Claire sighed in relief as she slipped into the cool air-conditioned bar and grill and out of the late April Texas heat. There was still eight weeks until Summer but already the highs were reaching the low-90's. Her t-shirt was sticking to her back and she made a bee-line for the restrooms to wash her hands and splash cold water on her face before plopping down into what she had started to think of as 'her booth' at Jo's.
The owner herself hurried over and demanded that Claire pull out her cell phone. The teenager did so taken aback by the request.
"I listened to your suggestion and got wifi! Here's the passcode, try it!" she demanded eagerly.
Claire smiled at the young woman who sometimes joined her and Meg when they hung out. At first she thought it might be weird seeing as how Jo was Meg's boss, but the two women got along great. Now, anyway...
According to Meg, they had been sworn enemies in high school, until she saved Jo from drowning in a lake on a school retreat. The two, while not best friends, quickly became friends for life. They bickered quite a bit, but it was mostly in a good-natured way.
"Okay, I'm on. Works great, Jo," Claire said happily.
She was very glad Jo had taken her suggestion on the wifi. She could now hang out and do her school work in the restaurant if she wanted.
Part of her wished she had gotten a job as a waitress so she could spend more time with her new friends, but then she really did love working for Dean at the auto-shop. It had been a month and since she had been doing so well at juggling all of her responsibilities, she had received a raise and more hours to work.
Things had actually been going much better than Claire had ever expected them to. When her father had told her about his new relationship with her boss it had thrown her a little. She hadn't known what to say at the time, until she saw her father's face fall at her hesitation. More than anything she wanted him to find happiness and though this thing with Dean seemed a bit rushed, not to mention odd as she had no idea that her father was attracted to other men, she couldn't deny that it made him happy.
So she swallowed back her protests and tried her best to encourage him. She told him that Dean was a great guy and that she was happy for them. He had seemed so relieved that she knew right away she had made the right decision. They hadn't talked about it much since then, and her dad and Dean were careful to keep everything intimate private so she doubted most people even knew they were dating. She hadn't even told Meg or Jo yet, hoping that things between the two men would either solidify or fade away before they had to deal without outside pressure and unpleasantness.
Excited that the wifi was set up correctly, Jo left to go print signs to post so she could advertise it. Meg came up a few minutes later slightly out of breath and slid a ginger ale in front of her.
"Hey, Claire! I'm gonna be a few more minutes, someone's late to work again and I have to wait until she gets here before I can go on my lunch break.
Claire waved her off, sipping her drink. Today was one of her days off and she had already completed her school assignments for the week, so she decided to take advantage of the new wifi and work on her baby Pinterest board while she waited on Meg.
In hindsight, Claire thought she should have realized that her new found peace and satisfaction with her life couldn't last forever.
A few minutes after Meg walked away, she heard Lisa's fake laughter as the waitress sauntered through the door on the arm of a much younger, and slightly familiar man. Claire smothered a gasp when she realized who the man was and, before she could think it through, slid quickly beneath the table to sit on the floor out of sight.
She couldn't make out what they were saying, but that familiar Scottish brogue had her face flushing. How could he be here? He told Claire that he lived in a different country!
Meg's face suddenly appeared.
"Claire? Whatcha doing down there?" Her voice sounded teasing, but there was real concern in her eyes.
"I-I c-can't let h-him see m-me," she whispered, her entire body trembling.
The waitress grabbed Claire's arm and pulled her out from under the table as she whispered back, "he can't see you from his spot at the bar. C'mon we'll go out the back."
The teenager allowed her friend to maneuver her outside and into Meg's truck in the back employee parking lot. Once safely inside with the air going, Meg asked her to wait and disappeared back into the restaurant.
Claire's brain had shorted out at the sight of him and all she could do was place her trembling hands over the very small, but firm bulge in her abdomen. This couldn't be happening.
She wasn't sure how much time had passed when a hummer suddenly pulled up next to her and Sam Winchester got out. The lawyer walked over to the truck and opened the passenger door, frowning down at her in concern.
"Claire? Meg said you had a panic attack or something. Do you need me to get your dad?" He asked, gently.
Claire shook her head vigorously. She was not ready for that conversation. A conversation she had thought she would never have to have...
She kind of zoned out after that. One minute she was in Meg's truck the next Sam was lifting her out of the Hummer and carrying her through the front door of her own house to place her gently on the couch. He went to the kitchen and came back a moment later with a glass full of juice.
