A/N: little bit of a long wait for this, sorry! I went on vacation and I did a couple of other projects before finally finishing this. a little bit of a filler chapter before the next couple of action filled ones. ( DUN DUN DUN ) but there are many hints in here that will leave you like ? WHAT. so please review telling me what you think the hell is going on. enjoy! as always, my tumblr is psychrollins, come talk to me!

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Waking up to Dean curled up beside him is possibly the nicest thing Seth has ever experienced. Of course, he wishes that they weren't hiding out from someone who probably wants to kill them, but Seth will take what he can get and at the moment, this is as all he wants. Dean is still asleep, and it calms Seth when Dean's breath sounds quieter than it did last night and the bruising hasn't gotten worse.

There's a bright stream of sun coming through the White drapes and with a glance at his watch, Seth makes it about half past eight. It's later than he usually wakes, but he's all out of routine. On a Saturday he'd usually get up around six and go for a run before taking Nikki out shopping at about nine.

Thinking about all of that disappearing makes Seth's chest ache, but he knows they can never go back to the way things were before, not now that Seth has royally fucked it up for everyone. Seth's made a lot of mistakes in his life, many of them in his childhood years, but this has to be the biggest.

The mistake being running away without a proper plan, Dean would and never will be a mistake. He just sort of wishes he'd given himself a day or two to get something in place so they weren't just running for their lives and hoping that Hunter didn't find them before they had chance to do anything. But then again, he probably didn't have those two days, had he not left like he did, maybe Hunter would have killed him. Worse, maybe he'd have killed Dean. Hunter doesn't like people going against him, especially not people he considers his family, especially not Seth.

But Seth wouldn't have run away had Hunter not hurt Dean like that, had he just been a fucking decent human being. He yawns, easing gently out of Dean's grip – who immediately curls himself around the duvet in replacement of Seth – so that he can go the bathroom. He can't do anything about his mistakes now, though. What's done is done and he's got to work with it the best he can. He can start to repent his sins by helping Roman and Daniel; they said that it's enough so he'll do whatever he can.

He heads to the bathroom and shuts the door quietly behind him. He doesn't even want to know how much this house cost, it's even bigger than Hunter's and even though everything is modern and clean, it feels a lot more homely. Maybe it's the people, the atmosphere inside the house that makes it a home rather than just a house. Even in just the day he's been here, he's felt more at home than he ever has anywhere else.

When Seth leaves the bathroom, Dean is still curled around the blankets and there is a soft look of contentment spread across his face. He smiles and quickly steps over to him, pressing a soft kiss to his messy curls and thanking the heavens for them sending someone as wonderful as Dean into his life.

He heads downstairs to see if any of the others are up, and finds Daniel, Roman and Nikki all in the kitchen drinking coffee. He stands by the kitchen door for a moment, going unnoticed and watching a wonderful scene unfold between them.

"Are you serious, you like the way he decorated the bedroom?" Daniel asks, face contorted in utter confusion and disbelief.

"You don't? It's beautiful." Nikki gushes, grinning from ear to ear as she smiles up at Roman who's sitting next to her.

"Of course she does, she has good taste." Seeing the way Roman looks at Nikki makes his heart swell, he looks at her the way he looks at Dean, eyes full of love and with a big grin on his face. Seth steps into the room and Roman notices him, instantly getting up and getting him some coffee.

"How's Dean?" Daniel asks as Seth sits next to him and Roman places a coffee in front of him. He thanks him before taking a sip.

"He's better today, I think. He's still asleep, but he's smiling in his sleep and he's not wheezing as much anymore so that's encouraging."

"Good," Daniel says, a smile on his face. "We were discussing the plan we spoke about last night, are you still up for that?" Truth be told, Seth had been thinking last night. And although he was still worried about using Nikki slash Daniel's plan, he knew that it was the best they were going to come up with. He'd been racking his brains for most of the night, but he knew that sending Nikki in as the distressed female was going to be the only way to get in without raising suspicion before they actually get in.

"Yeah, yeah I am. What were you guys thinking?"

Roman speaks up first up, nudging Nikki on the shoulder. "Nikki had the idea of making herself look like she'd been through hell so that it was believable, so I'm going to take her into town and see what the costume shop has." Good idea, really, Nikki's artistic make-up skills will have her looking like she's been through hell and back just to get home.

"And we were discussing when to hit. Whether you wanted to do it tonight or wait until tomorrow." Daniel pitches in. Tomorrow would be nice, just for personal reasons. He'd really like one more night safely tucked next to Dean, but he knows that the sooner they act, the better. And he hasn't even thought about what they're going to do once this is all over. Where are the three of them going to go, are they going to be safe even if their plan goes ahead?

"I guess it makes sense to hit tonight, best to get it over and done with, right? But I need some time to plan where we're gonna' go once it's over."

"What do you mean?" Daniel asks, eyebrows knitted in confusion.

"Where Dean, Nikki and I will go after we hit."

