Special thanks to my Beta Saysesydo. You're the best. Any remaining grammar/spelling mistakes are mine and mine alone.

CHAPTER THREE

Turned out Sam had decided to take some time off, leaving Dean to look after Bobby alone. Well not completely alone, he had Claire. – And Ellen and Jo planned on sticking around for a couple of days. Dean watched from the study as

Claire helped Ellen prepare dinner. It was a scene of perfect domestic bliss which had a cold shiver running down Dean's spine, because it was far from perfect. Sammy wasn't there for one and neither was Cass. He hadn't heard from the angel since he'd given him his pendant at the hospital. The feathery dude was off finding God and for some reason that meant he couldn't spare the time to stop by with a 'Hello Dean', 'Thank you' or a 'How are you?' – Hell he could at least ask how Claire was. The girl was practically his daughter in a weird totally screwed supernatural way.

"So we're playing Daddy Dearest huh?" Jo teased from behind him.

Dean simply shrugged, which Jo took as his I'm-brooding-right-now gesture.

"Want to talk?" she asked seriously.

Dean glanced over his shoulder at her for a few moments before pushing himself off the archway where he'd been leaning and walked towards the fridge. Retrieving two bottles of beer and giving Claire a warm smile as she sat peeling carrots for Ellen while chatting away to Bobby about school, he strolled out of the house with Jo at his heels.

Outside he dropped down on the porch handing the woman a bottle. "Not really," he finally said, answering her question. Jo laughed soft. Everyone knew Dean Winchester didn't talk about his feelings, not unless he was hours away from death or in some such equally traumatic situation. – Or he was sitting with a certain angel having been beaten the hell out of. So he just sat with Jo in the fading sunlight, drinking his beer in peace, refusing to think about the shit that was now occurring in the world around them because he hadn't been able to protect his brother from the influence of some hell bitch. He'd failed, again. – Then what was new?

~SUPERNATURAL - FAMILY DON'T END WITH BLOOD~

Having the two women around the house was actually rather irritating for all concerned. It wasn't that Claire didn't like them, she did. Ellen was treating her like she was one of her own, just like Dean and Jo. While Jo turned out to be like the big sister she'd never had. They'd sat in her room and talked about silly girl things. Jo had even taught her how to handle herself in hand to hand combat, while also painting her nails and offering to help her decorate her new room, though not all at the same time. Which Claire had sweetly declined, saying she kind of liked it as it was.

But after three days the two women had had about as much as they could stand. It turned out that Ellen and Jo could only put up with close-quarters consisting of two grumpy and on edge men for so long before they wanted to hit the road. Ellen had offered to take the teenager with her, but Dean had insisted that she was his responsibly and he wasn't going ship her off with 'no offence' strangers. Ellen had nodded her agreement and given Dean her 'I'm-proud-of-you' look before the station-wagon pulled out of the salvage yard. Claire had waved them off from Dean's side on the porch.

"They were nice."

"Yeah." Dean grinned, throwing his arm around the girl. "Wish they had more courage though."

"Courage?" Claire frowned up at him.

"Yeah, leaving us here to deal with him alone." Dean nodded towards the house. "…cowards."

Claire laughed, really laughed, for the first time in weeks. "So what we doing now?"

"Well Kiddo, first, I need to finish that ramp for McGrumpy in there, then I think it's time I teach you a few things."

Four hours later the ramp was done and Claire was standing in a field next to Bobby's place with Dean, a row of cans and bottles lined up on a fallen tree. "It's all well and good knowing that salt rounds hurt ghost, but if you can't shoot straight it won't be worth shit."

Claire raised a brow at the coarse language but smiled. "Okay."

"So here." Dean handed her the shot gun, placing it in her hands and helping her position it so she wouldn't dislocated her shoulder. "Now don't pull the trigger, squeeze it – gently."

Claire held her breath as she did what Dean told her, and missed.

"That's alright, try again."

She missed once more but the third was the charm and the empty soda can flew of the tree with a ting. "I did it." Claire's face lit up with pride and so did Dean's.

"Yeah you did." Dean watched as she took another shot and took out a bottle. "Awesome. – You're a natural Kiddo."

Claire lifted her chin and grinned so wide Dean's heart skipped.

"Dean?" She said as she continued to shoot at the cans and bottles.

"Yep." Dean said from the top of a cooler, where he sat finishing a bottle to add to her target line.

"Have you heard from Castiel?"

