[IC] Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

[FuriePhoenix]

NATALIA

Seeing Dean sigh and close his eyes at the news about Duke made Nat feel more sorry for him, as it was clear he was feeling guilty for the fight he had with Duke. She wished she could make his guilt go away or just generally make him feel better but she knew it was impossible as they were all feeling bogged down with grief. "Understandable...you and Duke really went at it with each other" she said sadly, before Cason spoke up a bit more with more to say than what she had. What she wasn't expecting was what Cason said at the end about breaking Duke's arm to get him to calm down, which made her turn her head and raise an eyebrow at him as if to say 'you did what now?'. Though the more it sunk in what he said, the more she realised that it was no doubt justified considering how pent up and enraged Duke was when he left the house.

She didn't say anything to him, and just listened as she looked between the two men either side of her. She was in agreement with Cason about getting Castiel to help heal Dean up, but the way Dean reacted told Nat that what went down in the warehouse, really broke his trust of Castiel and maybe, just maybe the Angels had more to do with what happened than what anyone let on. She hated even more that she didn't go with them, but she was well aware that she wasn't going to be safe if she had gone and it may not have been just Mika that came back dead. The fact that it was becoming known on Angel radar and Demon radar she was with Cason, she knew deep down she wouldn't have been safe going to try and help.

"Okay...okay we won't get Cas to come and help if you don't want it, but Cason is right about the state you're in. You're not in good shape, despite how much Anna and me patched you up" she spoke softly after Cason also conceded, but the worry for him was still evident in her tone. There was a part of her that wanted to say to him that Mika would want him to accept healing help from Castiel, but she also didn't want to risk upsetting Dean anymore than he already was. "Do you need any painkillers or anything? I can go into the bathroom and get some?" she offered instead, deciding it might be the easier thing to offer than the former option.

It was then that her phone vibrated with a text message, causing her to pull her phone out and saw it was just Sam from downstairs messaging her saying how he had Mika wrapped and ready, but if she wanted to say goodbye, there was still time. The message hit her hard and it felt like it was now so finalised. Sighing, she put her phone back in her pocket and tried not to bring it up what was sent to her, instead she just gave Cason a sombre look to say 'she's been prepped'.

SAM

When Anna came back into the basement, Sam heard her footsteps, but didn't pay much mind to her presence at first, until she spoke up and explained Duke's situation. It didn't surprise him that Duke came back with a broken arm, judging by how reckless and upset he was when he went on his revenge rampage. "At least he's back alive, that's the main thing" he commented before continuing on with Anna's other suggestion of resting with her. He slowly nodded, agreeing to rest with her even though he wasn't sure just how much rest he would actually achieve.

The moment she said she wasn't willing to take no for an answer, he knew nodding his agreement was the only option and right option he could have taken in this moment. "Okay...let me just message Nat to tell her Mika is ready for the morning" he requested of her in a round about negotiation, as he pulled his phone out of his jeans pocket. Opening up his message history with Natalia, he began to type a very simple message letting his sister know the update. 'I've wrapped Mika with Anna's help and we've got the wood pile started, but she's ready to have her funeral in the morning, so say goodbye if you want to', when he was done typing, he clicked send and put his phone back away.

He then looked down at Anna and sighed ever so slightly, ready to agree to her terms of finding a spot to relax. "Okay...we can go relax for the night" he told her.

[Wolvena]

Esme

As Esme lay pinned under Sarah, she laughed softly and looked up at Duke as she stepped around her and Sarah. “Well, if it would make things easier, we could always ask Cason if he’d give you the mark he gave me.” she laughed. “Then you wouldn’t have to worry about where she is all the time.” She was only partly joking about having Cason give Duke the mark she had. She couldn’t help but think it would be a good idea for Duke to see Sarah as she did, but she knew how most hunters felt about Hellhounds. But shouldn’t Sarah being on their side account for something? Turning her attention back to Sarah, Esme watched as Sarah stood and nudged Duke’s face, causing him to freeze. She managed to hold back her laugh until he made his comment. “Well, look at it this way…. It’s better than her hating you and wanting to keep you away from me.” she stated. “It’s that right, girl?” Sarah gave a low bark in response and nuzzled Esme once again. Esme patted Sarah’s head as she tilted her head closer to Sarah’s, and dropped her voice so only Sarah could hear her.

“I know you wouldn't do anything to harm him. In such a short time, we’ve formed such a strong bond, and I know you wouldn’t harm me or do anything that would upset me. But I still can’t help but wonder what would happen if Cason decided to remove the mark that allows me to see you. Or if he decided I no longer needed your protection and told you to leave. Would you obey those orders?” Esme sighed heavily, and Sarah softly whined as she lay on Esme. “I know, I’m sorry. Forget I said that…. Anyway, I need you to get off me so I can get clean clothes and a shower.” She patted Sarah’s side and then gave her a small shove, which caused Sarah to slowly rise and move to the side, before gently biting Esme’s jacket and pulling her upright. Esme stifled her groan from the movement, then slowly took to her feet with Sarah’s help once again. Giving Sarah’s ears a good scratch, she moved away from her and around Duke, making quick work of grabbing some clean clothes, then waited for him to gather his. Once they both had their clean clothes, it seemed as if it didn’t take them any time at all to get inside the house and take a shower, then back to the RV to unwind, relax, and talk.

Several Hours Later

Esme woke with a start, looking to her side, and saw Duke still sleeping next to her. She hadn’t planned on falling asleep since she had felt like she couldn’t after everything. Sighing softly, she looked over at the clock. It was late or early, depending on how you wanted to look at it. She pulled herself from Duke’s embrace, taking special care not to wake him, then slipped out of the bed. Quietly, she slipped into her jeans and walked over to the door, slipped her feet into her boots, grabbed her jacket, and silently slipped out the door, closing it softly behind her. Walking down the steps, she pulled on her jacket, shivering slightly from the cool air. As her feet touched the gravel of the lot, she was greeted by Sarah. “Hey, Sarah.” she whispered as she patted the hound's head with a tired smile. As she stood there, Esme closed her eyes, took in a deep breath, and slowly let it out. The lot was pretty quiet and peaceful, which told her everyone was sleeping, except for Cason, since he didn’t sleep. Opening her eyes, her eyes scanned the lot, stopping on the basement door.

She still hadn’t said goodbye to Mika and hadn’t planned to until there was no one in the basement with her. Esme figured now was the best time, as any, to go down to the basement and work through her goodbye, even if she wasn't entirely sure how Mike would have felt about it. Taking another deep breath, Esme wrapped her arms around herself as she let it out and headed to the basement door with Sarah following closely. She hesitated momentarily at the door after opening it, finding it difficult to descend the stairs. A small nudge from Sarah is what made her step forward and down the stairs. At the bottom, she slowly and quietly walked over to Mika’s body, noticing that her body had already been wrapped, but not her face, to give everyone a chance to say goodbye. Sarah walked in just far enough to where she could keep an eye on Esme and lie down. Esme looked down into Mika’s face, a heavy sigh escaping her lips, and then sat in the chair near her body. “Hey, Mika.” she started in a soft, low tone as she looked into Mika’s face. It still didn’t seem real as she sat there looking at Mika.

“I’m probably the last person you would have thought would come down here or even want to be down here, but it didn’t feel right not coming down and to say a few things, even with how strained it was between us.” She sighed heavily. “First, I want to apologize for keeping my relationship with Dean from you; that wasn’t right. But he should have also told you. Second, I want to apologize for putting you and the others in danger, and almost killing Dean at the Asylum after losing control.” Esme took a breath and looked down at her clenched fists in her lap, fighting against the tears welling up in her eyes. “I still can’t believe you didn’t make it out of that warehouse alive, and for that, I’m also sorry. Maybe you’d still be here if I could have gotten a better handle on the vision I had. Tried harder to trigger it again and saw more, so we could have gotten there sooner, and you would still be here.” Esme tightly closed her eyes, causing her tears to fall and land on the back of her fists. “What was the point of even having the vision if we still ended up losing someone we cared about?”

At that moment, Esme wanted to stand from the chair and throw it across the room, but she forced herself to remain seated. “Since that night, everyone’s emotions have been all over the place. Dean and Duke had one hell of a fight, resulting in him bolting. Cason and I brought him back, which wasn’t easy.” Esme told Mika. She then opened her eyes and looked over at Mika. “I don’t know how you’ve handled them for so long. But I promise you, I’ll do my damndest to keep them from killing each other in their fist fights, and I’ll continue to help Nat through her emotional trauma. I’ll also help keep an eye on the others. Not sure I’ll do as well as you did, but I’ll do my best.” Esme then brought her hands up and wiped the tears from her face with a sniffle. She opened her mouth to say goodbye, but the words wouldn’t come; it felt too final. She wanted to see Mika sit up and say it was all a nasty joke, and that she wanted to work on getting to know each other better and become friends, but she knew it wouldn’t happen.

This wasn’t a joke; Mika was really lying there in front of her, wrapped and ready for her funeral. “I really wish we could have continued to head in the right direction with our friendship.” she whispered. Quickly standing from the chair, she turned with clenched fists and teeth, and kicked it, sending it sliding across the room. The chair hit the wall with a loud clang that echoed through the basement. “I…… I can’t…. Say it.” she cried softly to herself.

[JustAnna]

Cason and Dean

Dean wasn’t going to budge on the idea of angels being involved with any of the group members, especially with Nat being in the house with Cason. There was no way he was going to risk it, at this point. As much as he wanted to just throw in the towel and go with Mika, he wasn’t letting Natalia go down with any ship…especially while they were two men down.