Roman laughs, a big smile settling on his face. "You think we're gonna' turf you out when the jobs done?"

Seth shrugs; that would make sense wouldn't it? There's no other reason for them to stay.

"No, we're not. You've got a home here with us, all of you, if you want it." Roman says, Daniel nods, agreeing with him.

"Are you serious?"

"Of course Seth, this house is way too big for me and Daniel, and besides, it'll make a nice quiet, peaceful home for you, especially seeing as you've lived with Hunter and Randy for a good chunk of your lives."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." Daniel puts in, giving him a nudge on the shoulder.

Seth looks to Nikki, whose looking up at Roman with a small smile on her face, and gently nudges her with his foot under the table. "Is that okay with you?" She looks at him and gives a reassuring smile.

"Or course it is." Nikki grins, and so does Roman. It makes Seth grin too, like it's all of a sudden something that is infectious as hell.

Seth takes a sip from his coffee, "I'll talk to Dean about it then, though I'm pretty sure he'd be happy to be anywhere that isn't where Hunter is."

Daniel hums, "What happened to make Hunter attack Dean like that?"

Seth shrugs, "I haven't asked him yet, was waiting until he got a bit better. All I know is that I'd seen him in the afternoon and then not long after we heard him screaming; we left pretty much after that. And then Roman found us at the motel and we ended up here."

"Hopefully after tonight, if that's when we're hitting, everything will be a lot easier for you all." Roman says with a smile.

Seth finishes the rest of his coffee, nabbing some fruit from the fruit bowl and heading back up the stairs to wake Dean. Dean is already awake, though, when he steps into the bedroom they're sharing. He's sitting on the end of the bed applying the ointment Nikki left for him. He still looks a sight, but there bruises are not as harsh and the cuts not as red. Dean looks up at him as he walks through the door, smiling some.

"Hey you, didn't want to wake you earlier, went to get you something to eat." Seth settles beside Dean so their shoulders are touching.

"Thanks." Dean's voice is still a little horse but it's better than it was. Seth sits and watches Dean apply the ointment, taking particular care over his neck. The motion has him scrambling to find the jeans he was wearing yesterday, hand dipping into the pockets and pulling out the dog tags that he's gotten from Hunter's desk.

"I've been meaning to talk to you about these; I found them in Hunter's room. Seth holds the dog tags out to Dean, who wipes his hands on his thighs. He looks at the tags before carefully taking them from Seth.

"Hunter took them off me the first time I got to the house." Dean says softly, gazing at the tags as he moves them around in his hand, fingers over the engraved metal. He holds one in the palm of his hand, so that Seth can read the writing. "My friend Sami had them made. Military guy, got killed not long before I met Hunter." Seth's stomach rolls a little as he gets a small glimpse into Dean's life before Hunter.

"I'm sorry, Dean." Dean gives a small smile, clutching the tag in his hands. He gently rests his head on Seth's shoulder, breathing still a little laboured as he holds back a few tears. Seth strokes his hair gently for a while, enjoying the silence that has settled upon them. In the end though, Seth can't help but break it when his curiosity gets the better of him.

"What happened to make Hunter attack you like he did?" There's hesitation from Dean before he's looking up at Seth and frowning.

"He was going to take me away."

Seth furrows his eyebrows. "What do you mean take you away?"

Dean lifts his head from Seth's shoulder and looks down at his hands.

"When he got back he said that he'd finalised something for work. And we were going to be moving, just me and him." The news makes Seth's heart stop in his chest. Hunter was planning on moving away? That's obviously what he was talking to the old friend Hunter had told him about in the kitchen. A small, wheezy laugh from Dean startles Seth.

"I told him to go fuck himself." Dean looks up at Seth through his unruly fringe hanging over his eyes, "I didn't want him to take me away from you." Dean adds in a small voice, resting his head on Seth's shoulder once again. Seth instantly wraps his arms around Dean, holding him close and pressing his lips to his curls.

"He won't ever take you away from me, I promise."

xXx

Roman slowly pulls the car to a halt in the mall parking lot before killing the engine. Nikki is next to him in the passenger seat with a smile on her face, despite what they're here at the mall for. It had been Nikki's idea to make herself look a little worse for wear when she showed back up at Hunter's tonight and it had brought a smile to his face knowing that she was still so forward thinking and headstrong as she had been all those years ago, even after living with Orton for ten years.

"So, what do you have in mind, pup?"

Nikki squints and brings her hand up to her eyes to shield them from the sun as she gets out of Roman's car. It should be illegal really, how good she looks with the sun beating down on her tanned skin.

"Do they have a costume shop around here?"

Roman laughs, locking the car and walking around to her side. "What, you thinking of turning up dressed as the Joker or something?" Nikki gives his shoulder a shove as he leads her through the mall doors.

"No you idiot, I was thinking fake blood and stuff like that."

Roman grins at her before his face softens, voice dropping to a quiet murmur. "You sure you're okay about doing this?"

