Chapter 13

Claire had a text of their names, a picture that Dean had sent. She packed up Erica and they made the move. It wasn't what Dean had asked for but Claire felt it was time to slow down. Enrolled in school, new place in a nice neighborhood. Then off to look at gymnastics classes. Erica was excited. She bounced and bounced and bounced while Claire studied the board and the times.

"She's cute." A voice called over.

"Thank you." Claire turned and smiled. Object acquired. "Any recommendations?"

"Debbie's got a good class for the little ones and she doesn't get aggressive like Michelle."

"Debbie?" Claire looked to her daughter who nodded. "She just wants to tumble. She doesn't care. Claire Reid."

"Lisa Braedyn." They shook hands. "What about you? You looking for a class?"

"Um… well… I never have her out of my sight."

"First child?"

"Second… but only." She cleared her throat.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. My boy would have been 12 this year. He was gone before she was a thought in my head." Claire shrugged.

"My son is 12. He liked tumbling when he was little like her."

"They grow so fast. I feel like it was yesterday I was scheming of ways to make her come out of my body and now she's running away." Claire pointed as Erica rushed toward some little girls her own age.

"They do that." Lisa cleared her throat. "It's hard to let them out of your sight but you have to take care of yourself. I have a few yoga classes at the same time as Debbie's tumbling class."

"Um… I'm not really a yoga type. I was in the Airforce."

"You're a mom. You're the yoga type. Trust me. It'll clear your head."

"I'll think about it."

"Mom!" The boy rushed into the lobby. "You didn't sign the form for soccer."

"Yes, I did."

"No, you didn't." He handed it and a pen to her.

"This is Ben." Lisa introduced him. "My pre-teen who thinks he's a grown up."

"Nice to meet you." Claire waved at him.

"H-h-hi." Ben froze when he looked at her.

"Bet you get that reaction a lot." Lisa smiled at her while she signed the form and handed it back to Ben. "Stop staring, sweetie. She's way too old for you."

"Oh… He's the nicest fellow to stare at me in a while." Claire started to drift away. "I haven't really been in the game since her father passed."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. We're fine. It was a long time ago."

"Well, if you're settled, the ladies and I have a night out once a week. We have a long list of babysitters and we hardly ever invite men." Lisa told her.

"Sounds good. I've been a recluse long enough."

"I have to get my class started. Feel free to audit." Lisa steered Ben toward the door. "Go to practice."

Claire got herself entrenched in the community. She took night classes so she could get her teacher certification. She didn't hunt. But she did keep her eyes on the news. Sam and Dean did not seem to be doing well. But watching after the Braeden family kept her focus while she made sure her daughter was safe. That meant that she left Erica with Ben for girl's night. It meant she got set up with all sorts of men by the other girls. It meant yoga every other evening while Erica learned how to wow her class with what she already knew how to do.

She joined the PTA and started a book club. She got an archery class going and Erica was, of course, the star pupil. She put off going to the run range until Erica was seven. They had several lessons in cleaning and putting the guns together first. When Lisa found out, she was upset but then tagged along with Ben one day. She couldn't take her eyes off him. The way he handled the gun while she instructed him. His smart mouth when he was sassing his mother. Lisa cleared her throat. "He just… reminded me of someone."

"He's all his father." Lisa made a face at her.

"No, um… This man. I dated his father and we spent a lot of time together. The more I get to know Ben, the more he reminds me of my friend. Right down to the leather jacket."

Lisa laughed. "You have a thing for bad boys too?"

"Guess I did."

"Erica's dad?"

"Well, I met him in his bad boy phase. Never got the chance to see if he'd grow out of it. Man I dated before him… He'd been a bad boy for 20 years. His kids didn't turn out so bad… but both of them are bad boys, I'd bet. Only met the younger one once." Then her mind reminded her. "He did have a third son, never met that one. Possibly the only one who wasn't a bad boy."

"You're not in touch?"

"No. Aside from the bad break up with their father… we were all travelers for a long while. It's not conducive to running into each other. I just worry."

"How old were these potential stepchildren?" Lisa winced as she caught her finger in her gun.

Claire adjusted her hands for her. "Well, when we were together, the oldest was 25 and the youngest 21… that was before Erica was born. It's been awhile."

"How old are they now?" Lisa shook her head.

"33 and 29."

"They're not much younger than you are."

"I know. I still worry." She took over for Lisa and the gun prep. "This just takes practice."

"I hate guns. I've never owned one before but have you seen the news?"

"Yeah, it's bad out there."

After the lessons, they all went out for ice cream. Erica tumbled everywhere. Ben kept her wrangled to their vicinity. Lisa nodded to them. "Ben likes her. He doesn't usually have time for babies."

"I'll bet if his friends showed up, it'd be a different story. Kids are so fickle." Claire nodded to her kid. "That one can't ever decide what to call her bear. Same bear since she was a baby. Different name every week."

"I wish Ben were still that young. He's getting more and more grown up."

