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“I can’t believe you’re a hunter.” Dean said, as they sat down at the diner table. “Trust Sam to find the one hunter girl at Stanford.”
Jess laughed. “It’s a family tradition, what can I say? I didn’t expect Sam to be a hunter either. Now that was a shock.”
“I bet.”
“I’m right here.” Sam said. “Like, next to you at this table...”
“I’m well aware.” Dean said, scowling. It’s not that he was unhappy that Sam was traveling with him again, but it did leave a lot to be desired. “I just don’t care.”
“You need anything else?” The waitress asked.
Dean gave her a charming smile and went to open his mouth when Sam said, “Just the check.”
Dean rolled his eyes. “You know, I can have fun once in a while.”
“You have a child right there Dean.” Sam says, annoyed, “Besides, we need to look for Dad, not some random case.”
Dean scoffed. “You know who whines, Sam?” He sees Sam look towards him with an eyebrow raised. “Babies.”
“I just think you should set a better example for Claire, that’s all.” Sam says, rolling his eyes.
“Oh, sorry.” Dean said sarcastically, “I must have missed the part where we were co-parenting. My bad.”
“Sam,” Jessica says, putting her hand on his arm. “Just let Dean do what he wants to. He’s the one who’s been with her for four years.”
Sam gave her a look, but said, “Fine.”
Jess smiles at him. “So, Dean, find anything interesting in that newspaper?”
“I did, actually.” he slides the paper across to the them. “Lake Manitoc, Wisconsin. Drowning. Read it for yourself.”
Jess looks at it and nods along with Sam. “I’d say this is definitely a case.”
“They had a funeral for her?” Sam asks. “That’s odd.”
“It was probably for closure.” Dean says. “Even if they couldn’t find anything with the sweep of the lake.”
“What closure?” Sam asks, annoyed. “People don’t disappear, Dean. other people just stop looking for them.”
“How many times do you and I have to have this conversation?” Dean says, snatching the newspaper back. “I cannot keep doing this.”
“Doing what, exactly?”
“Explaining to you that the trail is cold! He doesn’t want us to find him. If he did, he wouldn’t have shut his phone off and left his journal!”
“Maybe that’s even more of a reason to find him! He never leaves that thing behind!”
Dean scowls at Sam. “I’m going to Wisconsin, and if you don’t want to find another ride, you’re going with me.”
He stomped out of the diner, Claire following behind him.
Sam scoffed. “Wake me up when we reach the place.”
“Sure thing.” Dean muttered. “Always happy to help.”
As the miles flew by, he got lost in thought. There was nothing but the endless road to keep him company, and the sky had given way to nighttime. Claire shifted from where she was napping, and almost kicked him in the lap since she had her feet there.
“Watch the feet Claire, geez!” Dean muttered to himself, even knowing she couldn't hear him.
Wisconsin had been nothing but flat farmlands, interspersed with occasional farm houses and small towns. Passing through Madison and onto Route 151, he found himself thankful he wasn't passing through Illinois, although he knew he couldn’t escape the potholes of the Midwest. They still had a few hours to drive, and he was eagerly awaiting getting to the hotel and getting some rest.
His cell phone vibrated in his pocket. He had never turned the ringer back on and was thankful that he had done that so as to not wake anyone up. “Hello?” Dean said quietly.
“Dean.” He heard Cas say. “It’s nice to talk to you again. I’m sorry it’s been so long. Gabriel said you missed me,”
“Gabriel is full of crap.” Dean said, rolling his eyes. “But he wasn’t…entirely incorrect.”
“I see.” A pause and then Cas said, “Are you and Claire stopping for the night anytime soon?”
Dean nodded, even though Cas couldn't see him. “We should be. Still on Route 151 right now, passing through Madison. And I thought Kansas scenery left something to be desired.”
“I find I enjoy the flatlands of the Midwest. It’s very…stagnant.” Cas says.
“You're weird, you know that?” Dean tells him. “That actually counts against it for most people.”
Cas says “How can I not be, when you're constantly telling me so?”
“Wow Cas, you're finally learning sarcasm, I’m proud of you. Only took you a few years.” Dean said, grinning. “Now we need to work on innuendo next.”
