#sometimes a girl's just gotta look the s5 finale in the eye and

[terrainofheartfelt]

okay could you do dair 23 or 26

Dair + 23 …in relief.

(there was another request for dair + 26 so that shalt be answered later <3)

(in the meantime, some 5x24 canon divergence as self care <3)

Dan knocks back the shot Serena hands him with a wince. Tequila. Whenever Dan shoots tequila he makes ill-advised choices. Which is why for his birthday two weeks ago, he and Blair drank Manhattans before feeling each other up in the bar bathroom. 

Whiskey goes with Blair, warm but harsh, sweet and sharp, burns down through his chest like being in love. Tequila is dangerous. Tequila is…well…Serena. 

“Okay, okay, time-out,” Dan pleads, making a T with his hands, trying in vain to referee his own life.  

Serena laughs, her smile glinting around a wedge of lime. “Don’t give up on me now, Dan. I never took you for a lightweight.” 

He snorts. “Yeah, well, anyone’s a lightweight when they ingest tequila on an empty stomach.” 

He hasn’t eaten all day. He couldn’t make himself. His stomach has been twisted up in knots ever since those fucking Gossip Girl blasts. He’d stupidly thought that drinking would help, but it’s only made it worse. 

Serena pats his shoulder sympathetically. “There’s food around here somewhere. I’ll flag someone –” 

She lifts her arm, and despite his compromised state, Dan is able to spot the danger. He stumbles backward and pulls Serena with him, out of the way of a passing waiter, narrowly saving the both of them from being doused by an entire bottle of champagne. 

“Whoa,” he brilliantly comments, then reflexively drops his hands from Serena’s arms to his sides, releasing her.  

She only steps closer, looking at him with concern. “You okay?”

He chokes on an hysterical laugh, because no, he is clearly not, and suddenly everything in the party becomes too much. The noise, the people, the terrible music, the lighting, the dense, cloying air of a hundred over perfumed American aristocrats, and is he that drunk or is Serena still extremely close to him?

“Uh – yeah.” He rakes a hand through his hair—it’s so hot in here that he wishes he could chop it off now, or at least have a hair tie on his wrist like Jenny always does. “I just – I need some air.” 

He takes a step back, and Serena immediately follows him. “I’ll come with you.” 

“No, Serena –” he snaps, then catches himself, his stomach does a violent flip. Personal space has never been much of a thing with them, even as friends, but now Dan feels on the precipice of something dangerous. “I’m pretty sure I’m gonna puke. And I know that dress you’re wearing is worth more than my book deal, so –” he waves a vague hand, and turns and walks away before Serena can protest again.   

Dan ends up on the sidewalk in front of Grand Central. Given the spring humidity and all the city smells that come with it, the air outside the Campbell isn’t much better, but at least out here Dan can be alone for a moment. 

He knows she means well, but Serena’s hovering only makes him feel worse, like she’s already decided what choice Blair is going to make. 

Dan supposes if anyone were qualified to weigh in on Blair’s choices, it would be Serena. But no, Blair hasn’t really let Serena know her for a long time now, and maybe Dan is partially to blame for that, but — he’s too drunk to follow this thread right now. 

He leans back against the wall to steady himself. He’s already out here, public transportation hub at his back, it would be pretty easy to make a getaway, spare him the humiliation of waiting around for the rest of the night. 

But, what if?

He tips his head back against the wall, closing his eyes. Too many trains of thought, too much tequila to chase them down. 

“Dan?”

He wrenches his eyes open. No way. 

“Oh thank god,” he mutters, pushing himself off the wall and into Blair’s arms, pouring all the relief he can’t speak into a kiss. 

“Mm – Dan,” she pulls back, but holds her grip on his lapels, keeping him close. She wrinkles her nose, impossibly cute, and he loves her. “You taste like a distillery.” 

He loves her. 

“Sorry,” he mumbles, tipping his forehead against hers, wrapping his arms tighter around her waist. 

“I’m so, so sorry,” he repeats unevenly, apologizing for more than just the tequila breath. For being drunk now, for serving her that stupid ultimatum, for nearly giving up on his end of it, for saying too much and scaring her off. 

