Chapter 18
A/N: Happy New Year! I hope for everyone's sake, that 2021 is better for all of us. It's been quite a long time since I updated this fic and for anyone who's still interested, I apologise. Life got in the way, and unsurprisingly, writing fell by the wayside. I've had this chapter written for the past two years, but for the life of me, I couldn't get it to flow like I wanted. I am not completely happy with it, but it's driving me nuts so, here goes. I hope you like it. Lots of stuff is about to go down, and fortunately, I am already hard at work on the next chapter. Thanks again and please R & R.
She felt like she was floating on a cloud- weightless and barely able to feel her own body as she slowly came to wakefulness. Even as she struggled to open her eyes, absolute peace blanketed and comforted her, as if some otherworldly force had been standing by just to ease her journey back to reality. Dim light filtered in from the partially closed blinds across the room and Claire spent a few confused moments trying to figure out exactly where she was. It didn't take but a few seconds more before the memory of recent events came rushing back, filling her with panic. She sat bolt upright on the bed, throwing the covers off herself as she frantically checked her body for burns. She was completely flabbergasted when she realised that her skin was perfectly fine, even as she ran her hand over her face to reassure herself. Last thing she remembered, she'd been mere moments away from death before her own personal saviour had delivered her from the literal hell of the Bunker. She had no idea how much time had passed but, judging by the look of her arms, either plastic surgery had advanced a few decades, or he'd healed her via other means. Her completely undamaged skin suggested the latter.
Claire took a few deep breaths to calm herself and to get her bearings, wondering where she was and where her rescuer might be. As if to answer her thoughts, a male voice rang out, raised as part of what was clearly a rather heated discussion coming from somewhere outside of the room. Her hunter training kicked in immediately, given that she was obviously dealing with at least one supernatural entity. Looking around, she noticed a heavy pewter candlestick on a bureau by the window which she grabbed before making her way to the door. Just as she was deciding whether to take the risk by cracking it open, the voices suddenly became clearer and it was obvious that they had stopped right outside.
Claire moved off to the left so as not to cast a shadow below the door and then held still to listen. The candlestick felt sure and true in her hand as she lowered her stance instinctually, preparing for the unknown.
'You don't have the right to dictate to me!" a female voice growled, sounding both angry and frustrated in equal measure, "You are not a God. You're not even a man. You're… an abomination! This is no concern of yours and your interference is unacceptable!"
"Abomination I may be, reaper, but your opportunity has passed. I don't care what quotas you have to fill or how upset your new boss is gonna be…."
"It is not your place to destroy the natural order of things!"
"And yet I've done it! Honestly, I'm getting tired of rehashing this with you. We had this conversation at the Bunker and I've already indulged you enough today. Go away!"
"You…..!"
Claire frowned, becoming uneasy when everything remained quiet for just a little too long. She was just reaching for the handle when she heard, "It's okay, Claire, she's gone…"
She startled so badly that she almost dropped her weapon. Recovering quickly, she regained her offensive position for when he inevitably entered the room. Indeed, he announced that very intention a second later and proceeded to do just that, albeit cautiously. Claire found it exceptionally annoying when, without even looking back at her, he said, "You won't need that, but if it makes you feel safer, I won't be offended."
"That's so considerate of you," Claire muttered under her breath, as he turned around to face her.
He looked down at her from his six-foot height, his green eyes crinkling at the edges as a smile played about the edges of his mouth. Claire found herself transfixed by his expression. He seemed genuinely happy to see her, as if she was some long-lost friend that he'd randomly encountered on the street. But there was something else there too, something more calculating like he couldn't quite hide just how carefully he was evaluating her reactions; it was an odd juxtaposition. Claire didn't really know whether to smile back or to take a swing and break his kneecap.
"Please," he said, gesturing towards the bed while balancing a tray she hadn't even noticed in his other hand, "I'm not gonna hurt you. See? I brought you breakfast!"
Claire glanced at the massive spread- a glass of O.J., oatmeal and fruit, eggs and bacon, blueberry muffins and a stack of chocolate chip pancakes. Aside from his exceptional grip strength, he wasn't demonstrating any threatening behaviour and he was being very polite. She decided to play along for now, not moving towards the bed until he preceded her. She could tell that he was just indulging her but she wasn't going to let his perceived friendliness distract her from the dangerous situation in which she now found herself.
He placed the tray on the bed and then backed away to stand next to the window, putting a good three feet between them. When a minute or two had passed with both of them just staring at each other in awkward silence, he sighed and grabbed the chair from in front of the dressing table and placed it in the farthest corner of the room. He sat down, gesturing again towards the bed and looking at her expectantly.
Claire made sure that the door was fully ajar, and then moved to perch herself on the edge of the duvet, aligning herself perfectly with the opening. When she appeared to be as settled as she was going to get, he decided to try again.
"You must be starving," her 'host' said mildly, the smile returning to his face, "You haven't really had anything substantial in almost forty-eight hours…"
So, she'd been held wherever here was for almost two days. Claire tucked that tidbit away for future reference. Right now, she needed more information if she was going to figure out her next move.
"What…I mean, who are you?" she asked, cursing herself a bit for the directness of the question, "You obviously know my name, but I don't know yours…."
"My name is Jesse, Jesse Turner. It's great to finally meet you officially, Claire. You're looking so much better. How're you feeling?"
"Surprisingly less crispy than I expected to be."
Jesse chuckled, causing Claire to narrow her eyes. "Does my nearly burning alive amuse you?"
"No, of course not," he sobered quickly, his tone apologetic, "I was just thinking how much you sound like him….like Dean…"
"Do you know the Winchesters…..professionally?" Claire's voice was deceptively even but the implication of her question hung heavily between them.
"You could say that," he stated simply.
"Okay, I can play twenty questions if you want," Claire's attempt at a sarcastic smile was more of a grimace, "So Jesse, who were you talking to out there in the hall and oh yes, what the hell are you?"
"That was the reaper who came for you at the Bunker. She's…..persistent." He seemed mildly annoyed, "Since you're not dying any time soon, she won't be coming back, so you don't have to worry about her….."
Claire deflated slightly, some of her feigned bravado ebbing away. "Thank you," she said quietly, her voice shaking with the depth of her sincerity, "Thank you for saving me."
His eyes turned sorrowful, "You don't even have to say it, Claire, I…I wouldn't have left you there…"
"What about Emma?" Claire was almost afraid to utter the words, "Did you save her too?"
"She wasn't there," he answered soothingly, "She's with Dean and Sam."
Claire closed her eyes and drew a deep shuddering breath, "Thank God."
"Before I answer your other question," he offered her a considered look, as if he was weighing up the pros and cons before continuing, "I want you to know that I'm not here to hurt you or anybody else. Not if I have a choice."
