standing in your flame

Sam smiled as he watched her, amused that she seemed so intent on the idea of giving up on whiskey. Still, he shifted, refolding the napkin to slip it into his pocket with his phone. While he'd saved her number already, a part of him wanted to just keep something of hers, and having her handwriting made him feel closer to her. "To each their own. Might be better, honestly, with how easy it is to lose yourself in the alcohol," he admitted with a nod. He looked to Dean, though, with the mention of taking the girls home, and he felt his heart sink a little, not too eager to part from Callie, not ready to give up the happiness he felt in her presence, but he cleared his throat and nodded. "Uh, yeah, it's getting late, after all." And, he'd heard the girls talking about running away earlier - and, really, he didn't want to stop them, not after what they'd been through, so he didn't want them to miss their chance.

For a few moments, Eva chewed on her lip a little anxiously, but she grinned when she got the text from Dean and she quickly saved his number, and she stared at the text for a moment, mentally telling herself that she'd text him the first chance she got once they parted ways. Looking over at Dean, she blinked to his words but nodded. "Oh, uh, right... Yeah, okay," she said with another small nod, though she watched Dean for a while, trying to memorize everything she could before they'd have to part ways. Looking to her sister, she knew they'd have to start packing the moment they got home if they wanted to get out of town with some of their things, so she reached for Callie's hand and stood up.

Dean stood to his feet as he watched the girls hold hands again, and he rubbed Eva's back as he led them to the Impala, parked outside in the dim light of the lamppost. Unlocking the car, he opened the door that Eva claimed - behind Dean - smiling at the sisters. Dean tried to hide his disappointment, holding onto his own hope that they would run into each other again, sooner rather than later.

Callie allowed Eva to lead her out of the diner, squeezing softly to reassure her sister that it would be okay. Getting into her seat behind Sam, Callie looked out of the window, not wanting to part with either of the Winchester brothers, feeling safe in their presence, feeling content as long as she was within arm's reach of Sam. "We've got a good chance of getting away tonight," she murmured to her sister. "Let's grab it while we can."

Sam had followed the girls, sticking close to Callie, watching her with concern. He hoped for the best for her, that her life would go well after this. He wanted the best for her, she deserved the best. And, he made a promise to himself to check in with her as often as possible to see how things were going. Before they got to the car, he gave her hand a squeeze, hoping to assure her that she'd be okay, that she'd get through this, and he opened her door for her, offering a smile before he climbed into the passenger seat himself.

Eva felt herself ease when she felt Dean rub her back. For a moment, just a moment, she chanced a glance at him, grateful for his presence more than anything. Shifting, she climbed into the car and gave her sister's hand another squeeze while she listened to her quietly. "Yeah," she murmured quietly, nodding as she looked to Callie, "We should grab whatever is necessary, essentials, a credit card or two, and withdraw some money from their bank account ATM. We'll come up with a game plan while we gather everything."

Callie nodded along with Eva's plan. "Sounds good." She cleared her throat, looking at Dean through the rear view mirror. "Just drop us outside of Sunshine Valley," she smiled, the adrenaline rushing through her at the thought of a chance for redemption outside a town that was doomed to crumble with no sacrifices to be made. She patted the pocket of her jeans, ensuring the keys to her Bug were still securely inside, nodding to herself when she felt it.

Dean started Baby's engine with an almighty rumble, looking to the girls in the mirror before beginning the short journey to the cul-de-sac. Driving along, the light from the lampposts revealed the grass had turned from a spectacular green to a dead brown, and the flowers that lined the sides of the road had all withered to practically nothing. He shook his head at the sight, looking to Sam to see if he noticed, too.

Sam looked around at everything they were passing, taking in the sight of all the withered, dead plants. It was strange, seeing so many dead plants when everything had been so vibrant just hours before. It was only a matter of time before the town itself all but died - it'd probably become a ghost town as everybody would probably leave, travel elsewhere. Seeing Dean's look, he nodded slightly, because he knew that questioning look, and everything was just going to get worse.

