#HiB mirrors

[ukbathroomshoponline]

Here at bathroom shop UK, we stock the full range of HiB Illuminated and Non Illuminated Mirrors, Illuminated and Non Illuminated Mirror Cabinets, lights, and more. Choose from Square, round, oval, large mirrors or small, there really is a mirror to suit every bathroom.

[newkatzkafe2023]

Okay, so since we have been talking, I really want to see the next part in the Coraline au continuation. If that's okay, (particularly HIB and MK reborn, lol.) no pressure, you said you liked requests but i just want to be considerate still.

Part 3 of Beldam (Y/N)🥳

(Lmk Wukong) His jaw was still touching the floor when he saw you. He observed the black monkey who was wearing a Sundress and some cute sandals. But unfortunately the despite all that he was still staring at her pair of yellow buttons That is in place of her eyes.

(Lmk Wukong): W-Who Are you?!?!😰

Monkey (Y/N): I'm sorry I must have frightened you. I tend to do that , but I'm your wife (Y/N)

(Lmk Wukong) Okay first of all I don't have a wife and second of all even if I did I doubt she would have B.....B......

Monkey (Y/N)B....B...B..Buttons??? Do you like them they're in my favorite color now dinner is Almost Ready is so can you please drop off this package next door to Pigsy and Tang They're not too far from here😊

Wukong to the box and silently left. What the hell is going on around here and Bixby and Tang right here? Maybe don't know what's happening

When Wukong got to the Restaurant he walked in to see pigsy and Tang sitting by a Piano.

Lmk Wukong: Hey you too (Y/N) Who told me to drop this off for you guys

It's when they both turn around to show their button eyes Wukong Own eye twitched Wondering if he really is going insane

Other Pigsy: Oh good you have it

Other Tang: (Y/N) It's truly the best not that we have it we can play the piano now

(Lmk Wukong) Nither of you know how to play a piano

Both: Well of course we can't we have to play it together watch Make up an song about Sun wukong, He's a King, He's a Hero, He can do no Wrong, He's as noble as Budda in the eyes of everyone who ever lay their eyes on Sun Wukong. When he comes around Adventuring (Y/N) Vow to make it beholding on eye on Sun Wukong🎵🎶🎵🎶🎶🎵🎶

Monkey king actually like the song. He heard before he wave goodbye to the two and return to your home where she was surprised with all types of noodles and peach chips.

Monkey (Y/N) Surprise hope you like it

And Wukong did After you told him you were waiting for him for quite a long time. He then started to feel really tired. Especially from the day he had looking for those missing men with Mk.

Monkey (Y/N) You look tired let's get you to bed now

(Y/N) Then led him to a bedroom where all of his collection over the years was much more neither than before after you gave Cherry's juice to help him get some sleep.

Monkey (Y/N) Good night my king I had a lot of fun tonight💛

(Mk Reborn Wukong) This is bizarre on so many levels. First of all he was not expecting to walk into a mirror. Second of all he was also not expecting that said mirror To cause and tomet up with a female monkey. Third of all He didn't expect the female monkey to be just as snarky is him

(MKR Wukong) What are you talking about and what happened to your eyes? Why I do that you have??

Monkey (Y/N): Buttons nice to know you noticed you you're not put off by it are you???

(MKR Wukong) N-No just want is the story of that?!?!

Monkey (Y/n) Hehe🤭 I'll explain the story of that later , but i'm gonna need you To drop off a package to pigsy For me please then come back when dinner is ready

Wukong takes the box 📦 from you and walked of he was trying to still rap his head around in everything. There's a female monkey who Just said she was waiting for him and now she's sending him off. To do a quick favor like he should be full of questions right now. And another thing pigz is here he knew about This place maybe he's gonna know what's going on. Though he doubts it, but he's his best chance of understanding. What the hell any of this is. When he got their he found pigsy Alright But he too had button eyes

Other Pigsy: Welcome my king

Finally some respect this is something he can get used to

Mk Wukong: (Y/N) Wanted me to give this package to you

Other Pigsy: Oh good she's the best now I can work on my piano

Mk Wukong: What you don't play Piano

Other Pigsy: Well of course I don't the piano plays me Watch this. Make up an song about Sun wukong, He's a King, He's a Hero, He can do no Wrong, He's as noble as Budda in the eyes of everyone who ever lay their eyes on Sun Wukong. When he comes around Adventuring (Y/N) Vow to make it beholding on eye on Sun Wukong🎵🎶🎵🎶🎶🎵🎶

Monkey king Clapped his hands liking what he was hearing After talking Wukong Wave goodbye To the other pigs and left back home to you What do you smell a lot of food.

Wukong Soon fell in himself challing down some vegetable fried rice and Other foods their was noodles and soup Dumplings too.

Monkey (Y/N) I hope you like it. I have other stuff. You wanna try if you're hungry still

(MKR Wukong) No man this is great but I am thirsty

Monkey (Y/N) All right say it less I got peach tea

Wukong Drank the tea before (Y/N) You put a cake in front of him saying welcome home

Monkey (Y/N) I've been waiting A long time for your Sun Wukong. I really hope you enjoy your stay here With me here. You can have anything you want Just as that's all you have to do.

Wukong Smiled At you but he suddenly felt tired i'm all of the food he had

Mk Wukong: (Y/N) Thanks, but I'm really need to get to bed. Masters gonna come looking for me

Monkey (Y/N) Of course that is very important let's get you a bed

(Y/n) Lead The monkey king to less mess version of his room Everything was organized from top to bottom. And that's when she brought him to bed not before him some cherry juice to help fall asleep

Monkey (Y/N) Good night🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵🎵🎶🎵

(NR Wukong) He just stood there, He stood in silence. All he did was stare into what? But what have been your eyes if it wasn't further bright Pink buttons. He had absolutely no idea What else to say. The dude was for once Speechless

Monkey (Y/N) Handsome? Earth to handsome? Are you okay hubby? you look like you saw ghosts you're not sick are you?

Wukong Was able to snap out of it a little but

(NR Wukong) Um yeah??? Is there a story about your Bu.............Bu...........

Monkey (Y/N) Oh my buttons do you like them I always thought they were neat No I enough those chit chat foods getting cold but I do need you to do me a quick favor??? Can you please take this package to Su She's not too far from here so just drop it off at her house.

(NR Wukong) No problem I guess

Monkey (Y/N) Thank you baby

Wukong Walked out of the house In silence and confusion what is Li's girlfriend doing here and why is she living so close Maybe he really showed to get out More He got to the big expensive looking house. He walked in inside to see Su with her own pair of buttons when the middle of the living room playing a piano

Other Su: Wukong good to see you. Oh Good, she sent the package over as a thing. I wrote a song for you

Other Su: Making up a song about Wukong🎵 He's a King , He's a Hero, He can do no wrong🎶 He's as noble as Budda in the eyes of everyone who ever lay their eyes on Sun Wukong. When he comes around Adventuring (Y/N) Vow to make it beholding on eye on Sun Wukong🎵🎶🎵🎶🎶🎵🎶

Nezha Actually enjoyed the song he heard and we've Goodbye to the other sill. That's where he returned back to home where he smelled a lot of food

Monkey (Y/N) So how do you like the soup dumplings they took me hours.

(NR Wukong) I love what you did but i'm kind of thirsty though

Monkey (Y/N) No problem, I have variety types of wine and alcohol. You know but if you feel like relaxing relaxing then I have tea as well. I also made brownies I hope you like them

Wukong ate one of your brownies with he started to feel Like he was on the elevator that was going up and down at the same time.

Monkey (Y/N) Probably should have mentioned that it was an edible. We better bring you the bed so that thing can wear off

(Y/N) Then brought the monkey king to retro bed And talk them in bernard before giving him some cherry juice To help.

(Y/N) Sweet dreams Handsome🩷

(HIB Wukong) He stood there in silence just looking at you like what is going on. Did he just walk into the sunken place or something. He has so many questions right now. But and fear of being rude towards you. I mean maybe you'll even notice but he'll just like be subtle with the question

(HIB) I'm terribly sorry but who are you and what happens here eyes????????

Monkey (Y/N) Oh Curious about my button Eyes they're so cute aren't they they're my favorite Color too. Do you like them??? I think they are wonderful.

(HIB) Still sorry for barging into your house. I didn't mean to I just found Strange tunnel and

Monkey (Y/N) Oh my sweet king, you don't have to apologize to me. In fact, I welcome you. Dinner is almost ready but I need you to do me a small favor. Can you please deliver this package to pigsy He lives next door can't miss him

Wukong then received The package from you before being pushed out gently. And he found himself walking down the street and auto pilot. He had so many questions and his main one is Pigsy actually here??? maybe he'll know what's going on because I am majorly perplex Wukong got to the house he saw tapping on a Piano.

(HIB) Pigsy????

Other Pigsy: Good evening your majesty!!!!

Wukong Frozen to see pigsy With button eyes?!

Other Pigsy: Oh good you have the package (Y/N) Truly is the best. Well to show you my gratitude I wrote you a song on my piano.

(HIB) When have you ever played the Piano

Other Pigsy: Just now, Here let me show you. Make up an song about Sun wukong, He's a King, He's a Hero, He can do no Wrong, He's as noble as Budda in the eyes of everyone who ever lay their eyes on Sun Wukong. When he comes around Adventuring (Y/N) Vow to make it beholding on eye on Sun Wukong🎵🎶🎵🎶

Monkey king Loved the song he heard After talking to the other pigzy, for a little bit, he returned home to you and he smelled fish as soon as he got there. Lots and lots of fish. I'm Not kidding from Deep fried fish to Fish soup And you had fried rice And soup dumplings with noodles.

Monkey (Y/N) Poor you, you must have been so hungry. I know I should cook the more i'm so inconsiderate

(HIB) No no I love all of this it's just i'm thirsty now

Monkey (Y/N) Oh you should have started with that come I have tea Green tea, oolong tea, And if you're feeling romantic red wine.

(HIB) Do you have Roasted Oolong tea

Monkey (Y/N) Yes sir

(Y/N) pour a cup of tea for Wukong before putting a Cake That said welcome home

(Y/n) I was waiting for you for so Wukong You have no idea how lonely I was but The waiting was worth it because I have you here now

Sun Wukong Add felt something as felt in a long time joy. This female monkey had worked very hard to impress him and make him happy and welcome him. Even though he basically broke an entered into her home , she didn't minded all and welcomed him with open arms.

Monkey (Y/N) It's getting late my king we should get you to bed we don't want You will to be all grumpy in the morning coming out

Wukong The rolled his eyes and followed you to the bedroom A bedroom he always dreamed of mind you after he drank the Cherry juice you gave him he fell right to sleep but not before he heard

Monkey (Y/N) See you soon🧡

(Netflix Wukong) This dude Went out like a light. Yeah it was quite embarrassing but can you blame him. He thought he walked into the home of another only to meet up with a female monkey Bright red button eyes. And his Is constitution can't take that You decided it was the best decision to lay him out on the couch until he wakes up.

Monkey (Y/N) Honey? honey? Woo hoo honey? Are you feeling better now?

Wukong After a little While Manage to regain consciousness.

(Netflix Wukong) Lin??? You never guess what happened I just had the crazy dream. I dreamt that I went through a door and it led me to pretty female monkey with button........

Sun Wukong has look to see the same female monkey He had met earlier with bright red Button eyes.

(Netflix Wukong) Eyes............ So it wasn't a dream after all......... And i'm possibly insane.

You Couldn't help but burst out laughing at the cute monkey boy in the front of you. He is such a silly little Guy isn't he?

Monkey (Y/N) Hehe, Nope, not a dream, Did you want it to be a dream? Well, now that you're okay, you can get ready for dinner. I need you to Do me a favor I need you to prefer this package to buddha pretty please, then you can come back down for dinner. Thank you

Wukong's Jaw dropped When he heard what you were asking of him , then you would quickly send them off before he can ask any questions When he got outside, he looked up nervously. And it's right , and so what appeared to be A run down shack of some kind. When he knocked on the door he saw border in the middle tapping on a piano

Other Buddha: Welcome!!!! (Y/N) Told me you were stopping by she said that you have the package for me. Stay for a bit I was actually playing on my piano

(Netflix Wukong) Budda don't play on a piano

Other Buddha: Well of course I don't the piano plays me

Other Buddha: Make up an song about Sun wukong, He's a King, He's a Hero, He can do no Wrong, He's as noble as I in the eyes of everyone who ever lay their eyes on Sun Wukong. When he comes around Adventuring (Y/N) Vow to make it beholding on eye on Sun Wukong🎵🎶🎵🎶🎶🎵🎶

Wukong is smug As all hell, when he heard that song Buddha would never sing Something like that to him but he's glad that his (Y/N)forced too. He said his goodbyes to buddha before returning to the house where he smelled Something incredible. He walked inside to see (Y/N) Made a whole table of peach flavored suites From putting to pie 🥧,Wukong Chill down with no problem at all.

Monkey (Y/N) Jeez Wukong you are really hungry huh🤭 Would you like anything to drink buddy

Netflix Wukong: Do you got a peach smoothie

Monkey (Y/N) Yes I do and i'm going to get some too

(Y/n) Pour the peach smoothie and put a cake In front of the monkey king The takes said welcome home

Monkey (Y/N) I was waiting a very long time for you. But now you are here and I am happy again

Wukong Blushed at the female monkeys words wondering what she meant. But he grew tired.

(Netflix Wukong) (Y/N) I really should be Getting to bed now

Monkey (Y/N) It's fine dear let's get you to bed

(Y/N) Then brought wu kong to a child like bedroom and got him ready to sleep , not before Giving him cherry juice saying that'll help him relax and ward off nightmares

Monkey (Y/N) I'll see you so and baby boy

FEEL FREE TO REBLOG

[harrison-abbott]

fall of a famous empire

There were visitors in the house and I could hear the voices downstairs, but I couldn’t go down to meet them. Just could not do that. For a few hours at least. Had a headache. Wind and rain and spots of sunshine outside the window in a colourwheel of mad weather. There were memories of hysterical family dinner tables and vindictive witches hurling around my mind at the same time and I leafed around on the internet the news was all gory and startling and I stuck on this documentary about the fall of a famous empire. When I went to the toilet and looked in the harsh mirror light there were wrinkles under the left eyelid and I hadn’t really thought yet how to deal with such things and I wondered whether it mattered much. On going down the corridor I spat the name of an old lover I hadn’t seen in five years and three months and her memory had manifested itself in this verbal tic where I said her name, randomly, when my consciousness crashed into a bad memory – of which there was a voluminous stock in my mind. [The doctors had already told me there was no medication for my condition. Ha.] I thought about travelling. Whether that was a good idea to bounce off to Europe again. Yes, fantastically; No, financially. Paris and Dublin are insanely expensive. Boo hoo hoop dee hoo. A few hours earlier in the evening I dreamed that the city’s electricity had been shut off and I watched the lights in the houses along the street all conk off and from inside the darkened windows thereafter there were the muffled sounds of men and women screaming in panic. The headache wasn’t evaporating after several pints of tap water and the tap water tasted like chemicals. Through the window were the emerging buds on the trees and yet the woods didn’t seem like the woodland I’d grown up with, nor the season signify the emergence of spring: time didn’t seem like anything. I wanted to leave the house and yomp up to the shop but my boots were in the kitchen and the visitors were in there too which meant I would need to say hello and do a lil bit o smalltok and I just couldn’t fancy that for the time being. I felt low and mean and anti-everybody. From boyhood I always thought I was gonna be somebody at this age and now I was this age I realised how silly childhood was and I wondered what I was supposed to do with existence and how I’d gotten to the point where the tinge of daylight seemed to sting my skin, and how, whenever it reached the a.m. hours, in the gloopy indigo dark of silent suburbia, it was only then that my thoughts began to tick again … if only ephemerally. You must despise the narrator. Sounds like a horrible bastard – yes, well – I despise him too. Who knows how it’ll end for him. The football was on. I checked up the scores out of mandatory … umm, checking necessity. Hibs were beating Celtic at Parkhead. 1 – 0 up and their main striker had also been sent off thirty minutes in. When I logged in and refreshed half an hour later Celtic were up 2 – 0. Same old shit and you wondered what made you return to a poor football team each weekend. Magpies out of the window. You saluted them. All four magpies, those beautiful birds! You had a book about world war two to read on the floor, a famous novel, with a red cover and a little boy as the main protagonist, and you wondered whether you’d ever create anything as startling as that. Your mind was in thirty places at once in the low hours of a normal Saturday. There was no way to ease its mania. But, who was there to help, except you?

[blog-reflection]

One / One - Gathering

Mildret: JAAAAMMMMESSSS could you please hurry up? We're running late for grandma this morning!