"Ominous way to start an explanation," Claire remarked, keeping her tone even.
"But no less true." Jesse closed his eyes for a moment and sighed, "It's a really long story, Claire, one that you're entitled to hear but I really think you should have a little something to eat, before it gets any colder."
Claire nodded her assent, and picked up the glass of juice, pretending to take a sip if appeasing him would help speed things along. He smiled at her knowingly, though he didn't acknowledge her deception. Initially, he treated her to a rather vague and guarded tale of how, as a child, he'd come to meet Sam, Dean and Castiel as part of a case they'd been working in Nebraska. He followed with a comparatively in-depth recounting of all the travelling he'd been doing to "find himself" ever since. Claire could tell that he was still working his way up to the actual specifics of what he was and just how he knew that she'd been in danger. By the time she'd managed to pretend to eat a few grapes (hiding them in the blanket beside her), she was sure he could recognise her impatience.
Jesse sighed again, knowing it was time to really come clean. "It's not really very complicated," he murmured almost to himself as he squared his shoulders, "Just like ripping off a Band-Aid…."
To her he said, "I….I'm not completely human…..which I think you know…"
Claire bowed her head slightly, the look on her face suggesting how obvious that was.
"…I'm half-demon, half human."
Well, that explained nothing at all. Repugnant, revolting, opportunistic, sycophantic and completely lacking in morality- all words she'd happily used to describe every single demon she'd ever encountered before, but this Jesse seemed different and definitely inordinately more powerful than the usual demon-of-the-week. Even more absurdly, Claire had actually been expecting him to reveal something a little more….mind-blowing and formidable. As she paused to consider all this, Jesse studied her expression and shook his head.
"I don't think I'm explaining myself very well," he insisted resignedly, his eyes boring into hers, "I am what humans refer to as…..the Antichrist…."
Claire's eyes widened, as the implications of this revelation hit her almost like a physical force. Her body started to shake as she her hands balled unconsciously into fists.
"I swear to you that I'm not Damian and my mother's name isn't Rosemary. Antichrist doesn't mean what it does in the movies, Claire. Sam's been teaching you the lore, right? Yes, I was created to help Lucifer defeat the angels once he was freed from the Cage, but I walked away from all of it. That's the choice Sam and Dean gave to me and I took it…." Jesse paused to gauge her reaction. Given that she hadn't run out of the room or had yet to attack him, he was somewhat encouraged to continue, "My powers lay dormant when Lucifer is locked away from the Earth. As you can imagine, that hasn't exactly been an issue in the last year and now that he's running around like a kid in a candy store, I've been discovering new abilities every day….."
"So…so," Claire stuttered warily, "where do you stand on the idea of helping him now?"
Jesse's expression turned grim. "I have no intention of aiding him in any way- ever. I may be born of evil but I'm not him. I'll never be him. I came back here because something's different this time 'round. Lucifer's a slave to his own insecurities so his motivations and actions haven't really changed in millennia but your Emma…" Claire sucked in a breath at the girl's name and Jesse knew to tread carefully, "Your Emma is something I haven't quite been able to figure out yet."
"So, let me see if I get this straight. You're admitting to what? Essentially stalking the Winchesters….no, stalking Emma, a child, because she's interesting? Is that what you're saying?" Claire's voice shook slightly, whether from fear or anger, even she wasn't sure, but now that she was getting answers, she was determined to know everything.
"No, of course not. Please…."
"Of course, not?" Claire's tone was scathing, "Then how the hell do you know what Sam's been teaching me? Or that I was dying in that Bunker? How exactly have you been skulking around in there without anyone knowing?"
Jesse suddenly disappeared, and Claire gasped, nearly jumping out of her skin when she heard his disembodied voice from right beside her.
"Like this."
Claire jumped up from the bed, practically tripping over her feet even as she lashed out wildly hitting him squarely in what felt like his chest. Jesse reappeared completely unphased, reaching out to hold her steady until she could regain her balance. The agony in her now-injured hand made her see stars for more than a few seconds before she managed to gulp in enough lungs full of air to sound coherent.
She shrugged him off and pointed an accusing finger at him, wheezing, "If you ever do that again, I'm gonna shoot you in the eye!"
"Noted," he replied evenly, proud that he'd managed to hide his amusement- almost.
"And how long have you been playing creepy, stalker ghost-guy?" Claire glared, moving to lean against the bureau.
"Since Emma came to the Bunker. Please try to understand, Claire, haflings like us are exceedingly rare and it's been my experience that humans tend to fear and then kill anything that they don't understand. I didn't really talk about it before, but when I left Nebraska, I was pursued by every manner of being. Angels, demons, religious fanatics that'd been waiting for signs of my birth…I was constantly on the run and completely powerless, once Lucifer was trapped in that Cage. To them, either I was nothing more than the foulest representation of evil incarnate made flesh, or a tool to be used for any variety of nefarious gains. Not one ever considered that I could just be the somewhat human son of Julia Wright, alone and scared and wondering what I'd done to deserve my lot in life. I've never wanted to hurt anyone or anything, Claire, yet I've been misunderstood, feared and reviled simply because I exist….." he paused, his voice going soft, "I guess you could say that I wanted to make sure that the Winchesters hadn't become typical members of their species. Given their line of work and their history with Emma's previous incarnation….."
"They…we…. love her. Sam and Dean would never…!"
"I know," Jesse soothed, standing up and walking over to Claire. He reached out to touch her shoulder and then thought better of it when she flinched, "I've been very moved by the depth of Dean's commitment to his daughter. I won't deny that it surprised me, given his 'shoot first, ask questions never' reputation nowadays, I mean, Emma's an Amazon, right? So somewhere in her DNA is the biological imperative to kill her father and to eventually procreate so that her own daughter will do the same. You know this. The Winchesters know this. And yet you've all decided to believe the opposite….that you can effect a different ending to her story regardless of the seeming inevitability of it. When I realised the lengths to which Dean and Sam were willing to protect her, I decided to offer whatever help I could….quietly….."
He paused, his emotions threatening to overwhelm him in the moment. He reached out to Claire again and this time, she didn't move away.
"I can't tell you how much I admire you, Claire. Sam and Dean wouldn't have gotten through the last few weeks without you. You've kept the whole ship afloat and you've been amazing with Emma. Once I realised that she was in such good hands, I'd planned on just dropping in occasionally to check up on her but then the British Men of Letters got involved and everything got screwed up. I've encountered them before; they're ruthless and relentless and now that they know about her, they'd be just as happy to capture and exploit her for her abilities as kill her. Add to that the inevitability of Sam and Dean getting involved in the hunt for Lucifer, sooner rather than later, and you must realise that the level of danger that you and the Winchesters now find yourself in is, frankly, unprecedented. I….I feel obligated to intervene and help you in any way I can…."