Dean swallowed hard at the unexpected question. "No, Kiddo, I ain't." He couldn't keep the irritation out of his voice. "I'm sure he's off doing something important." Not that he truly believed that.

"Do you think he's looking for mom?" Claire asked and missed the can.

Dean's heart dropped into his shoes, he'd completely forgotten about Amelia Novak. "Yeah. – He made a promise right." Though so had he.

"Yeah." Claire sighed, lowering her weapon.

Dean stepped forward and took the gun from her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "I think that's enough today. – Let's go tell Bobby how awesome you are."

"He'll probably still call me an idjit." She laughs sadly as they strolled causally toward the house.

~SUPERNATURAL - FAMILY DON'T END WITH BLOOD~

"Hey boy, get in here!" yelled Bobby.

Dean strolled into the study wiping motor oil off his hands with a dish cloth.

"What's wrong?"

"Got a case for you."

"Bobby," Dean sighed.

"Oh, I'm sorry, haven't you finished moping around princess? Do you need more Kleenex?"

Dean threw the dish cloth on the cabinet at his side. "I'm not moping Bobby and you know it."

"Oh what ya call it then?"

"A vacation. – I think I deserve one."

"Huh…" the old hunter snorted. "Well, take one on the road. There's been a possible vamp attack in Philadelphia."

"Can't someone else do it?"

"No Princess, I'm sending you. Go get your things together and get the hell out of my house."

A snort of laughter from behind him had Dean's head spinning around to stare at Claire; sitting at the kitchen table doing her homework. "You think this is funny?"

She nodded, fighting a laugh, which became impossible to hold back when the damp oily dish cloth hit her face.

"Aww, Dean." She shrieked.

"When you two are quite finished." Bobby snapped pointing at the door, not hiding his own smile.

"Alright I'm going." He dropped a hand on Claire's shoulder as he headed for the back door.

Claire glanced over her shoulder at Bobby. "Vampires?"

"'fraid so kid. Don't worry, he'll be fine."

"But vampires, really? – Like twilight?"

Bobby laughed and waved for her to come over. "I wouldn't mention that around the Dean, he hates those movies with a vengeance."

At his side Claire glanced down at an old book. "I think it's about time you start doing your homework." Bobby informed her cheerfully.

"I am."

Bobby grinned sympathetically, handing over another old dusty book. "Our kind of homework, Kid."

~SUPERNATURAL - FAMILY DON'T END WITH BLOOD~

Claire found it surprisingly enjoyable doing her 'homework', far more than the stuff she got from the school. She wouldn't deny that some of it had kind of freaked her out and she'd had nightmares the first couple of nights. But overall it was wonderful learning that all those things existed and that you could kill them. It did kind of make watching horror movies a little difficult. She'd found herself unconsciously correcting their screw-ups, which made Bobby laugh. While Dean was away on a hunt, Claire had thrown herself into learning as much as she could, wanting and somewhat needing to impress him. She also continued to practice her shooting. All while attending school and keeping her grades up.

~SUPERNATURAL - FAMILY DON'T END WITH BLOOD~

Dean was cleaning up after a run-in with a vamp. He was in another cheap dingy motel room. He had planned on heading back to Dakota right away but he just didn't feel like hitting the road at the moment. It wasn't as if he was worried about Claire or Bobby; he knew they were fine without him, at least for one more night. In the meantime he stood scrubbing out the blood stain on his jacket. He was concentrating so hard on it that he didn't notice the arrival of a certain angel until his glanced up in the mirror. "God, don't do that." he snapped, his heart pounding in his chest. How was it that he could face down monsters and demons but be surprised to the point of a heart attack by an angel? But it happened too often for his liking.

"Hello Dean." Cass greeted, as dead-pan as ever.

The hunter turned to face the angel only to find him standing too close. "Cass, we've talked about this." Dean said, shifting uncomfortably. "Personal space."

"My apologies." Cass stepped back.

Rolling his eyes, Dean snatched up his jacket and headed back to the bed.

"How'd you find me? I thought I was flying below the angel radar."

"You are," Cass replied, absently searching the room. "Bobby told me where you were. – Where's Sam?"

Dean stiffened. Bobby could give him his location but not the heads up on Sam. Typical. "Me and Sam are taking separate vacations for a while. - Did you find God yet? – More importantly have you found Claire's mom? - Oh, and can I have my necklace back."