"Caleb always said that he'd allow her to get big but no bigger than age five. He wanted her frozen in time." Claire glanced over at her daughter who was showing Ben how to hold his gun like a pro.

"How old was she when he passed?"

"Three and a half months. She doesn't remember him at all. I have a few pictures but we were kind of whirlwind. I have dozens of pictures of her but hardly any of him. I was such a dope." Claire shook her head. "I've got one really good picture of him holding her. I've got a couple of him from before I met him."

"None of the two of you together?"

"We uh… spent a lot of time in bed."

"Ah. Lucky."

"We were."

"I had a fling like that once. Before Ben. Just… several days spent in bed with the baddest of all my bad boys. I can't even remember his name now but he was something. Most of my friends thought I made the whole thing up."

"Sounds good."

Lisa seemed to drift off while they cleaned up to go home. Claire couldn't reach Dean when she tried. The phone had been disconnected. She called every number she knew, they were all dead ends.

It was at a slumber party. Ben had a bunch of boys over. Erica was whooping them all at some game. Lisa and Claire took a bottle of wine to the kitchen. They talked about their terrible dates the previous weekend and Claire watched Erica terrorize the boys through the doorway. "You look relaxed."

"Thank you." Claire sipped her wine and picked at some cheese on the table. "I really wish things had been different but things are okay."

"What would you change?"

"I wish my Sebastien was still with us but if he hadn't died, I never would have had her."

"Oh?"

"I uh… got myself lost after he passed. That's how I met John. And John is how I met Caleb."

"The mysterious John."

"Nah. He was just the baddest bad boy I ever fell for and he delivered me right into the arms of a man who had been waiting for me to come along."

"How did he die?"

"Which one?"

"Caleb."

"He… it was an intruder. Tied him up and ransacked the place. Killed him when they couldn't find anything." Claire shrugged. "I never got the story about John. He died a few days after Caleb. Different state. Nearest that I've dug up on my own was that there was a car accident and everyone was badly injured."

"That's sad. There are worse ways to go. I suppose." Lisa refilled their glasses.

Claire smiled as Erica leapt atop a dogpile in the living room. "This is the longest we've been still since leaving Nebraska."

"Oh."

"I got in the habit of wandering around. I like Battle Creek."

"Me, too. I can't remember why I left Cicero but this was a good move. Ben is really thriving here and it's a little closer to his dad. They don't really get along but the distance isn't an issue anymore." Lisa looked over at her. "I'm really glad we met. I hardly have any friends anymore. People are so… weird."

"That they are." Claire smiled into her glass. "I get a lot of flack for the guns and training but it's important to me to be safe on my own."

"I get it."

Claire had the kids in the tent with the flaps open. Lisa was putting away the rest of the smores. Lisa was humming a Led Zeppelin song and Ben was providing the basslines. Claire felt the most at home that she ever had. Erica started chattering. "My mommy says that's Uncle John's favorite song and that Uncle Dean's favorite song."

"Led Zeppelin rules." Ben agreed.

"My mommy says that my daddy's favorite song was a bug."

"Beatles." Claire laughed as she gathered their trash.

"Beatles are bugs." Erica made a face at her.

"I'll explain it when we go home tomorrow."

"She's so stinkin' cute. I wish I had a little girl." Lisa sighed.

"What's happening with that George guy?"

"I don't know. He reminds me too much of Ben's dad." Lisa got her bag ready to be slept in. Claire leaned on a log near the kids' tent.

"Whoa!" Ben pointed and scrambled out.

"Mom!" Erica followed him.

Claire looked up and the sky was filled with… "Is there a meteor shower tonight?"

"I don't think so." Lisa got up with the kids to look. "Shouldn't they all be going the same direction?"

"It's so pretty." Erica oohed. "Mom…"

It was beautiful and terrifying. Claire's bones sang as she watched the pinpoints of light fall. So many. She traced the silver blade in her pocket. She walked around the campsite with salt, for the bugs, she laid the iron rods they'd used for the marshmallows by the kids' tent. She had a gun in her bedroll. Whatever this was, she just hoped she was prepared. The kids eventually went back to the tent and fell asleep staring up at the sky. Lisa was asleep soon after but Claire stayed awake through to dawn. She caught a catnap before the others woke up. She dreamed of Caleb and his blue eyes and his arms and that smile. When she woke, the others were getting breakfast together and breaking down camp. She took the pancakes and sausage when offered. Lisa grinned at her. "This was great. Relaxing. We should do it again."

"Yeah." Erica nodded and bounded over, blonde hair bouncing all over.

"We can do this again." Claire nodded and tossed a smile over to Ben who was wolfing down his mother's sausage when she wasn't looking. "Might do some archery practice next time."

"Sweet." Ben nodded to his mom when she took the last bite of her sausage back from his fork.

"Let's get loaded up and back home. I think we all need showers." Claire took a breath and made another promise to the Winchester boys. Whatever happened, she'd be there.

THE END