Wolvena

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

Esme did her best to stay aware of her surroundings while she followed along with the group, but not well enough because a female demon almost got the better of her and Duke. She barely had enough time to step back as a female demon came out of nowhere and took a swipe at Duke. She barely had enough time to lean back and take a step away before the woman came for her, which Duke blocked with his hand, causing her to wince as he cried out. Taking another step back and using her staff, Esme regained her footing. She turned to Duke to call out to him but stopped when a giant male demon entered her sight. Esme took a few steps back, holding her staff out to shield herself, causing the demon to grin. “Aww, look. A scared little rabbit to play with.” he teased in a deep tone. Esme gripped her staff tighter, glaring up at the demon, who had to have been a wrestler in a former life. “Scared rabbit? Sure.” she hissed. “I’ll show you a scared rabbit.” she breathed. Esme charged him and swung her staff, which he caught with a gloved hand.

With one quick pull on her staff, the demon pulled her off her feet and quickly wrapped a hand around her throat. “Damnaidh!” she breathed as his grip tightened around her throat. He then yanked the staff from her hand, tossing it to the side and squeezing her throat tighter. She gasped for air and tried to free herself from his iron grip, but it was useless. She looked over his shoulder and saw Duke holding his own. Then she scanned the demon’s body for any exposed skin, but all there was was his face, which she couldn’t quite reach.“How do I always get tangled up with the giant ones?” she questioned herself. Wrapping her hands around his arm, she kicked at him, but he was just out of reach. As her vision began to go hazy, survival mode kicked in, causing her to remember the salt in her jacket pocket. She plunged her hand into her pocket and pulled a handful of salt, throwing it into the demon's face. He howled, throwing her to the ground pawing at his face. “You little bitch!” he growled, kicking her in the stomach just as she got a lungful of air.

She felt the air leave her as she grunted, then rolled to the side to dodge his foot aimed at her head. Coughing, she shakily took to her feet, holding her aching stomach. “Why don’t you just give up? You know you can’t win this.” he sneered. “Never.” she coughed. Esme held her ground, watching the demon with unwavering eyes. He then charged her. She held her ground until the last minute. She moved to the side, dropped to one knee, pulled a knife from its sheath, and threw it at his back. It struck in between his shoulder blades. His howl of pain and anger echoed through the barn. While he fought to reach the blade, Esme took this chance to grab her staff. Once her hand landed on it, the demon had abandoned the idea of pulling out the knife and charged her again. Quickly taking to her feet, Esme charged the demon, then dropped into a slide and swung her staff at his shins, sending him face-first into the ground. Standing, she looked over to check on Duke, only to realize he was not doing well. He had been backed into the barn by the female demon.

Esme wanted to help, but her hands were full with this giant demon. Just before the demon could get to his feet, she ran over and bashed his head with her staff a couple of times. She then pulled her knife from his back and was going to attempt to plunge it through his heart, but stopped halfway through when she saw the female demon stab Duke in the stomach. “Duke!” she cried out, which gave the male demon an opening. He grabbed her ankle and pulled her off her feet. She landed hard on her back, knocking the wind out of her. “Aww, the little rabbits Cowboy lost.” he chuckled as he got to his feet. Fighting for air, Esme grabbed her staff and knife, then scrambled to her feet before the demon could land another attack. Placing the hilt of the knife in her mouth, she charged the demon, barely making him out through her blurred vision. Instead of dropping low like last time, she jumped and aimed for his throat with her staff, only to have him duck and dodge her attack. “Nice try, little rabbit. You’re too slow.” he laughed as her feet hit the ground.

Then, she heard Duke yell out for her to run, his tone sending a shiver down her spine. She spun around to see the female demon coming for her. There was no way she could fight off both on her own. Then Sarah came out of nowhere and attacked the female, sending some relief through Esme. Esme went back to fighting the male demon with everything she had. The fight had taken them around to another side of the bar. She had been thrown into some farming equipment and the side of the barn, resulting in her left shoulder being dislocated and her losing her weapons. When Sarah finished with the female, she found Esme on the ground and stood at her side protectively. “You have a Hellhound?.....” he yelled in surprise, looking as if he was ready to bolt. A smirk came to Esme’s lips at the fear she saw in his eyes. “Sarah, if you would.” she said to the Hellhound as she got to her feet. Sarah pounced on the demon and pinned him to the ground, growling. “You’re human. How can you see it?” he yelled. “Sarah, shut him up, please.” she asked the Hellhound softly.

