The next day, once Juniper and Nancy were done with classes by the early afternoon, as Fridays were usually their shorter days for lectures, they decided to do some studying outside at a table while eating lunch from a food truck near the campus. It was a nice day out with the sun being out and the wind hardly blowing, occasionally swatting a few bugs that tried to get into their food. There were more students outside today, which meant they were enjoying the weather just as much.

"So, how did last night go?" Nancy asked, breaking the silence to recuperate from reading.

Juniper looked up from her textbook and stared at Nancy, who was sitting across the table. "What?"

"The dinner with Eric's parents. Was it as terrible as you expected it to be?"

She let out a chuckle, picking out a french fry from her plate. "It was okay. Tense, yes, but I managed." Just from thinking about last night, she couldn't help but have a distressed look on her face.

Nancy, taking notice of this, raised her eyebrows. "They brought up the wedding, didn't they?"

"And suggested we move back to Annapolis again," Juniper added in a tone of annoyance. "It seems like that's all they want to bring up around us."

"Maybe it's their way of punishing you."

"For what?"

"You already know what."

Juniper rolled her eyes and leaned back in her seat, the breeze slightly blowing her way. "Yes, well, I think they like to hold grudges."

Nancy flipped her auburn hair back, about to pick up her small cup of ranch to pour all over her salad. "Do you think they'll ever let it go? You know, when you convinced Eric to follow his dreams of being an engineer and not become a doctor like the rest of his family?"

Juniper shrugged her shoulders. "I have no idea, but I'm sure if something were to happen with Eric's job that his parents will find a way to blame me for it." Pausing, she huffed a sigh. "Somehow, it'll all blow up in my face, even if it's not my fault."

"I wouldn't even worry about it, if I were you," Nancy stated. "You and Eric love each other, and that's all that matters. Don't let his parents get in the way of it."

Juniper nodded her head. "Yeah, you're right. I try to not let them get to me, and Eric knows that. Believe me, he's just as annoyed as I am about it." At this point, she thought Nancy was tired of hearing the same things being said about Eric's parents.

Nancy, however, always listened attentively, as if this was the first time Juniper ever mentioned it. "You know, you two could always elope."

Wide eyes was Juniper's reaction, surprised that Nancy would even suggest such a thing. "What?"

"Seriously, if everyone is getting on your asses about it enough, then why not just go to the courthouse and tie the knot?"

Scoffing, Juniper shook her head in disbelief. "You're crazy, Nancy."

"Oh, come on, June. Maybe it'd be a blessing in disguise, saving you and Eric from all of the stress and hassle with a big ceremony."

"One that you wouldn't attend if we eloped."

"Hey, as long as you two are happy, then so am I."

Juniper let the idea sink into her brain. Eloping had been the last thing on her mind, especially since she and Eric were set on a ceremony from the moment they were engaged. As cheesy as it sounded, getting married in front of their family and friends meant a great deal to them. Still, Nancy had a point about everyone adding more pressure about the wedding, and maybe it wasn't a bad idea to keep the proposition in the back of her mind, just in case.

She sighed again, staring at her friend. "I'll keep that in mind. Anything else you'd like to suggest?"

"Yes, now that you mention it, a weekend getaway sounds like something you two also need."

Juniper raised her eyebrows, letting out a laugh. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah. I mean, it all comes back to you working your ass off with school and him working a lot, too, along with you two thinking about the wedding and dealing with his parents, which is obviously stressing both of you out. I think some time away to just relax somewhere would be good."

The brunette crossed her arms, thinking about Nancy's suggestion. First, it was the idea of eloping, and now a weekend trip? Sure, maybe it was something she and Eric needed, but with it being last minute, it all seemed like nothing would go right if they just packed up and left for the weekend.

"I don't know, Nance," Juniper said, shaking her head. "The timing of going on a trip is--"

"June, you two deserve it," Nancy intervened. "Hell, take an extra two days. Next week is fall break, anyway."