That's Mildret, other people know her as my mother. Last weekend, she agreed on get together for breakfast at my grandparents place but... If I'm being honest I don't really want to. I'm not in the mood, even tho I love them. I rolled over to my side and looked out the window next to my desk. Rain. Ofc rain. It's been raining for last two weeks. Tho, I like the sound of it. 

Mildret: JAMES I WILL NOT REPEAT MYSELF. COME DOWN IMMEDIATLY, WE'VE BEEN LATE THREE TIMES ALREADY! James: FINE, GIMMI A VIEW!  

I braced myself on top of my bed, slowly reminding my body how to move. I looked around my room. There wasn't much going on. My tablett been on, which is normal, displaying that there is indeed an gathering today. I must have forgotten otherwise my alarm would've already been buzzing. But nothing, I simple forgot. I stood up and made my way to the wardrobe while kicking shirts and bottles out of my way. I look tired as shit, not to mention my overall messy apearence. Twisted shirt from front to back, one sock missing, which I assume is somewhere between my blankets and for what ever happend with my hair. I thought I get away without a shower but well, not like that. I took off my clothes and grabbed the next towel to cover my hibs while walking out of my room across the hallway into the bath. I loosend the towel and stepped inside the shower after I took another investigating look into the mirror. I reached out for the nob when I suddenly hear my mum scream thru the entire house. 

Mildret: DON'T FORGET THAT THEY CUT OFF WARM WATER THIS MORNING DUE TO THE CONSTRUCTION SIDE NEXT DOOR IN CASE YOU PLAN TO SHOWER!  

I did not plan to shower, I was forced. But in that very moment my ears recogniced her saying that, it was already to late. The knob was twised, unleashing an icy storm upon my body... and for a blink of an eye, I felt like I was petrefied. Rock solid, unable to move. It took me a while to fully understand what just happend. I slowly reached towards the knob and turned off the shower followed by little steps that led outside. While doing that I grabbed all towels I could find on the way and slowly went back to my room resulting in colapsing on my bed. I. Was. Freezing. I wraped myself in my blaked for a bit more heat until I was feeling something again. I stood infront of the now open Wardrobe and browsed thru all the clothes I own. I ended up grabbing a paar of jeans and sweater which looked cute, but I put them back as soon as I had them on. My mum wouldn't leave me with this on. Even tho she tries to be supportive, she still manages to be very homophibic sometimes. She want's me to dress maskulin when ever we're out together. Where people could see us together. My grandparents are nothing like her. Thea and Josepphe are the most open people in the world. They where there for me when noone else where. Even after my outing, they continue to be supportive no matter what. And then you have Mildret. I sometimes think she might be jealouse of the way my grandpartens act around me. But those are worries for later. Right know, I got to keep looking for the clothes. 

Mildret: JAMES WILLIAM FALL, YOU'D BETTER BE ON YOUR WAY DOWN OR ELSE....FIVE MORE MINUTES THAT'S IT.  

Well my mum's pissed, I can tell because she barely uses the full length of my name. But...here we go. Better find something ASAP or shes comming after me. Let's see what we have. Some light blue ripped denim jeans, a basic white shirt, a blank pale white jumper and a pair of fake convers. That's okay? ...I guess? Now to the rest. I looked into the mirror and insteandly regret that decision. Sleepy eyes, again and hair, which is still messed up due to the "shower" earlier. I took an towel and warpped it around my head. I slipped into my shoes, run out of my room, only to return a couple of seconds later to grab the bag that I've forgotten. I grabbed him, pulled the door close and stumbled down the stairway. My mum gave me an investigating look.

Mildret: What's that? James: Oh yeah I wanted to rub my hair dry in the car so we.. Mildret: Don't be silly! Mildret: I'll turn on the heat, you don't need that!

She grabbed the towel and thrown it into the stairway. I just growled towards her and rolled my eyes before I plug in my airpots and placed myself in the back of the car. I opend spotify and started listening to my playlist before leaning my head against the window and checking up on my notifications. Three likes on my new insta post, and some notifications on discord. That's it. Nothing else then the album cover of the song playing. The drive was just like the shower....cold. The rain is dropping down the paine while we drive thru brightly coloured leaves which anounnounced the time of autumn. I keept looking outside for what felt like eternity until I noticed, that I spaced. I spaced out so much that I didn't even realised us entering Shepherdswell. I can't wait to see them.

[designedtofigureitout]

Bathroom Design - Pink Cottage

If instagram made a bathroom maybe.

Onyx pink polished 60x120 wall tiles.

Small brickslip feature tiles.

Rak Cappuccino wall hung pan and flush plate.

Pink wall hung unit with white ceramic basin.

Crosswater polished bright gold shower and radiator.

Gold taps, shower head, handset and thermostatic shower valve.

Gold HIB towel rail, toilet brush holder and toilet roll accessory.

Hib bluetooth built-in mirror with toothbrush and phone charger.

[440mxs-wife]

Christmas Wishes

Pairing: Dean x Reader

Dean poked his head into your room to check on you. "Hey, sweetheart, you about ready to go? Baby's leaving in 20 minutes," he remarked.

"Yeah, just about ready," you replied. You went to your bathroom to grab your toiletries, such as shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste and your hairbrush. You made sure you had enough warm clothes for the trip. You stuffed your comfiest sweaters, hoodies, jeans and fuzzy socks into your bag, then grabbed your warmest pair of boots.

You, Sam and Dean were each packing a bag to spend the Christmas holiday with your friends from the hunting world. Donna and Jody had rented a barn that had been converted into a lodge for everyone to stay in and celebrate. It was located a mile or two outside of town, north of Hibbing, Minnesota.

When Donna emailed pictures of the lodge to you and the boys, you thought it was the perfect place to spend the holiday. Sam and Eileen were on board right away, but Dean took a little more convincing. However, once he saw the fireplace and the kitchen, he folded like a house of cards and couldn't wait to get there. He kept jabbering on about all the baking that could be done in a kitchen like that, especially pie.

In the week or so before the trip, you could swear you heard him humming Christmas carols under his breath. You never said anything, though, just smiled to yourself. You were happy to see that he appeared to be letting go of some of the stress he so often found himself under. There was a spring to his step, a twinkle in his eye and he seemed to be smiling a little easier. You hoped that meant a new beginning for celebrating the holiday.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

You've been hunting with the Winchesters for the past ten years, living in the bunker for the past eight of those ten years. You moved in after helping Sam and Dean take out a troublesome vampire nest. You found that you and Sam work seamlessly when researching cases, while you and Dean work best in the kitchen. It was nice to have Eileen living in the bunker as well, another woman to hang out with and talk to.

In the last couple of years, though, you discovered that your feelings towards the eldest Winchester brother had shifted. You started to notice the little things, like the dash of freckles across his nose. Or, how his eyes sometimes glittered like emeralds when he was excited about something. You knew when he was upset by the way he carried himself, because his shoulders slumped like he had the weight of the world on them. You wanted nothing more than to take that away.

However, the more your feelings for Dean grew, the more you convinced yourself that nothing would ever come of them. So, you pushed them down and tried to forget about them and focus on whatever problem was at hand. It didn't help when he called you "sweetheart" in that deep, rumbling voice of his that shook you to your soul. Or how a brush of his hand on yours caused such a rush of warmth to your cheeks that you had no idea how your hair didn't start on fire. If Dean ever found out about your feelings for him, well....you didn't even want to think about it.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

With the last of your stuff packed, you zipped up your bag. Dean poked his head through your doorway again. "Got everything?" he asked.

"Yup, I think so. Oh, wait," you said as you looked around the room for your book. It was on your nightstand, along with your phone charger, which you stuffed into a side pocket. As you reached for your bag, your hand brushed with Dean's, which had already wrapped around the handle. "Dean, I-I can carry my bag, you don't have to," you protested.

"It's all right, sweetheart, I've got it," he said as he gave you a wink. Damn him. Damn that sexy wink, damn him calling me 'sweetheart' and damn me for blushing over it, you thought. You walked out of your room to see Sam and Eileen headed for the stairs, her bag in Sam's hand. You looped an arm around her shoulders and you both grinned at each other as you went up to the garage.

Sam and Dean stowed the bags in the Impala's trunk, while Eileen got in the back behind the driver's seat. You and Sam reached for the rear passenger door handle at the same time. "What are you doing, Sam? You usually sit up front," you pointed out.

Eileen signed to you that she wanted Sam to sit in back with her. You winked and signed that you understood. With a hammering heart, you climbed into the front passenger seat, with Dean in the driver's seat. Twelve hours in the front seat with Dean? Welp, that's it. I'm toast, you thought as you mentally smacked your forehead.

Halfway into the trip, the sun had gone down and it had started to snow. You turned to look in the back seat, and the sight made you smile. Sam was asleep and leaning against the passenger door, with Eileen curled up on his chest, also sleeping. "They're so cute," you whispered.

"Hmm?" Dean inquired. You pointed to the couple in the back seat to explain your remark. As he glanced in the rearview mirror, a smile graced his lips. He leaned over to turn on the radio, but kept the volume low so as not to disturb Sam and Eileen.

The current station was playing Christmas music, but surprisingly, Dean didn't change the station. As the miles ticked by, you started softly humming to the songs. One of your favorites, The Little Drummer Boy came on, and before you knew it, you were singing the words.

What you didn't notice was that your singing had caught Dean's attention, because he looked over at you. "You have a lovely singing voice," he told you when the song was over.

Fortunately, the car was dark, so he couldn't see how flaming hot your cheeks were. "Dean, it's Christmas music, everyone sounds good singing it," you replied.

"Nah, not everyone, sweetheart. Really, you sing like an angel," he insisted, then reached over and covered your hand with his. When he did that, it took everything you had not to jump out of your skin at his unexpected but welcome touch.

"Th-thank you, Dean. That's very nice of you to say," you stammered. You continued singing for your audience of one, who smiled to himself as he drove.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Hey! You guys made it!" Donna shouted as she threw open the door to see the four of you on the doorstep. "Come in, come in!" she directed as she stepped aside. Once you were all in the door, she gave everyone a hug.

"Did you tell him yet?" she whispered in your ear. She knew about your feelings for Dean, from last month's "Girls Night" get-together at Charlie's place. One look at your face told her that you hadn't confessed anything yet. "Don't worry, chickie, we're on the case," she winked at you conspiratorially.

"Donna, no," you groaned. "I love you. Please don't interfere, though. You can't force something that isn't there," you muttered. "And what do you mean 'we're on the case'? Who else knows?" you asked.

"Um....Jody, Charlie, I think Claire," she replied.

Eileen signed that she knew also. You dropped your head to your chest, knowing that if Eileen knew, then Sam knew. Then it's just a matter of time before Dean found out. Then would come the "I love you as a friend" speech, which you didn't think you could bear to hear. Eileen touched your arm and signed that she didn't tell Sam, but that he figured it out. You sadly nodded your head, then decided to find your room.

You looked around for your bag, but it was nowhere in sight. You asked Sam where it was, and he explained that Dean had taken it upstairs with him. You trudged up the stairs and found Dean in one of the rooms as he was unpacking his bag. He turned to see you in the doorway and his face broke out into a heart-stopping smile. "Hey there," he said. "Hope this is okay, all the other rooms are taken. I brought your bag up here with me," he gestured towards where he'd left it on the bed.

"I could've brought my bag up, but thank you, Dean," you replied, returning his smile.

"It's all right, I didn't mind," he said with a grin.

The room itself was decent-sized, with a 6-drawer dresser and a flat screen TV on top of it. There was a small closet for hanging things. All in all, it was a lovely room, except for one glaring detail. One bed. Queen-sized, with nightstands and lamps on either side, but only one bed. Relax, you told yourself. This is just like when we used to share a motel bed. Nothing happened then, right? Ugh, you inwardly groaned.

"I saved the left-hand drawers on the dresser for you, so you can put your clothes away if you want. Since I'm finished, I'll leave you to sort through your stuff and arrange it how you like it. See you downstairs, sweetheart," Dean kissed your temple as he left the room.

When you finished unpacking and made your way down the stairs, you were stunned to see a slim, blonde woman fiercely hugging Dean. As you continued your descent, you saw her look up and point out to Dean that there was mistletoe hanging in the doorway. She reached up on tiptoes and locked her lips with Dean, who seemed to return her kiss. Your heart dropped down to your stomach, as you made a beeline for the kitchen.

Mask in place, you retrieved a beer from the fridge and stood next to Sam. He must have seen through your attempt at hiding your feelings, because he placed a reassuring hand on your shoulder. "That's Jo Harvelle, Ellen's daughter. We used to hunt with Jo and her mom awhile back, but it's been a long time," he remarked. "Jo has always had this massive crush on Dean, but he's never expressed any interest," he quickly explained.

You shrugged. "Sam, I already know that you know. Besides, Dean and I are friends. Whoever he chooses to be in a relationship with is his business, not mine. No matter what, all I've ever wanted for him is to be happy. Excuse me," you remarked.

Sam watched as you brushed past Dean and Jo without looking at either one of them. Then you took a seat on the couch next to Charlie and folded your arms across your chest.

What you didn't notice was how Dean's eyes followed you as you walked around the room. He frowned a bit when he saw you try to discreetly wipe the tears before they could leak from your eyes. He wondered what had recently happened to cause you to be so upset and made a note to himself to ask you about it later.

"So, which room is mine?" Jo chirped.

"All of the rooms are taken, but there's an extra bunk in Claire's room," Donna interjected. Jo's face fell a bit as Claire rolled her eyes. Claire could see what was going on between you and Dean, and hoped this was your chance at happiness. She was less than thrilled about sharing a room with Jo and didn't want to see her come between you and Dean.

"Okay! Who's up for some pizza for dinner?" Jody called.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After dinner, some in the group decided to play some games. Jo, of course, made sure that she ended up on Dean's team. She maneuvered herself to sit extra close to Dean, grab his hand, ask if she could share his drink, anything to get his attention.

You declined to participate, settling in to watch a movie with Charlie instead. Every once in a while, Dean's eyes flitted over to you as you tried to concentrate on the movie. He still had not yet had a chance to talk to you about what may be bothering you.

"What is that girl's problem, anyway?" Charlie hissed.

"I don't know, Charlie, but I'm not going to stress out about it," you hissed back.

"She's practically in Dean's lap! She's stealing your man and you're not going to do anything about it??" she whispered.

"Okay, number one, he's not my man. And 'B', if Dean's happy, you know that's all that matters to me," you finished in a small voice. Charlie rolled her eyes, clearly not liking the situation with Dean and Jo.

Another hour passed, and the game players decided to call it quits. Charlie had long given up on the movie, since you had fallen asleep to it. Jo asked Dean if he was going to bed yet, but he said he was going to watch the end of the movie with you. Jo rolled her eyes and made a noise of disgust, then tromped up the stairs to her room with Claire.

Dean carefully moved your legs so he could sit down on the middle cushion of the couch. While the movie played, he studied your sleeping form. He brushed a lock of hair from your forehead with his index finger, then traced a line down your cheek. Your pink lips were slightly parted as you slept.

For a fleeting moment, he wondered what it would be like to kiss you. Dean knew that if he did, he would find out for sure if your lips were as soft as they appeared to be. He trailed his hands up and down your legs in his lap as he watched the rest of the movie.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When you woke up the next morning, you weren't on the couch anymore, you were in your room. You looked down and saw Dean's arm draped around your midsection, holding your back close to his chest. The more you tried to extract yourself, the closer he held you against his firm and muscular body. "G'morning, sweetheart," he murmured as he kissed the back of your neck.

His kiss caused a hitch in your breathing and zinged straight to your core. "Good morning, Dean," you managed to get out. You turned over to face him. "Um, Dean? How did I get back up here? Last I remember I was watching a movie with Charlie on the couch," you mentioned.

"Mmm, I brought you back upstairs and put you in bed," Dean mumbled. "You smelled so good, I just had to snuggle up right next to you," he explained. Sitting up on his elbow, he tried to give you a serious look. "Don't tell anybody, though. I have a reputation to uphold," he winked, which caused you to giggle.

"Your secret is safe with me. I certainly don't mind," you replied. Dean's arm tightened around you a bit more in response. Eventually, though, he relaxed enough that you could extract yourself so you could shower and get dressed.

A little later, Dean met you in the kitchen, where he assisted you in making French Toast with sausage links. You worked easily with Dean, occasionally bumping hips with each other and laughing. While waiting for the food to get done, Dean hooked his arm around your neck from behind, a contented smile on his lips.

