It was finally the day before the wedding, and since the early morning, the entire family had been on the go, making sure that everything was prepared. Claire had been working with Sam on making sure everyone's outfits for the next day were in their rooms, and checking that everyone who was meant to be arriving from out of state was. Dean and Castiel had hired a mansion to house their guests, and host the wedding and reception, and Claire barely had the time to appreciate the surroundings, so sure she was going to get lost on her way around.
So many distant aunts and uncles were due to come, and Claire didn't remember any of them even as they mentioned how she had grown up on seeing her. Dean's side of the family had fewer official members, but many more adoptive family members, meaning that there was a lot of laughter and introductions and stories about how they were entwined. Claire heard snatches and snippets as she went around doing her duties, trying to make her father proud.
She barely saw her dad for most of the day, and thankfully Jack was out of the way as well. Sam and Eileen made sure she ate, and introduced her to some of their favourite adoptive family members, and even some real family members in the shape of the Campbells, their mother's side of the family.
She eventually flopped in one of the front rooms, tired from all the last minute prep, and immediately got scooped up by her English teacher.
"Come on, we've got to get ready for the rehearsal dinner. You brought a dress didn't you?"
"Are you even meant to be carrying me?" Claire shot back. He grinned at her.
"I'm close to being your uncle, I think it's okay. Besides, I wouldn't want to annoy your dad or Dean the day before they get married."
He set her down outside of her room.
"Cas'll come get you when they need you, okay?"
"Okay. See you soon, Uncle Sam."
Sam beamed, and jogged away, and Claire went into her room. Her father had made sure she had a nice room, and she was grateful for it. Castiel would be sleeping in there that night as well, but then he would be staying in the same room as Dean after the wedding, in a small annexe on the property before they went on their real honeymoon the following afternoon. He wasn't in the room, so Claire pulled on her outfit for the dinner, and started on her make up, before he showed up, looking a little flustered.
"Are you okay, Dad?" She asked.
"Yes, of course. There's going to be a small delay on the rehearsal dinner, but I still want us both ready in time. I just have to rush is all."
Claire watched him change into his suit and try to flatten his hair down as she finished her make up. Then she walked over and fixed his tie, and gave him a big hug.
"It's going to be fine, Dad. Dean loves you."
There was a knock on the door, and Claire went to answer it, finding Dean, Sam, Eileen, and Jack on the other side of the door.
"It's a little early, isn't it?" She felt confused. They filed into the room, and Eileen started fixing Claire's hair as Castiel stood up, the other men joining him.
"Actually, before the rehearsal dinner, there's something I wanted to do," Dean said. Eileen stepped back, away from Claire and back against Sam's side, and Dean stepped forward, not towards Castiel, but towards Claire.
"I'm not just marrying Castiel tomorrow. I'm becoming part of your family, officially. And maybe it's a little strange, but I wanted to make some vows to you as well."
Claire was taken aback, but from the look on everyone else's faces, they knew that this was happening. Dean held a hand out, and Claire placed her hand on top, waiting for what was to come.
"Claire, I promise you that no matter what, I will never expect to come first with your father. That's where you belong. I promise that I will always do my best to listen to you, to help you, to sneak you donuts when Castiel isn't looking."
Claire grinned, and he winked.
"I won't be your dad, I know that. But I'm going to try my best to be the second best option. If you need anything, I'm here. I'll be the best stepdad ever."
He squeezed her hand, and she squeezed back.
"Dean, you're already my other Dad. It's just that you're making it official and legal tomorrow. You've been my other Dad since forever, I swear. You don't have to promise anything else."
"Shhh, we're doing this. And I have something for you."
He pulled a box out of his suit pocket, bigger than a ring box, and opened it. Inside was a charm bracelet, and on the bracelet were a few charms already. A golf club, a tiny donut, a miniature bear. All gleaming in silver. He removed it from the box and she let him slip it on her wrist.
"I promise to buy you something to go on here for every significant moment we have as a family."
"Dean," Jack stepped forward solemnly. "Do you promise to take Claire as your stepdaughter?"
Claire rolled her eyes and Dean laughed.
"I do."
"Claire, do you promise to tolerate Dean as your stepfather?"
"I already have."
"Cool. You may now hug your Other Dad."
It was so unbelievably cheesy, but Claire accepted the hug from Dean, hugging him back just as tightly.
"There's something missing," She mused.
"Huh. You're right," Dean acknowledged. "Cas? Get over here."
Cas hugged Claire from behind, wrapping her completely between the two of them. A moment later, Jack, Sam, and Eileen piled on as well, and Claire found herself at the centre of a group hug, her face inches from Jack's. He was smiling placidly, and she looked away, burying her face in Dean's shoulder before she did something stupid due to the sappiness.
They broke up the hug before too long, though Castiel and Dean still stood with their arms around her, and Claire checked her face quickly to make sure nothing had smudged on Dean's jacket as Sam reminded them of the time. They went down to the rehearsal dinner as a group, quickly going through what was going to happen the next morning before heading to where their guests were already seated, ready to eat. They cheered as Castiel and Dean came in, and Claire followed them both to their seats, finding her name between Jack and Eileen, her father and Dean further along. Dinner was served, and everyone fell into excitable chatter, and Jack started touching the charms on Claire's bracelet.