When Nat seemed to at least concede with Cason that they wouldn’t bring angels in, Dean relaxed just a bit, mentally waving off Natalia’s concern for his wellbeing. He didn’t feel…bad, considering but he was in a lot of pain. He considered sitting up, pulling a hand back onto the bed to push himself into a sitting position. His body quickly told him that it was a bad idea, at least without help, and he sighed.

“Yeah. I think so…” Dean sighed again, causing Cason to step forward and hold a hand out. Dean stared at his hand for a moment, but before he could tell Cason ‘no’, Cason picked up Dean’s hand and pulled, putting his other hand behind Dean’s back. As Cason sat Dean up, he caught Nat’s look and winced, knowing that it was going to be a hard subject to bridge with Dean, in the best of cases.

“If you’re not going to let the angels help, you might as well let us help.”

“Why would you want to help?” Dean asked with a scoff as he groaned at all the movement. Cason shrugged his shoulders.

“You being okay makes Nat happy. Don’t make it more than that.” Cason teased, patting Dean on the back. The pats to the back caused Dean to groan again, which made Cason wince in sympathy, “And I think it’s better for everyone if you’re good to go. You know? Even with the…situation, the seals are going to be broken. Things move on. They don’t wait for you to be ready…”

“Right…” Dean sighed, pressing around on his own face to try and assess the damage without a mirror. Cason turned his eyes back to Natalia and he shifted his eyes back and forth, thinking.

“Is there any way that either of us could convince you to take the rest of the night, take a pain pill, and reconvene in the morning?” Cason asked, knowing that the answer was likely ‘hell no’. Surprisingly, Dean didn’t just say ‘no’.

“Not here. I can’t stay here. I can’t stay in this room.” Dean choked out, the emotion within his exhausted voice evident to Cason, enough to make Cason’s head sear. Dean had never really shown emotion in front of him, outside of his normal machismo. Cason nodded and looked around the room, settling his eyes on Nat.

“Alright. Okay. Where else can we settle him down, then? I don’t think anyone is sleeping really comfortably tonight. Any couches free?”

Anna

Anna felt a wave of relief as Sam began to nod at her request for rest. She took a deep and definite breath, making sure to keep herself stern, in case Sam changed his mind, but she nodded toward his phone to encourage him to send the message to Natalia. There was nothing else they could do for the night, or at least for a few hours. The least she could do would be to convince Sam to settle down for a bit, and hopefully, by some miracle, get a nap.

“There’s really no room for us, since this um…this…this is usually our room. So, rather than to go back to trunk sitting, do you want to try and sleep in the Impala? I think the blankets Bobby offered are still just…just sitting on the dryer on our way out and there’s at least enough room in the backseat for both of us to settle.” Anna awkwardly tried to offer, trying to not push Sam in the high emotions drowning the house, “We don’t even have to sleep. We can just be…”

Without trying to talk much more about the sleeping arrangements, she reached out and quickly grabbed Sam’s hand with both of her own and began to walk backward out of the panic room. As she passed the washing machine, she grabbed the bundle of blankets that Bobby had left there, keeping one of her hands in Sam’s, linking their fingers and tugging him toward the exterior door.

After walking him to the Impala, Anna sorted the blankets across the back seat, moving them to the side to crawl in and then patted the seat beside her. It wasn’t the most ideal sleeping situation, but it would do in a pinch to corral Sam’s anxiety and get him still.

Bobby

Bobby had been practically pacing himself silly through the days since Mika’s death. Between the fight with Duke and Dean, all of the tension around the house and the fact that his own blood was lying in his basement, thanks to Dean’s inability to let her go…he was exhausted, but was practically killing himself with grief.

Deciding that it was time to at least attempt to get some sleep, he decided to head down to the laundry area to grab a fresh bottle of whiskey to crack open in the old beat up camper van out back. If anything, maybe he could drink himself to sleep before the funeral…whenever Dean allowed it to happen.

As he walked into the laundry room, a crash from inside the panic room jolted him and he pulled his knife carefully from the waistband of his pants, not even reaching for the bottle he was after.

Approaching the door, Bobby quickly lowered the knife and peeked into the panic room, careful to avoid the bed as his eyes fell on Esme and he sighed, “You scared the hell out of me, kiddo. What are you doin’ down here? Everybody else is at least attempting to sleep…”

[FuriePhoenix]

NATALIA

Like Cason, Natalia was expecting Dean to give a firm no to their advise but when Dean agreed to actually try and get rest and take pain relief so they could at least try and help him out, Natalia was surprised but in a positive sense. She was glad he was willing to be a lot more willing to do what they wanted from him to help him. She stood up from the edge of bed as Cason helped Dean sit up a bit better, whilst making sure to stay close by in case Cason needed her help.

She listened to the boys chat amongst themselves and she wished Dean could just stop finding a moment to scoff at Cason, but the reality was, it probably would never happen. "Cason helping you Dean is the last thing you need to worry about- just be grateful he's helping at all" she softly requested of him, not wanting to cause an argument but wanted Dean to know she didn't fully appreciate Dean still making a a remark at Cason's choice to help him. After that, she went back to being pretty silent as Cason asked about Dean getting some rest somewhere, only for Dean to say about not being able to do that in this room- something she could totally understand.

"That's fair enough Dean, I can understand why...it's even hard for me to be in here" she said with empathy and sympathy. As Cason then asked her where they could let Dean rest, she gave it some thought before only really coming up with one option- the couch in the main room downstairs. She just hoped it wouldn't encourage Dean to go back down to the basement with Mika. "The couch downstairs. Only place I can think of and it'll mean he's close enough to us so if he needs help with anything we're nearby" she suggested.

"You good with that Dean?" she asked, looking down at her brother wondering if she should give him the head's up that Sam and Anna took charge of wrapping Mika or not.

SAM

It was only when Anna mentioned how the basement was usually their room in the evenings to sleep in that Sam even gave it a second thought. After everything that they had gone through, he had completely forgotten that they hadn't been sleeping in the basement because he couldn't bare the thought of sleeping in the same room as Mika's body. So, with the suggestion of sleeping in the impala, he simply gave a nod of agreement, seeing no other option to hand as he just assumed that someone would eventually be on the couch in the main room.

"Okay..." he commented back, letting her just take his hand and pull him toward the exit of the basement and up stairs to the main room, grabbing the spare blankets on the way up. The silence of the house was something he couldn't get used to, even after all these days of it being exactly the same. It just made the environment feel so eerie and made him hate the silence for the first time in a few years. Yet at the same time, there was something comforting about that eerie feeling at the same time.

Once at the impala, he unlocked the door to the back seat and let Anna take charge of laying out the blankets and getting in first before he climbed in and closed the door behind him so they wouldn't get too cold in the night. He just about managed to kick off his boots into the well behind the front seat and laid down, pulling Anna into him so they both fit comfortably on the back seat and for his own comfort. His head still throbbed from all the demon blood he had no choice but to drink to stop Alastair in his tracks- even if he still felt he was far too late in helping Dean and Mika. Just like Esme- he still blamed himself for not getting there in time.

His arms wrapped around Anna, he buried his head into her hair, forcing his eyes to shut in the hopes he would sleep,and most importantly sleep without nightmares. "thank you for helping us Anna, we couldn't do this without you" he mumbled.

[Wolvena]

Esme

Esme stared at the now toppled chair against the wall, her eyes filled with tears. Her chest was tight and burned with all the pent-up emotion it held. Kicking the chair across the panic room did nothing to relieve it. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs, but that would only set a panic throughout the house if anyone heard her, and that was the last thing they needed right now. Punching anything in the room would only result in her damaging her hands and causing Duke to worry about her even more than he already was. Esme was so deep in her mind trying to find a release that she didn’t hear Bobby come down until he spoke to her. She quickly spun around with a gasp and looked at Bobby, noticing the knife in his hand. Sighing heavily, she wiped the tears from her face with both hands and gave him an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, Bobby. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just wanted to come down and….. I did sleep for a bit.” she told him. Sniffling, she walked over to Bobby and stopped at his side, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him.

She didn’t say anything else until he hugged her back. “I’m sorry again for scaring you. I’m going to go and try to get a little more rest.” she told him softly. Standing on her tiptoes, she placed a soft kiss on Bobby’s cheek, then released him and left the way she had come in. Esme wanted to stay and help him through his grief, but she was too tired mentally to process her own emotions along with his. When her feet touched the gravel of the lot, the cool breeze hit her like a slap to the face. She pulled her jacket tightly around herself and looked at the RV in the distance. Esme then set off, not to the RV but to the firing range with Sarah following closely behind her. With her mind and emotions in overdrive, she couldn't make herself return to the RV with Duke and rest. What she wanted to do was tinker with her car, but couldn’t do that without waking the whole house. Once at the range, she and Sarah grabbed a couple of the mannequins, then took them to a spot far enough away from the house where she wouldn’t disturb anyone with the noise.

After setting up and stabilizing the mannequins enough so that they wouldn’t fall over easily, Esme pulled her collapsed bo staff from her pocket. Flicking the pin and tossing the staff in the air, it expanded to its full length, and she easily caught it as he fell back down. Taking off her jacket and tossing it to the side, she spun the staff in front of herself and above her head a few times before taking a fighting stance. Esme needed to release everything she had pent up within her, and this was the only other way she knew how, beating the crap out of mannequins with her staff. After briefly closing her eyes and taking a few deep breaths, she began her assault on the mannequins full force. She pushed through the physical pain she felt coursing through her body as she visualized them as creatures or demons she had come across that had taken something from her or had royally pissed her off. The assault went on for a good hour and a half, with her throwing out profanities and names under her breath at them. With her final blow, she swung her staff and knocked the head clean off one of the mannequins, then collapsed to her knees, breathing heavily.

