[h3] Duke [/h3]

Duke closed his eyes for a moment as Dean came out of the basement and stated that he couldn’t bring Mika out on his own. Duke couldn’t move either. As Esme squeezed his arm, he took a deep breath, bringing his other hand up to grip her wrist, signaling that he at least knew she was there. He stared straight ahead, not turning to look at Sam as he returned with Mika’s body. His mind told him that if he refused to look at her, this wasn’t real. But then Sam placed her on the pyre, and Duke couldn’t wrench his eyes away. His gaze was glued to her face as Sam pulled his matches.

As soon as the flames caught the bottom of the pyre, Duke couldn’t stare at it any longer. HIs mind finally allowed him to wrench his eyes away and he looked down, gasping for air for a moment as the tears finally flowed, rolling off the tip of his nose. For a moment, it felt as if his legs would collapse beneath him. But he held himself up, holding Esme closer to him as Sarah stepped over and leaned against both their legs.

As the flames crackled, Duke sniffled, his senses numbing out until he heard, through the ringing in his ears, Sam’s voice. The two words perked Duke’s head up. What was happening, in the worst moment of his life since his parents’ death? What could possibly go wrong? As he was asking himself a million questions, he felt Esme tense and then heard her ask the same question he thought he had heard from Sam, only quieter.

Duke lifted his head, and glanced up at the flames, a deep frown falling into his expression, along with confusion. The bird was confusing enough, as he believed the grief was making Sam see things, and it was projecting into Duke’s brain. But it was obvious, by Esme’s body language that she was feeling off about the situation too. She could see it too. Then came the figure, causing Duke to gasp. HIs boots ground into the gravel, the urge to run into the fire and retrieve what he could feel in his bones was Mika…overwhelming.

As she stepped down, and across the gravel. Duke lost control of his breathing, with wide and teary eyes. She smiled at him, and his right foot stepped forward, his whole body aching to run to her until Esme stopped him. He wrapped his arm around Esme and watched Mika approach Dean, who seemed frozen, just staring at her with wide and confused eyes. As Mika spoke, Duke couldn’t even really hear what she was saying. He simply watched, not sure it was her at first. Maybe it was some sort of cosmic joke to add to the pile and to weaken the group even more. 

As Dean took a couple of steps back, and Mika fell to her knees, Duke’s boots ground in the gravel once again, the temptation to run almost overpowering any sense of self preservation he ever had. Esme turned her eyes up to him, and he could read her expression before she ever spoke. He scanned her eyes, as his own went wide, realizing that Esme could feel it. This was Mika.

“Oh my god…” He breathed, taking off in a full jog without hesitation. He slid to his knees on the gravel in front of Mika, wrapping his arms around her so tightly that it hurt his entire body. “I’m right here. I got you. You’re okay. Just hold onto me…”

As he spoke the words to her, it almost felt out of body, as he heard her own words from a hunt that had almost left Duke dead in her arms. He was confused, but honestly didn’t care that she had just been dead and was now in his arms. He could feel it, from looking into her eyes before he hugged her to the way her skin felt against his, she was alive…

Duke brushed his fingers through her hair, checking to make sure that she was all there and all in one piece, and uniquely…her. She was fine. She was breathing, he could hear it. He could feel her heartbeat in her temple, which was pressed against his. Duke pulled back from the hug, only to smooth Mika’s hair back from her face, and search for eye contact. Once he found that eye contact, he sniffled, his tearful eyes now a bit brighter as he smiled, “You came back to me.”

He then wrapped his arms around her again, as Dean’s footsteps approached and Duke felt Dean fall to his knees beside him. Dean’s body weight leaned a bit on Duke, and Duke sat back, letting go of Mika to allow Dean to quickly smother her with a hug. Duke was a little taken aback by the length of Dean’s pause before coming to Mika, but he didn’t say anything. Mika didn’t need to hear that…

[h3] Dean and Cason [/h3]

Dean didn’t move from his spot at the entrance of the basement, when Sam said he would go and get Mika’s body. He knew that when Sam said that he would go and get her, he didn’t mean with help. Dean would have to remember that favor later, and make it up to Sam. In that moment, however, his mind was nearly blank, his eyes wide and unmoving as he stared into the gravel in front of him.

When Sam returned with Mika’s body, Dean slowly turned his eyes up to follow Sam as he carried her to the pyre. With a deep breath, Dean walked, willing his heavy feet toward the rest of the group. He stopped, his eyes filling with tears as Sam placed Mika on the pyre and before Dean could even process seeing her there, Sam lit the fire.

“Wait…” He croaked, his voice only a whisper as he held his hand out toward the fire. It was as if he thought he could stop what was happening, and none of this would be final. But before he could step forward, he was forced to take several steps back, his eyes wide and tearful and confused. The giant bird coming out of the flames was like a hallucination, and before Dean could even comprehend what he was seeing, a figure began walking out of the flame, and then? That figure turned into…

“Mika…”, He whispered, staring at her with wide eyes as she approached him, her eyes not her own, and even the voice she spoke with…not hers. As he stared at her with wide eyes, trying to understand what was being said to him, he opened his mouth and shook his head, “What does that mean? Hey! What does that…”

As she walked backward, Dean stepped forward, reaching out to attempt to get more information, but then Mika dropped to her knees. Her demeanor was less confident, and when she looked around at the group, she seemed terrified, and…human. His name falling off her lips sent his heart racing, but Duke was the first to approach, grabbing Mika as if he knew for a fact she was human. Yeah…that was Duke.

Dean stepped forward, his legs barely carrying him as he approached her, falling to his knees. He leaned against Duke, wrapping an arm around his back for a moment, before pulling Mika into his chest as Duke moved back. 

“I-I don’t understand. What…” He muttered, his wide and teary eyes turning up to look around at the others. “Who was it? What…”

“Let’s just b-be happy, alright?” Duke stopped him, and Dean turned his eyes to Duke, only to see him pulling his flannel from his bare shoulders without a second thought. Duke brought his flannel over and draped it over like a blanket, “And maybe we should get her inside, before she freezes to death. Yeah? Guys?”

Cason had waited, trying to hold his tongue as the boys got their little reunion with Mika. But as Bobby passed him, he shook his head, “Uh uh. I got it old man. You’re way too drunk to be carrying the precious cargo. I got it.”

As Bobby conceded, grumbling but still shocked that Mika was right there in front of him, Cason pressed forward. He wanted to stay with Nat, but he also knew that he was probably the best person to grab Mika, now that she was out of the panic room.

“Hate to rush the reunion, but move.” Cason ordered Dean, who glared at him for a moment. Dean leaned back, still cradling Mika’s face in his hand. He brushed his fingers through her hair, tempted to say ‘no’ to Cason’s order. But then Cason spoke up again, “Unless you want her to freeze to death, and for us to actually be able to use this pretty pyre…again, you move.”

“Dean…” Duke spoke up, his body beginning to shiver in the cold.

“Fine. Take her.”

Cason scooped Mika up in his arms without another word, moving his head to the side to allow hers to rest against his neck. He pressed his cheek against her forehead and stood straight, “C’mon stubborn girl. Lets get you inside…in the heat. It’s damn good to hear your heartbeat right now.”