FuriePhoenix

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

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..?"

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

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.

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

LEXI AND NATALIA

Seeing Dean get all flustered and worked up made both girls smirk, especially as he was quickly discovering that he wasn't going to win this teasing of Natalia. His reaction to Nat's fake invitation to hearing all about her love life with Cason made her chuckle smugly, feeling rather proud of herself for getting under her brother's skin just enough to still classed as playful. Yet she also got more amused when Dean turned onto Lexi for sticking up for her. "natural instinct?" Lexi retorted with a shrug, which seemed to be a good move in Natalia's eyes as she was starting to see more of Lexi than she initially did when she first arrived.

"Oh brother, don't ever change" Nat said as Cason turned away from the stove and started to bring the plates of bacon and eggs across. Hearing Cason call out to them all to refocus their attentions to breakfast and what needs to be done on this day. As Dean scoffed about Cason acting like the boss, Natalia rolled her eyes, whereas Cason just gave a straight laced answer.

Lexi, with one arm still partly round Dean's back, rubbed his back with her thumb whilst her head turned toward Anya's phone out of a newly formed habit. Anya's comment about preferring Cason to take the lead did make Lexi softly chuckle as she couldn't deny that Anya's words were pretty valid. She then let go of Dean and walked over to help with the plates and cutlery, as did Natalia, except Natalia couldn't resist deliberately brushing passed Cason, leaning up slightly and kissing his cheek before she grabbed whatever was left to be grabbed and walked out into the war room for the bigger table.

SAM

Sam looked at Anya when it was clear she was wanting eye contact with him and saw the expression she was giving him. He knew in that moment he needed to let go of the tension he mentioned, even if it was always hard for him to do so as he had a tendency to cling onto negative feelings- albeit not nearly as much as Dean did.

He gave her a small but genuine nod to let her know he would listen to whatever she had to say, and he did. The moment she pressed play on her phone, he took to heart the words that came through. Her positive energy and mindset was such a breath of fresh air yet again to him, reminding him of just why he was so drawn to her. He kissed her back when she leaned up to kiss him and he instantly began to softly smile again and not feel so tense. "I'm sorry for being so tense and pensive...but you're right" he replied to her as the others all spoke amongst themselves until Cason broke up the individual conversations.

He smirked seeing Cason and Dean still slightly butting heads, whilst he clearly was still feeling ganged up on between Natalia and Lexi. If Anna, Natalia and Cason all stayed for a little while, he just knew this bunker's vibe was going to become very interesting to say the least. He watched as everyone began to scatter and help with the plates, whilst also being amused at Anna smacking Dean's hand away from the toast. She really hadn't changed too much when it came to feeling confident enough to do such an action to Dean. He was grateful that what he did to her and everything else in this life didn't completely destroy her personality around Dean.

Standing up from the table, he followed everyone else into the war room before grabbing a plate and helping himself to food when it was good to do so. He then found himself a new seat and grabbed a fork to begin to eating, without really waiting for anyone else.

"well someone is hungry" Lexi teased with a smirk, "and you're not?" Sam retorted back, noticing Lexi didn't exactly wait either for grabbing food. "fair point" she replied, sitting down.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

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.

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

SAM

Anya's confirmation that she was starting to feel a little better at least after taking the painkillers put some mental relief in Sam. He still hated that she got so hurt on the first outing, but knew it was no doubt inevitable at some point if she was so determined to stick around them all. No one really came back from a hunt with him and his brother unscathed, no matter how much he wished that would be the case. "I'm glad" he replied before noticing that Anna and Cason seemed to be exchanging a silent conversation in the form of glances before Cason signalled for Anna to come and help him cook something as simple as bacon.

He decided however not to worry about it and just put it down to the usual Cason looking out for Anna as he always did. He was still feeling slightly tense about both girls being in such close proximity but he kept trying to comfort himself in the reminder that he and Anna had a conversation and bring everything between them to a close once and for all, despite the cheating that happened, something he still felt incredibly guilty for. He didn't want to ruin whatever was blossoming between himself and Anya, but it wasn't like he could completely ignore everything that he had with Anna either which was the driving factor for his mistake.

Sam knew deep down he probably should tell Anya what happened between himself and Anna but he also knew now was most certainly not the time. He got brought out of his thoughts when Anya showed him her phone and what she was asking him. "I'm okay, honestly. I guess I'm still just tense from the unsuccessful attempt at getting your voice back" he told her, something that wasn't entirely a lie either. He did still feel tense and bad about it as he wanted to successfully help her and make her happy, not get her hurt to the point he had to take her to the hospital and then get accused of hitting her by doctors and nurses.

