Wolvena

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

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.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

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.

All Roads Lead To You

Esme

Esme looked up at Duke, seeing the frown on his face from her words before he shook his head. She looked into his bright blue eyes behind his gunmetal colored mask and took in his words, and her mind began to wander slightly. Could she possibly be overthinking the whole situation with the handsy assholes? Was he really not bothered by the way she took control of the situation? If it were Dean standing there with her, it would be a completely different story. Esme brought herself back and focused on Duke’s words and how he was doing everything he could to lighten her mood and bring her back to where she was earlier. Seeing him smile down at her made it hard for her not to smile back. It was so easy to match his energy and let him influence her into doing things she normally would have thought twice about doing, depending on who the person was. At that moment, she could only assume this was a couple of the many reasons Dean never wanted her to get too close to Duke. But it had been hard not to get wrapped up in who Duke was since they had met.

His last few questions almost broke her into smiling, especially when he moved his hand from the back of her neck and brought it up to pinch her nose, causing her nearly to cross her eyes as she watched his hand. Looking back at his face, she saw the mischief from earlier had returned to his eyes. Placing a hand on his chest, she lightly pushed against him to put a little distance between them, then dropped her head to look at their feet, and sighed dramatically to hide the smile that came to her lips and the laugh that threatened to show itself. She was easily getting swept up in his sweet and mischievous nature again. She shook her head softly as she collected herself and put on a straight and serious face again. “Bandit stuff, huh?” Esme’s tone was calm and serious, it didn’t hold any sign of laughter or teasing. “Something tells me there’s more behind that.” Lifting her head, she looked up into Duke’s face, her eyes narrowed, and no smile. “I think you’re trying to get me drunk. That way I’ll forget about what happened and them, and be fun again, right? I’m not entirely sure how I feel about that.”

She turned her face to the bar momentarily and sighed heavily. “Also, if you get me drunk, you could help me unload these 'trinkets' without complaining too much, too, right?” she asked, looking up at him. “Hmm.” she added thoughtfully. “I wonder what kind of scene that would cause, or what Dean would think. I don’t think he’d take seeing you fishing things out of the front of my dress too well.” Although she was teasing him, the thought of getting tipsy didn’t sound like a bad idea at that moment. They were at a party after all, but she didn’t want to get so drunk she couldn’t walk straight or hold her own. The images playing in her mind became too much for her to handle, and her serious look melted into a grin that was followed by a laugh. Stepping to his side, she linked her arm with his and gave a little tug. “Come on, Mister Oil Tycoon. Let’s go get that drink. I’ll even let you decide what I get….. If you want to, that is.”

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

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.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

Hearing Duke laugh at her statement before Anna showed up brought some relief to Esme. If she could make him laugh at a time like this, it showed her that he wasn’t too far gone mentally, like she feared he might be. His reply caused her to hold back her laughter a little. She could see herself positioned between Duke and the others, and fighting anyone who got too close to her or took a swing at Duke. She didn’t like the idea of taking on any member of their group, but she definitely would if she had to. Which made her slightly wonder, who would look the worse after a fight like that, and if any of them would actually take her on. She had quickly shaken the thoughts from her mind as Anna approached and spoke to them. Esme watched Anna’s movements and the way she avoided looking her in the eye, but at least she answered her question. She also took note of how she briefly made eye contact with Duke, telling her that Duke hadn’t scared Anna as much as they had thought. But her using magic and everyone knowing she was human seemed to hit quite differently.

Esme couldn’t help but let this bother her a little, even though Anna had every right to be wary of her. She sighed inwardly, just barely catching the words spoken between Duke and Anna. Her mind had begun to wander as she stood there. She knew Duke accepted her, and Dean had shown he did too, but what about the others? What did they truly think about her now that they knew? Esme was pulled back to the conversation when Anna addressed them both, and then her. She nodded softly after finally making eye contact with Anna. “He’s lucky to have you, Anna.” she started softly. “Of course, I’d like that…. And yes, we’re good.” Esme smiled warmly at Anna, doing her best to show she meant what she said. She would hate it if anything came between their friendship. In the short time they had known each other, she had grown quite fond of the girl. If they spent more time together, she could see their friendship blossom into a more sisterly bond. Esme didn’t turn back to Duke until Anna left to go back to Sam. She closed her eyes and sighed heavily as she shook her head.

