[h2]Esme[/h2]
Esme nearly flinched at how fast Duke and Dean reacted to her collapsing. It was like old times with the three of them, but something about this was different. Duke was different. Duke was angry and possibly jealous about Dean stepping in to help her. Yeah, she had felt anger from him before, but never on this level, and it was scary, to say the least. Esme held her breath, hoping nothing would break out between them with all the tension in the room. When Dean got Duke to sit back down, she released the breath she was holding, then looked at Dean as he spoke to her as he prepared to lift her from the floor. As soon as Dean lifted her, she took in a sharp breath, holding in her groan. When Dean looked down at Duke, she looked at him too, matching Dean’s uncomfortable feeling at how angry Duke seemed. When Dean carried her out of the kitchen and to the couch, Esme rested her head on his shoulder. She quietly groaned when Dean laid her on the couch as he and Bobby exchanged words. She turned her head to look at Dean. “I’m so sorry, Dean.” she told him softly.

Whether he realized what she was apologizing for or not, she felt the need to apologize to him. She was apologizing for the trouble she felt she caused him that night. Apologizing for nearly killing him, worrying him, and putting him uncomfortably close to Hellhounds. She went quiet, looking up at the ceiling as she listened to the conversation in the kitchen, shaking her head lightly as she heard what Cason said. ‘Of course, he was able to get info from a demon from the barn.’ she thought. Esme continued to listen and instantly felt sorry for Anna when Cason spoke about her. She knew this was a lot for Anna to process. “Poor girl.” she whispered. She fell silent again, listening to the rest of the conversation and tensing up when Bobby asked why she looked so much worse than Dean and Natalia. When Cason blurted out what Castiel had told them, Esme closed her eyes tight and balled up her fists. “Damn you, Cason!” she called out, bringing a hand to her sore throat with a wince after Mika spoke up. ”I didn’t want that coming out like this! And it wasn’t your place to say anything either!”

“Yes, I know it would have come out eventually, but it was my place to tell them and a little gentler than you just did!” Esme sighed heavily as she laid there on the couch, wanting to punch Cason in the face. Mika’s words didn’t help her mood either. “I don’t know any more about what I am than you do.” she said, not expecting anyone in the kitchen to hear her. “I’ve gone my whole life thinking I was a human and an Empath. Then, one day, I’m able to burn demons by touching them, and then the next, I become a nuke….. I don’t know what the hell I am.” She sighed heavily again, running a hand across her face in frustration and exhaustion. Esme then turned her face away from Dean so it was almost buried into the back of the couch, closing her eyes tightly. “Maybe I would have been better off not coming to check if you were back from the dead. And maybe I’d be better off alone so I don’t continue to hurt everyone I love.” she mumbled into the couch.