"There's no way Eric can take off work for two days on such short notice," Juniper pointed out.

Nancy groaned. "You never have any fun, do you, June?"

"I have fun," she protested. "It's just that I have to be realistic a lot of the time."

"Still, it won't kill you to be a bit adventurous," her friend said. "Look, impromptu trips can be a lot of fun. Trust me, I've done plenty of those in my time. You told me once that you two wanted to go back to New York City, right? Just pack a bag and haul ass once Eric is off work."

Juniper couldn't help but chuckle. "I appreciate the suggestion, but it's going to have to be a no this time." She shifted in her seat, eating more from her plate. "Maybe we'll go another time when we can actually plan it."

Nancy playfully rolled her eyes. "I just want you two to go out and be able to spend some time together without having to worry about everything else that's going on."

"And we will have plenty of opportunities to do that," Juniper assured her friend. "But for now, we've got some more studying to do before my therapy appointment."

********

A couple of hours later, Juniper was heading for her therapy appointment with Dr. Ziegler. When she entered inside, the smell of citrus hit her in the face as she went to check in with the receptionist. (Dolores was her name, as she and Juniper were well-acquainted with each other at this point). Once she was checked in, she sat in one of the empty chairs, waiting for Dr. Ziegler. Juniper scanned around the check-in room, being the only one in there, noticing the same magazines on the table beside her, along with the pictures of mountains and rivers pinned on the walls. She focused on the pictures for a moment, almost wanting to get lost in the landscapes.

"Juniper," an older woman came out of her office with a small smile on her face.

Juniper jumped, startled by her entrance. "Hi, Dr. Ziegler."

"Ready to start our session?" she asked.

Nodding her head, Juniper stood up and followed Dr. Ziegler into her office. She sat on the couch across from where Dr. Ziegler was gathering her things before she took a seat herself, watching as the woman had her journal and pen in hand, writing something down real quick. The only thing she could do herself was fidget with her hands and wait for Dr. Ziegler to begin. Juniper always felt safe around her, with a heavy weight lifted off her chest as she talked about her nightmares and anxiety.

But this time, something was different.

Usually, during the one appointment she had with Dr. Ziegler every two months, Juniper took the time to look around the room, noticing how every book filled the shelf, how her desk was always filled with folders and pieces of paper that covered the top, along with the phone always having messages based on the red lights blinking. Even when it all looked normal, something about the office was off, and she couldn't quite figure out what it was.

It was when she took a deep breath through her nose that the smell was not the same cinnamon smell she was used to, almost similar to the pungent scent that had a hard time leaving Juniper's nostrils last night.

"Okay, you ready, Juniper?" she asked, to which the girl nodded in response. "Great. So, how are you today?"

"Good," she replied. "Yeah, I'm good."

Nodding her head, Dr. Ziegler kept her eyes focused on Juniper. "I'm glad to hear that. Normal routine, I assume? Nothing out of the ordinary happened at school or at home?"

Juniper, with some reluctance, shook her head again. "No, nothing was different today." At that moment, it seemed like the atmosphere shifted heavily all of a sudden, as if the room was starting to close in on her like she was trapped in a cage, in which she wondered if it was actually real.

"Still taking your medication at night?"

"Yes."

"Do you think it's still helping you?"

She was hesitant, but didn't want to lie like she did to Eric. "Honestly, not really."

The woman started writing again. "I see. Any nightmares in the last few days?"

She shook her head. "No."

Dr. Ziegler nodded, jotting down some notes. "When's the last time you had one?"

"The 22nd," she answered.

"Tell me what you saw this time."

Juniper leaned back on the couch, taking a deep breath. "It was like the other ones. There were faces I knew and some I didn't recognize." She paused, tapping her fingers on her leg. "They were in Philadelphia this time, and I don't know why."

"And it's been like that with previous nightmares, as we've discussed before."