Sarah leaned in, growling and baring her fangs in his face in a threatening manner. He flinched at Sarah’s actions, not daring to look her in the eyes. “How the hell did you tame it?” he asked, lowering his tone. Holding her left shoulder, Esme walked over and peered down at the demon, a smirk still resting on her lips. “Who said I did?” she responded flatly. She then turned and walked off a few steps before turning back around. “He’s all yours, Sarah.” she told the Hellhound. Turning, Esme looked around and collected her weapons quickly. As much as she felt like putting that demon through the ringer, she knew now wasn’t the time. She needed to gather her weapons swiftly and get back to check on Duke and the others. As she gathered her weapons, she could hear Sarah rag-dolling the demon and then crushing his head. Sarah made her way over to Esme and gently nudged her with a whine. “I’ll be fine. We need to group up.” she told her. Esme slipped her knife into its sheath and used her staff to steady herself. The two walked around the barn to where Esme last saw Duke.

He wasn’t there, only a blood stain on the ground from where he had been. “Hellfire!” she hissed. “I hope one of the others found him and got him out of here.” she told Sarah. As much as she wanted that to be true, something told her it wasn’t. “Come on. We need to keep looking for the others.” Esme walked as quickly as she could, using Sarah as support and noting how quiet things had gotten, giving her a sinking feeling in her gut. The two rounded the corner of the barn, and she could see Dean just at the other end. She was going to attempt to get his attention when a rogue demon popped up out of nowhere. Sarah reacted and quickly took it out. “Nice work, Sarah.” she told her softly. Esme pushed on, and Sarah returned to her side, watching for more stray demons to pop up. They were clear the rest of the way to Dean's position, and she couldn't have been happier. “Dean! You good!” she called out when she was within earshot. As she closed the gap, Sarah slowed and hung back a bit, ensuring not to unnerve Dean with her presence.

Once the gap between them had been closed, she stopped, stuck her staff in the ground, and held onto her left arm. She looked around; the others were nowhere in sight. “I’m assuming you don’t know where the others are either.” she sighed, looking back at him. Esme closed her eyes and took a deep breath, releasing it through her nose to get her worry for Duke under control. “How did this go so wrong?” she said mostly to herself, opening her eyes. “We need to regroup. I hope one of the others found Duke during all the chaos. He got stabbed, and I couldn’t get to him because I was in a fight of my own.” she told him. Now that she had that off her chest, she needed to do something about her dislocated shoulder. There just happened to be an electrical pole on that side of the barn. Esme walked over to it, pulled a leather glove from her pocket, and placed it between her teeth. Then, she lined her left shoulder up to the pole. She breathed in and out, giving a few practice rocks towards it to make sure she hit on the right spot.

Taking one last breath, she let it out and slammed her shoulder against the electrical pole, putting it back in place. Esme bit down on the glove and groaned from the pain shooting through her shoulder. She leaned against the pole momentarily before breathing deeply through her nose and pushed herself off the pole as she released it. Taking the glove from her mouth, she shoved it back into her pocket, walked back over to her staff, plucked it from the ground, and looked at Dean. “Come on. Let’s go find the others.” she almost whispered as she rolled her left shoulder back and began the search for the others.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

After the plan and teams were decided, Esme walked over to the back of Duke's truck, grabbed her duffle bag, unzipped it, and began to pull out the items she needed, wincing as she heard Anna’s words. Her first pick was her favorite pistol, which she tucked into her right jacket pocket. Then she took out flasks of salt and holy water, a couple of knives, and extra ammo, all of which she shoved into the pockets of her jacket and jeans. The last item Esme pulled from her duffle was a foot-and-a-half-long steel rod with an intricate inlaid design in iron. She didn't use it often, as it held some painful memories for her and was a gift from a family member. She zipped up her duffle and stepped away from Duke's truck. As she walked away, she ran her thumb over the small engraved letters on its surface:

To my fav cuz, from your fav cuz. Love Ari.