“I’d prefer not to. Sometimes I’m glad I have no frame of reference for what Gabriel says.”
Dean laughs quietly. “I'm sure.”
At the nudging of his thigh, he looks down to see Claire staring at him. He takes the phone away from his face and asks, “What, do you need to stop or something?”
She rolls her eyes. “I want to talk to him.”
“Why?” Dean asks her.
“None of your business.” Claire says snarkily. “Besides, you’ll find out anyway. It’s not like I can stop you from listening.”
“Exactly why you should just tell me.” Dean laughed. “But fine, here you go.”
“If you two are done…” Cas says. “Yes, Claire, what did you need?’
Cas and Claire didn't have an amazing relationship, what with the fact of Cas’s vessel's identity, but also the fact that Claire never knew her father. It wasn’t a bad relationship, he knew Cas cared for Claire, and Claire as well, but it was never that close bond that Dean himself had had with her. He supposed that meeting her at such a young age and spending every day with her from then on definitely helped.
As Claire talked with Cas, he thought back to that day.
It had truly changed his future, and he felt for the better. He had no idea what his father would say once he found them, but he didn't really care. Claire was kid in everything but blood, and there would be a rude awakening if John Winchester had an issue with that.
As she hung up, she yawned again. Dean smiled softly at her, and said, “Hey kid, why don’t you go back to sleep. We still have a few hours.”
She nodded. “Okay dad.”
He would never admit, especially since it veered towards chick flick territory, but it warmed something in his chest to hear her call him that. Even after a few years, it never got old. He never figured himself for having kids, despite always wanting a family of his own. He had always thought the life was too dangerous for them. Oftentimes, he wondered if he had done the right thing, bringing Claire with him, subjecting her to the hunter’s life. But after seeing Amelia and what had happened to her, he knew Claire’s normal life was never going to be something that happened. She would forever carry a mark of being a victim of a supernatural attack, and at least here he could keep an eye on her.
As they made their way to the next highway, he sighed and took in a deep breath before releasing it. He looked to the back where Sam and his sleeping fiance sat, and wondered, if not for the first time, if he was making a huge mistake.
Dean sighed. The last case with the wendigo had startled Claire a bit, so she had stayed closer to him than normal. She was waiting in the chair while they waited for the Sheriff to show up. Dean found it amusing that Claire didn’t exactly care for Sam. He knew she would like him eventually, but for now her avoidance of him made him laugh.
“Sorry about the wait, it’s been busy over here.” the Sheriff said. “The whole town is in mourning for Sophie.”
“Losing a child is never easy, I can’t imagine what the Carlton’s are going through.” Dean said. “And that’s why we’re here.”
“For an accidental drowning?” The Sheriff says, raising his eyebrows in disbelief. “I can’t imagine why the feds would care.” Claire says nothing, but sits in the chair looking at the Sheriff. “And I’m not sure this is suitable conversation for a child to hear.”
Dean gives a thin smile. “I’m aware. Babysitter canceled at the last minute, so I had no choice but to bring her.”
The man’s face softened. “Single parent huh? My daughter had the same unfortunate thing happen to her too. Can’t be easy, can it?”
“No,” Dean shakes his head, not entirely rebutting the claim. “It isn’t. But it’s worth it. I can’t imagine my life without her.”
The Sheriff nods. “Kids really do change everything. Now, about the lake. There’s nothing in there. Unless the Loch Ness Monster was hiding underneath the ground, we didn’t find anything.”
“Nothing at all?” Sam asked.
“No.” The Sheriff said. “We dragged the entire lake, just to be sure. Even did a sonar sweep. But we found nothing.”
Dean shook his head. “Very odd. That’s what? The third missing person this year?”
Sheriff Jake sighed and rubbed his hand down his face. “These are my people, and they keep going missing. I don’t know what to do. Besides, it’s not like it’s going to be a problem much longer.”
Dean threw out a guess. “What with the lake right?”
“It’s falling apart, and we can’t fix it.” He said. “It’ll be drained soon anyway.”
A knock sounded, and the door opened to reveal a young woman and her son. “Sorry, am I interrupting?”
“No, we were done here.” Dean says, “Hi, I’m Dean and this is my daughter Claire.” Claire waves.
Sam waves from the back. “I’m Sam.”