“It’s fine,” Blair says with a long-suffering sigh as she twines her arms around his neck. “I love you anyway.”

Dan gapes at her, dumbstruck. Blair Waldorf has a singular talent of rendering him speechless. “You’re gonna have to tell me that again when I’m sober.”

She giggles and pulls him in to kiss him again, distillery be damned.

[americachavez]

did cas really tell dean to kneel before their new god? did that actually happen? i thought him beating the shit out of dean in that alley was the most unrestrainedly horny thing this show had ever done ACTUALLY you know what scratch that new question: top horny moments from the cw's supernatural (2005 - 2020)

getting this ask feels like my sins of the last week have been weighed against the Trials I Have Gone Through since the premier of supernatural on the wb in september of 2005 and I’m not sure if it is a punishment or reward

some notes before we begin:

the ep with dean’s male siren was like, conceptually horny but not actually that horny because the dude was uglie. I’m sorry to this man

all you sam girls out there. I respect you but I do not respect jared padalecki who is JUST tall and has zero sex appeal. but those eps where he’s like, drinking ruby’s blood and then eating her pussy are. you know. I’ll give you that

I am ONLY UP TO SEASON 10 so fair warning this is not comprehensive but the horniness does seem to drop off sharply after the mark of cain is no longer in play lol gotta love a good demon murder tattoo plot

this is easily the most insane thing I’ve ever done, including the destiel manifesto

S1 EP12: the scene where dean gets healed by the faith healer, on his knees with a hand in his hair and looking somewhere between religious ecstasy, brain death and an orgasm. starting this list off great

S1 EP22: azazel possessing john winchester. no I will not explain further if u know u know <3

S3 EP10: dean being taunted by a dream version of himself, this is where we first got the daddy’s blunt little instrument line. still burned in my hippocampus a good 13 years later thank yew

S4 EP1: dean crawling out of his own grave covered in grave dirt. hot. the HANDPRINT. HOT. also tangent but this reveal after the s3 finale was WILD back in 2008 I hollered in my dorm room after canvassing for obama. simpler times man

S4 EP 1: cas’ intro scene. the barn. the shadow wings. the hair??? getting stabbed in the chest by the man you just pulled out of hell. getting aaaallll up in that personal space. his little eyebrow. “you don’t think you deserve to be saved.” OUTRAGEOUSLY FLAMING

S4 EP02: “I dragged you out of hell I can throw you back in.” <<< this angel tops. mark dean down as scared and horny etc

S4 EP16: this ENTIRE EPISODE but specifically the part where dean tortures alastair as some kind of foreplay and then alastair kicks his ass. carved you into a new animal. jesus.

S4 EP16: wait I forgot about the part where cas also gets his ass kicked and looks all....hm. dazed and covered in blood while he’s on his knees and about to die. yeah.

S5 EP4: I mean this entire ep is unfairly horny considering everyone is dying of a zombie plague and hasn’t showered in like, 4 years but if I had to pick one hmmm. the dean/dean interrogation scene with the panty kink yeah I know it’s not original but hm. it happened. also misha collins just being able to convey that CAS IS A FLEXIBLE SLUT with a single roll of his shoulders. who SAYS this man can’t act!!!!!

S5 EP18: the ALLEY SCENE. DEAN DOESN’T FIGHT BACK. CAS HOLDS HIM UP OFF THE GROUND AND THEN THROWS HIM ACROSS THE ALLEY. WHY DID EVERYONE THINK CAS COULDN’T TOP. you all had brainworms.

S5 EP18: when cas locks dean in the panic room to stop him from saying yes to michael and “well cas not for nothing but the last person who looked at me like that I got laid” I hate this show. wait I think the blow me cas line is in this episode too what the fuck were they on here

S6 EP5: the scene where dean gets turned into a vampire. between the old dude who I think calls dean a pretty boy (??) and soulless sam....watching??? no ******* but there were just some absolutely foul energies in that scene and I still do not understand WHAT they were thinking

S6 EP20: cas doing a double smite on two demons by slamming them to the ground and then shoving another demon back in its vessel and then smiting him in the same motion. TOP. ENERGY.