"That's a really nice gift." He commented.
"Yeah," Claire agreed, and then felt bad. After all, Jack lived with them, he was part of the family, in an unconventional way. No one had included him in the brief, unofficial ceremony. "They should have given something to you too."
Jack shook his head.
"No. Being their daughter, it's different. I like that they did something special for you. What are the charms for?"
So Claire told Jack, as he carried on touching them, separating the charms and looking at them closely as she spoke. Their heads were bent together and the whole thing felt intimate, Jack tracing a finger along the inside of her wrist. Did he have any idea how it made Claire's whole system stutter when he did that? When he sat so close, his attention solely on her, talking as though everything they shared was a secret, it was so hard not to feel something for him, to lean that much closer, to smile at everything he said. It took a lot of effort to turn her attention on her dinner, even as Eileen looked at her and asked how she was feeling. She signed back clumsily, showing off the extra lessons she had been giving herself. Eileen signed back slowly so that Claire could keep up.
After the dinner, people started drifting off, getting ready for the wedding the next day or taking advantage of a few hours to relax before they had to turn in. Castiel was already planning to spend a few hours with Dean before they had to split up for the night, and Claire was looking forward to an evening on her own. Jack stayed by her side as she left the dining hall, and walked with her up to the room.
"What are you doing tonight?" Jack wanted to know.
"I think I'm just going to take a bath, watch a movie. Tomorrow's going to be busy."
"Yeah, good idea," Jack nodded. "I was going to ask if you wanted to do something, but that makes sense."
"We're about to have a whole week together. Just you and me," Claire reminded him. He grinned.
"I'm looking forward to it. Night, Claire."
He bent over and kissed her cheek softly before walking away. Claire walked into the room, and then stood behind her door, touching the spot Jack had kissed. Was that just a cousin thing? Did he somehow know about her crush? Or could it be that he felt it too?
It was too crazy to dwell on. And if she did, she'd end up thinking about Alex, and everything that hadn't worked between the two of them, and how dating Jack wasn't an option. They were related, and Claire wasn't girlfriend material. She went into the bathroom with a book and some bubble bath, playing music on her phone and making herself focus on anything but her cousin.
Dean and Castiel were officially married. The ceremony had gone without a hitch, and most of the guests were at the cocktail hour while Dean and Castiel took photos. They had requested some with Claire as well, and then Jack too. They took group shots, and shots where Dean and Castiel were arm-in-arm, and Claire and Jack were too. Then, the photographer insisted on some photographs of just Jack and Claire. They stood together, smiling, Jack mindful of the white meringue dress she was wearing. Dean and Castiel started calling out instructions. Jack should stand behind Claire, they should hold hands, maybe they should kiss?
Claire looked at Jack as her father called that out, expecting a peck on the cheek, but no, Jack kissed her earnestly, and she kissed back as her dads cheered them on. Then everything seemed to melt away, and it was just Claire and Jack, in a tux and a white dress, kissing in the middle of a garden with no one else around, Jack pulling her closer, Claire kissing him deeper.
"Claire? Claire!"
She shot up in bed, clutching her chest, her breath heaving. Castiel was sitting on the edge of her bed, his hand hovering over her shoulder.
"Dad?" She huffed out.
"Are you okay? You were calling for Jack. Did you want me to go get him?"
Claire shook her head.
"It was just a dream," she tried to steady her breathing. "What time is it?"
"It's the middle of the night."
"You're not married yet?"
Castiel chuckled.
"Not yet. Hopefully we can get a few more hours sleep before then."
"What colour is my dress?"
"Blue and green." Castiel sounded confused. "Bear, you know it is."
"Yeah, I just, um," she shook herself. "Can I sleep in your bed tonight?"
"Sure, Bear."
Castiel helped her out of the bed she was in, and over to where he had been sleeping, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her forehead.
"Have you been having these dreams a lot?" He whispered. She nodded. "Is that why you've been so strange about Jack? He's been in your nightmares?"
"They're not nightmares," Claire's voice was small. She still didn't want to admit what was going on, didn't want to ruin the plans during Castiel and Dean's honeymoon. "They're just really vivid."
"Okay. Try and get some more sleep. I'll be right here."
She nuzzled into his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her, making her feel secure.
She didn't dream about Jack for the rest of the night, and when she woke up, Castiel was already in the shower, singing over the sound of running water. She slipped out of bed and over to the bag containing her dress, unzipping it and looking at the material. Definitely green and blue, depending where the light hit. Corseted top and a sheath skirt. Matching sandals. Definitely nothing like the near bridal dress of her dream.
Castiel came back in the room in his undershirt and boxers, still singing.
"I'm getting married in the morning," he restarted the song, and grabbed Claire, swirling her around the room as he went. She laughed as he swept them along in a ballroom step until he reached a part of the song he didn't know. He bowed, and she curtseyed, still laughing.
"Are you excited?" She teased.
"Could you tell? Hey, how're you feeling after last night?"
"Better."
