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While Claire would be the first to admit that she didn’t want to spend one more minute in that room, in that house, Castiel’s behaviour was unnerving, to say the least. It was as if he couldn’t get out of there fast enough. He looked even more freaked out than her, and she’d almost-
But I wasn’t, she thought stubbornly, which gave her the strength to snap out of it momentarily and stop the man.
"What are you doing? We gotta wait for them," she said. He turned to look at her with a look that reminded her of a bird whose feathers had been ruffled. Before he could answer, Sam called out to them.
"Hey." He felt himself trembling, almost as much as his brother. He looked down at him, seeing his vacant expression. No, vacant wasn’t it; he looked shocked, sick, and a little afraid, but those eyes weren’t empty. He looked back up. "I… What should we do with…" He had been hoping someone would finish his sentence or, better yet, answer it, but no one stepped up to the plate. He took a deep breath and tried again. "We can’t just leave the bodies there."
Suddenly, Dean straightened, and the shocked expression in his face vanished, although he still looked ready to throw up.
"We should do exactly that." And then he looked at Cas. "You should take her somewhere safe," he nodded at Claire," and then…" he swallowed. "Then you gotta come back." He looked at the angel in a way neither Sam nor Claire could decipher, but which they both knew meant something. Aparently, something bad, because Cas wasted no time to argue.
"I can’t leave her alone. She needs help," he said, tightening his hold on her. While she resented being treated like a kid and a human shield, because that’s obviously what was happening, she stayed quiet. She told herself it was because this was obviously important, and she owed it to Castiel for saving her, but the hands she kept in her pockets to hide their shaking said another thing.
Sam saw how Dean seemed to have a little argument with himself. He looked at Cas, pursed his lips, looked at Claire, softened his face, back at Cas, clenched his jaw, and then turned his face to the floor, sighing. The taller man was starting to worry; this didn’t appear to be completely about those men. Or maybe it was, but Sam couldn’t see how it had to do with the angel.
"You’re right," Dean said, although it seemed to be ripped out of him. "You should stay with her a couple of days, make sure she’s safe." Then he got that meaningful look back. "But you’ll come back as soon as you can, right?"
"It might take me some time…" Cas looked anywhere but at the bloodied man; at the ground, like he was ashamed; at Claire, until she met his eyes; at the road, like he couldn’t wait to leave.
“We might need you help, Cas." Dean didn’t bother trying to be discreet, anymore. He was clearly trying to convey something, and Sam was starting to feel like he wouldn’t like the hidden message behind his words.
Apparently, Cas didn’t either. He swallowed and made to say something a few times before finally laying his eyes on Sam’s brother.
"If you need my help, you can call me, and I’ll come as fast as I can" he said. Claire was surprised by how imploring he sounded. If she thought he seemed almost normal before, now she could confuse him with any other man walking down the street. That is, if he wasn’t wearing her father. She shifted a bit, impatient to get out of there and for Castiel, the angel, to stop looking like that and reminding her of what she lost. Of what she had lost tonight. Dean’s voice shook her out of her thoughts.
“But what if you’re not fast enough. What if you’re late." Somehow, he made it sound like those weren’t questions. He was starting to look desperate, and had an almost beseeching expression in his face. Sam glanced at Cas, and saw that he looked like he would cave with a little more pressure. Something in his gut told Sam that he wouldn’t like what would happen if he did.
"I don’t think there’s anything we need his help for, Dean," he cut off. Apparently, that was what Cas needed, because he filled his lungs and looked at the blond straight in the eyes, appearing to have reached a decision. At least, for a few seconds, before deflating and bringin his eyes to the ground, but he seemed resolved, nonetheless.
"There isn’t." Dean looked like he had been sucker punched. He stared at Cas for a few seconds.
It was then that Claire and Sam thought the exact same thing: This might not have been the right thing. His face had lost its colour, and his eyes, which were wide open, had a frightened look to them. Claire could see his hands shaking from where she stood, and Sam, who was right next to him, could have sworn that his lips trembled. Then he turned around and walked in an unsteady but fast pace towards the Impala.
Claire stood next to Castiel and watched as Sam went after him when the slamming of the driver’s door snapped him out of his shock. They stayed there until the car disappeared from their sights, and when the angel motioned for her to move, she still didn’t look at his face.