standing in your flame

Eva had grinned, all too eager to hear what Cas had been about to say earlier before Dean had stopped him. "Alright, alright, fair exchange," she agreed to the request, nodding eagerly as she watched him before he'd gone into the explanation of what Cas had been saying. And, it caught her off guard - in truth, Eva had never thought that anybody would want a future like that with her. While she knew all the good traits about herself, she'd never thought somebody would just want that. Her expression softened to a small grin when they stopped at the gas station and she returned the squeeze. "No, no, I don't, but, um -" Shifting, she unbuckled so that she could lean over, cupping his face to kiss him for a long moment. "Some day, Dean, if we're lucky enough for that future you want." Grinning as she watched him, she settled back in her seat. "And, I'll share all the details of our hunts on the drive, promise."

Sam laughed in response, shaking his head slightly. "You saw right through me," he joked lightly, offering a small grin in response to her words as he watched her. "Can't hide anything from you." Not that Sam could think of a single thing he would want to hide from her, but still. When she started talking about why they got involved in hunting, though, he listened intently while watching her, his gaze scanning over her features. There was a small amount of guilt that formed in the pit of his stomach when she talked about being nervous. He wished he'd been there for her, to help her through it, to assure her that she was safe and that he wasn't going to let anything happen to her. But, he hadn't been, and now he had to make sure that he would be from now on - at her side, protecting her with everything he had. "Sounds like one hell of a story." Offering a small smile to her, he nodded. "I get it, though." His eyes ran over her features before they stopped and he shifted to unbuckle. "I'll go pay for the gas. Should I grab you anything?"

Dean blinked with a happy surprise, trying to hide his grin. "Can't wait to hear all about those hunts... but I can't wait for that future to come around," Dean bit his lip, filling the Impala before joining Sam, nudging his brother. "I told Eva what I told Cas and she seems into the idea." Dean was on a high at that moment, unable to imagine anything that would make him happier than having Eva for himself, to give her everything he had to offer. He felt his heart lift, and he wondered how he ever got through the past twelve months without Eva by his side. "Marriage, man, can you imagine it?" Dean grabbed some candy for the road despite Eva's refusal, cutting in line in front of Sam teasingly as he paid for the gas to the Impala, heading back to the car. Getting in beside Eva, Dean turned to her, handing her some M&M's. "Alright, we're ready."

"I'm fine," Callie reassured with a smile, unbuckling her belt to fill the Bug. Wiping her hands on her jeans, Callie got back into the drivers seat, resting back in the seat. In Sam's presence, Callie found herself free and happy and she just wanted to spend a moment to think about just how incredible Sam was. Buckling up her belt as Sam approached the car, Callie reached over and opened his door for him with a smile. As Dean pulled out of the gas station, Callie followed carefully, ensuring she was a little safer, aware her cargo was incredibly precious. Smiling in thought, Callie looked over to Sam, seeing he was relaxed. "You look comfy." She teased.

Sam smiled and nodded, watching Callie for a moment before he headed into the shop, having gone ahead and grabbed snacks and drinks for the road, anyways, because he was sure they'd need them. Seeing Dean join him, he blinked as he took in his brother's words, surprised. "Yeah?" he asked but smiled, "I'm glad for you, then. I never brought it up with Cas, since I knew there was a chance he'd bring it up, but I'm hopeful for that kind of future with Callie, honestly." And, he didn't mind sharing his desire with Dean; while he knew Dean would probably tease him about it in his own time, he also knew that his brother would be supportive of the idea. When Dean cut in front of him, he shook his head in amusement and waited to pay for everything before heading back to the Bug and climbing in with a grin - and, when Callie spoke, when he heard her voice again, his grin broadened. "Yeah? You look like you're having the time of your life. Speaking of which." He held up the snacks and drink. "I know you declined, but I know we'll need them. It's a long drive."

Eva grinned to Dean's words, chewing on her lip as she watched him step out of the car and she watched him fill up the car before he headed inside. Leaning back in her seat, she relaxed, feeling her heart swelling with the thought of any kind of future with Dean. She'd never felt so right with somebody outside of her sister, not until she'd met Dean, so the thought of a future with him at all just made her so happy. When Dean returned, she perked up considerably but blinked at the M&Ms. "Ooh, chocolate, every woman's weakness, nice move," she teased lightly, but grinned over at him, "Thanks, Dean."

