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"You are home. You are safe. I am here." Claire whispers those words as she gently kisses Kaia's shoulder, letting her lips run over her scars, until she reaches her neck. Claire hugs her waist, the two of them sitting on the bed, tightening their embrace as the two girls get closer.
They don't say anything else. Kaia closes her eyes and this time she knows she won't be hurt, her and Claire's breathing almost merging at the same pace. They don't need any more words to know that they are safe, that they are not alone, the heat they share is real and it calms them...
Kaia already felt cold and hungry, she was chased and wounded, bled and fought, not knowing if there was anything for her other than that cycle of nightmares. She hummed the same lullaby her mother sang, Mary Mack, when they were still together and that alone gave her the strength not to give up. That memory was the link for her not to forget that one day she belonged to another place, a good one, warm and cozy… This past was what guaranteed her to resist and arrive at that moment, with Claire at her side, with Jody, Donna, Patience and Alex waiting for them to return to Sioux Falls. However, more times than she would like, she still wakes up in a panic, afraid of falling into another world with no one to help her. Kaia doesn't know how much she could fight for herself to survive again, she is certainly not weak, but there are times when she wants to allow herself to be vulnerable with someone who understands her... She never thought she would find someone like this until Claire.
Claire doesn't talk much about her past, Kaia respects that, she releases some information at random times, when it seems that the two are the only real people in the world. Like when they traveled to New York, they volunteered, or rather, Claire volunteered, to find a magic items dealer located by Patience. They were on their way there before they disappeared like everyone else, and when they returned, everything seemed confused for a minute, as if they had turned off their minds and blinked before they were conscious again. Perhaps if they had not heard Donna's account, they would have forgotten what happened, as if they had been daydreaming without noticing ... When they returned, they were again in a crowd, walked, resolved what they needed and then after walking a little , sat on a bench and Claire let her head hang on Kaia's shoulder, who shook her hand. Claire sighed and smiled, and something must have triggered a memory, because she started talking about a trip she took with her parents when she was nine, the first time she left Illinois ... Little by little they got to know each other more and it looks like there is no hurry for that.
Now the two are back on the road, or rather, in a motel room before continuing to travel. They stayed at the Bunker for a month after Dean's birthday. Claire had never spent so much time around the Winchesters, Castiel and Jack. She wanted to learn more about what they were facing now that the monsters were healed, as Sam was organizing the support network with hunters and ex-monsters. She still wanted to be useful and help people. Claire no longer carries the weight of no unfinished revenge, nor the anger or hatred caused by the violence and loss she has suffered so many times... She knows that the world is complicated enough to still be dangerous, but after years without feeling that she had a place to return to and people who would protect her too, finally she feels that she has more to offer and receive in this life. The family that found her … And tonight, when Kaia woke up again, alarmed and screaming, Claire wanted to make sure that no matter where they are, they are each other's homes, recognizing each scar as a mark of how long they resisted until they got here…
Claire feels the sleep coming back, however, a part of her brain wonders if she is not being too intense, if these feelings should not be controlled a little more... But she does not let this fear keep her away from Kaia, because the two are where they should be. Over time they fall asleep.
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"So what is the case this time?" Claire asks Sam, after taking a sip of coffee and placing the mug on a small table.
Sam called her in the morning to go over the case information that she and Kaia need to investigate. His voice is calm as he passes on the information, but he always checks if they need anything.
“Well, a body was found three days ago. A few bites on the body, but apparently what caused the death was a puncture in the stomach… Six months ago this region was on the radar of some hunters, with periodic disappearances. A hunter, Nora, was nearby and went to investigate, but she hasn't updated her reports for two days…” Sam clears his throat and uses a more serious tone. “You were being directed to help her investigate, to find out if there is still a confused new human attacking people, but as Nora hasn't heard any more, I start to think that maybe you should wait for more support, wait for the team Mia… I don't want to put any more hunters in danger without knowing what we may be facing.”
