#dandelioncas

       “You said you wanted to go to Cape Cod because of mouth bones,” Cas countered when Dean started to complain about their destination. “Though what sharks have to do with it I don’t understand. Why would you want to swim with a dangerous creature?”

         Dean looked over at Cas unable to believe how an angel of the lord could be so dumb. “Jaws Cas, it’s a movie, about sharks, and it takes place on Martha’s Vineyard, not Chat ham.”

         “I believe it is only one word,” Cas muttered looking at the sign as they drove into town. “And you don’t even drink wine so this place is as good as the next.”

         Dean was seriously regretting letting Sam convince Cas to take Dean on this trip for their one year anniversary. So far the angel had only been confused by human things and brought them to the tourist capitol of Massachusetts. Still, it was nice to know that they could just be normal for a few days, and not have to worry about any of the supernatural crap in their lives.

         “There is literally nothing to do here except go to the beach,” Castiel realized after they arrived at the hotel room. “How can so many people want to spend time on the shores of a giant body of salt water?”

         Dean shook his head, looking out into their downtown view. “No idea. This place must completely shut down during the winter though. Maybe that’s why I’ve never heard of a case here; not even ghosts like tourists.”

         “Well there are actually ghost tours,” Cas realized looking through their ‘things to do’ pamphlet the hotel had provided. “Love you to death haunted tours’ of Barnstable Village.”

         Dean snorted a laugh, “What are we, high school girls?” He flipped through the pamphlets, but couldn’t find anything else more interesting. “Are we really going on vacation to go on a ghost tour instead of going to the beach.”

         “Are you really going to sit on the beach all day and relax?” Cas asked his husband incredulously. Dean sighed, and Cas smiled, glad to have won. “I’ll make the appointment.”

         Dean grumbled the whole time they sat in traffic on what should have been a relatively short drive. As they sat in traffic, Dean decided that they would have been better off going to the beach, or better yet not going on this stupid trip at all. It seemed he was past the point where he could just have fun like a normal person…Actually, he’d probably passed that point a long time ago.

         They met their tour guide, a teenage boy named Jake, and were about to leave when another car pulled up. “I thought this was supposed to be a private tour,” Cas questioned.

         “I’m sorry… my new girlfriend found out I did these and wanted to come… you don’t mind, right?”

         Dean was about to say yes, he did mind, when he caught sight of the girl trying to slide back into her car and drive away. “Claire?”

         “You know these dudes?” Jake asked as she came out of the car looking annoyed.

         She was too busy being interrogated by the hunter-angel duo to answer the boy. “Does Jody know you’re here?” Cas asked looking disappointed.

         “I may have told her I was going to visit you,” Claire shrugged before smiling awkwardly. “Which means it was the truth because look at us, visiting…”

         Dean felt for Claire, even if she didn’t really like him. “I get the running away for some me-time thing, but why date this kid?”

         “Hey!” Jake scowled looking between the trio. “Someone care to explain to me what’s going on?”

         “I’m Claire’s father,” Cas declared like it was that simple. “She is supposed to be with a family friend half way across the country, but is instead here dating you and my husband and I would like to know why.”

         Claire shrugged, “There was a case I found when working on a project for school about Massachusetts. Jody wouldn’t let Alex and I go after it, so I came myself. Which yes Dean, I know is a bad idea, but someone needed to deal with it.”

         “You call us,” Dean told her, trying for Cas not to realize how impressed he was by Claire’s ballsy-ness. “Got it? Next time there is a case Jody won’t let you go on you call us.”

         “What’s a case?” Jake asked, but Dean only rolled his eyes, paid the man for the night’s troubles, and sent him packing. Glad to be 100$ richer the kid left the trio alone.

         “I’d like to know why Jody is letting you hunt anyway,” Cas scowled. “You went there to be safe.”

         “Well we are safe,” Claire shrugged. “Jody always says if she can’t stop us hunting she’s going to help us, and Donna just makes us dress warm.”

         Dean suspected that would probably be the case, but apparently Cas hadn’t gotten the memo. “Look, Cas, once you’re in, you’re in, and Claire has been in since she was a kid.”

         “And you took my dad away…and possessed me…and then took my dad away again.”

         “Right,” Cas coughed ready to change the subject. “Claire what is this case? Dean and I will handle it while you go back to Jody’s.”

         “I think she should stay and help us,” Dean interjected much to everyone’s surprise. “I mean she’s laid the groundwork. It’s not fair for us to pull it out from under her heels.”

         Claire smiled. “I’ve liked you better since you married Cas.” Cas rolled his eyes, but if Dean thought it was okay than so did he. “There’s this legend of a giant scorpion that terrorized the Native American tribes who lived in this area,” Claire explained. “It was impossible to kill, except this one guy did, and it was buried under a stone to keep it from being reborn. Well a couple months ago that stone got moved, and there have been sightings of the scorpion since. A few weeks ago, a couple ran into it, and only one of them made it out. When I asked the girl what she saw she said it was definitely the scorpion from the legend. I went after it, and barely escaped with my life. Silver, salt, none of the normal stuff works on it.”