Castiel stiffened at the mention of Amelia Novak. "No, I haven't found him." ignoring the subject of Claire's mother altogether. "That's why I'm here. I need your help."

"What with the God hunt? – Not interested."

He was pissed, they both knew it. Almost a month without a word would infuriate anyone, but Castiel had been trying to keep his promise to Claire, it had taken him a long time to locate Amelia. "It's not God, it's someone else."

"Who?" Dean groaned.

"An archangel. - The one that killed me."

Castiel explained all about the archangel Raphael, who Dean had laughingly referred to as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Angel, which of course went right over Cass's head, and how he was walking the earth. He then pleaded for Dean's help in capturing said archangel. More cultural references followed as they always did with Dean before he sighed.

"Give me one good reason why I should do this?" he asked. How about because he's your friend jerk. His mind substituted, causing Dean to feel just a tad ashamed of himself, but hell I haven't seen the guy in weeks and now he shows up wanting my help. Screw that.

"Because you're Michael's vessel and no angel would dare harm you." That was not the reason he should have given, and the anger in Dean's eyes told him such.

"Oh, so I'm your bullet shield."

"I need your help." Castiel pleaded, meeting the other man's gaze earnestly. "Because you're the only one who'll help me….Please."

The lost and desperate look in the angels' eyes was too much for Dean. Sure he was pissed at him, but Cass was the only friend he had and after Sam leaving to go find himself, Dean felt he needed to cling on to what he had left. Besides he needed to find out if Cass had heard anything about Claire's mom. "Alright fine, where is he?"

"Maine." Cass replied lifting his hand.

"Woah woah!"

"What?"

"Last time you zapped me someplace I didn't poop for a week…we're driving."

Castiel sighed. "Fine."

"But first I'm calling Claire and Bobby; let them know I'm going to be gone a few more days." Dean strolled over to the bedside cabinet to collect his phone.

Castiel stood stiffly, placing his hands in the pockets of his coat. "How is Claire?" He asked unsure of himself.

Dean sent him a condemning look. "I was wondering how long it would take you to ask. - She's fine. She enrolled at the local junior school, seems to be settling in. – Though it'll be nice to tell her you've found her mom."

Castiel dropped his gaze in a guilty gesture Dean had seen in the white room.

"Cass?" Dean pressed, strolling over to him. "Have you found her?" Dean heart was pounding, partly in hope, partly in fear. He wanted Claire to have at least a piece of her family back, but at the same time he'd grown used to having her around. He practically already thought of her as a part of his dysfunctional family. "Cass?" he repeated.

The angel sighed and nodded. "I found her."

"And?"

Castiel shook his head. "I was too late…" he told the hunter quietly. "…the demon made sure to kill her."

"Son of a bitch!" Dean shouted, kicking the end of the bed. "Dammit Cass."

The angel didn't speak, he was guilty. He'd felt the agony of Jimmy's loss ripple through him the moment he'd found the woman's body. That guilt had been why he'd stayed away from Dean and Claire for so long.

"You've got to tell her." Dean announced his voice still filled with anger. Castiel met his hazel gaze. "I – I can't."

"You can't just let her think her mom's out there being ridden around like a rusty car Cass. It's not fair on her."

"She will have hope."

"There is no hope Cass. The woman's dead, you can't just let Claire live her life waiting for you or me to find her. – She'll never be able to move on."

Castiel groaned, dropping onto the end of the bed, his head falling into his hands. He felt the bed dip as Dean took the seat beside him. "I – I don't know what to tell her."

"You tell her the truth Cass, that he mom's dead and you were unable to save her."

"She'll hate me."

"Probably." Dean said matter-of-factly. "But you still have to do it."

The angel inhaled deeply after a long thoughtful silence. "Very well. As soon as we've dealt with Raphael, I'll…speak to Claire."

~SUPERNATURAL - FAMILY DON'T END WITH BLOOD~

Dean was still fuming as he turned into Sioux Falls. He'd helped Cass locate Raphael and trap him, which of course hadn't exactly gone according to plan; the archangel had no more idea where God was than they did. All the pompous dick had done was taunt Cass, trying to convince him that it had been Lucifer that had brought him back. Dean of course didn't believe that, or maybe he couldn't let himself believe it, because that would be just another weight he wasn't ready to shoulder. When they'd realized Raphael wasn't going to be any use, the pair had left him trapped in a ring of holy fire. Though not before Cass had displayed some real backbone and told the ass where to go. Dean smiled to himself at the memory. We'll make a Winchester out of him yet. He thought. Of course that's after he ripped him a new one.

