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Hunting Humanity IX	By : greenwizard11 Category: Supernatural > Slash - Male/Male Views: 1362 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Supernatural universe. No monetary gain is coming from this story.

Chapter List
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Liam was sitting in the library quietly sipping a cup of tea when Sam came in. “How are you doing?” Sam asked the blond as he sat down beside him.

“That's a complicated answer,” Liam responded as he set his cup on the table.

Sam ran a hand through his hair. “Look, I know that couldn't have been easy. Dean, I don't know what he was seeing, but you, it's not hard to guess. If only Dean hadn't come after me like that...”

“Then you'd be dead,” Liam's tone was a bit harsh. “The only reason you aren't now is because Dean and I both snapped out of the spell when you started giving that box your blood. It's a really good thing I have legacy blood too.”

“Yeah, because of your grandfather. Different country, but it still worked. How did you get out of the spell anyway?”

“Can't speak for Dean, but I beat him to death with a chair. I guess I've changed a little since then.”

“I don't think any of us are who we were when we were kids. And you've been through more than most people.”

“Was all of that even worth it?”

“We'll see. I gave Rowena the codex like she wanted. I also chained her up and told her she wasn't getting free until I got that cure. I'm not gonna let her keep the book or the codex.”

Liam shook his head. “Then what are you going to do? If she does find that cure, are you just going to leave her chained up and take the book? She's an evil witch who is probably seriously pissed at you right now. We don't need her coming after us.”

“You just let me worry about all that, okay? Right now the focus is saving Dean. Like the two of you tricking me into letting Gadreel in, I'm willing to do anything I have to, no matter how crazy. I thought you were desperate too.”

“I am. I guess I just like plans that are a little better thought out. Gadreel was supposed to stay in you quietly and heal you until you were strong enough, then slip away. It was a good idea in theory.”

“Yeah, and look how well it turned out. The best laid plans don't usually work out for us. If you haven't noticed, things go better when we improvise.”

“I have noticed. We couldn't have known that Metatron was going to sweet talk Gadreel.”

“Does Dean suspect anything?”

“If he does, he hasn't said anything to me. Are we really doing the right thing here?”

“Yeah, I think we are. I know the plan seems absolutely crazy. Dean would never go along with it if we told him. But I think we have to take this shot.”

Dean came in just then. “Hey, Cas just called. He needs us in Oklahoma.”

“What's happening in Oklahoma?” Liam asked.

“Claire is happening. She's in the hospital, and I guess he was her emergency contact. He's worried she might be into something.”

Liam got up from the table. “I don't know what we're gonna do, but a distraction is welcome right now.”

When Liam left to take his cup back to the kitchen Dean turned to his brother. “Is he good?”

“I think so,” Sam nodded. “From what I can tell anyway. The second attempt came out of left field, so... But I think it's a good sign that he resisted under the spell and came out of it.”

Dean leaned against the table. “I still don't like the thought of it being put back in his head. He resisted then, but the danger seems to be the thought tumbling around in his head for a while. And with all the stress he's been under... You didn't know the box was gonna do that, right?”

“Of course not!” Sam was offended. “You really think I'd put either of you in that kind of danger? I mean, I knew there was some kind of protection on it, and I had a plan that didn't really work because I didn't know what had been done to it.”

“Okay,” Dean nodded. “I just think we should both keep an eye on him for a while.”

“I agree.”

Hours later they pulled up to a hospital, Castiel waiting on the sidewalk for them. “Thanks for coming,” the angel greeted them when they got out.

“Cas, look, we're always glad to help, but Claire and I aren't exactly on the best of terms. I mean, should I even be here?” Dean asked.

“I need your help. You were troubled teens. You speak her language.”

Sam smirked a little at that. “Alright. How is she?”

“Well, I haven't gone in yet. I was waiting for backup.”

“Backup?” Dean raised an eyebrow. “Four men and a lady. Let's do this.” He walked toward the hospital entrance and the others followed.

They found Claire's room and entered. She was not at all happy to see them. “What are you doing here? And why the hell did you bring him?” she motioned to Dean.

“Um, the police found my number in your emergency contact list,” Castiel answered a little awkwardly.

“Yeah, well... That was a mistake. You can go now.”

“Claire, why were you at a bar?”

“I wasn't.”

“Claire, what were you doing in an alley outside of a bar?” Sam rephrased the question.

