This is just like it had been after dad disappeared. The whispering adults huddled in small circles, their expressions so serious, the concerned look in their eyes every time they turned her way.

Claire sneered at the empty wall across from the bed as she settled deeper into the mounds of blankets. Once again she was surrounded by adults trying to figure out what to do with her. When her dad had left, after her mom had abandoned her, and then when Gran died – same song and dance each time.

Of course she understood she couldn't stay here, wherever here actually was. There had been some quick, vague explanation involving a "bunker" and some cult/group/thing called the "Men of Letters", but Claire hadn't bothered to really pay attention to what Sam Winchester had been saying. She knew she was just going to just be passed along to someone else, so why take the mental energy to absorb any of the details? She didn't particularly want to stay here with Castiel and the Winchester brothers either. It was still hard to look at the angel and not try to find her father somewhere underneath. But Jimmy Novak was gone and Castiel was the one who had stolen him from her. Granted, him going all avenging angel and saving her from that rapist loan shark had somewhat endeared her to him. Not that she would tell him that...

Claire let out a bark-like cough, followed by a sniffle and tried to suppress a groan. Not only had the angel who stole her father's body shown back up, and then his "bestie" had killed the only family she had known these past few years (okay, maybe Randy had it coming to him), but now, after all that and being dragged back to the middle of nowhere, she had a cold. It felt so stupid to have been bundled up and put into bed like she was a seven year old while the grown ups went and had their grown up conversations without her. She reached out, groping for the box of tissues that had been placed by the bedside.

"This sucks," she whimpered, blowing loudly into the tissue.

There was a soft tapping on the door and then it cracked open. Castiel hesitated a moment, waiting for permission to enter.

"What do you want?" she muttered, fixing the angel with a sullen look.

He held up a mug in explanation. "I thought you would like some tea?"

She stared at him for a moment before replying. "Dad used to make me tea when I was sick."

"Yes, with lemon and honey. I...I know..." he trailed off, unsure if it had been appropriate to use the information he had collected from Jimmy Novak's memories to do this for her.

Claire chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, caught in indecision, but then held out her hands to receive the mug. "Thanks..." she croaked.

Castiel smiled and she blinked in surprise: it was the same lopsided smile that her father used to give her. 'Of course it is, idiot. That's dad's body.' she admonished herself as Castiel crossed over to her and gently placed the mug in her hands. Still, that didn't seem quite right either. She sipped at the tea as she studied the angel. He had nervously settled on the edge of the bed, and was now looking at her with a shy, uncertain look in his blue eyes.

"It's pretty good," she stated casually, and received another smile as a reward.

"I could heal the infection in your body..." he offered, but she cut him off with a fierce shake of her head.

"No. First, I don't want anything from you, Castiel," she snapped a little more harshly than she had meant. The smile vanished from his face, and she ignored the prick of guilt she felt for that. "Second, I overheard what Tweedledee and Tweedledum were saying about your grace...that...that you're burning out. So, you know, just save it, or whatever."

Castiel stared at her for a moment and then nodded. "Claire, I am..."

"Sorry, yeah, I get it, Castiel," she croaked around her sore throat. She huffed and settled back against the mound of pillows. "Just get over your little guilt trip so we can both get back to our lives already."

She glared down at the mug that was warming her fingers. Thankfully, she was too sick to have the energy to cry. 'Stupid angel,' she thought bitterly. 'Just get lost already.'

Castiel stood and she looked up with surprise. "I won't take up any more of your time," he said, and he sounded so damn sad that Claire reached out and grabbed his hand.

"I'm sorry...it's just been..." she dropped his hand and sighed. How could she even begin to explain what it had been like since her mother had dropped her off at Gran's and disappeared? Her anger and hate for the angel had been her comfort. The more she had acted out, the more she had demonized him in her head, blaming him for everything that went wrong and everyone who wronged her. And then he had the nerve to show back up and to be goofy and kind of sweet and protective like her dad would have been. She sniffled again and it had nothing to do with her cold.