Claire took a few sips as Sam just sat and watched her patiently. He had always been easy to talk to, and due to his witnessing her parents divorce, already knew most of her secrets anyway. So she decided to go ahead and confide in him.
"I didn't typically go to parties that weren't at one of my friends' houses, but my mother was out of town with Uncle Michael and I couldn't bear being at home alone with my dad. So when they called me and said they found an abandoned warehouse at the edge of town they were going to party at I jumped at the chance," Claire paused to take another sip of juice.
Sam didn't say anything so she continued. "Gavin's dad was in town for some business that he had with one of my friend's dad. He was only here for that weekend and then he'd be going back home to Scotland. I-I liked his accent and hearing him talk about his country and the things he liked to do. Then someone gave me a drink that obviously had been spiked, but that didn't stop me from drinking it."
She dropped her gaze to the floor, feeling tears sting her eyes at remembering her own stupidity. A warm hand came to rest on her shoulder and squeezed in encouragement.
"I don't remember a lot after that. Just begging him not to leave me and then lying to him about my age so that he would... stay with me..." her face flushed red again, and she kept her gaze on the carpet.
"I woke up in the back of a police car. I didn't find out I was pregnant for another month and at that point he was long gone."
Claire hadn't even realized that she was crying until Sam pulled her to him in a hug. Her tears drenched his shirt and she felt him rest his chin on top of her head. She allowed herself to cry for a little while as she hadn't in several weeks. It was cathartic, and Sam made her feel safe. She really hoped that things stayed good between him and her uncle as Claire was getting used to him being in her life.
When she had quieted down and sat back from Sam's embrace he finally spoke.
"He's Gavin Crowley, Mr. Crowley's son."
Claire's jaw dropped in shock. "Seriously?! The 'Mr. Crowley' your boss, who practically owns the whole town?!" She demanded, horrified.
Sam nodded, looking at her sympathetically. "His mother kicked him out, so he's not going anywhere for a while."
Claire shook her head, "NO! He can't be here! He just can't..."
She started crying again and Sam sighed as he pulled her into another hug.
"You will have to tell your dad, Claire. I can be there if you want me to be, but we can't keep this from him. You also need to decide what you want to tell the Crowleys," he said when she had quieted again.
She took a moment to think about that.
"Yes, I do need to tell my dad. I don't know if you should be there though. But why would I need to say anything to the Crowleys?"
"Claire you are a minor and Gavin just turned nineteen. Your parents could press charges against him for this," he said, and Claire turned very white.
"Breathe Claire!" He demanded and after she took a deep gasping breath, put the juice back into her hands.
When she could breathe again, she obediently gulped the juice.
"I'm not trying to scare you Claire, but you need to prepare yourself for that possibility. Not to mention that Gavin Crowley may not be the smartest person in town, but I doubt he'll have much trouble doing the math when he finds out that you are pregnant."
Claire shivered, then stilled as there was a knock at the door.
Sam turned to her and put a finger to his lips, urging her to be quiet while he peeked through one of the curtained windows to see who it was.
"It's Meg," he said, raising an eyebrow in a silent question and Claire sighed with relief, nodding.
"Yes, please let her in."
Sam opened the door and Meg rushed past him pushing bags of food from Jo's into his hands as she hurried to Claire and gathered the girl into her arms.
"It's him, isn't it? Mr. Baby Daddy?" The waitress demanded and Claire snorted at the name.
She looked up from Meg's embrace to see Sam grin down at her affectionately and for the first time since she saw Gavin walk into Jo's, Claire felt as if things might actually be alright. No matter what happened, she knew that she wouldn't be alone.
Sam left Claire in Meg's care and headed toward town. He had a meeting in an hour and could really use a little prep time, but when he came across a familiar dirt road that he hadn't been down in a long time, he turned onto it. He couldn't say why, but he suddenly felt a burning need to drive the two miles down it and take the sharp left that would lead him to the Kentan Cemetery.
When he reached a wide area of gravel that served as a parking lot he was surprised to see an old pick-up truck. Sam was even more surprised to see that the truck's owner was standing over his father's grave.
"Hey there. Can I help you?" Sam called out as he hurried over.
The man was young, probably early twenties. Skinny, with a smattering of freckles over his nose and shaggy dark blonde hair. He looked up at Sam, startled, but shook his head and turned back to the grave stone.
"I don't mean to disturb you, but this is my father's grave. Did you know him?" Sam asked, warily.
The man blinked and turned to stare at Sam with new interest.
"No. But I should have. You see, he was my father too."