Callie laughed and shook her head at Sam. "You didn't have to. But how long is this drive?" She asked curiously. Not that she minded, she took driving as the opportunity to clear her head, it was something that didn't need much thought from her, but she was excited to spend time with Sam, just the two of them. She followed the Impala. "Alright, so I have a question." She looked over at Sam, smiling as she saw him relaxed and unguarded, something she knew was incredibly rare for a hunter. "Why were you so... edgy... around Castiel?" She raised her eyebrows, shifting gear as she sped up a little.

Dean grinned. "I know every woman likes chocolate, right?" He grinned, buckling up and handing the snacks to Eva. He started the Impala, pulling out of the gas station, ensuring the Bug was following before he began to speed up. "It's a long drive, so you know, eat, talk, nap," he smiled. "Whatever floats your boat." Looking to Eva, Dean smiled, loving how much she seemed to belong in the Impala - like fate had designed the car around her. It was something so incredible, the chance of them being brought back together, and Dean promised himself it was a chance he wouldn't waste. He loved Eva, and he was going to grasp it for once, instead of running away. "So, what's the scariest monster you faced this past year?" He asked, wanting to know everything.

"It's about six or seven hours, depending on the traffic," Sam told her, offering a smile as he relaxed into his seat, taking her in, just so glad to see her again. Despite that it had been a whole year since they last saw each other, the first thing he'd thought about every day was her. But, when she brought up Cas, he blinked and cleared his throat, shifting. "Uh, Cas tends to... Say things without thinking about what it means for everybody, and we've told him a lot of things about the two of you, so... Well, chances are, he'll spew every secret conversation if given the chance."

Eva grinned as she watched Dean for a while but she popped a few M&Ms into her mouth and chewed on them, waiting until she swallowed them down before she spoke. "The way to a woman's heart is through chocolate," she teased, grinning over at him, though she settled into her seat and thought. "Definitely the changeling. I mean, you can't get much creepier than that overall, I think. I mean, I'm probably wrong, since we clearly haven't seen everything out there yet, but still."

Callie laughed, shaking her head. "So, Cas is like that drunk friend that you can't really control?" She bit her lip in amusement. "That's cute." She looked over at Sam as she followed the Impala onto a quieter road, taking him in, appreciating the little things about him - how his hair had grown over the past 12 months, how the light in his eyes hadn't dimmed, how he was just so wonderfully Sam. "I'm so glad we found our way back to each other." She admitted.

Dean smirked at Eva's chocolate confession. "Knew it!" He laughed, hitting the steering wheel in false dismay. "Dammit, should've thought of it sooner." Although when Eva began talking about the changeling, Dean nodded in understanding. "They're pretty creepy." Dean confirmed. "I'm just glad you're sticking with us, we can protect you, teach you everything you need to know. But you seem to have held your own pretty great out there." He smiled, wanting to encourage Eva, seeing as she was so determined to stay in hunting.

Sam laughed, nodding slightly. "Something like that," he confirmed, "And, as much as I'd like to blame my aversion to him saying everything I've said about you on embarrassment or something, it's actually more so because I'd rather be the one to tell you all of it." He peered over at her, smiling as he watched her, so glad to have her this close after the year they'd spent apart. At least with her there, he could make sure she was safe and happy. "I am, too. I've really missed you, Callie."

"Well, now you know!" Eva told him with a laugh, leaning back in her seat, more than happy to just enjoy being with Dean after all this time. She nodded, though, listening to him talk, so happy to hear his voice. "It's not like we'd have a reason to bail on you guys. I mean... We've wanted to run into you two again ever since that day. So, I think we can handle the training, because it means we get to spend time with you."

Callie raised her eyebrows at Sam as she shifted gear, clearly curious about what he had to say. "I've missed you too, Sam." She promised, glad to just be within an arm's reach of him, glad to hear his voice, glad to see his smile, glad to just know that he was hers. "I could listen to you talk all day." She chuckled, pushing her bashful nature to the side, knowing that around Sam, she could be herself. "But, I am pretty curious to what you said to your little Heavenly host." She followed the Impala closely, but still kept her attention on Sam, just wanting to make the most of their alone time.

"Chocolate, gotcha, I'll keep it in mind." Dean grinned, relaxing further once he saw that the road was quiet and the mid afternoon was still. Relishing in the sound of Eva's voice, Dean smiled. "I'm just glad that you're here now." He spoke softly, showing that he could be vulnerable. "All I've thought about is building a future with you, Eva, I can't lie to you." He looked to her, loving how relaxed she was in the passenger seat of his Baby. "The bunker is a great place too, you'll love it there." He smiled, wanting Eva to know that there was a home for her with him, always.