“Wrong place, wrong time. Story of my life.”

“Look, we're not leaving until you tell us what the hell really happened. So if you want us gone, talk.”

Claire looked to Castiel. “I was looking for my mom. I wanna find my mom and tell her she ruined my life.”

“Your mom didn't...” the angel was obviously feeling guilty.

“She left me, and so did my dad. But Jimmy's gone, right? Has it easy up in heaven. So, Mom's the only one left I can tell off.”

“When's the last anybody heard from your mom?” Sam asked.

“When I was living with my grandmother, she used to send me postcards.” She reached for her bag and pulled one out. “This is the last one.” She handed it to Sam. “I got it just before my grandma died. Two years ago. Nobody's heard from her since. It was sent from a motel here in town. That's where I've been crashing. I was at Susie's bar looking for a loser named Ronnie Cartwright. Mom's diary said she was gonna meet him around the time she disappeared. Before he knocked me down, he remembered her name. He knows something.”

“Why was Amelia looking for him?” Castiel wondered out loud.

“She went looking for miracles. She went looking for you.”

They left Claire to gather herself together, standing outside her room in the hall. “This is all my fault,” Castiel frowned.

Sam put a hand on his shoulder. “You know, Cas, say it is. What can you do about it?”

“Find Amelia,” the angel suddenly seemed determined.

“She did disappear trying to hunt down an angel,” Dean commented. “Might be a case.”

“Yeah, but we don't know that,” Sam tried to be a voice of reason.

“Close enough. Come on, give me something to punch already.” Everyone looked at him with a worried expression. Dean rolled his eyes. “I'm kidding. I'm fine.”

“Sure you are,” Liam mumbled.

“Why don't we go back to the bar, see if we can track down this Ronnie guy, huh?” Dean ignored the comment.

“Yeah. We should let Claire know where we're going first,” Sam suggested.

“Perfect,” Dean headed back into the room. He found the bed empty, Claire was gone. “Damn it. Well, she either went looking for Ronnie again or, uh...”

“Or she went to go grab her stuff before taking off again,” Sam finished the thought.

“Well, she's got a concussion. Maybe that'll slow her down.”

“Alright, I'll head to the motel. Y'all check out the bar,” Sam said as he left.

Castiel followed Dean and Liam out to the car, and they headed for the bar. “Hey, Cas, listen, what you're doing for Claire and helping her find her mom,” Dean said as he drove. “It's a good thing.”

“But?” the angel could sense there was more coming.

“Well, where does it end? I'm not trying to be a dick, but truth is, you're not her dad. In fact, you're not anything to her expect a constant reminder of someone that's gone.”

“No, I'm responsible for everything that's happened to her.”

“Look, I'm just saying,she's been surviving on her own for quite a while now, and partly because she doesn't have anybody to answer to. You know, there's nobody holding her back.”

“Oh, so I just hold you back?” Liam didn't look pleased.

Dean sighed. “Babe, stop thinking apples and oranges are the same thing. I'm not a teenage girl who lost her parents.”

“We just found her in a hospital,” Castiel got back into the conversation. “You're telling me that she'd be better off on her own?”

“I'm saying she might be stronger on her own.”

“Cas has a point, she did land herself in the hospital looking for her mother,” Liam commented.

“Says the guy who spends a lot of time in the hospital,” Dean shot back.

“And maybe that means that I'm not better on my own. Look, it's obvious that Claire needs a little help right now.”

Dean parked in front of the bar and they headed in. Ronnie was sitting by himself in a booth. When he saw the three men coming toward him, he tried to get up and run, but Dean was a little bit faster. He grabbed Ronnie by the jacket and roughly shoved him back in the booth, sitting beside him. “What's the rush, huh? Heading out to beat down another teenager?”

“That bitch attacked me!” Ronnie cried as Castiel and Liam sat across from them.

Dean slammed the guy's head off the table. “Poor choice of words, pal.” Both Castiel and Liam looked worried, but they didn't say anything just then. “Now, Amelia Novak. Where is she?” Ronnie didn't answer. “No?” Dean slammed his head on the table again.

“Dean,” Liam tried to get him to calm down.

“Listen, Ronnie, what do you say, huh? We could do this all day, unless you wanna tell me everything you know about Amelia.”

“Okay!” Ronnie cried in surrender. “I met Amelia. But she was the last one, I swear.”

