A/N: Something short to tie you guys over for the next week as I'll be unable to post more. But we're not done yet! ;)
Chapter 11
In his arms, Dean felt Claire stir, moving slightly as she stretched and rolled over so that she was tucked into his chest. "Hey," He whispered, smiling as she slowly opened her eyes, blinking away the sleepiness that lingered. "You okay?"
Claire hummed a response, stretching slightly before relaxing back on to the bed. Beneath her she felt Dean's arm rest under the small of her back before he wrapped it tight around her waist. "What happened?" She asked, her voice hoarse.
Immediately Dean's smile vanished, a troubling look taking its place. "I don't know." He admitted. Both noticed how he didn't say "we," leaving John out of the conversation.
It was silent for a moment save for their breathing as they thought about the news they had been given. "I'm not dead, am I, Dean?" Claire whispered worriedly. At this his gaze snapped hers. Seeing how scared she looked, he put his hand behind her head to tuck her into his chest.
"No." He murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "No, you can't be."
"I have a heart beat..." Claire pulled away to bring his hand to cup her neck as though to prove her point. "I'm breathing, I'm alive-"
Beneath his touch, Dean could feel her quickened pulse. "Hey, hey!" He cooed, pushing stray hairs out of her face and repeatedly caressed her face. "It's okay, Clairey."
She stared at him blankly for a moment before horror overtook her features. "Oh God," She gasped, tears welling up in her eyes. "My parents... Your Dad said- he said..."
Finally she snapped, her body wracking with each heaving sob she choked out. Even Dean's eyes started to water as he watched her cry. He refused to though, instead cradling her to his chest as she let out all of her pent up emotions, stroking her head as a way of soothing her. However, just as fast as her tears had come on did they lull her back to sleep, her head relaxing into his shoulder. The occasional sob, hiccup and sniffle punctuated her breathing, but eventually that too stopped. Despite the fact that Claire had lost consciousness, Dean continued to stroke her hair, though this time more to calm his own fears. The images of Claire absorbing the light, unconscious in the lake, and somehow throwing his father across the room kept repeating themselves in his mind, making him nauseous to the core. Then his father's words about her in reality being dead? Claire was right, it was impossible. Although, considering the world he had been brought up in, the same world Claire had been raised in too, he realised, it was more than likely possible. How, however, was another question.
"Get up, Dean." John suddenly ordered from where he sat on the couch, glaring at the two of them curled up together, bringing Dean back to reality.
"Dad..." Dean began before being cut off.
"Now, Dean!" John shouted.
Looking down at Claire sleeping peacefully in his arms, he pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead, smiling slightly when she hummed in her sleep, and regretfully began to pull away. He didn't get very far however when she whimpered and unconsciously grabbed at his shirt with a frown. Watching them, John sighed in agitation at the sight before him. This was taking far too much longer than it had to. Dean caught his father's glare but didn't react, instead sweetly kissing Claire's cheek, making her further relax and allowing him to slip out of her grip and out of the bed. Looking down at her sleeping form fondly for a moment, Dean sighed and finally made his way to his father, dreading the conversation to come.
Glancing at a sleeping Sammy in his own bed, he knew he was on his own, but he was okay with that. Dean was the one who had started it all, so it was up to him to man up and face the consequences. Walking up to his dad, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and shuffled his feet. "You okay, Dad?" Dean asked, looking at him nervously.
"Yeah, I'm fine." John said, nodding to himself. Then he looked up darkly. "You know she could do that?"
"No sir." Dean thought for a moment. "I think I have an idea of how that happened..."
"Then how? Bobby never mentioned anything out of the ordinary when he talked about her."
Dean's brow wrinkled in confusion. "She knows Bobby?"
"Bobby knows lots of hunters," John shrugged. "Not a surprise, really. So how do you think she was able to throw me back?"
"Uhhh..." Dean thought about it for a moment. "That light that you've be goin' after, she saw it. Got her into some sort of trance or something and led her to the middle of the frozen lake. After she touched it she ended up absorbing it before the ice broke beneath her and she fell in."
"Shit." John sighed, wiping a hand down his face tiredly. "So she's a ticking time bomb waiting to explode."
