<div style="text-align: center">Wes wasn't quite sure how long he had laid there on the floor, letting his sorrow freely flow. But it did feel good to finally let it all out, it was something he would carry with him for the rest of his unnatural life until he was finally granted the sweet release of death. It got a bit easier, and though bleak he did allow himself to enjoy the imaginary scenario he let play in his head. He had no idea he wanted to be a Father so badly until he saw that tiny bean on that screen and heard the tiny heart beat, instantly he imagined who they would grow up to be, looking forward to the trials of parenthood. The sleepless nights, the temper tantrums and eventually the dreaded teenage phase that every parent looked forward to all so much....all in the name of love for your child. It tugged a smile to his face, thinking of what could have been, the world kept turning even after such a horrible event, and perhaps he was letting himself become too strung up on that one moment in time. It truly was amazing what a good break down could do when one really needed it. Eventually he finally made it back to his feet, wiping the dust off of his clothing, gathering up his phone and leaving the tiny cupcake offering be to be enjoyed by the spirits of the empty home. One last "I love you" being given before making his way back out the way he came in.<br/>
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He found himself driving back around Alexandria, windows down and letting the warm breeze carry the stress from his mind. The last time he had returned to the town was. . .well, last year at the same time. His own little ritual in place no matter how much it hurt each time, it helped him move forward, mourn in his own way before he could finally focus on what still laid ahead of him. Already, he could feel that empty void in his heart beginning to fade a bit, body relaxing, not realizing just how tensed up he had been since the morning and those voices in his head no longer an issue. It was liberating. Soon enough The Old Black Truck was parked in front of a familiar bar and grill, the tempting aroma of a home cooked meal drawing him through the doors of his old haunt, still the same after all of that time, various patrons dotted around socializing and the stage in the far corner set up with a large chalkboard that read "Open Mic night." The Hunter giving a bit of a shudder that he had choice this day to come in after witnessing so many butchered songs.....but that was the charm, for the first time all day, that devilish smirk finding its way on to his face as he took his normal seat at the far corner of the bar, seated comfortably in the little nook, afforded a perfect view of the entire establishment. Before hand it was simply nice to be able to see the stage so clearly and enjoy the entertainment, far enough away from everyone else that he never had to worry about being caught in a sudden drunken argument. Now, it just made sense to make sure that literally no body could come up behind him, able to see the entrance and exit perfectly, and a clear shot to the 12 gauge peace maker hidden under the counter for those times you needed to give someone more than just a friendly "No."<br/>
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"I was starting to think you left us for good this time, Stranger. . .Almost didn't recognize ya all cleaned up like that."<br/>
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A lovely voice, tinged with a small hint of The Irish greeted him, bringing his attention away from the various patrons of the bar and the decorations that hung on the walls. A warm smile coming to The Hunters face as soon as he saw <a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fimgur.com%2Fa%2FgefayMB&amp;hash=f83e8bd909be7b01fef809004dda565a" href="https://imgur.com/a/gefayMB" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank"> Her </a> standing there, giving him the same welcoming smile and wink he always received whenever he finally made his way back around. As soon as she had seen him walk through the entrance she had already gotten his drink ready, ice cold bottle of Dos Equis perfectly dressed placed in front of him as she gave a bit of an amused chuckle. "Look may have changed but I figured your tastes hadn't changed. . .How've you been, Wes?". The smile didn't leave Wes' face, taking the bottle with a thankful nod as he licked up a bit of the salt around the neck and took a nice swig, sigh of satisfaction given as he placed the bottle back down and his eyes found hers, tilting his head off to the side thoughtfully as he smiled. "<i>Sure you hear this enough, but doing a hell of a lot better after seeing you. . .Missed ya, Cass. New Addition you got there?" </i>Glance falling to the artwork decorating her left arm, tracing the details admiringly with his eyes for a few moments and giving an approving nod as she beamed proudly, turning a bit so he could better observe her new addition. "Still a few more sessions to go, but I'm absolutely in love with it already. Can't wait to get back in the chair, told me you'd join me one of these days, Mister Stranger." She gave a teasing stick of pierced tongue out at him followed by a pout.<br/>