"Sam, come on, I hunted alone for over a year, I am more than capable..."
“Claire, I don't think you and Kaia are incapable, but we must be careful. We may not be dealing with monsters anymore, but that does not mean that anything you are going to face is not dangerous enough. Take this mission only as recognition, while not sending others for support. We have already posted a search alert for Nora, but you can see the signs that are more invisible to those who ignore what was supernatural. But don't underestimate the situation. You..."
"Yes, we brought the first aid kit with the magic dressings." Kaia replies.
"They only help, they are not miraculous."
“Sam, we're going to be fine. Remember your speech to the hunters? Remember that this is a relationship of trust? If we find something or feel that we are threatened, we will withdraw and notify headquarters.” Claire recites almost as if she were reading a manual.
"Right. Claire, don't forget to talk to Jody, or she'll be calling me every hour to check on you.”
"Okay, Sam." Claire rolls her eyes, but can't help but smile.
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Claire and Kaia did not find any new information about missing or Nora. They started to review her record, she was apparently a new hunter, 26 years old. She made contact with the Bunker after hearing rumors about the healing of all monsters and about the Winchesters’ involvement, she left her contact at a Road House run by retired hunters. It was not an unusual situation today.
"We don't have much more information about her, other than this photo." Kaia shows Claire the image of the young woman on her cell phone. "She was passing through, but did not say where she lived, if she lived somewhere fixed."
“There has still been no notification of her on the official radar. She cannot have disappeared, been wiped off the map.” Claire bites the tip of her pen while looking at the city map. "Perhaps we should look more deeply into the surroundings from which the body appeared... You know, for recognition."
"Claire..." Kaia doesn't seem very excited about the idea. "One person was killed and the other disappeared... Human bites may no longer indicate what we are dealing with."
"It is a human being, Kaia... It will not make much difference". Claire shrugs.
“You know it's not quite true… If we know what this human was, if he is an ex-monster, we can know how he tries to repeat the patterns before, if he still hasn't been able to dissociate himself from the old identity... And it's a human, Claire... It's not like killing a werewolf with a silver bullet. "
"Well, they still work..."
"Claire, we shouldn't hurt people."
"We must protect ourselves from anyone who threatens us..." Claire says, but then drops her shoulders and sighs. "I'm not saying that we're going to hunt people, you know... I just want to say that we need to defend ourselves in a world of humans too."
For a moment, the memory of the night Randy was killed flashed through her mind. It is a dark memory and as much as Claire feels her whole body freeze in horror when the image of those dead appears, she also remembered the nauseating and terrifying sensation she felt when Randy practically sold her and... Claire swallows. She knows that with monsters or without monsters she doesn't want to feel that way again... Never again. She continues, with the best expression of determination she can show.
“The reason we are on these missions is precisely to find hunters and ex-monsters who need help to rehabilitate themselves. If the police arrive early, it will be very difficult for them to understand the whole situation… If this person is insane and beyond recovery, there is nothing we can do, but if there is a chance for them or others, we should get there first.”
"Maybe Nora got there first..." Kaia is still looking at the picture on her cell phone. "Ok. But only for recognition. If we find any clues from the site, we can observe and report, before acting in any reckless way...”
"Okay, we have an agreement, sweetie." Claire runs a hand over Kaia's face and kisses her.
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They are in a forested area, walking for a few hours with no apparent new clues. After going back to the map and considering the possible routes, they try a new path. This time, they find a tiny wooden hut. Claire and Kaia settle behind a small ravine, on the lower ground, raising their heads to look at the place. They have the backpack with supplies and IDs.
"Did you speak to Jody?" Kaia whispers.
"Yup. She's all emotional because Patience has decided to go back to college… Well, at least she said that I can now have my room just for myself, in case I want to stay there longer…”
"Humn... It might be a good idea, right?" Kaia looks out of the corner of her eye towards Claire. "We could try to take a vacation from all of this."