LEXI AND NATALIA

Feeling Dean's thumb run up and down her back made Natalia feel well and truly home again. She never really truly realised how much she missed her brothers and Dean in particular until this morning and this very action he did. Sam was still very much her favourite brother, even after all these years but as the years had gone, she had grown much much closer to Dean than she ever thought would have been possible. His action brought back so many memories of when she'd curl up by his side when she needed him and not Sam for whatever reason or if they watched movies together and she just wanted to be comfy and curl up into him.

Nat noticed how Dean had glanced at the state of her hair and then glanced at Cason and his current state and she just knew he was having a million and one thoughts in his head as she spoke with Lexi about where she lived before coming to the bunker. Lexi's answer did hit home rather hard and it did make her feel a tad guilty about even asking the woman that very question. Not enough guilt to apologise for asking, but a tiny pang of guilt none the less. It was clear that Lexi was trying to not make her feel bad about asking, if her tone and body language was anything to go by.

Natalia could relate to what Lexi said as she didn't have a home before Dean and Sam found her all those years ago because her 'home' was a torture building. Then it came....the question from Dean and accusation about her love life with Cason, in an attempt to embarrass her or at least make her feel uncomfortable, like a typical older brother. As he looked down at her in a judgemental manner, she rolled her eyes, not wanting it to get to her, when Cason defended them both by calling out that it was only natural to want to be intimate with each other.

"he ain't wrong though Dean, it is natural and so what...we slept together, it's not like its an activity that's exclusive to you or Sam" she retorted back, making Lexi stifle a chuckle. "It's not like she's actually a teenager Dean" Lexi also commented, hoping she wasn't over stepping by backing up Natalia. "See! She gets it!" Nat replied without even thinking, pointing her hand toward Lexi.

"Me and Cason are gonna sleep together whenever we feel like it, deal with it. I'm not your little baby sister anymore.." Natalia stated, even though she knew all too well Dean would always see her as such. "I mean...I can always tell you every in depth detail of what we get up to if you really wanted but that would make you super weird!" Nat smirked, making Lexi chuckle all over again.

"she's got you there" Lexi commented.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

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.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

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.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

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.

"From out of Nowhere" - SPN

SAM AND NATALIA

As they walked into the kitchen, Nat made note of where everyone was and saw how Anna was sat with Anya and seemed to be chatting pretty normally with her which she could only assume was a good thing. Nat genuinely liked Anya from what little time she had spent with her, also noting how much like Anna the girl's attitude and personality was but never really said anything. She stepped to one side to let Cason walk in and over to the two of them, whilst she herself went closer toward Lexi and Dean, even though she was still very dubious about Lexi, she didn't want the woman to stop her from being close with Dean. He was her brother before he was whatever he was to Lexi after all. She also couldn't help but eavesdrop on the conversations happening in the kitchen, finding it was in fact a nice feeling and thing to witness.

The way Cason was with Anya, told her that he still felt bad for how the night before transpired and that he probably would continue to feel bad to some extent until he was certain that Anya was telling him the truth that she was in fact fine. "If he gets too much Anya, just tell him to sod off...he's a worrier" she smirked, teasing Cason with what she considered the truth, whilst he had the recognisable silent conversation with Anna. Stepping to Dean's other side, she gave him a hug to say good morning, then let go when she heard Anna suddenly tell Cason to make her breakfast instead of fussing over Anya and Anna, which made Nat smirk and chuckle, also remembering the time he burned his hand on the pot hanger. As much as she felt bad for Cason that day, she did find it an amusing memory now, even if it was one of those days where she panicked initially and fussed over him like no tomorrow, despite knowing he healed up easily enough.

As Sam walked into the room lastly, he saw Anna and Anya seemingly chatting and seemingly to be on good terms but he was worried about how long that would stick. He was nervous about how the girls would get along and he was more worried about what Anna would possibly say to Anya before he could. For now though, he knew he had to try and not overthink things. Glancing round to everyone else, he saw how Nat got clingy onto Dean and he couldn't stop the smile from appearing on his face as he walked around and sat next to Anya, lifting a hand up and used his thumb to rub her back soothingly, "You okay?" he asked, wondering how the pain was for her and if she had managed to take any of her pain relief yet.

LEXI

Lexi watched Nat walk in with Cason and couldn't help but follow Nat's steps with her eyes and watch her hug Dean as her way to say good morning, whilst also noting the untidy state Natalia and Cason were in which told her so much without a single word being spoken. "You sleep well?" she asked Nat when she had the opportunity to after the little quips were spoken between Nat, Cason and Anna. "Uh huh" Nat just simply replied to Lexi, not wanting to give her any more of a solid answer than that. However that reply meant she got a look of 'be nice' from Sam, making Nat roll her eyes and Lexi noticing it. "Yeah I slept fine, felt weird being in my old room again though, but a good weird" she then clarified for her brothers' sake more than her own. This new answer got a nod of acknowledgement from Lexi and a smile, "I can only imagine" she replied between mouthfuls of coffee.