When Duke spoke, Esme looked at him and softly laughed at his mischievous smirk. “Can you ever be truly ready to play with demons?” she asked, giving him a mischievous smirk in return, hiding how uncomfortable she felt. With a quick flick of her wrist, it expanded into a five-foot-long bo staff, the ends made of iron. Esme twirled it in front of herself, over her head, then back in front. “Yeah, the sooner we get it over with, the better.” she replied as she stopped spinning the bo staff and planted one end on the ground. Being this close to so many demons made her skin crawl and feel incredibly uneasy. She hoped to keep herself in check and not lose control of her powers. She knew at some point, she was going to have to find a solution that would help her stay in control of them. Esme felt lucky knowing she wouldn't have to go it alone. She knew Duke would be there to help her in any way he could.

_____________________________

Before everyone started to group up, Esme took that moment to clear her mind and focus on the task and what needed to be done, not what could happen. The longer she focused, the more her white-knuckled grip on her staff loosened. Sarah had come up, sitting next to her, leaning gently against her during this. Esme was determined to maintain control of her powers so that this whole thing didn’t go sideways for everyone. Esme had finally found her happy place by the time everyone had begun to group up. Taking a deep cleansing breath, she lifted her staff off the ground and walked over to the group as Dean started to bark orders. A small smile came to her lips when Duke interrupted Dean on what they could do before Dean could finish his sentence. “Yes, just like the old days.” she breathed, a small smile still on her lips. As the groups went their ways, Esme found a spot that gave her a clear view of everything.

Sarah came over and sat close to Esme while she watched the others move into their positions. Soon, her gaze focused on Natalia, watching as the woman took up her bow, nocked an arrow, loosed it, and hit her demon target. “Seo sinn a-nis.” she breathed as the demons noticed one of their members down. Esme gripped her staff, readying herself to jump in if either group needed help. As she stood there, she felt a knot growing in the pit of her stomach. No matter how hard Esme tried to ignore it, she couldn’t. Bad feelings and thoughts weren't needed at a time like this, not with how many demons were involved and how she had the tendency to lose control of herself. “Fòcas, Esme, fòcas.” she breathed to herself. “Gheibh thu tro seo gun dad uamhasach a’ tachairt.”

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

Esme sat quietly between Duke and Sarah on the tailgate of Duke’s truck, listening to the others argue. She sighed inwardly. She never cared for the term sacrificial lamb, especially in such situations. If she hadn’t made such a big deal about not being reckless to Duke, she would have readily volunteered herself, even with the feeling she had of something hiding in the shadows waiting to attack after they tired themselves out. Plus, she wouldn’t be going alone; Esme knew she would have Sarah at her side because she wouldn’t let her go alone. Hearing Duke, Esme looked away from the group, up at him, and nodded. “I wouldn’t be either if I was Natalia. You also can’t blame Sam after all the trouble he went through to get her back.” she said, keeping her voice low. “I’m tempted too, and you should know by now I wouldn't want you going on your own. And as good as we all are, four demons is a lot for one person to handle.”

When Duke placed his hand on her thigh, she put her hand on top of his and squeezed it. “And hoping this would be a quick one was wishful thinking, Bright Eyes.” she added with a little laugh. With everything Esme had witnessed since becoming a hunter, she had learned never to be hopeful for a quick and easy job. So it was very welcomed whenever she got a fast and easy case. She was about to suggest possibly sending Sarah to clear their way, but Duke called out to the others, so she fell silent and listened. Much to her dislike, Esme also agreed with Mika, but it was their best option. Breaking into two teams would give them the best chance of taking out the demons and getting inside to figure out what was happening in there. Releasing Duke’s hand, Esme slid off the tailgate and looked at each group member. With this many, you would think they would have at least a little better luck than a group with two or three, right?