"What do you mean? We stayed at the Bunker for a month…”
"Learning how to make magic dressings, training new blows with a knife, listening to lectures on attending to monsters turned into humans... It's not quite the type of vacation I have in mind..."
Claire increases her attention at the small cabin. She doesn't want to think about it now, but she knows that they will need to talk eventually. The past few months have been intense, Claire has met more hunters and other members of the supernatural world than she has since all this came into her life. And she felt welcome while being displaced. She got used to hunting with Jody, sometimes with Donna and always counting on the help of Alex and Patience. They were a strong team, but something was missing, Claire never had the closure she needed ... And then Kaia came back. Claire didn't think it would be possible, she didn't think she would still be able to feel as much gratitude as when she saw Kaia walk through the door and hugged her. They had been violently interrupted before and now they had a new chance. However, Claire and Kaia were not exactly the same as they were two years ago. They needed time, Kaia healing, learning to have a home, an address, a family again… In the meantime, Claire still needed to take refuge in the hunts, taking more care than before, of course, however, still looking to save people who would not need to pass for the same losses as her. And she became good at it.
The reality seemed to be adjusting to what some would consider ‘normal’ . Alex keeps working at the hospital, Jody and Donna are still sheriffs, and now Patience will return to college… They have helped with the Bunker support network, but little by little they are slowing down, prioritizing other activities, other moments… And Claire wonders what her place is in this scenario, she never had another job, another action for which she felt ‘destined’. Kaia has agreed to accompany her across the country since they finally became a couple. Kaia had said that she never thought they would come back for her, and now she didn’t want to leave another person alone… which could be interpreted as any other person lost in this still crazy world, but Claire was almost sure it was about herself, that Kaia would be with her outside or inside the life of a hunter.
"Hey, is there something going on?" Kaia points to the side of the cabin. A tall figure begins to become more visible, approaching from there.
“Is it Nora? Should we call her? ”
"She looks fine... Maybe it is better to watch some more, after all, what does she do here alone without sending updates?"
"Okay, I'm going to text Sam..."
And then a scream cuts through the relative silence around. Nora had already entered the hut, the scream was thick and guttural.
"Let Sam know!" Claire is blunt, feeling the agitation building in her body.
"Claire!" Kaia's voice is alarmed, but she avoids shouting.
Claire runs and dodges, leaning her back against the wooden wall. Peeking out of the window, she sees a man with his body raised, his hands tied over his head by a rope tied to the ceiling. Nora approaches him with a knife, silver wet with blood, she says something that Claire can't hear, and cuts him close to the ribs.
Kaia followed Claire and is now beside her. They exchange a confused look, and before Kaia can say anything, Claire steps over to the door and calls out to Nora.
"Nora!"
Nora turns to face, her expression surprised. The man drops his head, apparently he says something like "help" .
"Who are you? Are you a hunter?”
“Yes, Sam sent me. I'm Claire.”
Nora continues with the knife positioned defensively. Her eyes quickly look at the bound man.
“Nora, what's going on? I'm here to help, but I need to know…”
"He was one of them!" Nora says through clenched teeth, her voice angry. "A werewolf."
"Nora, he was... But that means he is human now."
"No!" She says in a sharper voice. "You are not going to take that away from me."
"I really don't understand." Claire tries to show her hands non-aggressively, tries to speak calmly.
"So... I'm sorry." The man stutters.
"He was a monster when he attacked and lacerated my father 8 years ago... I was with him, I remember that face when he was transformed... He couldn't kill me, but I saw..."
"I'm sorry, Nora, but we can't..."
Nora reacts to these words by advancing a little, the knife still in place.
"You want to take this away from me!" she screams “I haven't slept a single night since then without thinking about finding this animal. I prepared, I searched, I fought to be strong enough to face him, and now you want me to forget? May I let him live a normal human life that my father was unable to enjoy?”
