of idiots to come through, thinking they’re gonna take you away.” He rambled, waving his hand around. He then shrugged, kicking a foot against the rocks on the pavement. He was half tempted to call Dean and see if he and Mika wanted to go get something, but he also didn’t know the full chaos that was happening with them. Being a family again was probably not…going to happen, now that Mika was back in the picture. Esme’s voice dragged him back from his thoughts and he nodded. “Of course, I’ll grab ‘em. Not that I don’t appreciate seein’ you in my clothes.” He replied to her with a wide and bright smile. Despite the night, he was still in pretty good spirits. As long as no more surprises popped up, it was unlikely his mood would shift much. He jogged around to the back and hoisted her bags and anything he could gather into his arms, bumping Sarah on his way by. Although his heart lept into his throat, Sarah didn’t react horribly. She just huffed and stayed firm in her spot. After gently hoisting the bags over the side of his truck bed and then jogged back over to Esme. “Let’s go get you one of them burritos you like so much. I’m sure there’s somewhere around here that sells at least…something that resembles food.” He chuckled, deciding to push all of his fears and possible bad thoughts to the back of his mind. It could wait for the morning. ———- The next morning, Duke woke to quiet. No one was yelling. Obviously whatever war was brewing the night before was no longer on the horizon, or at least was being slept on. As he opened his eyes, he stared into the darkness, toward the ceiling, and then internally groaned as he glanced toward Esme. As much as he didn’t want to leave, they weren’t going to be able to create the family they had before. He knew that. She obviously knew that. This was never even part of his plan, to get caught up with the Winchesters again, and get his heart broken…again. Yet, the odds of her leaving Dean, again, seemed slim. He had work to do. He had people that depended on him. But did he? No one had called him for a few days. His phone was quiet. But maybe Bobby needed his help… …no… He was looking for a reason to leave. Whether or not that was because of Esme’s powers, or how insanely in love with her he was, he didn’t know. Running…was just his nature, at this point and he had learned from the best. Carefully, he dropped his legs over the side of the bed and stood. He quickly dressed himself, grabbed his backpack, snatched his hat off the dresser, and carefully slipped out the door of the motel room. If he thought too much about it, the decision would tear him apart. He could explain himself later, but for now…he needed to go, even if he didn’t know why.