When you sat next to Dean at the breakfast table, your knees accidentally touched. This caused a furious blush to color your cheeks and a jolt of electricity to shoot through you. You cast a sidelong glance at Dean, who had a sly smile on his face. You had no idea what changed for Dean to pay more attention to you. For now, you were just going with the flow to see where it would lead.

After breakfast, everyone took separate cars to town for some Christmas decorations. You rode in the Impala with Dean, but were relegated to the back seat as Jo claimed shotgun. She seemed to be extremely unhappy about all the attention that Dean was paying to you.

In the shop, she stuck like glue to Dean's side the entire time, overly excited at the smallest things. Dean seemed to take it in stride, oblivious to her flirting and fawning all over him. You didn't want any part of that, so you wandered around on your own. You picked up some small gifts here and there, along with some candy to fill everyone's stocking.

You were perusing the individual ornaments when you smelled a woodsy cologne behind you that could only be Dean. You smiled as he placed his hands on your shoulders, then he dropped them to your hips. "Hey, sweetheart, whatcha looking at?" he asked.

You leaned back against his chest. "Pick one," you said simply, gesturing with your hand at the display.

"What?" he asked.

"Pick one, pick an ornament to hang on the tree," you explained.

He reviewed the selection and chose a snowman with an electric guitar in its twig hands. "This one," he replied with a grin.

"Perfect," you said, returning his grin. "This will be your ornament, now and forever. When we get back to the lodge, I'll--" you were cut off.

"Dean!" Jo interrupted. "There you are! I'm bored, can you bring the car around to take me back to the lodge?" she whined.

"Yeah, sure. See you outside," he mumbled. He gave you an apologetic smile and squeezed your hand before leaving the store to get the Impala.

As soon as Dean left the store, Jo turned on you. "Listen. I don't know what you think you're doing, but you'd better stay away from Dean. He's MINE. He's not interested in you, so if you know what's good for you, you'll back off," she hissed. Then she turned on her heel and walked towards the front of the store.

You paid for your purchases, but were dismayed to find that you had been left behind. You felt in your pockets and realized with a groan that your phone was sitting on the dresser at the lodge. Good thing you wore your winter coat and good boots, because it was a long walk back.

By the time you returned to the lodge, you were shivering from the cold. It had started to snow on your way back, so your hair and coat were wet from the melting snow. You were taking your boots off when Jody noticed your condition. "Where have you been?? We've been looking all over for you! Oh my god, what happened?" she asked.

Through your chattering teeth, you told her how Jo had asked Dean to bring the car around to take her back. You left out the part where Jo told you to stay away from Dean. You explained that after you were done shopping, you went outside but didn't see anyone else's car. You had forgotten your phone, so you had to walk back. Jody brought you into the living room and sat you directly in front of the fire.

Dean was walking back from the kitchen when he saw you sitting near the fire but shivering from the cold. "Sweetheart, what happened?" he asked as he rushed over to your side.

"She walked back from town, and it started snowing on the way. Damn lucky she didn't get frostbite or something," Jody muttered.

"You walked?? Honey, why didn't you call? I would've picked you up," he remarked, taking you into his arms.

"L-l-left my ph-phone up-up-upstairs. W-won't d-d-do th-that a-again," you chattered.

Dean turned around and glared at Jo. "You told me she came back early with someone else and was upstairs taking a nap!" he snapped.

"I did think she came back with somebody else, Dean, I swear!" Jo replied, an innocent look on her face.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Come on, let's get you out of these wet clothes and into some dry ones," he soothed as he led you upstairs to your shared room.

Sam waited until you and Dean were all the way up the stairs before addressing Jo. "She could've been seriously hurt, you know. That was a lame stunt you pulled. You need to let go of the past, Jo. Dean doesn't have the same feelings for you that you have for him. Besides, I'm pretty sure he's interested in someone else," Sam smirked.

Jo crossed her arms in response, glaring back at Sam. "We'll see about that," she muttered under her breath.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Upstairs, Dean got out some dry clothes for you to change into. From your side of the dresser, he pulled a hoodie with AC/DC on it, recognizing it as his own. "Hey! So that's where this went," he chuckled. "You stole my hoodie!" he joked.

"I'm sorry, you can have it back if you want," you said quickly.

"No, no, it's okay sweetheart. I've just been wondering where it was. I'm glad it's been in such good hands, 'cause it's one of my favorites," he responded.

You took a pair of sweatpants out of the drawer and went into the bathroom to change, leaving the door open a crack. "I know, that's why I borrowed it," you replied, then pulled the hoodie over your head. "I like that it smells like you." You immediately clapped a hand over your mouth and squeezed your eyes shut, knowing you'd said too much.

Dean looked up in surprise, arching one eyebrow. He recovered his composure and walked over to you slowly, almost like a jungle cat stalking its prey. "Really? Is that the only reason, baby?" he asked softly, tracing down your arm with the back of his hand. All you could do is shake your head in response, the power of speech thrown completely out the window.

He took a step closer to you, hooked an arm around you to pull you back into the bedroom. Then he buried his nose in your hair and inhaled deeply. "Mmm. And you smell like strawberries. My favorite," he whispered, his breath hot against your ear. You weren't sure how much more you could take before your knees completely gave out from under you.

"I have to tell you something, sweetheart. For a while now, I've been having these....thoughts and feelings about you," he said. "If I'm not mistaken, I think you've been having some about me too, hmm?" he asked as he nuzzled your neck.

"Yes," you whispered. Somehow your brain re-engaged, and you brought your hands up to cradle his face. You looked straight into those emerald orbs of his to see love staring back at you. You gently guided him towards you until your lips met in a sweet, tender kiss. His arms wrapped around you and pulled you close to his chest, then he dove back in for another taste.

"So beautiful," he murmured.

"Dean," you whispered, as each kiss became more intense, more passionate than the one before.

He pulled back so you both could catch your breath. "My love, if we don't stop now, I won't be able to. I want this with you, but I also want to take our time. And definitely not here, where everyone's watching every move we make," he remarked, causing you both to chuckle.

"Okay, let me finish changing, and we'll go back downstairs," you agreed. Dean hung your wet clothes over the bathtub while you put on dry ones. When you finished, he held out his hand, which you gladly took in yours, intertwining your fingers. "Shall we?" he asked, kissing the back of your hand. You nodded and you went back to rejoin the group.

When you got back downstairs, you noticed that Castiel and Jack had arrived. You exchanged hugs with them, then Eileen tugged on your sweatshirt sleeve. She looked at you expectantly and you signed that your secret about Dean was out, and that the two of you had kissed. A huge grin broke out over her face as she pulled you into a hug.

You stood with her while Sam and Dean were talking among themselves. During their conversation, you saw Sam clap his brother's shoulder in congratulations. "Finally! It's about time," you heard him say. Dean caught your eye, smiled then winked. You and Eileen looked at each other, then sauntered over to the brothers, each of you claiming the one you loved.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Decorating the tree took the better part of the next two hours. You and Dean were in charge of the popcorn and cranberry garland. You were certain that more popcorn ended up in your stomachs or thrown at each other than on the string. Sam, Jack and Cas untangled the lights, while Jody and Donna talked about where to put what ornament. Jo, on the other hand, sat sulking in the corner, glaring daggers at you and Dean the entire time.

You remembered the ornament you bought for Dean in town. You wanted to show him one of your family traditions concerning tree decorations.

"Now, what you do with your ornament, is you write your name and the year on it. That way, you'll know when you got it and that it's yours," you explained.

"But you didn't get one for yourself," Dean remarked.

"I should've brought it, but I have a box back at the bunker with all of my childhood ornaments in it," you replied. By now, everyone was listening to your story. "My grandmother would give me a new ornament every year, with my name and the year written on it.

"By the time I left home, I had so many ornaments, it was hard to find a place for them all on my first tree. I've picked up some new ones over the years, making sure to label them all the same way she did. Helps me not to miss her so much," you said.

You looked around, and there wasn't a dry eye in the house. "Hey, this is a happy occasion! Let's crank up the music and get the eggnog flowing!" you exclaimed. Your friends returned to their decorating duties, like stringing up the lights and hanging ornaments.

Dean pulled you into his arms and delivered a slow, luxurious kiss. "Mmm, looking forward to more of that, Mr. Winchester," you hummed.

"There's certainly more where that came from, Baby," he replied as he closed his eyes and swayed you in his embrace. As daytime gave way to evening, you and Dean were cuddled together by the fireside, drinking mulled wine. That night, you slept peacefully, locked in the arms of the man you loved.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

You and Dean woke early, and took over the kitchen to make breakfast for everyone. The two of you made three different kinds of muffins to go with the multiple pots of coffee. Everyone raved about the banana chocolate chip and blueberry muffins. Dean especially loved the apple cinnamon muffins, saying they tasted exactly like homemade pie.

Later in the day, you noticed that the wood supply near the fireplace was getting low. You put on your coat to trudge out to the woodpile and bring in some more logs. No one noticed as Jo followed you out the back door.

You saw Jo as you were filling up the wheelbarrow to transport the logs from the woodpile to the back door. "You should wear your coat if you're going to help, it's cold out here," you remarked warily.

"And you should stay away from Dean like I told you to. He's not in love with you like you think he is. Soon he'll get bored of you and come running back to me. Dean and I have a history, you know," she smirked.

"Yeah, and from what I understand it's ancient history. He's with me now, Jo. Maybe it's time you moved on," you said as you bent down to pick up another piece of wood.

Before you knew it, you were flat on your back in the snow with a sharp pain in your head. You reached up to the side of your head and your fingers came back with blood on them. Jo had a tree branch in her hand, which you had no doubt was responsible for your head wound.

"I think it's time for YOU to move on!!" Jo thundered as she stood over you. Black spots began to appear at the edges of your vision as you started to lose consciousness. Before you blacked out completely, you saw Jo walking back to the house, leaving you out in the cold.

Dean came down the stairs, freshly showered and asked if anyone had seen you. Everyone said they thought you were upstairs with him, but he said you weren't. Sam noticed that the wood supply had dwindled, so he put on his coat to get more wood. When he saw the scattered logs, he ran over to the woodpile. That's when Sam saw you laying in the snow, with blood trickling down your face.

Sam scooped you up in his arms and ran back to the house, calling out for his brother. Dean met him at the back door to open it, and was shocked to see you'd been hurt. "Let's take her upstairs and lay her on the bed. We need to get her warmed up, I have no idea how long she was out there laying in the snow," Dean instructed.

Once they had your coat off and tucked in under the blankets, Dean started to clean and examine your head wound. "Sweetheart, open your eyes for me. Open those beautiful hazel eyes for me, Baby. I need you to wake up and tell me what happened," he coaxed. "Please, I can't lose you, not right after we just found each other. I love you," he whispered. Dean pressed the back of your hand to his forehead as a few tears slipped free.

Dean sat next to you on the bed for the next couple of hours, holding your hand and waiting for you to wake up. Donna, Jody and everyone else at some point tried to get Dean to come down for something to eat. He refused to leave your side because he wanted to be there when you woke up. Around hour #3, your eyelids began to flutter and you awoke to see Dean's tear-stained face looking down at you. "Hey," you croaked.

"Hey, sweetheart, how are you?" Dean wondered as relief crossed his face. "For a minute there, I thought I'd almost lost you," he said hoarsely as he caressed your cheek.

"I'm okay, just a little sore," you answered.

"What happened?" Dean asked. You explained how you'd gone out for more wood and that someone had followed you out the back door. You mentioned the argument you had with Jo, that she had knocked you in the head with a tree branch. Dean bolted from his position on the bed next to you and strode purposefully to the door.

"Wait, Dean. Listen, I'm not saying I condone her actions, but I do understand. She's loved you for a long time, and it's hard for her to give up on that," you started.

"Yeah, well, she's going to have to, because I'm a one-woman kind of guy. Always have been, always will be," he said as he walked back to your side.

"As long as that one woman is me, I'm all for it," you smiled as he bent down and kissed you.

"Only you, sweetheart, only you. Be right back, I've got something to take care of," he replied with a wink.

Dean descended the stairs and walked up to Jo as she stood near the fireplace. "Pack your bags, you're leaving. If you do so quickly and quietly, I won't tell your mother what you've done. I know what happened out there at the woodpile," he started.

Jo stared at Dean in defiance. "I don't know what it is you think you know," she retorted.

By this time, everyone had moved in the living room to find out what was going on. "You attacked the woman I love, and left her laying in the snow with a bleeding head wound. All because you were jealous that I am in love with her and certainly not with you. As of right now, there's nothing between you and me. I don't even know if you'd call us friends anymore. Now. GO," Dean stated in a low voice.

Jo recognized the quiet fury in Dean's voice and decided not to push things any further than she already had. She gathered her things, got in her car and left the lodge. Dean explained to everyone what had happened. He mentioned that you had regained consciousness and would be okay. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief at Dean's announcement.

A little while later, you were feeling well enough to join everyone for dinner. Jody and Donna were making a huge pot of chili, but still needed to make the cornbread to go with it. You went into the kitchen to help, but they told you to go rest and shooed you out of the kitchen. You pouted for a few minutes then convinced Eileen to help you make the cornbread. You did the actual preparing, but she fetched the ingredients.

Sam and Dean watched as the loves of their lives worked side-by-side in the kitchen. Dean couldn't believe how lucky he was to be with you. He watched as you threw your head back in laughter at something that was said. It had been a long time since he'd seen you so relaxed, so comfortable. He was determined to give you more times like that, because he loved seeing you so happy.

After everyone else had gone to bed, you and Dean sat on the couch, your back leaning against his chest. One of his arms was around you, tucked under your chin, while the other was curled around your midsection. Holding hands, fingers intertwined, you let out a sigh of contentment.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Dean.

"Careful, that can be a loaded question," you replied, both of you chuckling. You turned to face Dean. "I'm thinking of how happy I am right this second. We're in this beautiful lodge, gorgeous Christmas tree, sitting beside a warm fireplace with the man I love. All my Christmas wishes granted, wrapped up in one package. I love you, Dean," you finished.

"I'm extremely fortunate to have you in my life," Dean murmured in your ear. "You are 'smart'-(kiss)-'beautiful'-(kiss)-'funny'-(kiss)-'and'-(kiss)-'MINE,' he remarked. He leaned down and gently nibbled at your earlobe with a soft growl, causing shivers to run through you. "I love you so much, sweetheart," Dean added. "Merry Christmas, Baby."

[spn-safeandsound]

11. Too Many Coincidences

Safe and Sound

Dean Winchester x Original Character

Episode: 1x16; Shadow

Word Count: 8,933

Warning(s): Mature language, canon violence + gore, minor character death, angst

Author’s Note: Introducing the Petersen clan! Tell me what you think of this chapter! Enjoy, reblog, and like!

Find the masterlink pinned on my profile!

Julia could feel their eyes on her every now and then. First it would be Dean; his green eyes would look into the rearview mirror and study her pouring over her bible, head bowed. He would look away and then, not even three minutes later, Sam would turn to check on her, his puppy dog eyes peaking over the back of the seat. She would ignore them and continue on reading, her eyes stinging harshly.

She got the call the night before, just after they rescued Sam from the creepy family that hunted humans for sport. It was Taylor, Beth's husband, that called her, telling her that she needed to come home now. They were supposed to be on their way to Chicago for Beth and Levi's birthday in a day's time; now they were going for a different reason.

Levi was dead. The police had found him in his condo in Chicago after he didn't show up to work for two days. She didn't know how her brother died because at that point, she was a mess. Sam had pulled her into his arms while Dean took the phone, getting the details from Taylor. They were on their way to Chicago as soon as they packed up their things.

Julia had been inconsolable for the first half of the eight-hour drive from Hibbing, Minnesota to Chicago. Dean had stayed with her in the backseat, holding her tightly while Sam drove them. Then Julia fell asleep; when she woke up only an hour later, she was alone in the backseat. She cried silently as she pulled her bible out of her backpack and started reading, trying to find strength from whatever passage she turned to.

Now they were just getting out of the early morning traffic on their way to Winnetka, the village that the Petersen-Alexander family lived in which was only sixteen miles away from Chicago. Beth, Taylor, and Lizzie still lived in the house that the siblings grew up in while keeping rooms for Luke, Abby, Levi, and Julia.

"Jules," Dean spoke up gently as he pulled up to the gates that kept strangers and any enemies off the Petersen property. "We're here."

Julia barely looked up, just enough to give Dean a view of her bloodshot eyes. She looked back down, hearing Dean sigh and roll down his window to speak into the speaker in front of the gate.

"Name?" a gruff voice spoke.

"Dean Winchester," Dean stated. "I'm here with Julia and my brother, Sam."

"Codeword?"

Dean cleared his throat and recited the codeword that Taylor gave him the night before. "Peanut butter cup."