“I'm telling you that it doesn't have to be this way. You don't have to hurt a person... ”
"Innocent?" Nora speaks with contempt. "He has no right to be any of those things."
"Nora, you said he was a werewolf, most werewolves are not even aware of what they are when they transform..."
“Why are you defending him? Why are there hunters trying to save what is left of these beings?”
Claire needs to stop for a second, she takes a deep breath and tries to keep her posture steady. She remembers what she heard some time ago.
“It is possible that there is a little monster in each of us… And yet, we can do better, Nora… We are trying to do better every day, with all the luggage we carry and I know, believe me, I know this it's not easy…"
"What do you know?!" Nora screams, almost crying.
“I know that I entered this life because one day my father was taken from me, by supernatural circumstances that were beyond the comprehension of the girl that I was… But, despite the suffering, the pain and the revenge did not become everything I have... You don't have to forgive him, Nora. That is not what I am asking you for. But there is a chance that this person has entered this life as forcefully as you did or that he may really want to change, and I can assure you that torturing and killing him now will not bring you any peace. You will not see the face of the monster you remember, you will remember the person asking for help. And that you will not be able to change.”
"Do you know how hard it was to get here?" Her body is still, tense. “One day the monsters become human and are they all forgotten? I already killed someone to get to him, why should I leave him...?
"The other body... You?" Claire raises her eyebrows.
"An old hermit hunter, he was out of your operation, about all this... He thought things were strange lately, but he agreed to help me, until he found Nathan here..." She pointed the knife at the man almost unconscious. "A hypocrite who didn't want to continue when he realized that he was human now, like all of you..."
"Nora…"
“I don't care about your sad story, or the fact that you don't think revenge is worth it. I gave everything to get here. Do you think I want this to end soon? I could have killed him as soon as I found him... I want him to suffer, I want to smash him, I don't care about the pleas he makes... Overnight it became human, how did I know if they won't all change, suddenly, into the usual monsters?”
"It will not happen." Claire now knows that she cannot leave the low guard, Nora will not back down easily. She tries to use peripheral vision to see if she can feel Kaia. Kaia might not have burst in to avoid scaring Nora, just in case. Claire manages to notice a small sign of her presence near the door.
"You are nobody to make promises to me." And then Nora steps forward to Claire, she is quick and knows exactly what she is doing. Claire moves and dodges the first blow, hitting Nora with the handle of her own knife, because that was the only point she got.
"Nora, stop, please!" Kaia yells holding a gun in Nora's direction, which widens her eyes.
"Unbelievable." Nora says as she drops the knife. "Are you hunters really in a pack now?"
Kaia is still with Nora in sight, her hand unsure, but she tries to keep her eyes as steady and unwavering as she can. Claire moves towards Nathan. Checks the body, still breathing. She starts to untie him, when she hears a noise coming from Nora.
"I told you that I only dreamed of having this moment, nothing more."
Then Claire realizes that Nora had dropped a dripping plastic container, after spilling almost all the contents on the floor, and before Kaia could do anything, as she was taken by surprise, Nora took a lighter from her pocket, throwing it lit over the spilled liquid.
The fire begins to spread quickly, Kaia who was taken by surprise shoots at Nora hitting her leg. Nora does not try to react, but after bending over her body, she takes the knife she was holding before, and quickly throws it at Claire.
"You are not going to get him out of here!"
"Claire!" Kaia screams and shoots again, not realizing where in the body she hit Nora.
Claire feels the knife rip through her flesh. It is stuck at the waist of her. Claire's hands are still trying to untie Nathan. Kaia came close to her.
"Claire, you are hurt!" Kaia's voice comes out clipped, shaky.
"We have to get... get him out of here... the fire..."
The fire continues to spread, they begin to cough and Claire can see the panic in Kaia's gaze. Still, they manage to untie Nathan, Claire tries to support him with the body, but she feels a sharp pang of pain and groans.