"Those Amazons in the Bunker- one of them was her mother…." Claire said, her mind quickly processing all that Jesse had shared, "….so, her people are after her too. From the way they came in hot and heavy, they don't much care who gets caught in the cross-fire…."
Jesse nodded, glad to see that Claire was beginning to understand his position. "The boys will do their best to protect her, but with their attentions divided, Emma will be vulnerable. I… I was hoping to appeal to your love for her…I want to work with you to ensure that she'll be safe. Like I said, Emma is special and there's more to this situation than the obvious…."
"Okay, so what are you asking for?"
"That we work together to protect her from any- and everyone, if we have to…."
"Look, I'm so grateful for all that you've done for me, but Emma's family will protect her. Sam and Dean would rather die than let anything happen to her, even if that means letting the world burn. I won't betray them…."
"I'm not asking you to betray them…."
"No of course not, but I'll bet that your next line is gonna be about how I shouldn't let them know that you've been breaching the sanctity of their home 'cause it's in their best interests, right?"
"Well, we both know how Dean can sometimes fly off the handle about these kinds of situations…."
"Off the handle? First, Dean's gonna rip me a new one for losing both Emma and the Bunker on my watch, and then he's going to bypass sending me back to Jody's in favour of eviscerating me and scattering my body parts all over Kansas!. And you know what, Jesse, I think Sam's gonna let 'im!"
"Claire, it's okay…"
"No, it's really not…"
"I fixed the Bunker!" Jesse interrupted Claire's rant, "Like it never happened."
Claire sucked in a huge breath, her eyes wide in disbelief, "Like it never happened?"
"Like it never happened," Jesse nodded, pleased that Claire was finally hearing him, "They won't ever know if you don't want them to…"
Claire was silent for a few moments and then she said quietly, "Lying is betraying them, Jesse. I can't do that, not to them…."
Jesse sighed but nodded his acceptance. Claire's mind was reeling. She was really tempted by Jesse's offer, but she couldn't convince herself to put that level of trust in him- no matter how much he'd already done and how sincere he seemed. Maybe Dean was rubbing off on her more than she'd thought.
Noticing the dismay in his eyes, she planned on expressing her gratitude to him once more, but instead she said, "Do you have a phone?"
"Yes, of course," Jesse pulled a cell phone out of the back pocket of his jeans and handed it to her.
She took it and dialled her own number. Dean had left ten voice mails, each one's tone progressively angrier and angrier since she'd been "completely irresponsible by first losing Emma and then not calling to alert him that his child was missing."
The clear disappointment in his voice cut straight through her heart and Claire quickly moved on to the final message. This one was from Sam, who expressed his surprise that she hadn't contacted them and his worry about her safety. He'd let her know where they were staying and that they had contacted Jody who'd issued an A.P.B for her whereabouts. They were planning on recruiting Castiel next to search for her if they hadn't heard from her by that night. No matter what'd happened, they needed to know that she was safe. They could deal with everything else afterwards.
Claire's hand was shaking as she returned the phone to Jesse. She had to get out of there and get to the boys.
"Am I a prisoner, here?" she asked bluntly, already making her way to the door.
"Of course not," Jesse answered, moving to catch up to her, "To answer your earlier question, we're in Cincinatti, just 90 miles southwest of their location. You can take my car if you like. I really don't need it."
Claire turned back towards him and Jesse dropped a set of keys in her hand.
"It's the red Mazda parked halfway down the block. I've programmed the Winchesters' address into the GPS."
"Stolen?" Claire questioned expectantly. If it was hot, she'd have to switch cars as soon as she got away from here.
"No, I, uh, just made it."
"Just made it….right." Claire couldn't quite hide the awe in her voice, "Okay, uh, thanks again….for everything."
Jesse watched her walk away, unhappy that things hadn't really gone the way he'd hoped. He followed her into the hallway, directing her to the left where she'd find the staircase leading to the front door. She all but ran down it, her determination to get away from him obvious. Just as she was about to reach for the knob, he called her name.
She turned to him again, her expression wary and body primed to fight him for her freedom. He held up his hands in surrender at first and then handed her a piece of paper. She took it from him, glancing at it and then back at him questioningly.
"My number," he said simply, "If you ever….when you need me, call me, okay? I won't be far away. I swear I only want to help. Please don't let what I am stand in the way of doing what's best for Emma."
Claire paused, looking down at the paper and then up at Jesse. After a moment, she gave him a sharp nod and he was glad to see that she tucked the note into her pocket. With that, she opened the door and stepped out into the light.
"Are you calling Claire again?" Dean frowned, his eyes narrowing when it became obvious that the girl wasn't answering yet again, "Don't know why you're bothering. She hasn't picked up any of the last hundred times…"
"Because I'm worried about her, Dean!" Sam exclaimed in exasperation, only barely resisting the urge to chuck the phone at his brother's head, "I know your default setting right now is to be as pigheaded as possible, but try to remember that Claire wouldn't just go A.W.O.L. like this. Something must've happened!"
"Yeah, she lost my kid and she's too afraid to tell me!"
"You're an ass!" Sam had pretty much reached his limit, "I'm calling Castiel."
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
As Dean turned away to go check on Emma, his phone rang. Pulling it out, his eyes narrowed as he saw the 'unknown' number on the screen.
"Talk to me…..Claire? Why the hell haven't you been answering your phone?" he yelled, his voice a mixture of anger and relief, "Do you know how much you worried Sam? Kid, you better have a good…..Listen, Claire, you're the one that…..Of course not…..that isn't the point and you know it! We're in….yes, Springfield….Okay, well, we'll see you soon, then. Bye!"
"I take it that was Claire?" Sam was smug as he took in the befuddled look on Dean's face, "Really read her the riot act, huh?"
"Shut up!" Dean glared at his ridiculously and unnecessarily gargantuan sibling, "Apparently she's alive and Little Miss Attitude is already on the way here now."
"Did she say what the hell happened?"
"No, she told me to get off her back and that she'd talk about it when she got here. Millennials!"
"I'm just glad that both our girls are okay," Sam stated resolutely, not wanting to indulge another of his brother's epic pouts, "We can work out the rest when she gets here."
"Wanna braid each other's hair too or maybe bake her a "Welcome Home" cake?" Dean snarked, shoving his phone back into his jeans, "I think I may have just enough time to run out and get some balloons and streamers to really make this crappy motel room pop for her glorious return!"
Internally, Sam counted to ten and then twenty before he managed to say, "I'm going to call Jody. Weren't you going to check on Emma?"
