Hey! Welcome to Chapter 36! Just a heads up, the last chapter was posted when the site wasn't sending out notification emails, so I suggest going back and making sure you read so you don't miss out on any of Cas and Amriel.

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Disclaimer: In no way do I have any rights to Supernatural or any of the characters you are familiar with. I only own Amriel and any OCs that pop up along the way.

Chapter Thirty Six: Claire

Cas and Amriel went between spending time in National Parks and big cities. After a week in Yellowstone, they went to Denver, Colorado. Following Denver, they went to the Ozark Mountains. The pair wandered through forests and city streets, admiring nature and the urban jungle, spending nights under the stars and under streetlights, swimming in natural springs and bar hopping. They were unable to keep their hands off of one another, stealing kisses and making love wherever and whenever they felt like it, and they felt closer to each other for it.

They were crossing things off of Amriel's to-do list and she couldn't have been more pleased. She was still looking for Castiel's grace and checking in with him about the state of his borrowed one frequently, and he insisted it was fine for now. But she knew that it too would fade.

Their hotel in Chicago was far nicer than most of the motels they had stayed at. Cas had wanted to splurge a little for a more comfortable bed, as they had spent the last week and a half sleeping in the car in the mountains. He could hear Amriel humming in the bathroom as she got ready for dinner, and he smiled to himself. He loved watching her doing every day, human tasks.

Cas noticed that she had been a lot happier now that they were spending most of their time together, and honestly he was too. She wasn't lying when she said that Hannah had been intruding on them. He stood up from the bed and brushed off his pants, walking over to the bathroom and leaning against the door frame. Watching Amriel as she finished applying a raspberry colored lipstick, Cas licked his own lips, wondering if it tasted like some of the other ones she had.

"Are you about ready?" he asked as he tucked his hands into his pockets, making eye contact with her in the mirror.

Amriel smiled and nodded, capping the lipstick and setting it on the counter before turning around and leaning against it. She looked him up and down, admiring his ruffled hair and loose tie. He wasn't wearing his suit jacket yet, and his white shirt was crisp since he had just ironed it. Figuring out the iron had been a disaster… They had burned through two shirts before getting it to work properly.

Taking his hand, Amriel sent him a smile, "Let's get going. I want to go to the Crystal Gardens!"

Navy Pier was buzzing with people and Amriel was in awe of the sights and sounds. It reminded her of the fair they had gone to in Rexford. They rode the Centennial Wheel, wandered through the park, and went through the Crystal Gardens, which Amriel found fascinating.

"How do they keep the palm trees from growing through the roof?" Amriel asked as they walked along the pier. "They aren't even native to Chicago…"

"I'm not a botanist, Elle," Cas said with a laugh. "Perhaps we can look it up later. Do you want to get some pizza? I read that this city is famous for deep dish."

"I dunno, are you going to complain about it tasting like particles?" she teased, watching him roll his eyes in response.

The pizza was far different than any the angels had ever had before, and Amriel found that she liked New York's pizza far more. Cas had actually enjoyed it, once he quit playing with Amriel and actually pieced it all together to get the taste. They left the restaurant with a few extra slices for later, and Amriel pulled him into a souvenir shop.

"How many postcards do you have now?" Castiel asked as she spun the rack, her eyes inspecting each one of the colorful cards.

"Maybe 30? I'm not really keeping count. What's been your favorite part about Chicago?" she asked him, picking up a card with the skyline on it. "Think about it so you can write it on the back when we get to the hotel."

That was Amriel's favorite thing to do in every city or town they went through. She had a growing stack of postcards from where they'd been, and both of them wrote down their favorite part of their visit on it.

Grabbing one more card to mail to a P.O. Box Sam had in Lebanon, Amriel made her way to the register to wait in line to pay, watching Cas as he wandered through the store. She heard his phone ring, and saw him pick it up. Maybe it was one of the Winchesters calling, she thought, wondering what they could be up to as she waited to pay.

