[Supernatural: Fiction] "Family Dinner" [G]

Jan 28, 2023 04:57

Title: Family Dinner
Author: Ami Ven
Word Count: 1,357
Rating: G
Fandom: Supernatural
Character(s): Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Mary Winchester, Castiel, Claire Novak
Summary: Just after Mary is brought back to life, Claire stops by the Bunker.

Family Dinner

With Cas and Mary both around to help with dinner, Dean didn’t say anything when Sam answered a few texts, then ducked out of the kitchen.

He was back about an hour later, and Dean frowned. “Anything up?”

“Oh, no, that was Claire,” said Sam. “She was working a ghost case and needed some research. Then, she needed a ‘senior FBI agent’ to authorize her taking the ghost’s stuff from the Historical Society.”

“And she’s all right?” asked Cas.

“You can see for yourself,” Sam told him. “She’s closer to here than to home, so I said she’s more than welcome to crash here for the night.”

“Of course she is,” said Dean. “Text her and tell her not to stop for any of that fast food crap, there’s plenty here for one more.”

Sam opened his mouth, probably to point out that at least eighty percent of Dean’s diet was ‘fast food crap’, but he decided against it. “Fine.” He sent the text, and a moment later got a reply. “She’s leaving now, should be hear in half an hour.”

“Good timing,” said Dean. “This’ll be about done by then.”

“Do other hunters stay here often?” asked Mary. She finished slicing tomatoes and slid the cutting board over to him. “I don’t think I’ve met any of them.”

“Uh, no,” said Sam. “We don’t really know a lot of other hunters.”

“Claire is Cas’s vessel’s kid,” added Dean. “Kinda makes her family.”

Mary frowned. “Castiel’s… vessel?”

Sam frowned back. “Didn’t Dean and Cas tell you about angels already?”

“You were missing, Sammy,” said Dean. “And we were busy.”

“I know that angels have grace,” Mary said. “They can smite or heal with it.”

“That is true,” said Cas. “But unlike most creatures, which begin as humans and retain much of their physical humanity, or even demons which were once human souls, angels were created directly by God and were not meant to walk the Earth. In heaven, I appear in my true form, a multidimensional wavelength of celestial intent.”

“The size of the Chrysler Building,” added Dean.

“Yes,” Cas agreed. “Any human who even glimpsed my true form would be blinded. The earth is designed for human use - in my true form, I am not able to interact with anything or anyone here, even other angels.”

“Then you…” Mary said, slowly. “You, angels, possess people, like demons? You’re possessing someone right now? Dean-”

“No, Mom,” he interrupted, quickly. “Angels have to get permission from their vessel. Cas couldn’t possess you - or anyone - if you didn’t agree to it.”

She didn’t look convinced. “Then he is wearing some poor bastard right now?”

“Well, no,” said Sam. “Any other angel you’ll meet - except Gabriel, but he’s a whole different story - will be inhabiting a body with a human soul in it. The humans have to be willing. Some are religious, some are desperate, and honestly, some are tricked, but that’s not as common. But Cas-”

“My vessel belonged to a devout man named Jimmy Novak. When I came to earth, I was on a mission from heaven and he agreed to let me use his body. When we were both killed by my brother, Raphael, Jimmy’s soul remained in heaven and my father returned me to this vessel alone.”

Mary blinked at him. “I honestly don’t know what part of that to question first.”

“Yeah, the Cliff’s Notes version is kind of a whammy,” said Dean. “But the part you need to know now is about Claire. Her mom didn’t really take the whole ‘angels borrowed my husband’ thing well, and she started doing drugs. Serious ones. Claire - thirteen-year-old Claire - went out to find her and became a Hunter along the way. Her mom died right after Claire found her - died saving Claire, but still - and her dad’s not legally dead, so Cas can still sign papers for her. Could, she’s eighteen now, do I feel old.”

“And she’s okay coming here if Castiel is here?” asked Mary.

“She was angry at me for a long time,” said Cas. “It was not my intention, but I did cause her father’s death. We have since come to understand one another, though.”