Letting her arms hang at her sides, she leaned back her head and rocked back to sit on her legs. Closing her eyes, she breathed in deeply. It had been some time since she had used her staff to release her pent-up grief or anger; she had almost forgotten just how well it worked in draining her. She could easily pass out right where she was and not think twice about it, but also knew it would send Duke into a fit of worry if he couldn’t easily find her when he woke up. Once she had caught her breath and collected herself, she planned on going back to the RV, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t be found before that happened.

[JustAnna]

Dean

Dean thought about the idea of being in the main room of the house after what had happened with Duke and the fact that the basement door would likely haunt him all night if he was too close to it. But after a few moments of thinking, he finally decided to nod.

“Yeah. It’s just a few hours of sleep, right?” He conceded, causing Cason to position himself to help Dean off the bed. Dean waved him off a bit, and he turned to put his feet on the ground. After a moment of collecting himself from the soreness, Dean groaned loudly and stood up, causing Cason to reach out and wrap an arm around him. Dean flinched, as if hew as going to push him away again, only for Cason to stop and glare at him.

“You’re never going to make it down those stairs. You might as well just accept the help, like Nat said. I never have to touch you again, after tonight, but accept the help and stop being a baby.” Cason scolded him, tightening his grip around Dean’s waist. He reached down and grabbed Dean’s wrist, slinging it over his shoulder, before turning toward the door. “I will never mention it again, if it helps your feelings…”

“Deal. Let’s go.” Dean grumbled, reaching his other hand out for Nat, to keep her close. He didn’t want her to think that he didn’t appreciate the help, or her being close to him. He was thankful. He was just…not mentally good.

Anna

Anna was very pleased that Sam hadn’t fought her as they walked out to the Impala. It was almost as if he was too tired to fight it anymore, which may have been a blessing in disguise. Maybe…just maybe, he would actually get some sleep. As Sam willingly crawled into the backseat, removed his boots and wrapped up on her, she just allowed him to.

If anything, this was welcome with how fast both their hearts were beating. Sam’s skin was burning hot, not feeling cold against Anna’s skin the same as anyone else’s would, because they were both still feeling the effects of the demon blood they had drank. But she couldn’t hear Cason’s heart anymore. She could only hear the quick and steady beating in Sam’s chest, and in that moment…when grief seemed to be the dominating emotion around them, it was enough.

Anna wrapped her arms around Sam’s arm, settling against him as he buried his face in her hair. She didn’t move, settling her breathing as Sam sweetly mumbled into the back of her neck, “Well I’m not going anywhere. Just rest. I’ll still be right here in the morning…promise.”

She made sure he could hear the small smile in her voice as the exhaustion began to sink in, and she tangled their legs and began to drift off.

A bit later - Cason

Cason sat on the bed, Nat sleeping at his side and he chewed at his lip. As he stared at the window, he could hear a bit of movement in the lot but it didn’t dawn on him that it was Esme until he listened to her footsteps for a few moments. Tilting his head in a bit of confusion, Cason carefully pulled his arm from under Nat’s face and very slowly rolled out of bed. He walked over to the bags and picked up his jacket, shoving his arms into it and pulling it up on his shoulders before heading for the bedroom door.

Even though he tried to be quiet while walking through the living room, Dean’s snorting in his sleep startled Cason a bit and he stopped his creaky footsteps, glancing over as Dean rolled over a bit with a groan and fell back into his coma. Cason was once again startled when Bobby’s voice rang out from the kitchen, just as Cason was reaching for the front door knob.

“Esme’s still up, if you’re wonderin’. Everyone else is still asleep.” Bobby grumbled, taking another swig from his bottle of whiskey, which caused Cason to frown.

“Well, I recommend you getting some sleep too, alright? Drinking up all the alcohol in the house will just piss off the kids. You need anything?” Cason whispered, and Bobby simply waved him off, which caused Cason to frown again. He didn’t know how to help humans through the grief they were dealing with, but something had to give around this house…

Cason opened the door and stepped out onto the porch, looking out over the dark lot. He listened closely in the dark, and eventually, turned and landed his eyes on Esme, sitting on her knees in the moonlight. Closing the door behind him, he jogged down the steps and made his way out to the fence line, to see what was going on. As he got closer, he decided it was safe enough to speak to her.

“You good? Looks like you really slayed those mannequins.” Cason teased at first. But he continued to get closer, eventually stepping up beside her, and dropping to his ass on the ground, crossing his legs. “I figured you would be nice and cuddled up with the problematic cowboy. I’m assuming that if you’re out here, and I have his keys…he’s still sleeping, yeah? He hasn’t made the stupid decision to run off on foot.”

[FuriePhoenix]

NATALIA

Nat sighed with relief when Dean agreed to at least try and sleep in the living room on the couch, even though it was close to the basement. She let Cason help Dean up off the bed when it was very evident that he needed the help, even if Dean was reluctant to accept said help. Though she couldn't help but slightly smile when Cason called out Dean on his reluctance, by even mentioning her.

As he finally did get up onto his feet, she stepped closer as he reached out for her, taking his hand in her own and giving it a squeeze. "I got you brother, I'm never leaving your side" she told him, wanting him to know that despite their constant clashes, she did love him and especially now, she was not going to be that bratty little sister to him. Instead she was going to be just his sister who wanted to be there for him and help shoulder what he was feeling right now.

Mika's death made her mentally grow up rapidly and remembered that family was absolutely everything in life and she was going to be a better sibling to both he and Sam. She had to make Mika proud of her even if Mika wasn't with them anymore. That was her main goal.

---

Downstairs, she helped Cason get Dean relatively comfortable on the couch and draped one of the large blankets over him. "Get some sleep...I love you" she told him before heading toward Bobby's room where her and Cason were temporarily sleeping. When she was content that Dean would be okay where he was, she closed the door behind herself and Cason then walked over to the bed where she got herself settled and got into the bed, where it didn't take her long whatsoever to fall asleep purely from the exhaustion of her grief cuddled up to Cason as if he would just be taken from her like Mika was.
---
Throughout the night, Natalia remained asleep, albeit at brief moments she was found being tearful in her sleep, just as she had been for the last few days. Yet overall, she remained asleep and remained close to Cason until he had decided to sneak out to investigate what it was that had piqued his attention. Even when he had left the room, she didn't stir...only pulled the covers closer to her.

THE MORNING

SAM

Waking up in the car was slightly disorientating at first as his brain computed that they were all still at Bobby's, but not why he would be in the back of the impala. It took his mind a few seconds to compute and remember where he was, wrapped up in Anna as if she was his living comfort blanket. He slowly untangled himself from her, unsure if she was awake yet or not, not wanting to wake her if she was still asleep before he slowly and carefully sat upright, running his hands through his hair with a sigh. The realisation of today being the day they say their final goodbyes to their girl was weighing heavy on his shoulders and mind.

He had no idea how Dean, Duke or anyone was going to take it- he certainly didn't know how Natalia was going to cope with it as it was, if he remembered correctly, her very first hunter's funeral to witness. If any of their group walked away and refused to watch, he wouldn't blame any of them as he wasn't even sure if he could watch himself, but knew he had to do it for Mika's sake. "I wonder who will deal with this day" he thought to himself.

NATALIA

Nat woke up in the bed and the weight of everything felt even heavier than it did the last few days prior because she truly saw last night how much it was affecting Dean. Her worry for him overtook absolutely everything though, and she couldn't even let herself think about how she was going to cope with it all or if she could even watch Mika's body burn at all. Hells, she couldn't even fully make it down to the basement properly to say goodbye privately, let alone anything else. She still wished that this was all a bad dream or some mass hallucination they were all experiencing and Mika was going to jump scare them out of it all by just appearing.

She knew it wasn't to be, but she didn't stop wishing it could be the case nonetheless.

[Wolvena]

Esme

Esme continued to focus on slowing her breathing and on the calm and quiet around her, opening herself up to everything the night had to offer. Other than hearing the nocturnal animals wandering around nearby, Sarah’s breathing, and the sound of bugs, it was quiet, peacefully quiet. With everyone asleep, save for Bobby and Cason, and most of her pent-up emotions now released, she felt she could breathe a little better. Even with the slight burn still within her chest. It felt like this was the calmest she had felt on the property in days, at least while she was awake. Having no one but animals and bugs around her was doing her some good. It wasn’t long before all that changed. Cason had walked out of the house and was making his way to her. Esme tilted her head forward, her chin resting on her chest. ”Of course he’d be the first to find me out here.” she breathed. She did not attempt to open her eyes and looked up at Cason, even after he approached the fence line. At his tease, a slight smirk tugged at the corner of her lips. What a way to break the silence as soon as he shows up.