S6 EP22: season 6 is possibly cas’ horniest season because he’s like, going through angel puberty after getting his first boner for dean, but the final cas eps are. whoof. cas eats a bunch of souls and proclaims himself to be a new god in order to handle said boner, and then the season ends with cas telling them to bow down and profess their love to him, their new lord, or he will destroy them. note: the way this is framed makes it look like cas is only staring at dean while he says this, even though sam and bobby are also there. the season ends with dramatic zooms on both cas and dean’s faces respectively. this made me actively regret ditching this show after s5 lol

S8 EP??: literally EVERY SINGLE PURGATORY FLASHBACK. cas dean and benny are all purgatory hot in the “pop 10 cranberry pills and risk the UTI” kind of way but also. dean being the hot girl bottom between two tops who hate each other. I really. whew. I need to go take a shower.

S8 EP17: if I get canceled for including the crypt scene on this list I blame you bud. but dean on his knees begging a brainwashed cas to stop killing him WAS sexy. how many times has dean been on his knees in this list wait there’s another one coming up next jsldjfsldkjf

S9 EP2: abaddon getting dean on his knees (YEAH) and pulling his hair and praising him for always coming when called HELLO???? the only thing that ruins this is dean says “I can’t tell if we’re gonna fight or make out” because this is the CW and they won’t let him say fuck

S9 EP6: ah. this entire episode is Emotionally Horny but the horny horny part is when they’re in the car and dean is telling cas to unbutton his shirt and. watches. I know this was on my destiel manifesto but I need it here too

S9 EP9: cas, covered in blood, slitting another angel’s throat and eating his grace after getting tortured. that shot alone made me understand why this website was so goddamn horny for misha collins for nearly a damn decade

S9 EP11: MARK OF CAIN BABEY. cain watching dean beat up a bunch of demons as an audition for taking on the mark, while crowley also is a fucking voyeur to the whole thing. cain is also a hot silver fox with daddy energies. I said what I said

S9 EP 16: dean getting the first blade. he’s chained to a pillar and being menaced by a foppish dandy who wants to add him to his “collection” (WOW). dean then kills him with the blade and whew. murder is sexy sometimes

S9 EP21: dean being pinned against a wall by abaddon’s power, then using the mark of cain to break her hold, calling the first blade to him psychically and then killing her. god the mark of cain is hot

S9 EP23: dean waking up with the demon eyes NUT

S10 EP2: demon dean beating up that dude with the boring backstory and kicking his ass. really was a go on baby I got your flower moment because I hated that dude and I love demon dean

S10 EP3: demon dean being chained up and taunting sam about how his brother is gone, then hunting sam through the bunker. demon dean in general was VERY fun for me, someone who loves trash

S10 EP9: dean going berserk and killing a bunch of pedophile rapists/child abusers. I’m sorry I know this show is trying to preach morality at me about monsters and unnecessary murder and humanity or whatever but we blew past that like 8 SEASONS AGO. also the mark of cain is sexy

S10 EP14: the rest of this list is really gonna be mark of cain stuff isn’t it look I’m here to have fun. cain and dean’s fight. cain continuously tossing his mane of hair back and taunting dean with the picture of what he’s going to become, who he’s going to kill. dean begging cain to tell him that he can stop, and then ultimately killing him. rip daddy.

S11 EP4: again I have not watched this however. every shot of this episode is PRESTIGE TELEVISION because driving a muscle car is sexy. and especially the shot of dean all beat to hell and begging his car to start and giving her a little kiss from his fingers to her dash. ugh. masculinity.

S12 EP10: the bearded salt-and-pepper daddy look returns, only it’s an angel this time and he’s wearing a vest and shirtsleeves and he swordfights with a hot redheaded lady in a suit and an eyepatch. this show is good sometimes!!! and oh fuck lol I just realized this is the same guy who played krissy’s hot hunter dad in s7 probably the first guy who’s hotter as an angel than a hunter. huh.