Once Amriel tucked the postcards into her purse, she spotted Cas just outside of the store and went to meet him.

"Hey, who was on the phone?" she asked, taking his hand and lacing their fingers together as they started to walk along the pier.

"It was a woman from a place called Youth Transition Center in Pontiac, Illinois… Claire Novak, my vessel's daughter, was picked up by the police earlier today for shoplifting, and apparently this isn't the first time," he said thoughtfully. "I took her father from her… I basically ruined her life."

"Cas…" Amriel started, wanting to assure him that it wasn't his fault, but she wasn't sure what to say. "Her mother must be there for her, right?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen them in years.." he trailed off before stopping and turning to face Amriel. "We have to go help her. I'd feel partly responsible if anything happened to her."

The blonde nodded, "We can find out how far Pontiac is from here and decide when to leave. If Claire is important to you, I want to help in any way I can."

"She's most likely furious with me. I'm not sure how this is going to go," he frowned, and Amriel reached up, setting a hand on his cheek, telling him that they'd figure it out as they went.

"If she's open to help, that's great. If not… Hopefully we can convince her. Shoplifting and other small crimes could escalate into something way more serious. But let's wait until we see her to make our assessment," Amriel told him, tracing her thumb along his stubble-covered cheek. She rose up and pressed a kiss to his other cheek, flashing him a reassuring smile. "Let's get back to the hotel. I might let you shower with me if you're nice."

"I'm always nice to you, Elle," Cas finally smiled, taking her hand and squeezing gently. They started their walk back to the hotel, talking and stealing quick kisses the entire time.

At the hotel, Amriel slipped off her shoes and slid them under the desk, watching as Cas did the same thing. Over the months they had established little routines and habits, none that Amriel really noticed unless she was thinking about.

She watched him shrug out of his jacket and hang it up in the closet, then he undid his tie and started to unbutton his dress shirt. Amriel didn't even think when she moved over to him, pushing his hands out of the way and unbuttoning it for him, holding his gaze the entire time.

"Elle…" he said, his voice lower than it usually was. "What are you doing?"

"Helping you get undressed, Castiel," she answered, "I did say I'd let you shower with me, didn't I? But only if you do something for me first."

"And what is that?" he raised an eyebrow as Amriel grinned, pulling open his shirt and sliding it off his shoulders, running her fingers under his t-shirt.

"We have such a comfortable bed for a change… I was thinking we could take advantage of it," Amriel said, trailing her right hand down to his belt and tugging gently. "Then we could shower afterwards."

Cas was silent for a moment or two, and Amriel thought he was going to say no before he finally said, "You're wearing far too much clothing."

With a grin, Amriel pulled back and turned around, glancing at Cas over her shoulder and asking if he would unzip her dress. She felt his rough hands on her shoulder blades, ghosting over her skin before she heard the zipper, and soon her dress fell to the floor and she stepped out of it, turning back to face him.

"Do you like it?" she asked, motioning to the matching lacy, pale pink bra and panties she was wearing.

"I love anything you wear, you know that," Cas told her, pulling his shirt off and tossing it aside, "But right now it's merely a hinderance."

Pontiac was only an hour and a half drive from Chicago, so the pair arrived around 10 a.m., checking into a motel not too far from the youth center Claire Novak was being detained at.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Amriel asked, watching Cas as he combed his hair, something he rarely did.

"No, I think this is something I need to do alone. I'll keep you updated, though, okay?" he told her, turning around and holding his hands out at his sides, "Do I look presentable?"

"Of course. Very… parental," Amriel nodded. "I hope things go well. Let me know if you need me for anything. I might go for a walk around town."

With a quick peck on the lips and a goodbye, Cas left for the youth center. When he arrived, he told the receptionist that he was James Novak, Claire's father, and that he was there to see his daughter. An orderly escorted him back to her room once he was signed in, and he found the young girl sitting on the floor.

Claire stood up, her eyes big and full of hope, not leaving his figure as he turned to the orderly and asked if they could have a moment alone.