The plan had been that after they'd dealt with the archangel they'd head back to Bobby's together and break the news to Claire about her mom. But yet again Cass had skipped town, or car in their case. While talking about whether Cass honestly believed what Raphael had said he pulled a Houdini. Sure Dean had told the angel to go find God but he hadn't meant right at that moment. He liked the guy but there were times when all he wanted to do was rip his wings off. Leaving him to deliver the news to Claire was definitely one of those times.

Dean pulled into the salvage yard around noon, parking up he headed for the house only to come to a halt a few feet away as he caught sight of a familiar beige trench-coat. "Cass?"

The angel lifted his gaze and nodded. "Dean."

"Why are you here?" he swore to himself if the words 'I need your help' came out of the guys' mouth he was going to hit him, broken hand or no.

"We had an agreement."

Dean smirked sadly. "Glad you remembered. – You could have driven here with me you know."

"You said you were happier on your own." Cass reminded him, his head slightly tilted.

Dean rolled his eyes. "I didn't mean for you to get lost Cass, we were talking in general."

"Oh."

Dean stood meeting the angels gaze for a few moments before sighing. "Alright, let's get this over with."

Cass got to his feet and waited for Dean to lead the way, his hands in the pockets of his coat.

The house was peaceful, not just quiet but peaceful, in that homely way that Dean had never felt before. He could smell soup and hear Bobby jabbering in the kitchen. Stepping into the study he saw Claire, head bowed over her school books and he felt his chest tighten. It was a strange yet welcome feeling. Dean had never had a home….until now. This was home, the salvage yard, the rickety old house, Bobby, Claire…even Cass, he realized. The only thing missing was Sam, but they'd agreed that it was better for all concerned if he stayed away for a while. Claire must have sensed their arrival because her head snapped round and her gaze brightened instantly.

Castiel's breath caught slightly when he saw Claire sat at the kitchen table and a warm feeling spread through his chest; he even thought he was smiling. She looked so at home sitting there. In fact Castiel recognized that that's just what it was. Home. Much like love, Castiel had known what the word meant, its definition and just like love, he'd never really understood the human fascination with it. He always figured heaven was everyone's true home, houses where just wood, concrete and glass. But as he'd discovered the real purpose of love, he now understood home. It wasn't the building but the people within. If Castiel ever had a home away from heaven, this would be it.

"Dean!" Claire announced smiling, though both men saw the pain beneath, pain that they would see increase when they delivered their news.

Dean strolled over to her, Cass hanging back just a little. The hunter looked down at Claire with his own warm grin before turning to greet Bobby.

"How'd it go?" the older inquired, whipping his hand off a dish cloth before fetching three beers from the fridge, handing one to Dean and the other to Cass.

"Everything went fine." Dean answered, taking the bottle and dropping into the chair across from Claire.

Castiel stared at his bottle as the cold began to dissipate in his palm.

"Ya drink it…" Bobby informed grinning. "…Idjit."

"I am perfectly aware of that," Castiel replied, though he didn't move to open the beer.

Dean looked at Claire with another eye roll that caused the girl to laugh. "So, how's homework going?" he asked before taking a sip of his beer.

"Which kind?" she asked with a glance at Bobby.

"What you mean which kind?" Dean frowned, looking between the two.

"Schools going good, still a bit behind…" she informed. "…Research homework, that's great." She grinned with the same nerdy excitement Dean had seen on Sam's face for years, before the pressure got to him.

Dean looked at Bobby again, who simply shrugged. "What? She needs to know this stuff. – Beside if you can teach her how to shoot, I can teach her what to hit."

"Shoot?" Castiel suddenly interrupted his gaze hardening on Dean. "Are you teaching her how to shoot?"

Dean, Bobby and Claire all stared wide eyed at the very parental tone in the angels' voice, he was slowly growing red under their scrutiny. Finally Claire broke the shocked silence with a confirmation, accompanied with a bright wide grin. Bobby laughed, turning back to the stove, while Dean leaned back in his chair, still smiling.

"Yep, girls a natural." He winked at Claire.

"So how was it?" Claire asked, pushing her books aside and smiling warmly at Dean. "Did you find him?"

Castiel hovered behind Claire unsure and nervous, the unopened beer in his hand. "We were successful in locating Raphael," he told her in his usual bland way. "We were however unable to gain the information we desired."