She felt the mattress shift as Castiel sat back down, but she refused to make eye contact with him. She took another sip from her mug, hunching over the warmth it offered her. 'He doesn't want me either,' came the surprising thought unbidden into her head. Just like dad, who had chosen a glorious purpose over their family, and just like her mother who laid her aside in her need to "find herself", just like all the foster families who wanted a loving daughter, not a scarred, hollow girl.

"That is not true," stated Castiel fiercely, breaking her reverie.

Claire looked up surprised and then she narrowed her eyes. "You're reading my thoughts!" she accused hotly.

The angel looked abashed. "You are in emotional distress. In a way, you are praying..."

"That's semantics," she retorted. "You're just using that as an excuse to eavesdrop."

Castiel gave her a small smile that said 'guilty as charged'. Claire snorted in indignation, but immediately regretted it as the action inflamed her already sore throat.

"Claire, please know that if it were possible..."

She cut him off with a dismissive wave of her hand. "We both know I can't stay with you, Cas," she said softly. "The whole leaking grace thing and your freak boyfriend going demon-y, and all that." She made a mock-serious face. "It's just not a good environment for a young girl such as myself," she said in an imitation of the voice her case worker had used time and time again. Castiel gave her a funny grin. "What?" she asked, slightly embarrassed.

"You called me 'Cas'," he said with a soft expression in his blue eyes. "That makes me happy." Then he frowned. "And Dean is not my boyfriend."

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that," she muttered into her mug as she took another sip of tea. "Are you going to make me go back to the group home?" she asked after a minute, her stomach clenching with anxiety at the thought of going back there. Sure, they were nice enough and deep down she knew they were only trying to help her, but there was no hope there for her. She would just stay lost if she had to go back.

Castiel broke out into another brilliant grin. "No, we believe we may have another solution..."

xxxxx

A few days later Claire found herself leaning against the trunk of the Impala at a rest stop off I-35, a knapsack containing her meager belongings resting against her legs. Castiel stood beside her, their shoulders touching. He had been quiet on the drive up. Claire had filled the awkward silence with a running critique of Dean Winchester's taste in music, until the hunter had threaten to pull over and put her out of the car.

Now it was time to say good-bye and Claire could feel herself tearing up. She may have years of built-up hatred for Cas, but he was familiar even if it was just the fact that he was walking around in her father's body. 'No, it's Castiel's body now,' she reminded herself.

A police car swung into the rest stop, and the uniformed officer behind the wheel waved enthusiastically at the Winchester brothers as she pulled in next to the Impala. Claire turned and glared at the pair. They hadn't said anything about a freakin' cop. Dean smirked back at her as if to imply she finally had gotten her comeuppance (things had been tense between them the entire time she had stayed at the bunker after their less than cordial reintroduction), but Sam gave her a reassuring smile.

"You'll like Donna," he promised quietly, as the sheriff got out of the patrol car and came around to the group.

"Well, hey there! You must be Claire!" greeted Donna Hanscum in a bright and bubbly voice. Claire wanted to groan. She cut a glance over at Castiel that said 'Really?' The angel half-shrugged; he had never met Donna himself either though at least he had heard about her from Dean and Sam and had been prepared for the force of her personality. The woman smiled at Claire and then scooped her up in a tight, cushy hug. Claire felt her body instinctively go tense. The sheriff released her and then reached up to smooth back her hair from her face; the action was inherently mother-like and Claire found herself frozen with surprise.

"Ooooh, I am so glad to meet you!" cooed Donna, her eyes shining with excitement.

Claire realized the effervescent personality was not an act. This wasn't another foster mom pretending she was happy to meet an impossible, wayward child. This woman was genuinely pleased to meet Claire and be taking her home with her. It was all a bit...overwhelming.

"What are you on?" Claire blurted and then turned beet red. Not even five minutes in, and she had ruined everything. Donna would now say "no thanks" and she would have to get back in the Impala and be carted back to the bunker, enduring a lecture the entire way about improving her attitude and how to interact with others. Claire shuffled her feet, ducking her head in embarrassment and shoving her hands deep into the pockets of her hoodie. To her surprise, Donna gave out a loud laugh that ended with a snort.