"I'll be outside," the orderly told him before leaving, closing the door behind him.

"I'm not your father," he told her softly, watching the light quickly leave her eyes, and he frowned slightly.

"Right. 'I'm not your father.' Those are the first words you ever said to me, remember?" she spat, causing Cas to suppress a flinch.

"I remember everything," he told her.

"So do I, Castiel," she shot back before her voice became quiet, "My dad… is he still in there?"

"No. The human soul can only occupy a body while it retains a certain… structural integrity, and this vessel— it was ripped apart on a subatomic level by an archangel," he explained plainly.

"Well, then how are you—?"

"I was reassembled. Your father is in Heaven," he reassured the girl.

"Well, yay for him," she rolled her eyes. "Anyways, good talk. You can get the hell out of my life now."

"Claire—" Cas started, but she cut him off.

"What? You took everything from me. What could you possibly want now?"

The girl stared him down, and Cas felt guilt stirring deep in him. He had to do something to make up for taking her father from her.

"Nothing, I just— I came here to help you… Because I've hurt you so much," he told her, watching as she tried to hold back tears. He had no idea how to comfort the teenager, so he asked, "Where is your mother?"

"About a few months after you… She took off. Dropped me off at my grandma's and went to go find herself. I guess she's still looking," Claire said sarcastically, reminding the angel of Dean for some reason.

"Are you in a child prison?" he asked, and Claire shrugged.

"It's a group home. After my Gran died, I didn't have anyone, so… I bounced around to different foster families. Places like this. Just living the dream, you know."

"Well Claire, I'm— I'm sorry, and I can never replace what I took from you," Cas told her honestly, "But if there is anything you need, anything at all…"

"Get me out of here," she blurted out, causing him to tilt his head in confusion.

"How?"

"Do you own a tie?" she asked, and he nodded quickly.

Despite Castiel's best effort, he was unable to impress the woman in charge and get Claire out of the center. He felt horrible when he returned to the motel and told Amriel about how the woman named Sandy denied his application for custody of the girl.

"She said that Claire is troubled, and that she needs a father," he told her, sitting on the bed with his head in his hands. "I don't know what to do."

Amriel frowned, thinking about everything he had told her about the meeting with Sandy.

"Maybe you should try again tomorrow. She seems rebellious, and I don't think being told what to do by those people will do much to keep her from acting out," Amriel said with a shrug. "I could come with you. Maybe if this Sandy woman sees that you're in a stable relationship, she'll be more inclined to reconsider."

"Maybe," Cas echoed before changing the subject and asking Amriel what she did while he was out.

He listened as she told him about the town and how she had explored the Route 66 Association Museum, wondering why people were so fascinated by such a long stretch of road. She had gotten postcard from there, too, and she showed them to Cas.

"Your favorite thing was the mural outside?" he asked, and Amriel nodded enthusiastically, grabbing her phone and showing him a photo she had asked a woman to take over her in front of it.

"I see," he smiled, staring down at the pixelated version of Amriel. "It's a very nice mural."

"So, what do you want to do now?" Amriel asked him, adding the postcard she had gotten to her collection she kept in her duffle bag.

They ended up taking a long walk through the town and seeing a movie at a small theater, stopping at an ice cream parlor before returning to the motel and getting ready for bed.

"That movie was horrendous, Cas," Amriel groaned from the bed as he brushed his teeth, something he still did as a habit from his time as a human. "Why would humans in the United States all commit crime on one day of the year? Does the number of crimes go down that way? I feel like the number must be higher…"

"Elle, that's why it's fictional. I don't think anything like a purge would actually work," he told her as he walked into the room and got under the covers beside her. "Don't think too much into it. It's just a movie."

"I know, but that type of dystopian future is kind of ridiculous," she said with an eye roll, turning on the tv to try and find something suitable to fall asleep to.

"Did I tell you about how Dean was sent to a dystopian future once?" Cas asked, watching Amriel tilt her head in confusion. He took it as a signal to continue, so he did, "Lucifer released the Croatoan virus and much of humanity was wiped out. Dean tried not to tell me much… But he said that I was essentially human, and self medicating with prescription drugs, and… organizing orgies."

Amriel's jaw dropped, her eyes widening as she thought about what that Castiel would be like. She pictured him disheveled, sad, and lost without his powers, and she frowned.

"I'm glad that's not our reality," she told him softly, taking his hand and squeezing it. "I hope you don't plan on participating in any orgies any time soon." Amriel flashed him a look, watching him roll his eyes as he told her he wouldn't dream of it.

She went back to flipping channels before she realized something and asked, "Is that why you were so hard on me when I was taking pills?"

"I'm not sure, Elle. All I know is that when I saw the path you were going down, I knew it wouldn't end well, so I had to do something about it. I intend to do the same with Claire," he told her seriously, and Amriel nodded in understanding.

"Okay. Then tomorrow, bright and early, we'll go back and see what we can do."

Amriel turned out the light and settled into bed falling asleep rather quickly. Cas, however, couldn't get his mind to be quiet. He had to do something. Claire was all alone in that cold, sterile center and he could help her.

An hour and a half passed and he still couldn't sleep. Making up his mind, Cas quietly got out of bed, being careful not to wake the sleeping blonde next to him as he did so. He dressed quickly and grabbed his phone and the car keys, knowing that a room key was in his pocket as he left the motel room and drove to the center.

He easily broke into the building and rendered the already sleeping orderly unconscious, just in case, and made his way to Claire's room.

When he went to open the door he found that it was locked. Mentally cursing himself, Cas went back to the orderly's desk and took his keyring, returning to Claire's room and trying the first key he picked. The door opened, and he entered to find Claire lying on her bed, wide awake.

"It's you," she said quietly, "What's going on?"

"I'm getting you out of here," Cas answered, motioning for her to follow him.

Claire grabbed her jacket and followed the angel down the hall, stepping over the guard.

"Is he…?" she asked, and Cas immediately shook his head, knowing what she was going to ask.

"He's sleeping," he told her, continuing down the hall and out the front door of the center.

He took her to a diner down the street from the motel, where Claire ordered a burger and fries. He had received a worried text from Amriel, and he replied telling her to meet him at the diner.

Watching Claire drag her fries through a pile of ketchup, Cas frowned. As a human he hated ketchup.

"Yeah?" she asked, wanting to know why he was watching her so intently.

"Nothing. It's just… You could eat a vegetable," he said plainly, and Claire smiled back.

"Ketchup's a vegetable," Claire laughed. "You've changed. The Castiel I met? He was crappy. Like, super stuck up and a dick and you just wanted to punch him in his stupid angel face."

"I don't think I was that bad," he frowned, staring down at the plate again.

"You totally were. And now you're just, I dunno," she shrugged. "Nicer. And kind of a doof, no offense."

"Yes, well, um," Cas cleared his throat. "Before, I was very self-assured. I was convinced I was on this righteous path. Now I realize that there is no righteous path. It's just people trying to do their best in a world where it's far too easy to do your worst."

"Wow, deep," Claire said, popping a fry into her mouth.

"Yeah, for a doof," he smiled, hearing the bell above the door tinkle and he looked up to see Amriel walk in. He watched her look around, her gaze finally meeting his and he smiled. Claire noticed and turned around, her eyes settling on the blonde as she frowned.

"Who is that?" Claire asked as Amriel approached, taking a seat in the booth beside Cas.

"Claire, this is Amriel," Cas introduced the two blondes. "Elle, this is Claire Novak."

"It's nice to meet you," Amriel told the girl with a smile, "I was under the impression that we would be breaking you out tomorrow, but I guess this works too."

"Who exactly are you?" Claire asked, staring at Amriel before looking back to Cas and noticing the way his demeanor had changed from a bumbling idiot to a bumbling idiot with puppy love all over his face. "You're banging her?" Claire gestured to Amriel as she glared at Cas. "What is she, seventeen?"

