Hey hey! Welcome to chapter thirty nine! I somehow found myself writing stuff happening during seasons 12 and 13, and got a little carried away. Back to the present! Just wanted to thank everyone for reading! This story has over 60,000 views, and I never expected to get so many! I appreciate every view, follow, favorite, and comment. It means so much to me, so thank you!
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 Nine: Searching
"I think Charlie finds you attractive," Castiel said as he and Amriel strolled through Frank Lloyd Wright's Allen House in Wichita. After telling the Winchesters they needed a little time to themselves, the angels drove the three hours to spend a few days together.
"So? Is that a big deal?" the blonde asked, peering out of one of the windows in the living room. "Are you worried I find her attractive too? She is very pretty..."
"No, it was just an observation. You two get along well," he answered, "I think it's good for you to have a friend."
Amriel knew where this was going and didn't want to talk about it at all, let alone in the beautiful house they were touring through.
"Now isn't the time to talk about Marissa, Cas. We aren't friends anymore, and that's okay with me," she sighed.
"Are you not upset at all? You were close with her," he tried again, touching Amriel's back lightly and turning her to face him.
"I was when it happened, but time went on and I got over it," the blonde shrugged. "She has her life, I have mine, and they don't overlap anymore. That's really all there is."
Done with the conversation, Amriel moved away from the windows to continue their tour. The prairie style home was gorgeous, and she was enthralled with the decor. Before coming to Wichita, Amriel had been reading up on the architect and learned that he had designed the furniture as well.
"Did you know there are other Wright houses we can visit across the country?" Amriel asked as they left the house to go to lunch.
"Yes, I think that was mentioned somewhere on the tour," Cas nodded once they were in the car. "Let's look them up later and add them to the list."
Amriel grinned, leaning over in her seat and pressing a kiss to his cheek, "That sounds good to me. I think I read that there's one in Arizona- I'd love to see the desert."
"We'll go wherever you want," Cas said with a smile. "Now that I have my grace back we don't have to worry about time."
"I'm glad you found it, you know. I hated worrying about your wellbeing, especially with how stubborn you are," she said, shooting him a pointed glance before pitching her voice as low as she could to imitate him, "'Let me die, Elle. It's my decision even though I know it will devastate you if I cease to exist.'"
"I don't sound like that," he mumbled, but Amriel could see his lips twitching up in a small smile.
On their third day in Wichita, the angels spent the morning at Botanica, a huge garden with koi ponds and a butterfly house. Their previous day had been full of museums, so they wanted to spend some time outside.
"Cas, there's a butterfly in your hair," Amriel gasped, turning him so she could get a closer look at the tiny creature that had landed in his dark strands. "It's so amazing how a caterpillar turns into something so pretty."
"It is, isn't it?" Cas agreed, watching other butterflies fly around the garden lazily, moving pollen along with them.
Castiel's phone rang, and the butterfly quickly flew off when he answered it. Amriel couldn't tell who was on the phone, but judging by the seriousness in his voice, it wasn't a Winchester.
She heard him mention Claire's name, and she immediately tuned in to what he was saying as he wrapped up the call with someone he had addressed as 'officer'.
"What's going on?" Amriel asked, remembering how their Chicago trip had been interrupted by a call that involved Claire. "Is she okay?"
"That was a hospital in Tulsa. Claire's there- she was found unconscious behind a bar last night, and police found my number in her emergency contact list," he explained, and Amriel was rummaging around in her bag for the car keys.
"Let's go get our stuff from the motel, check out, and get on the road," she said as she pulled the keys out from the bottom of her purse.
Amriel called Sam during their drive and asked him to bring Dean to meet them at the Tulsa Memorial Hospital, telling him that something had happened to Claire. Sam agreed, saying that they would meet them as soon as possible.
It only took a few hours to get to the hospital, and Amriel watched as Cas paced in front of the building, her arms crossed over her chest.
"Come on, we have to go inside and see her sometime," she told him, "I'll be with you, there's nothing to worry about…"
"I- I would just rather wait for Sam and Dean. They'll be better equipped to talk to her than you or I would be," Cas explained as the Impala rolled around the corner and pulled up in front of the hospital.
The Winchesters got out of the car simultaneously, and Amriel wondered if they practiced that as they approached.
"Thanks for coming," Cas greeted, nodding at the brothers. Amriel sent them each a nod too as Sam said, "Yeah, of course."
"Cas, look," Dean started, "We're always glad to help, but Claire and I aren't exactly on the best of terms. I mean, should I even be here?"