Lexi could easily imagine how weird it must have been for Natalia, as she knew if she ever went back to her old house and slept in her old bedroom again it would feel incredibly weird. The only difference being, is that for Lexi, it wouldn't be a good weird. It would be a haunting weird filled with traumatic memories and happy memories that would inevitably make her feel incredibly melancholy. So she never wanted to even think about that. Yet she felt like Nat was extremely lucky to always have a place here in the bunker to come home to, with the boys welcoming her back with open arms each and every single time. "So where do you usually stay when you're not visiting this place?" Nat asked Lexi, taking Lexi completely off guard. "my car usually." Lexi replied in just a matter of fact way. "Oh..." Nat replied, feeling a pang of guilt in her heart very briefly for asking. "Yeah, it's no big deal or uncommon in this field" Lexi said, trying to make Nat feel less bad for asking.

She wanted so badly to get along with Natalia and for Natalia to accept her but she still wasn't sure just how long that would take.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

NATALIA

Nat truly didn't know how she had survived or coped without Cason all this time, and in some ways she was almost glad that she had forgotten he was such a pivotal part of her survival before Sam and Dean came along as she had, for the last few days, realised that if she hadn't forgotten him, her mind would be in a much worse state and she probably wouldn't have survived as long as she had so far. She was reckless enough as it was, she couldn't imagine how much worse she would have been trying to find him if she hadn't forgotten him. It was moments like this that made her grow regrets in giving him such aggravation when they reunited, or in her situation, met again for the first time. As his thumb ran against her jaw, she instinctively leaned into his touch as she saw him take a deep gulp but smile whilst also not knowing what she's done without him all this time. "I'll always have you Cason" she confirmed before she took her glance back over at Dean to check on him.

Deep down, she knew Cason was right when it came to Dean. All they could do was be there for him and make sure he doesn't do a Duke and find ways to get himself killed on a hunt, but it didn't mean she liked that plan. She also felt like she needed to do more for Dean to prove she did forgive him and be a better sister to him. She listened to Cason's words about how Dean will no doubt be when he wakes up and she did think he had very valid points. Yet there was still a part of her that felt if any room in this house would affect Dean the worst, it would be this room he always shared with Mika. It may have been officially HER room, but Nat knew how much Mika considered THEIR room. She just hoped all the hiding of pictures that Anna did earlier would help matters. "I guess that's true..." she finally said, unaware that Dean was stirring awake as she was yet again not looking at him. It was only when she heard Cason say what he did, that she began to get an idea it wasn't her he was telling to relax.

She only turned to look at Dean when Cason pulled her slightly away from him and nod toward her brother. Taking that hint as it was intended, she turned round fully and looked at Dean before stepping over and perching on the edge of the bed next to him. "he did but he's back now thanks to Cason and Esme. He's alright by all accounts, but you don't need to be worrying about Duke right now" she told him softly. "I'm more concerned about you right now, how you feeling now you've slept?" she asked him, trying not to coddle him but also wanting him to know she was worried about him. She also knew that she would have to tell him that Sam was truly wanting to start the process of wrapping Mika's body and begin the set up for the hunter's funeral, even if she didn't know for certain that he had already begun that process. She just didn't know how to tell Dean that.

She just hoped Dean wouldn't put up another fight about it all and in the morning would just let the funeral happen with no arguments.

MIKA

In the dark, Mika remained close to the bird that still laid weak and dying beside her. She was feeling weak herself, the longer she stayed but the bird was her only source of any kind of warmth in this abyss of a place. The sounds remained with no obvious sign of a figure to go with said sounds, but the closer they got, she knew it would possibly not be long before they did see what was making those sounds. Hugging herself on the ground, she kept trying to keep Dean's face in her mind and thoughts, along with the rest of her family, hoping that none of them would break apart without her in their lives. She wanted them to look after each other and not fight, but she also knew her boys far too well for that to truly be a reality.

"I'm not sure I can keep holding on any longer...I'm so tired" she commented weakly. "Don't give up child...for I am here and I will not let you stay in this forsaken land. You don't belong here, I swore years ago to forever protect you and I will keep my promise" the bird swore. Mika couldn't understand what the bird possibly meant by her words because as she saw it, whether she belonged here or not, she was here either way and was never going to be back in the living world. As much as that realisation hurt her, she felt she had no choice but to accept it somehow.

It was at that point, the noises got too close for comfort and she knew she had to try and run all over again. "Get up my child..." the bird said, using it's wing to get Mika up onto her feet. "I'll be right behind you" it said, pushing Mika to start moving and that was exactly what she did...move. Every step was a challenge but she kept moving, trying to pick up speed but every time she did, she began to stumble. "I can't do this..." she whimpered.