"Please, keep your voice down. I'm much older than I look," Amriel shot back. "And my vessel is that of a 24-year-old."

"That doesn't make it any better— that's my dad's body! He was 36, you know."

Amriel froze, staring at the blonde girl before her and realizing why she was so upset.

"Now Claire," Cas began to try and calm her down. "Amriel is an angel, and my fiancée."

"You're engaged? What the actual fuck," Claire groaned. "I can't. This is too much. It's one thing for you to be in my dad's body, but you're with someone? You have sex with her? How do you think I feel, seeing you with some chick?"

"Claire," he tried again. "I'm not your father. Jimmy is in Heaven, and you know that. If I wasn't inhabiting his body, it'd be in the ground."

"Sometimes I think it'd be better if it was," Claire muttered, staring down at her plate rather than the two angels in front of her. "Look, I appreciate the meal, and you know, the felony. But you don't need to babysit me. I can take care of myself."

"What do you mean?" Cas asked as the waitress approached their table and dropped off the check.

"I mean, you feel guilty, so you busted me out. So thanks, but we're good. Even Steven," Claire told him, ignoring Amriel.

"We committed a crime, and you might need me again, so I — I think we should stick together," Cas said quickly, and Claire gave in with a roll of her eyes.

"Okay. You want to get some stuff for the road? I have to pee," Claire huffed, and the three all got up at the same time. Amriel watched the two bump into each other, her eyes narrowing slightly as Cas apologized and Claire said, "My bad."

The girl disappeared into the bathroom and Amriel looked at the cookies and pastries, taking note of the different kinds of pie as Cas went to the register to pay.

"Amriel," he called from the counter, and she looked up from the glass case of pies. "My wallet is gone."

She looked around for Claire, noticing that she wasn't anywhere to be found.

"Go outside and see if you can find Claire, I'll check the bathroom and pay," she told him, and Cas quickly bolted out the front door.

Amriel went into the bathroom and wasn't surprised to find that no one was there. Heaving a sigh, she returned to the register and paid the bill before leaving the diner to find Cas standing in the road.

"What happened?" she asked once she approached him, noticing a look of disappointment on his face.

"She got in a car and left. Why would she do that?" Cas said quietly, and Amriel frowned.

"I'm not sure… Maybe we should call Sam and Dean. They can help us find her," she told him as she took his hand and lead him out of the road and back onto the sidewalk. "Come on, let's go back to the motel. I'll call Sam and you can take a shower. It's been a long day."

"You can say that again," he sighed, letting go of her hand to wrap his arm around her shoulders, pulling her against his side as the headed down the street to the motel.

Sam and Dean definitely didn't think Claire taking off was as serious as Cas and Amriel did. Dean seemed almost offended that the angels had called them out to Pontiac to find a teenage girl.

Cas had managed to convince the brothers to help them, and Sam and Amriel went off to ask around at the group home and see if anyone had heard from the girl while Dean practically dragged Cas into the diner.

"Dean, I don't like leaving Amriel alone with your brother," Cas frowned, looking at the bottle of ketchup that sat on the table. "Is ketchup a vegetable?"

"Hell yes, it's a vegetable. Now what's this about Sam? Didn't he kiss her or something? He mentioned it once," Dean mumbled as he stuffed his face with a burger. "Said you almost broke his arm."

"I had to get my point across," Cas said matter-of-factly, and Dean rolled his eyes.

"Amriel's a big girl, she can handle herself with Sam. Now spill, what's with this family reunion?"

"I don't know, I've just been thinking about people," Cas watched Dean switch their plates, placing his empty one in front of the angel and starting in on his burger. "I've helped some, but I've hurt some, too."

"So, you're having a midlife crisis," Dean stated rather than asked, and Cas shot him a look.

"Well, I'm extremely old. I think I'm entitled," he snapped sarcastically.

"Cas, listen to me. There's some stuff you just got to let go, okay?"