"I need help from both of you," he told Dean as he looked between him and his brother, "You were both troubled teens. You speak her language."
"All right, so how is she?" Sam asked, and Amriel watched Cas freeze up, unsure of what to say.
"We haven't gone in yet. Cas wanted to wait for backup," she answered for Castiel, earning a grateful look from him.
"Well, let's do this," Dean shrugged and the four of them entered the hospital.
Claire wasn't happy when the Winchesters and angels showed up in her hospital room, and Amriel didn't blame her. Cas had explained that the police had found his number in the girl's emergency contacts list and asked why she had been at the bar.
The girl was following a lead on her mother, who she hadn't heard from in two years. She had gone to the bar looking for a man named Ronnie Cartwright- Amelia Novak's diary said she was going to meet him around the time she disappeared, and Claire told them that he knew something.
After the four decided that they had to find Amelia, they discovered that Claire had disappeared from the hospital. Amriel suggested that they split up to cover more ground, so she and Sam went to the motel to look for Claire, while Dean and Cas went to the bar to find Ronnie Cartwright.
Sam and Amriel were seated in chairs in Claire's motel room when she walked in, and Amriel had to hold back a smile when Sam said, "Took you long enough."
"How did you…" the girl started, and Amriel held up the postcard.
"Also, you checked in under the name Claire Novak," Sam added. "A little pro-tip? Use an alias."
"Okay," she nodded, setting her bag on the bed and flopping down beside it.
"Claire, we just wanna help," Sam tried, but the girl shook her head and said she didn't ask for their help.
The girl dug through her bag while Sam and Amriel looked at the wall that's covered with maps, photos of people, newspaper clippings, and other papers.
"You know, this is good. I'm impressed. How did you get the information that…" Claire tossed a book into Sam's lap, cutting him off in the process.
"It's mostly empty promises and regret, but there were enough breadcrumbs to get me here," she shrugged.
Sam glanced through the book and Amriel watched Claire begin to pack her bags, a small frown on her face. She was a very strong person for a girl her age, and Amriel couldn't imagine the hardships Claire had faced. Amriel was as old as time itself and she had a hard time existing on Earth.
She heard Sam ask Claire if she had checked Amelia's credit cards, and frowned when the girl said that they wouldn't send her the records.
"Okay, I know you need to be somewhere far away from all of us, but let me get my laptop," Sam said as he got up from the chair. "I'll teach you how to hack into her credit card records- it'll help you get a lead on your mom."
"Show me, but then I'm gone," Claire nodded, and the Winchester walked out of the room, leaving the two blondes alone.
"Sam is a very good teacher," Amriel finally spoke, "He'll give you the tools you need to find your mother."
Claire stared at the angel for a moment, her gaze narrowing slightly and making Amriel shift uncomfortably.
"Don't- just don't," Claire snapped. "I don't need your pity. I don't even know why you're here at all."
Amriel felt like she had been slapped across the face. She hadn't expected Claire to like her, but she wasn't prepared for her to be blunt about it.
"I- it isn't pity, Claire. I understand how difficult it is to be alone, and I want nothing more than for you to find your mother," she answered, "I'm not sure how to be of help, but I'll do what I can."
"I know why Castiel is on Earth, but why are you? I thought angels lived in Heaven?" Claire asked as she walked into the bathroom and grabbed her toiletry bag.
"All of the angels were expelled from Heaven at once and we all fell to Earth," Amriel explained. "Many took vessels, some chose to merely exist as multi-dimensional wavelengths of celestial intent, and others died, unable to handle the fall. I acquired a vessel and tried to adjust to human life, but nothing really clicked until I found Castiel, human and working at a gas station."
"He wasn't an angel?!" Claire asked, her brows furrowed in confusion and Amriel shook her head.
Sam came back into the room with his computer and whatever Amriel was going to say was forgotten as the Winchester showed them how to access credit reports and set up fake credit cards.
Dean and Cas had arrived not long after Sam's lesson in fraud, telling them that Ronnie had given them a name. Peter Holloway was allegedly a faith healer, and the next person they needed to check out.
They could be looking for an angel, but Amriel was confused by the fact that it sounded like he healed people but also fed off of others.
She watched intently as Cas walked over to Claire with a gift bag in his hands, and she noticed Dean at the small table behind him, covering his eyes with his hand in embarrassment.
"Claire, um… Happy birthday," Cas said awkwardly as he gave her the bag.
The girl stared at him in confusion as she pulled a plush Grumpy Cat, looking between the stuffed animal and Cas, "Uh…"
"I got it at the Hot Topical," he told her, a proud tone in his voice.