Eva nodded to her sister's words, though she took a deep breath to assure herself that they could do this. They'd get to leave this awful town, a town that needed their deaths to thrive, and start over. They'd get to leave and do their own thing. It was just a matter of finding out what that thing would be - of finding out what would give them a reason to keep going after all of this. She was sure that part of the reason, for her, would be the chance to see Dean again, at least, and the thought made her smile slightly.

Callie exhaled as Dean took the turn to the street the girls grew up on. Lights were out in the houses, indicating the neighborhood had gone to the Town Hall to speak about what they could do about the deaths of things that they needed to live. Callie frowned at the thought, seeing things so crumbled and destroyed making her more eager to leave. Dean parked outside their house - painted a pure white. Opening her door, Callie exited the car, wishing that she and Eva could just stay in the Impala with the Winchester brothers; travel around and fight evil. She looked to Eva, ducking her head.

Dean exited the Impala as he killed the engine, looking between the twins before focusing his attention on Eva, making sure she was okay. "What're you gonna do now?" He asked, taking off his FBI jacket and throwing it back into the Impala. He approached Eva, gently lifting her head by her chin to take a good look at her, wanting to commit her to his memory, ready for the next time they met. "This isn't goodbye, you know." Dean murmured. "It's just see you later." He smiled.

Sam watched Callie for a moment once she'd gotten out of the car and he shifted, climbing out as well as he examined her, noticing the way she ducked her head. For a moment, he wondered if something was wrong, but, then, he figured there was probably a lot wrong; they'd found out their parents had probably been part of the entire thing to kill them, that they were meant to be sacrificed, and now they were about to walk back into the house that they'd grown up in, unaware of the fates they'd been dealt. Making his way over to her, he shifted to cup her face, lifting her head gently so that he could examine her, memorizing the color of her eyes, the shape of her lips, everything about her that he could, his thumbs running over her cheeks. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked quietly, examining her for a moment.

Mentally, Eva had been preparing herself for walking away from Dean and into the house that she was ready to escape from, but she paused when she blinked when she heard Dean's voice, her gaze settling on him when he lifted her head. For a good while, she wasn't sure what to say, but her eyes ran over his features and she wished she could just stay in this moment, hoped that she'd never forget it. "We're gonna leave," she told him quietly, her eyes scanning over his features for a moment, her expression softening into a small smile. "Good. Maybe we'll run into each other somewhere on whatever journey Callie and I end up taking, so I'm gonna hold you to that 'see you later' line."

Callie looked up at Sam, smiling weakly. "I'll be fine." She murmured, leaning into his touch without thinking. "All thanks to you." She laughed, meeting his eyes. Smiling softly, Callie bit her lip. "Just make sure you don't lose my number." She teased, her smile broadening as she took a small step closer. "And for the love of all that is good, stay safe." She cupped his cheek, running her thumb over the apple of his cheek before taking a step back. "The world needs Sam and Dean Winchester to put things to rights."

Dean nodded as he studied Eva, looking for any signs of trauma. Eva had handled the whole situation with ease, he was honestly impressed. The girls showed more maturity than some other victims he and Sam had the displeasure of meeting. "You keep safe out there. It's a bad world, trust me when I say it needs more people like you and Callie." Dean murmured. "As for that see you later, it'll happen sooner than you think." Dean promised, pressing a sweet kiss to her forehead, not wanting to put Eva with being so sudden. Taking a step back, Dean exhaled. Why should he waste an opportunity to tell Eva how he felt? "Eva," he cleared his throat.