“Last one of what?” Castiel asked.

“I worked for a faith healer. No, he was the real deal,” Ronnie insisted when the men looked skeptical. “Hey, I was blind. He healed me.”

“Give us a name,” Dean demanded.

“Peter Holloway. Yeah, after he gave me my sight back, I... Well, me made me work for him as payment. I recruited candidates. Yeah, he had a specific type. Young but lost. Wouldn't be missed.”

“Amelia was one of these candidates?” Castiel didn't like the sound of that.

“Some people, he healed. But others, he, uh... Oh man. Look, I saw him one night. It looked like he was, uh... I don't know how to describe it, but he was... He tied one of them up and he was, uh, cutting on them. Look, after that, I was done. I quit. I haven't heard from Holloway since.”

Dean saw Liam's face go weird for a second. “You okay?” he asked, a little concerned.

“Yeah,” Liam nodded. “My stomach just kinda did a flip for some reason.”

Dean and Castiel exchanged a look, but they decided to leave Ronnie since it didn't seem like he knew any more. Dean called Sam to see where he was at. Sam had found Claire at the motel, so that's where they went. Castiel knocked on the door. “Are you all right?” he asked Claire when she answered.

“Yeah, I will be when nobody ever asks me that again,” she stepped back to let them in.

“You guys find Ronnie?” Sam asked, seated at a table with his laptop.

“Yeah, he gave up a name; Peter Holloway,” Dean answered. “Said he was a faith healer.”

“So, what? You thinking angel?”

Dean very subtly gave his brother a look and motioned to Liam. “Maybe, but it sounded like he has healed some people, but he may have fed off others.”

“Yeah, that's weird,” Sam got the message. “Alright, let's look into this Peter Holloway guy.”

Castiel walked over to Claire with a colorful gift bag in his hand. “Claire, um, happy birthday,” he said awkwardly as he held the bag out to her. “I got it at the Hot Topical.”

“Right,” Claire took the bag and opened it. She pulled out a stuffed cat. “Thanks, I guess.”

“Whoa. Just got an alert from local PD,” Sam announced. “Ronnie's body was just found outside of Susie's bar.”

“You were just supposed to talk to Ronnie,” Claire assumed the worst. “What did you do to him?”

“I didn't lay a hand on him,” Dean insisted.

“Dean, that isn't exactly true,” Castiel pointed out.

“I didn't kill the guy.”

“He was alive when we left,” Liam confirmed. “Of course, you might have given him brain damage...”

“Hey, I got the information we needed out of him,” Dean was defensive. “I'm gonna get suited up and head back over there.”

“I'm coming with you,” Castiel insisted.

“I'm coming with you, too,” Claire added her voice.

“You're not leaving me behind,” Liam insisted.

“You wanna get in on this?” Dean turned to his brother.

“No, I should probably stay here and research Holloway,” Sam answered.

They drove back to the bar, and Dean approached a female officer. “Officer? Agents Clapton, Page, and Cranston.”

“And your little friend?” the officer motioned to Claire.

“Yeah, uh... It's bring your daughter to work day at the bureau. Uh, victim was a person of interest in a missing persons case. What do you got?”

“Stab wound, clean through. No sign of robbery. Wallet and everything was still on his person.”

Dean took a look at the body. “What are the red marks there on the point of entry?” he motioned to the pattern around the triangular shaped stab wound.

The officer shrugged while Liam put a hand to his chest. “Burn marks, maybe. Don’t know. We pulled his cell phone records. He made two calls to the same number prior to the attack. Tried the number, but the line's dead now. Probably a burner.” Her phone started ringing. “Will you excuse me?”

When the officer stepped away Castiel knelt to examine the wound. “The wound looks like an angel blade, but the point of entry is wider. Can't explain those marks.”

“The hilt,” slipped out of Liam's mouth.

“How do you know?” Dean asked.

“No idea. I just do.”

“Best birthday ever,” Claire mumbled sarcastically.

They went back to the motel. “Hey. I, uh, got a lead on Peter Holloway,” Sam said when they entered the room.

Dean sat down at the table. “Oh, good, because he's probably about to split town. Ronnie made a few phone calls before he got shish kebabed.”

“You think to give Holloway a heads up?” Sam wondered out loud.

“If he did, that's probably what got him killed. We gotta track him down before he bails.”