They went on to talk more about letting things go, and Dean told the angel that he wasn't really good at that kind of thing, and that he definitely wasn't a role model. They bickered for a few minutes, until Cas asked Dean how he was doing.

As per usual, Dean said that he was doing great, but Castiel saw straight through him.

"Cas, I need you to promise me something," Dean said suddenly, the seriousness in his tone catching the angel's attention.

"Of course," he answered, waiting for Dean to continue.

"If I go dark side, you gotta take me out. Knife me, smite me. Throw me into the freakin' sun, whatever," Dean told him. "And don't let Sam get in the way, because he'll try. I can't go down that road again, man. I can't be that thing again."

"I promise, Dean. But that won't happen again. We'll find a way to deal with the mark, okay?"

Sam and Amriel sat in an office in the youth center across from Claire's caseworker, Sandy.

"Claire's a good kid, detectives," Sandy said, handing a folder over to Sam. "She's smart, and underneath it all she has a big heart. You know, there used to be a boy here. Dustin Tate. He was older, but Claire really took him under her wing."

"Is he around?" Sam asked, glancing through the folder before handing it over to Amriel.

"He works at the Weiner Hut. We tried to place Claire, but she always ran away. Sometimes for a couple of days, one time for six months," Sandy told the two with a frown on her face.

"Where does she like to hide out?" Amriel asked, not taking her gaze from the papers in her hands. There were pages and pages of notes from therapists.

"Wish I knew," Sandy answered, and they continued to discuss a few things before Sam said it'd be best if they left to go and try to find her.

"Sam, finding Claire and helping her out really means a lot to Cas. We need to do whatever it takes, so let's go check out that Weiner Hut," Amriel said before mumbling, "Whatever that is…"

On their way to the Weiner Hut, Amriel texted Cas as Sam drove, telling him to meet them there to see if they could find this Dustin Tate kid. They stood outside of the fast food restaurant, Sam watching the parking lot as Amriel peered in the window, mainly trying to figure out just what kind of food the place served.

"Who knew there were so many different toppings for hot dogs…" she said to herself, turning around when she heard footsteps. She smiled at Cas, who had a look of determination on his face as he approached, Dean not far behind with a paper bag full of something greasy.

Shortly after, a teenager that matched the description Sandy had given them of Dustin arrived. Cas was quick to act, grabbing the teen's jacket and pushing him against the wall of the building.

"You're going to tell me where Claire Novak is," Cas seethed, and Amriel watched carefully, making sure he didn't actually harm the child. "Now."

"I'd do what he says," Dean said with a mouth full of food, making the blonde roll her eyes.

Dustin Tate had told them that Claire was going to be at the nearest convenience store, and the four quickly made their way down the block. Amriel walked in and went left while Cas had gone right, and she scanned the aisles.

Castiel found Claire walking towards the cash register from the drink refrigerator, moving to pull something out of her pocket. He quickly caught up with her and grabbed her arm, turning her around and staring down at her.

Claire didn't say anything, and the two continued their stare down until Amriel walked up. She had noticed that the clerk glanced over at them, and she sent him a smile, saying, "Excuse us."

Amriel dragged them both out of the store, letting Claire go once they were in the parking lot.

The girl pulled her hood off of her head and started to walk away, ignoring Cas' calls for her to wait.

"Screw you!" she yelled over her shoulder, nearly bumping into Dean as she did so.

"Woah, hey, Miley Cyrus. Settle down," Dean said, keeping her from leaving.

"Eat me, Hasselhoff," the girl snapped in response, trying to move around Dean only to be stopped by Sam.

"Claire, hold on a second. Look, my name's—" Sam started, but Claire cut him off.

"Sam. And he's Dean. We've met, remember?" she rolled her eyes, and Amriel moved so that she was closer to Sam, in case the girl decided to make a run for it.

"Claire, you were going to rob that convenience store?" Cas asked, and she shrugged, "So?"

"So? So, it's wrong!" he told her.

"You want to talk to me about wrong? You killed my dad! Is that wrong enough for you?" Claire spat, and Amriel saw Castiel recoil slightly.