“Looks like I was the scariest out of the two of us this time.” she said softly to Duke. “It’s a strange feeling having someone other than a demon be afraid of me…. I guess my actions at the warehouse affected her more than I thought.” Esme’s voice trailed off a bit at the end of her sentence. Opening her eyes, she looked up at Duke, a small, slightly forced smile resting on her lips. “I’ll explain later. Let’s grab some clean clothes and get cleaned up first.” She fully intended to explain everything to him, even if she was a little nervous about how he’d take the news, but she wanted to get the remnants of their bad night off of her first. Without another word, Esme took Duke’s good hand into hers and led the way to the RV to gather their clean clothes so they could take a shower. Other than wanting to shower, she wanted this night to be over; she also wanted to forget about everything that had happened the past three or four days, but that wasn’t happening. There was no way she could forget about any of it, especially the fact that they had lost Mika and the news she had received from the demons.

It was all etched into her memory, and the words of the demons continued to ring in her ears. There was no escaping any of it. Esme still wasn’t sure just how much of what they said she truly believed. She still needed to talk to her godmother about it all, but she was hesitant about that as well. She knew the woman would want to take her and lock her away from the world to keep her safe, just like she did after pulling her out of the asylum those years ago. When Esme and Duke were just feet from the RV, Esme let go of Duke’s hand and turned when she heard the sound of heavy footsteps quickly coming at them, and held up her hands in front of herself. “Sarah, slow down!” she said to the Hellhound. But it was too late, Sarah came sliding across the gravel and slammed into her. Esme hit the ground with a grunt and groan as Sarah landed on top of her. Sarah then proceeded to nuzzle Esme’s face as she whined, happy she was back. Esme groaned as she placed her hands on Sarah and patted her sides as she lightly laughed at the Hellhound’s affection.

“I know, I know. I’m sorry I worried you, girl.” Esme said in a slightly strained soothing tone. “Next time we go on a recovery mission, you can go with us.” she whispered to Sarah. “I could have really used your help tonight.” Esme then moved her hands up to Sarah’s head and scratched behind her ears and the top of her head. “If I had you there tonight, maybe I wouldn’t have ended up in such a rough state.” Sarah gave a light growl in response and laid her head on Esme’s uninjured shoulder and nuzzled into her once more. “I’ll keep that in mind for the next time.” Esme laughed softly as she patted Sarah’s head.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

As Esme waited for Duke’s response, she moved her hand to rest on his chest, and her mind momentarily drifted back to the times they had used the bucket to get clean. She could hear his voice echoing in her mind, telling her she didn’t have to use the bucket and that he didn’t want her to get cold with how cold the water was, and then somehow, a water fight would break out between them. It caused a slight smile to tug at the corners of her mouth. She was pulled back to the present when Duke responded to her. She softly shook her head as that smile tugged at her lips a bit more. “You’re right about that.” she said softly. She nodded to his statement, then almost clung to him as she felt him pull his good hand away from her. Esme wanted to stay like this just a bit longer, and it surprised her how quickly he reacted to her shower suggestion. When the door opened and the cool night air hit her, she shivered slightly. Duke then surprised her again, before she could slide off his lap, he scooted to the side, dropped to the ground, then slid her down his body until her feet touched ground.

Once on her feet, she wrapped an arm around him and looked up at him with a soft, loving smile. Reaching up, she placed her hand softly on his cheek. “Leave keeping your cast dry to me. As for approaching the others…. We’ll get through that together, but I’m sure they’ll be happy that you're alive and home.” she told him as she rubbed his cheek with her thumb. “Emotions were high earlier, things were said and done. If it hadn’t been you and Dean who fought, it could have easily been two of the others or even me.” Standing on her tiptoes, she pulled his head toward her and kissed his jaw softly. “And besides, if any of them have a problem and come after you, they’ll have to go through me first. I’ll kick anyone's ass who tries to lay a hand on you.” she told him matter-of-factly with a warm smile. Esme knew Duke knew she would do it too, because this wouldn’t be the first time she had done it. More than once in their past, she had stepped up and taken on fights for him.