It all depended on whether they could work together as a team, would watch each other's backs, and nothing unexpected reared its ugly head, which almost always happens. As much as she hated to be wishful or hopeful, she could only hope they could work together since there was a little tension between a couple of them in the group. Only time would tell if that tension would dissipate or not, but she saw it taking a lot of work and cooperation from all involved. Esme spoke, keeping her voice low but loud enough for the group to hear her. “Alright, now that that’s decided, let’s group up and move out.” Esme was ready to get to the bottom of this and get out as quickly as possible. She also didn’t like the feeling she got from this place either. The less time they spent here, the better it was for her.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

Esme continued to stare at the far wall of the room until Dean spoke up, her eyebrows slightly knitting together when he said, “It can be seeing the future.” and continued. Esme only shook her head at the demon question; she had no idea what demon could do that much damage to the group. If he didn’t think it was the future, what did he think it was? she thought to herself before Duke chimed in, the annoyance in his tone clear. She also wondered if Dean didn’t think they should take this premonition seriously, which only made her wish she hadn’t had to tell him. Esme slowly started to back her way closer to the door, feeling the rise in emotions in the room but stopped at Dean’s reply, her eyes widening with confusion. Her seeing the future didn’t freak him out; how the hell could it not? It did her.

It was clear that she wasn’t the only one surprised by it, and she was about to open her mouth to say something when Cason and then Anna spoke. She listened to Anna and sighed softly to herself when she said everyone was afraid of her; what Anna didn’t know was that she was mistaken. Esme wasn’t afraid of her; she felt a slight connection with her because she could burn demons as well, and she felt like she was the weird one, even if her weirdness didn’t involve demon blood. She would have to find a way to tell her at some point since now was not the time. When Duke and Cason spoke, Esme’s eyes darted to them. She wanted to throw in her own opinion, but Dean slapping the table caused her to flinch and look his way. Esme listened to Dean and Cason, bringing a hand to rest on her tight and aching chest.

She understood where Dean was coming from, but as much as she hated to admit it, Cason was right about needing to find out what they were walking into. Esme continued to listen to everyone talk as she tried to hold it together, even with Sarah near, feeling slight relief when Sam spoke calmly to defuse things. After Mika and Natalia spoke, Esme nodded in agreement with the two women. She definitely preferred everyone to go in smart so that no one was hurt and they didn’t lose anyone. Looking at Dean, she watched him, waiting to see if he would listen to their reasoning, sighing softly when he conceded. From where she stood, she saw Duke’s and Cason’s shoulders relax and felt some of the tension fade, but not enough to help her out. There was so much tension, rage, and frustration in the air it would take more than this to clear the air.

Esme’s gaze shifted to Anna as she shifted in her chair and spoke, then to Cason when he snapped at her. She nodded after the back and forth between them, not liking that she actually agreed with Cason, but what he said was true. Then Dean agreed, which she knew he hated, and continued about how she wasn’t a weapon, and they would keep her away from the demons. Like Dean, Esme didn’t miss the glance between Anna and Cason and wondered what it meant. Was Cason feeding her? She shook the thought from her mind and looked around the room after Cason spoke again. Sighing heavily, Esme looked over at Anna, trying her best to fight through the pain.

“They're both right, you know?” she started in a pain-filled tone as she looked at Anna. “I also consider you a friend, even though we haven’t had much of a chance to really get to know one another, but know this: I’ll fight alongside you and fight to keep you out of the hands of those demons for as long as I can.” Esme took in a shaky breath, looking back to the others in the room, still clutching her chest. She was close to losing control; Dean’s emotions had come close to pushing her over the edge, just like they used to. His emotions always seemed so much stronger than others, and his, with everyone else's, felt like a weight on her, especially in this small room. “I’m also up for getting out of here.” she added. Without another word, Esme turned to the door and left, almost at a run to leave the rage and frustration behind her.

Esme only made it as far as Duke’s truck before her knees gave out, and she fell against the truck's tailgate. Closing her eyes tight, she gripped the tailgate, trying to hold back the release of emotions bubbling at the surface. She couldn’t let them go; this wasn’t the place. She half wished she could throw herself down in a hole so she could release them. Sarah soon came up behind her and whined softly. “I need to get to the room.” Same whispered. With a soft bark, Sarah moved close to Esme’s side. Esme put her arms around her, and Sarah just about carried her to the room door. Once in the room, with some difficulty, they went over to the bed and sat on the floor. Esme curled into a ball and leaned against the bed with Sarah close by her side.