S12 EP 11: dean riding larry the mechanical bull to “broomstick cowboy.” I have no idea where this factors into the ep but I have seen. the youtube clip

S13 EP23: from what I can tell s13 is way more emotionally horny than boner horny, although dean burning cas’ body was sexy. but the horniest part was dean saying yes to michael and then michael taking over and saying “thanks for the suit.” we are going to ignore the silliest fight scene in existence as well as the final shot ending on a FREEZE FRAME like a goddamn tiktok

S14: not gonna pick a specific moment because I have not watched yet!!! but michael dean is hot. idk why michael is weirdly hot and I cannot stand any iteration of lucifer on this television programme. it should be the reverse but I’m forever an older sibling stan apparently. someone who is catholic could probably explain this better.

S15 EP13: genevieve padalecki and danneel ackles fight flirting as ruby and anael I CANNOT BELIEVE THEY HELD OUT ON THIS TILL THE LAST SEASON

I know I am missing things but this is already an absolutely incomprehensible screed. I know I’m missing shit from the latter seasons but give me time I’m pacing myself

[weapon13whitefang]

Love triangle question -I am asking this question to others as well: What do you imagine would happen if Daryl gets close enough to Connie have feelings and theres nothing stopping him from pursuing a relationship so he finally works up the nerve to try and Beth showed up after 8 years of him thinking she was dead?

How very… Days  of Our Lives lol

No, sorry nonny. I’m just… I keep hearing people mention this possibility and all I can think of is Young and the Restless and Days of Our Lives cause my mom watches that shit and it always has shit like that happening on it… They’re already pushing it with this four-way with Rosita, Siddiq, Gabriel, and Eugene in my opinion. They’re doing well enough with it (handling it in a not so dramatic way thank god) but it’s still very daytime like… But it’s also the apocalypse and having more than one relationship doesn’t seem so crazy in the world where any second could be your last, you know?

Here’s the thing about Daryl/Connie… The ship - if it does become a canon ship on the show - isn’t going to just suddenly happen. Daryl isn’t the type to just pop into a relationship with someone. He has to reach out and let himself get to know the person. Okay, we saw that with all his relationships. He didn’t just become Rick’s right-hand man and best friend, he had to open up and trust Rick. Same with his relationship with Carol. Same with his growing relationship with Beth…

I don’t think Daryl was in love with Beth yet. I’m not saying he didn’t have feelings because I believe he did. But it was not love yet. It was growing to that point though, that I can see. Of course, he loved her as he loves the people he calls family and friends - Rick and Carol and Carl and Michonne and Judith and Aaron and all of them are people Daryl loves and would do anything to protect, would die for them - but was it, love? As in I love you in a romantic way? That wasn’t determined yet. His heart was opening to it fully I think. Or it could have. He loved Beth but he wasn’t in love YET. Keyword - Yet. He didn’t get to explore it and grow with it. He just knew he was feeling something new and chased it but he didn’t get to see it from her yet, didn’t get to let himself let her know it yet. Beth was the type to show it and reach out first. They never got to do it yet… Sadly.

Daryl/Connie isn’t going to just happen. Connie - as we’ve seen - is the forward and open one. She has to be. She cannot hear. Connie has not allowed herself to hold back because in this world she can’t be that way. If Connie allowed others to speak and do for her, she wouldn’t have survived as long as she did even with her sister and the others. She’s strong. She acknowledges her weakness - being deaf - and has to be forward with how she overcomes it. That’s why she motions to Daryl about needing to see his mouth and make facial contact with him. Which actually opens Daryl up more. If he has to look at her he is open more with his eyes and emotions. There’s an intimacy there, even if it’s very subtle. Two, Connie is forward and will not cower to Daryl and does take over. So there’s something for Daryl to respect from Connie - that she doesn’t bullshit around because she can’t be that way. If she’s mad, she’s mad. If she’s amused, she’s amused. She’s open to him about it and to Daryl, that’s important because there’s no lie there. It’s just Connie showing herself to him - open flaws and all - and Daryl has a lot of his own flaws he hides and with Connie, he really doesn’t need to say them because she can most likely read the signs he’s giving her. Body language and heightening her other senses makes Connie able to speak Daryl’s language without needing to use words - something Daryl will struggle with sometimes.