“You come with jokes. Ha, ha, you’re funny.” she said sarcastically as he got closer. It wasn’t until he dropped down beside her did she open her eyes and look at him. Esme listened as he spoke, and she shook her head softly and decided to answer his questions in a different order. “No, he didn’t take off on foot. Yes, he’s still sleeping.” she half sighed. “I’d be in that bed too if my dreams hadn’t gotten the best of me, and I needed to go….” she trailed off, looking at the house. “Talk to her. No, I had to….” She then brought her gaze to Sarah and then back to Cason. “As for if I’m good….. Am I good?” She gave a breathless laugh and looked past Cason. “If I were good, I wouldn’t be out here beating the hell out of these mannequins to the point where I can barely lift my arms. Hell, I decapitated one. I’m too mentally tired to process all their emotions, let alone my own. It’s too much right now. And I can’t tell Duke that right now with everything he already has weighing on his mind.” Releasing a heavy sigh from her lips, she looked down at her right hand, which was still wrapped around her staff.

Now, realizing she had a death grip on it and her knuckles had gone white. With some effort, she released her grip on the staff, then shifted and forced her legs out from under her, stretching them out in front of her before crossing them. She then pulled her hands into her lap and looked out over the lot. “Anyway, enough about my problems. What are you doing out here? I know I didn’t wake you or scare you like I did Bobby when I kicked that chair into the wall earlier. I figured you’d be with Nat, not wanting to leave her side after everything.” As Esme waited for his response, she absentmindedly played with the charms on her bracelet, her fingers lingering on one in particular that brought her comfort, one that Duke had given her years ago. Though when he gave it to her, it was a necklace. After all this time and adding to a bracelet, she was surprised it had survived all the hell she had been through. She had even managed to get out of the Asylum with it, which was one of the worst times of her life.

[JustAnna]

Cason

Cason dropped his smirk as Esme confirmed that Duke was safe, but she seemed to have a lot on her mind. He could almost smell it on her as he reached down into his boot and retrieved his knife, flipping it over the back of his hand casually. He didn’t even interject when she began to explain that her dreams had kept her awake after spending some time with Mika’s body. Cason winced, his head searing with a bit of sympathy.

“I get that.” He said simply but then she began to open up, asking what seemed like the universe if she was really okay. He felt a bit of relief in the fact that she probably couldn’t process any of his emotions and for once, she was getting some quiet, out in the lot…with a demon. The thought almost made him laugh. Of all people, the one that Esme seemed to need for confiding was Cason. He glanced down at the staff, while watching Esme get more comfortable, before she tried to change the subject.

Trying to be a good human…foil(?), Cason turned his eyes from Esme and glanced up at the moon, before letting out his own sigh, “I just heard you out here, from in there and I assumed that either you were beating up a tree and had maybe a few too many drinks to get the cowboy to sleep or something might be wrong. So, I decided to at least come and check it out. I was bored anyway.”

Cason scanned over Esme’s face, flashing a polite smile as he shrugged and flipped his knife over the back of his hand, before wiggling it by the tip with a small chuckle, “I’m assuming you can’t really feel emotions from the void of a demon. So, things must be pretty quiet in your head, right now. If you need a nap, I’ve got nothing going on until Nat inevitably wakes up in a few hours.”

Cason shrugged awkwardly and began twirling his knife around his fingers again, “I know daylight is going to hit all of them like a train. So, the peace and quiet might be good for you. Or we could just talk…if you don’t tell anyone I offered free therapy. My head hurts enough as it is.”

It was then that Cason thought of something that only Esme would have the slightest chance of knowing anything about, “Speaking of…Have you ever heard of demons having...accidental emotions in the form of battery acid burning through their brain? I haven’t mentioned it to Nat, because I don’t know if it’s something I really…can mention to Nat. If she’s sad, it burns. If she’s upset, it burns. If I think I should feel guilty for something, it burns, and it’s…concerning.”

Sarah walked over, as Cason’s head began to burn, and she seemed to notice he was uncomfortable, nudging him roughly before walking over to nudge Esme as well.

[Wolvena]

Esme

Esme was grateful to Cason for staying as she unloaded everything she was holding inside onto him. She hadn’t intended to, but once she started, she couldn't stop the flow of words leaving her mouth. She felt a bit lighter, and Cason also seemed to know exactly how she felt, which helped to an extent as well. It was strange to her that at that moment, out of all the people on this property, Cason was the one who caused her to unload her problems. Never in a million years did she think she would be confiding to someone other than Duke or her godmother, let alone a demon, but it was strangely comforting in a way. It wasn’t until Cason sighed and spoke did Esme turn her eyes to Cason. “Bored, huh?” she replied with a light laugh in her tone. “I can believe that, since you don’t sleep…. I had a few drinks, but not as many as Duke. Whisky and my emotions being on overdrive don’t mix too well. My godmother could tell you a good story about that.” She gave another light laugh as he scanned her face and flashed his polite smile. Her eyes briefly went to the knife in his hand as he played with it.

Esme nodded her head lightly at Cason’s assumption and continued to listen as he spoke, smiling a little at his offer to watch over if she wanted to take a nap. Her smile faded when he shrugged and brought up the others and how the morning would affect them. “Yeah, normally I don’t, unless it’s hatred or rage, but I do feel something from you, which is a bit strange. But yes, things are pretty quiet, except for what I feel coming from a couple of foxes, rabbits, and deer in the distance.” she told him. She softly sighed as her eyes went back to Cason’s knife. “The peace is doing me some good, and I know I should take advantage of it now before everyone gets up. It’s going to be hell for them and me, but even with me being as tired as I am, I’m not sure I could nap if I wanted.” Esme turned her eyes up to the moon and took a deep breath in, then slowly let it out. “Talking would be nice, if you’re really for it, and don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about the free therapy session. I know how things can get once people know you’ve offered it.”

She lightly laughed. “But other than you, Sarah offers some pretty good therapy. Strangely enough, if she’s close, I don’t feel as much from anyone, but when she’s curled around me, I feel nothing unless I concentrate. It’s like she’s an emotion dampener.” Esme shrugged and fell quiet. When Cason spoke again, she looked over at him, her eyebrows knitting together as she took in what he was saying. ‘Acid burn in the brain? I’ve experienced a similar feeling.’ she thought to herself. She crossed her arms, then brought a hand to her chin in thought. “Demons having accidental emotions?” she whispered thoughtfully. She was pulled from her thoughts by Sarah nudging Cason and herself. Removing her hand from her chin, she placed it on Sarah and patted her. Sarah then moved to sit behind her before lying down. “I have actually heard about it happening, I’m just trying to remember where.” Esme told Cason, drifting back into thought. She tilted her head down, closed her eyes, and crossed her arms across her chest again. “Where did I hear it?” she whispered thoughtfully to herself. With Esme being lost in thought, Sarah took the opportunity to scoot closer to Esme and curl herself around her, then used her head to gently force Esme to lie back into her.

Esme instinctively stretched out her legs, then crossed one over the other. “Oh, right!” she nearly yelled as her eyes popped open. “It’s a rare occurrence, so rare that most consider it a myth or a flat-out lie.” she said, looking over at him. Realizing that she was now lying down, Esme tried to sit up, but Sarah wasn’t having it. She used her head to keep Esme pinned down against her body. Esme sighed heavily and gave up the fight, then continued to talk. “Now that I think about it, I came across a demon years ago that seemed different from most. It was a feeling I got from them. Kind of like what I get off of you.” Running a hand through her hair, she looked up at the moon and returned her hand to her chest. “I haven’t thought about that day in years, or even the journal entries I came across talking about demons feeling emotions like empathy. I honestly thought the entry was some sort of joke at the time. But now…. You’ve made me think differently.” Suppressing a yawn, she looked at Cason before Sarah pulled her attention away by wiggling her nose under one of Esme’s hands.

With a soft smile, Esme slid her hand over Sarah’s muzzle and up to rest on the top of her head.“If you give me a little time, I’m sure I can track down those journals for you.” she offered warmly. Esme rubbed the top of Sarah’s head and opened her mouth slightly to say something else, but closed it again, having second thoughts. ‘Do I really want to ask? Do I truly want to know if he can find the answers?’ she asked herself. It was then she realized how calm it had become, how clear her thoughts were, and how relaxed and heavy her body and eyelids had become. Sarah had pulled a fast one on her while her mind was distracted by Cason’s question. Briefly closing her eyes, she sighed heavily, fighting the sleep that threatened to take her over. “Could you help me with something?” she asked in a tired tone as she looked at him. “I know this could put you in a difficult spot, and if you don’t want to help, it’s fine…. Could you possibly see if there is any truth to the demon deal story, and if there is a demon running around by the name of Ryker?”

“One of the demons I fought ran his mouth….. Said that this Ryker was behind what happened to me in the….. Asylum. If this demon truly exists, it means he is still looking for me and…. Wants to continue what he started, just as Valdin said.” A shiver ran down Esme’s spine at the thought of being in that situation again, and having to fight her way out, or have the others come rescue her if they could find her. Closing her eyes, she turned her head away from Cason, feeling terrible for asking, but he was the only one she knew who could get her the answers. “I just want to know if he’s out there, so that I can prepare myself for if he shows up.” she almost whispered. She wouldn’t admit it to Cason or anyone else, but she was terrified of the thought of Ryker showing up out of the blue and kidnapping her to finish his plans with her. She was no longer human because of him, she didn’t want to fall into his hands and become a monster. Forcing Ryker from her thoughts, Esme focused on Sarah’s large protective body wrapped around her and her steady breathing. Not long after, she lost her battle with sleep, which was made clear by her sighing and nuzzling her face into Sarah’s side.

[JustAnna]

Cason

Cason was a bit relieved that Esme just spoke to him as if they didn’t have a past or he wasn’t a demon who could never understand human emotion. Considering she had tried to kill him after Duke died, it was more of a surprise to Cason than he would speak out loud. When she explained that she could feel a bit of emotion from him, he furrowed his brow. But in that moment, he was attempting to keep yet another human in the house safe, and make them rest. So, he softened his face and shrugged his shoulders at Esme’s assumption that she might not be able to sleep.