“Great. Well, according to county records, Holloway owns a farmhouse about thirty or forty miles from here, so I, uh, cross referenced it with Amelia's credit card receipts.” Sam got up and moved to the wall with Claire's research. “The house is about right there, and she's been hitting up Biggersons and Gas n' Sips all around the area.”

“Probably staking the place out,” Dean guessed.

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go,” Claire urged them.

“Claire, you are not going out there,” Castiel's tone was firm.

“She's my mother.”

“That house could be empty, and it could be a trap. It's too dangerous. I can't let anything happen to you.”

“Anything else you mean,” she shot back.

“Claire, you're not going. You're not either, Dean.”

“What?” Dean couldn't believe it.

“Back at the bar with Ronnie?” the angel reminded him.

“Oh, come on, Cas. He wasn't gonna talk. I just helped him talk.”

“Dean, Cas is right,” Sam entered the conversation. “We need to keep the mark in check. And we don't know what's out there. Maybe you should stay here.”

“So you wanna bench me again?” Dean was upset. He looked around the room, and it didn't seem like anyone was on his side. “Alright. Fine. I'll stay and babysit,” he gave in. “But if anything happens, anything at all...”

“Yeah, we'll call you,” Castiel agreed hesitantly. “No fighting.”

“Yeah, tell her that,” Dean scoffed.

“Both of you.”

The three men got in the car and while they were driving Castiel seemed like he had something on his mind. “When this is over, should I leave Claire alone?” he asked finally.

“What? No, man. She's family,” Sam answered. “Well, I mean, she's not exactly family, but she's close enough. I mean, you two have history. Simple as that.”

“Not very good history,” Liam pointed out. “I mean, she needs help and all, at least with this, but it's like Dean said. When she looks at you she sees her dad, but you're not her dad.”

“So do you think she's better off on her own?” Castiel asked again.

“Cas, she just turned eighteen,” Sam pointed out.

“You were alone when you left for college at that age, weren't you?”

“Yeah, but that's different.”

“How, Sam?”

“Here's all I know. Going it alone, that's no way to live. You being there for her, even if she thinks she doesn't want you to be there for her, that's good for both of you. I disagree with Liam and my brother. I mean, Liam, you had your brother at that age, right?”

“I did. And then I got taken away from him.”

“But you went back when you could.”

“Right again, but after he died I had no one. You're right, that sucked. Maybe it would be better to at least keep tabs on her.”

They pulled up to an old looking house with a barn nearby and Sam parked the car. “It looks abandoned,” Castiel said as he looked around.

“Only one way to find out,” Sam got out of the car. He opened the trunk and pulled out a gun. “Cas, you take the barn. Liam, you and I will take the house.”

Liam followed Sam into the house. The place looked pretty empty, but they started searching for any sign of Holloway. When they entered the living room Sam's phone started vibrating. He took a moment to see who it was, and was struck on the back of the head with a board. Liam's eyes flashed red when he whirled around and with the wave of a hand threw Holloway into the kitchen sink. “How do little assholes like you keep getting away from me?”

“You!” Holloway growled as he picked himself up. “How did you get so close?”

Astiratu smirked. “Because I'm smarter than you are. It was a really stupid move killing that guy with your sword. The whole feeding on people through cuts, that made me suspect a grigori. Seeing the marks from your hilt on the body, that just confirmed it. Tell me your name.”

“Tamiel,” the angel answered as he pulled out his sword.

“That's supposed to scare me?” Astiratu was unimpressed as he pulled an angel blade out of his waistband. He took a step forward and faltered. Tamiel took advantage and ran. “You cowardly little...”

Only moments later Dean entered the kitchen with his gun drawn. He saw the half angel down on one knee. “What the hell happened?”

Astiratu looked up at him. “Not a surprise that you couldn't stay away.”

Castiel was right behind Dean. “You were supposed to take care of them, weren't you?” Castiel guessed.

“I was, and I will. Just a momentary setback.”

“Whoa...” Dean moved to help his partner back to his feet. “You can't keep doing this. It's like Gadreel said, your body wasn't meant to handle it.”

Just then Sam groaned and sat up. “What happened?” he asked as he got to his feet. “And why are you here?” he asked his brother.

“That thing Liam said about the hilt, it gave me a thought,” Dean answered. “And then I thought you should know what you're up against, but you didn't answer your phones. I should have known one of you already knew,” he looked to Astiratu.

