…
Though everything may change
One thing will still remain
..

Claire Speaks

'Jesse! Wake up!' I shouted, still trying to get him to move. He was just lying there, bleeding across the floor and his laboured breath the only noise in the room.

I pressed my hand to my forehead, not knowing what to do. I wanted to rip my face off, to claw at my own skin but I was useless.

Dean was trying unsuccessfully to squeeze through the bars, to do what I don't know.
'Son of a bitch!' Dean bellowed, his voice bouncing around the walls. He stared at me for a moment before shaking his head, leaning back on the bars. It was obvious what was on his thoughts, it was on mine as well; what was Zeno doing to Ben?
I trembled at the thought, wrapping my arms around myself to hide it from Dean.
'You're bigger than the last time I saw you.'

I wanted to sneer a remark to him, but he was concerned about his son, I had to give him credits for changing the topic.
'You're older.'

It didn't last long; we sat there in silence, not even hearing anything beyond the walls.

Again I tried to wake Jesse, reaching for him and saying his name, but if he could hear me he was doing an excellent job ignoring me. We needed him, now more than ever and I could feel my rage bubbling in my chest.
Leaning my back on the wall, I braced my feet on the bars, kicking at them with all my might. It was a vain attempt, it hurt my legs more than anything and if Dean hadn't busted out when he tried, what hope did she have.
'Jesse,'
'Leave him to rest.' Dean sighed and I frowned at him.

'We need him.'
'You sound like my brother, he always said we needed angels or demons to help us. I'm still here today, we can get out of this.'
I groaned, wanting to slap him until sense got through his head.
'There is no way out of this, and that thing is doing God knows what to your son.'
Deans faced tensed and I dropped my head; we didn't need reminding of it. It felt like hours since Ben was snatched by Zeno, it had to have been at least an hour sitting in the dark wondering if I would ever see the man I cared for again.

'Kid I'm sorry for what happened between us, I am sorry, I really am,' Dean said, his voice strained and I could only imagine that he had tears in his eyes; after years without seeing Ben, he was finally reunited with half his family and then they were snatched from him in a second.
'I'm sorry. You should see me when-'
There was a heavy thud and both Dean and I jumped.

Unexpected lights flooded the room and I winced until it ebbed away, but when my eyes saw what was dropped into the cell next to Deans, I wanted that light to blind things out again.

Ben was even more tangled and broken than Jesse but somehow managed to roll onto his back. All his limbs were broken and with his shirt gone, I could see what was once a perfect chest torn into shreds. Punctures from stab wounds riddled his body, the worst one in the neck that didn't stop bleeding. Everything was red; his skin, his eyes and the floor. My heart sank into a pit in my stomach, consuming itself with grief as I shrieked.
'Ben!'

He tried to answer me, but the gurgling in his throat was the sound of him choking on his blood and I felt a tear slip from my eye. Ben dropped his head on the ground, his pain obviously beyond caring about whatever else happened to him. Dean was repeating his name, desperate to keep his son awake and alive, but there wasn't much he could do other than reach through the bars and hold his sons head off the cold ground.

Suddenly there was nothing else outside of the room, there was nothing else to see but Ben. He struggled to speak, Dean hushing him, eyes beginning to glisten with tears. Ben was crying himself, from pain or sorrow or both but I forced mine back.
There was no way out of this, not being who we are now and death was not an option.
'Fine.'
I mumbled it again and noticed Dean looking up at me, but I tried not to look at them.
'Alright you bastards! Nisroc! Nisroc you help him or I will never say yes!'

'Claire,' I dropped my eyes from the ceiling to Dean who looked at me, concerned, 'don't go down this path for anything. It costs too much.'
'Even for your sons life?' I snapped back, 'I cannot watch him die.' Closing my eyes and waiting; I knew that feathered prick wouldn't be far away.

Light beamed down from the ceiling, a shrill noise ebbing away until I could hear it speak; neither male or female, cold and burning all at the same time. I tried not to recoil from it, staring straight into the light with a furious gaze.
'You save Ben first, he cannot die.'
I was terrified, who wouldn't be? Screw the world, right now all I could think of was Ben bleeding and choking to death six feet away from me.
'It will be done.' Was the reply and I breathed in one last deep breath as a free person; hopefully for a short time. My entire being was screaming to say no, that this was wrong but as my eyes fell down to Ben, his hand reaching out for me, his eyes pleading with me, my mind was made up.
'It'll be alright Ben.' I said and sighed, my voice barely audible.

'Yes.'

I didn't regret it, even though I thought I would have.
The light became so bright that everything seemed to melt away, even the cage fell away, leaving nothing between me and the burning angel.
As it descended, I tried to see Ben, seeing only his face that was still etched with pain. He was trying to speak, his mouth forming words I couldn't figure out but I just wanted him to relax, everything would be alright wouldn't it?
'Ben, Ben I lo-'

I didn't get to finish my sentence, the sentence that had been sitting in my heart for a while now. My voice was gone, my body was not my own any more, and all I could do was smile.

'Together we can defeat Zeno and save Benjamin Braeden.'
I ignored the voice, I just wanted it to be over. With a sigh, I surrendered completely, allowing the light to guide me to the edge where I fell back.

..
I will choose to love you
even though I wanna stay mad
even though I wanna get angry
though it may be easier to walk away
I will choose to stay and love you
...