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Her cheery disposition was infectious, drawing an amused huff from The Hunter as he shrugged a bit, raising his arms to the side and giving a stretch as he smirked at her. <i>"Yeah, sorry about that. Extermination business has been a bit busier than I anticipated. Promise I'll make it up to ya." </i>Giving a nod as he took another swig of his beer, eyes continuing to admire his old friend as she leaned against the counter as well, unable to help himself taking in the rest of the tattoos that were visible to him, memories of the ones that were hidden beneath simple clothing of her uniform, forcing himself to turn his gaze elsewhere with a small embarrassed smile, keeping his head out of the gutter. She was the only one he had truly let "in" after everything had turned upside down, and aside from The Kind Stranger from the night before, and a rather interesting woman he had the pleasure of meeting out in The Swamps during an eventful hunt, Cass seemed to be his only "true" friend over the last few years. Always ready to lend an ear to listen, a shoulder to lean on and a smile to warm the soul. "Well, busy is good right? Keeps ya busy. Means less Creepy Crawlies in the world." She grinned at him, tilting her head to the side. "Anything else I can get you, dear? I'm sure you must be starving. Lord knows you never take care of yourself the way you're supposed to." Her comment causing Wes to raise a brow as he leaned back in his chair, faking a surprised expression as he brought his hands up as if he'd just been accused of a major crime. "<i>Me? Nah. Gotta have me confused with some other guy. . .I have been smelling that Barbecue since a mile down the road though." <br/>
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"Yeah that's what I thought, trying to come up back here all slick and sly. Think I've got ya down, Wes."<br/>
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Cass gave a warm smile and a shake of the head as she straightened herself back up, before turning to leave fixing him up with another dressed Dos Equis as he polished off his first. "Just gimme a bit, I'll get them started on that for ya. Just don't go off disappearing for fifty years again before I get back, yeah?" Pointing a stern finger at him, and a few more "serious" shakes of it given as she slowly began to back away, drawing a laugh from Wes as he waved her off. "<i>Promise I'm not going anywhere." </i>Holding out a pinky to her as she walked away, immediately Cass bringing her own up to invisibly grab his, giving a violent shake and a hearty laugh before disappearing off into the kitchens. Wes catching a glance of her <a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=http%3A%2F%2Fimgur.com%2Fa%2F4hYxuIj&amp;hash=6b6e5afc593fd482c76f58da5694356f" href="http://imgur.com/a/4hYxuIj" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank"> wings</a> poking out just beneath her clothing before disappearing completely and giving a satisfied sigh as he got himself relaxed in his seat, going to work on his second bottle. It was a fantastic change, the sense of "normality", for once, not thinking about Hunting down blood suckers, the trail he'd have to pick back up from scratch and the other beasts he'd encountered while he "cleaned" up. It was just nice to be back in the company of his friend, between 4 familiar walls that didn't seem to be claustrophobic and full of people who wanted to tear him apart.<br/>
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The hours passed by naturally, soon enough the sun beginning to set outside, more and more patrons finding their way inside as the work day ended and they came to unwind from the stresses of the day, The Bar filled with music from both the speakers and occasionally whichever fool decided to step up on stage and try their hand at rock and roll stardom. The whole time between Customers Cass and Wes taking the time to catch up with eachother, discussing what they missed since their last....interesting meeting. It wasn't exactly embarrassing to talk about, but it did still manage to bring a hint of color back to his face recalling the events that led to Cass giving him her best Santanico Pandemonium reenactment, and the rather amusing use of an old weighted jump rope in place of a boa. "So, you ever plan on finding a nice place to rest your bones or is That Old Truck a lot more comfortable than I remember it? Might do you some good to settle down a bit, can't be easy being on the move constantly....you know there's always a free spot at my place if you needed time to find something." It was a sincere offer, leaning her elbow on the counter top and perching her chin on palm of her hand as she surveyed Wes thoughtfully. He was always reserved when it came to this conversation, but she would continue to push the issue until he finally broke, or at the very least <i>entertained </i>the idea. Already recognizing that tiny little grumble building in his chest as his leg began to hop a bit and he fiddled fingers over the neck of his drink. "Just think about it, yeah? We both know you deserve better."<br/>
