[h2]Esme[/h2]
As Esme sat in the backseat clinging to Duke’s arm, her fear for him was growing stronger by the minute. She had been trying to push it from her mind since she realized it was him walking down the road. Sure, it was apparent he was scared and confused when they found him on the road, but she thought he’d be more happy to see them by now. She thought she’d see his bright smile by now and his blue eyes twinkling brightly, but they weren’t. She had never seen him this dark, not even in the most dire situations. It scared the hell out of her to see him in that state of mind, and she knew it was probably showing in her eyes by now. He wasn’t the Duke she had met all those years ago, nor the Duke she had fallen in love with. He had returned to her a different man, as if something inside him was missing. Esme would give anything to see him as she always knew him, to hear him tease one of them. Just a smile would make her feel better. But she could see she wouldn’t get any of that soon.

When the conversation started, Esme pulled her face from Duke’s shoulder but didn’t lift her head from it. It was then she caught Mika staring at Duke, realizing Dean must have told her about Duke dying before they left the field. Cason’s and Duke’s following words made her feel sick; she couldn’t open her mouth to respond, but Dean did. He stopped the conversation cold, not allowing anyone else to discuss it. Esme lifted her eyes to the rearview mirror, watching Dean as he spoke to Duke. The way Duke responded broke her heart more than it already had. He was like a child being scolded. Esme lifted her head from Duke’s shoulder when the conversation of where they should go started. Even before Cason said it, she was thinking about Bobby’s. That was one place where she had always felt safe and comfortable. Her eyes turned to Duke as he broke his silence. She tried to smile but couldn’t. She couldn’t even force one. Before she could respond to Duke, Dean had. It caused her to look back in the rearview mirror. He said something she never thought she'd hear him say to Duke, ‘Snuggle up with your girl.’

It shouldn’t have surprised her, but it did. She and Duke were together now, but it sounded strange coming from Dean’s mouth. Everything else was spot on. When Dean glanced back at Duke, she could see that he felt the same way about Duke as she did; she could also feel it. She would have smiled at Dean’s last words to Duke if she could have. She knew Dean would do anything for Duke, just as she would. Esme looked back at Duke as he responded to Dean in a mutter and gave him a forced smile. This was not her Duke at all. She unwrapped one of her arms from around Duke’s, brought her hand up, and placed it gently on his cheek as she turned towards him, even though it hurt like hell. “Duke?” she said softly. “Duke, please look at me.” She lovingly rubbed her thumb on his cheek, unwrapped her other arm from around his, brushed his hair from his face, and placed it on his other cheek, looking into his eyes. “We [u]will[/u] figure all this out…… I promise you, Duke. I won't stop looking until I have the answers…. You hear me? I won't stop looking.” 

Esme did her best to drive home what she was saying to him, hoping she was getting through to him. Hoping that some part of him deep down believed what she was telling him. After looking into his eyes for a moment, she gently pulled his face to her and sweetly kissed his forehead. Releasing his face, she wrapped her arms around him, pulled him into her, hugged him, and stroked his hair. “I love you, Bright Eyes.” she softly whispered, hugging him a little tighter and closing her eyes. “I’d do anything for you…. I’d do anything to bring back your bright smile and that twinkle in your eyes.” Esme didn’t care if the others heard her. Everything she was saying to Duke was true and she prayed he knew that. She pressed a soft kiss to his head as she held him to her, fighting the tears that burned at her closed eyes as she continued to stroke his hair. “I’m here. We’ll get through this together. But for now,  just rest.” she told him, dropping her voice more. Esme sniffled and opened her eyes and softly sighed. She was terrified she wouldn’t be able to bring him out of this, even with the help of Dean and the others.