"Yes," she responded. "I'm no closer to figuring out why I see these people and why some of them are dying." She could already feel herself growing more frustrated, which happened a lot whenever she talked about the nightmares. "It seems like I'm repeating myself in these sessions, Dr. Ziegler."

"That's okay, Juniper," the woman assured her. "Why do you think you can't figure out what these nightmares mean?"

"Because I don't know where to start," she admitted. "I mean, unless you count Dean Winchester. He seems to be a common factor in the majority of these nightmares."

"Yet you still have no idea of his importance."

Huffing a sigh, Juniper shook her head in annoyance. "No, and it only causes me to stress about it even more. It really doesn't help with school, or trying to even think about the wedding, which only makes surprise visits from Eric's parents more...I don't know, miserable, I guess, kind of like last night." She paused, biting her lip. "Of course, me saying anything will just make things even more tense between his parents and us." She huffed a sigh. "And seeing this Dean guy just makes me more frustrated. It also worries me that he, along with anyone around him, is in danger, and there's nothing I can do." She let out a scoff, shaking her head. "If he's even real. Who knows, maybe this is all just in my head and I'm actually crazy."

Dr. Ziegler took a moment to observe Juniper before speaking up again. "But you still think they're real?"

"They look real when I dream about them," she explained. This was another thing they talked about in-depth in the past, and she wondered if Dr. Ziegler thought she was crazy at this point. Maybe she was crazy, but she had no control over seeing these dreams. Surely, she couldn't be the only one going through the same thing.

"It sounds like you're still worrying over whether or not these premonitions are a sign that something bad is happening in other places," Dr. Ziegler said. "Which comes back to you getting anxious over things you can't control, a common thing to occur in anxiety."

"So you still don't think I'm crazy."

Dr. Ziegler chuckled. "Not at all, Juniper. Like we've discussed before, your mind just might be playing tricks on you. You're still getting headaches afterwards, correct?"

"Yes," Juniper said, nodding her head. "Could that still be my brain overthinking these premonitions?"

"It's another common symptom found in anxiety," Dr. Ziegler stated.

Juniper couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "The human mind is fascinating, I have to admit. Scary, but still fascinating."

"Yes, it really is." The therapist clicked her pen and took a look journal. "Now, in regards to your medication, do you think altering it again would help you sleep better at night?"

The girl shrugged. "Maybe. I think it'll ease Eric's mind if I do."

Dr. Ziegler nodded, giving Juniper a small smile. "Okay, then. I will see about getting that done for you. I'll call and let you know when it's ready. Have a nice weekend, Juniper."

"Thank you, Dr. Ziegler." With that, Juniper stood up from her seat and walked out of the office, getting some relief afterwards, along with the suffocating feeling and smell no longer surrounding her. As she walked outside, she felt her cell phone vibrate in her pocket, to which she grabbed it and almost groaned once she saw the caller ID, but pressing the green button to answer it, anyway. "Hi, Mom."

"Hi, honey!" Terry Langley greeted her daughter over the phone. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Juniper answered. "Kind of surprised you called me."

"Well, I just wanted to check up on you. Your father and I haven't heard from you in a while." There was a short pause on her end, then she continued. "How's school?"

"The same as always," she said, walking down the sidewalk. "Mom, is everything okay?"

"Oh, yes, everything's fine," she responded, her voice going a little bit higher than usual.

Juniper knew her mother always liked to check up on her often, but something about this call caused her to grow suspicious. "Are you sure?"

"Of course. How did your appointment with Dr. Ziegler go today?"

"It went--" Juniper stopped talking when she realized what her mother asked. "Wait, how did you know my therapy appointment with my psychiatrist was today?" She never told her mother when her therapy appointments were just so she could phone calls much like this one.

Her mother sighed before she responded. "Eric called us the other day."

"He what?" The girl just about shouted, her eyes going wide.