“I get that. There’s a lot of…stuff going on.” He grumbled, staring at the grass in front of him for a moment. He chuckled softly but felt a bit of a flutter in his head when Esme confirmed that having Sarah around had actually been beneficial to her. It was something he hadn’t thought of when he gave Esme a Hellhound, mostly just wanting to keep Esme safe. But if he thought about it hard enough, keeping her mental health in check was…keeping her safe.

Cason’s attention piqued outside of his own thoughts once again, when Esme stated that she HAD heard of what he was experiencing. The searing pain was something that had plagued the majority of his thoughts and gave him an uncomfortable brand of anxiety. It made him leave the presence of the humans around him, just to get a bit of a break from it, specifically the humans that he “cared for”. He leaned back on his hands, crossing his legs again, and glanced over at Sarah, as she began trying to force Esme to rest. At Esme’s offer, Cason nodded.

“Yeah. I’d like to at least try and understand it. If anything, it would clear up a lot of…things and would make it easier to explain to Nat. If there’s any information, I kind of need it.” He muttered, his voice flat and annoyed. He didn’t like the human side of whatever the feeling was, but it seemed to keep Nat close to him, at the same time. It was the most annoying give and take he had experienced in over a century.

Esme’s voice drew him out of his thoughts once again, when she asked for his help, causing Cason to raise his eyebrows in surprise. But he nodded. He turned his eyes from her and narrowed them, staring at the moon for a moment as she explained the favor. Of course it was a demon deal, something that he would have access too, but usually didn’t lead to anything good for humans. The name Ryker floated around in his head, and he could almost see a face. It stung as familiarity but he couldn’t quite place where he had heard or seen the information. But if this ‘Ryker’ was involved with the asylum, Cason wanted to help, if not just for vengeance. He frowned and cleared his throat, bringing his hands back to his lap, “I can ask around my circles. The name sounds familiar enough. I’m sure I’ve heard it because of the crew that ran that stupid asylum…”

He paused for a few moments, his mind rattling over the possibility of any of the girls being targeted by another demon from that place coming for Esme…or Nat…and a soft growl left his throat. But as he opened his mouth to speak again, he caught Esme’s gentle breathing, and realized she was asleep. It was his cue, and after a few moments, he pointed at Sarah, before disappearing.

“Watch over her. I’ll be back soon.”

The Next Morning

Cason

Cason had stood by the fence line, having interrogated sources for a few hours. If anything, it was something to do. But now, the sun was coming up and the roughness of the day was peeking over the horizon. The whole lot would soon be full of mourning and pain that Cason wasn’t fully prepared to deal with, but for once, he wasn’t going to just disappear. Nat needed him, if nothing else.

Turning from the fence, he snapped his fingers at Sarah, “Hey. Get her up. I have to go check on Nat, alright? Be gentle.”

After giving Sarah a look to make sure she knew he was serious, he disappeared and reappeared in the bedroom, back to his position on the bed next to Nat. He sank into the mattress and reached over, and brushed a strand of hair from her face, trying to gently wake her for what would be an emotional day, “It’s morning…”

Anna

Anna stirred just a bit when Sam first sat up, reaching out for him absentmindedly. She found his thigh in her sleep, and it was just enough for her brain to register that he wasn’t asleep with her. As she patted around on his thigh, her eyes fluttered open and she glanced up at him, closing one eye in the sunlight, “It’s morning…”

Letting him go, Anna rolled a bit onto her back, scooted down and then sat up beside him, before reaching out and toying with the curl that sat against his forehead, “Did you get any sleep at all? You don’t look terrible at least…”

She smiled softly, pushing the curl behind Sam’s ear before dropping her hand to her own knee, in case he didn’t want to be touched. Judging by his heartbeat, he was beginning to think about the weight of the day, something she had hoped they could avoid for a bit longer, but…it was coming like a storm.

Dean

Dean slept like the dead, after downing a pain pill that Bobby had forced on him. But as the sunlight peeked into the living room, he was dragged out of pleasant dreams into the real world. Almost instantly, his stomach lurched, cramped, and he was reminded of reality. As if Bobby could read his mind and his emotions, he appeared in the living room, holding a coffee mug. Bobby didn’t say anything at first, just holding the mug out to Dean as he sat up on the couch.

“I made it Irish. Figured you might need it.” Bobby grumbled, handing off the mug before taking a drink of his own coffee and walking over to his desk. Bobby sighed as he sat down in his chair, and propped his feet up on the desk, “So, you learned the hard way that your adopted brother is a bit of a scrapper when he’s upset, yeah?”

“Not really how I want to start my morning, Bobby, considering…” Dean sighed, waving his hand around in front of his bruised and battered face, before taking a drink of his coffee.

“Well, you’re gonna talk about it. I won’t push it, now, but I’m worried about you, especially now.”

“I’m fine. Duke is fine. I don’t want to talk about…the rest.” Dean attempted to be as stoic as possible, not looking up at Bobby, who’s body language was projecting some intense annoyance.

“Fine. You’re fine. You’re always fine. For now? I’ll accept that. But you don’t go runnin’ off in your head. Say what you want about Duke, but you’re just as bad and you know it. So, drink your coffee…It’s gonna be a long day.” Bobby lectured, before he himself turned inward and opened a book in front of him, burying himself in work.

Dean sighed, taking another drink of coffee, before he glanced over at the basement door and his stomach cramped painfully. This wasn’t going to be the end…whether the rest of the group liked it or not…

Duke

Duke awoke with a start, his head instantly feeling like it weighed a ton. As his brain pulsed painfully, he reached out and patted the bed beside him, frowning at the fact that Esme wasn’t there. She wasn’t one to run off, and he couldn’t imagine her having any reason to just…not be there. When he fell asleep, she was right there.

Throwing his legs over the bed with a groan at his own soreness, Duke shoved his feet into his boots, not bothering to get dressed as he stomped toward the door of the RV, and then out onto the lot. He barely even noticed the limp in his own footsteps or how sore his entire body was, or that he had ripped the glue that had been used to patch up his throat, causing it to bleed a bit.

He couldn’t see Sarah. He had no idea where Esme had gone and the fear of her running off, or being snatched for some unknown reason was tearing at his stomach as he limped around the lot. He limped across the lawn to the shooting range, hoping that maybe she was just sitting out there like she used to, enjoying the morning sun before the inevitable. But he didn’t see her there either.

“Esme?!” He called out across the lawn, a bit afraid he would scare the whole house if he yelled too loud. But the care of waking others was fading with every second that his heart rate increased.

[FuriePhoenix]

NATALIA

When Natalia woke up, and had all the thoughts instantly flood her mind of what this day was to mean, it took her a few seconds to realise that Cason had been stroking her hair and spoke to her. Glancing up at him with sleepy eyes and a soft half smile that she still felt like she had to force slightly, "morning..." she replied to him, shuffling closer to him and draping an arm across his torso, whilst she placed her head on his shoulder for comfort. "I don't think I'm ready for today even though I know it has to happen...it just feels so final" she openly told him with a hefty sigh.

"It still feels so wrong that she's gone, the closest thing I'd ever had and will ever have to having a sister" she added, fully realising now that by vocalising everything was her only way to compute the reality of it all, especially after spending a good chunk of this time having been silent in her grief. Then it hit her...how Dean was going to feel today and Bobby. Mika was Bobby's blood and she couldn't imagine how this was going to affect him the most as he really did seem to love Mika like she was his daughter and not niece. She was always slightly jealous of that relationship in some ways and now it all felt so obsolete that she felt guilty for ever feeling like that, especially as Bobby never treated her like she wasn't one of the family.

She also really didn't know if she was able to watch them burn Mika, even though she felt like she had to. There was so much confliction in her mind and she had barely been awake. "I'm scared of saying goodbye to her, is that stupid?" she asked Cason finally.

SAM

"Yeah..it is" Sam replied to Anna after hearing that she had woken up and felt her touch his thigh, clearly trying to feel to see if he was still in the car with her. He felt bad for not remaining laid down, but the moment he woke up he had to sit up as although he felt somewhat rested, he still felt the weight of what was going to be happening.

As she sat up and reached up to play with the rogue curl in his hair, he remained sat in his spot just letting her before nodding lightly at her question. "Yeah I did, slept right through for once but don't feel any less emotionally heavy" he replied honestly. The only thing he did feel was ever so slightly lighter from the hold the demon blood on him finally. He reached out and placed his hand on top of her that was on her knee and stroked her hand with his thumb. "I just can't get what is gonna happen today out of my head because I'm not just thinking about my own feelings on it, but everyone else's. I'm worried about Dean spiralling again and I'm worried about Bobby, not to mention everyone else." he openly told her, keeping his promise to not shut her out of his thoughts.

On top of all that, he felt conflicted in when to bring out Mika's body onto the wooden stack ad part of him still never wanted to do it, but he was still firm in his belief it had to be done and now the day was here, he felt so torn. He also couldn't say if Dean was going to be able to carry her out or if his brother would want him to do it- something he would be willing to do if it came to it. Especially with how hurt Dean was, but he also knew how stubborn his brother was and he would crawl with his family on his back if he could.

Then he heard Duke outside yelling for Esme and curiosity took over everything he was feeling and thinking. "You think he'll need our help finding her?" he asked Anna, glancing down at her.