Being out of the room and having Sarah by her side, Esme should have started feeling more at ease by now, but she still felt as if she were still with the others. Which told her she had stayed too long and it would be a long and painful process to get back to normal unless she just released it, which would hit Cason. Esme closed her eyes and moved to curl up on the floor. She remembered what had happened at Bobby’s the first time she was like this. Sarah had shielded Cason with her own body, which worked for the most part. Would that work for her? She was smaller than Cason. Sarah could easily cover her small frame. A wave of pain shot through Esme as she curled into a tighter ball; she did her best to muffle her cry of pain only to have another follow.

Then, as if Sarah had been reading her thoughts, she moved closer and curled her massive frame around Esme’s smaller frame. Sarah softly nuzzled Esme’s cheek with a slight whine before resting her head close to Esme’s. “Thanks, Sarah.” Esme said, almost crying. Just Sarah curled around her did some good; it was slowly becoming bearable, but it was still quite painful; she knew that the group would want to leave soon, and she wouldn’t be able to. So, feeling that Sarah was ready, Esme released what she was holding back, screaming into her hands, even though she was muffled by Sarah. Esme didn’t move afterward. She lay there, trembling and softly crying against Sarah, listening. It was silent save for Sarah’s breathing. “It worked.” Esme whispered before the flood of tears came.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

Esme signed heavily after things calmed down, though she was still on edge about everything. She knew what she was about to tell everyone was going to stir everyone up again. With guidance from Duke, Esme followed Dean and Mika into the room. Once inside, she found a place near Duke by the door with enough space to accommodate Sarah without the others realizing she was there, Cason being an exception. With Esme in her spot, Sarah approached and sat down, leaning lightly against Esme to comfort her. When Cason addressed her, asking her what she knew, she felt like she was under a spotlight, and her every move was being watched by all those in the room. Esme shifted on her feet, leaning into Sarah more, then stuck her thumbs into the front pockets of her jeans to keep herself from picking at her fingers or clenching her fists too hard.

Esme thought about where she should start, concluding that starting from the beginning would be the best; even if it did take a little longer to get to the main thing they needed to know, it would give some context. Closing her eyes briefly and taking a deep breath, everything soon spilled from her lips. “By now, I'm sure you've all realized I'm…. Different…. So I'm hoping it won't hit too hard when I tell you how I got the information.” she started somewhat confidently. “This all started this morning after Duke and I had a little tiff. He left to clear his head and get some air. While out, Bobby contacted him and gave him an address to a farm in Western Missouri. Apparently, this farm is crawling with demon activity and has ties with Anna.” she told the group, looking at Anna briefly when she said her name.

Esme continued even though she knew Anna would have questions about what she had just said. Usually, she would have said more so Anna wasn’t left in the dark, but she wanted to quickly get through what she had to say. After Duke returned and we straightened things out between us, he told me about the call from Bobby and then showed me the paper with the address written on it.” Esme paused, only long enough to breathe in, and slowly let it out before continuing. This was the big news of what she had to say, and she was still hesitant even though they needed to hear this. “When I touched the paper, I saw the future.” she said quickly. “What I saw was very broken. I don’t know when or what time of day this will happen or if any of the images are connected in any way….”

“I saw what looked like the inside of an old barn; the only light source was a lamp hanging from the rafters. Next, I saw you, Dean.” she said, looking at him. “You were standing next to a table with an assortment of tools that would be used to torture demons; you looked extremely pissed off. You were talking to someone, but I couldn’t see them or make out what was being said; they were just out of my sight. The last image I saw was of you again, Dean.” Esme closed her eyes tight, that image returning to her and sending a shiver down her spine. Opening her eyes, she looked at the floor. “You were lying on the floor, and you looked like you had the hell beaten out of you, and you were barely breathing. I wish I knew what led up to that, but I don’t.”