Sam smiled when he saw her lean into his touch, all too happy to keep running his thumbs over her cheeks, enjoying the feeling of her skin under his fingertips. "I'm sure you will be. Still, I'll worry about you, you know?" he mentioned quietly, examining her features, though he nodded. "I'll keep your number nice and safe, don't worry." And, when she moved closer to him and cupped his own cheeks, he'd leaned into her touch for the moment it lasted until she stepped back, though he didn't dare remove his hands. "We'll stay safe, don't worry. Besides, I should be saying that to you - the world would suck without Callie and Eva Lewis. Probably more so without Callie. But, uh, one more thing..." Grinning slightly despite himself, he shifted, leaning forward. "One more gift to remember me by until we cross paths again." And, before he could stop himself or talk himself out of it, he pressed his lips to hers, relishing in the feeling immediately.

Eva offered a small smile in response to Dean's words and she nodded slightly. "We'll be safe and careful, promise. You and Sam should be safe, too - I mean, this is your job, doesn't mean it won't kill you if you're not careful," she murmured quietly in response as she watched him, though her expression softened, her eyes closing when he kissed her forehead. "Still holding you to it." She only opened her eyes when she heard Dean move away and she blinked her eyes open, peering at him when he spoke again. Curious and almost hopeful, she watched him for a moment. "Yeah?"

Callie took a step forward as Sam pressed his lips to hers, returning the kiss with the same amount of passion and adoration. Pulling back after a bit, Callie bit her lip and smiled, pulling Sam in for a hug, her arms around his middle for the final time. "You smooth bastard," she murmured into his shirt with a laugh, before pulling away and smiling at him. "I'll see you soon, Sam." She promised, looking to her Bug as the grass around them continued to die at an alarming rate. There was no hope for this town, there never really was.

Dean gently took Eva's hand, pulling her closer to him. Gently moving her hair from her face, Dean leaned down and pressed his lips to hers gently, nearly afraid of breaking her, but the passion in his kiss was unmistakable. For the moment they kissed, Dean wondered if Eva could feel how he felt about her. "Just... hold onto that. When we run into each other again, you can give it back." Dean grinned cheekily, kissing the top of her head before stepping away reluctantly, looking at Sam.

Sam hoped, more than anything, that Callie understood that, while they had to part for now, he genuinely wanted to find a way back to her some way, somehow. Still, when he felt her hug him, his arms slid around her and he held her tightly to himself, rubbing her back gently, and nodded to her words when she pulled away. "Maybe sooner than either of us could even guess, if we're lucky," he mentioned, smiling as he watched her before he stroked her cheek for a moment again. "But we'll definitely see each other soon. It's a promise." Shifting, he pressed a kiss to her forehead gently, running his fingers through her hair for a moment before he pulled away, hesitating as he watched her, but eventually moved back. "Be careful, Callie. Call us if anything ever comes up, okay? And stay in touch." He smiled before forcing himself back to the car, not looking at his brother, because he was sure it would just end in teasing.

When Eva felt Dean's lips against her own, she could feel a warm happiness bubble up and fill her, making it difficult to concentrate on anything other than the feeling of his lips against hers and returning the kiss. There was something in it that she couldn't quite describe, a hope or a promise, and she wasn't sure if it was hers or Dean's or both of theirs, but she grinned slightly when they parted and watched him for a long moment. "Yeah, I'll make sure to do that," she promised quietly, watching him for a moment before she stepped back, forcing herself away from him. Clearing her throat, she grabbed Callie's hand, squeezing it before she led the way into the house, glancing back at Dean for just a moment when she got to the door before she headed inside.

Dean watched for a moment as both girls walked up the garden path, making sure they were safe before he turned to the Impala, exhaling heavily. "It won't be long before we see them again," Dean promised himself, knowing Sam would overhear him. "But for now, duty calls." He smiled, tapping his brother's shoulder.



Callie groaned as she stepped under the police crime scene tap, illuminating the room with the torch she held. "God, I hate ghouls." She complained to Eva, who, as always, wasn't far behind her sister. Shining her torch on the half eaten corpse of an elderly woman, Callie raised her eyebrows in disgust. "Why can't they just... stay in graveyards? Like they're meant to?" She frowned, kicking a dismembered arm out of the way carelessly. "Scope out the kitchen, see if you can see anything." She told Eva. "Call me if you find anything - and be careful!"