[Wolvena]

Esme

The last thing Esme heard from Cason before passing out was that he would help her and that the name Ryker sounded familiar to him. It brought her some comfort, but she still didn’t want him to get into any sort of trouble by helping her with her requests. She also didn't want Natalia to be hurt or upset by the possible outcome. She knew that, if anything happened to Cason, she would probably never forgive her. But she also knew that if it had anything to do with that damned asylum, Cason would jump on it to keep Natalia safe, even if it felt like it was two different groups of demons involved in the two situations. For the most part, Esme slept the rest of the night peacefully, her mind having retreated to her safe place as it sometimes did when she was so mentally tired or when she was going to fall into one of her deep sleeps. The lush grass of the meadow beneath her, the scent of flowers around her, and the gentle breeze blowing on her face and through her hair. As well as her four-legged companions from her childhood running around below the hill where she sat.

As morning approached, Esme’s safe place slowly faded away into something a lot less happy and peaceful. Darkness surrounded her, grief and guilt weighed down on her heavily, and she was having trouble finding her way out. As the sun rose and shone on the property, fear gripped her tightly in the darkness of her sleep. She fought to find a source of light, and against the crippling emotions bearing down on her. She knew who the fear was coming from, but couldn’t put her finger on who it was at that moment. It was a fear that came from someone who was scared of losing someone. It had been so long since she had felt this fear so strong, it was taking her a moment to realize who it could be coming from. It wasn’t long until she could feel the gentle nudge of Sarah, making her aware that she had fallen asleep, and she was momentarily stuck in her mind/dream. This wasn’t the first time she had been in the position. Stuck in her mind or dream, and slightly aware of what was going on in the waking world. “Damnaidh!” she screamed into the darkness. “Of course, my body would decide to choose today to go comatose!”

“Today is not the day for me to be down for the count. I have to be present for the funeral!” she screamed into the darkness. “I need, no, I have to be by Duke’s side during it! I also should have ended up in bed last night, not here, so I could have been there when he woke up!” closing her eyes, she tried to wake her body up, and to get her eyes to open. As she did, Esms could feel Sarah nudge her again. Esme growled, but her body in the waking world remained still and silent. “Come on! Wake your ass up!” she yelled at herself. Her body did nothing in response, not that that was surprising to her. Opening her eyes, she looked around the darkness. Times of her being here before creeping in on her, as well as the cold the place held, and having no one to pull her out at times. If Duke went looking for her, he didn't know where she was, and he could see Sarah, and she was sure Cason had gone back to Natalia by now. Her only hope was getting herself to wake up or Sarah waking her up.

Esme plopped onto her ass and crossed her legs in frustration just as Sarah nudged her a little more aggressively with a light bark. Sarah’s growing worry wasn’t helping her frustration any. Then it hit her, Duke’s fear. He had woken up to find her gone after falling asleep with her next to him, now he was looking for her and couldn’t find her, sure he’d be scared that something had happened to her. Clenching her fists and squeezing her eyes shut, Esme tried once again to gain control of her body, or at least her mouth. There, she could slightly feel the link that connected her consciousness to her body; it could be just enough to get Sarah to hear her. “Sarah….. Bite me.” Esme’s sleeping form mumbled. Sarah whined in response as she looked down at Esme. “You have….. To….. It’s the only…… Way….. Do it.” Sarah continued to whine, not wanting to hurt Esme in any way, even with being told to by her. “Please…. Sarah.” Esme’s sleeping form begged. Sarah’s ears went back at Esme’s words, but she obediently leaned her head down and took Esme’s left arm into her mouth, ready to do as she was told.

Suddenly, Esme’s eyes popped open at the sound of Duke’s worried voice calling her name. She shot upright just as Sarah bit down on her arm, hissing from the pain from the bite and the soreness of her body. “Good girl, Sarah. Good girl.” she groaned to the hound. “I’ll make sure Cason doesn’t scold you, since I’m sure he told you to wake me gently.” She gave her a smile and a pat on the side, before looking around for Duke from where she sat. Once she saw him, she could see the worry all over his face as well as feel it.“Over here, Bright Eyes!” she called over to him as she lifted an arm and waved to him. Once she knew he had seen her, she rested her arm on her lap after crossing her legs. “Sorry, I scared you. I had planned on being back before you woke up this morning.”

[JustAnna]

Cason

Cason moved to lay a bit flatter on his back as Nat draped her arm over him and her head pressed to his shoulder. Bringing his arm around to brush his fingers through her hair, he listened to her worries. He had already known she wouldn’t be prepared for the pain of the day and the only thing he could really do…was support her as best he could.

As she continued, Cason’s head seared with that same battery acid feeling he had explained to Esme the night before, “I know today is going to be rough. But I’ll be there, the whole day. If it gets too much, I’ll be there and we can go for a walk…”

He knew it wouldn’t be much comfort, or at least he didn’t think it was very comforting. But at the same time, what Nat seemed to need was someone to tell her that everything was going to be okay, even when it felt like the worst day of all of their lives. What little he knew of Mika, he knew she would want at least that…for them to be okay.

At the question of whether the fear of a final goodbye was stupid, Cason frowned deeply and tilted his head down to look at her face properly, “No. That’s not stupid at all. You guys were close, closer than either of you would like to admit. One of the things I’ve learned about humans, and vaguely remember from being a human…is that relationships tend to be deep. Losing someone you care about feels like drowning, I have to assume. The emotion that Duke was showing last night when I had to break his arm to talk him out of suicide…”

Cason paused and took a deep breath, wincing a bit at the pain in his forehead, “I wouldn’t have been able to imagine that level of pain and hopelessness if I tried. So, no. The fear of saying goodbye seems mild. Just…don’t run off. I’ll go with you.”

Anna

Anna nodded her head in understanding as Sam explained that he was still feeling heavy, even though he got some rest. Of course that was the case. Anna hadn’t known Mika nearly as long as the rest of the group, aside from Cason and Esme, and even her chest hurt even thinking about the events coming. When Sam reached down and toyed with her hand, she glanced down at his hand, but let him just express his fears for the day.

“Well, you need to handle your own emotions today, too, Sam. Both our hearts are hammering. I can see my pulse. Between that and the…situation, you have to remember yourself, alright?” Anna did her best to not lecture Sam, especially about the demon blood, but she had to be honest about her own worries…for him.

Anna turned her eyes toward the back window of the car as she heard Duke yelling for Esme. She narrowed her eyes in confusion, until Sam asked if they should go help. After thinking about it for a second, Anna shook her head, as Duke stopped yelling and she heard Esme calling out for Duke off in the distance.

“I think Esme found him, actually.” She said softly, turning back to throw her legs over Sam’s. She picked his hand up and took a deep breath.

“What do you need? I want to help you get through today.”

Duke

Duke was beginning to tear up, his soreness telling him that even if he wanted to, he likely wouldn’t be able to run off and find Esme. He definitely couldn’t fight through anything for her in the moment. He was helpless and if she had gone somewhere or was taken…his hands were tied.

Then he heard it, Esme’s voice. It wasn’t loud, but as he turned toward the sound, a wave of relief washed over him that caused both his shoulders to visibly fall. He relaxed his hands, and sighed, sniffling before he began limping toward Esme. Just the sound of his nickname leaving her lips was enough to send his heart racing somewhere into the field where he couldn’t catch it if he tried.

“God, don’t ever do that again…” Duke sighed as he finally made it to where Esme was sitting, stumbling in the grass before hitting his knees in front of her. He didn’t give much of a warning, crawling to where he could cage her in, and lay her back. After he looked over her face for a moment to make sure she was all in one piece and fine, his heart picked up again and he leaned down, kissing her deeply.

As heartbroken as he would likely be later that morning, for a moment, he had a win. Breaking the kiss briefly, he pulled his head back, still not aware that he was bleeding from his neck and one of the places on his cheek, “Why were you sleepin’ outside?”

[FuriePhoenix]

NATALIA

As she laid next to him, seeking that familiar comfort that Cason always gave her just by being there in arm's reach, Natalia listened to him reassure her that he was going to be there so she wasn't alone. Hearing those words, even though she didn't think he would scarper at the first opportune moment, was a great relief to her mind. Even if he didn't think it was of any reassurance, it truly was to her. He did more for her mental state than he may ever realise and she wished there was a way she could show him that sometime.

She also felt glad that he confirmed how she was feeling about things feeling so final wasn't at all stupid. She was convinced it was stupid as she didn't really know how else to feel about it all. The fact she wasn't even around when her mother or John died, she only heard it through the grapevine, albeit it from her brothers or from demons in the asylum telling her to break her even more. So she never had to experience a hunter's funeral or funeral in general. Even when Dean went to Hell, they just buried him to say goodbye, in the hopes and determination to bring him back, so not even that situation felt anything remotely like today did.

Cason's words meant a lot to her and she took them to heart tightly. "We were and I wish I could just tell her how much she meant to me. She always looked out for me and I swear I never showed my appreciation for it enough." she replied, seeing him wince ever so slightly as if he had a headache which gave her a little bit of worry, but she didn't say anything as she was certain he probably would just shrug it off for now. Then the request from him for her not to run off if things got too much for her to deal with. A request that she thought was reasonable enough, as right now she didn't even know if she could even go outside and watch it at all in this moment.

"I promise I won't run off if it gets too much- I'll stay by you the whole time" she promised. She truly meant it as well, she didn't have it in her to do anymore running off on her own anymore and just wanted to stick to Cason like glue. "I know I should probably get up and check on my brothers but I think I need a minute to not only properly wake up but accept what today is" she commented.