Dean grinned, pleased that he'd won the round. Sammy deciding to take the high road was just his little brother's lame way of admitting defeat gracefully. Dean would allow him to retain his dignity, for now, but he'd be rubbing this surrender in Sam's face for a while. In truth, the elder Winchester was only now able to make light of the situation because they'd finally heard from their pain-in-the-ass surrogate little sister. The vice, which had been gripping his heart since they'd realised that Claire was 'missing', had finally loosened. Having to tell Jody that they'd lost her daughter for over 24 hours had been one of the hardest things he'd ever had to do. Dean knew with absolute certainty that the Sheriff would've never forgiven them if any harm had come to Claire and she would've been right. Dean didn't know if history was repeating itself or not, but Claire had already taken off once to chase after Mary and had found herself barely escaping a vampire for her trouble. After the talk they'd had, with both he and Sam laying down the law about her never again performing such acts of stupidity, her repentant attitude had fooled him into believing that they'd finally broken through to her. Well, he wouldn't be making that mistake ever again. For her sake, he hoped that she had some other explanation for putting them through this, or he wasn't sure what he might do.
He left the room and headed to the bedroom where his daughter was sleeping. He moved towards the bed quietly, frowning a little when he realised that Emma seemed to be in the middle of a nightmare. He waited a moment, trying to decide whether to wake her or not but, when she cried out in her sleep and the skin around her eyes began to redden, the choice was made for him.
"Em? Emma, baby? I need you to wake up, honey."
Dean gently tapped on her shoulder but when her cries started to become more frantic, he lifted her up and sat her in his lap, hugging her to him and trying to 'comfort' her awake.
"Em, you've got to wake up for me," he whispered in her ear, "You're okay, Daddy's got you. Wake up, sweetheart, you're safe, I swear you're safe…."
He could feel her tears soaking through his shirt even as she struggled a little. He continued murmuring nonsense in her ear, lamenting to himself about how much harder it was to physically hold her like this now, and then he felt her suddenly stiffen. He loosened his grip enough that he could see her face.
"Emma? Honey, it's okay. It's just me, baby. You were having a nightmare and I was worried 'cause I couldn't wake you…"
"Daddy?" His daughter's voice was full of fear and confusion.
"Yes, Emma, you're alright now."
Emma wrapped her arms around her father's waist and squeezed as tightly as she could. Dean's breath caught in his throat and he groaned a little but didn't say anything. Whatever she'd been dreaming about must've been a doozy. He took shallower breaths and tried not to pass out until she was ready to let him go. After a few minutes, she pulled away to look up at him. Her eyes were back to normal now, and Dean couldn't help but kiss her on the forehead in celebration.
"Do you wanna talk about it, Em?
Emma shook her head vigorously, burrowing her into his chest but Dean wasn't having it. They hadn't really had much of a chance to talk about what had happened during, what he liked to refer to as the "British Invasion'. After Castiel had 'jettisoned' them to Ohio, he'd insisted that the brothers immediately head to the site of Lucifer's massacre where Crowley and Rowena were waiting for them. The colourful language that Dean had subsequently subjected them all to, had made even Sam blush.
From Dean's perspective, the demand had been ridiculous. Yes, he'd decided that he was going to help his feathered pain-in-the-ass friend, but there were just a few, uh, rather recent issues that he needed a minute to process. Apparently, his mother had gone crazy and was working against them, and, oh yes, Emma had gone 'full Amazon' and had almost killed a man! And he hadn't even gotten the chance to beat the location of the girdle out of either Madigan or Davies. Dean had ended his rant by pointing out that while he'd agreed to help, it was going to be on his terms and right now, he had to see to his daughter. He'd let Castiel know when he was ready to go clean up the angel's mess.
Despite the ongoing hostility on both sides, Sam had known that when Cass had disappeared without another word, Dean had gone too far with that remark. He'd told him so. Castiel had already known that he'd screwed up; that was why he'd come back to plead with them in the first place. Rubbing the angel's face in it had just been uncalled for and his brother knew it. This was classic Dean behaviour- aggression used to cover for his own fear. Well, it might be too late for her father, but Sam was gonna make damned sure that his niece learned better coping strategies than that.
Dean had then directed his ire at Claire, leaving angrier and angrier messages and texts on her phone until he'd filled up her mailbox. Sam had left her a few as well, the last with the address of their motel. He'd also tried contacting their mother, but she hadn't returned any of his calls either. Dean hadn't wanted to go there yet but he'd announced that he had every intention of confronting her once the whole mess with Cass was over. Emma had spent most of that first afternoon asleep, Dean watching over her the whole time. When she'd finally woken up, he'd heated up the free cup-of-noodles that came with the room and she'd inhaled the whole thing in five minutes flat. She'd then absolutely refused to talk about what had happened at Madigan's but she had explained how she'd managed to get to Knoxville.
Emma had confessed to lying to their faces back at the Bunker; she'd never had any intention of missing out on the trip to Tennessee. She'd pretended that she'd needed to take a nap and while he and Sam had been saying goodbye to Claire, his devious little mini-me had snuck into the backseat of Baby and had hunkered down under a couple of old blankets that he and Sam kept there for those times when they had to sleep in the car. How she'd managed to keep herself hidden for so long without them knowing, Dean couldn't imagine. Of course, that also meant that his daughter had heard every word of his discussion with Sam. When he replayed all that stuff in his head about sending her away or putting her in a cage, he felt nauseated. What his little girl must've been feeling after her father and uncle had just spent the morning trying to convince her of their unwavering love and commitment.
Her whimpers of pain as she'd tried to make herself more comfortable in bed had brought Dean out of his thoughts. The taser burns on her back had been dressed pretty expertly by Sam but, even with some heavy-duty painkillers, Emma had still been in quite a bit of discomfort. Dean just hadn't had the heart or frankly, the nerve, to interrogate her any further and she hadn't volunteered anymore details. Instead, he'd brought her more meds, and held her hand as she'd cried, waiting for them to work. Eventually, her eyelids had started to droop and with a kiss to her forehead, he'd pulled the covers over her and left the room. He'd caught a few zzzs himself in the meantime, had an entire apple pie all to himself for lunch and had spent the rest of the afternoon sparring verbally with his brother about Claire.
Now, his daughter's nightmare was affording them the opportunity to finally get everything out in the open and Dean was going to take it.
"Em, I really think you need to tell me about your dream. You're still shaking, honey."
Emma looked up at him after a few minutes of silence and then nodded slightly. "I….I saw women from my tribe….I watched them all die. They were in the Bunker and these soldiers killed them all. My mother….she….she…"
"What baby?"
"She….she wanted me dead. She said I was a mistake… I was worthless…"
Dean squeezed his daughter to his chest and kissed the top of her head.
"…..she hated me because I don't want to kill you. She was hurting me…trying to choke me. I was so scared, Daddy! It felt so real. That's why I came to find you…."
She stopped speaking abruptly, her eyes quickly darting up to his face and back to her lap. Dean, of course, noticed her anxiety and knew to tread gently.