Everyone was looking at him as if he was some kind of alien being. Which he supposed he was in a way. He shuffled on his feet. "Have I said something wrong?"

Dean laughed. "No, but dude will you sit down and relax, your giving me a crook in the neck."

After a brief frown, Castiel glanced around in search of a chair, locating one against the far wall of Bobby's study; he repositioned it next to Claire.

"Are you going to drink that?" Dean added nodding to the swiftly warming bottle of beer. "I think you could do with a drink."

The two men locked gazes and a silent message was passed between them. Castiel didn't understand why but Dean associate alcohol with courage. He had done the same at the den of iniquity before they'd faced Raphael.

Claire watched the pair closely, taking in the intense stare and the way they seemed to be talking without speaking. Having never seen the pair together before it was strange. She'd been around guys and none of them would look at a girl like that, let alone another guy. Something twisted in her gut, a memory of a feeling in the shadow of her mind. It might have been amusing watching two guys look at each other like they were in some chick flick, if it wasn't for the fact that one of them was her father. – Well, in her fathers 'meat-suit' as Bobby had put it. She was watching Castiel as he played nervously with the bottle before finally opening. Her dad wasn't very keen on drink; in fact she couldn't remember ever seeing him having one. Unless you counted the eggnog at Christmas. Watching Castiel raise a beer to her father's lips was a surreal experience. She couldn't stop herself wondering what he was thinking, trapped in there watching Castiel drink and do other stuff that he would not. She made a mental note to ask the angel later, then forcing herself back to reality when she felt tears pressing against the back of her eyes. She would not cry here, it only made Bobby and Dean uncomfortable and guilty. Tonight, alone in her room, she would cry her heart out for her father.

"He didn't know anything?" Bobby asked, leaning back in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Nope, he just got all mouthy with me and Cass," Dean informed the old man. "The whole thing was a waste of time."

He saw Cass lower his head and knew the guy was still worrying over what Raphael had said to him. Dean figured his biggest fear was not doing the right thing. Of course the right thing is relative to which side of the fence your standing one, and Dean made a note to tell the angel so. – After they dealt with Claire. "But…" He dragged the word out as he reached into the inside pocket of his jacket. "…I did come home with a killer souvenir."

"Dean," Castiel warned unthreateningly. The angel knew just what the man had.

Dean sent him a bright mischievous grin and waved the small column of paper in midair. "Oh come on Cass, they rock." He handed it to Bobby, who looked from the paper to the angel then back again before laughing heartily. Dean took them back and handed them to Claire, who took one look at Castiel's scrunched up, surprised face and burst into laughter.

"He needed an ID. – Who knew getting your photo taken would be so much fun, hey Cass," he said, winking as the angel who was clearly not amused.

"I could not see properly after Dean, I do not see how that would be considered pleasurable."

"Photos are fun Cass, at least they can be. – They hold memories of good times…" Dean explained, turning a little sad. "…they allow us to remember those we've lost and friends we've made." Once again his gaze locked with the angels intently.

Castiel thought about this for a few moments and nodded slightly. Humans and their strange rituals, he didn't think he would ever understand them.

The group relaxed and talked about nothing for another half an hour before Dean gave Cass a look that said it was time to get it over with. They'd been putting it off since they'd arrived and after two beers and some light-hearted conversation it was time.

He gave Bobby a serious look. "Bobby, could you give us a few."

The old man stared at him through narrow eyes, before turning on his wheels and taking his leave. Then Dean took a deep breath and turned to Claire, his gaze flickering nervously to Cass. Claire shifted in her seat, something was wrong, that much was obvious and that painful tightening of her stomach told her it was her worst nightmare. Tears were already pooling behind her eyes as she looked between the two men. Neither would meet her gaze and she inhaled sharply, her hands clench in her lap.

Dean couldn't drag this out, it was too painful. "Cass?"

The angel looked at him with those pleading blue eyes and slightly shook his head. Dean nodded with a stern yet sympathetic stare and the angel took a deep breath but kept his head down, his human heart pounding. "Claire…." He swallowed hard, looked at Dean through lowered lashes before continuing. "Claire I….have some news….about your mother…"

Dean felt irritated that his friend was dragging this out, but he understood. This wasn't the kind of news you just blurted out and Cass had never had to tell someone their loved one hadn't made it before. Maybe Dean should have done this alone. – But then this was as much the angel responsibility as it was his.