SAM

Anna was right, Sam did have to also have to look out for himself and acknowledge his own feelings- not just his brother and sister's or Duke, Bobby and Esme's. He had to keep an eye on himself as well and make sure that he didn't completely spiral like Dean and Duke did the night before. Sam didn't see it as her lecturing him, but it was words that he so desperately needed to know and hear.

When Duke started calling out for Esme, he realised after he spoke that yet again he was falling into old habits of wanting to help others and not just focus on himself and Anna, so when they heard Esme call back he sighed with relief as that very realisation hit home. "yeah it seems so" he replied simply as he watched her take his hand and swing her legs over his own. In this moment, it would have been so easy for him to just sink back into his own head all over again if Anna hadn't asked him what he needed to get through today. "I...I don't know what I need, other than I just need you near me" he told her honestly.

"I need you to help me keep it together because I'm not sure if I can on my own and keep an eye out for Dean's well being at the same time. Actually...I don't think he'll even be able to carry her body outside, so I'm gonna have to do it. Which means I'm gonna have to ask others to finish piling the logs up out here" he then added, thinking of things as he spoke rather than thinking of them before speaking.

Glancing out the window of the impala, he looked around to see where the safe spot was to make the log bed for Mika's body before laying his eyes near the back before the trees start and the gravel path stops. "I know we've only just woken up but I think I wanna get this over with before things spiral anymore. It'll take a little while to get everything absolutely finished anyway" he explained.

[Wolvena]

Esme

Esme continued to watch Duke from where she sat. She saw his shoulders relax and was well aware of how hearing his nickname from her affected him. She could never have imagined him waking up without her at his side would cause him to feel this much fear. She could understand a little, but not this much. It made her feel awful for falling asleep against Sarah and not putting up more of a fight to get back to the RV. Sending him into a state of panic and fear was one of the last things she ever wanted to do to him. Esme’s gaze was soft as she watched him limp towards her, eyes never leaving him, then they softened more into a look of apology as she saw the tears in his eyes. She had made Duke feel helpless in his physical state. If something had happened, there was nothing he could have done to come after her or help her. This made her feel even more awful as she kept her eyes on him. Tears stung her eyes for how awful she felt for putting him through all this, especially for what was to come later in the day.

It wasn't until Duke was standing next to her did she noticed that he had opened some of his wounds, but before she could say anything about them, he spoke. “I’m sorry, I….” Esme was cut off by him stumbling in the grass and falling to his knees, and she held out her hands to catch him. Before she knew it, he had her caged in and then leaned her back into Sarah, causing her to gasp lightly. Then, after scanning her face, he kissed her. Closing her eyes, Esme kissed him back just as deeply and worked her arms around him to hold him close. Through her kiss and embrace, she did her best to convey she was sorry for scaring him and that she was alright. When the kiss was broken, she opened her eyes and looked up into Duke's face, taking in his question. She sighed softly as she removed one of her hands from him and reached for her jacket, and grabbed it after Sarah pushed it into her hand. Digging into a pocket, she pulled out a bandana. She did all this without losing eye contact with him. Esme then gently took care of the bleeding wounds as she spoke softly.

“I didn’t mean to sleep out here…. I woke up last night from dreams and couldn’t go back to sleep. I didn’t want to wake you, so I went out for some air.” she told him as she continued to tend to his bleeding wounds. “I then went to the…. The panic room. I felt I needed to. I got worked up and scared Bobby in the process. I left the panic room and needed a way to release it all without waking anyone. So, I came out here and beat the hell out of some mannequins until I could barely lift my arms. I had planned to come back to the RV after I caught my breath. Cason found me out here, and we talked a bit, and Sarah forced me to lie against her and rest. Things got so calm with her curled around me, I fell asleep against her.” Bringing up her free hand, she brushed his hair from his face before cupping his cheek and rubbing it gently with her thumb. “I’m okay.” Esme then pulled his face back to her, kissing his forehead before kissing him deeply. She then wrapped an arm around him, pulling him closer to her.

Esme didn’t want him to feel what the day would bring just yet, she just wanted him to feel the relief of having her there in his arms and the love they both shared for each other. She also wasn’t ready to feel all the emotions that the day would bring once she pulled herself away from Sarah. However, she knew they couldn’t stay here forever and would eventually have to get up and face the day's events.

[JustAnna]

Cason

Cason breathed a small sigh of relief as Natalia promised him that she wouldn’t run off. His head ached a bit, and he brought a hand up, running his fingers over his left eyebrow. He took a second to think about what his plan would even be if Nat broke down or if she needed some time or a break. After that moment, he turned his eyes down to the side of Nat’s head, “Thank you…”

But then she mentioned that she needed a moment already, before they faced the day. Cason could agree, as Dean was being oddly quiet, but was still sitting on the couch in the living room, drinking coffee. Cason could hear Esme and Duke talking outside, but only a bit. They seemed fine. The others…Cason couldn’t hear them. He assumed that Sam and Anna must have been somewhere warded, maybe even still in the basement.

“We’ll take all the time you need, at least until your brother unglues himself from the couch he’s sitting on.”

Anna

Anna wasn’t surprised by Sam’s answer to her question. He seemed to just be holding himself up by the need to do so, and the need to support everyone else. The second he allowed himself to feel anything, he was going to break, and that was where her job in support came from. She nodded gently, as he explained exactly what he needed her to do, taking a deep breath, “Alright. I can do that. I will just stick with you, no matter what, and if you need me, I’m just a reach away. Just don’t bottle things up.”

After she thought for a moment, watching Sam look around at what they still had to do and where they were actually going to hold the funeral, she frowned, “Well, I’m going to go see if Cason will help with the wood. There’s no reason for you to do it all on your own, when you’ve got Dean to contend with, too. Who knows how he’s handling being awake after everything that happened last night? I don’t even think he’s seen Duke…”

She picked up Sam’s hand, stroking the back of his hand with her thumb as she placed both their hands on her knee and just watched his face for a little bit, giving him the time he needed to collect himself before they left the car.

Duke

Duke used to hate when Esme would project emotions on him, or would try and calm him with her powers. It was something that he felt was a bit of an invasion of his mind. But in this moment, he welcomed it. Not that he was angry with her, anyway, but any fear or worry for her was replaced by the swelling feeling in his heart that he felt…all the way back when they first met.

He was then a little confused when Esme’s hand showed up with a bandana clutched in her fingers, and she began dabbing at the blood on his face and neck. He hadn’t even noticed the bleeding. Honestly, he had forgotten that he was injured as bad as he was, other than the extreme soreness. Even his broken wrist didn’t seem so painful anymore…the very morning after it was broken.

Duke watched Esme’s face as she explained that she had had a rough night, and didn’t wake him to help her deal with it. The thought caused him to wince, and his head to tilt with sympathy. He frowned even deeper when she brought up Cason, and Sarah, whom he hadn’t even realized was near them. Reaching his hand from the ground, over Esme’s head, he touched Sarah’s side and then puled his hand back quickly, “Oh. Hi, Sarah. Don’t…don’t bite me.”, he raised his eyebrows, pointing in the direction of the fur that had just been under his fingers.

He turned his eyes back to Esme’s as her hand touched his face. He closed his eyes, nodding gently, until he felt Esme’s lips on his forehead and then she kissed him. Kissing her back deeply, he did his best to just let the concentration be on the moment, and Esme and safety, and not on what was to come.

A bit later

Dean, Duke, Cason, and Anna

Dean stood, leaned against the doorway of the panic room. He couldn’t move from his spot, even though he knew he had to. He knew that they had to move Mika’s body to the pyre, or the funeral could never happen. There would be no closure. No matter how much he tried to will his legs to move, he couldn’t…

Duke stood with Nat and Esme, silent, with his arms crossed. Bobby stood not far from him, holding a bottle of scotch in his hand as he stared off in the distance, stoic and unmoving. There wasn’t much else to do. Cason had already forced Natalia to babysit Duke, in case he lost his shit. When, in reality, he couldn’t even move. He couldn’t cry. All he could do was concentrate on the cramping in his stomach, and the loss that was already blanketing the entire lot.

Cason wiped his hands on his pants, having just stacked the last of the logs for the pyre, and added fuel to the base. He turned and walked back over to join Natalia, beside Duke and then turned to look at Sam, “I guess go and tell your brother that everything is ready. This isn’t going to get any easier…”

Anna watched Cason for a moment, and then turned her eyes up to look over Sam’s face, attempting to judge his emotions. She slowly released his hand, crossing her arms so that he could go help Dean, who showed up, as if summoned. Dean stepped outside the basement door, his legs like lead and his feet shuffling in the gravel. Clearing his throat, he finally spoke, his voice broken and exhausted.

“So um…I can’t…I can’t do that…” He admitted, “I don’t even really want to be down there alone. I know I won’t…I’m not gonna be able to bring…Sam?”

[FuriePhoenix]

NATALIA AND SAM

When Cason agreed to help with the pyre, Natalia gladly went over and stayed with Duke and Esme, agreeing that Esme might need all the help she could get to keep Duke from possibly running if he felt inclined to, though something was telling her that that wasn't going to be an issue. It was clear how much he was frozen in place near the pyre as it all sunk in to them all what was finally happening. If anyone was going to run, she honestly felt like it would be herself or Dean, not Duke. She even wrapped one arm through Duke's and rubbed his arm in an comforting manner with her other hand.

