[h3] Dean [/h3]

Dean was so relieved that Mika didn’t push him away when he hugged her. He felt her hand brush his hair and land on the back of his head as he spoke to her, and the action caused a quick and rough sigh to escape his lips against her chest. He was a bit embarrassed to be on his knees, and to say a word that he swore he would never use, and had only used a handful of times before ‘love’. But he meant it. He loved her. He loved her more than breathing, even if it felt like someone had to choke him to make him say it.

As he turned his head to press his chin against Mika’s chest, and her hand fell to his neck, he felt trapped, but in the best way. Luckily, for his rattled brain, Mika agreed with him. She didn’t find new reasons to get angry at him. She didn’t tell him to leave, or to get off her. She echoed his thought, and admitted that she wanted to grow old with him, a thought that he would have laughed at any other time. There was no growing old, for him. He was lucky if he survived the next few days, much less thirty to fifty years. 

“If there was someone I would fight to have that with, it’s you.” He muttered, just before Mika leaned down and her nose touched his, drawing a shuddered sigh from his lips, breath washing over hers. And then came the surge of relief hit him like lightning when she kissed him. He never moved his lips, just allowing her to take what she needed from them. She wasn’t going to run, after all the hard truths were said. For once, neither of them were leaving. She confirmed that when she pulled from the kiss and told him with her own words. It made his entire body shudder with a mix of relief and overwhelm. As much as she reminded him of Duke, he was able to hold onto her this time.

There wasn’t much else he could do, but nod and rock forward on his knees, raising himself closer to eye level. He placed a hand on each of her cheeks and kissed her. The kiss was deep and passionate, the best way he knew to show her how serious he was. For all of his faults, and his ‘whoring around’ as Duke called it, Dean’s love language was and would always be body language. He began to deepen the kiss, but decided against it, in a rare moment of self control. Instead, he broke the kiss reluctantly after a few moments, and pressed his forehead to hers, brushing noses with her, “I’m here…with you. No matter what way this whole thing goes, I’ll be right there.”

[h3] Anna [/h3]

Anna nearly rolled her eyes at Cason and Nat fighting, and when Nat turned to her and offered her arm, Anna reached her jacket covered hand out, taking Nat’s arm with a silent look back at Sam. She knew he was worried about leaving her alone, but he seemed pretty confident that she would be fine with Nat. So, she turned away from him and moseyed off to the bathroom with Natalia. As soon as they were safe behind the womens bathroom door, Anna turned and locked it, just to make sure they had privacy.

“So, I um…I figured they were going to be a minute and I haven’t really had a chance to talk to you much…like ever.” Anna muttered awkwardly, crossing her arms over her chest. She smirked slightly, feeling comfortable enough with Nat to at least let a bit of a smile grace her lips. She then dropped the smirk and shifted from one foot to another, “I don’t know how much Cason told you about…you know…what happened. I just wanted to say that I’m glad he got out and I’m glad he got back to you. I have no idea what their plans were for me, especially since I barely have any bumps or scratches.”

Anna shook her head and glanced toward the door for a moment, before looking back up at Nat’s face, “I think the only reason I’m here is because of him. I don’t know if Sam even realizes that, and that’s a whole other thing…me and Sam.”

She scoffed, and shook her head as another smile teased at her lips. It was awkward to talk to his sister about him, but at the same time, she was closer with him. Anna could tell. If anyone was going to be respectful to her, and maybe even a damn good ally to have…a friend, it was Nat. 

“Considering the way he looked when we left him…” Anna paused, looking down at the floor with a frown as flashes of Cason, sitting against the wall, bleeding out as Sam dragged her away flooded her mind. “I’m glad…um…I’m glad he’s okay. I’m glad he’s pretty much back to normal.”

[h3] Cason [/h3]

Cason rolled his eyes at Nat, bobbing his head side to side in a mocking way when she explained that technically she was eating a salad, because her burger had veggies on it. Of course she would bring that up, like potatoes being a veggie, just to shut him up. Cason was also reminded that Natalia was only alive by the skin of her teeth, and the small chance that he managed to heal enough to get to her. So, she deserved a little bit of happiness…even if it was artery clogging garbage food. 

“Fine. I get to pick the food next time we’re out…” Cason conceded with a sigh, giving her a smirk as he glanced down at her. He then looked up at Anna when she asked to speak to Nat, trying to catch Anna’s eyes before they walked away. He wanted to give her a silent little ‘don’t say anything about the barn’ look before she walked away, but Anna never made eye contact. So, Cason just sighed nervously, and turned his attention toward the counter as Sam walked up and leaned against it. 

Cason raised his eyebrows at the way the waitress spoke to Sam, knowing through his watching Sam over the years that Sam had been pretty terminally single his whole adult life, outside of that poor girl that burned on the ceiling of his dorm. He could see the slight flirtation that the waitress was trying to convey to Sam, even if it was her just being nice, and he was tempted to make a comment. Instead, he smirked and turned his head down, tapping his fingers on the counter. He knew Sam better than some of the others, and there was no way in Hell he would ever let him know it.

As Sam stepped away from the counter, Cason sighed and walked over to the booth with him. It felt like an interrogation was coming. But it wasn’t like the girls would be gone too long, right? He glanced out the window, waiting for the silence to break, and when it finally did, Cason shook his head.

“There was no way any of you could have, this time. That place was crawling with demons. I killed close, and I’m faster than you.” Cason spoke bluntly, but then sat back in the booth and smirked, “But I um…I appreciate the thanks.”

Then came the dad talk, and Cason felt like they should have beers in front of them with a broken down gun in front of Sam, like some high school boyfriend. It was polite enough, as Sam tended to be. He was tactful, and calm, unlike his brother. It was one of the big reasons Cason felt that Anna was safe with him, and the second that he didn’t feel that way, he would zap Anna to the moon or something to keep her away from Lilith, with or without Sam. 

“I guess taken is the right word.” Cason spoke up plainly. “Look, I know I’m a…I’m not the type of guy anyone would want for her. But as long as I’m around, like I told her, there’s nothing on this planet that will touch her. I’ve promised it to her and I’ll say it to you.”

[h3] Duke [/h3] 

Duke laughed softly as Esme looked up at his face and pointed out that he was a bad student when it came to caring for women’s hair. He would never admit that he had mostly pretended not to understand, just so he could spend more time with her, alone. He had spent hours scouring for her favorite snacks, movies he thought she would like, the right shampoo for his messy blonde hair…all of it planned to the letter, just in an attempt to get close to her, back then.

He tilted his head, just looking down at her with more fondness than he had ever expressed before as he scanned her face, just taking in her features standing there, all wrapped up in him, all his. Then he smiled a little wider, “When have you ever known me to let a little stab wound stop me from havin’ fun?”

The idea of holding her hostage in the RV and making her rest definitely intrigued him. He lifted his head, tightened his lips and raised his eyebrows in a way to say ‘that’s not the worst idea in the world’, and then he turned his eyes back down to hers, “Well…takin’ care of you is high on my list. Bein’ clingy is on my list. Kissin’ you is on my list…”

He smiled widely, and tilted his head down, brushing his lips over hers as he closed his eyes, gently nibbling at her bottom lip. He pulled back, and brought one of his hands up to the back of her neck, bending so that he could press his forehead to hers, “I never get tired of that. Like a cool drink of water in the desert.”

Duke pressed his lips to her upper lip, and then smiled again, brushing his lips against hers as he spoke, “So, what would the lady prefer? Stayin’ in. Or goin’ out? Because either way, I’m gonna sweep you off your feet. It’s not every day you get a second chance…and I’m gonna take it.”