Sam smiled, feeling his heart swell slightly with hearing her words, though he grinned. “I could listen to you talk all day, too, you know. Your voice is pretty addictive,” he told her honestly, glad to be able to relax with her like this. Leaning back in his seat, he listened to her and offered an amused look. “Well, uh… I told him that, when we first met, when we first found you in that basement, I’d thought you were an angel - I mean, it seemed humanly impossible to be as gorgeous as you are.” He shot a teasing look over at her, but he was serious with what he’d said. “And, I told him that I want to have a future with you and that, one day, I hope you’ll have my last name.” He said it as casually as he could, hoping she understood what he was implying.

Eva grinned slightly, amused with their conversation, finding something so easy about being with Dean like this. She could be open with him and she knew that and it felt so nice, so freeing, and she felt so lucky. “So am I,” she murmured quietly, watching him for a moment, nodding slowly. “I’m sure we’ll have that future, Dean. I mean, we went a whole year without seeing each other and look at how things turned out.” She grinned, happy and relieved with how things were going for them so far, and she arched a brow. “What’s your favorite thing about the bunker?”

Callie smiled over at Sam when he told her that the sound of her voice was addictive - and she felt exactly the same about him. She couldn't get enough of Sam, she really couldn't, and just being around him in this way made her feel her most free, liberated. Her cheeks warmed up as Sam called her gorgeous. "You handled that situation so great." She told him. "The moment I saw you come down those stairs, I knew you were there to help. It's like something was telling me to put my trust into you." She told him. "Maybe an angel did have something to do with it." Blinking at his last sentence though, Callie bit her lip. "Celestia Winchester. I gotta admit, that's got a nice ring to it." She smiled, being just as casual, despite the warmth that flooded through her chest. "We'd be the ultimate husband and wife duo."

Dean smiled at Eva's words. "Things turned out pretty damn amazing, huh?" He asked with an even wider smile. "I don't doubt that we'll have that future. I'll go to any lengths to make it happen, because only you can bring the light to my darkness, Eva." He told her seriously. Hearing her question though, Dean thought for a moment, before smiling once more. "Honestly? My favourite part about the bunker is the kitchen." He looked over to her for a brief moment, still focusing on the road. "I love cooking, getting creative in the kitchen, it's fun." He confirmed. "It beats diner food all the time."

Sam grinned as he listened to Callie. “So you trusted me right off the bat, huh?” he asked teasingly, but also curious and glad all at the same time. His heart swelled with hearing her talk, though, and he watched her in awe. “It does have a nice ring to it - an amazing ring, actually. I think we'd be the perfect husband and wife duo.”

Eva smiled to Dean's words, and she nodded her agreement. “I think so,” she agreed quietly, happily, and she grinned. “Quite the charmer, Dean Winchester.” Winking teasingly, she could feel her heart swelling, and her grin broadened. “Does that mean you'll be cooking a lot?”

Callie laughed with Sam's words. "I had no choice but to trust you." She teased, biting her lip to push back the smile. "Honestly, the more time I spent with you, even with that God on our tails, the more I just... gravitated towards you." She told him honestly, shrugging her shoulders lightly, focusing on the road despite feeling Sam's gaze on her. "Hey, we could be like Mr and Mrs Smith." She joked. "Just that badass husband and wife duo that kill everything." She laughed.

Dean smiled with Eva's words. "Only for you, Eva." He winked back, not even caring that Eva was seeing a side of him that Dean rarely let anyone see, feeling safe around her, wanting her to see that sometimes, he was fragile, too. But with her question, Dean smiled and nodded. "I will be." He confirmed. "When we first got to the bunker, I nested so hard and cooked for like, two weeks straight." He grinned. "Diner food sucked after that."

Sam couldn’t help but to laugh to her words. “I mean, you have not trusted me. You always have that choice,” he promised her quietly, “But I’m glad you did. Really.” Because they’d been able to keep her alive, safe, and she was a part of his life again, and he couldn’t be happier. “I know what you mean, though. I didn’t want to leave you at all.” He felt his heart swell with the thought, but he smiled as he listened to her talk. “We’d be way better than Mr. and Mrs. Smith.”