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<i>"Ahhhhh, you don't know that. It's a kind thought though." </i>Wes was about to dismiss the conversation again until he caught that glimpse in her eye, frown on her face turning into a sad pout. <i>"Hey, no. Stop that." </i>Cass continued on, forcing a single solitary tear to slide down her cheek and giving a sniffle, putting on her best puppy dog eyes. <i>"That ain't fair and you know it Cass." </i>It did cause Wes to break from his dismissive attitude, giving a laugh and a smile as he stuck his hand in front of his face in an attempt to block her from his view. "<u>Coooooooome on, Wes!"</u> Cass reached over trying to move his arm out of the way, instead opting go grab hold of it and begin shaking with an annoyed yell. "You ALWAYS do this. Promise me you'll at least think about it. As a favor to me?" She held a hopeful look in her eyes, throwing in a tiny bit of the lip only to tug at his heart strings a bit more if everything else was going to fail. Wes inhaled deeply, still chuckling as he was shaken by her grip on his arm before finally speaking up "<i>Alright alright fine, I'll think about it. Because you're my friend, not because of those puppy dog eyes. Just for the record, you giant brat." </i>His words brought a cheer of glee from The Woman, beaming from ear to ear in satisfaction of a victory well earned. "See?! Was that so hard?" She finally released her grip from his arm and gave herself a little fist bump, pulling back with the exploding motion thrown in as well for good measure. "God damn I'm good!"<br/>
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"<i>Yeah good at being a giant brat." </i>Wes shook his head, smiling as well before he felt his phone buzzing in his pocket, brow furrowed a bit in confusion while he pulled it out, the words "Whatever" flashing across the screen. Thinking about it for a few moments as his glance shifted between Cass and the screen a few times, part of him simply wanted to hit ignore, if it was important she would call back or leave a voice message yelling about him not answering. But he did say he'd help her, and she was the closest he was going to get to being able to pick back up on Dresdens trail, especially with her access to connections. Eventually before the call was sent to voice mail he finally answered. <i>"Wasn't expecting you to call this quickly." </i>Wes took one last swig from his drink, casting a familiar look to Cass as she frowned a little bit, she knew he'd be off again soon, his entire demeanor changed when it came to his "work", and that soft look in his eyes would disappear as his focus shifted away to the task at hand. "<i>Yeah just let me know where I need to go, I'll be there soon." </i>No questions were asked, if Ava said she had something he wouldn't doubt her despite their only encounter before hand, she'd proven herself trustworthy. Besides, he promised he'd help however he could, ever a man of his word. With that ending the call and giving a solemn glance Cass' way, she did offer a bit of an understanding smile, and a nod in his direction as she made her way over the counter top, ignoring the looks given her way as she wrapped her arms around The Hunter and held him tight in embrace. "Promise me you'll be careful and not be such a stranger this time?" Her voice did give a bit of a crack, burying her face into his chest. Giving a chuckle Wes returned her embrace, giving a tight squeeze and a nod before beginning to separate themselves. "<i>Yeah, I Promise, see ya around Cass. Try and stay outta trouble?" </i>It brought a small laugh from The Girl, wiping away a real tear this time and inhaling deeply, pulling herself back together and giving a playful punch to The Hunters shoulder. "Can't promise that but swear I'll try." As he did to her before, she now brought up a pinky to him with a smile, Wes gladly wrapping his around hers in the ultimate contract between souls that could never ever be broken. Making his way back to The Old Black Truck and pulling himself into the Drivers seat with a satisfied sigh, placing dark shades over his eyes and turning the keys.<br/>
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