This point in time was no different, except for the fact that they were now a true couple, and the link between them had grown even stronger than it was back then. “I know you’d do the same for me if I were in your position.” she added, letting her gaze and hand drop to his chest. Esme opened her mouth to say more, but quickly closed it when she felt someone drawing closer to them. She smiled softly when she realized it was Anna. She turned slightly to watch her come into view. “Anna’s coming.” she told him softly. Esme slightly tightened her grip around Duke just before Anna’s face came into view. She knew Anna was glad to see them both alive and okay, but she still wasn’t sure how close Anna wanted to be to her after seeing her use magic earlier that day. “Yes, we are. A little banged up and gross, but okay nonetheless.” she responded in a warm tone. Esme wanted to go and hug her to reassure her, but she remained at Duke’s side. She wanted to leave that choice up to Anna, since she knew she had freaked her out a bit. “How are you holding up, Anna?”

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

Esme watched Duke grappling with what she had told him, like always. No matter how many times she pleaded with him to let her in and share his feelings and thoughts with her, he wouldn’t or couldn’t. It was one of the main reasons she worried about him so much, even back in the day, and was even the cause of most of their arguments. But she was determined to get her words through that thick skull of his and to make him see she was there for him through everything. She was there for the good and the bad and wasn’t leaving him because he lost himself to grief. However, if she were honest with herself, she should be listening to her own words. She wasn’t the greatest at sharing or expressing her own emotions or troubles with anyone, either. Esme often kept them bottled up inside until they finally exploded from her, and that had recently become quite dangerous with her new powers presenting themselves. Like Duke, Esme had only let out a small portion of her emotions to others and bottled and suppressed the majority of them, either out of fear or not wanting to burden others with them.

The only person she had truly been open with was her mother, but after she lost her mother, she never truly opened up to anyone, not even her godmother, to whom she felt she could tell anything. There were a couple she would open up to, but they had fur and four legs. So did they really count? Maybe and maybe not, but that didn’t matter to her; she hadn’t seen them in quite a while, since it had been some time since she had been home with her godmother. She would have to find time to go and visit. She had been away for far too long as it was. Esme also needed to call her godmother and update her on everything that had happened recently. Which she knew would worry her, but also knew she would possibly be able to find some answers to the many questions rolling around in her mind. Some of those answers she was still waiting to hear from Cason, hoping he had found out a few things. Esme was desperate to know if he’d had a chance to find out anything or heard anything from other demons. However, there was a part of her that wondered if she wanted to know the answers. Could she mentally handle the answers with no way to talk to her parents?

When Duke responded to her pleas, Esme sighed inwardly and nearly closed her eyes before he looked into her eyes. “I know.” she said before he continued. She wasn’t expecting him to be good at it, especially with it being new to him. She just wanted him to talk to her and not run off when things got to be too much to handle. A slight smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as he spoke, and she nodded. “You’re welcome, but I couldn’t leave you even if everything inside me was telling me to.” she told him honestly with a small sniffle. “And halfway sounds good. Knowing that much will help my sanity a bit.” She wanted to say more, but Cason suddenly clearing his throat caused her to flinch; she had momentarily forgotten he was there while trying to get through to Duke. Esme sighed heavily at Cason’s words, but also nodded in agreement. Her eyes briefly closed as Duke pulled his hand from hers and wiped away her tears as he replied to Cason. “Yeah, that might be for the best.” she replied to Cason with a sniffle.

About An Hour Later

Esme had stayed quiet the entire ride back to Bobby’s, secretly watching Duke and staying in tune with what emotions she could feel coming from him. Halfway through the ride, she had reached over and taken his hand in hers, just waiting to have something to hold onto and feel that he was there. These close calls of losing him were weighing heavily on her mind, as well as the loss of Mika. As soon as they passed under the sign for the junkyard, Esme’s chest grew tight and achy, making it a bit difficult to breathe. When Cason parked Duke’s truck, she didn’t move; she continued to stare out the window and didn’t attempt to get out. The closing of the door somewhat snapped her back to reality, and she only nodded to Cason’s words, then looked at her and Duke’s hands and intertwined fingers. After a moment of silence, Esme shifted to look at Duke, then carefully pulled herself into his lap, bringing his good arm around her and resting his casted arm in her lap. She then leaned into him, resting her head softly on his shoulder and her forehead resting against his neck without saying a word, just like she did back in the day when either of them needed to be quietly comforted.