She didn't see the point in talking, deciding that silent comfort was probably far more appreciated right now. As she stood with Duke and Esme, she watched Cason finish up the pyre and pouring fuel at the bottom in preparation before walking back over to them all and standing beside her. There was no more wasting time- that much was clear. "I hate that that's the case" she remarked, keeping Duke close to her as if she was his little sister and not Sam and Dean's. She could feel how much today was weighing on Duke and how much he was hating having to watch the one person who was practically his sister about to burn.

Sam nodded at Cason's words, knowing he was right as he had been mentally preparing himself to be the one to carry Mika's body out all morning. He looked down at Anna as he felt her eyes on him, giving her the look of 'I'll be okay', even though he wasn't even certain if that was wholly the truth. Just as he was turning his heels to go to the basement, he heard the familiar heavy footsteps of Dean on the gravel walking over to them all. His words not surprising to Sam in the slightest.

Giving Dean a simple single nod, he lifted his hand and gave his brother's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "It's okay, I'll go get her" he replied, before walking over, back into the house and into the basement, pausing at the panic room door to take a deep breath before stepping inside and over to the bed that Mika laid upon. "Forgive Dean for not being able to do this" he requested of her, even though there was no way for her to reply.

As he scooped her up into his arms, he couldn't help but note how different it felt to be carrying her like this, all wrapped up and a complete dead weight. It didn't feel right not to feel an arm round his shoulder for her to anchor herself whilst he carried her. He forced himself to take each step one step at a time, tears threatening to fill up in his eyes as he sniffled them back as best he could. Reaching the stairs, he carefully carried her up and out onto the gravel, toward the pyre in complete and utter silence then placed her body down on top. Gulping to try and keep it together, he forced himself to step backwards and over to Anna once more where he grabbed for her hand without even looking down of where he was reaching out.

Natalia felt sick to her stomach as she had watched Sam carrying Mika out and placing her down. 'this feels so wrong still...' she thought to herself, letting go of Duke partially and grabbing a hold of Cason instead, needing her own support from her own loved one. She wondered who was going to light the fire when Sam pulled out his box of matches from his back pocket, his hand now shaking as he once again let go of Anna's hand, pulled out a match, struck it against the side of the box to light it and threw it on the pyre where it caught fire quickly.

The flames rapidly caught the logs, rising quickly to reach the cloth that covered Mika's body, igniting her into flames. As he and Natalia stared into the flames billowing upwards, almost acting like a wall for Mika, they fought as best they could to not cry, but neither were succeeding in that action. Tears flowed both their cheeks, hands shaking as they watched on and the closure truly started to sink into both their hearts and souls.

"I...I can't..." Natalia whispered to Cason, turning her head away in a desperate to not make a runner. She buried her head in his shoulder so she didn't have to look any longer, just the sound of the fire cracking and spitting was enough for her to find it to difficult to accept.

The flames bellowed, spat and cracked into the air for a good few minutes, practically being the only sound surrounding the small area when seemingly out of nowhere, the flames rose even higher and one could have almost have sworn the whipped and flowed into the shape of a fire bird but Sam thought he was just imagining things. His eyes playing tricks on him even, but then they weren't playing tricks on him...something was happening that wasn't normal and he found himself stood frozen in his place. "what the...?" he whispered to himself. As the flames remained strong and violent, a figure began to appear through them, almost as if the fire was walking toward them, just like their mother did years ago in their old family home. Was Mika's spirit coming back to them one last time? He didn't know, but it felt like it in this moment.

As the figure appeared, the flames began dissipate around the figure, revealing it wasn't just any random figure but it was...Mika. Flames tinging and burning her hair and clothes as she walked bare footed across the gravel as if she was on carpeted floor. She softly smiled at Duke, her eyes not their usual dark brown bordering on black colour, but a bright orange and red mix which then turned to Dean as she stepped right up to him, close enough that she could touch him if she so wished. "This isn't her time to go yet sweet child. I have kept her safe for this moment and I will continue to do so, She has missed you greatly Dean Winchester. Please keep her safe with me in the future, she will need you more than ever before" she spoke, her tone more ethereal than her usual accent, making it clear this was not Mika in this moment but something else...

She then stepped backwards four steps before looking up at the sky to feel the human land's breeze on her face, then looked back at them all, internally letting Mika take back control of her own body, causing her to drop onto the ground onto her knees, hair and eyes going back to their usual colours before her eyes closed, flames dissipating completely from her body, leaving only Mika barely wrapped still in the cloth around her body. Seconds later, she gasped and reopened her eyes, looking up at the group clearly scared and confused about what has happened and trying to acknowledge she was home...and alive.

"Dean..?...Duke..?"

[Wolvena]

Esme

Esme stood close and quietly at Duke’s side, just trying to be of some comfort while also trying to keep herself together. She had wrapped an arm around him to place her hand on his back, while the other rested on his arm. Part of her worried that Duke would bolt at some point; on the other hand, she could tell he couldn’t move as they watched Cason finish the pyre. The loss of Mika weighed down on him, just as it was on everyone else, and kept him rooted to his spot. She wished there was more she could do to help, but knew the best place for her was at Duke’s side. To be there for some comfort, along with Natalia, whom she was sure Cason had asked her to stick close to Duke. Esme welcomed it, since she wasn’t entirely sure she could keep him somewhat grounded alone. All the emotions around her were already pressing down on her, causing her chest to burn and ache and become tight. Out of them all, she felt that Dean and Natalia were the most likely to bolt after the pyre was lit, as that would be the final bit of closure.

Esme pulled her gaze from the pyre when Cason was finished and sighed heavily at Cason’s words to Sam. She knew that Dean wouldn’t be able to carry Mika’s body out. She knew it would be far too much for him. Her thoughts were confirmed when he came out, as if summoned, and told Sam he couldn’t do it. Esme couldn’t blame him for not being able to; she wouldn’t either if she were in his place. An image of her being in Dean’s shoes and it being Duke’s funeral flashed before her eyes, followed by thoughts of how close she came to having to do this for him. She forced the images and thoughts back and put her focus back on the matter at hand. She couldn’t let her mind wander off and get the better of her now. When Sam left to get Mika’s body, she turned her attention to Duke to focus on his well-being. She gently squeezed his arm, silently reminding him that she was there for him and that she wasn’t going anywhere. How much he was aware of what was around him, she couldn’t be sure, but she still wanted to make the effort.

When Sam returned with Mika’s body, Esme took in a sharp breath as she soothingly rubbed Duke’s back. She could feel the tears she had been holding back stinging her eyes as she watched Sam carry Mika’s body to the pyre and place it on top of it. She echoed Natalia’s thoughts about this feeling wrong. It felt terribly wrong, even if she didn’t fully understand why. Esme kept her thoughts to herself as she rested her head against Duke, as Sam went through the motions of lighting the pyre. As soon as the pyre ignited, tears spilled from her eyes and down her cheeks, and she pulled herself closer to Duke, if that was even possible. Esme watched the flames engulf the pyre, and Mika, not being able to pull her eyes away, even with the need to. The sounds from the fire were the only thing in her ears as she silently watched and hung on to Duke. Suddenly, the flames seemed to take on a life of their own as they rose even higher, whipping around the pyre and Mika’s body, forming the shape of a bird. At that moment, the whole atmosphere of the area changed for Esme.

“What the hell?” she said a little louder than a whisper as she pulled her head from Duke’s shoulder. Esme’s body went rigid, and she gripped Duke a little tighter as she started into the flames, feeling how this wasn’t normal. Something other than Mika’s body was in the flames, and it soon became evident as she saw a figure appear in the flames and walk towards them, making her eyes widen. It clearly wasn’t human if it could withstand the flames. Did something take control of Mika’s body while they weren’t looking, or was it something else? Only two creatures came to mind at the moment that could withstand fire, Dragons and Phoenixes, but did those creatures really exist? She had never come across them, only heard stories of them, so she didn’t know the answer. However, it was looking like the stories and myths could be true at that moment, but she felt crazy for thinking it. When Mika’s form came out of the flames, Esme couldn’t hold back the gasp that escaped her lips, but it wasn’t Mika. Something about her was different, she could feel it and see the slight differences as she watched her walk out of the fire.

Mika’s hair was a different color, and so were her eyes. Esme almost stepped in front of Duke protectively when she smiled at him. It was obvious to her that that wasn’t Mika but something else in control of her body. “That’s not her.” she whispered to herself. She watched her in confusion as Mika walked to Dean, not feeling any hostility from her. The words that came from Mika’s mouth confirmed what she was feeling. Something was in control of Mika’s body, and it sounded as if they were acting as some sort of guardian to her, and it was old with the way it spoke. Was something like that even possible? Esme was pulled from her thoughts when Mika collapsed to the ground after backing away from Dean, watching as her hair faded back to its original color and the flames dissipated. She felt the need to run up to her and check her, but she was rooted to her spot after what she had felt. Confusion was slightly taking over her ability to feel that Mika was back in control of her body, even after she called out to Duke and Dean in her voice.

Esme held on to Duke, to keep him from rushing forward, fearing this could be some sort of sick or twisted trick to catch them off guard. Doing her best, she pushed through all the emotions around her and focused on Mika, feeling the fear and confusion coming off her; it truly was her. She was somehow back from the dead. Closing her eyes briefly, she sighed heavily, then looked up at Duke with a soft expression as she slowly released her grip on him. “It’s her.” she told him softly in a tired tone. “Go to her. She’s scared and confused.” Esme gave him a little push toward Mika to get him moving.

[JustAnna]

Duke

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…

Dean and Cason

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.”