"Get him out of here." She says to Kaia.
"I am not leaving without you."
“I will go with you, I will follow you. But fast, now. ”
Kaia catches Nathan and with difficulty starts to pull him out, almost without seeing the door. She feels Claire behind her.
Finally they manage to leave completely, moving as far away as they can. When Kaia finally puts Nathan on the ground and looks back, she realizes that Claire has managed to leave, but that she has stopped a little behind. She looks with a little shock, coughing, and then she falls.
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The first time that Kaia saw Claire was through a hospital window. She noticed those blue eyes, that audacious expression and she knew that girl would be the trouble... And then she tried to escape, only to be saved by the same trouble she tried to avoid.
Now she watches Claire through a hospital window, but the roles are switched. Kaia managed to use one of the dressings to prevent bleeding, but the type of magic available in them was not able to reverse the damage, and there was also the smoke... Kaia was able to call for help, get them out and spent the last few minutes talking to Sam, who apologized for not having anticipated Nora's actions, apparently there is still a lot of noise in the communication and mistrust between hunters... He said he would send support to them as soon as possible and Kaia made him promise to let her get in touch with Jody.
Kaia sighs, she needs to get back to Claire, but she is afraid to feel that kind of loneliness that accompanies the moment before the loss. She has already gone through different scenarios filled with that same feeling. When she was twelve and her mother died in the accident, it was the first time that she felt that pain and helplessness. She was also in a hospital when she received the news... Then when her aunt fell ill, hospitals became commonplace until the day she passed away… And lastly, when Kaia overdosed after trying to stay awake and away from the Bad Place… Hospitals were never a good sign for her, yet it was in one of them that she met Claire.
When Kaia finally enters the room, in a matter of seconds, another person appears near Claire's bed.
"Hi, Kaia!" Jack greets her.
Kaia holds her breath before answering.
"Jack!" And she feels relief flowing through her body again. "You came for Claire."
Jack nods and leans, placing two fingers on Claire's forehead. His expression looks serene, after a few moments he turns away. Claire starts to breathe more visibly. Kaia can't help but walk towards her, hugging her while Claire slowly opens her eyes, still confused.
"You are home. You are safe. I am here." Kaia whispers close to Claire's ear, her eyes watering and kissing her softly on the cheeks. Claire, even though still confused and numb, hugs back.
When they move away, Claire can recover enough to look around and understand where she is, her gaze meets Jack, who stood by the bed.
"Jack."
“Hello, Claire. Do you feel better?"
"I.. I think so..." Instinctively she tries to put her hand where the knife had cut her.
"Thank you, Jack." Kaia says to him, smiling and crying.
"You're welcome!" Jack smiles back at them. "I'm glad I was able to help this time, as you know, I can't resurrect anyone else now that this universe is coming into balance."
Kaia feels Claire's body shake slightly, and she swallows. They tighten up a little more, as if that would rule out any other possibility that did not end with the two together and alive.
"I see..." Claire says in a low voice. "Thank you so much, Jack."
“Well, I have to go home, today I'm going to have dinner with Sam and Eileen. But, see you soon...” He then frowned a little. "In better circumstances, I hope."
"We will take care of this." Kaia replies, stroking Claire's forehead with her fingertips.
With a last, brighter smile, Jack disappears.
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"You must have a guardian angel watching over you." The doctor says, looking quite rightly amazed by Claire's speedy recovery.
"Half angel." Kaia speaks in a low voice, stifling a laugh.
"Excuse me?" The doctor raises her eyebrows.
"It was nothing." Claire intervenes. She shrugs. "I am quite resistant."
"Certainly." The doctor agrees.
"Doctor Price''. A nurse appears at the door. "The patient's parents have arrived."
Behind the short woman, Castiel appears, followed by Dean.
"Claire!" Castiel's voice was filled with relief. "How are you?"