She could still remember the times he would pull her into his lap and hug her tightly to his chest whenever she and Dean would disagree about something, and she’d storm off and sit somewhere. In this case, she wanted to feel his arms around her, hear his breathing and heartbeat in her ears, as well as be a comfort for him. As she sat in his lap, she could also remember the times she had pulled him aside and pulled him in close to keep him from bolting, which sometimes worked but not every time. Esme took a breath and slowly let it out as she nuzzled her forehead against Duke’s neck and held his good arm around her. It felt like hardly any time had passed when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Without moving too much, she pulled her phone from her pocket and opened the text that was from Cason. She typed a quick one-handed response and hit send. “Alright, thanks.” She then tucked her phone back into her pocket. “ Cason said Dean is out cold if we want to go inside…. If anything, we can just go in to get cleaned up.” she told him, in a voice just above a whisper. “Unless you just want to use the bucket tonight.”

Even if Dean was out cold, she wasn’t entirely sure he would want to go into the house or not after everything that had happened that night, which she couldn’t blame him. She, on the other hand, preferred the shower over the bucket. There was only so much you could do with a towel and a bucket of water, and there was no way she would feel clean enough to sleep only using them tonight. Whatever he chose, her mind was set firmly on the shower, even though she didn’t want to leave him alone for any length of time.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Name: Rosie Rawlins

Nicknames: Rose, Ro, Rawlins, Red(use at your own risk)

Species: Human/Hunter

Age: 27

Appearance:


Relationship to characters(optional): Duke’s cousin. Esme’s friend.

Bio:
Rosie’s parents tried to give her as normal a life as possible. They didn’t want her to get tangled up in the life of a hunter like they were. When her parents would catch word of a case, they would leave Rosie with her mother’s brother and family, because of this, Rosie became close to them, especially their son, Jason. Rosie’s life changed the night Jason and his family were attacked and killed by Werewolves. With an attack so close to home, they knew they needed to give her the tools to protect herself. Several weeks later, Rosie’s training had begun. To her parents' surprise, she was a quick study and breezed through everything they taught her over the next several years. A few weeks after her sixteenth birthday, tragedy struck her family again. What was supposed to be an easy in-and-out small Vampire nest eradication, turned out to be an even bigger job than any of them intended. Shortly after entering the abandoned building, the three were separated, despite fighting to stay together. After putting up one hell of a fight, the Vampires were killed, and Rosie and her family walked out of the building.

Their normal successful hunt celebration was cut short when Rosie’s parents started to show signs of Vampirism. It was her worst nightmare come true. Not wanting to kill her parents, Rosie spent days trying to help her parents work through the bloodlust and not go on a killing spree. Her methods seemed to work until she cut herself one day, and all her head work came crashing down on her. After a struggle, Rosie ended up taking the lives of her parents and giving them a hunter’s funeral. Soon afterwards, she caught word of the Werewolf pack that killed Jason and his parents had struck again. She had been keeping an ear open so she could track them down and take out the pack, but now that she was alone, she was going to need help. She’d be stupid to take on this task alone. Putting feelers out, the name Rufus Turner came up. After obtaining a bottle of his favorite drink, she found him and talked him into helping her find the Werewolf pack and take it out. Taking out the pack together was no easy task with how much the two butt heads and both wanted to take the lead on things.

Both came out banged up and bruised, Rosie a little worse off than Rufus. She received four large scratches across her lower back from a Werewolf that had snuck up on her before Rufus could shoot it. After he patched her up, they shared a drink and talked. After learning she was on her own, he took her under his wing and trained her, continuing where her parents left off. As the years passed, Rosie went on many cases with Rufus and on her own, often the thought of leaving the life behind crossed her mind, since she had done what she had planned to do, avenge Jason and his parents, but something would always draw her back in. Almost as if something was telling her she still had more to see, do, and innocent people to help.