As the gate buzzed and slowly opened, Julia wondered if Lizzie picked the codeword. It had been food before, but Lizzie's favorite candy was a Reese's Peanut Butter cup. She probably insisted that it would be the week's passcode. Her niece was a special one, that was for sure.

The head security guard, a man named Mike that had been with them since Julia was a baby, greeted them at the front of the house. He hardly acknowledged Sam and Dean as Julia got out of the car, immediately pulling her into a tight hug.

Julia felt the tell-tale sting in her eyes as she buried her head in Mike's shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Jules," Mike said hoarsely; he was just as upset as the siblings, considering they considered Mike and his wife, Judy, their family. "Levi was a good man. One of the best."

Dean felt his heart ache for Julia when he saw his shoulders heave, a sign that she had started crying again. He felt so bad for her on top of his own sadness; he and Levi had been good friends since childhood. Everyone was feeling his loss right now.

Julia pulled back from Mike and wiped her eyes, giving him a tired smile while Sam and Dean started getting their stuff out of the trunk. "How's Judy?"

"She's okay," Mike told her, grabbing her bags from Sam and Dean. "We've missed you around here."

"I've missed you guys too," she assured him. Turning to face the house, she sighed heavily. "Is Abby home yet?"

Mike nodded. "Yep. Maggie got here an hour ago."

"And no Dad?"

"Not yet," he frowned; Dean and Sam copied his expression. "Sorry, Jules."

Julia didn't answer verbally; she reached for his hand and squeezed it before climbing up the steps to the front door. She typed the four-digit code in to unlock the door and opened it when the locks unlocked loudly.

"Auntie Jules!" a squeal erupted from the foyer before Julia was almost knocked over by a small force.

"Lizzie!" Julia plastered a smile on her face for her niece, who probably didn't understand what was going on. All she knew was that Aunt Julia and Aunt Abby had come home earlier than they were meant to. She picked Lizzie up and poked the dimple in her right cheek. "Look at you! You're almost as tall as me!"

Although Lizzie was tall for her five years of age, she wasn't almost as tall as Julia. She was the cutest little girl that Julia had seen, though. She got her dad's face full of freckles and height but everything else was Bethany. The wavy brown hair that all Petersen women inherited, the brown eyes, and the pretty smile.

Lizzie giggled. "Yep!" she exclaimed as her eyes left her aunt and found Dean behind her. "Uncle Dean!"

"Hey, kiddo," he greeted her with a grin, reaching forward to tug on one of her braided pigtails. "Lizzie, you remember Sammy?"

"Hi, Uncle Sammy!" even though Sam and Lizzie had only met three or four times, she was always fond of the tall man. "Your hair is silly!"

Dean chuckled in amusement while Sam smiled. "Hey, Lizzie."

Julia shook her head and hid her laugh. Clearing her throat, she gained her niece's attention once again. "Hey, Lizzie, where's your mom?"

"Upstairs in her room," the bright smile fell from Lizzie's face. "With Aunt Abby."

Julia set Lizzie back down. "I'm gonna go check on her, okay? Why don't you bring Dean and Sam to your dad?"

"Okay!" Lizzie chirped, grabbing Dean's outstretched hand. "Nana Maggie is here, too."

Forcing a smile, Julia waited until Lizzie led Sam and Dean out of the foyer. Mike had already gone to put all of their bags in her room and the guest rooms, so all she had to do was go to Beth and Taylor's room.

She knew as soon as she saw her sisters she would break down again. Levi was a quiet man but he had always watched over them. He was protective and the best big brother Julia could have asked for. The three sisters would feel his loss forever.

Julia wandered around the staircase to the hallway at the back of the foyer. The master bedroom, as well as two guest rooms, and her dad's room were on the main level. The closer she got to the master bedroom, the more she could hear gentle sniffling. She gently knocked on the door before opening.

Beth and Abby were laying together on the king-sized bed, their eyes red and faces puffy. They looked up when Julia entered the room and, when she broke into sobs and ran to the bed, they started crying again.

Julia buried her head in Beth's shoulder, inhaling her rose and vanilla scent. She already felt better in her sisters' arms but she'd be perfect if Levi was still there, too.

-

-

It was a somber night in the Petersen-Alexander house with all three sisters not coming out of the master bedroom since Julia arrived. Sam and Dean had greeted Taylor and Maggie fondly, knowing both of them quite well, and the four of them made sure that Lizzie was entertained and the sisters were checked on every hour.

In the morning, the news had centered around Levi's death. As one of the most eligible bachelors in Chicago, it was a big deal to hear that Levi Petersen had passed away. Taylor had to turn the channel when Maggie burst into tears over her cup of coffee from the rumors that were going around about her nephew.

Julia was the first of the sisters to emerge. At eight, she was freshly showered and dressed in lounge shorts and a PSC t-shirt. She and Taylor greeted each other fondly and then she and Maggie had an emotional reunion.

Maggie was one of Julia's heroes. Her aunt was a spitting image of Naomi, with the wavy brown hair and dimple, but that wasn't the reason why Julia looked up to her. When Naomi first got sick when Julia was ten, Maggie took over as the CEO of Petersen Sports Co.. She was thirty-two years old and previously the head of sales, much like Levi was. She thrived in her new role and kept the company successful while making sure her sister was taken care of while Luke was out hunting every week. And when Naomi died, Maggie was the one to take care of Julia while grieving her sister and still taking care of the family business. Even if Maggie didn't fight or hunt, she was a badass in her own way. She stepped up when she needed to, was a faithful woman, and she loved her family fiercely. Julia hoped to be half of the woman Maggie was as she aged.

"Julia," Maggie sighed into her hair as they hugged tearfully. "I've been worried about you."

Julia pulled away from the hug and wiped her tears away, giving her a confused look. "Why?"

"Well, you're hunting," Maggie pointed out the obvious. "Without your sister, might I add."

"Sam and Dean are great, Aunt Maggie."

"I know they are," Maggie nodded, sending Sam and Dean a warm smile where they sat on one of the couches in the large living room. "I just worry about you kids."

"I know you do," Julia squeezed Maggie's hand. "but I'll be okay. I promise."

Maggie smiled and kissed the top of Julia's head before going to join Lizzie by the coffee table to color from a princess coloring book.

"So," Julia took a deep breathed and smiled at Sam, Dean, and Taylor. "Who wants blueberry pancakes for breakfast?"

"I do!" Lizzie exclaimed excitedly. "You always make them the best!"

"Hey, I heard that, you rugrat!" Beth entered the living room, giving her daughter a mischievous smile. Abby walked in right behind her, both of them showered and freshly dressed.

While Abby greeted Sam and Dean, Beth picked Lizzie up and kissed her cheek, making her giggle, "Sorry, Momma."

"How about I teach your mom how to make them like Nana Naomi taught me?" Julia asked Lizzie. "Extra blueberries?"

Lizzie nodded jerkily. "Extra blueberries."

Beth shook her head in amusement and set down Lizzie before walking over to Sam and Dean.

"Hey, guys," she pulled Dean into a hug, who returned it easily. The Petersen family were huggers and he was comfortable enough with them to return the affection. "How are you?"

"Hanging in there," Dean smiled sadly. "I'm so sorry, Beth."

Beth's dimple popped out as she frowned but gave him a grateful look. "Thanks, Dean," she turned to Sam, wrapping her arms around him. "Sam, you need a haircut."

Sam pressed his lips together while Dean laughed. "Lizzie said that too."

"Yeah," Sam rolled his eyes as Beth started laughing with his brother. "Laugh it up, guys. Real funny."

Dean and Beth continued to laugh until Julia called over for her sister. "Beth, come on!"

Beth sobered up and grinned at the men she considered her brothers. "I better go before she gets all bossy on me."

Dean looked over Beth's head to where Julia stood with Lizzie on her hip, both of them looking over the oldest sister expectantly. She looked good with a kid on her hip, he realized. It made him think of his dream, of Peter, Jonah, and Levi and their life together.

He didn't know that he had a certain glint to his stare as he watched Julia but Beth did. She quickly looked between the two, noticing that Julia was now staring back at him with a small smile and looked to Sam to see if he noticed too.

She raised her eyebrows at him in a silent question; do Julia and Dean have feelings for each other? Sam nodded back at her; they're both oblivious, but yes.

An amused smirk crossed Beth's face as she crossed the living room to her sister and daughter. "All right," she gave in. "Let's go make breakfast, girlies."

Maggie followed Julia, Beth, and Lizzie into the kitchen, leaving Dean, Sam, Abby, and Taylor. Abby waited until the sound of the mixer started before sitting next to Taylor on the couch and bringing up a difficult subject with all three men.

"Did Taylor give you the details about..." she hesitated for a long second, swallowing the lump in her throat. "about Levi?"

"I didn't," Taylor shook his head. "Not all of them, anyway. I figured you'd have a better perspective about the whole thing."

Abby nodded and Dean gave them a curious look. "What are you talking about?"

"Levi's death wasn't—" Taylor shook his head sadly. "It wasn't from natural causes. Someone—or something—murdered him."

"Something?" Sam raised his eyebrows at Taylor, stomach sinking in dread. "You mean you think something supernatural killed him."

"I do."

"I do, too," Abby added. "His condo was locked and the security system was on without any reported break-ins or tripped alarms."

"Have you seen the condo?" Dean asked; Taylor nodded. "Was there anything weird or any sign of a presence?"

"I took pictures of it," Taylor's face paled immensely as he remembered the crime scene. "It—it was bad. I had to identify the body and, well, Levi put up a fight."

Abby sniffed as tears filled her eyes; Sam and Dean gave her sympathetic looks while Taylor wrapped a supportive arm around her shoulders.

"Listen, I looked more into it," she pulled herself together. "There was another death a week or so ago and this morning. Same thing as Levi; locked apartment, no tripped alarms."

"This morning?" Sam asked in shock.

Abby nodded. "Guys, I think this is something," she inhaled deeply. "and I would do this myself but I-I just can't."

"We'll take care of it," Dean assured her quickly; he knew how important this way. This was Levi and he wasn't about to let his friend's little sister look into his murder. "We'll find what did this to Levi."

Abby wiped her eyes and sniffed noisily, taking the tissue Taylor offered her. Dean hadn't seen her cry since Naomi died; Abby was a tough one and didn't wear her heart on her sleeve like her sisters.

"Thank you," she managed to smile at them before standing up. "I'm gonna go see how they're doing in there."

As she left the room, Sam and Dean exchanged serious looks. They had to find out what exactly happened to Levi. They owed it to their friend and his grieving family.

After a delicious breakfast of blueberry pancakes, eggs, sausage—because Lizzie was weird and she didn't like bacon—and bacon, the arrangements for Levi's memorial began. While Maggie was on the phone with the funeral home where Naomi had her memorial—the family knew the home's director, who made sure their family was salted before being cremated—Taylor, Sam, and Dean retreated into the former's study, where they went over the photos of the crime scene in Levi's apartment while Julia, Abby, Beth, and Lizzie went through pictures of Levi to display at the memorial.

There were around twenty photo books to go through since the Petersen family were big on pictures. There were three whole photo albums just on Levi himself, from infancy to adulthood, while there were five books or so of the siblings all together and even more for special events and holidays.

It was heart breaking to go through the books, looking at Levi's smiling face but there was also something calming about it for Julia. Seeing Levi's bright smile in the pictures made her miss him so much but she knew he was happy up in Heaven with their mom. He had been a momma's boy through and through and he was destroyed when Naomi died. Julia would see her big brother again; she was sure of it.

"Look at this one," Beth smiled sadly down at the picture in her hands. She showed Abby and Julia, who were sitting side-by-side across the kitchen table. "Do you remember this?"

"Oh, my God, was that the Easter?" Abby reached for the photo and grinned widely when her question was answered. "It is. God, that was the funniest thing that ever happened to me."

"Yeah, funniest for you, most embarrassing for me," Julia grumbled as she took the picture from her sister; she couldn't help but smile at it anyway. "I tripped and fell at the Easter egg hunt, right in front of the boy I liked."

The picture was from when Julia was ten years old, Abby was thirteen, and Beth and Levi were seventeen. It was Easter and they were all dressed up in their best spring outfits. Right before the picture had been taken by Naomi, there was an Easter egg hunt that Julia participated in while her family watched on. She ended up tripping in the church parking lot in front of Simon Johnson, the boy she liked from her school. Her knees were still bloody and her face was tear-stained in the picture where she was smiling forcefully in front of Levi.

Beth and Abby snickered and Julia tried to glare at them but she couldn't keep it up. "All right, fine," she admitted. "It's kind of funny now."

"It was funny then!" Abby exclaimed before turning to Lizzie who sat next to her mother. "Auntie Jules is clumsy, isn't she?"

Lizzie nodded, her eyes eagerly soaking in the picture as Julia handed it back to Beth. "I like that picture."

"Me too," Beth smiled fondly. "It's going in the sibling pile."

Julia sighed; why must her sister torture her. "Fine."

She grabbed a photo album from the middle of the table and opened, smiling when she realized that it was Levi's teen years. It was full of awkward but sweet pictures. There were some of him with the youth group they all participated in; some from school events like prom and soccer games; there were a lot with Beth, especially when they graduated; and there was even one with Dean by his side, both of them looking at the camera with unamused looks. She saved that one, intending to give it to Dean later.

It was nice to see the pictures and remember times that she may not have on her own. She was seven years younger than Levi and Beth, which meant that some of her memories of them were different with a child's point of view. When she was younger and Levi went to prom with his date, she thought that he needed to hire a stylist. Now, as she looked at the picture, she knew that he dressed as best as he could, considering it was the nineties.

They went through the rest of the photo albums, pulling the pictures they wanted to frame for the memorial. They had to take a few breaks for the sisters to shed some tears. The worst part for them was when they had to decide which picture they needed to blow up for the large frame that would be in front of the church. It hurt them so much to know that the picture was the last representation of their brother.

Lizzie, bless her heart, was a Godsend. Taylor had explained what happened to her Uncle Levi the night before and she was sad but she was smart, too. She understood that her mom and aunts were grieving so she took it upon herself to cheer them up. To distract them, she'd the song that Beth sang to her while tucking her into bed every night.

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine..." It made all of them smile.

Lizzie's favorite thing, though, was something she had in common with her Aunt Julia. She was a big fan of corny jokes and it was something so simple that had the sisters crying in laughter.

"What do you call a cow with no legs?" she'd say so innocently. "Ground beef!"

Normally, Beth and Abby would snicker politely but when Julia really got going—and she laughed hard at stupid jokes like that—they couldn't contain themselves. And then, Lizzie would join in, looking very happy that she made her mom and aunts laugh.

It was nice to laugh instead of cry. It felt right; Levi never could bear to see his little sisters cry.

-

Dean climbed out of the Impala outside of the apartment building of a woman named Meredith, the latest victim that fit the pattern of Levi's death. They had spent the morning and most of the afternoon pouring over the crime scene photos of Levi's condo and more details about Meredith's death. When they found the woman's address, the brothers decided to go check out the apartment for themselves.

"All right, Dean," Sam got out of the passenger seat, allowing Dean to lock up. "This is the place."

Dean nodded and tugged at the jumpsuit Sam insisted he wear so they could pass as workers for the company that provided the security in Meredith's apartment. "You know, I gotta say that Dad and me did just find without these stupid costumes. I feel like a high school drama dork."

Sam gave him his famous bitch face, making Dean chuckle.

"Hey, what was that play you were in?" he asked Sam. "What was it—Our Town," he nodded, grinning when he recalled how adorable Sam looked a the main tree. "Yeah, you were good. It was cute."

Sam sighed in annoyance. "Look, you wanna pull this off or not?"

"I'm just saying," Dean shrugged as they got closer to the building's entrance. "these outfits cost hard-earned money, okay?"

"Whose?"

"Our," Dean answered Sam's skeptical tone with an obvious one. "You think credit card fraud is easy?"

"Just shut up," Sam scoffed, holding back his laugh as he opened the door for his brother.

They spoke to the landlady, Maria, about who they were and why there were there and she led them up to Meredith's apartment.

"Thanks for letting us look around," Sam thanked Maria as she let them into the apartment.

"Well, the police said they were done with the place, so," she trailed off, shrugging as she and Sam moved further into the apartment. Dean closed the door behind them, his eyes looking around the place curiously.

If he closed his eyes, he could still see the gruesome photos that Taylor took of Levi's apartment. It was messy, obviously from when Levi struck up a fight, and it was bloody. Meredith's apartment was bloody, too. The white carpet was absolutely destroyed from the blood that was soaked up in it.

"You guys said you were with the alarm company?" Maria asked them.

"That's right," Dean confirmed.

"Well, no offense, but your alarm's about as useful as boobs on a man."