The doctor then updates them on Claire's miraculous recovery. Dean and Castiel exchange a look, already understanding who came to help her. The doctor leaves the room and Castiel finally goes to Claire to hug her.
Castiel is without the trench coat, since he became human he has avoided using it unnecessarily, due to the heat and being impractical on some occasions. His hair is longer than it used to be, starting to get slightly curly at the end. When he hugs her, Claire feels her chest warm. It's Cas, and she loves him too. This feeling, for no apparent reason, takes her by surprise as if it were the first time she thinks about it, which is not true, but this time there is a different weight that makes her more emotional. She hugs him back and closes her eyes.
"Good to see that you're better." Dean says with a smile.
"Jack helped with that." Claire manages to say, after leaving Castiel's embrace.
"Yeah, Sam's message just got here." Dean sighs. "We were close by and when Sam told us that you were looking at the missing hunter's case, we offered to help out... But, by the way, we were late."
"In fact, this case turned out to be more complicated than we expected." Kaia spoke, her body shrinking as she remembered what had happened at the cabin.
"What happened?" Castiel tilts his head, his face worried.
Claire grabs her arm, lowering her face.
"I... I don't know what... not yet..." She turns to face Kaia questioningly. "Nora?"
Kaia shakes her head in a negative way.
“Nora was the hunter who disappeared… Actually she found the werewolf… I mean Nathan… They had a history, he killed her father a few years ago and, well… She wanted to take revenge, we tried to intervene and… Everything went out a little bit of control. Nathan is alive, maybe we can still help him. But Nora didn't make it... ”
“I'm sorry that you go through this, girls. Unfortunately, we still can't save everyone... It doesn't just depend on what we want, but the important thing is that you are well.” Dean tries to reassure them. "But we have to be extremely careful, even if we are not dealing with monsters." Dean raises an eyebrow. "If you still want to continue on these missions."
"This is an issue to consider." Castiel adds.
"Umm… We know." Claire is still unsure of her thoughts. "Have you considered it?"
"Kind of... Well, we're making it up as we go..." Dean clears his throat. “And Jody? Did you manage to talk to her?”
"No... I told Sam I was going to talk to her, but I didn't even get it before Jack came..." Kaia replies.
“Well, Cas and I can go check how Nathan is doing and look after the hospital, see how things went... Sam seems to have already sent someone from Mia's team to take over the conversation with Nathan. The doctor has already discharged Claire, so, what do you think about leaving time for the two of you to pack your things and we can go to dinner before you go back to the motel, if that's okay with you?” Dean suggests.
"I think it is a good idea." Claire offers a smile.
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Kaia and Claire were alone in the hospital room, with everything ready to leave. Kaia approaches Claire and gently takes her hand, with their faces close to each other.
“Hey, if you want, we can go straight to the motel and rest. Cas and Dean will understand.” Her voice is soft.
"No, I'm fine, and after all I need to eat too... But... I mean, thank you, Kaia." Claire takes Kaia's face in her hands. "I know it was not easy for you too, but I think it will be good to enjoy this time with them now, they understand what we have been through... Then it will be me and you."
Kaia nods slightly and then presses her lips to Claire's, they kiss. Claire enjoys that moment, she feels Kaia's warmth and her presence, pulling her closer. She loves her and wants to take care of what they have together, it is the desire that appears most easily in her mind.
For now, she wants to leave that hospital. She wants to spend good time with Castiel and Dean Winchester, listening to them complain about something, correcting each other, or listening to Dean make a bad joke with Cas making some unintended one… Maybe hearing some speech from them, accompanied by the tone of genuine concern that the two express. Claire wants to call Jody one more time, wants to see her face and make sure everything is fine. And Claire wants to go back home holding Kaia's hand, brush her hair out of her face, while smiling at her girlfriend who makes her feel like she has a good place in the world, no matter where they are. This is what she wishes for tonight, and she is very grateful to have the time to postpone her thoughts on ‘how’ all this and more will happen in the future.