"What happened in your dream, Bear?"
She shook her head.
"Dad, it's your wedding day. We're going to focus on you, and Dean, and the cake and stuff. I'll tell you after your honeymoon."
"Deal. Come on, get your dress on, and I have a surprise for your hair and make up."
He smiled, and grabbed his tux, pulling the pants on and humming once again. Claire slipped into her dress, holding her hair to one side so she could get help corseting it up. Castiel held a finger up, and then opened the door. Claire hadn't heard a knock, but on the other side was Patience, Alex, and Kaia.
"Need help getting ready?" Patience swept into the room, setting up a kit she had brought with her. Kaia went to help, and Alex approached Claire, taking the satin ribbon of the bodice and working it through, tightening it against Claire's skin. Their eyes met in the mirror, and Claire released her hair as Alex tied the ribbons.
"You look great." Alex offered.
"Thanks. How've you been?"
Alex was still watching her in the mirror, and Claire waited for what she was thinking, assessing her ex-girlfriend. She waited for some of the sensations she had been feeling for Jack lately, that thrum in her skin and fluttering in her chest. But there was nothing.
"I've missed you," Alex eventually said. "I wish you'd come back to school."
Claire turned around, facing Alex now.
"I like homeschooling. It's nice not to have to worry about other kids, or clothing regulations. I needed to be away from the drama, you know?"
"What about us?" Alex persisted. Claire was aware the others were watching them. Claire bit her lip. What she wanted to say was that Kaia and Patience hadn't bothered with her since her nose got broken, and Alex had tried to fight her when she ended the relationship. That this should be their peace offering, not their demand for an apology. But fighting with her friends the morning before her father's wedding was not what she wanted. She thought quickly.
"I miss you guys, for sure. But we couldn't really talk in class, unless Mr Singer set us some weird history stuff. Maybe we could hang out soon?"
"Definitely," Patience stuck in. "Claire, are you ready for hair and make up? We could do your hair too, Mr Novak."
Castiel looked surprised to be included in the conversation, and raised a hand to his hair.
"What's wrong with it?"
Kaia giggled behind her hand. Claire smirked too. Castiel wasn't vain, but he definitely wanted to impress Dean for their wedding.
"Nothing, but you want Dean to cry when he sees you, right?" Patience winked. Claire glanced at Alex one more time, before heading over to Patience and Kaia.
"If I know Dean, he's way more concerned about whether his boner is going to be visible. They were so gross at their suit fittings."
"And that's enough of that. Thank you for the offer, girls, but there's a couple of things I need to get finalised. And I imagine you want to talk without a boring adult present? I'll see you soon."
He left the room, and left Claire with the three friends she hadn't really heard from in weeks.
Patience sat her down and started working on her make up as Kaia started brushing her hair, sectioning parts off and tying others. Claire closed her eyes, and felt Alex tug at her hand before applying nail polish.
"We've missed you, Claire," Kaia said dreamily. "I went to the bookshop a few times but the lady wouldn't tell me where you were. She said you don't live there any more."
"No. My cousin came to live with us and the Winchester's place was bigger. So Dad gave the apartment to Charlie and we moved in with Dean. I can't believe Charlie didn't tell you guys, I've been wondering what happened."
"We thought maybe you wanted the distance, after what happened at the game," Patience said gently. "That maybe Charlie was keeping us away on your request."
"Are you kidding? I thought you were avoiding me because I was homeschooling. Or because Alex and I broke up."
"On a break," Alex corrected. Claire didn't want to refute the statement when Alex was essentially holding her hand. But even that contact didn't do anything, didn't feel like anything other than a friend doing another friend's nails. "I love you, Claire."
It still felt odd to hear that from anyone except her family. She kept her eyes closed so she didn't have to see the looks her friends were trading in the silence that followed Alex's words. It started to get uncomfortable, as though everyone was waiting for Claire to say it back. But she didn't feel it back.
"Are you guys here all day? I'd love it if you were."
The disappointment was like another person in the room, it was so tangible.
"Yeah. Your dad said we were your guests. And I guess a total surprise." Patience rallied quickest.
"Yeah, but the best kind of surprise. I've been living in a bubble of my family for weeks, having you all here through the whole thing, it's going to be so much fun."
"So, Mr Winchester is going to be your stepdad?" Kaia asked as she finished a braid and curled it around Claire's head, pinning it in place.
"Yeah, oh, guess what he did last night?" Claire grinned, earning a tut from Patience who was starting on her lips. "Sorry, Patience." And then she told them about Dean's stepdad vows, and held up the charm bracelet. A hand caressed it, in much the same way Jack had done the night before, and Claire knew it was Alex examining it. Alex, who had her own issues with finding her family. Finally, she opened her eyes, and looked at her ex-girlfriend. "I hope Jody does something similar for you."
Alex gave a soft smile.
"The adoption is in a few weeks. Maybe tell her all about it and she'll get the hint. I'd love it if you came, Claire."
"Of course," Claire nodded. "I'm there."
Alex beamed, and Claire did too. Of course she wanted to see her best friend get adopted, Jody meant as much to Alex as Castiel did to Claire.