"Claire, I'm—" he stepped forward, and Amriel felt like she was watching in slow motion when Claire pulled a gun out of her pocket, cocked it, and aimed it at him.

Amriel moved to intervene, but stopped when Cas held out his hand, signaling for her to stay back.

"That won't hurt me," he told Claire, and the girl turned the gun on Sam and Dean.

"Woah!" Dean yelped, holding up his hands in defense.

"Hold on a second," Sam tried, and Amriel moved herself so she was standing between Claire and the Winchesters.

"Why? Like you don't have it coming? You stood there while this monster took my dad!" Claire finally put the gun down, and Amriel was quick to grab it and hand it off to Dean while the girl turned her attention to Cas. "I used to pray to you, Castiel. Every night. I would beg you to bring him home safe."

"I know," he said, unable to look Claire in the eyes. Instead, he stared at the ground, apologizing for what he did to her father.

Sam asked if she was going to run back to Randy, the man she was apparently stealing for, and Claire blew up at them, telling them that Randy had been there for her when no one else had.

"You can all just go to Hell," Claire told the four, turning on her heel and walking away.

Despite the fact that Amriel wanted to go after the girl and try to talk some sense into her again, she decided it was best to let her cool off.

"C'mon, guys. I could use a drink or six," Dean finally said, trying to ease the tension. "Let's find a bar."

The bar was relatively quiet since it was the middle of the afternoon, and Dean decided to order them all whiskeys as they sat down.

"Cas, don't beat yourself up, man. Claire was…" Sam trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"Right," Castiel finished for him. "She was right. Who am I to tell her how to live her life?"

"Well, someone needs to. It's not like we're talking about Mother Teresa here," Dean said, "The girl almost knocked off a Gas n Sip. She's got issues."

"Because of me," Cas mumbled, and Amriel watched Dean roll his eyes as he said, "Well, you are wearing her old man's meat suit. Probably doesn't help."

Sam shook his head at his brother, and Amriel took a sip of her whiskey, frowning at the taste.

"I thought I could make it up to her," Cas continued, and the blonde set her hand on his, squeezing gently, reassuring him that she was there for him.

"I don't think you can," Sam told him. "I mean, Jimmy was her father, and to some people, that's everything, you know?"

"No, I don't. We never knew our father," Cas told the brothers, "He was distant, to say the least."

Amriel nodded in agreement, "That's true. He was an absent father for most of our existence."

Cas asked Dean if he loved his father, and both Winchesters spoke about just how much they loved John, and how they had convinced him to let them go to New York City once when they were growing up. Dean had decided to sneak off and go to CBGB, where The Ramones and Blondie got their start, and got drunk underage.

"My old man, I don't know how, but he found me. And now I'm really freaking out, because he's just standing there, not saying anything. I look around, and everybody else is freaking out, too. In fact, nobody's even looking him in the eye. And finally, this one guy with, like, a safety pin through his nose and a—a "Kill Everything" tattoo looks up and he says, 'Sorry, sir.'"

The angels smile and Dean shakes his head, "Yeah. 'Sorry, sir.' to John friggin' Winchester."

"He saved you," Cas said, and Dean nodded.

"Yeah, and you know what he got for that? Me whining about how much he embarrassed me. Me telling him that I hated him. But then he stopped and turned around and he looked at me and he said, 'Son, you don't like me? That's fine. It's not my job to be liked.'"

"It's my job to raise you right," Sam finished for his brother.

"Do you think Claire is in trouble?" Castiel asked, and Dean motioned to the bartender for another round, saying, "She's hanging out with a guy named Randy. She's in trouble."

Cas' phone vibrated against the wood of the bar, and Amriel raised an eyebrow. Everyone who would contact him was right there.

"It's Dustin," Cas told them. "He sent Claire's current location, and says that she's in trouble."

"Well, what are we waiting for," Dean said as he pulled a few bills out of his wallet, setting them down on the bar. "Let's get over there."