Sam grunted while they were fighting a ghoul, having gotten kicked back by it. They'd been fighting this thing for a good five minutes and he was already so annoyed with it. Slamming the ghoul back against the wall, Sam winced at the noise it created but he quickly used his machete to slice the ghoul's head off and watched the body drop. Taking a few breaths, he looked to Dean and made a face. "Well, that wasn't fun," he muttered quietly, shaking his head slightly. It'd been a year since they'd met Callie and Eva and, while they hadn't seen the girls since, he'd made sure to keep in contact with Callie and, more than anything, he'd wanted to finish this job in time to call Callie to wish her a happy birthday.

"It reeks," Eva said, making a face, not at all surprised. Ever since they'd started out on this, they'd had their fair share of dead bodies and the smell of death that came with them. "Well, everybody has to eat, I guess. Though they could just feed on the dead bodies that get buried instead, geez." Sighing out, she shook her head as she shone her light around before she nodded to her sister's words. "Yeah, okay, you be careful in here, too." She glanced to her sister for a moment before she wandered into the kitchen, though the moment she walked in, she saw a body near the table. An elderly man, likely the woman's husband. Eva's expression softened at the sight and she sighed out quietly. "Callie, there's another one in here," she called out, but made sure to be as quiet as was necessary to avoid attracting any attention to them. She made her way over to inspect the body, but paused when she heard a noise coming from above. Frowning, she looked back towards the living room. "You heard that, right?" she called quietly again.

Dean took a disgusted look at the ghoul, headless on the ground. "You did great considering it took the form of an 80 year old lady. Didn't you earn the Elderly care badge in Boy Scouts?" Dean teased. "It's Eva and Callie's 22nd birthday in like, half an hour, I really want to get rid of those bodies downstairs and get to the nearest bar." Dean sighed. It had been a year since Dean's paths had crossed with Eva, and ever since, she hadn't left his mind. Dean had behaved himself, telling himself that Eva was worth the wait and that fate would let them meet again somehow. Even when he wasn't around her, Dean felt Eva made him a better person.

"Roger that," Callie responded to Eva's observation of another body, looking around the couples possessions, impressed. As she heard the thud come from above her, Callie looked at the ceiling. "Yeah, yeah, I heard that." Callie held her finger to her lips, hinting to the stairs. Waiting for Eva to catch up, Callie carefully ascended, being careful not to make a noise as she switched her torch off, having to depend on the light from the lamppost outside. Callie nodded her head to the right, instructing Eva to go as she headed to the left, both of them on either side of the open, bedroom door. Callie grabbed her knife out of it's sheath, gripping to it tightly.

Sam snorted quietly and rolled his eyes. "Funny," he muttered, though he nodded slightly. He understood how Dean felt; he wanted some time alone, personally, so that he could just think about Callie, fantasize about seeing her again. "I know what you mean. I was planning to call Callie, tell her happy birthday and everything, so let's get everything done quickly." He'd been heading to the door, though, when he heard movement. Frowning, his brows furrowed and he looked to Dean, wondering if he heard the noise. On guard, he made his way out of the room first.

Eva nodded slightly, following her sister's lead, turning her own flashlight off as she followed her, peering into the rooms they passed just to make sure nothing was inside, before they came to the door to the bedroom that the noise had seemed to come from. Seeing her sister motion, she went to the other side of the door, pulling out her own knife as she looked to her sister, listening quietly to see if they could hear anything else, though she tensed when a tall figure came out, the figure closer to her sister.

Callie stayed against the wall, but as the tall figure reached out, she ducked under his arm, using her free hand to deliver a swift punch, backing him up against the wall, pointing the knife right under his chin. "Think you're smart?" She asked with a dark chuckle; twirling the knife in her fingers, knowing that one swift push upwards could end whoever she had trapped.