Esme fell silent after finally getting everything out in the open, lifting her gaze to a wall at the back of the room, waiting for everyone to process what she had just told them. If they asked her for more details about what she saw, she couldn’t give it to them. Esme had told them everything she had seen after touching the paper. Stepping back to the wall behind her, she leaned against it to keep herself from bolting from the room, Sarah moving with her. She was beginning to regret requesting to have everyone confined to one room now, fearing Sarah wouldn’t be enough to keep her from being overwhelmed by everyone’s emotions that would soon fill the room.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

Esme’s gaze went from Dean to Sam as he came up behind Dean and spoke, followed by Mika chiming in. Their words caused her eyes to widen slightly. That would explain why he was so frantic; she couldn’t blame him either. “That explains a lot.” she said mostly to herself as Duke slid himself in front of her protectively. His movements caused her to step back, then look up at him with slightly knitted eyebrows that said, “Really?” when he told her to stay with Sarah. She wanted to tell him she could handle it but knew it wouldn’t do any good, so she stayed quiet. Her attention returned to Dean, who was still beating on Natalia’s door, and then turned to answer her question. His answer, nearly the same as Sam’s, caused her to raise an eyebrow. Being out in the open was no place to yell you were going to kill someone.

As Dean stepped back from the door, Esme was about to say something, and the door opened to reveal Natalia behind it. Looking around Duke, she quietly listened to what Natalia told Dean, then smirked at her comment when she noticed everyone else there. As soon as Dean opened his mouth, Esme looked over at him. Not only could she see his confusion and hear it in his voice, but she could feel it, even with Sarah next to her. As soon as Cason confirmed Anna was alright, Esme felt the frustration that took over Dean. She watched his actions as he realized he had been mistaken, apparently a sore spot for him. She guessed that was something she never fully picked up on when they were hunting together and wasn’t sure how she missed it, especially with how he was acting now about being wrong about Anna.

When Dean questioned the three about what they were talking about, and Duke stepped in, Esme winced slightly at his glare at Duke. Dean then turned to her and questioned her; she could clearly hear the annoyance in his tone and felt attacked, which she didn’t care for. “That’s none of your business either, Dean!” Esme snapped at Dean, glaring at him, barely catching Mika’s words to him. Sam’s voice pulled her attention away from Dean, and she nodded. “We do, but I’d rather not discuss it out here in the open.” she told Sam in a slightly softer tone after he finished talking to the others. Esme could have just blurted out everything right there but felt somewhat uncomfortable doing so. She didn’t know if someone passing by them would hear and get suspicious or how the others would react to the news. So she thought it best to be in one of the rooms out of earshot of those staying at the motel before she and Duke released their bomb.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

It felt like a minor accomplishment after climbing into Duke’s lap and getting a surprised chuckle from him before he wrapped his arms around her. Other than surprising the hell out of him after telling him what she was capable of doing, Esme found it hard to surprise him. In the past, she knew she surprised him a couple of times when he realized what lengths she was willing to go to during a case to keep everyone alive and get it done and how much of a beating she could take before finally collapsing. So when a little action like climbing onto his lap surprised him, Esme couldn’t help but feel like she had accomplished something. When Duke gave into her kiss and returned it while pulling her close, she slid her arms around his neck and smiled behind their kiss.

Two and a half hours later

As Esme lay next to Duke, with her head on his shoulder and a hand on his chest, she drew her own circles on his chest to keep his mind at ease as her gaze was fixated on the curtains that covered the windows. At his nuzzle, she took a silent breath, feeling that having the conversation with the others was returning to him. She nuzzled him back and cuddled a little closer. That talk was also on her mind, it was slowly creeping in to disrupt their moment of rest. She did her best to push it from her mind and continued to stare at the curtains, watching the dim colors of the sunset peeking through them. But just as she started to feel completely relaxed again, she saw the headlights of a car flash through the curtains, followed by the sound of a car pulling in.

After the door slammed, she unknowingly held her breath as she listened. At the two separate knocks, she involuntarily flinched and released the breath she was holding as Duke groaned. “So it would seem.” she answered his grumble with a sigh, starting to feel uneasy. Esme felt the same way Duke did, but every time she thought about leaving, something pulled her back in, or something would happen to make her stay like getting kidnapped. The longer she lay there, the more uneasy she became. It wasn’t what she felt coming from Duke, but from what she felt coming from the rooms on either side of them. Duke’s voice breaking the silence almost caused her to flinch. She sighed heavily before answering him. “The sooner we tell them, the better…. But…. It seems those two came back with a lot more than they left with, judging by what I feel coming from the rooms.”