Weapons: An assortment of pistols, knives, salt, holy water, lighters, lighter fluid, and anything else you can think of that a hunter needs.

Vehicle: A dark blue and white 1972 Ford F-100

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

When Duke looked at Esme, she looked into his eyes, holding his gaze just as he did hers. She saw the tears he was battling just like herself, not hiding them from her. She had somewhat relaxed internally because, for once, he was calm and willing to listen as she talked. As Esme looked at him, she could see that her words were getting through to him, and he confirmed it when he said he knew. Having Duke acknowledge her words and admit that things were out of control felt like a breakthrough moment for her and him. Even Duke saying it was maybe his next step felt like another breakthrough. And even before he said it, Esme knew he didn't know how to control his temper. It was also something she wanted to help him learn to control. She needed him to understand that he didn't have to deal with all of this alone anymore, and he needed to let her in instead of shutting her out because he was afraid of how it would affect her. Esme watched as Duke paused and looked at the ceiling, seeming to find the next words he wanted to say to her.

She took this moment to reply softly to him. “I think it would be the perfect next step.” Esme continued to watch him, focusing on his face intently. She could tell he wanted to bottle everything up and focus on her well-being. That was who he was. When Duke sighed and looked back at her, Esme looked into his eyes and listened to what he had to say. She did not attempt to interrupt him, but her tired features softened, and her eyes saddened as he spoke. Duke was telling her everything she had suspected, and it broke her heart to hear it out loud. But his finally opening up to her was another step towards making their relationship work and become closer than they ever were in the past. Esme had always wanted this from Duke, and now that she finally had him opening up to her, she hardly knew what to say as her mind was racing with so many things to say to him, having Duke feel like second best and a burden wasn’t something she wanted him to think or feel. Duke was far more than second best to her, and she had always been in his corner.

Esme ran a hand through her hair, signing heavily, and closed her eyes briefly. Duke's words echoed in her mind, and she thought about how she wanted to respond. Esme stood from her chair with a wince, unable to stay sitting any longer. Taking a few steps away from her chair, she turned and looked back at Duke, her expression soft, her tired eyes sad and teary. “I don't think, I know you have. In the moment, you have always been what you thought others needed or wanted you to be. You've even done it with me when you didn't have to, and I never expected it of you.” she told Duke softly. “You don't always have to be what you think others need or expect. You are allowed to show how you truly feel. And I wouldn't call it screwing up. You just…. Tend to let your heart override your head. As do I.” Esme fell silent, stepped closer to Duke, placed a gentle hand on his, and squeezed it gently. “I know…. I know you're afraid of losing me because of what happened today…. And that nastier side of you is a bit much being an empath, but it will take more than that and getting hit in the nose to push me away.”

Esme softly rubbed her thumb across the back of Duke’s hand as she looked at him. She brought her bandaged hand up to her tight and achy chest. “And I know how much you're struggling with…. Losing Mika. The whole group is struggling. No one is expecting you to move on quickly. It’s going to take all of us time to get to a point where it doesn’t hurt so much, but we’ll never really move on fully. But you don’t have to go through this pain alone. I’m here, and I want to be there for you like you always were and still are for me. Let me in. Talk to me. Please, Duke, don’t shut me out anymore because you’re afraid of how it will affect me. We’re not just a couple. We’re a team.” The tears Esme had been fighting back spilled from her eyes, down her cheeks, and off her chin as she sniffled.

Supernatural - Hell On The Horizon

Esme

Esme had looked over at Cason before stepping under Duke’s other arm and shook her head at Cason’s words. She wasn’t expecting an apology from him, but she did wonder what he wanted to talk about and if it was the same thing she wanted to talk about. Knowing Cason, it was probably something completely different. “You have nothing to be sorry about. I knew this wouldn’t be a cakewalk when I demanded you let me help.” Esme told him before Duke spoke. She sighed softly as she adjusted her grip around Duke as Cason answered, which made her smile tiredly and almost laugh. When she caught Cason smirking over at her, Esme kept her smile and shook her head lightly, realizing that Cason was trying to lighten the mood a bit. She was glad that Cason was trying to lighten the mood, knowing Duke would need it. Getting Duke back to his usual self was one of her main goals. If Esme couldn’t do that, she knew that she would more than likely lose him, and that was something she wouldn’t be able to come back from on her own. Duke had become her weakness, and she knew if Ryker and the other demons knew, they would use him against her.