“What are we up against?” Sam asked.

“A grigori,” Astiratu answered.

“A what?”

“They were some of the first angels on earth,” Castiel started to explain. “It was an elite unit that went bad. They were supposed to be destroyed.”

“Well apparently one got away,” Astiratu growled as he tried to get free of Dean. “I just have to find him to rectify that.”

Dean didn't want to let go. “How do you even know he's still nearby, huh? He ran for it, he could be anywhere now.”

“I just know,” the half angel was determined. “One, he spent a very long time setting all this up and gathering his victims. He can't afford to just abandon it all. Two, I can sense him. Now let me do my job. If I let fear rule me, then nothing will get accomplished.”

They heard Claire scream, and that distracted Dean long enough for Astiratu to run out. They found Tamiel out in the yard with Claire and Amelia. Amelia was dead on the ground, she had been run through. Claire knelt by her sobbing while Tamiel loomed over them ready to strike again.

Astiratu hit Tamiel with a lightning bolt, knocking him to the ground. The grigori quickly picked himself up, but it was clear he was hurt. “You aren't strong enough in human form,” the angel sounded cocky.

“Didn't anyone ever tell you it's dangerous to underestimate your opponent?” Astiratu wasn't completely steady, but he kept advancing.

When it looked like Tamiel was going to run again, Astiratu lunged and tackled him. Then he rolled on top and punched the angel in the jaw hard, stunning him. Tamiel managed to fend off a second punch and grab his sword. He swung at Astiratu's throat, but there was a sickening crunch as he arm was grabbed and broken to thwart the attack. Tamiel screamed and hit with his other fist, knocking Astiratu off him.

Tamiel tried to bolt a third time, but Astiratu threw his angel blade, and it sank into the angel's heart from behind. With another anguished scream, Tamiel fell dead. Astiratu fell back and panted as he looked up at the night sky. “As the saying goes, there is more than one way to skin a cat.”

The attention then turned to Claire holding her dead mother in her arms. “I'm so sorry,” was all Castiel could think to say.

“Why did this all have to happen?” Claire asked through the tears.

“There are no good answers,” Dean said as he knelt beside his other half. Liam was himself again, looking confused. “I'm really sorry it ended this way.”

Liam sat up and leaned against Dean. He knew better than to ask what happened. “We should bury her someplace nice.”

“Yeah, get her out of here,” Sam agreed.

They found a good spot and put Amelia to rest before heading back to the motel. Sam then had the idea that maybe Claire could go stay with Jody until she figured out what to do with herself. Claire didn't seem that pleased, but she didn't fight the idea. Sam called Jody to ask her if it was okay, and then it was decided.

In the morning they booked Claire a flight and called a cab to take her to the airport. Sam was saying goodbye to her while Dean and Liam stood back with Castiel. “What are you gonna do about Claire?” Dean asked the angel.

“It's not up to me.”

When Sam was done speaking to Claire, Dean grabbed a wrapped package and headed over. “I felt bad about taking the gun back, so...” He handed her the package.

She opened it to reveal a DVD of 'Caddy Shack' and a book on Enochian Myth. “Thanks, but I don't think I'm interested in any more homework.”

Dean knelt down and opened her bag, revealing the angel sword. “Do you honestly think I didn't see you take this?” A small smile appeared on his lips when he also saw the stuffed cat Castiel had given her. “You know, Claire... You already got your revenge. You go down this path, our path, it's not a long life.”

“I don't know. You seem pretty old. Are you gonna be okay?”

“I don't know. I'll keep swinging until I got nothing left.”

“Will you keep an eye on him?” Claire looked over to Castiel, who was talking to Sam. “He's been through enough.”

“So have you. Claire, do your homework before you do anything stupid, okay? And we're here if you need us, any time.” The cab pulled up. “I'll get you loaded up.”

“Claire...” Castiel came over. “If you, um, need anything, ever, I'm... I just wanted you to know that...” Claire pulled him into a hug before she got in the cab. “Someone just tell me she's gonna be okay,” Castiel said as he watched the cab drive away.”

“Of course she will,” Sam tried to assure him. “And so will you.”

“I'd like to think we'll all be okay,” Liam said. “We've come this far.”

“I agree,” Dean said as he leaned in to kiss his husband's cheek.
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Hunting Humanity IX