"Now, June, don't get upset with him. He's just worried about you, and so are we."

She rolled her eyes, stepping into the parking lot. "I'm not going to do something irrational, if that's what you guys all think."

"No, of course not, sweetheart," her mother said with assurance. "I think Eric just needed some advice from us in terms of what's been going on with you."

"Which I don't think was necessary," she admitted, unlocking her car once it was in her sight. "Look, I appreciate the concern, but Eric should have never called you to begin with." She paused long enough to get settled inside her car. "I know he's worried about me. I can see it on his face and hear it in his voice whenever he asks about anything related to..." Trailing off, she huffed a sigh. "I'll talk to him later tonight."

"That's a good idea," her mother agreed. "You know we're only a phone call away, right?"

"Yes, I know, Mom," she said, her voice getting softer. "I'll call you or Dad if I need anything. I promise."

"Okay. We love you, June."

"I love you, too," she said before giving her mom one last goodbye, followed by ending the call.

As she started her car and pulled out of the parking lot, Juniper thought about her parents and Eric. She knew they meant well, and they were only concerned and wanted to look out for her. But if her mom and dad were aware of what was going on, then she'd never hear the end of it. This was something she didn't want them to know, for she had a feeling that they'd think she was going out of her mind.

Juniper was attempting to go over how she would approach the subject with Eric later tonight when the sound of a black car came cruising beside her at a stoplight, making a left turn before the light turned red. Shaking her head, she continued staying focused on the street in front of her.

By the time she made it to the apartment, she was relieved, knowing she wouldn't have to back out for the rest of the day. Still, the thought of confronting Eric almost worried her, as she had no idea how their conversation was going to go. Really, she wanted him to be understanding as to why she was upset, but the last thing she wanted was to argue and end up being angry at each other for the rest of the night. Of course, she hated that she wasn't completely honest with him about the whole situation, but he couldn't stress out over it, not right now.

The apartment was empty, as she expected it to be, throwing her things on the floor beside the couch before plopping on the furniture herself. She could feel the exhaustion come over her as her eyes began to feel heavy, and she wasn't about to turn down a nap if she was feeling tired. Like the weeks before, school drained her the majority of the time, and she was glad that fall break was here so she could relax, even though Nancy's idea of leaving for the weekend still gnawed at her brain. There was no point in thinking about it now, as it wasn't going to happen.

Before she could drift off to sleep for a while, she heard the sound of the door unlocking, followed by Eric strolling inside with his work bag in one hand and a pizza box in the other.

"Hey, babe," he greeted her with a smile.

"You're home early," she said, sitting up on the couch.

"Yeah, I got all my work done early and there wasn't much left for me to do today," he explained, closing the door and heading towards her and leaning down for a short kiss on the lips. "How was school today?"

"It was the same, as usual," she replied.

"And your appointment with Dr. Ziegler?"

"That was fine, too," she answered. She paused, taking a deep breath before she was to press on. "My mom called me today."

Eric's smile slightly dropped as he turned around and headed for the kitchen. "Oh, really? Any particular reason?"

Juniper rolled her eyes and stood up to follow him. "I think you already know the answer to that, Eric."

He huffed a sigh, setting the food down, then pushing his hands against the counter, looking down for a brief moment. "Juniper--"

"Why did you even call her?" she asked, almost sounding annoyed. "We've talked about how worried she and my dad get when it comes to anything about me."

Lifting his head to face her again, his expression became troubled. "Because I thought she could help me with how to help you deal with what's been going on. I mean, it's almost been a year and it seems like nothing's changed with these nightmares you've been having."

"How can she help me?" she retorted. "I don't like talking to her about it because I know how she gets when it's mentioned. The last thing I need is for her to get nosy about my business and want to check up on me at every chance she can."

"So does that mean you don't want me to be in the loop, either?"

"I never said that," she pointed out. "I just don't need you to go to my parents for advice."