Esme knew things would get difficult during and after saying goodbye to Mika, but she was still grateful that they wouldn’t be burning two bodies. That would be far too much for the group to handle. It was already hard enough having lost Mika. Before the three walked to the door, Esme had slipped the angle blade she was still holding into her belt and placed her hand on Duke’s chest. As they walked through the door and into the lot, Esme looked over at Cason as he spoke about how he was willing to ride in Duke’s truck, then said he would drive it. She softly laughed, but it faded as Duke spoke about having to hot-wire his truck to start it. “Instead of just keeping your keys, I should have removed the starter.” she said softly. Esme wasn’t sure if that would have kept this from happening, but it would have at least given her more time to get to him before he ran off and got himself into this mess. However, she would have also never run into Venrik and learned the name of the demon that started the experiments on her in the asylum.

Then again, did knowing his name really help her out now? Esme had no idea where Ryker was or what he even looked like, and who was to say she could kill him if they ever found him. There was also the possibility that he’d learn she was alive if he didn’t already know, come for her, beat her, and start the experiments all over again. The thought of having to go through all that again scared the hell out of her.

At the hospital

Esme sat in a chair beside the bed Duke lay in. She had two nurses tending to her shoulder after a small fight getting her jacket and flannel off. When they finished with her shoulder, they moved to her burnt hand. After they removed the bandana from her hand, she shoved it into her jacket pocket while she told them a story about what happened when they asked her. Esme spouted a bit of nonsense in her tired state, and they all seemed to buy it for the most part. Probably thinking she was internally struggling by how calm she was acting and staring off at nothing in particular while they tended to her wounds. Esme had barely glanced at Cason as the nurses wanted to look him over, which she usually would have smirked at. Esme had receded into her thoughts, going over everything that went on and what she had learned, causing her to tune out everything the nurses said and did to her. As her thoughts drifted to Ryker, she grew uneasy, and it was her turn to want to run even though she didn’t know his whereabouts. She didn’t want the others, especially Duke, to get tangled up in this part of her past.

Part of her wanted to run and draw this threat away from the group. Esme didn’t even want to call Sassy and tell her about it, even though she knew the woman needed to know and be prepared for whatever could come their way. She was pulled from her thoughts with a sharp intake of breath at Duke’s voice. As he spoke, she looked down at her hands after she realized the nurses working on her were gone. His words made her sigh heavily and close her eyes. Esme knew Duke felt like he really messed up with his actions, especially by punching her in the nose. “I don’t hate you, Duke. But you’re lucky I was worried about you. Otherwise, I’d be kicking your ass right now.” she said tiredly. What I do hate is how you let everything bottle up until it comes out in one giant explosion. I hate that you won’t talk to me before it gets to the point where you….” Esme cut herself off as she grabbed her jacket off the arm of the chair, carefully swung it around behind her, and draped it over her shoulders. Opening her eyes, she looked at the nurse, who was finishing up with Duke’s cast.

When the nurse finished and told them they should be discharged soon, Esme nodded before the nurse left the room. Esme looked at Duke with tired eyes. “To the point where you feel you have to run and find something to take your emotions out on or find something to kill you.” she finished with some difficulty. She turned her eyes back to her lap, fidgeting with the bandage on her hand, her hair falling to cover her face. “I know you thought it was Cason that grabbed you and that you’d never lay a hand on me, but you did because you bottled your anger. You can’t keep this up. It was Dean and me this time. Who’s it going to be the next time you lose control? How far will it go before someone can stop you if I can’t use my empathy or I’m not there?” she told him. Esme refused to let the frustrated tears welling up in her eyes fall. She looked up from her lap and looked at Duke, her tired, teary eyes holding worry for what could happen. “And if you ended up getting yourself…. Before we could get to you. I wouldn’t survive that, Duke.” Esme let out a shaky breath and fell silent.