She smiles. “Nice to meet you.”
“They’re from Wildlife Services. About the lake.” the Sheriff says.
“I see.” she says.
“Well, that’s about it.” Sheriff Jake says, “You boys need anything else?”
“Yeah.” Dean said. “Mind pointing us to a motel?”
They’re in their room by themselves, and Dean decides to call Cas. “Hey Cas, mind coming down to the motel? Lakefront Motel, Manitoc, Wisconsin, Room 5.”
A moment later Cas appears, along with Gabriel. “Well, I didn’t say to bring the whole circus with you.”
“You’re hilarious, Dean.” Gabriel says. “I’m just here to say hi to my niece.”
“I’m not your niece.” Claire says, rolling her eyes.
Gabriel brings his hand to his chest in fake hurt. “Then I guess I’ll have to return this gift I got you. What a shame, it’s a nice knife.”
Claire makes grabby hands. “Okay, you’re the best uncle ever, now give me my gift.”
Gabriel rolls his eyes and hands her the box. She eagerly tears it open to reveal a knife with a jagged edge and symbols up and down it. “What’s the symbols for?”
“Means you can kill demons with it. I think it was called a Kurdish Knife.” Gabriel says. “Think of it as your new signature weapon.”
Dean sighs. “Why is your brother giving my kid a weapon as a present?”
“Don't act like you’re not mad you didn’t think of it first.” Cas says. "Besides, when she was old enough weren't you going to teach her to shoot?"
“Ouch, that stings.” Dean says. “You’re really working on your sarcasm game aren't you?”
“How else can I keep up with you?” Cas says, a small smile on his lips.
“Gross, go flirt somewhere else.” Gabriel says. “Think of the child.”
“Speaking of the child, how about you take her out for ice cream?” Dean says, “I need to talk to Cas about something. About your mission.”
Disgust crosses Gabriel’s face. “Fine. I’ll call you when we’re coming back.”
Dean gives him an impish grin. “Sounds good.”
As they disappear Cas turns to him. “What was the case you wanted to discuss? Is this about the lake case you’re currently on?”
“Cas,” Dean says, as he puts a hand on his shoulder. “I lied. There is no case.”
“Then why…”
“We’re alone.” Dean says, cutting Cas off. “And I don’t know about you, but I want to spend less time talking and more time doing something else. We only have so much time before Gabriel pops back.”
Understanding spread across Cas’s face, and Dean smirked. “Understand me?”
Cas said nothing, but leaned forward to kiss him.
Sam didn’t understand why Dean was so annoyed with him recently. It wasn’t him who showed up with some random kid he had been taking care of for years! He turned to Jess, who had been laying down on the bed.
“Don't you think it’s odd?” Sam asked. “Him bringing a kid with him? I know he’s hiding stuff, I just don’t know what.”
Jess looks up at him. “I don’t know him that well to be honest. We’ve only been on one case together. And Claire wasn’t there for much of that. From what I’ve seen, he really cares about Claire.”
“I just think it’s weird he didn’t want to get a room next to each other. Like he’s got something to hide.” Sam said, looking out the window and back at her. “It’s just odd.”
Jess sits up and gives him a look. “I don’t think it’s a conspiracy against you. Also, the motel only had these two rooms, so I think you’re fine.”
Sam crosses his arms. “It’s just weird! I know my brother, and this is not how he acts. He didn’t even flirt with the woman showing us the way here!”
“Maybe he’s more focuse on the case and his kid, rather than flirting.” Jess offers. “Being a parent can change you. When my sister had a kid, she stopped hunting altogether.”
“Exactly!” Sam said, gesturing with his hands. “Which is what Dean should have done. Not drag her along. He remembers how terrible that was, never being in one place, switching schools. I mean, Claire is supposed to be in elementary school!”
“Maybe she’s doing it online, Sam.” Jess says, annoyed. “I don’t think we can judge his decisions when we haven’t been here the last four years to see it.”
“I’ll ask him when we’re on the case later.” Sam says. “I need to make sure he isn’t messing up her life.”
At that moment, all of the lightbulbs in the room shattered. She frowned, and shook her head even though Sam couldn’t see her.
How odd.
Jess puts her head in her hands and groans. “It’s like you don’t even listen to a word I say.”