This made Dean frown. "She won't hurt us."
His father's eyes snapped up to glare at him. "You don't know that." He argued.
"Yes, I do." Dean insisted. "So she's a ticking time bomb waiting to explode."
This made Dean frown. "She won't hurt us."
His father's eyes snapped up to glare at him. "You don't know that." He argued.
"Yes, I do." Dean insisted.
"Oh really?" John jumped up off the couch. "How?"
"Claire's been nothing but nice to us. Never shown any signs of wanting to hurt us before, it's not who she is." Dean hissed.
"Maybe not before, but after absorbing that light, you can't be too sure. Even if she doesn't mean to hurt you, Sam, or anyone else, she has the power to."
"I wouldn't hurt anyone." Claire's soft voice makes John and Dean spin around to face her. There she was, sitting up in bed with her hazel eyes wide in fear as she looked at the two Winchesters, clutching the blankets around her tightly. "Especially Sam and Dean." She promised John.
He scoffed. "Yeah? What if you can't control it?" When Claire remained silent, he continued on. "Now I'm already not happy about the fact that you threw me across the room, but if you do that to either one of my boys-"
"I won't." Claire interjected. "I can't."
"Can't? What do you mean, can't?" John questioned her.
Looking at Sam and then at Dean, her expression softened. "I lo- care about them too much." She stumbled over her words, attempting to correct them. Claire wasn't quick enough however as both John and Dean caught what she began to say, John's expression hardening in anger while Dean's heart swelled with hope. Love. Was she going to say love? After two weeks of getting to know them, she already loved them? Guess he wasn't the only crazy one after all.
"Still don't trust you." John declared, sitting back down. "I don't trust other Hunters."
Claire nodded. "I understand."
"Now do either of you want to explain how you got into this situation in the first place?" He looked between the two, clearly mad.
"We invited her over." Dean boldly spoke up, drawing a concerned look from Claire. "We've been having her over for the past week."
"You, what?" John spoke low and slowly, his voice dripping with anger.
"We had her come over every night to hang out with us because she was alone at her hotel and she's been bullied for the past two weeks at school. She needed company, dad." Dean said.
"Kids are cruel that way, Dean." His father spat. "Besides, I gave you an order, an order you disregarded."
"Well it was my fault she was being bullied. I had to do something!"
"What would it have mattered? We would have been gone soon if it wasn't for your selfish actions!" John shouted as he once again shot out of his seat, making Dean Stumble back slightly. At this Claire scrambled up to run to Dean's side, throwing her small frame in front of his large one. When he caught sight of his father's enraged expression, Dean reached forward to snatch Claire around the waist to pull her back against his chest for fear of what his father might try and do. Again. "Look at you! You don't even know what she is and you're protecting her!" He whirled around to pace the room. In his arms, Claire turned to face Dean and to cower in fear, John's anger worrying her as to what he may do.
"She's a person. Her name is Claire. And I care about her. Now back off, Dad." Dean grit out, tightening his protective hold on Claire.
John laughed without any feeling. "You got some nerve, boy." He then turned his glare on to Claire. "You're talking to Bobby tomorrow, figure this all out."
She cautiously turned to look at him at the mention of Bobby's name. "You know Bobby?" She asked.
"Yeah." He said turning away, effectively ending the conversation.
Claire and Dean continued to watch him for a moment before looking to each other. Smiling slightly, Dean pushed a few stray hairs out of Claire's face. "Cummon," He said quietly. "Let's get some sleep."
Nodding, she took him by the hand as they made their way back to the bed they had been in earlier. As Claire climbed back in and began to make herself comfortable, Dean began to get in himself when his father's voice stopped him.
"Dean." John's single word came out as a warning, clearly not happy about the sleeping arrangements that his son was deciding on.
Instead however, Dean followed through with his actions, settling in the bed lying next to Claire. Rolling on his side to face her, he opened his arms as an invitation that she immediately accepted, scooting into his embrace and snuggling into him contentedly. Quickly the pair fell asleep once again in each other's arms while John sat in a chair feet away, his gun in his hands as he kept watch over them all night.
A/N: Leave me with your thoughts? :) Thanks for reading!