Dean and Sam exchanged a taken aback look.

"Well, that's why we're here," Dean assured her. "To see what went wrong and stop it from happening again."

As Dean started to look around the living room, Sam asked Maria, "Now, ma'am, you found the body?"

"Yeah."

"Right after it happened?"

"No, just this morning," Maria sighed sadly. "Meredith's work called—she hadn't shown up in a few days. I knocked on the door and that was when I noticed the smell."

Dean nodded and studied the windows, looking for any disturbances. "Any windows open? Any sign of a break-in?"

"No, the windows were locked, the front door bolted," Maria told him. "The chain was on the door and we had to cut it just to get in."

Dean turned back to her. "And the alarm was still on?"

Maria nodded. "Like I said, bang-up job your company's doing."

Dean hummed, his eyes searching the area of the room where it faded into the kitchen. "You see any overturned furniture, broken glass, signs of a struggle?"

"Everything was in perfect condition," Maria's eyes filled with tears. "Except—except Meredith."

"And what condition was Meredith in?" Sam wondered, remembering the police report on Levi.

"Meredith was all over, in pieces. The guy who killed her must have been some kind of whack-job," Maria shook her head in disgust. "But I tell you, if I didn't know any better, I'd have said it was a wild animal that did it."

Dean pressed his lips together and bowed his head; the report had said the same thing about Levi's body. Not about the wild animal, but that he was in pieces. When he read that part of the report, he had to take a minute to pull himself together. He couldn't imagine Levi—who was the closest to a best friend that Dean had—like that.

Sam, seeing the distant look in Dean's eyes, turned to Maria. "Ma'am, do you mind if we take some time to give this place a once-over."

"Oh, well, go right ahead," Maria agreed. "Knock yourself out."

As soon as Maria left the apartment and the door was shut firmly behind her, Dean pulled the EMF meter out of the tool box he brought. "So, a killer walked in and out of the apartment—No weapons, no prints, nothing."

The EMF meter whirled to life as Sam sighed. "Just like Levi's place," he stated. "So, you talked to the cops, right?"

Dean nodded. "Nothing we don't already know," he told his brother. "but the deputy I talked to told me something and it matched right up to Levi's case."

Sam raised his eyebrows expectantly. "Hmm?"

"Meredith's heart was missing."

"Just like Levi's?"

"Just like Levi's," Dean confirmed as he started waving the EMF meter around the room.

"So, what do you think we're dealing with?" Sam wondered he finished his own snooping and met back up with Dean in the middle of the room.

"Well, Maria said that it looked like an animal attacked Meredith," Dean reminded him. "Maybe it was a werewolf?"

"No," Sam shook his head. "No, the lunar cycle's not right. Plus, if it was a creature, it would've left some kind of trace."

Dean nodded in agreement, catching some of Meredith's blood out of the corner of his eye. He looked down at the blood splatter fully, eyebrows furrowing when he saw that the drops were in some kind of pattern.

"See if you can find any masking tape around," he said to Sam.

Sam went searching throughout the apartment and it didn't take long until he found some electrical tape in the junk drawer in the kitchen. Dean got to his knees and started taping the stains together, like a gruesome connect-the-dots challenge.

The tape made out a symbol that Dean had never seen before. There was a circle in the middle with two lines going off either side of it and curving up on one side and down on the other.

Sam studied the symbol with furrowed brows. "Have you ever seen that symbol before?"

Dean shook his head. "Never."

"Me either."

-

After talking to the bartender at the bar that Amanda worked at, Dean walked back to the table where Sam was waiting for him, pages deep into their dad's journal. He sat on the stool across from his brother and tapped the surface of the table, almost impatiently.

Sam looked up from the journal and Dean sighed, "I talked to the bartender."

"And did you get anything besides her number?"

Dean rolled his eyes at his brother. "No, and I didn't ask for it, either."

"Really?" Dean wanted to punch the bewildered look off of Sam's face. "Why?"

"Dude, one of our friends—who was pretty much family—just died," Dean avoided his brother's eyes; truth was, it didn't feel right drinking and flirting with attractive women while Julia was at her house mourning her older brother.

"Hmm," Sam hummed and Dean looked over at him with narrowed eyes; Sam quickly moved on, "so, what did you find out, then?"

"Meredith worked here; she waited tables," Dean told him something they both already knew. "Everybody here was her friend. Everybody said she was normal. She didn't do or say anything weird before she died, so..."

"Huh..."

"Yep," Dean clicked his tongue. "So, did you find anything out about that symbol?"

"Nope, nothing," Sam shook his head. "It wasn't in Dad's journals or in any of the usual books. I just have to dig a little deeper, I guess."

"Okay..." Dean tapped his fingers on the table again as he tried to think of something that would help. "Well, what about the first victim? The one before Levi?"

"Right, yeah," Sam pulled a newspaper clipping out of his jacket pocket, handing it to Dean. "His name was Ben Swardstrom. Last month he was found mutilated in his town house. Same deal as Levi and Meredith—the door was locked, the alarm was on."

"Was there any connection between the three of them?" Dean asked as he skimmed the article.

"Not that I can tell," Sam sighed. "I mean, not yet, at least. Levi worked for PSC, Ben was a banker, and Meredith was a waitress. None of them met or knew anyone in common."

Dean handed the newspaper clipping back to Sam. "So, we have nothing."

When he didn't get an answer from his brother, he looked over at him. Sam was looking across the bar and, when Dean followed his gaze, he saw that there was a tall woman with short blonde hair seated at a table with a few other people.

"Sam?" he looked back to his brother. "Hello?"

Sam quickly stood up and left the table, heading across the bar to the blonde woman. Dean quickly followed him, watching, bewildered, as Sam hugged the woman fondly.

"Sam," the woman pulled away from the hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh, I'm just in town visiting friends," Sam answered her with a half-lie.

The woman looked around Sam, her eyes sliding past Dean without a pause. "Where are they?"

Sam stiffened for a second before he spoke. "Well, they're not here right now. But, what about you, Meg? I thought you were going to California?"

Dean furrowed his eyebrows. Is that how Sam knew this chick? He met her while he was trying to hitchhike his way to California to find their dad?

"Oh, I did," Meg—that was what Sam called her—told him. "I came, I saw, I conquered. Oh, and I met what's-his-name, something Michael Murray at a bar."

"Who?" Sam looked confused.

Dean knew who she was talking about, though. Julia was a big fan of One Tree Hill and watched it every week when a new episode premiered. Chad Michael Murray played one of the main characters that Julia wasn't a fan of because he cheated on Brooke with Peyton and it was a whole thing. He didn't even know he knew exactly what she passionately rambled about until this moment; did this mean he was a fan of One Tree Hill?

"Oh, it doesn't matter," Meg grinned up at Sam. "Anyway, the whole scene got old, so I'm living here for a while."

Having enough of being left out of the conversation, Dean cleared his throat to get their attention. He was promptly ignored.

"You're from Chicago?" Sam asked her in surprise.

"No, Andover, Massachusetts," Meg told him. "God, Sam, what are the odds we'd run into each other?"

"Yeah, I know," Sam smiled. "I thought I'd never see you again."

"Well, I'm glad you were wrong."

From the looks Dean saw coming from Meg to Sam, it looked like those two had a connection. He grinned, amused like he always was when Sam met someone he was interested in, and cleared his throat again.

Meg immediately turned to glare at him. "Dude, cover your mouth."

Sam realized that Dean was there. "Yeah, um, I'm sorry, Meg," he apologized to the blonde. "This is, uh—this is my brother, Dean."

Meg gave him a surprised look. "This is Dean?"

Sam nodded while Dean smiled charmingly. "So, you've heard of me?"

"Oh, yeah, I've heard of you," Meg said; Dean was taken aback by the hostility in her voice. "It's nice, the way you treat your brother like luggage."

Dean furrowed his eyebrows; maybe her head her wrong. "Sorry?"

"Why don't you let him do what he wants to do?" Meg scolded him like she had any right to. "Stop dragging him over God's green earth."

"Meg, it's all right," Sam intervened; Dean gave him a surprised look. Is that what Sam really thought about him?

"Okay, this is awkward," Dean mumbled, wishing Julia was there to break the ice. "I'm gonna go get a drink now."

Dean only got through half a beer when Sam all but dragged him out of the bar. Dean immediately started questioning him, wondering exactly had happened earlier.

"Who the fuck was she?" he asked as they walked through the parking lot.

"I don't really now," Sam admitted. "I only met her once. Meeting up with her again? I don't know, man, it's weird."

Dean didn't pay much attention to Sam's concerns. "And what was she saying, huh? I treat you like luggage? What, were you bitching about me to some chick?"

"Look, I'm sorry, Dean," Sam sighed. "It was when we had that huge fight when I was in that bus stop in Indiana...but that's not important, just listen—"

"Well, is there any truth to what she's saying?" Dean interrupted him worriedly. "I mean, am I keeping you against your will, Sam?"

"No, of course not," Sam assured him. "Now, would you listen?"

"What?" Dean stopped walking once they crossed the street; Sam did the same and faced him.

"I think there's something strange going on here, Dean," Sam stated. "Like, our kind of strange. Maybe even a lead."

Dean blinked at him. "Why do you say that?"

"I met Meg weeks ago, literally on the side of the road and now I run into her in some random bar in Chicago?" Sam pointed out. "I mean, the same bar where a waitress was killed and the same time Levi was slaughtered by something supernatural? You don't think that's a little weird?"

Dean didn't know what to think. Maybe Sam was right. Maybe it couldn't be a coincidence but even if it was, they could still check Meg out to see if she did anything suspicious.

"Okay, so you follow her," Dean suggested. "I'm gonna go back to the house and look through their library. See if they have anything on that symbol."

"Okay," Sam nodded. "and check to see if there's really a Meg Masters from Andover, Massachusetts."

Dean agreed and the brothers split up.

-

-

Julia wandered through the house, looking for Dean. She had heard the Impala roll up to the house around ten but she hadn't seen him at all in the hours since. Granted, it was midnight and pretty much everyone else was asleep, or trying to fall asleep, but Dean was a night owl. He usually stayed up until the infomercials came on and even then, he'd sit and watch some of them that he thought were interesting—he was especially interested in the knives that claimed to cut through anything, which Julia thought was kind of adorable.

She entered the small library that was connected to the study and was surprised to see Dean at the large table in the middle of the room, flipping through some pages in one of her dad's old hunting journals.

"Hey," she greeted him as she walked over and sat in the seat next to him.

"Hey," he gave her a small and concerned smile. "How are you?"

"I'm managing," Julia tried to conjure a full smile but she didn't have it in her. "What are you doing?"

Dean hesitated for a couple of seconds and Julia could tell that he was seriously thinking about something.

Finally, when he spoke, his voice was careful. "I'm gonna tell you something and it's gonna be hard to take," he said cautiously; Julia stiffened nervously. "Abby and Taylor thought that something was off about Levi's death so Sam and I are looking into it."

Julia swallowed harshly as she took in the new information, her eyes stinging. She let herself shed a few tears before forcefully pulling herself together. If something that they hunted killed Levi, then she owed it to him to help find out what—or who—it was.

"What do you have so far?"

"Julia—"

"I'm not saying that I want to go hunt the thing," Julia cut him off and grabbed his hand; he was the one to give her a comforting squeeze this time and it almost made her cry again. "I just—I want to help if I can. I need to help, Dean."

"Okay," Dean's green eyes stared sadly into her hazel ones. "Okay, there was another victim this morning so Sam and I went to check it out. The apartment was locked, the alarm wasn't tripped, and there was no sign of forced entry. We found something, though."

He took his phone and pulled up the picture he had taken of the symbol. Once he handed her the phone, Julia studied it for a minute or so before her eyes lit up in recognition.

"I know what that is," she declared, standing up to head to one of the large bookshelves.

Dean followed her with his eyes. "You do?"

Julia nodded, finding the book she was looking and pulling it from the shelf. "Yeah," she confirmed as she walked back over to him. "It took me a second to place it, but yeah, I know it," she flipped through the book. "My dad...he told me about this one time."

"Okay, so what is it?"

"It's Zoroastrian," Julia informed him. "It's old, like two thousand years before Jesus was born. It's a sigil for Daeva."

Dean furrowed his eyebrows. "What's a Daeva?"

Julia skimmed the information on the page she stopped at, the familiar symbol inked into the top. "It translates to 'demon of darkness'," she read. "The Zoroastrian demons are savage and animalistic."

Dean looked at one of the drawing of the demon. "Like a demonic pitbull?"

"Exactly," Julia nodded at him and then looked back to the book. "This says that the Daevas have to be summoned or conjured."

"So, someone's controlling it?" Dean asked.

"Yeah and they look terrifying," Julia's voice wavered as her eyes started to sting again. "If Levi...I mean, who would want to kill him? Why would someone do this to him?"

Dean couldn't stand to see Julia so upset and not comfort her. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, bringing her into his chest. Her body shook with sobs but Dean held on tight, determined to support her just like she always supported him. He rested his cheek on the top of her head, whispering comforting words.

It wasn't until Julia fell asleep in his arms that Dean let his own tears fall.

-

Levi's memorial was scheduled for the next day, his and Beth's birthday. Beth insisted that it was done that day so she could give him one last birthday party. The house was quiet in the morning as everyone gathered in the foyer, dressed in black, to pray before they left the church. Dean didn't pray—he didn't really at all—but for Levi, he did. He held onto Julia's and Sam's hands and prayed to whoever or whatever was out there, hoping that the Petersen family would find peace with the loss of Levi and that his friend was up in Heaven like he told Dean he would be going after he died during one of the conversations in high school about faith, Christianity, and God.

The church was crowded when they arrived and the family was swept up in condolences from PSC employees, family friends, school friends, and church members. They were all very kind but, like any church, there were a couple of people who just seemed like snobs to Dean.

The memorial itself was beautiful; a large picture of Levi was at the front of the church next to the podium where the pastor spoke and there were more pictures in white frames around the church that detailed Levi's life with friends and family. Dean sat in the front row with the Petersen family on one side of Julia—with Abby on the other side of her—holding her hand and letting her squeeze it as tightly as she wanted.

There were eulogies and kind words spoken about Levi. Beth's speech was by far the most moving and it had Julia quietly sobbing into Dean's shoulder, his own tears falling down his cheeks as he held onto her. The pastor's message was moving, too, and for a second, it made Dean appreciate the faith that Julia, Levi, and the rest of the Petersen family had.

When the service was over, completed with a rendition of Amazing Grace from the church's choir, they moved into the banquet hall part of the building to enjoy a meal in remembrance of Levi. It was a potluck; made up of foods brought in by church members and Levi's friends.

It was after Dean finished eating that Sam pulled him aside to tell him about his night of watching Meg. It didn't really shock him to find out that Sam was right about seeing Meg was too much of a coincidence. It was her that summoned the Daeva and it was her that killed Levi.

"That's not all," Sam said as Dean's blood boiled. "She was communicating with someone."

"Someone?" Dean raised his eyebrows. "With who, the Daeva?"

"No, you told me those things were savages," Sam shook his head. "No, this was someone different. "Someone who's giving her orders. Someone who's coming to that warehouse."

Dean closed his eyes in realization; he had looked up some more information on the other victims and he had completely forgotten to tell Sam what he found.

"Shit," he muttered under his breath. "I looked into the records of the other victims. We missed something."

"What?"

"The first victim, the old man, he spent his whole life in Chicago but he wasn't born here," Dean informed his brother. "He was born in Lawrence, Kansas."

Sam's eyes widened in shock. "What?"

"Mmhm," Dean nodded. "and Meredith, it turns out she was adopted. And guess where she's from?"

"Lawrence, Kansas," Sam breathed. "Shit."

Dean hummed. "Yeah."

"I mean, it is where the demon killed Mom," Sam sighed. "That's where everything started. You think that Meg's tied up with the demon?"

"I think it's a definite possibility."

Sam frowned. "I don't understand. What's the significance of Lawrence? Why was Levi targeted? How do these Daeva things fit in?"

"Well, we're from Lawrence," Dean pointed out. "and Levi was practically family."

"And the Daeva?"

"Beats me," Dean shrugged. "but I say we trash that black altar, grab Meg, and have ourselves a friendly little interrogation."

"No, we can't," Sam shook his head immediately. "We shouldn't tip her off. We've gotta stake out that warehouse. We've gotta see who, or what, is showing up to meet her."

"Fine, we'll go tonight," Dean agreed. "In the meantime, we need to support Jules."

Sam nodded and clapped Dean's shoulder. "Yeah," he stated. "We do."

-

The hallway to the motel room Sam got for them seemed much longer after they were thrown around by Meg and her little Daeva friends. Sam trashed the black altar she was using to control the demonic pit bulls but not before they got a little slashes in; Sam's right cheek had three claw marks scratched into it and, compared to him, Dean was let off easily.

"Why didn't you just leave that stuff in the car?" Dean asked his brother about the duffle bag full of weapons he was carrying as he pulled the room key out of his jacket.

"I said it before, and I'll say it again," Sam said, adjusting the bag's strap on his shoulder. "Better safe than sorry."

Dean shrugged and unlocked the door; he walked into the room but stopped just beyond the threshold when he saw two tall but dark figures standing near the window.

"Hey!" Dean barked at them, reaching for his gun.

The two men turned around as Sam reached for the lights, allowing him and Dean to see them clearly. The brothers recognized them immediately; Dean felt hope swell in his chest.

"Luke?" his eyes flicked between the blonde man and the brunette man. "Dad?"

John smiled warmly at his sons, his dimples making an appearance. "Hey, boys."

Dean didn't care if he usually didn't do chick-flick moments. He hadn't seen his dad in almost nine months and he thought he was dead for half that time. He walked forward at the same time as John, both of them pulling each other into a warm but strong hug.

Dean inhaled the usual scent that his dad gave off, peppermint and leather, and committed it to his memory for the thousandth time. The hug ended then, as Sam and John greeted each other, and he walked over to Luke to shake his hand—Luke was definitely not as touchy-feely as his children were.

"Luke," he greeted Julia's father; Luke's grip was as firm as it usually was but there was a sadness in his blue eyes that wasn't always there. "I'm really sorry about Levi."

"Thanks, Dean," Luke nodded, his gruff voice wavering only a little. "How are my girls?"

"Managing," Dean told him. "but they need you."

Luke pressed his lips together but didn't say anything; he wasn't positive, but Dean took that to mean that Luke wasn't visiting his grieving daughters while he was in town. It was discouraging and he grew irritated enough to turn away from the older man.

Dean had never really loved Luke—despite the fact that he was his dad's best friend—but he never disliked him, either. Now, though, his respect for the man had plummeted. His son had died and he wasn't at the memorial and he wasn't going to show up for his daughters, either. If Dean knew Naomi—and he did, she was the closest thing he ever had to a mother—she'd be rolling over in her grave right now at her husband's behavior.

"Dad, it was a trap," Dean focused on what was happening at the moment instead of letting his anger at Luke get the better of him. "I didn't know, I'm sorry."

"It's all right," John nodded with a small smile. "We thought it might've been."

"Were you there?"

"We got there just in time to see the girl fall from the building," Luke told him and Sam. "She was the one who killed Levi, right?"

Sam and Dean nodded in unison. "Yes, sir."

Luke inhaled deeply, his eyes flicking to meet John's. "Good. That's—that's good."

Well, as least he seemed grateful that his son's murderer was dead, Dean thought to himself.

"Well, the trap doesn't surprise me," John kept the conversation going, though there was a hint of sadness in his eyes, as well. "It's tried to stop me before."

Sam looked at him in surprise. "The demon has?"

John nodded. "It knows we're close," he told his sons. "It knows I'm gonna kill it. Not just exorcise it or send it back to Hell—actually kill it."

Dean furrowed his eyebrows; from what Julia told him and what he already knew, he didn't think demons could actually be killed. "How?"

John and Luke shared smiles. "We're working on that."

"Let us come with you," Sam insisted immediately. "We'll help."

"No, Sam," John bowed his head as he denied is youngest son. "Not yet. Listen, try to understand, this demon is a scary son of a bitch. I don't want you caught in the crossfire. I don't want you hurt."

"Dad, you don't have to worry about us," Sam tried to talk sense into his father.

"Of course, I do. I'm your father," John shook his head and then paused, his eyes softening. "Listen, Sammy, last time we were together, we had one hell of a fight."

Sam's lips pursed as he started to tear up. "Yes, sir."

John sniffed. "It's good to see you again," he said thickly. "It's been a long time."

"Too long," Sam agreed; the two hugged, tightly holding onto each other as they fought their emotions.

To matter the circumstances, Dean was glad this was happening. It'd been four years since that nasty fight when Sam took off for Stanford; it had been one of the worst nights of his life; Sam was gone, John was an angry mess, and Dean's favorite person in the world had left him. Things were looking up now, though. Sam was by his side—until they found the demon, at least—Julia was hunting with them, and his dad was okay.

John and Sam finished their hug and John was looking at Dean tearfully when he was forcefully thrown back against the wall with some invisible force. Sam went down next, falling hard on his side when the Daeva attacked him, and then it was Luke who was on the floor.

"No!" Dean shouted before he was soaring through the air, too.

There was a lot of screaming from John and Luke as the Daeva seemed to focus on them but Dean couldn't focus on that them with all of his attention as he tried to get away from the Daeva knocking him around. Frankly, the grunts of pain Sam was letting out concerned him more but he couldn't shake the Daeva on his tail.

"Shut your eyes!" he heard Sam shout just after the Daeva swiped its claws down his forehead. "These things are shadow demons, so let's light 'em up!"

Dean covered his eyes as Sam lit a flare; flooding the room with bright light and smoke. The Daeva attacking him disappeared and so did the ones on John and Luke. He slowly got to his feet as he coughed heavily and tried to make his way to John.

"Dad?"

"Over here!" John called back to him.

Dean followed his voice and found his dad where he was tossed in the kitchen. He ducked under John's shoulder and helped him up while Sam got Luke to his feet. The four of them piled out of the bright and smoky room and tried to get out of the motel as fast as they could.

"All right, come on," Sam said hurriedly as they approached the Impala; he let Luke lean against the car while he put the duffle bag full of weapons into the backseat. "We don't have much time. As soon as the flare's out, they'll be back."

"Wait, wait, wait," Dean stopped him, his mind racing. He took in a deep breath as he turned to face John and Luke. "You guys can't come with us."

"What?" Sam looked to him in shock. "What are you talking about?"

"You boys," John argued breathlessly. "You're beat to Hell."

"We'll be all right."

"Dean, we should stick together," Sam protested angrily. "We'll go after those demons—"

"Sam, listen to me!" Dean interrupted him. "We almost got Dad and Luke killed in there. Don't you understand? They're not gonna stop, they're gonna try again. They're gonna use us to get to them. I mean, Meg was right, Dad's vulnerable when he's with us. He's—he's stronger without us around."

Dean saw the look of realization and understanding on his dad's face.

Sam saw it, too. "Dad, no," he put his hands on John's shoulders. "After everything, after all the time we spent looking for you...Please, I gotta be a part of this fight."

"Sammy, this fight is just starting," John grabbed Sam's wrist. "and we are all gonna have a part to play. For now, you've got to trust me, son. Okay? You've gotta let me go."

Sam hesitated for a couple of seconds before he finally nodded and let go of John's shoulders. Luke, who was in much better shape than John was, went to his friend's side and helped him stand on his own.

"He'll be all right," Luke assured Sam and Dean. "I'll take care of him. You take care of my Jujube."

Dean pressed his lips together and nodded; he had hoped that Luke could stay around for Julia, Beth, and Abby but now he saw that it wouldn't be safe. Luke was just as wanted by the Daeva as John was and he couldn't bring it around his children, sister-in-law, and granddaughter. For now, it was best for him to leave.

John smiled at his sons. "Be careful, boys."

Dean and Sam watched as Luke and John limped away, back down the alleyway to John's truck. As the truck started and pulled away, Dean grabbed Sam's arm and urged him toward the Impala.

(Gif is not mine)

[incarnateirony]

Sam lensed thoughts

I think what’s killing me right now is Sam’s juxtaposition to Dean at our current advent in season 14.

In a lot of ways, Sam is fulfilling a true character arc -- finally. Passed the keys to the bunker; using his tech savant skills to build a network and a legacy; not as ready or thoughtful of retirement as Dean yet, but still wanting peace; Dean readily accepting him taking on a leader role--

But Dean himself isn’t complete and so, even removing Michael -- if we pretended that was a nonissue -- Dean himself is still broken up over the aftermath and Sammy doesn’t know how to fix it.

He tried. He thought he had it.

In season 10, during the Mark of Cain chaos, Dean took comfort and “felt like himself” again by being taken on a vampire hunt.

Dean: “Yeah, you know, for the first time I've been back, I didn't feel like the Mark was pushing me.”

Sam: “First time?”

Dean: “All I know is, back there, killing those vamps... I felt like me again.“

Sam: “Alright, so that’s good, right?" 

D: “Yeah.” 

-- Sam & Dean, 10.08 Hibbing 911.

Now, in season 14 with Dean hiding out in his room, not only does Sam do that but finds like, The Perfect Case™ that’s just perfectly suited to get Dean out of a funk with the interests he never lets himself deeply invest in and boom -- plucky Dean at the end of the episode, but we all saw something still wasn’t right.

And, in 14.5, Dean does show where he’s grown. Sam doesn’t get to really see these discussions as he talks about trying to let things go every day because The Past Is The Past (trying to think like that every day, rather than S10 where it’s “the opposite of what I do”; also keep an eye on S10, we’re gonna keep tapping back to it), but the thought echoes up later. And Dean, sideways in it all still, admits -- he’s still not okay. He almost felt like himself. Almost.

“You know, I’ve been trying to– not forget, but to move on, from what I–from what we– from what he did. And to be honest, I was– I was starting to feel like myself again. Almost."

– Dean 14.5 Nightmare Logic

Almost.

In fact, the sentences are framed so painfully similar, and the evocation of Americana in both of these episodes (though 14.5 it was a shortly previous scene with sending off Mobby), I can’t help but feel it was, truly, intentional. “You know,” [introspection] “I felt like me again/I was starting to feel like myself again. Almost.”

Almost.

Almost.

The “Almost” is murdering me. As is this.

Sam: "K. Then let’s go with that."

[everybody loads up and rolls!]

-- 10.08

Sam: So we’ll work harder.

Dean: How, Sam?

-- 14.05

As we know, Dean goes on about Sam’s lack of sleep, Sam just offers to... sleep less, work harder. But aggressively goes into saying they’ll find Michael. But let’s be real -- stabbing Michael and racing to the end of the book won’t fix the traps Dean knows “i/we/he” set up. They won’t deal with Dean’s emotional state. And Sam isn’t dumb. He knows that. And even that much Dean doesn’t have real hope in right now.

Sam is sort of flailing to find a salve for his brother.

What’s worked in the past, and even the semi-recent past (I mean, 4 years ago isn’t ancient in the scale of things; and even by S10 it had become evident that Dean’s masks and easy patches weren’t working anymore), just isn’t doing it here. Even with the Mark of Cain literally under Dean’s skin, this is all the more under it.

Which means we have to look at how else Sam can even try to fix this.

Sam’s being the sounding board for everybody. I mean, that’s not unusual, it’s Sam. But right now, we have -- in example --

“Look, the point is,” Sam comes back, from a point of knowing, “people put up walls for a reason. So whatever your Bobby has behind his, I doubt it’s pretty.”

Mary: “But you think I should try and find out?”

Sam: “You know what? If you care about him? I think you should.”

We now interrupt your deep character insights with discovering a critical part of the hunt.

Sam was, of course, quick to tune into it. Before that discussion at all, 

You know, “I wasn’t gonna mention it, none of my business, but it seems like you’d gotten pretty close, lately.”

Everything -- the entire discourse -- poured from a place of silent knowing. Just like, with everything from DreamHunter to Dean repressing Michael’s memories and it not being as hunky-dory-okay as he was pretending,

There’s things Sam knows he can’t give Dean. He tries to fill the gaps by finding perfect hobby hunts, distractions, directions for Dean to gun it while everything sorts itself out, but even that is thinning out. It only-almost works. Almost.

DEAN Look, I have no illusions, okay? I know the life that I live, I know how that’s gonna end for me. Whatever. I’m okay with that. But I wanted you to know…that when I do picture myself happy…it’s with you. And the kid.

LISA Wow.

DEAN I mean, you don’t have to say anything.

LISA No, I…I mean, I know. I know. I want to. Come inside. Let me get you a beer.

DEAN I wish I could. Take care of yourself, Lisa.

-- 5.17, 99 Problems.

A conversation Sam wasn’t privy to witness, but the psychology behind his brother was still not something Sam missed. Just like he wasn’t privy to most of Sam and Mary, just like he just saw a few hunters cooperating and saw something there. Just like Sam Knew. It’s something Sam’s always excelled at. He just pays attention and reads people around him.

SAM: Really? You don't . . . Ever want something more?

DEAN: I'm sorry, have you met us? We're batting a whopping zero in domestic life, man. Goose eggs.

SAM: You don't ever think about something? Not marriage or whatever. But . . . Something? You know, with a hunter? Somebody who understands the life?

-- 11.04 Baby.

We can, of course, argue that sometimes Sam thinks about this himself, but it’s not as thematic. Eileen, for example, was a good reprieve for him. Amelia, as much as we hate that story. Sam knows and understands it, but he’s not quite there right now. Right now he’s building a legacy, being passed the keys in so many ways -- from the keys to the bunker, to almost the keys to the car; the keys to this hunter circle he’s been leading while Dean’s down, crushed under himself, or in an episode full of mirrors of all the characters where keys to a shop legacy were passed while one wasn’t quite following the vein and the spirit of past expectation came to haunt them. 

Sam has never needed a confessional to gloss things like this from his brother, though he was not witness to it.

DEAN What if I said I…I didn’t want to die…yet, you know, that I wasn’t ready?

FATHER DELANEY Are you expecting to?

DEAN Always. [Chuckles] You know, the life I live, the work I do…I pretty much just figured that that was all there was to me, you know? Tear around and jam the key in the ignition and haul ass until I ran out of gas. I guess I just thought sooner or later, I’d go out the same way that I live – pedal to the metal, and that would be it.

FATHER DELANEY But now?

DEAN Now, um… recent events, uh… make me think I might be closer to that than I really thought. And…I don’t know. I mean, you know, there’s – there’s things, there’s…people, feelings that I-I-I want to experience differently than I have before, or maybe even for the first time.

FATHER DELANEY Go a little deeper, perhaps, than with Gina.

DEAN Yeah. Yeah, I’m just starting to think that… maybe there’s more to it all than I thought.

-- 10.16 Paint it Black

Sam never pried about what Dean confessed, despite standing right outside.  “I wasn’t gonna mention it, none of my business,”

But he noticed. Like Sam does. Even in this episode we double back to Sam already silently knowing how Dean is coping,

SAM I heard what Sister Mathias was saying about, you know, hiding pain by taking on a mission, and I-I know that’s what you’re doing a little bit. And it’s okay. I mean, it’s fine. I get it. I’ve done it before, too. But… I don’t buy for one second that the mark is a terminal diagnosis, so don’t go making peace with that idea. There has to be a way. There will be a way, and we will find it. That’s what we do. So, believe that.

DEAN Okay, Sammy.

SAM You want to… Uh, try that again like you mean it?

DEAN [More determined] Okay.

This was, in fact, in stream with the Hibbing 911 10.08 episode I started this with. It was a consistent stream. Take on a case, Dean feels better. Take on a case, know he’s dealing with pain by taking on a mission. Faith -- there is a way -- Dean is waffling, but at least back then, Sam could inspire sparks out of Dean in that. But now, they’re fading as quickly as they come. Hibbing 911 to Paint It Black was an 8 episode stretch and Sam had to voice it as a cover -- after a 5-episode stretch post-saving Dean(mon) to get to deciding that worked. Now -- for the better in communication -- Dean is voicing it doesn’t work anymore, and we’re only a few episodes in, 3 episodes from being brought back. It already isn’t working. 

There has to be something more in the long term than fixing the immediate problem for Dean.

And Sam knows.

And that’s really what’s slaying me right now. Sam keeps trying, but every time it’s working less, they’re losing ground on Dean. Even when Dean communicates openly, it’s that the old vices simply aren’t cutting it anymore. The old fixes won’t work. They can try to race ahead to the end of the story (though it’s not the ending, it’s the journey, right?) but even stabbing Michael dead won’t fix everything. They both know that. There needs to be another remedy.

Now bounce back to his conversation with Mary. Bobby, who doesn’t know any other way to live -- who Sam recognizes the thick walls of, who he encouraged to try to get past those walls. Who’s the first person setting up their arrangements?

Mary frets. You sure she won't mind? "No," Sam eagerly expresses, hand out, "Donna says her cabin is your cabin." And Dean, one who knows too well, "Take as much time as you need."

Bobby's apology for snapping kicks in here, and Sam had already moved on from it. Bobby, like Dean, recognizes what Sam has within him for this. After that, we get down to Mary and Dean -- and everything I've talked in these posts. [x] [x] [x]

But then we fall back to Dean's conversation with Sam immediately. He keeps almost feeling like himself. Almost.

There’s nothing quite as awful -- but quite as mature -- as realizing you can’t be the end all fix all for somebody you care about. Sam is left to look back, maybe even literally in this shot, on everything within this episode, and everything behind them since at least season 10. 

He can and WILL do whatever he can to make Dean’s days a little better. Frankly, I imagine that’s going to be some of the crafting in Dean partnering off with Jack a few times in upcoming episodes. There’s another answer out there, and maybe Sam won’t leap to the One Cure All solution, but it’s a way to fix-and-cope gradually, outside of his own reach, as much as that may pain him to realize. 

It is entirely possible to have a deep, meaningful relationship without being codependent. Sam started this season as boldly independent despite being the more dependent brother for immediate engagement in the past. Dean’s dependency was more based on his sense of duty -- having to take care of his little brother. Sam’s was more on feeling left behind. But he’s been growing past that. 

It’s not to say the brothers will throw all the papers in the air and stop caring -- not by a long shot. But the breadth of family and responsibilities have diversified into a more recognizeable human relationship -- or arrangement. I would not be at all surprised if it is Sam’s suggestion on one or both weeks to hang out with Jack. Dean never got that childhood -- maybe that will be a salve, let Dean teach Jack how to be a kid, and in the same stretch, get to be a kid himself.

This is healthy, but painful -- a new way for SPN to be exploring its characters. Well, “new”. It’s been creeping in since Dabberens really set to rock’n’rolling, but generally speaking, the old days of brothers slapping verbal bandaids ignoring the actual problem on seem to be over.

I expect there to be some minor regressions. Lifelong habits are hard to break. But similarly, doing the same thing over and over again, the same way, expecting different results is the definition of insanity -- and in their case, has only antagonized the situation. It would be so easy to yell, “Oh it’s just Dean stressed about Michael,” but no. No, Sam knows his brother more than that. Sam Knows. Sam remembers. They’ve been here before and each and every time, it’s more desperate. He can arrange for his mother to go be happy, but there’s no easy solution floating by for Dean. Or hey, maybe there is and they’re just not ready to take that path yet.

And while Dean sends Mary off like this--go, mom, be happy; I think deep down, Sam is waiting for the chance for that for Dean. Dean was his mother /and/ his father. As long as it’s some tragic ending though of somebody dying or getting trapped or any of their other histories, that will never come to pass. Which is why, really-- Sam seems so obsessed with ideas of, “Do you ever think we can stop all the bad, all the monsters?” -- Dean hangs in lament of the impossibility. But Sam wants to hope. And really, I think that’s more for his brother than for himself.

In the end, it was Never Too Late for Dean to get that beer with Lisa in 99 Problems vs Swan Song; but while Dean had theoretically patched up and moved on, Sam’s caged status didn’t exactly lend to actual peace. 

The strangest thing, I think, is Sam will need to realize -- in my opinion -- his need for his own peace, before Dean ever truly is willing to move on. From The Life, from Life. What have you. Death has far been painted from being The End here, it’s just the entrapment of it all that separates and confines. They still have a purpose here -- even if it’s heavily diverted to things like, I dunno, raising Jack. It’s been Sam’s turn to be both a Mother and a Father (given more explicitly in S13, but.) It seems to have shifted his overall perspective, filling Dean’s old shoes in that way. 

If this were Carver or Gamble or Kripke, I would say-- Sam has a pipe dream. It’s empty. His hopes will be crushed. There’s no way to stop the monsters and the bad. But this cage imagery haunting us is giving us our actual subversion target (given, I’ll talk that in another post.) 

But this isn’t Carver or Gamble or Kripke. As Bobo says, SPN -- their SPN, this Sam and this Dean -- believe in heroism, not just tragedy. And with all the telegraphed goals hit time and again: finding someone in the life, stopping all the bad, all the monsters, breaking their cycles, cages and fencelines suffocating them -- I see fairly clearly, in my opinion at least, what Dabb intends here. 

And honestly?

I’m proud of my boy. Even if it’ll take another year or so to really Come to Pass. I’m proud of him. And I think... eventually we’re going to hear that from Dean too, similarly to the 12.22 recognition of how Ready Sam was to be a leader. 

[bigjug]

Lady wanting her mirror to be steam free in here new bathroom. So we are using a large demister pad from HIB 10 year warranty Low cost to run Maintenance free Made in UK. #homestyleinteriorshartlepool #yourhomeyourway #HIB #loveyourbathroom (at Seaton Carew) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2MO_7GgyWu/?igshid=15wil7utyx6jl

[ukbathroomshoponline]

Best Bathroom Furniture Guide for Efficient Storage Solution for Your Bathroom

Are you planning for your bathroom to add usability with an elegant look? Bathroom furniture is the best way to make your bathroom perfect in terms of best style & usability. Whether it’s your personal bathroom or a family bathroom, it is a private place for everyone to get refreshed and relax.

Hence, when you design a layout for your bathroom, consider the most important bathroom furniture essential for your daily requirement. In this best bathroom furniture buying guide, we help you how to choose the most essential bathroom furniture for your dream bathroom.

First, you should fix your budget to buy the furniture. Also, ensure that which furniture best suits your bathroom, like Modern Bathroom Furniture or Traditional Bathroom Furniture. Besides, consider some significant factors such as size, style, shape, and storage capacity in addition to your budget limit.

You have a broad range of choices to select the best quality & brand of bathroom furniture, such as Duravit bathroom furniture UK, Vitra Bathroom Furniture, Burlington bathroom furniture, and many others.

Before deciding on buying furniture, you should first design a floor plan of your bathroom that gives you a precise idea to place each piece of furniture accurately. Make a smart selection to give your bathroom a space-saving storage solution.

You have choices of bathroom furniture such as open units, furniture with doors, drawers, etc. You can choose open units for your limited budget or not enough space to open doors or drawers. Selecting the storage cabinet with doors or drawers depends on the available space to open doors or drawers. Remember, the door or drawer should not collide with other bathroom products, the main door, or windows. 

Freestanding or Fitted bathroom furniture can decide based on available bathroom space.

For your luxurious and spacious bathroom, you can go with a freestanding choice, but Combination Bathroom Furniture looks great in your small or modern bathroom.  With fitted bathroom furniture, you can fix everything under place. You can use your dead space like corners to place your furniture.

Create a bespoke look of bathroom furniture by combining multiple wall-mounted and floor-standing units with fitted bathroom furniture. They come in different colors & sizes with the choice to select the knobs & handles of different styles.

With an accurate measurement of the height, length & breadth of your bathroom space, you should also ensure the exact locations of the power supply and mains water. Vitra Bathroom Units offers an unmatched look and luxury with the best storage solution for spacious or small bathrooms.

Bathroom cabinets are the most useful pieces of furniture to store items and keep them out of reach of children. You can fix it above your basin. The different bathroom cabinets include Freestanding Cabinets, Mirror Cabinets, HIB Mirror Cabinets, and others. Keep it in a place that becomes handy for you to get things, easily.

To hide your messy pipework underneath your basin area, vanity units are a great option. It offers an extra storage solution with drawers & cupboards in your bathroom. You can choose a countertop or semi or fully integrated basins into your vanity unit. You can select Wall Hung Vanity unit with basin, Burlington vanity unit with basin, Vitra Voyage Vanity Unit, Tavistock Bathroom Vanities, Cloakroom bathroom vanities, Floor Standing Vanity Units, or others to enhance the look of your designer bathrooms in the UK.

Wall-hung units play a vital role in creating an organized look for your bathroom. It is as useful as your kitchen cupboard that provides a handy storage solution for towels, toiletries, etc. As it is mounted on a wall, it keeps your floor area open, which makes it easy to clean and well-maintain. Check the strength of your wall so that it can bear the weight of the wall-mounted unit.

Freestanding bathroom furniture is the best option for your spacious bathroom.  This standalone furniture can install easily and can move anywhere if you want to rearrange the position of your bathroom furniture.

Tall storage units are a great space-saving storage option for bathrooms having a limited area for furniture. Generally, it contains shelves, storage components, and drawers. You can choose a wall-mounted or freestanding tall storage unit based on your bathroom layout.

You can choose a bathroom mirror with a storage unit or a separate one. If you don’t have any wall space to fix the mirror, you can choose combination furniture in which you will get a storage mirror cabinet of your desired style, size, and design. Choose Non-Illuminated Mirrors for bathrooms having enough lights or Illuminated Mirrorsfor dark bathroom area. Thus, you can enhance the look of your contemporary or classic bathroom using mirrors.

If you are looking for the best Bathroom Shop in the UK that offers a great deal on branded bathroom furniture such as Duravit bathroom furniture UK, Vitra Bathroom Furniture, Toilet Units(WC Units), Freestanding Cabinets, and others, write at sales@bathroomshopuk.co.uk

[chitrakullkarni]

Fogless Mirror Market Product Type Estimates and COVID-19 Impact Insights, 2028

The global fogless mirror market size is expected to reach USD 576.6 million by 2028, registering a CAGR of 5.8% over the forecast period, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Over the past few years, there has been a significant increase in bathroom renovation expenditure globally, especially in the Asia Pacific region, due to the continuous inflow of evolved designs in bathroom Vanities. These expenditures are projected to outpace other housing development expenditures in the coming years. The trend is expected to emerge as a key driving factor for the market growth.

Market Share Insights 

LAUFEN BATHROOMS AG,

Roper Rhodes, Ltd.,

Zadro Products, Inc.,

New Home Bath & Mirror Inc.,

Electric Mirror, Inc.,

ToiletTree Products, Inc.,

HiB Ltd.

WeProFab

The Shave Well Company

YD Valve Co. Ltd, 

The market is characterized by various well-established players and several small and medium players. These players continuously invest in inorganic and organic growth strategic initiatives to expand their product/service portfolio and to enhance their foothold in the market. Increasing competition at the regional and global levels is leading the market towards consolidation. Also, the global players are establishing manufacturing and distribution networks in developing countries to gain a market presence.

Request free sample to get a complete analysis of the market players @ https://www.millioninsights.com/industry-reports/global-fogless-mirror-market/request-sample

Product Insights

The stationary fogless mirror segment contributed the highest revenue share of more than 55% in 2020. Fogging is condensing water droplets on the mirror's surface which generally occurs while installed in enclosed spaces. Fogless mirrors help prevent water droplets from concentrating on the surface of the mirror. To avoid the condensation of droplets, fogless mirrors are coated with anti-fogging chemicals on their silver surface.

Vendors in fogless mirror segments continuously adopt various organic growth launching new products with wider features in this category to provide a better experience to their customers. Improved scalability, high efficiency, and reliable performance are among the key factors sustaining the segment competitiveness across the global market.

Regional Insights

North America accounted for a significant market share of 29% in 2020, with the U.S. occupying the position of the dominant revenue contributor in the region. The continuous development, expansion, and renovation of commercial spaces such as hostels, gyms, and households have driven the demand for fogless mirrors in the region. Apart from this, increasing innovation in the raw material used and rising focus on the benefits associated with anti-fog mirrors among the consumers are expected to support the market growth in the forthcoming years.

The Asia Pacific market contributed to the highest share of more than 30% in terms of revenue in 2020 and is projected to register a substantial CAGR over the forecast period, with China being the major revenue contributor to the regional market growth. The increasing population and growing urbanization in countries such as China, India, and other countries are likely to be the key catalysts for the demand for fogless mirrors in the region. Moreover, the expansion of the economy in Asian countries contributed to increasing disposable income, which became a key driver for market growth. Moreover, the robust development of home décor units and bath utilities in the countries such as China, India, and Japan provided the vendors of the market with a key distribution channel to penetrate the rural and urban regions.

  Browse Related Category Research Reports @ https://industryanalysisandnews.wordpress.com/

[harrison-abbott]

I remember going to get a haircut in Aberdeen. When I was a student, I needed a haircut, so I went down the road and into the barbers. The ladies who cut the hair were Polish. And one of them silently began to cut my hair. And, mid-cut, this older man came into the barber too: he must’ve been in his 50s or so. I don’t remember exactly what caused the topic of football to come up. Perhaps the radio was on – and the radio guys were talking about the Hibernian v Rangers game coming up next month. Hibs were playing Rangers in the Scottish Cup Final. And I think the man behind me, the older guy, reacted to it. So I asked him what team he supported. And he said Rangers. And I said Hibs. Literally – it was only a conversational question. And the man just launched into this violent rhetoric about Hibs. With all of these sectarian half-slights. He was saying things like ‘No Surrender’ and he was making references to cultural violence that I didn’t even get. So, he was sitting behind me at the couch whilst I looked at him in the mirror. And the Polish ladies had gone totally silent and didn’t get what he was on about. Nor did I, for the most part. Bearing in mind that this man was white haired and frail and looked ill. He got so angry, just because I said I was a Hibs fan. I kinda placated him and just tried to laugh off his fury. It is mad how, in Scotland especially, football can be such a tribal affair. If you say your Hibs or Rangers, it can spark off such a load of aggression – even if you only asked another man what team he was, in a barber shop. This was a long time ago. 2016. And, I barely follow Scottish soccer anymore. I got sick of the whole furore of it. Examples such as this ^. I like watching the national tournaments – the World Cup and the Euros, etc. But when it comes to Scotland I just tune out and can’t be bothered with all of that virile crap. There is nothing sentimental to look back to.

[luxebathrooms]

Tips To Create Modern Hib Bathrooms Ireland Designs

Bathrooms are no more just bathrooms and certain modern bathroom principles require being incorporated into your bathroom space design. Modern HiB Bathrooms Ireland has clean and bold lines, minimum decor and the usage of white colour in abundance. Here are some tips to help your bathroom have a modern design.

Clean Lines

Clean lines play a vital role in the bathroom decor and you must consider the external shape of your mirror, windows and countertop and make sure that they complement each other. You need to avoid wavy outer lines as they are uncommon in modern bathroom designs. You need to opt for horizontal straights or ovals and utilize them to get a bold and clean look. Ovals can offer a subtle and harmonious look. To match your horizontal lines, you can utilize a rectangular countertop, square or sink, a straight large mirror.

Colours

When it comes to the colour of HiB Bathrooms Ireland, you need to ensure that it is minimalistic. When you happen to pick a colour scheme that includes two prominent colours for a small space, it is suggested that you opt for white and another colour like light aqua, bamboo green, wooden, soft green to complement the white. For a large bathroom, you can opt for darker shades like purples, blacks, grays, reds etc. The bathroom will feel closed when you use patterns. But, for a large or medium-sized bathroom, either a wall or the ceiling can be painted with some designs or you can use designer tiles too. Adding more patterns will lead to a modern style.

Lighting

Lighting plays a huge role in the design of HiB bathrooms Ireland that are smaller in size as they can be utilized to create a well-lit place. The ideal lighting choices for your bathrooms are the ones that are off-white or white in colour. You need to keep your countertop clear of fixtures and have just one lamp if you have limited space. If your bathroom is large, you can use a skylight for natural light or small ceiling lights to bring ambience to your bathroom.

Lesser Quantity of Items

The lesser quantity of items you use in the decor of your bathroom, the better it will look. This is the modern bathroom principle. You need to have the least quantity of items on your countertop if your bathroom is small. You can use hanging sinks rather than pedestal sinks to create more space. You can also make use of a white bathroom light and a few bamboo plants and wooden mats.

Uncluttered Spaces

Clutter often creates a chaotic feel and it is recommended to ensure that your bathroom is free from clutter. You can have shelves under your counter to store your items. You can have cabinet mirrors inside the HiB Bathrooms Ireland and a small wooden shelf outside your bathroom to keep items that you can pick up while you use the bathroom.

[pigmentation21]

Laryngitis vedas cure

Laryngitis

What is laryngitis?

Laryngitis happens when your voice box or vocal strings become excited from abuse, disturbance, or contamination. Laryngitis can be intense (present moment), enduring under three weeks. Or then again it very well may be ongoing (long haul), enduring over three weeks.

Numerous conditions can cause the irritation that outcomes in laryngitis. Viral diseases, natural variables, and bacterial contaminations would all be able to cause laryngitis.

What causes laryngitis?

Intense laryngitis

Intense laryngitis is a brief condition brought about by abusing the vocal ropes. It can likewise be brought about by a contamination. Treating the hidden condition makes the laryngitis disappear. Intense laryngitis can be brought about by:

viral diseases

stressing your vocal lines by talking or shouting

bacterial diseases

drinking an excessive amount of liquor

Persistent laryngitis

Persistent laryngitis results from long haul openness to aggravations. It's normally more serious and has longer-enduring impacts than intense laryngitis.

Persistent laryngitis can be brought about by:

continuous openness to destructive synthetic compounds or allergens

heartburn

continuous sinus contaminations

smoking or being around smokers

abusing your voice

poor quality yeast contaminations brought about by continuous utilization of an asthma inhaler

Malignancy, loss of motion of the vocal ropes, or changes fit as a fiddle as you age can likewise cause industrious dryness and sore throats.

Side effects of laryngitis

The most well-known indications of laryngitis include:

debilitated voice

loss of voice

dry, dry throat

steady irritating or minor throat bothering

dry hack

These manifestations are normally gentle and can be treated by offering your voice a reprieve. Drinking water or other noncaffeinated liquids can assist with greasing up your throat.

Laryngitis in babies and youngsters

Babies and kids can be inclined to laryngitis in the event that they're much of the time around different youngsters. Both viral and bacterial diseases can spread rapidly from one kid to another. Laryngitis can likewise create if your kid hollers or sings a ton. This makes knocks structure on their vocal strings.

On the off chance that you notice your youngster's voice is raspy or feeble or they say that their throat harms, ensure they rest their voice. Additionally, have them drink liquids to ease conceivable viral laryngitis. Laryngitis as a rule disappears inside about fourteen days.

On the off chance that your youngster's side effects don't improve or turn out to be more terrible, take them to a specialist. A specialist can decide whether different components are causing the laryngitis or if anti-microbials for a bacterial contamination are required.

Epiglottitis

Certain side effects could likewise demonstrate your kid has a genuine bacterial disease around the voice box, called the epiglottis. The epiglottis is the fold of tissue that covers the larynx (voice box) and windpipe (breathing cylinder) when you eat or drink. It keeps food particles and fluid out of your lungs.

Epiglottitis is a contamination of the epiglottis and the tissue around it. During epiglottitis, tissue expands to the point that it can shut off the windpipe.

Epiglottitis can be deadly if not treated. See a specialist immediately if your kid has:

inconvenience gulping

issues breathing, for example, expecting to lean forward to relax

additional spit

boisterous, shrill sounds when relaxing

a stifled voice

a fever

Commonly, your youngster will require a clinic stay to get treatment. Your youngster will be given IV anti-microbials and frequently glucocorticoids or dexamethasone.

Epiglottitis for the most part influences youngsters ages 2 to 6 years of age. Be that as it may, an offspring of all ages, or grown-up, can be influenced. The Hib antibody shields youngsters from the microorganisms Haemophilus influenzae type b. The antibody has diminished the quantity of instances of epiglottitis brought about by these microbes.

When to see a specialist

You could likewise have normal side effects that mean you have a condition like laryngitis, including:

injuries like ulcers, sores, or knobs on your vocal ropes

muscle pressure dysphonia, a vocal condition brought about by strange utilization of the vocal muscles

vocal string loss of motion

A few side effects can be not kidding or demonstrate fundamental issues. These indications include:

inconvenience gulping

hacking up blood

a fever that doesn't disappear with treatment

incapacitating torment in your throat

See your primary care physician if normal manifestations don't clear up following seven days, or they deteriorate.

Diagnosing laryngitis

Laryngitis influences your vocal ropes and voice box. Your primary care physician regularly begins with a visual finding, utilizing an extraordinary mirror to see your vocal ropes. They may likewise play out a laryngoscopy to amplify the voice box for simple review. During a laryngoscopy, your primary care physician sticks a dainty, adaptable cylinder with a tiny camera through your mouth or nose. Your primary care physician then, at that point searches for the accompanying indications of laryngitis:

bothering

redness

sores on the voice box

broad expanding, an indication of natural reasons for laryngitis

vocal string growing, which can be an indication that you've abused your vocal lines

On the off chance that your primary care physician sees an injury or other dubious mass, they may arrange a biopsy to preclude throat malignant growth. During a biopsy, your PCP eliminates a little piece of tissue so it tends to be inspected in a lab.

Medicines to ease indications

In the event that an infection has caused intense laryngitis, side effects for the most part vanish without therapy inside seven days. Specialists treat bacterial laryngitis with anti-toxins, albeit this type of laryngitis is uncommon.

Your PCP may recommend corticosteroids, medications that can decrease aggravation, to treat both intense and ongoing laryngitis.

These medicines assist with diminishing vocal rope and voice box expanding. Corticosteroids can treat and diminish side effects of laryngitis, particularly intense viral laryngitis. For constant laryngitis, the best treatment will address the reason for the hidden issue.

Like intense laryngitis, different conditions, for example, dysphonia or vocal string loss of motion can be treated with rest, vocal treatment given by a discourse pathologist, or minor strategies.

On account of vocal overlay loss of motion, treatment can incorporate phonosurgery. Phonosurgery changes the vocal strings' position or shape to reduce the pressure brought about by the voice.

[digitalyogesh]

Laryngitis

What is Laryngitis?

Laryngitis happens when your voice box or vocal strings become kindled from abuse, bothering, or disease. Laryngitis can be intense (present moment), enduring under three weeks. Or then again it very well may be constant (long haul), enduring over three weeks.

Numerous conditions can cause the irritation that outcomes in laryngitis. Viral contaminations, natural elements, and bacterial diseases would all be able to cause laryngitis.

What causes Laryngitis ?

Intense Laryngitis

Intense laryngitis is an impermanent condition brought about by abusing the vocal lines. It can likewise be brought about by a disease. Treating the basic condition makes the laryngitis disappear. Intense laryngitis can be brought about by:

viral contaminations

stressing your vocal strings by talking or shouting

bacterial contaminations

drinking a lot of liquor

Constant Laryngitis

Constant laryngitis results from long haul openness to aggravations. It’s normally more extreme and has longer-enduring impacts than intense laryngitis.

Constant laryngitis can be brought about by:

regular openness to hurtful synthetic compounds or allergens

heartburn

successive sinus diseases

smoking or being around smokers

abusing your voice

poor quality yeast diseases brought about by successive utilization of an asthma inhaler

Malignancy, loss of motion of the vocal lines, or changes fit as a fiddle as you age can likewise cause determined dryness and sore throats.

Manifestations of Laryngitis

The most widely recognized indications of laryngitis include:

debilitated voice

loss of voice

raspy, dry throat

steady irritating or minor throat bothering

dry hack

These indications are normally gentle and can be treated by offering your voice a reprieve. Drinking water or other noncaffeinated liquids can help grease up your throat.

Laryngitis in babies and kids

Babies and kids can be inclined to laryngitis on the off chance that they’re often around different youngsters. Both viral and bacterial contaminations can spread rapidly from one kid to another. Laryngitis can likewise create if your youngster shouts or sings a great deal. This makes knocks structure on their vocal lines.

On the off chance that you notice your youngster’s voice is dry or powerless or they say that their throat harms, ensure they rest their voice. Likewise, have them drink liquids to ease conceivable viral laryngitis. Laryngitis as a rule disappears inside about fourteen days.

On the off chance that your kid’s manifestations don’t improve or turn out to be more awful, take them to a specialist. A specialist can decide whether different variables are causing the laryngitis or if anti-infection agents for a bacterial disease are required.

Epiglottitis

Certain manifestations could likewise show your youngster has a genuine bacterial contamination around the voice box, called the epiglottis. The epiglottis is the fold of tissue that covers the larynx (voice box) and windpipe (breathing cylinder) when you eat or drink. It keeps food particles and fluid out of your lungs.

Epiglottitis is a contamination of the epiglottis and the tissue around it. During epiglottitis, tissue expands to the point that it can deter the windpipe.

Epiglottitis can be deadly if not treated. See a specialist immediately if your youngster has:

inconvenience gulping

issues breathing, for example, expecting to lean forward to relax

additional spit

uproarious, shrill sounds when relaxing

a muted voice

a fever

Normally, your kid will require a medical clinic stay to get therapy. Your kid will be given IV anti-microbials and regularly glucocorticoids or dexamethasone.

Laryngitis for the most part influences kids ages 2 to 6 years of age. However, an offspring of all ages, or grown-up, can be influenced. The Hib antibody shields kids from the microorganisms Haemophilus influenzae type b. The immunization has diminished the quantity of instances of epiglottitis brought about by these microscopic organisms.

When to see a specialist

You could likewise have normal side effects that mean you have a condition like Laryngitis , including:

injuries like ulcers, sores, or knobs on your vocal lines

muscle pressure dysphonia, a vocal condition brought about by strange utilization of the vocal muscles

vocal rope loss of motion

A few manifestations can be not kidding or show fundamental issues. These side effects include:

inconvenience gulping

hacking up blood

a fever that doesn’t disappear with treatment

crippling torment in your throat

See your PCP if normal manifestations don’t clear up following seven days, or they deteriorate.

Diagnosing Laryngitis

Laryngitis influences your vocal lines and voice box. Your primary care physician frequently begins with a visual conclusion, utilizing an uncommon mirror to see your vocal strings. They may likewise play out a laryngoscopy to amplify the voice box for simple review. During a laryngoscopy, your primary care physician sticks a flimsy, adaptable cylinder with an infinitesimal camera through your mouth or nose. Your primary care physician then, at that point searches for the accompanying indications of laryngitis:

bothering

redness

sores on the voice box

broad growing, an indication of ecological reasons for Laryngitis

vocal rope expanding, which can be an indication that you’ve abused your vocal ropes

On the off chance that your PCP sees a sore or other dubious mass, they may arrange a biopsy to preclude throat malignancy. During a biopsy, your primary care physician eliminates a little piece of tissue so it very well may be analyzed in a lab.

Medicines to ease manifestations

On the off chance that an infection has caused intense laryngitis, manifestations generally vanish without therapy inside seven days. Specialists treat bacterial laryngitis with anti-microbials, albeit this type of laryngitis is uncommon.

Your primary care physician may recommend corticosteroids, meds that can lessen aggravation, to treat both intense and ongoing Laryngitis .

These medicines help decrease vocal line and voice box growing. Corticosteroids can treat and mitigate indications of laryngitis, particularly intense viral laryngitis. For constant laryngitis, the best treatment will address the reason for the hidden issue.

Like intense laryngitis, different conditions, for example, dysphonia or vocal line loss of motion can be treated with rest, vocal treatment given by a discourse pathologist, or minor systems.

On account of vocal overlay loss of motion, treatment can incorporate phonosurgery. Phonosurgery changes the vocal lines’ position or shape to diminish the strain brought about by the voice.

Laryngitis tips

Utilize a humidifier or breathe in steam to lighten dryness.

Get vocal treatment to dissect and address the manner in which you utilize your voice and any unusual discourse designs that spot weight on your vocal ropes and voice box.

Drink heaps of liquids.

Rinse with 1/2 tsp. of salt and 1/2 tsp. of heating soft drink in 8 oz. of warm water.

Rest your voice.

Abstain from shouting or talking uproariously for extensive stretches of time.

Stay away from decongestants, which can dry your throat.

Suck on tablets to keep your throat greased up.

Avoid murmuring, which can strain the voice.

Shop for humidifiers.

Potential entanglements

In uncommon cases, vocal string aggravation can cause respiratory trouble, which requires quick clinical consideration.

A bacterial disease causing epiglottitis can likewise spread past the epiglottis and larynx to different regions in your respiratory plot and into your circulation system. On the off chance that you have a bacterial contamination, follow your primary care physician’s treatment plan near prevent the disease from spreading.

In the event that a fundamental condition like vocal string loss of motion or throat malignant growth is causing your laryngitis, inconveniences can be extreme if the condition isn’t dealt with. Vocal rope loss of motion can raise a ruckus breathing and gulping. Food can likewise get into the lungs, which can cause pneumonia.

Progressed throat malignancy can be lethal or require a medical procedure or chemotherapy. See your primary care physician if your laryngitis indications are influencing your capacity to eat, talk, or inhale, or on the off chance that they’re causing you extraordinary agony. The prior you address genuine laryngitis indications, the almost certain your PCP can treat conceivable hidden conditions.

Tips to keep your vocal strings solid

The most ideal approach to keep your vocal strings and voice box solid is to keep them clammy and Laryngitis from aggravations.

To stay away from normal aggravations:

abstain from smoking and being around individuals who smoke

limit your liquor and caffeine admission

wash your hands routinely to try not to contract bugs and upper respiratory diseases

keep away from poisonous synthetic substances in the working environment

stay away from food varieties that cause acid reflux and Laryngitis

[bathroomshopuk]

Give Your Bathroom Stunning Look with HiB Mirror Cabinet, Mirrors and Bathroom Furniture

With the stunning design and style of your bathroom, it is also important to select superior bathroom furniture and a bathroom mirror to make it exceptional. Today, each small thing is equally important while choosing any bathroom products. From the bathroom cabinet to the multi-purpose mirrored storage unit, you need to select each item carefully that makes your bathroom an ideal place to relax and refresh. With an increasing range of products, you will have a broad selection to choose the most suitable bathroom furniture that enhances the efficacy of your space with an elegant look. Selecting quality products of the best bathroom brands such as HiB mirrors, HiB mirror cabinet, HiB Arco basin, HiB bathroom furniture and many others, you can accomplish your dream of making a perfect bathroom in Yorkshire.

HiB illuminated Mirror to Create Stunning Ambience of Your Small Bathroom

Selecting a bathroom mirror is not as easy as it was previously due to its wide range of design and style. Just size and shape is not sufficient for mirror selection. If you want to design an unmatched bathroom, you can choose a HiB illuminated mirror.  With its stylish designer qualities and unmatched glow, it becomes a popular choice for people. You can select a 500 mm or 600 mm Circular Mirror or even an 800 mm HiB LED Illuminated mirror as per your bathroom space. LED mirrors consume less power and become an eco-friendly option. If you have a big or small bathroom space, the sleek illuminated mirrors become the centre of attention. It creates a stunning ambience in your small or big bathroom in the Midlands.

HiB Non Illuminated Mirror for Energy-efficient Bathroom Solution

Selecting an illuminated or non-illuminated mirror is also important to consider while choosing a mirror for your bathroom. In your bathroom, if you have enough natural light by skylights or windows, then HiB Non illuminated Mirror is the best choice for your luxurious bathroom. This type of mirror needs trouble-free maintenance to clear as well as easy to install. There are wide ranges that perfectly match your traditional or modern bathroom. It is also an energy-efficient and affordable solution for your bathroom.

HiB Illuminated and HiB Non-IlluminatedMirrored Cabinet

With custom-made cabinets, you have to consider many things such as materials, styles, size, colours and designs which take a long time in making a bathroom cabinet. Nowadays, you will have a great choice to select the best quality and cost-efficient solution to select a ready-made bathroom cabinet with mirrors such as HiB bathroom mirror cabinets.

If you are looking for a multi-purpose storage solution for your bathroom, you can select the HiB illuminated mirrored cabinet that offers unmatched functionality with stunning brightening appeal. For small or spacious bathrooms, mirrored cabinets offer multi-purpose functionality. You can place it over the basin to easily access your routine toiletries and other things. It proffers extra storage space for easy accommodation of your essentials such as soaps, shampoo, shaving kit, toothbrush, beauty products and more. You can select HiB illuminated mirror cabinets if you require more lighting in your bathroom or select HiB Non-illuminated mirror cabinets if you have enough natural light in your bathroom. Thus, by selecting the best quality HiB mirror cabinet, you will get a unified look that gives your bathroom a complete stylish appeal.

Hib Bathroom Furniture – A perfect storage solution for your bathroom

With a wide range of Hib Bathroom furniture, you can make wise decisions to select the best bathroom furniture as per your bathroom space and design. If you are looking for an easy installation solution, you can go for freestanding or floor standing HiB bathroom furniture such as wall-hung units, cupboard, shelves and shelf units, vanity units etc. It makes it easy to access your routine essentials easily. You can easily maintain it and keep it clean and hygienic. Remember, wall mounted bathroom furniture is the perfect option for a small bathroom space. It not only helps to place everything in an organized manner but also gives a spacious look to your small bathroom.

Prior to buying your bathroom furniture, you should list out some important things such as a colour scheme that perfectly matches your traditional or modern bathroom. Also, decide to choose free-standing or floor standing bathroom furniture. Moreover, take perfect measurement of space and size to install it perfectly considering how much open space you need extra in your bathroom. If you visit any nearby Bathroom Shop in the UK, they will give you the best suggestion to make the best bathroom deals for all your bathroom furniture needs. If you are looking to buy a bathroom cheaper online, you need to ensure everything properly, especially perfect measurements. If you are looking for the best bathroom shop in the UK, visit us to get the best deals for branded bathroom products in a cost-efficient manner. For more information or to get an affordable bathroom solution, write to us at email sales@bathroomshopuk.com or contact us on  0844 800 3902