Amriel saw Sam and Dean raise their eyebrows at one another, and she merely smiled at the gesture.
"Right. Um, thanks, I guess," Claire said as she put the cat back in the bag and tossed it onto the bed behind her.
Sam's computer pinged and he announced that he had gotten an alert from the local police that Ronnie's body was found outside of the bar.
"You were just supposed to talk to Ronnie," Claire shot a glare at Dean, "What did you do to him?"
"I didn't lay a hand on him!" Dean said defensively, and Cas cut in, saying, "That isn't exactly true."
"I didn't kill the guy," the older Winchester said as he stood up from the table he had been sitting at, "All right, I'm gonna get suited up and head back over there."
Cas and Claire wanted to go with him, and Amriel knew that four people playing federal agent would be too many, so she decided to stay with Sam and help track down Peter Holloway.
Once Dean had left along with Claire, Amriel stopped Cas and asked him what had happened at the bar with Ronnie.
"Dean snapped," he said with a frown. "He's getting worse."
"Keep an eye on him, okay?" she asked, and once he nodded she sent him a small smile and told him to be safe before sending him on his way.
That evening, Amriel had been left in charge of Dean and Claire as Sam and Cas went to a farmhouse owned by Peter Holloway, but that hadn't lasted very long. The two humans convinced the angel to go mini-golfing with them.
"Come on, Blondie, you're no fun," Dean said as he handed her a club, setting the orange ball on the fake grass. "Take a swing."
They had been there for nearly an hour and Amriel had merely watched as Dean and Claire quoted Caddyshack and Happy Gilmore back and forth, making fun of one another as they did so.
Amriel rolled her eyes and took the club, lining up her shot and taking a swing, not even bothering to watch as the ball went into the hole. Dean's eyes widened in surprise, and Claire raised an eyebrow at the angel as they continued to the next hole.
"Is this what you guys do?" Claire asked as Dean took a shot. "Stay at cheap motels, steal credit cards… Play mini-golf?"
"Actually, we haven't played mini-golf in a while. But, uh, yeah. That about sums it up," Dean said with a shrug.
"Cas and I go to museums and state parks," Amriel told Claire, "We went to a fair once when he was human… He almost threw up on a roller coaster."
Dean let out a laugh, trying to imagine a green-faced Cas blowing chunks, "I wish I had seen that."
"You would've if you hadn't abandoned him after the angels fell-" Amriel started, immediately stopping herself before she could get riled up. It wouldn't do any good for them to argue.
"Yeah, well, I wish I'd done a lot of things different," Dean frowned, before turning to Claire. "When we're not mini-golfing, we try and help people as best we can."
"Like how Castiel helped my dad?" she mumbled bitterly, and it was Amriel's turn to frown.
"Claire, what happened to your dad… I'm sorry, okay? I really am. But there's something you gotta know," Dean paused and they stopped walking as he turned to face Claire. "Your dad's sacrifice wasn't meaningless. He gave up his body… His vessel. And because he did that, Cas was able to save the world. The world, Claire. Your father's a hero, and he did not die in vain."
Amriel knew that every word Dean had said was true. She nodded in agreement, knowing that she didn't have anything to add to his statement.
They played the last hole, and Amriel watched curiously as they deposited the ball and golf club into the hole, but the club got stuck. Dean walked towards it, bending down and grabbing the club with a concentrated look on his face.
"You okay? You're not stroking out are you?" Claire asked, turning to Amriel and addressing her for the first time at the mini-golf place. "Is he having a stroke?"
"The red marks… Claire, you're a genius! Let's go," he said suddenly, turning to leave the place with the two blondes following after him.
They had figured out that it was a Grigori, a watcher angel, that was behind Ronnie's death, and Amriel was furious. How could an angel kill a human? All three of them went out to the cabin that Sam and Cas were supposed to be checking out after they weren't able to get in contact with them, despite Dean trying to tell Claire to stay behind. Instead, he had given her a handgun and told her not to shoot him.
The three decided to check the barn first, where they ran into Cas. Claire ran past him and into the room, stopping when she found her mother.
Amriel looked Cas over to make sure he was okay- he looked mentally drained, but other than that he seemed fine. They walked back into the room to find Claire hugging Amelia tightly, and Dean told the angels they should go find Sam.
"I'm going to stay here with them," Amriel told them, not wanting to leave the two humans by themselves.
Dean nodded and turned to make his way out of the barn, but Castiel lingered, asking if she was sure she would be alright on her own.