Eva grinned slightly as she examined Dean and she chewed on her lip happily, nodding as she listened to him. “Well, I’m quite lucky then, aren’t I?” she murmured jokingly, though she really did genuinely believe it, because she couldn’t imagine her life without Dean now. As he continued to talk, though, she couldn’t help the way her grin broadened. “I can’t wait to see what your cooking tastes like in that case.”

Callie laughed, shaking her head. "If I didn't trust you, I would probably be dead." Callie pointed out gently. Thinking back to the day was always so bittersweet, because it was the day where she left behind normality but stepped into Sam's crazy reality. But the love she had for him was so incredibly worth it, because she got to spend time with him, and she didn't have to say goodbye. Reaching to take his hand with the thought, Callie kept the car expertly maneuvered as she interlocked her fingers with Sam. "We're already way better than Mr and Mrs Smith." Callie promised with a smile.

Dean kept a hand firmly on the wheel to the Impala, but he rested his other hand on Eva's thigh, gently running his thumb over the fabric of her pants. Smiling with Eva's words, the sound of Eva's voice, the corners of Dean's eyes crinkled slightly with the width of his smile, and he could get used to being so happy again. "I think I'm the luckiest," Dean promised, his voice soft, such a wild contrast to how he usually was. "But," Dean grinned. "I'll cook you whatever you want to order." And he meant it, because he wanted Eva to see that the bunker was a place of comfort, a place she could call home - recalling the night were she lost all of that must of been so difficult for her.

Sam blinked when he heard her words, though he smiled slightly despite the ache in his chest with the thought of her dying. She could have died at any point this past year with her having gotten involved in hunting, especially when he hadn’t been there to keep an eye on her, to try to protect her in as many ways as he could. But, he made a mental note to do his best now, to do everything he could, everything in his power, to protect her in every way. “Well, maybe. But I’m glad you’re alive. I’m glad you’re in my life,” he said quietly, squeezing her hand gently when he felt her hand in his, and his thumb ran over the back of her hand as he watched her, a grin forming on his lips. “You have a point there. Definitely better than Mr. and Mrs. Smith.”

Eva chewed on her lip with the feeling of Dean’s hand on her thigh, especially with the movement of his thumb, but she smiled as she watched him, relaxing as she listened to him, swearing his voice could soothe any worry that existed within her. “You can think that all you like, doesn’t mean it’s true,” she teased lightly, grinning slightly, though she settled into her seat, relaxing, just enjoying being there with him. “I’ll remember that. I’ll have to think on what to order, though.” Because, right now, she didn’t really care about food - she just cared that she was spending time with him, that they had found each other again and reconnected.

Callie smiled as she felt Sam's thumb running across the back of her hand, causing any worries she had to float away - the affect Sam had on her was the most incredible thing, and Callie never wanted to lose it, never wanted to lose Sam. "I'm glad you're in my life too." Callie promised quietly, and although she focused on the road, driving with expert precision, Callie spared a moment to look to the man she loved. "I just can't wait for us to start our life together properly." Callie reached over at a red light, pressing a kiss to his cheek, before following the Impala once more, watching as the sun began to set across the horizon.

Dean rolled his eyes playfully with Eva's words, squeezing her thigh gently. "It's definitely true, sweetheart, trust me." Dean promised, and watching as she relaxed into the seat of the Impala, Dean couldn't help but think just how much Eva looked like she'd been born to sit beside him - he was certain Sam wouldn't mind taking a back seat from now on. Eva's presence was enough to soothe Dean, and he was unsure of how he could find ways to thank her for the new life they were about to begin, a life so familiar, but so different. Because Eva was with him. "You just let me know, baby. Hell, we can even bake cookies together." Dean grinned, although the grin was wide, genuine.

Sam grinned slightly when he heard Callie’s words, and he watched her for a few long moments before he nodded slightly. “I can’t wait, either,” he agreed quietly, taking her in, admiring her, committing every little detail he could to memory, because he never wanted to forget a thing about her, he always wanted her in his life. “It’ll be perfect. It’s all I could ever want. You’re all I could ever want.”

Eva offered an amused look, despite the shudder that ran through her when Dean squeezed her thigh. Still, she grinned slightly. “Of course I trust you,” she said easily, though she hummed, leaning back in her seat, relaxing, enjoying being near Dean, enjoying feeling his touch, even if it did drive her crazy. “Oh? That sounds downright domestic, Dean.”