But does that mean they’ll just suddenly be in a relationship? No. Daryl has a lot of baggage and Connie will have to also work through that with him. And Connie may have her own skeletons and discomforts to work through… So it would take time to build up. Can it become a whirlwind and work up fast? Yes. But as for it becoming physical and completely diving into a romantic relationship, no. That would just be way to quick of writing and people would kind of scoff at it. It was kind of that way with Carol and Ezekial. Sure it took a bit but it still did kind of happen fast… Love works in mysterious ways. If Daryl is going to fall heart and head for this woman, then it’s not just gonna be right away. That’s not Daryl/ Just… It’s not. Connie may work her way in quickly… But she’s still gotta take time…

But say they work up and then work together and become a relationship (which I wouldn’t see happening until at least later in S10 because right now we have a war about to happen, not too much time for romancing the redneck or the pretty badass deaf girl.

So it could be heading on its way to that point and then Beth shows up.

The thing about Beth… I’m sorry, but if Beth somehow truly does return… She’ will not be the same. Everyone wants to act like she’ll still be Beth just more badass and maybe so… But she’s going to have her own PTSD, her own skeletons, her own true struggles in Hell… Beth is going to be different from whatever she has had to go through in the last eight years AND I’m sorry, but damage to the brain - a bullet to the head - is going to cause some kind of psychological and mental damage to her. She’s going to change and she’s not going to be exactly like she was… Maybe she’s not as hopeful or maybe she has more darkness in her or maybe she’s distant. Who knows… I just truly do believe that Beth will not be the same as she was and roll that to Daryl who is ALSO not at all like he was in S5 (There’s still Daryl; there but he’s had his own wounds and psychological trauma as we saw with the Saviors and apparently whatever else happened in the last eight years after watching his best friend “die”.

They would have to work through that and Daryl and Beth may not be able to right away. It may cause a strain on them because they both have different memories of the other and that means working through their own demons and each others… And maybe Daryl is still working through his own emotions over Connie and Hell, maybe Connie feels something different…

There’s just a lot each person has to work through.

I don’t think they’re going to do a love-triangle if she comes back. If they do it would be very subtle and very quickly appealed. This isn’t Rick and Jessie and Pete… That’s not how Daryl or Connie or maybe even Beth are.

Let’s get through this war with Alpha before that line starts crossing lol

[spnjediavenger]

Chapter 2: Motels and Memories

Disclaimers: I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters

Time frame: set early S5

Notes: flashbacks made possible by @sarimaposthumous ; we are connecting our fics a little bit (hers is called The High Priestess – go check it out). More background on her character, Shane to come!

Chapter 1

Chapter 2: Motels and Memories 

           Elliana’s legs were sore and her stomach was empty. It had only been a few days but her money ran out and she hadn’t slept in a real bed since leaving her home.

           After walking so far, her legs finally collapsed underneath her. She sat on the ground, taking in her surroundings to find somewhere to rest, when her eyes stopped on a rustic-looking building around the corner. She begrudgingly got up and walked to it and stepped inside, only to find out it was a bar.

           She sighed and ran a hand through her slightly messy hair and asked to just use the restroom, finding any excuse to be inside for even a little bit. It didn’t take any more than that for the employees to be concerned, and the manager had approached her when she came out, offering a meal in exchange for her story.

             “Kid? Hey, kid!” Dean called from the driver’s seat, snapping Elliana from her trance.

           “What?”

           Dean rolled his eyes but responded. “I said, ‘we’re here’. Let’s go.”

           Ellie grabbed her backpack, duffel, and Anaya’s leash and opened the Impala’s door, following Sam and Dean to their next motel, and sighed. Even though she was used to these places, she still hated them.

           “The hunters that travel – how do they live? Where do they live?”

           “Sometimes they sleep in their car in the middle of nowhere or will squat in any empty house if they’re low on money. When they do have money, they just stay in motels.”

           “Sounds kinda crappy, but it’s better than sleeping outside,” Ellie said, giving a sad smirk as she thought of the past couple nights before stopping at the bar; sleeping under bridges or in a secluded corner, only being able to get a few hours’ sleep each night because she was too afraid of being caught off-guard.