"It's okay, Em, you can tell me anything."
The change in her demeanour was striking. His daughter's body immediately stiffened, and she tried to pull away from him.
"No, let me go!" she exclaimed, wiggling vigorously in an attempt to break his hold, "I don't want to talk about this with you!"
Dean just barely managed to hang on to her, stifling his groan when her elbow found its way under his rib cage.
"Settle down, kid," he rasped, pulling her back more fully onto his lap, "We're gonna talk about this whether you like it or not! You've been mad at me for long enough and I can't help if you won't let me…Emma! Emma, don't you dare!"
His daughter had gotten angrier the longer his little speech had gone on. When he'd dragged her back onto his lap, she'd decided to step it up a notch. She'd opened her mouth, as wide as she could and aimed for the flannel covered arm that was holding her round the middle. Dean had had no doubt that with her burgeoning strength, she could've taken a chunk out of his arm. He moved it down and shook her slightly to get her attention.
"Are you listening to me?" he asked, his voice a mixture of anger and incredulity, "Don't you even think about doing something like that again, young lady. I'm trying really hard to stay calm and understanding about this, but you need to stop and behave yourself, right now or instead of sitting on my lap, you're gonna go over it. Do you understand me?"
Emma was startled by the change in his tone. She'd managed to completely infuriate her father, if his trembling body and threat of physical chastisement was anything to go by. In truth, she really didn't want to fight with him, but things were changing way too fast for her mind to catch up with her emotions, and she didn't know how to handle any of it. Coming clean to her father about her mistrust over Sadie would probably be the sensible thing to do, but that would mean admitting to herself that he wasn't perfect and that everything she'd come to rely on in this new chance at life could be a lie, too.
Emma sat rigidly and resolutely not making any sound or movement. Dean was frankly grateful for the reprieve. Having an intermission was allowing him to calm down before his frustration drove him to murder his daughter. And she sure was his daughter. Burying emotions to avoid dealing with them was apparently yet another inherited Winchester trait of which Dean was a master.
After a few more minutes where they both sat there in silence, Dean sighed and hugged his little girl. It was time to cross this divide between them.
"I love you. Nothing you say or do is going to change that. You're safe with me, baby, so please, I'm begging you to trust me. Trust me to do whatever I have to do to fix whatever's been making you so unhappy with me. Please tell me what I've done, Em."
Emma wanted to stay strong but hearing her father's plea, broke her heart. And he was right. It would never get better if he didn't know why she was upset. So, taking a very deep breath, she sunk back against his chest and decided to come clean.
"You…you lied to me," she murmured, a hint of resentment underlying her words.
"About what, honey?"
"About the fact that I'm a problem that you haven't managed to fix yet? And about how I'm your only priority. What about me being the thing holding you back from taking your one shot at happiness? I mean, if I wasn't in the picture, you'd invite that woman to the Bunker and you two could start discussing having a real family of your own if you haven't already…."
"Honey, no, no, no….!"
"You were on the computer talking to Sadie! I had a nightmare and I went to find you and I heard you, Dad! You lied! You're a liar!"
Emma tried to break away from him again, but Dean held on. He was finally getting a clearer picture of what had set his daughter off in the first place. Hiding out in the Impala had been an act of pure reckless rebellion, which he'd definitely be discussing with her shortly, but he could imagine reacting the same way if he'd been in her shoes. Sam had been right, damn him. He was going to have to rein in his own impulsiveness, 'cause Emma took after him enough already.
"Okay Em, stop! Just listen to me. You're right; I should've told you but there really hasn't been any time. You just turned twelve two days ago, remember? First off, there's no way in hell that I'd ever discuss the state of my love life with a nine-year old and second, I had every intention of having you two meet after we found a way to stop your aging. You are my priority, Em, and Sadie understands that. She and I…..we're still really new and I don't know exactly where we're heading, but I like her and I'm hoping we could have a future together, even if I don't know what that looks like yet. What will never change, is my love for you. Even if I had five other children, that love would stay the same. You know, it's because of you, that I let Sadie in…"
"What do you mean?"
"Long term romantic relationships aren't exactly common for hunters but having you in my life has made me want to give it another shot. Do you understand, honey?"
Emma relaxed into his hold again, looking down at her lap and refusing to meet his eyes.
"I guess," she whispered, tears silently slipping down her cheeks.
Dean kissed the top of her head but decided not to push. Em was coming around all on her own and he didn't want to screw this up. It was a few more minutes before he heard his daughter's murmured words.
"I want you to be happy, Daddy."
He squeezed his daughter a little and whispered, "Thank you, sweetheart, and I want you to be happy too. I would've told you about Sadie long before I brought her out to meet you, I hope you know that?"
"I know."
"'I'll always take your feelings into consideration, I promise, but I hope you can believe that I'd never want to be with anyone who wouldn't love you with all their heart or treat you like you weren't the most special little girl in the world. She'd have to pretty special herself to be a part of this family, right? Not everyone can be Winchester material."
His attempt at a snooty British accent made her giggle and he poked her in the side causing her to shriek. Her Dad knew exactly where to tickle her for maximum torture application. Seeing her laugh warmed Dean; it looked like their relationship had a shot at being back on track. He really had to steel his heart against this next part, though. He waited until she'd settled down again before his tone turned serious.
"Now, I think it's about time that we have that talk about what you're doing down here, Em. I don't know how in the hell you thought it was a good idea to hide out in the Impala and follow us on a hunt especially after I told you no. I mean, I don't know how you thought this was going to work out for you. Eventually we'd have opened the back door, or you'd get hungry, or Claire..."
Emma's faced turned red, his daughter clearly embarrassed and a little shocked at the sudden change of topic.
"I found your secret stash of Oreos. I would've been fine for a while…."
Dean's ire flared at the flippant comment. "You know, young lady, you got off pretty easy just having to do some chores and being grounded after your mind-blowingly awful behaviour at the Bunker. I believed you when you said you were sorry for your attitude and the way to prove that, would've been for you to serve out your sentence, and obey me when I told you that you weren't allowed to come with us to Knoxville. Instead, you chose to break Claire's trust, my trust and your Uncle Sammy's trust, and put yourself in danger….."
"But Dad…."
"No, kid, don't even try it. I'm more than happy to listen to your opinion on any topic or to answer any of your questions if and when appropriate, but you are nowhere near old enough to decide what's best for you. That means when I tell you to do something, especially when it relates to your safety, you do it. And if you don't, you accept the consequences and hopefully learn from the experience. We'll talk about those consequences a little later when I'm a lot calmer and I'm sure you're that you're completely better. You are in alot of trouble, little lady."