“Mind if we join you?” Dean asked, as they walk up to Andrea at the park. He and Claire had gone to the park in hopes of meeting Lucas, and he figured if he couldn’t get the kid to talk, Claire might.
“Sure.” Andrea said. “I’m just at the park with my son.”
“Great. Claire heard there was a park, and wanted to see it.” He said, pointing at her. “She likes jungle gyms. Mind if we say hi?”
“Sure.” Andrea smiled. “I bet.”
Dean gave Sam a nod and Sam sat next to her. They went up to Lucas, who was quietly drawing. Claire said, “Can I join?”
Lucas said nothing, but nodded. Claire grabbed some pens and handed Dean one. “You have to draw too, dad.”
Dean rolled his eyes, but sat down next to her. “What should I draw then Claire-bear?”
“Hm. Draw the family.” Claire held up a black crayon. “I’ll draw Baby, so you have everyone.”
Dean laughed. “Okay kiddo.”
Claire looks at Lucas and says, “I know you don’t want to talk. When my mom died, I didn’t either. But now I have my dad, and that’s what matters.”
Dean nodded. “It’s okay if you saw something Lucas. Others might not believe you, But I will, I promise.”
“Dad always keeps his promises.” Claire said, coloring Baby on the sheet. “Like one time he promised ice cream if I got a good grade on my spelling test. I only got a B but he still got me one because he said I still did good.”
“You don’t have to talk to me Lucas, but you could try and draw a picture of what you saw that day.” Dean hands his picture to Claire. “That’s you and me, and Sam and Jess.”
Claire frowns. “You didn’t add Cas or Uncle Gabe.”
Dean laughs. “You’re right kiddo. But I think this will be enough for now.” He leaves the paper for Lucas. “It was nice talking to you Lucas, I hope you can help us.”
Claire nods and holds the picture of Baby. “Here, you can have this. This is Baby. She’s the best car ever. Better than that dumb minivan my mom had.”
Dean laughs and pats her on the head. “That’s how I know you’re my kid. You have good taste in cars.”
Claire rolled her eyes. “Only a dummy doesn’t like Baby.”
Dean nods in agreement. “Alright, let’s get going.” He stands up and runs to Claire. “How about we get a snack, huh?”
“You’re only asking because you want food.” Claire says, laughing.
Dean scoffs. “So? Do you want the snack or not?”
“Of course.” She says. “But I want to choose the place. It’s my turn.”
Dean lets out a long groan. “Great.”
“Listen,” Andrea had said, gripping the door unsurely. “I don’t think Lucas will tell you anything. So I confess I don’t understand why you’re here.”
“Do you really believe that?” Dean asked her. “Because if you do, we can leave.”
She hesitated for a moment, and then sighs. “Fine, but I don’t know what you’re expecting here.”
“I just need a few minutes alone.” is all Dean had said. “I think he knows more than he’s said.”
They pull up at the Sweeney house, and Dean takes a deep fortifying breath. Something about this whole case seems off, like he’s missing a vital clue. He shakes that feeling off and they get out. He feels unsure of leaving Claire with Jess, but she had seemed to like her, so he forced himself to relax a bit.
“What’s got your underwear in a twist?” Sam asks him, giving him a look. “You look like you’d rather be anywhere else.”
“I would.” Dean muttered. “I’m just worried about Claire. I mean, I doubt anything will happen with Jess there, but I still can’t help but imagine the worst case scenarios.” Dean chuckles at himself and shakes his head. “Makes me wonder how Dad was able to leave us alone for days at a time. Sometimes even weeks.”
Sam gives him a surprised look. “You know, that’s one of the first times I’ve heard you question Dad’s choices.”
Dean rolls his eyes as he knocks. “Yeah well, Dad wasn’t ever going to win the Parent of the Year award.”
Before Sam can reply to that, the door opens. Dean gives the woman a soft smile. “Hi, I’m so sorry to bother you, but my daughter had met a boy with a red bike earlier, and I think they switched mittens. They’re very similar, and I was pointed in this direction to return to them?”
The woman shook her head. “No, no one like that has lived here in thirty years.”
Deans eyebrows rose. “Oh, I apologize.”
She shook her head. “It’s fine. Do come in though.”