“Claire lives with our friend, Jody,” added Sam. “You’ve met her, she’s the sheriff of Sioux Falls.”

“Claire also attends college,” said Cas, proudly. “Her grades are quite good.”

Just then, Sam’s phone beeped. “That’s her. I’ll go let her in.”

“I’ll go, as well,” said Cas, and followed him out.

“Claire’s great, Mom,” said Dead, turning to put the burgers he’d been making into a pan on the stove. “You’ll like her. Or is this about Cas?”

“It’s a lot to get used to,” Mary admitted. “Being raised a Hunter, we weren’t exactly religious, but… there were things I believed, God and angels and heaven. They were vast, unknowable things, too divine for mere mortals to even imagine. And now there’s an angel who insists on making me toast every morning.”

“Yeah, he’s got a thing about toast,” said Dean. “You could ask him to make you something else.”

“Dean…”

He flipped the burgers. “Cas isn’t human,” he said, bluntly. “And it’s worse to pretend he is. But he’s not just another angel, either. So what if he’s got grace instead of a soul? He’s one of us, a Winchester. He’s chosen us, over and over again, over heaven and armies and a stint at being God - don’t ask, it wasn’t good. And maybe he doesn’t always make the best choices, but he makes them for the right reasons and that seems pretty damn human to me.”

Mary smiled and kissed his cheek. “I still don’t think I understand, but thanks for telling me.”

“Yeah, well…” he mumbled.

“Oh, my god,” said a voice from the doorway. “Are those Dean’s ‘famous’ burgers I smell?”

“That’s what you’re gonna comment on?” Dean teased. “Not my mom, who’s been dead for thirty years and is standing right here?”

“I haven’t eaten in, like, twelve hours,” said Claire. “First things first.”

He laughed. “Mom, this is Claire Novak, Hunter-in-training.”

“Hey!” she protested.

“Claire, this is Mary Winchester. My mom.”

The girl’s expression softened. “Hey,” she repeated. “So, not dead, huh?”

“No,” Mary agreed.

Claire nodded. “Did they tell you that Castiel is wearing my dad’s old meatsuit?”

“Hey,” said Dean, but Mary said, evenly, “They did.”

“Then, I need to ask you something, and be completely honest,” said Claire. She waited until the older woman nodded warily, then grinned, “How adorable was Dean as a baby?”

“Hey,” Dean repeated, but Mary ignored him again.

“Oh, he was a cuddler,” she said. “If I sat down for a second, he’d be in my lap.”

“Mom…”

“And he had the best puppy dog eyes. There were more than a few cookies before dinner because of those.”

“Cas!” called Dean. “Sammy, what’s taking so long!?”

Claire smirked. “Big bad Hunter needs to be rescued from a couple of girls?”

“If it’s you two? Hell, yes!”

“Dean,” said Cas, as he entered the kitchen with Sam. “I was certainly able to hear you from the next room - your prayer was entirely unnecessary.”

“I’m outnumbered,” Dean protested.

Sam laughed. “C’mon, Claire, you can help me set the table.”

“I’ll help, too,” said Mary.

Dean moved the cooked burgers from the pan, while Cas got out the rest of the things they would need for dinner.

“It seems they like each other,” the angel said. “Claire and your mother.”

“A little too much,” Dean muttered, then smiled. “But it’s good to have the whole family together.”

“Dean!” called Claire’s voice. “Did you really have fuzzy bear jammies?”

“So good,” Dean muttered.

Cas smiled. “It’s my understanding that good-natured teasing is healthy in family relationships. I’m glad Claire feels that comfortable here.”

“Yeah, yeah…”

“Also,” he added, “if her teasing becomes unhealthy, I have several images of Claire as a small child that Jimmy had kept in his wallet.”

Dean grinned. “Baby pictures?”

“Only as a last resort,” Cas warned.

“Spoilsport,” said Dean, but he was still smiling. “C’mon, let’s get this family dinner started…”

THE END

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