"Well, asking you about it wasn't getting me anywhere," he snapped.

Juniper raised her eyebrows. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you've been lying to me whenever I ask you about it." When she didn't respond, as she wasn't sure how to respond to that, he kept going. "I know you, Juniper. I've known you for a long time, and you've always been a terrible liar. After being together for six years, I hate that you're starting to not be honest with me."

"Eric, this is different. You wouldn't understand," she told him, shaking her head.

"But I want to," he said. "I want to try and understand, but you won't let me."

"Because you can't understand!" she raised her voice, trying to ignore the lump in her throat. "You don't know what it's like to be scared all the time, to be confused, because what you see makes no damn sense." She could feel the tears well up in her eyes, then they began to fall down her face. "I can't...shit, I..." Shaking her head, she thought she would lose control and it wouldn't stop. "I have no more control over anything in my life, and you coming in here, always concerned...it just...it..." She was about to lose the words she wanted to spill out, so she took a step back as her frustration only got worse. "It's aggravating when you see and talk to me like I'm fragile and I'll break down any second."

"Well, what am I supposed to do, Juniper? Do you honestly expect me to just sit back and not figure out how I can help and support you with whatever these nightmares are?" He huffed a sigh out of anger. "I am trying to support you, I really am, but if you're just going to lie to my face about it, then maybe I should just butt out and let you handle it from now on."

"Maybe you should," she retorted. "It's not your problem to deal with."

"Fine, then," he retorted. "Just don't come bitching to me when you realize you can't do this alone."

"Believe me, I won't." With that, she stormed to the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

All she could do for now was head for the bathroom and turn on the shower. Stripping down to nothing, she stood under the water for quite some time, silently crying so much that she wasn't sure what were to be tears or water running down her face. She was angry with Eric and with herself, thinking if she was closer and closer to her breaking point. Fortunately, she found herself calming down once she stepped out of the shower, despite still feeling hurt from the argument. When she walked back to the bedroom with nothing but a towel, Eric was gathering his things to go into the bathroom next, walking past Juniper without glancing her way.

It was after she got dressed and was eating her dinner alone at the table that she was starting to feel even more guilty with how bad things escalated. On top of that, the whole argument was about her and her problems. They had gotten into fights before, but not as extreme as this one. As much as she wanted to sit down and be more open with him about this, there was something telling her that there was more to it than just nightmares. No, this was a lot bigger, something that Eric, her parents, and Dr. Ziegler would never understand.

"I'm going out," Eric stated, causing Juniper to jump and look in his direction. He was wearing jeans and a fresh shirt, along with a vest.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"To meet up with some of the guys from work," he answered. "I need to get out of here for a while. I'll probably be late, so don't wait for me." Before she could say anything else, he was already out the door.

Juniper ate the rest of her pizza, then went on the couch to watch some TV. For hours, she tried to immerse herself into reruns of Full House, resisting the urge to look out the window and see if Eric was home yet. She was beginning to despise the waiting game, wondering where he was at or what he was telling his friends about her. Really, she shouldn't think that way, knowing he had every right to be angry and rant just as much as she did.

It was almost midnight when Juniper realized that Eric wasn't coming home anytime soon and decided to call it a night. She took her medication and got under the covers, looking over at the empty spot next to her, feeling just as empty as the bed the more she stared at where he was supposed to be. This was the first time she didn't have him beside her during the night.

Juniper heard the door open a few hours later, and she wondered if Eric would come join her in bed or crash on the couch. When she waited to feel the bed move or his arms wrap around her, all she got was a weary sigh from the living room, with no more movement after that.

With an aching heart, she closed her eyes and accepted defeat, hoping this would be the first and last time she had to sleep without him next to her.

~~~~~~~

A/N: Oop, it's only chapter two and things are already getting intense.

What do y'all think?

Comment, vote, our favorite brothers, along with a new character, show up in the next chapter. ;)

-A