           After almost 24 hours on the road, Ellie supposed she was willing to accept anything besides the Impala’s back seat to sleep on.

           Once the guys paid for a room, they piled in and set their things down. Taking a quick look around, Ellie saw a small bathroom ahead, a small kitchenette, two beds, and a couch in front of a TV.

           “Ok, I don’t know what you’re used to-“

           “I’ll take the couch,” Elliana interrupted Dean.

           “No, I’ll take the couch,” Sam said, not wanting a 13-year-old to have to sleep on a motel couch.

           “Your chivalry is appreciated but not necessary,” Ellie said, a light smirk on her face. Sam looked unsure so she rolled her eyes and continued. “If it bothers you that much, we can trade off. I’ll take the couch this time, you can take it next time. Ok?”

           Sam let out an airy chuckle and nodded his head, turning towards the bathroom but groaning when Dean ran past him to get to it first, practically closing the door in his face.

           Ellie held in a laugh and unhooked Anaya’s leash, letting her roam around the small room while she took a few things out of her backpack.

           As soon as Anaya was free, she padded over to Sam, who now sat on the edge of one of the beds. The dog placed her head under his hand and sat in front of him. Sam couldn’t help but smile. He had to admit – it was pretty nice having a dog around.

           “So why ‘Anaya’?” he asked Elliana, gently stroking the dog’s fur.

           “It’s Arabic; means ‘care’ or ‘protection’,” she responded, not looking up from her bag.

           “So is she your protector?” Sam said, hoping some light prodding would get the girl to open up to him a little bit.

           Elliana sensed this, though, and turned to look at him; at first, however, she was thrown off by how close and calm Anaya was with him. She was not a very trusting dog, aside from with Ellie, and was always quite standoffish with strangers.

           The dog’s apparent trust in the younger Winchester put Elliana a little more at ease so she sighed and answered him. “Shortly after I started hunting, I was in trouble with a werewolf. She came out of nowhere and tackled it, giving me the chance to get my knife back and kill it. So, I took her with me. Her senses are good and she’s been a great hunting partner. We protect each other.”

           Sam blinked in surprise, not expecting an actual answer from Ellie. But his surprise was replaced with a small smile as he nodded and looked back to the dog.

           “I’m surprised she’s like that with you,” Ellie added absently, going back to organizing her things. “She never takes to strangers at all hardly; she’s known you for like, 2 days and is acting like your friend.”

           “She obviously knows an awesome person when she sees one,” he said, smirking Ellie’s way.

           “Wow, and here I thought Dean was the cheeky one,” she joked, giving no reaction.

           Baby steps, Sam thought.

           Another day, another state, another hunt, and of course – another motel.

           Elliana and the Winchesters just completed a hunt chasing a shapeshifter, and let’s just say Ellie, for once, couldn’t get into the motel soon enough. Exhaustion slowed her movements and clouded her mind; all she wanted was a shower and some sleep.

           Once in their room, Dean, as usual, ran to the bathroom first, getting an eye roll from both Sam and Ellie. Sam allowed Ellie to go next, leaving Anaya with the boys. Dean walked past, giving her a quick pet, and walked to his bag to throw his dirty clothes in it. He turned around to see Sam’s shocked expression.

           “What?”

           “You pet the dog…”

           “She was there, I walked by, why not? Don’t make a big deal out of it,” Dean said, quickly dismissing the matter. Sam smirked a bit but dropped it. It wasn’t just the dog, though. Elliana had been with the boys for about five days now and she was slowly growing on Dean – even if she was still a bit wary of them both. Dean had even put himself into the switching for beds idea with her and Sam.

           Elliana got out of the bathroom and clomped over to the couch, but Dean put a cautious hand on her shoulder and nodded to one of the beds.

           “I know it’s your turn for the couch, but why don’t you take the bed tonight? Looks like you could use it,” he said simply, doing his best to keep any traces of a soft demeanor from showing on his face.

           Ellie wanted to protest, not wanting to be babied, but her sore muscles and tempting look of the beds won her over. She gave Dean a quiet ‘thanks’ and went over to the bed, falling not-so-gracefully onto it with a happy groan, Anaya quick to join her, laying across her owner’s back.