They sat down in the living room. They chat for a while, and Sam asks her about the boy who lived there.
She sighed sadly. “They never found who did it.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.” Dean said. “That can’t have been easy.”
“No,” She said, shaking her head. “It isn’t.” She looked sadly at the figurines littering the bookcase. “Do either of you have children?”
“I do.” Dean said. “I have a daughter, her name is Claire. She’s about 7 now.”
She nodded. “So you know that there is nothing that can replace that empty feeling if you ever lost her. It’s how I feel about my son. He was supposed to come home, and he never did.”
Sam nodded, and Dean said, “I’m sure. I don’t what I would do if anything ever happened to Claire.”
She gave him a sad smile. “I hope you never find out. Losing him… it’s almost worse.”
Sam held out a photo. It caught a Dean’s eye as Sam asked her, “Just out of curiosity, but, were Paul and Bill Carlton ever friends?”
Jess smiled at Claire. “What do you say to a girls day out, since your dad and Sam are working the case?”
Claire nodded excited. “Yes! Dad doesn’t like going to nail salons, because I always bully him to get his nails done.”
Jess cracked up, imaging Dean trying to tell a 7-year-old girl that no, he is not getting his nails done. “And how does that go?”
She grinned “I haven’t lost yet.”
Jess grins. “Well, let’s find a salon huh? I haven’t had a good mani-pedi in a while, and after all this I think we both deserve one.”
They found a decent one within walking distance, a soon enough they were sitting in the massage chairs to have their pedicure done. “So, you’ve been with your dad for four years now?”
“Yep.” Claire said. “Originally he was going to drop me at my grandma’s house. But I told him he can’t. She didn’t like me.”
“Oh?” Jess asked, as the pedicurist asked her to test the water. She decided to hold off on the questioning, since this was not the best place for it. After they were done, they were drying their toes and nails at the station, the woman next to them said, “Your daughter is very cute.”
Jess laughed. “Thanks, but she’s my boyfriends brothers kid. I’m just here for babysitting today since they had something to do.”
Claire nods. “But Aunt Jess is the best! She took me to get my nails done.”
The woman chuckled. “I see that.” She looked at a Claire’s black glittery nails. “That’s a interesting color choice.”
Claire nods excitedly. “It’s the color of my dad’s car. When we go, that’s the color I make him get. He’s not here this time, so I did it.”
The woman raises her eyebrows. “Your father goes with you to nail salons? That’s…interesting.”
Jess gives her a strained smile. “Her mother died a few years back, so there’s not really anyone else, since me and my boyfriend live in California.”
The woman nods. “I see.”
The conversation over, and their nails dried, Jess pays for the services and they head out to lunch. “Where do you want to eat kiddo?”
“I don’t know.” Claire shrugs. “Dad usually picks.”
“How about this cafe?” she asked. “Let’s see if your dad and Sam are done with their little fact finding mission.”
She called Sam, and asked him, “Hey, are you guys done? Claire and I are at this diner place now, and want to see if you can join.”
She hears muttered conversations, and she assumed they are walking to Dean’s car. “Yeah, we can. Tell me the place’s name, and we’ll be there in a bit.”
After she relays the information, she gestured to Claire. “Come on, let’s sit down and wait for them.”
They go an sit down. “So, show me your new nails.”
She admires Claire’s sparky black nails, and shows her her own coral ones. “Good choice. Did you have fun?”
Claire nods. “Yep! Thanks Aunt Jess.”
Jess would deny it, but it made her smile when Claire referenced her as her aunt. “Speaking of, why do you keep calling me ‘Aunt Jess’?”
“Do you not want me to?” Claire asked. “I can stop if you don’t.”
“Oh, no.” Jess assured her. “I don’t mind. It’s just that you don’t call Sam, ‘Uncle Sam’, so I was curious.”
“Sam hurt my dad.” Claire said, scowling. It’s amazing how much she looks like him when she does that. “So until he apologizes, I’m not calling him that.”
Before Jess can respond, Dean slides in the seat across from her, Sam quickly behind him. “Hey Claire, how was your time with Jess?” She could see the underlying anxiety he had at being away. She supposed if you had the kid around all the time, you’d be tense when you left her in the care of a virtual stranger, trustworthy or not.