Dean's tone was the most severe Emma had ever heard it, and she squirmed under his intense glare. He let her stew for a minute, hardening himself against the tears that had started forming in her eyes again. He hated being the one that put them there, but he didn't really have a choice. She was literally growing up way too fast and those British dicks, both factions, knew about her now. That put her at a level of danger that, though likely inevitable, was nevertheless completely unacceptable to him. Protecting her had to start with being able to get it through her stubborn, Winchester skull that though she might be super strong, she was not invincible.
"Now, let's move on to what in the hell possessed you to charge into that hotel room and attack armed mercenaries?"
"I….I don't know…"
Dean looked at her incredulously. "Do you expect me to believe that?"
When it was clear she wasn't in any hurry to offer a response he said, "Are you sure you didn't follow us into that room because you decided to play hunter?" he paused again, "It's those damn Supernatural books, isn't it? Don't think for one second that you're fooling me, young lady! When we get home, you're going to gather every single one and I'm gonna burn 'em…!"
"Dad!" Emma cried, swiping the tears from her cheeks, "I swear, I didn't!"
Dean set her onto the bed beside him and crossed his arms over his chest, "Didn't what?"
"I…..well, uh, you're right, I'm, uh, still reading the books," she replied nervously, "but I didn't follow you to the room, honest!"
"Uh-huh…..?"
"O-okay….I…I didn't have much of a plan but I thought you were being really unfair! Choosing to leave me behind when you were going down to Knoxville to get information about me? It just seemed like one more thing you were keeping from me, and I was already mad so I….I just reacted and hid in Baby. It took a few hours to calm down and realize how stupid an idea it was so then I spent the rest of the trip praying that we'd get down there before Claire could tell you I was missing. I figured, it was already too late and if I lucked out, I'd just pop up in the back when you were heading in to see Madigan and you wouldn't have a choice but to take me with you…."
Dean looked askance at her, shaking his head with a sigh. "Okay, so what happened?"
"Sioux Falls and reinforced prisons…"
"What?"
"I was in the back, remember? You didn't think I heard you and Uncle Sam deciding how to contain me when I turn monster…."
"Honey…."
"Let's just say that I didn't feel like showing myself after that…"
"I'm sorry you heard all of that, sweetheart." Dean swallowed, the despondent look on his daughter's face breaking his heart yet again, "Your uncle and I were…..we were just spitballing. The truth is, I don't know what we're gonna do if….What I do know, is that we're not going to hurt you, no matter what. I promise."
"Are you saying you'll let me kill you?" Emma's sarcastic tone was so reminiscent of his own, that he almost smiled.
"I'm saying I'll never let it come to that, baby, because we're going to figure a way around it."
Emma scoffed and looked away from him, but her father gently grasped her chin, and turned her head so he could look directly into her eyes. "I love you, Emma. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me and if you killed me, I'd go to my grave grateful to have had this second chance with you…"
She tried her best to resist, but seeing the warmth and sincerity in his eyes made the albatross around her neck feel a million times lighter and she couldn't help but launch herself at her father. Dean rocked backward, almost colliding with the headboard. He held on to his little girl, hoping to God that he'd given her the reassurance she so desperately needed.
"Are you okay, baby?"
Emma nodded into his chest, despite the fact that she was still crying and he rested his chin on top of her head close to tears himself. He waited until her sobs had quieted down and then asked if she was able to continue their talk. When she whispered in the affirmative, he loosened her hold and pulled her into his lap once again. This time, he was sure she'd stay there.
"How did you end up in the room, Em?"
"You and Uncle Sammy had just gone in. I sat up in the back 'cause I had a really bad cramp. I don't even remember leaving Baby. I just had this feeling that you were worried and angry. So angry, Daddy. And then I don't know what happened…"
"Em," Dean warned.
"No, honest Dad, I don't. You were angry, and then I was angry and then I don't remember anything else until I woke up here yesterday…."
"You don't remember attacking those men?" Dean persisted, as Emma shook her head in denial.
"Okay." He finally relented, "If anything comes back to you, I want you to tell me right away, okay?"
"Of course. Dad? What happened with Madigan? Did you find out anything that could help…..?"
"Cass…"
Dean heard his brother's greeting to the angel from the other room. He set his daughter on her feet and opened the bedroom door. Sam and Cass were standing near the small dining table, on the opposite side of the room. Both turned when the door opened, the look in his brother's eyes questioning, no doubt having heard them arguing. Dean gave him a barely imperceptible nod, his way of offering reassurance that all was well. Sammy returned it; it had taken a whole lotta self-restraint not to burst in when he'd heard it escalating. This was something his brother and niece had to work out now before it got any worse. Having them at odds when Emma was so much closer to sixteen, was not going to do anyone any favours. They both looked emotionally worse for wear, but Dean had indicated that they were both okay. He'd have to believe that things were on the right track…finally!
"What're you doin' here, Cass?" Dean asked warily, not interested in having another verbal battle right now, "I told you I needed a day…."
"I know, Dean, but this can't wait any longer. As you suggested, I managed to convince a few of my brothers and sisters to help conceal Lucifer's atrocity, but its extreme nature has ensured the involvement of local and state police as well as the F.B.I. Lucifer seems to be playing a more nefarious game than we thought. He has left a number of leads so blatant that it will all but guarantee a swift confrontation with these agencies…"
"He wants to be followed?" Sam asked in surprise.
"Lucifer has always believed himself invincible and so far, our failed efforts have not disabused him of this notion. As his actions at the church clearly demonstrate, he has become emboldened enough to enact his plan in plain view, without any fear of consequences. The high-profile slaughter of law enforcement agents will get him even more of the publicity he craves and will set his endgame, whatever it is, in motion- I'm sure of it. We need to get to him first to try to contain any further damage…."
"And do you have any idea how we're supposed to do that?' Dean asked evenly, his tone far less belligerent than it usually was when he was dealing with Castiel nowadays.
"Rowena is, at this moment, using a spell to pinpoint his exact location and every moment we wait will only work in his favour. We need to come together now to strategize our best offense because I fear time has just about run out."
"Okay, where are we having this pow-wow?" Dean said, glancing at Emma who was staring at Castiel with an indecipherable look in her eyes.
"We need to get to Washington D.C. as soon as possible."
"Alright, let's get packed up," Dean said resignedly. Though things were clearly better, he was still worried about the fragile truce he seemed to have made with Emma. Plus, he had to figure out what he was going to do with her when they met up with the rest of Team Awkward. He had no desire to have his daughter anywhere near Rowena or Crowley but seemed that there was little choice now.
Sam was conspicuously quiet through this exchange and Dean noted the speculative look on his face.
"Cass?" his brother said, Dean suddenly on alert because of that all too familiar tone. Sam was about to do something that was going to piss his older brother off.