Nikki studies him for a moment before letting a long sigh escape her red lips. "I mean, I guess I'm not fully okay with the fact that we're planning on revenge on someone whom I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with but," Nikki looks up at Roman through her long lashes, "I'm pretty pissed at him too. The way he just let Hunter hurt Dean like that, and finding out about what he did to your boyfriend, I mean, I feel like I don't even know the man I was with for ten years."

You don't, is all that runs through Roman's head as they step through the mall. He doesn't bother saying it though, because even though Nikki deserves the truth about Randy, the hurt and betrayed man inside of him wants it to be Randy that tells her the truth, for his own sick satisfaction.

"You know we're going to be right behind you, don't you? If anything goes wrong, Seth and I are going to be right there behind you."

Nikki smiles at him and touches his arm, "I know, thank you." She links her arm with his and they walk side by side until they reach the costume shop. Nikki gets inside first, heading straight for the make-up section while Roman wanders aimlessly around the shop. There are rows and rows of different costumes hanging on the rails and in plastic packaging, from characters such as Freddie Kruger all the way to Cinderella.

One particular costume though, has him stopping in his tracks for his hand to reach out and touch the smooth fabric. The black velvet gown in the style of Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty takes him back to the very first time he ever saw Nikki, the gown fitting perfectly against her body and stealing nearly all the breath from his body. He remembers nearly choking on his soda when she smiled at him and how he'd kicked Randy's shin to get his attention, only to have Randy laugh and shake his head at him as he pushed him towards her. How things had changed in the span of twelve years.

"Hey big guy," Nikki's voice plucks him out of his daydream, she comes to stand next to him, a bag of goodies in her hand, "What are you looking at?" Roman can picture her wearing it now and it makes him smile.

"The first time I met you, you were dressed as Maleficent." He says, pulling the costume out a little to show her. She cocks her head, a confused smile tugging at her lips.

"I was?" She laughs, "I don't even like Disney movies."

"Well you did, once upon a time." Nikki laughs loudly at the pun, making Roman grin widely before her laughter dies down and she's looking at him with her soft, doe eyes.

"Why won't you tell me how we know each other?" Roman lets the costume fall back into place and links his arm through Nikki's like before.

"Because it's not a story that should come from me, it should come from Randy. It's for the best." Roman says and thankfully, Nikki sighs but nods, tightening her grip on his arm as they walk back out into the mall. Roman squeezes her hand and enjoys the feel of her warm skin against his as they walk.

X

The sun is just setting when Dean tells Seth that he wants to come to Hunter and Randy's with them. At first, Seth laughs, but then he sees the deadly serious and silence fills the room. Nikki is halfway finished with her get up, her clothes dirtied and one heel broken, her face halfway to looking like she'd been roughed up thank you to the things she'd brought from the costume shop earlier on.

"Dean," Seth says softly, stepping towards him and cupping his cheeks with his hands. "I can't put you in danger like that, Hunter did this to you before and he will try to kill you this time. I can't let you near him; I'm barely okay with Nikki coming."

"Please, I need to come Seth." Seth shakes his head, hardly believing his ears.

"Dean baby, I would never survive if he got his hands on you again, you need to stay here with Daniel where you are safe." Dean just shakes his head defiantly, stepping out of Seth's grip.

"I need this. I need to see him pay." The words send waves of pain into Seth's chest because he understands, but he can't let Dean near Hunter again, not after last time. He opens his mouth to tell him so, but Roman's warm hand on his shoulder, tugging him away from Dean prevents him from doing so.

"He has a point, Seth."

"Roman. For goodness sake I can't let him anywhere near that man, look at the state of him, he's not even properly healed yet!" Seth squeaks, heart racing, how can anyone be considering this?

"I know that, Seth, but listen; do you not think he's hurting on the inside because of what Hunter did? Do you not think he wants to see the guy that was using him as a person fuck toy and punching bag paying the price for what he did? I don't want him hurt Seth, but him having closure, seeing that Hunter is gone will put him at ease, he will be able to live happily with you knowing that it's all over." Seth gets it all, he does, but he promised to keep Dean safe and he's been doing a very poor job of it lately. Roman must sense that Seth is still sceptical as he puts both of his hands on Seth's shoulders, squeezing them reassuringly.

"I know you want to keep him safe, Seth. I do too, but he needs this. He can have a weapon and he will have us, we're not going to let anything happen to him. Let him come, let him have his happy ending once and for all." Seth sighs, knowing that if he doesn't let Dean come with them Roman will only let him come anyway. He steps away from Roman, stepping straight over to Dean, hands going back to Dean's cheeks.

"Jesus Christ, I swear if anything happens to you there will be hell to pay." He kisses Dean, hands threading through his blonde curls. Seth holds him close for what seems like ages, before Nikki is zipping up her make-up bag and declaring herself finished.

Seth's heart races as Roman leaves the room, only to return to with a black duffel bag. He sets it down on the table, grinning slightly as he unzips it.

"Show time."