WHO: Claire Bennet (future), Mary Winchester; later, Dean Winchester, Ben Braeden WHERE: the Winchester & co house WHEN: Monday, February 6, 2006; morning WHAT: A talk or two – aka wrapping up plot loose ends. RATING: TBD STATUS: thread; COMPLETED!
Even though it was California, February was still chilly in the morning, which made the use of the comforter outside on the porch swing make some logical sense – but, for Claire, that comforter was still serving like some kind of fluffy wall between her body and the rest of the world. Barely a day and a half they had been back, but to her, it felt like she should be making more progress toward not cowering and crying.
So she'd come outside. Being outside was a step, both in doing something more than hiding in the house, and so she could be out here when Dean got back, so she could see how he was, so, maybe, if he wasn't impossibly hung over, they could talk. Part of her wanted to go find him, to do something, but the greater part wanted to be behind the invisible barrier of Ruby's magic.
Mary had come out after awhile of Claire just sitting there, announced that breakfast was laid out in the dining room and shooed Peter inside to eat said breakfast. After that, she'd settled next to Claire on the porch swing, not saying anything much and Claire not yet speaking.
But eventually Claire did. "It's nice, being outside," she said, voice soft, then looked down at the plate that had been set on the table next to the swing where there were two bottles of water and a small cup that Claire had brought out earlier, one bottle opened because it was hers, the other awaiting use along with the little pills in the cup, meant for those with hangover woes. "I thought John said you weren't supposed to be cooking?"
Her gaze flickered toward the double doors leading off the porch into the dining room, not missing that both John and Peter were alternately in clear view.