"W-what a-about m-m-mom?" Claire stuttered, tears slipping from her eyes.

"S-she…." Castiel paused, swallowed and finally met the girl gaze with sorrowful eyes that weren't entirely his own. "…I was unable to located her soon enough. I am sorry but she is dead."

Way to go Cass. Dean thought sarcastically. Dead? You don't say dead, you say 'passed away' or 'no longer with us' hell even 'she has gone to a better place' anything but dead, the words just too harsh, especially for a young girl. Mental note number two: give Cass grief-counseling lessons.

Not to anyone's surprise Claire didn't take the news well, bursting into floods of tears, she shot up out of her seat, knocking over the chair and ran from the room, the two men watching her go with sharp breathless pains shooting through their chests.

"Well that went well." Dean announced lightly, as he always did when faced with painful situations.

"I do not see how that was a beneficial outcome?"

Dean rolled his eyes and sigh. "It wasn't Cass; it was never going to be. – I was being sarcastic."

"I do not think this is the time for humor Dean," the angel retorted angrily.

~SUPERNATURAL - FAMILY DON'T END WITH BLOOD~

"It's been an hour," Dean murmured from the table, his thumb-nail peeling away the label on his bottle.

"You just told her her mom's dead, she's not going to be dancing the conga anytime soon idjit." Bobby grumbled.

"Maybe I should go talk to her." Dean glanced towards the stairs.

"And say what? – Let's face it Dean, this call for touchy-feely stuff and you're far from qualified," Bobby grumbled, rolling into the study passed the angel.

"If only Sam was here, he'd know what to do," Dean murmured.

Castiel listened to the exchange between the two men in silence. "Dean?"

The hunter glanced up. "Yeah?"

"Maybe you could call Sam and ask his opinion on what to do in this situation."

Dean's spine stiffened. "No. – I've already told you Cass, me and Sam ain't on the same page at the moment, he doesn't want to be around and I don't want him around."

That was a lie; Castiel could hear it and see it. "Dean…"

"I said no Cass. Drop it. Now."

The men were silent again, Bobby shuffling papers and books on his desk trying to seem busy. Dean stared down at the bottle, rolling it between his palms and Cass just sat there stiffly. When Dean looked up the angel was gone. "Dammit, where'd he go? – I swear if he brings Sam back, I'll….rip his feathers out."

~SUPERNATURAL - FAMILY DON'T END WITH BLOOD~

Claire's eyes hurt. Her heart hurt. Her soul hurt. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. She couldn't live. This was the worst pain she'd ever felt, this was her worst nightmare come true. Losing her parents, how could anyone live after that? Carry on with the pain eating away at them. But they did. She knew that. She'd had friends at school that'd lost a parent and it had hurt them but they carried on. And there was Dean, he'd lost both of his and he was fine. The idea of being fine didn't sit right with Claire. She didn't want to be fine, she wanted to curled up into a ball and drown in the agony. She couldn't close her eyes. Every time she did, she saw her mom smiling at her, happy. Then she would see that monster, the black eyes replacing blue and she felt sick. Fresh sobs wracked her body.

Claire felt him behind her. She should have known he'd come. She didn't turn around. She couldn't look at him. It was all his fault.

"Claire," his deep gravelly rough voice whispered, so unlike her father's yet so different.

The teenager bit down hard on her lip, tears pouring from her aqua eyes, her heart pounding and breaking all at once.

Castiel moved towards the bed and stood there, watching her, feeling her agony seep off her, till it was his own physical pain. He could feel tears in his eyes. He'd never cried before. "C-Claire…I…I am sorry."

She stiffened on the bed at his pointless apology.

"I…." Castiel swallowed at the pain in his chest. "She is in a better place." He heard himself say.

"Alone." Claire whispered, it was all her throat would allow.

Castiel lowered his head. "Yes. – But she….will be happy."

A heartbreaking cry broke from Claire and she turned her face into the pillow. The angel stood, motionless unsure what to do. What to say.

"Y-you….you p-p-promised…C-Castiel," Claire finally stuttered with a broken voice that tore at the angels' grace.

The tears that had pooled in his eyes now fell. "I – I know." He sounded as broken as she did.

Claire's breath caught in her throat when she felt the bed dip beside her.

"I know I promised you and your father and I failed in keeping that promise. I do not expect your forgiveness. – But I would have you know that I will try never to fail you again."