Esme could feel her chest tightening up and just wanted to pull the blankets over her head and hide herself away a little while longer. She knew telling them about her glimpse into the future was going to make things all the more difficult for the group to get through, and be paranoid about everything till that day came. Sighing heavily through her nose, she kissed Duke’s cheek and reluctantly sat up in the bed with a hand on her chest. “We should definitely warn them we’re coming instead of just going over. I think it would be safer that way.” she said, trying to hide the discomfort from her voice. “I’ll leave that to you while I put myself together mentally and physically.” Esme then pulled herself out of the bed to get herself ready for the big talk. Running over how she should tell them over and over in her mind.

After getting dressed, Esme went and sat on the edge of the bed, gritting her teeth, and looked over at Sarah, who was curled up in a corner of the room. “Sarah?” she called over to the Hellhound. Sarah’s head popped up before she took to her paws then walked over to Esme and sat next to her, putting her head on Esme’s lap. Closing her eyes, Esme placed one hand on the hound's head, the other on the hound's neck. “I'm going to need your help too during this.” she whispered. “Emotions are extremely high in both of those rooms. I know I’m going to struggle to keep my own in check being in a room with all of them. It’s highly likely I’ll lose control…. I need you to stick close without making yourself known to the others….. Could you do that for me?” Sarah lifted her head and nuzzled Esme’s cheek softly.

Esme had her answer. Smiling softly, she hugged Sarah for a moment, then opened her eyes as she let her go. She was already feeling better having Sarah so close to her; the pain and tightness in her chest had settled, and she felt like she could breathe again. Standing from the bed, with a hand resting on Sarah, she looked over at Duke to ask him something, but the frantic knocking on the door and Dean yelling for Nat caused her to jump. She knew that tone. “This can’t be good.” she said, her tone holding worry. Esme almost ran to the door, then pulled it open and stepped out with Sarah at her side. “What’s going on!” she asked Dean.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

Before Duke wrapped his arms around Esme and ran his fingertips along her spine, she had gotten caught up in the emotions she felt radiating from him. The more she let herself take them in, the more transparent they became, causing her to inwardly sigh and push down the fear of losing him. She wouldn’t let herself think about that, even though she knew it was a possibility. The thought of losing him was just too much for her to think about right now. She also knew that he knew that even though Duke would do anything to keep her alive, she would do the same for him. When Duke acknowledged her embrace and muttered a response, she was pulled away from that horrible thought. A small smile came to her lips, and she softly nodded to his comment about Dean. She knew that to be a cold, hard fact.

As he lifted his head from her chest, the urge to hold him tighter was strong. When he wrapped his fingers around the back of her neck, pulled her close, and smiled brightly, Esme smiled back, seeing the message he was trying to convey. It did her heart good in that moment to know that everything was good between them, that they were on the same page, and that they were going into this together. It put her mind at ease, knowing nothing conflicting was between them as they dove head-first into what loomed ahead. Esme rested her forehead against his to tell him she got his message loud and clear. When he asked his teasing question with that signature bright smile still on his lips, she softly laughed, then lifted her head just enough to see his face with a thoughtful look. “Hmm, I’m afraid I don’t either.” Esme teased back.

She shifted so she could get her legs out from under herself, then slid herself over to sit across his lap. Placing a gentle hand on his cheek, Esme brought his face closer so their noses touched. “But I’m sure we can put our heads together and figure something out.” She honestly didn’t care what they did for the next few hours. She’d be perfectly content just staying in his lap, holding each other, or even laying in bed wrapped up in each other’s embrace. Smiling more, she softly brushed her nose against his before kissing him passionately.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

Esme watched Duke’s face and body after she had asked her question. She knew she was asking a lot of him, which would be hard for him. When he sighed through his nose and his shoulders tensed, this half worried her about what he might say, but when Duke smirked at her teasing, a small smile came to her lips. It relieved her slightly that she could get a smirk from him with the high tension between them. As he answered her question, her smile grew a little more. Duke’s willingness to try was all she could ask for from him. She wasn’t about to try and change the way he was; she just wanted him to try and put more thought into his actions. “That’s all I ask.” she replied as he flashed his smile. Then, she gave the softest laugh when he had a comeback from her teasing. “That so? I find that a little hard to believe.” The thought of him being more scared of her fists than demons was funny. As unlikely as it was, Esme could picture Duke cowering in front of her while she was trying to kick his ass for something he’d done.