Dean narrowed his eyes as his idiot brother asked the angel to look Emma over for more serious injuries. He glared at both of them but stayed silent. It was clear to anyone with eyes that Castiel wasn't exactly his daughter's biggest fan but Dean did want to make sure that she was okay physically. Castiel's opinion of this request was reflected by a slight his look of irritation as he silently moved towards Emma. He spared a glance as he passed Dean, allowing for any objections before he entered the bedroom and came to stand in front of the girl. The angel stared down at her, noting her nervous fidgeting as he held up his hand, intending to lay it on her forehead. She flinched, and Dean came in then, steadying her with an encouraging squeeze of her shoulder as Cass ignored her reaction and closed his eyes. After a moment, he opened his eyes, a look of bewilderment on his face as he stared down at Emma, pulling away and staring at his hand comically, as if he'd never seen it before.
"I….," he muttered, shakily.
"What? What is it?" Dean wasn't oblivious to the angel's odd reaction. He crouched in front of his daughter, pulling her to stand in front of him and turning her around to check the burn marks on her back. Cass was right. The burns were gone.
Dean put that aside for now and persisted. "What happened? What did you find?"
"N-nothing. She's perfectly fine. She has no injuries at all."
"Then what's with the look?" Dean demanded, standing up fully and turning on Cass, his frustration obvious.
"I was just surprised." Cass sounded distracted as he again stared at Emma who had tucked herself against Dean's side, "I…I just couldn't feel her soul…"
"What?" Sam exclaimed in shock, coming to stand in the doorway, "How is that possible? Emma hasn't shown any of the characteristics of being soulless?"
"I didn't say she was soulless." Cass turned to look at the younger Winchester, his tone more even now, "I just can't connect to it like I would a 'normal' human. There is something tainted …"
"And just like that, the dick returns!" Dean's ability to tolerate Castiel's bizarrely insensitive attitude towards his daughter was clearly over if his comment and the way he was clenching his fists and jaw were anything to go by.
"I'm sure that Cass didn't mean…"
"Cass can defend the crap that comes out of his own mouth for himself, Sam!" Dean was speaking to his brother but all of his attention, and anger, was directed at the angel, "And if he knows what's good for him, he'll shut up about…."
At that moment, there was a loud knock on the door and all four of the room's occupants paused to look out into the main room. Sam was the first to move, grateful for the distraction because frankly, he wasn't sure that Dean hadn't been seconds away from stabbing Cass with an angel blade. When he looked through the peephole he sighed, unsure whether the situation was about to be diffused or heightened. He didn't really say anything as he opened the door, dragging Claire into the room and enveloping her into a suffocating bear hug.
The young woman didn't even manage more than a quick gasp before Sam hadn't thrust her away by the shoulders, shaking her with trembling hands.
"What the hell, Claire?" he shouted at her, not giving her the chance to reply, "Are you crazy? I swear to God that you'd better have one hell of an excuse for what you've done!"
"Sam." Dean's tone was hard but surprisingly controlled, "Give her a minute to answer. I'm sure that Claire's got a wonderfully detailed explanation for the shit she's pulled in the last few days, don't you Claire?"
Having recently had both a near-death and an "I-just-met-the-Antichrist" experience in the past few days, Claire's frayed nerves had managed to file her temper down to the nub.
"Bite me, Dean!" she spat, not really caring about his reaction, "I just drove, uh, 15 hours straight to get here, so why don't you give me a minute to catch my breath!"
No one said a word for a few long moments as they all stared at her. Castiel broke the silence, his assessing gaze narrowing as he took in her defensive posture. She clearly knew she was in the wrong, though she was trying to hide it. Yet, there was something more.
"Are you alright?" he asked, his question startling everyone in the room, "You seem…different."
Shocked that he would even speak to her far less deign to ask after her, Claire didn't realise she'd expressed her view out loud until she heard Sam's sharp intake of breath and the reappearance of Castiel's nonchalant attitude towards her. He turned away without another word to her, the action more upsetting than she let on. Dean wasn't that willing to let it go. He remained shocked for all of half a second before his already simmering anger got the better of him. He'd really hoped that she would've lost the attitude on the way to the motel. In fact, he'd expected her to at least be contrite once she reappeared but this stubborn unrepentance was just not going to fly with him, and he planned on letting her know it.
"Hey kid." The edge in his voice was enough to make any monster turn tail and run, "Don't test me. I'm not in the mood for any more bullshit right now. I'm real happy that you're here and that you're okay, but you royally screwed up so how about you act like you give a damn about what you've done and then Sam won't have to stop me from wringing your neck…"
"Dean!" Sam was slightly alarmed by the look in his brother's eyes. He glanced at Claire who he could tell was only just managing to hold it together. Her glower may have seemed defiant, but her eyes reflected shame, vulnerability and real fear.
Dean turned to his brother, intent on telling him off too. "Don't you…"
"Shut the hell up and take a walk!"
"I…"
"Go cool off!" Sam's tone brooked no argument.
The problem with their little family unit was that its two youngest members sometimes acted far too much like the oldest and most emotionally repressed member. They were never going to get over this if cooler heads didn't prevail and really, time was already running short. With Castiel looking ever more frustrated, Sam was sure they were hurtling towards the kind of ugly confrontation that you couldn't come back from. He wasn't going to let that happen.
Dean's face was thunderous, but he didn't say another word. He stormed past all of them and slammed the door behind him.
"Cass," Sam turned to the angel who, he noted, was back to looking at Claire with a renewed interest, "can you give us a few minutes to finish up in here? Maybe you can go keep an eye on Dean and make sure he doesn't shoot anyone outside?"
"Fine," the angel said resignedly, "Hopefully, all will be…well in here by then."
Sam gave him a grateful nod. The angel gave both Claire and Emma one last considering look before he disappeared. Sam turned to both girls and sighed heavily.
"Ladies," he said, his voice weary, "Are you both okay?"
The tension in Claire's shoulders eased slightly and she gave him a nod of thanks.
"I didn't mean to snap at him," she replied, her eyes moving to a rather subdued Emma, "It's just been a really long couple o' days."
"Yeah, it has," Sam agreed, "We're all really happy that you're okay, Claire, but you gotta know that Dean is pretty justified in being upset with you. I'm might not be as confrontational about it, but I'm just as disappointed. The four of us are going to be having a very in-depth discussion about all of this, but right now, we have to get packed up cause we're heading out to D.C."
"What's in D.C.?" Claire asked, struggling to keep an underlying tone of belligerence out of her voice.
Sam frowned at her, his mouth set in a grim line that served as a warning. "Lucifer's killed an entire congregation of churchgoers and the archbishop here in Ohio and the authorities are hot on his tail. We've got to find him before they do."
"What about Emma and me?"
"Well, if there was more time, I could trust either of you and it was forty-eight hours ago, I'd be happily sending you straight back to the Bunker. However, now that our English brethren know that my daughter exists, I don't want either of you out of my sight. So, we're going to find a nice motel room in the city, and you two are gonna wait there and do everything I tell you to do until we're done."