           Sam and Dean let out silent chuckles and went about their post-hunt routines.

           One week with the Winchesters and Elliana was still fairly closed off. She would talk to them, but the second they brought up anything personal, her communication cut off for a short time.

           The next motel they were in was a bit nicer than any of them were used to, and this time an extra person met them there. Upon seeing someone in the room when the door was opened, Elliana drew a knife from her belt and held it up defensively.

           “Who are you?!”

           “Woah, kid, hold it!” Dean called, grabbing the knife from her hand.

           “He’s with us, Elliana,” Sam coaxed a bit urgently, not wanting a situation starting.

           “Kid, this is Cas, Cas this is Elliana,” Dean said, gesturing to each person as he introduced them.

           “Elliana,” Cas said contemplatively. “What a beautiful name.”

           The man’s relaxed demeanor and gravely voice had a strangely calming effect on Ellie, causing her to relax her shoulders. “Thanks…” she said, hoping none of the guys could see the light blush dusting her cheeks. “It means ‘God’-“

           “’God has answered,’” she and the angel ended up saying at the same time.

           Ellie looked at him, confused. “Are you religious or something? Not many people know that name.”

           “Cas is an angel,” Dean said.

           “No way.” The bright smile on Elliana’s face shocked the boys. After a week, they hadn’t gotten anything other than a tiny smirk; Cas is around for a minute and she smiles. “Like, a real live angel? From heaven?!”

           “Yes,” Cas answers, a bit surprised at her reaction. “My full name is Castiel, but here I am mainly called ‘Cas’.”

           “No way,” Elliana repeats in awe, still smiling.

           Cas was still fairly new to humans and their emotions but he could see a sparkle in her eyes as she looked at him.

           “Cas, how’d you do that?” Sam asks, jaw dropped a bit.

           “Do what? I don’t understand.”

           “Get her to smile? We’ve been tryin’ for a week now,” Dean added, just as dumbfounded as his brother.

           Ellie rolled her eyes a bit then turned her attention back to Cas.    

           “What’s heaven like? Do all angels look human? How come you’re on earth?”

           Cas couldn’t help the small smile that made its way on his face the innocent questions and excitement in Elliana’s voice

           A few days later, another state, another hunt, you know the drill.

           Elliana, Sam, and Dean sat in the small living area of their current motel room, eating dinner before they would turn in for the night. Elliana sat on the couch with Dean, to both boys’ surprise, and Sam sat on the chair perpendicular to them.

           “Alright kid, it’s been a week and a half of you bein’ with us and we don’t know squat about you. I get you don’t trust anyone but you gotta know by now that we’re not here to hurt you,” Dean said, bypassing any gentler ways to bring the topic up.

           “What Dean means,” Sam interjected, knowing he’d be better than his brother with touchier topics. “Is that we’d like to get to know you a bit. It doesn’t have to be anything that deep if you don’t want. How about a question for a question? You can ask us anything, then we get to ask you something,” he finished, a hopeful look and easygoing smile on his face.

           “Look, you’re not going crazy; and I know it’s a lot to process. I’ll tell you everything you need to know and answer any questions as long as you tell me what happened. Does that sound like a deal?”

           Ellie looked at the table and let out a sigh. The man seemed nice enough. And the thought of talking about her experience to someone who actually believes in the supernatural? She felt a small spark in her chest at the idea.

           “Ok…how about a question for a question? You can go first since you gave me food,” Ellie said, giving a weak smirk and finally giving some attention to the meal in front of her.

           He nodded and thought about it for a second before asking, “What’s your name?”

           “Elliana. What’s yours?”

           “Shane.”

             “Ok,” she whispered. “You can go first, I guess.”

           “Where are you from?” Sam asked, deciding to start small.

           “Where are you from?”

           “Pittsburgh,” she answered simply, testing to see what little she could get away with telling him. Even though Ellie wanted to get things off her chest, she was still wary.

             “Pittsburgh.”

           “Are you a hunter?”