At his touch, Esme briefly closed her eyes, then looked up into Duke’s eyes. The lightness of his touch told her so much about what he was feeling, probably more than he wanted her to know, and she could mirror wanting to be comforted. She fought the urge to crawl onto his lap, wrap herself around him, and hold him close to her to comfort him; how he bit his lip kept her from doing it. She could feel Duke was hiding something from her. She hoped he’d tell her when he was ready. What Duke said next caused Esme to give partly into her urge. Getting on her knees, she inched closer, wrapped her arms around him, and pulled him in as close as possible, cradling his head against her chest. “I hear you, bright eyes. I wouldn’t expect it to be any other way.” she said softly. She kissed the top of his head, then rested her head on his. That's how it was when it was the three of them; why would it be any different now? “As for when to break the news to the others…. Whenever we can peacefully have them in one room together.”

She honestly didn’t want to think about telling the others now or what was coming. She just wanted to comfort Duke, ease the tension between them, and spend a little more time together before things got chaotic. Was that too much to ask for? Did that make her sound selfish? Maybe, but she didn’t care because of what she knew was coming. She hardly ever asked much of anyone unless it was essential. She also put everyone before herself and would feel guilty about something small for herself. But this, she didn’t just want it; she desperately needed it. She also wanted things right between them before everything got chaotic.

(wolvena/furiephoenix) Daughter's of Darkness (Supernatural rp)

Arabella nodded to Harper’s response to using her knife to make the rip bigger. She knew going forward without widening the tear that removing the shard would be more painful and cause more problems later. As annoying as it was, it would have to be done. From the corner of her eye, Bella watched Harper retrieve her knife from her jacket and carefully make the rip broader and longer before setting the pocket knife down. Then she saw the signs of Harper preparing to remove the shard and heard her warning, but Harper quickly pulled out the shard before she could even inhale to hold her breath. “Son of a Banshee!” Bella hissed through gritted teeth. She then took in a sharp breath through her nose as her wound was splashed with alcohol. Bella hardly felt it when Harper began to stitch her up. The shards removal was much worse than the stitches, which was slightly funny to her. As Harper talked through her stitching, Bella nodded, glad that this part of the night was nearly over. “You do nice work. I guess I should consider myself lucky it wasn’t any worse.” she said with a light laugh and smile.

Once Harper had finished with her injury and got off the bed, Bella carefully sat up on the bed and pulled her arm out of the sleeve of her jacket as she stood up. After adjusting her shirt, she looked at Harper as she spoke and gave a light laugh, feeling she could relate relatively well to her. “I have to say I’m pretty thankful myself. With what we went through tonight, I’m pretty confident we wouldn’t have come out looking very pretty if we had gone it alone. And don’t even get me started on being on a case with male hunters and having it turn chaotic. It’s a wonder I came out of them in one piece.” She couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her lips as a couple of those cases came to mind. As chaotic as those cases were, she was still glad she hadn’t gone alone. Garth and the hunter that came with him had proven to be a big help. However, she thought she may have unnerved the men by choosing her bo staff as her weapon, her fighting style resembling dance-fighting, and how she seemed to enjoy the fighting. Which was half true.

Pulling herself from the memory, Arabella focused her attention back on Harper. Even though the two of them had just met, she felt that they worked well together, which was a rarity for her when it came to meeting someone new. It was a bit disappointing thinking about them parting ways in the morning. Sighing inwardly, brushed the thought from her mind. “So, what’s your plan for the rest of the night? Order in and turn in, or go out and blow off some steam?” she asked Harper.