         “That’s why you’re looking for ghosts,” Dean realized impressed by the girl. “You’re hoping the guy who killed it might still be around to tell you how. But that was hundreds of years ago, if he was a ghost he’d have turned vengeful spirit by now and been put down.”

         Claire shook her head. “I’m not so sure about that. The second half of the legend said he died while killing the scorpion and both were buried under this stone. If the scorpion’s spirit got trapped until a few months ago I think the hero’s probably did too.”

         It was a sound assumption, and despite the fact that neither of the men were actually Claire’s father, they beamed in pride. She’d done well. “So the spirit we need to talk to is on this tour? Where?”

         Claire got into the back of the Impala, and directed them towards the graveyard where they’d been imprisoned in the first place. “If he’s around he’s going to be here,” she told them setting out, rifle in hand, to go look. Exchanging a look Dean and Cas followed her until the three reached the disturbed grave.

         “There is definitely a restless spirit here,” Cas noted feeling around. “But it doesn’t feel vengeful. He died killing this monster, and he wants it dead again.”

         “That is correct,” a voice called from behind, and the three spun to see the ghost standing behind them. “My tribe trusted me to stop this threat, and I have let them down. It must end.”

         Dean nodded, “Same thought so if you want to tell us how you killed it that would be great.”

         “A blade dipped in the blood of a virgin and her father,” the ghost replied. “It will stun it long enough to be buried back in its grave. And it is attracted to lovers.”

         “Well the second part isn’t hard,” Dean chuckled looking over at Cas in all his messiness. “But I don’t know about the first part. I have virgin’s blood, but not any guy’s.”

         Claire looked like she was debating laughing, or yelling. “Well, I mean, technically that’s still my dad’s body, so it’s still his blood.”

         “You’re still a virgin, at 18?” Dean didn’t know why he was so surprised, or so tactless, but he deserved Claire kicking him in the shin. “Hey, not judging, you go girl, morals.”

         “Yes, Dean,” Cas reminded his husband with a firm look. “That is an incredibly respectable situation to be in. I think Claire is right; it should work.”

         Glad the awkwardness was done, Claire took the blades and cut her hand on them before handing them over for Cas to do the same. As soon as it was done Cas took her hand and healed her, his grace tickling her skin. “That’s really strange,” she laughed looking at the healed skin. “Though I guess it’s pretty useful. Alright, I’ve done my part, now you to go off and be bait.”

         Claire went to sit in the car leaving Dean and Cas alone. “She looks like she’s doing well,” Dean noted once she was gone. “I know you worry about her.”

         “She’s my responsibility,” Cas shrugged. “And my fault. I’m glad she is content though, even if it’s in the hunter’s life.”

         Dean nodded before going silent for a minute. “So much for our hunt-free vacation, huh.”

         “We can always go to the beach after we put Claire on a plane tomorrow,” Cas laughed resting his head on Dean’s shoulder. “But I promise never to suggest a ghost tour again.”

         Dean laughed, kissing Cas gingerly. As he did so, he heard the rustling of leaves and turned to see an impala-sized scorpion standing right behind them. It brought its tail down right as Cas teleported them both away. It moved around confused, but ended up deciding its target was the teenage girl standing blade in hand. As it rushed towards Claire, Dean vaulted off Cas landing on top of it, blade sticking through its natural armor. With a terrifying roar, the beast fell to the ground stunned. “Back into the ground with you,” Dean grumbled kicking the thing.

         Together the three dragged the scorpion back into its resting place, before pushing the stone back into place. It was only when Cas used his grace to make the stone immovable that Claire pointed out he could have just used his powers to bury the scorpion in the first place and they didn’t need to get so disgusting and sweaty.

         “Character building Claire,” Dean decided on calling it with a laugh. “Builds great character. Now come on, you’re getting on a plane back to Sioux Falls tomorrow, and you’ll need rest before then.”

         Claire complained, but only a little as they drove her up to the nearest airport, which was all the way in Boston. She knew her two options were getting on the plane or having Cas teleport her back, and this way Jody needn’t know where she really was the past couple weeks.

         “Promise me you won’t go off on cases alone, especially not when nobody knows where you are,” Cas told the girl at the gate. She nodded, but Dean noticed she made no promises. Smart girl.

         “Thanks for helping me back there,” Claire told Dean trying not to think about their bad history. “And, um, Dean…take care of my dad.”

         Cas was practically beaming, despite pretending he didn’t have superhuman hearing and their conversation was actually private. “So, Pops,” Dean laughed as they loaded back into the Impala. “You ready to end this trip and head back to the bunker?”

         “No way,” Cas declared smiling. “We’re going to go shark swimming and I’m going to watch “Teeth.”

         Dead shook his head, not ready to correct the angel. In honesty, his mistakes were just too damn endearing.

         “I love you Dean.”

         “I love you too, Pops.”