Dean sounded more in control as he entered the room, preceded by Castiel. He glared at both girls, daring them to argue with his edict as he slammed the door behind him.
"I can help yo…"
"Don't even think about finishing that sentence!" Dean hissed through gritted teeth, "You've already proven how little your word means, so if you wanna start climbing out of the hole that you've dug for yourself, Claire, you can shut your mouth and do as you're told!"
Claire and Dean stared daggers at each other while Emma looked tearfully at them. All of this was her fault. With true Winchester stubbornness, even though she remained convinced that she'd been justified in her decision to stowaway in Baby, she had to admit that she'd never stopped to consider the broader consequences. Now her dad and Claire wanted to kill each other, Uncle Sammy was likely going to kill all three of them and Castiel….
Emma looked over at the angel who was completely ignoring the ugly scene playing out in front of him in favour of staring at her. He wasn't even trying to hide it. His look was piercing, contemplative and….dangerous. She fidgeted and sidled closer to Sam, growing more uncomfortable the longer his unblinking attention was zeroed in on her. Her uncle looked down at her, likely assuming that she was feeling upset from guilt. He put his arm around her shoulder, and pulled her into his side, the action obstructing Castiel's direct line of sight.
"We don't have time for this," the angel's attention was finally diverted, "We need to leave now."
Dean gave Claire one more stern glare before he nodded in agreement. "Okay, let's get packed up. Sam, can you drive with Claire…?"
"Uh, sure," his brother replied, glancing at the look of embarrassment that crossed the young woman's face.
"Em, you're with me and Cass in Baby…..."
His daughter shuddered, causing Sam to look down at her again. He shook her a little to get her attention and she looked up at him in surprise, giving him a tentative smile when he raised his eyebrows at her in question. He gave her a little squeeze again and guided her forward towards Dean. He glanced over at Claire who was glaring at both Castiel and his brother. Dean gave her an expectant look and after what seemed like an eternity of the two staring each other down, Claire muttered something under her breath and moved to push past him. She drove her shoulder into his chest as she headed to the door, hurting herself in the process but trying to conceal the flash of pain on her face.
Dean gave Sam an incredulous look and turned around to stare at Claire's retreating back.
"Hey!" he called, as she reached the door.
She didn't answer. In fact, she reached for the handle and was about to open it when three male voices called out her name, each with varying levels of exasperation. She paused for a second and turned around, her eyes red as she tried to keep her tears at bay.
Dean sighed, moving towards her and enveloping her in a hug that she initially tried to fend off before her body slumped into his chest.
"You screwed up and I'm pissed as hell," he murmured sternly in her ear, "And believe you me, kid, we're gonna hash all of this out real soon, but you need to remember that even when I wanna strangle you, I love you, and Sam loves you and Emma loves you. You're a part of this family and you always will be no matter what shit you pull."
He allowed her to squirm away and hurry out the door, knowing from a quick glimpse of her face that she was embarrassed. Dean turned back to see Castiel looking satisfied and Sam frowning. Dean held up his hand, forestalling whatever argument Sammy was about to start.
"We gotta go, Sam," he said, reaching for Emma's hand, pulling her to him.
His brother clamped his mouth shut, the look on his face promising that he'd have a lot more to say on the matter in the near future. He moved around the room, rapidly packing their belongings and then, handed the duffels to his brother.
"I'll go drop off the keys."
"Yeah," Dean replied, leading Emma out the door, "Come on, Cass."
He came back just in time to see Dean opening Baby's back door for Emma. Sam watched with some concern as his niece very reluctantly entered the car. He moved his gaze over to Cass, who kept staring at her right up until he got into the front passenger seat. Sam frowned, wondering exactly what the hell was going on between them. Unfortunately, he had no choice but to wait to investigate this bizarre situation. Right now, he had to focus on the upcoming mission. Angels, the F.B.I., the U.S. Marshals and local law enforcement were all likely to be present en masse in the capital and they couldn't afford to let their guard down around any of them. He made his way over to the Mazda that Claire was standing beside as she watched the Impala drive away.
"Do you want to drive?" she asked warily, looking past his shoulder and not at him directly, "I know his Highness doesn't let you do that very often."
"Uh, yeah, sure," he replied, directing a look of censure her way as he folded himself into the driver's side
She was clearly still upset and Sam didn't really relish what he was about to do. It was obvious that Dean had planned the car assignments with a mind to having him stage a pre-intervention intervention with Claire before the main event. They set off after the others, the first fifteen minutes of the drive spent in awkward silence with Sam surreptitiously glancing at the obviously self-conscious Claire.
"Where did you get this car?"
"Uh, lifted it from a used car lot."
"Why didn't you take one from the garage?"
"Was trying to keep a low profile. All the cars in there are vintage."
Sam grunted in acknowledgement and the two were again left uncomfortable. After an internal struggle, during which he tried to talk himself out of it, he glanced at Claire and sighed.
"That wasn't smart, you know," Sam muttered, as Claire turned her head to stare out the window, "Giving Dean and me attitude when you know we were worried about you…"
Sam paused, waiting for some response. When none was forthcoming, he began again, his tone slightly more curt.
"…..and that you were completely in the wrong for not telling us that Emma was missing….."
Claire shifted in her seat but remained silent.
"….unless…unless you didn't realise that she was gone…..?"
Claire was very deliberate in her refusal to even glance in his direction. She sunk down further in the seat, turning her body away from Sam so that she was practically curled up on her side. He scoffed, not sure whether to be angry or amused by her childish behaviour. He decided to aim for somewhere in the middle.
"It's not going to be that easy, Claire," he chided, "You need to answer me. Did you go somewhere? Maybe out on a hunt or something before you realized that Emma was missing? And why didn't you call us at any time during the past two days to come clean?"
Silence. Sam's jaw clenched as he tried again. "You don't have the right to remain silent, Claire. This is about trust, something you seem to be having trouble with of late. I would never have thought you could do something so irresponsible….." He glanced over at her to see if he was even making a dent, "Emma's running away was her choice but we left her with you! How could you do that to us? To Dean?"
He heard her sniffling and glanced over at her. "Claire?" he asked softly.
"Please, Sam, it's just…it's just been a really, really long day." She turned in her seat to face him, tears in her and her facial expression one of abject misery, "I know how angry…I mean, I just, I just need to sleep, okay? Please?"
Sam regarded her critically for a few moments and then nodded silently, placing a hand on her shoulder and giving it a squeeze. Claire gave him a watery smile and turned back towards the door, curling away from him once again and closing her eyes. Sam's brow furrowed as he wondered what the hell had happened to her over the past two days. He'd grant her the reprieve right now but both he and Dean would want answers, and soon.