Tell me where we go from here 22/?
A/N I wrote this before Claire came back on the show so this is my interpretation of her.
Chapter 22
Sam didn't hear from Hannah again which he counted as a good sign. At least it meant there was no trouble going on, at least nothing they could help with. As far as he knew she didn't make contact with Cas either and he wasn't sure what to think of that. They were friends, family even, and Hannah had been second in command when Cas had led his army against Metatron. Her sudden silence was odd. But maybe she was just busy with reorganizing heaven and didn't have time for visits. She wasn't as adapted to human behavior as Cas was so she probably didn't know that friends were allowed to drop in once in a while just to say hallo. Not that Cas had grasped that concept fully by now.
They made good time to their destination but then it took them half a day to hunt Claire down to a cheap apartment complex. She wasn't exactly hiding, that was why they did find her that quickly, but she wasn't drawing attention to herself either. Smart girl.
Dean parked the car and Sam craned his neck to have a look at the building in front of him. It reminded him of the cheap places college students used to rent. He didn't know if Claire attended to a college here or what else she was doing now but he was about to find out.
"Ehm, Cas." Dean spoke up after a moment of silence. "Maybe it's better if you stay here for the moment. Seeing you ..." He paused and cleared his throat. "You know ... might freak her out."
Sam had to agree to that, he'd thought the same earlier.
"I think that would be for the best." Cas agreed after a moment of consideration. "I don't want to ... freak her out."
"I call you when it's safe to come upstairs." Dean promised and reached for the door.
Claire lived on the third floor.
"What do we say?" Sam asked when they climbed the stairs. They still didn't know for sure if the young woman living here actually was Claire but chances were good that they had found her. But what now?
Dean shrugged. "We play it by the ear." Like always, hung unspoken in the air and Sam nodded. Like always he checked that he had his gun on him and ready as well. Just in case.
When they stood in front of the door Sam took a deep breath.
Here goes nothing, he thought and then rang the door bell.
A moment later the door opened and a young woman looked at them, confused for a moment but then she recognized them and tried to slam the door shut. Dean was quick enough to catch the door before it hit him in the face.
Great start. Sam gritted his teeth
"Claire." Sam said in his best calm voice. "We're just here to talk."
She fought with the door for a moment longer, not that she could do much with Dean standing right in the middle of it. Her hair fell into her face with her hectic attempt and Sam thought he heard a small sob coming from her. So much for a calm conversation.
Realizing that she couldn't win against Dean she let go of the door and took a step back.
"Can we come in?" Dean asked and waited for her nod before he stepped fully inside. Sam followed him and closed the door behind them. At this point he was just glad that Claire hadn't screamed for help when two strangers were forcing their way into her apartment.
"What do you want?" She asked, one hand in her hair in the fruitless attempt to bring it back in order.
When he had last seen her she had been a little girl. Now she was a young woman, shy to twenty if he wasn't mistaken. It spoke for itself that she'd recognized them but on the other hand, they had made big news once or twice since then, that probably had kept the memory fresh.
"We're just here to talk." Sam repeated and followed her over to the living room slash kitchen. The door to the small bathroom was ajar but there was nobody in there and a second door he assumed led to the bedroom was closed. Looked like she was alone. The apartment was small and obviously meant for one person and so far he hadn't seen anything indicating a friend or a roommate.
"You happened to be in the neighborhood?" She asked with bitterness in her voice. "What do you want?" She turned around, arms crossed over her chest and her jaw set. She was clearly her father's daughter, Sam recognized a few of Cas' or better Jimmy's features in her face.
"How are you doing?" Dean ignored her comment and Sam could tell he really meant the question, it wasn't just something to break the ice. The last time they had seen her was years ago when she'd left with her mother in a stolen car. When she'd left her old life behind and had to start a new one on the ruins of what was left.
Sam knew what it felt like to be possessed by an angel but at least he knew what that meant. Claire had only been a child at that point. Back then she couldn't grasp what was happening, he doubted she could now. When she'd said yes to Castiel she didn't have a clue what she'd been agreeing to. And then her father sacrificed himself for her. She may have not understood it fully as a child but she had years to think about it.
She glared at Dean as if she wanted to tell him where to stick his concerns but then she crumbled and shook her head.
"I live." She said in a small voice. "Is my father ...?" She didn't finish the question and Sam doubted she knew what she wanted to ask here.
"Your father died years ago." Dean said before Sam had the chance to answer. "I'm sorry."
She nodded to that, not really surprised.