"I'll be fine," she reassured him, "Go help Dean find Sam."
Cas was hesitant, but left to follow Dean. Once he was out of sight, Amriel turned to face Claire and Amelia, watching the girl turn to face her.
"Thank you, seriously," Claire told the angel. "I know I haven't been the best to you, but you still helped me…"
"I'm an angel, Claire, it's what I do," Amriel answered with a small smile, her expression suddenly changing when Amelia collapsed on the dingy cot she had been standing near. "We should get out of here, I don't like confined spaces."
Claire rushed to Amelia and helped her stand, pulling her mother's arm over her shoulders and they started walking, Amriel leading the way with her angel blade drawn.
"Mom, it's gonna be okay," Claire soothed, and Amriel heard Amelia quietly thanking her daughter.
"You know, there's no fixing her, right?" a voice called from in front of them, and before Amriel realized that it was the Grigori, he had flung out his hand and thrown her into a nearby wall.
Claire dropped her mother and pulled out the gun Dean had given her, shooting Holloway four times in the chest, emptying the gun.
"You really think that's gonna hurt an angel of the Lord?" Holloway asked with a laugh, moving to strike Claire, but Amelia jumped between them and was stabbed in the chest.
Amriel recovered from the throw as Cas and the Winchesters came rushing into the barn, and she grabbed Holloway by the back of his jacket, pulling him back from the women and tossing him into a wall.
"Stay away from them! You are an angel, you are not meant to hurt humans!" she seethed, her eyes flashing with warning but the Grigori merely laughed at her. Amriel could hear Claire begging Amelia to stay with her, saying that she was sorry, and she felt her stomach churn.
"You think you're stronger than me?" Holloway chuckled, "You're pathetic!"
Sam and Dean had gotten a few hits in, but were quickly incapacitated, and Cas had been thrown through a wall, leaving Amriel cornered.
She punched Holloway in the side, catching him off guard, and she looked around for her angel blade, but it was nowhere to be seen. Amriel froze, her heart stopping when the Grigori raised his own sword, preparing to stab her.
This is it, she thought, realizing that her existence was going to end in this barn.
The tip of a blade pierced through his chest from behind, and a bright light flooded from the wound and his eyes as Holloway screamed, falling into Amriel, who was pushed back into the wall. She looked up to see that Claire had stabbed him using her angel blade, and the girl nodded at her before running to her mother.
Amriel pushed the body off of her and grabbed her blade, wiping the blood off on the Grigori's jacket and walking over to Claire, kneeling down beside her and setting her hand on Amelia's forehead, feeling for any sign of life.
"Claire, she's with your father now," Amriel said quietly, her heart aching as she realized that the girl was alone in the world.
It had been hard saying goodbye to Claire the next morning. Sam and Dean had spoken with a woman they knew named Jody Mills, who had helped them out a lot over the years, and she had been more than willing to take the girl in.
Sam had said goodbye to her first, followed by Dean, and then Amriel carefully approached the girl, noticing the stuffed cat Cas had given her sitting in her duffle bag.
"I- I know you don't like me, for being an angel, for being with Castiel while he's in your father's body… I just wanted to thank you, for stopping the Grigori before he could kill me," Amriel blurted out, unable to make eye contact with the young girl. "You are so strong, and have so much to learn in life. It's inspiring."
"It's not a big deal," Claire shrugged, though her cheeks were flushed a pale pink. "You would've done the same thing for me. Just… take care of him, okay? I told Dean the same thing, but he'll actually listen to you. He loves you, in his own weird way."
Amriel laughed, nodding in agreement, "I will, I promise."
She watched Cas approaching them over Claire's shoulder and excused herself from the girl, letting him speak to her privately even though she could still hear them as she stood with Sam.
"If you need anything, ever, I'm… I just wanted you to know that…" she listened as Cas tried to spit the words out, but Claire cut him off with a tight hug, which he had returned immediately, resting his cheek on top of her head and taking a deep breath.
When their hug ended, Claire got into the cab that had been called for her, and as it drove off, Cas asked for someone to tell him that the girl was going to be okay.
"Yeah, Cas. Of course," Sam nodded, "She'll be okay, and so will you."
Amriel took his hand, squeezing gently in reassurance, easily reading the look of uncertainty that was all over his face.
"Everything's going to be okay," she echoed Sam, leaning into Cas and resting her head against his shoulder, feeling relieved when he tilted his head to lean against hers.
"I hope so," he mumbled, and together they watched the cab drive off.