“We got our nails done!” She held out her nails. “I got the color of Baby, since you weren't there.”
Sam raised his eyebrows at that, and Dean chuckled. “They look great.”
Claire beamed. Jess smiled. “Claire was great. She was charming all the ladies in the nail salon.”
“I bet.” Dean chuckled at her. “Well, unfortunately, the Sheriff believes we have worn out our welcome, so we’ll have to high tail it out of here after we eat.”
Jess raised her eyebrows, and frowned. That’s unlike them. “I see.” is all she said. “Well then," She claps her hands together. “let’s eat.”
“Are you really going to shoot me in front of my daughter?” Dean asked the Sheriff. “Seriously?”
“Stop talking.” He said, glaring at Dean. “It was fine until you started poking around. It’s all your fault.”
Jess let out a surprised laugh, as Sam says, “You’re kidding, right?”
Dean shakes his head. “You know stuff like this never stays buried. This is going to keep happening until it gets your family, and then it’s going to get you.”
The Sheriff holds his gun at Dean and says, “You don’t know that. I could kill you and then this all goes away.”
“You’d rather kill me and traumatize my kid for life, just to keep a secret? What about your daughter?” Dean asked him. “You think she’s going to be fine with this?”
"Dad, please." Andrea said. "You don't have to do this. Just tell them the truth."
“It’s going to take everyone you love, Andrea, Lucas. Because that’s what it did to Bill Carlton.” Sam says.
“Yeah?” The Sheriff asked. “How do you think that?” The Sheriff glared at him. "I was a kid. it was an accident. We...never meant to do it."
“Because-” Sam says, before he’s interrupted by Andrea calling for Lucas as he goes to the water.
They rush to the dock just to see Lucas get pulled under. Dean doesn’t think, and jumped into the water. He tries to pull Lucas out, but the force holding him is strong. By some miracle, he is able to pull Lucas out and get them both to the pier. He lays on the dock for a moment, coughing, when Claire rushes up to him. He sits up and holds her in a hug like hold as she shivers. “Don’t do that again, Dad.”
“I’ll try not to Claire-bear.” Dean said. “I’m sorry I scared you.”
“You didn’t scare me.” Claire scoffed. “I just don’t want to live with Uncle Gabriel instead.”
“Yeah, nobody wants that.” Dean says, laughing. “Come on kiddo, let’s get back to Baby, huh?”
As Andrea leans in to give him a thank you kiss, Dean rubs the back of his neck as he steps back. “Sorry, uh, I kinda…”
An amused look crossed her face. “You have someone, don’t you?”
“Yeah…” Dean says, looking away and back at her. “It’s complicated.”
“Isn’t it always.” Andrea said wryly. “And here I thought you were just a gentleman.”
That startled a laugh out of Dean. “Nah, if I was alone, I would have definitely hit on you, but Claire kinda…changed my operating procedures. Can’t exactly hit the the bar or flirt with people when I have a kid at home.”
“I know.” Andrea said. “Trust me. After all of this, I think Lucas and I need a vacation.”
“You definitley earned one.” Dean said. “I hope everything works out for you. You guys deserve it, after everything.”
She smiled. “Thanks.” As she and Lucas left, she turned to say, “Good luck with your…complication. I have faith it’ll work out fine.”
“Faith.” Dean laughed, as she walked away and out of sight. “That’s one word for it.”
As he got back in the car, Dean got into the drivers seat and Sam said, “One for the road huh?”
“Excuse me?” Dean asked him, as he started up the Impala. The rumbling purr of her engine was always soothing balm to his troubles. He drove them out of the station and onto the highway.
Sam laughed and said, “You know, what with Andrea planting one you back there.”
Claire sat up immediately, and peered up at him through the rear view mirror. Dean gave Sam a sharp look. He wasn’t thrilled at Sam sitting next to him, but Claire liked Jess so she wanted her to sit in the back with her.
“I didn’t let her kiss me.” Dean says, at the same as Claire saying, “But what about Cas?”
With those four words, she silenced everyone in the car. Sam and Jess looked confused, and Dean felt his heart almost stop as he realized the implications of her words.
Finally Sam turns to him and says, “Who the hell is Cas?”