"Is that ... that thing still wearing his face?"
"Yes." Sam answered honestly. "His name is Castiel, he's an angel." He glanced over to Dean. "He's our friend and he needs your help."
"As if I could ever forget that name." She laughed at that, a harsh, bitter sound. "Why should I help him?" She took as step back, bringing some distance between them. "I saw what this angel did. The people he killed, it was all over the news."
That wasn't him, lay on Sam's lips but he didn't say it. Because it had been Cas, at least a part of him. It had been his choice to take on all the souls from Purgatory. It had been his choice to proclaim himself as the new god.
"Do you know how it feels to see something wearing your father's face doing something so awful?" She spit the words at them.
"I do." Sam and Dean said in unison and that threw her off for a second, she probably hadn't expected that answer.
Sam's mind didn't jump to the obvious, Dean chasing him through the bunker, it went back to that cabin years ago when Azazel wearing his father's face had tortured Dean.
Sam had thought about that night so many times over the years. Knowing what he knew now he wouldn't hesitate. He would shoot his own father. Back then he didn't and what did he get out of that? John had gained two more days and a trip to hell.
At that point that had been the most terrible thing that had happened to them. Today he would shrug it off and move on but then it had shaken their world. Seeing the familiar face of his father so full of hatred.
God, have we been young and innocent, Sam thought. Same with Cold Oak and the Special Children. If he hadn't shown Jake mercy ...
Sam shook his head. There had been times when he had been the soulless thing wearing a familiar face. Times when he wouldn't have let an injured enemy behind. Times when he would have walked out of Cold Oak as the lone survivor five minutes after Azazel had explained the rules to him. Times when he had been the monster.
Next to him Dean cleared his throat, bringing Sam back to the here and now.
"Cas made some mistakes." Dean said when Sam failed to say something. "Some pretty bad mistakes, we all have. But he helped to save the world more than once. He is a good guy and he's dying."
Sam heard his voice break at the last bit but he doubted Claire could catch on to that.
"And what do you want from me?" Claire asked coldly but that didn't reach her eyes. She was wary but she was listening and that was all they could ask for.
"You have been his vessel." Sam spoke up. "If only for a few minutes."
"Thanks for reminding me of that." The bitterness was back and Sam wondered how it must have felt to a confused and frightened child.
"We think he left some of his grace in you." Dean explained.
Sam cringed to that, it sounded so wrong.
"He left what in me?" Claire raised her voice in disgust. "Are you saying I've still some of that thing in me?" She clutched the front of her shirt as if she could grab the remains of Cas and rip them out.
"It's nothing bad." Sam hurried to assure her but he remembered his own little freak out when Cas had revealed that he had been carrying around a piece of Lucifer for years. "It's not effecting you or anything. It's just a trace." There was no way to explain this in a way that didn't sound awful.
She glared at him for a moment before she took a shaky breath.
"Why can't it just be over?" She asked with too shiny eyes. "I just want it to be over."
"It is going to be over soon." Sam promised and that sounded so wrong, too. "We need that bit of grace. We can extract it and then there will be nothing left of Castiel in you. You can live your life and won't see us or him ever again."
She considered his words for a moment, doubt clearly written over her face.
"What if I say no?" She asked. She was a petite young woman alone with two big men, they could make her if they wanted to.
"We leave." Dean spread his arms to show that he wasn't armed. Which was a lie but Sam didn't call him out on it. "We won't force you or anything."
"Yeah, right. Your friend is dying and you would just leave if I say no. Sure." She backed off farther but in the small apartment she couldn't go far.
"We would never force you." Sam spoke for the two of them.
"Besides, Cas wouldn't want that." Dean added.
"Where is he?" She changed the topic but kept a wary eye on them.
"Outside." Dean answered. "We thought it would be better if we spoke to you first. We didn't want to shock you."
"You did a really good job at that." She countered but relaxed slightly. "Why should I help him?"
"He is going to die." Dean repeated and Sam could feel the knife cutting through Dean at those words. He felt the same. They had lost so many friends over the years, he didn't want to lose Cas as well.
"How exactly do you want to get his grace out of me?"
Sam wasn't sure where this was heading. She hadn't made up her mind yet, that much was clear, however, he doubted explaining the extraction process to her would work in their favor.
"With a needle." Sam cleared his throat and tried to not think of his own experience with said needle. "I won't lie, it's going to hurt. But it only takes a moment."
She thought about that for a moment.
"Can I talk to him?" She finally asked. "Alone?"
Chapter 23
Masterpost