Claire shifted and looked over her shoulder to see the back of her father's over-coat, his form sat stiff backed but his head hanging low. Her heart clenched painfully with the realization that that wasn't her father. Not that she's thought it was, but now she knew that from this moment she would not see him, she would see the angel. It was like his identical twin, looking like her father but not being him. She had lost both parents today she realized. She was an orphan. "Can you – leave me – alone?" She whispered and turned away. She knew when he'd left because the bed returned to its original shape.

Claire lay there, staring at the wall of the room she now called home. It had only been a month and one week but she already thought of this place as home, and that sent a stab of guilt racing through her. But as much as she hated thinking of it as such, hated not having her family she couldn't help but feel that she wasn't alone. Though her mother and father were both gone forever, Claire had others she knew would protect her with their lives. After another few minutes of contemplation she lifted herself up on the bed and instantly saw the books, where Castiel had been sitting. She knew what they were and her heart crashed in on itself. With a shaky hand she pulled the albums close, flipping page after page, picture after picture. She swallowed back tears and smiled at warm memories. The third album had only four filled pages and the rest was blank. Claire swiped at tears as she mourned the idea that there would be no more Birthdays and Christmas's to fill there pages.

But there will. A voice in her mind told her. They'll just be different.

~SUPERNATURAL - FAMILY DON'T END WITH BLOOD~

Dean, Bobby and Castiel were standing in the study, Dean shouting at the angel for vanishing on him, Castiel arguing back in a quiet but firm manner that he was attempting to comfort Claire.

"Yeah, cause your people skill are just what she needs right now." Dean yelled.

"I needed to apologize."

"Apologize? – You can't apologize for that Cass, Dammit." He threw his hands up in the air. "There's nothing you can say that's going to fix this. She's lost everything, do you get that. Everything." The younger hunters' voice closed up around the words, his own pain merging with the empathy he felt for Claire.

"She has us," Bobby interrupted.

"Oh, and we're such great catches," Dean snapped throwing up his hands again and marching towards the window.

Claire watched the display through the railings at the top of the stairs and couldn't stop the warm, comforting feeling spreading though her chest. It would never completely vanquish the pain of her loss, Dean's reaction proved that, but at least it gave her hope that she would get through this. There was a light at the end of the tunnel. The men turned as she stepped into the room, her eyes swollen and red, her hands shaking.

She looked pale and tired but strong. Dean thought. Strong was good, strong meant hope. "Claire?" he murmured, taking a step forward. "I – I…." he wasn't going to say sorry, it was a pointless empty word with no meaning. "…sorry." Dammit.

She gave him a watery smile that he knew from experience was as shallow as a battle-field grave.

"Y- You'll be alright Kiddo." He sighed. "You still have us, I know we're no replacement for your parents but…we'll not let you down. I swear it."

Claire's eyes unconsciously flickered to Cass. He'd promised to protect her mom and failed. What if it happened again? The look of guilt on the angel's face had her regretting her pained, angry thoughts. He hadn't done it on purpose. He'd done all in his power, she knew that. Just as she knew that he would always be there for her. – As would Dean and Bobby. She looked between the three men.

The Angel: who wore her father's face but was nothing like him. Who'd failed her and hated himself for it. Who'd turned against heaven to protect humanity and who cared deeply, more deeply that any could know, for the human at his side. He was a man she understood and knew better than she realized or wanted to admit.

The Hunter: Who'd taken her under his wing even when there had been no reason to. Who'd told her that monsters and demons were real and how to stop them. The man who'd taught her how to shoot and who didn't understand algebra but could build an EM reader out of an old car radio.

And The Old Man: Who made her mac and cheese even though the smell made him gag. Who let her watch her shows even though he hated them. The man who'd sat with her after a nightmare about losing all her family and told her that she was safe. Who'd told her that 'family don't end with blood'. She hadn't understood what he'd meant then, but she did now. She swallowed hard at the realization and felt just a little of the weight on her heart lift. Because she was Claire Novak-Winchester and this was now her family.

THE END

A/N: Sorry about the cliché ending but this is where the story began for me. There is a sequel to this story called It Just Ends, set during The End where Dean's arrival opens up old wounds for his future self and Cass. I'm also working on another follow up to this. Fingers crossed.

Thank you all for reading and reviewing. And to anyone who faved this story, I'm very honoured.

See you again soon.

GATERGIRL

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