Dean saw the commotion with Sam, and instantly tried to grab Eva's arm, not being the smartest about his move. Grabbing the material of Eva's jacket, Dean dragged the petite figure towards him, stumbling to find his gun. Before Dean could even reach for his weapon, he was on his back, on the floor. Groaning loudly, Dean swore. "What the hell?" He rubbed the back of his head. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

Sam gave a surprised noise when he felt himself get backed into the wall, staring at the girl in surprise. The light from the window didn't illuminate her face and it was hard to see. "What the hell," he muttered quietly and he was trying to think of a way out of this situation, but his thoughts paused on their track when he noticed a glint. Peering down, his eyes caught sight of the necklace he'd given to Callie, the only thing illuminated in that moment, and he lifted his gaze back to her. "Callie?"

Eva, when she'd felt herself get grabbed, reacted as quickly as she could, gripping hold of the guy's arm before she flipped him and quickly pinned him down, sitting over him, her eyes narrowed as they tried to adjust to the darkness. A part of her recognized the voice, could feel the warmth the voice brought her, but, in that moment, with the adrenaline racing through her, she couldn't place it. "I don't think you're really in a position to ask questions, buddy," she pointed out.

Callie tightened her grip on the blade, the adrenaline rushing through her veins at the thought of danger. "Who's asking?" She snapped, examining the man she had at her mercy. Pulling away, but dragging Sam with her by the front of his jacket, Callie threw him to the floor, next to the man that Eva had pinned down, her own strength surprising her.

Dean glanced over, seeing the glint of the light from the lamppost outside against the 'Jupiter' bead on the bracelet he had gifted Eva the year before. "Eva?" Dean asked, half in disbelief, half in shock. "Eva, it's me, Dean! Dean Winchester!" He tried to convince her, knowing the hunts could let your common sense take a back seat. "We just - what're you doing here? In Illinois?"

Sam groaned when Callie threw him to the floor and he quickly held his hands up in defense. "Sam, okay? It's Sam - come on, you didn't forget me that easily, you're still wearing the necklace I gave you," he quickly said, hoping to convince her as quickly as possible before things escalated, hopeful that she'd believe him, but he was trying to wrap his mind around all of this - why was she here, how the hell had she gotten so strong? "What's going on, Callie? Why are you in this house, of all places? I thought you guys were just off, exploring."

Eva paused, staring down at him for a long moment, unsure. Shifting, she reached for her flashlight and turned it on, holding it away so that she could see who it was without blinding him. "Oh, my God," she said with shock before she quickly climbed off of him, her cheeks warm, and she cleared her throat. "Uh, we were just, uh..." She made a face, unsure of how the guys would take it, and she ran her flashlight over Sam so that her sister could get a look at him, but stayed focused on Dean. "We're... On a case..." She cringed, watching him.

"Sam?" Callie nearly gasped as Eva's torch shone on him. Callie covered her mouth with her hand, pulling away and putting her own torch on, shining it to him. "Oh my god, I - I'm so sorry!" She laughed, offering him her hand to help him up. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry. We're here on a uh, on a case." She offered a weak smile, hoping he wouldn't be angry or disappointed in the girls' choice of career. "Uh, sorry about that punch." She blushed, moving to find a light switch. Once she found one, she flipped it, illuminating the room with a weak lightbulb, taking a good look at Sam. He hadn't changed much over the past year, except his hair had grown longer. He still looked as wonderful as the day she met him.

Dean raised his eyebrows, staying on the floor. "A case?" He asked. "You - you're both hunting?!" Dean asked. "Alright, we can talk about this somewhere else cause we handled that ghoul, but holy shit, I think you broke my back." Dean groaned. "I never knew you could fight like that!" Once the light came on, Dean took a good look at Eva, glancing at Callie quickly, and then back to Eva. Both girls were dressed differently, but not much had changed in them. Dean smiled as he caught sight of Eva's bracelet again, adoring the fact that after 12 months of being separated, she still wore it.