           “Yes,” Shane answered as simply as Elliana, making her purse her lips a bit. She should have known better than to ask a yes or no question. “Do you have any relatives you can contact or stay with?”

           Though the next question was a bit heavier, Ellie stood her ground and let out a simple ‘no’. She took a drink and considered her next question more carefully.

           “How did you…first find out monsters were real?” she asked.

           Shane continued playing along. “Through a tragic experience.”

             “How did you guys become hunters?” Ellie asked the boys, learning from last time.

           “Our dad was one,” Dean answered, immediately seeing the game Elliana was playing. “What happened to your family?” Sam gave him a bitch face but Dean just looked straight at Elliana.

           She took a deep breath and held it for a second, wondering whether or not to start opening up yet.

           “What happened to your family?”

            After Shane had opened up to Elliana a bit and told her that his adopted daughter’s family was killed by demons, explaining herself was easier. It was relieving, then, to tell what happened to her. She told her story, voice quivering, and tears escaping by the end. She wasn’t sure if she could do that with the boys yet. Part of her wanted to, but she just didn’t know if they would be as trustworthy as Shane.

Seeing Elliana’s pause, Sam shot Dean another look and spoke up. “Our mom was killed by a demon. Our dad became a hunter after that so, naturally, we eventually did too,” he explained, willing to level more with Ellie than Dean was. And at this statement, Ellie, again, couldn’t help the shock on her face. Could this be possible? She thought. Another person who’s family had been killed by demons?

Flashes of her parents laying dead in her living room came across her mind as well as picturing Jenny being alone, also surrounded by her deceased family.

The demon, in a different body, throwing her dad against the wall, sliding a knife into her mom.

A young girl with no knowledge of the supernatural, wondering what happened to her family.

Two young boys growing up without a mother, their father surely hell-bent on revenge.

A few tears slid down Ellie’s cheeks and she heard Anaya let out a small whine, jumping onto the couch to push herself through her arms.

“I…me too,” Elliana said, not bothering to wipe away her tears, though they began falling a bit faster as she continued. “My brother moved after he got possessed a few years ago…then my dad got possessed an-and the demon killed my parents a day after he left my dad. Not that it mattered anyway.” Elliana whispered the last part, focusing her gaze down to her hands as they made their way through Anaya’s fur.

“Why do you say that?” Dean asked gently, a newly found softness in his expression.

The girl just squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. She didn’t notice Sam get up and sit next to her until he put an arm around her shoulders. When she didn’t do anything to push Sam away, Dean hesitantly put his hand over one of hers. The affections make her cry a little harder, as she wasn’t used to being cared about even before she had first left home.

“He-he was just…he never…” she tried continuing but only ended up letting out a quick sob and being pulled into Sam’s side. She allowed herself to cry into his shoulder and Dean to rub soothing circles on her back in comfort. She hadn’t planned on letting them in so much, but boy did it feel good.

Two weeks in and Elliana wasn’t sure she wanted to leave the Winchesters. Once she opened up to them, she truly saw they were caring and that they had begun to care about her. And she didn’t want to let that go.

“Look, kid – I know you’ve got a strong head on your shoulders and are about as stubborn as they come,” Ellie let out a sly smile at this, “but I really would like for you to consider staying here for some time. Hell, maybe you and Jenny can go into the hunting business together,” Shane chuckled.

 Ellie frowned a bit, remembering Shane’s kindness and hospitality; she felt bad for leaving so quickly, but she knew she had to keep moving. At least with the Winchesters, she could do that and have companionship going with her.

She smiled lightly as she stared out the Impala window, grateful she found something good. It wasn’t long before she dozed off across the back seat, an arm draped across Anaya.

Sam caught a glimpse of her sleeping and nudged Dean, nodding his head towards the back with a fond smile on his face. Dean glanced in the rearview mirror and smiled at the peaceful smile look on Elliana’s face.

Her form shivered ever so slightly and Sam shrugged off his flannel shirt and draped it over Ellie, resting a hand on her shoulder and giving it a light squeeze before sitting back in his seat. Ellie had begun thinking more highly of the boys, and they had started thinking the same of her.

Chapter 3 ->