"Oh, goodness, I ate about five jelly donuts on the way down here. I'm a nervous eater. Got a bit of a sugar buzz going on here. But don't worry, I got a dozen so there is plenty to share on the way back up." Donna was prattling on, unperturbed by Claire's bluntness. "We're going to take a little detour to on our way home, if ya don't mind. My friend Jody and her girl Alex want to meet you and are coming out from Sioux Falls to have dinner with us. There's a really neat restaurant off I-90...But no rush, you take your time saying good bye, okay?" She gave Claire an understanding smile and scooped to pick up her knapsack. She gave Sam and Dean a pointed look for them to follow her, and then marched them off to her car.

"Well, she sure is...something," muttered Claire, turning to Castiel.

"If you don't want to go with her..." the angel began, worry darkening his eyes.

"No, no. She seems really...um...nice?"

They both glanced over at Donna who was braying loudly at a funny story she had just related to Sam and Dean. The brothers seemed more amused by her than by the actual joke.

"Okay, she seems like a total goof," corrected Claire. "But I kinda like goofs, you know." She gave Castiel a small, shy smile.

"If you need anything, anything, Claire, call me," insisted Castiel. "If you are not happy, I promise I will come for you. I..."

"Okay, okay," laughed Claire. "Geez, you sound like Dad the first time I went off to summer camp. I hate to say this, but I'm going to kind of miss you." Suddenly, she stepped forward and threw her arms around him, holding on tight. It surprised her that she was hugging him, not because it was her dad's body, but because it was Castiel. She felt him shift and he wrapped his arms arms around her.

"I am going to miss you too, Claire," he murmured into her hair.

"Okay, enough of this silliness!" she announced pulling away somewhat reluctantly. She gave him what she hoped was a brave smile. "Fix your grace. Fix your boyfriend. And I'll catch you later, okay?"

Castiel gave her a wry smile. "Yes, ma'am," he answered.

She cleared her throat and blinked back tears. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she turned and headed towards the others. "Okay, Winchesters! Hugs and stuff!" she demanded.

Sam readily stepped forward and hugged her tightly. "Stay safe, Claire." He released her and she turned to Dean. The older brother hung back for a moment. They hadn't gotten along during her time at the bunker and after she had seen the aftermath of the affects of the Mark on him, he wasn't sure if she wanted him anywhere near her. She gave him weary half-smile and held out her arms. "You too, Hasselhoff. You won't get off that easy." He smiled slightly and moved forward, hugging her loosely to appear as non-threatening as possible.

"Take care of that goofball, okay?" she whispered to him.

Dean nodded and backed away. "Will do. Watch after yourself, Claire," he said gruffly.

"Well, losers," she said in a louder voice. "I'm out!" She climbed into the police car. It felt odd to be in one that wasn't taking her back to the group home. She swallowed nervously, fear knotting her stomach. Claire risked a quick glance at Donna as the woman finished her farewells and slid into the car next to her. The sheriff gave her a sunny grin and cranked the car, putting it into gear.

"Scared?" she asked, her voice quiet and understanding.

A snide, withering comment instantly popped into Claire's head but she held her tongue. She had always thought that those foster parents had been fake, pretending to be nice people, but then dumping her back in the system over and over again. But she had been driving them away in an attempt to protect herself, and the people she had actually let in...well, they had used her. Worse than used her. Claire studied Donna's cheery face for a moment and then decided she wanted it to be different this time.

"Yeah, I'm scared," she said faintly as she turned and looked out the rear-view window. The Winchesters were back in the Impala, but Castiel remained, watching the police car as Donna merged onto the interstate. He raised his hand and waved goodbye when he saw Claire. She raised her hand and waved back.

She turned back around and caught Donna smile at her. "Don't worry, kiddo. We'll be home soon."

Claire felt her lips tug upward slightly and she nodded. Home. That sounded nice.

Author's Note: The story grew out of the single scene of Castiel bringing Claire some tea because she was sick and that's what Jimmy used to do. I loved the interaction between Cas and Claire in the mid-season finale and I couldn't resist writing more of them. And I love Sheriff Donna, so I brought her into the mix. This is also separate from my other on-going work "I'm Giving Up On You", which though it does feature Claire as a main character, is pretty much AU, while this story falls in line with the events directly after the mid-season finale. Anyway, enough drivel on my writing process/thoughts. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed!