If there's a bar, we might as well use it. ((Closed rp with the SPN crew and Claire Saunders)

[i-shot-a-dick.livejournal.com]

Once he reached the Ravenclaw bar Dean grabbed a table and a cold beer, he made sure to mention for some chilled wine and a few good bottles of hard liquor, make sure every one had some thing they could enjoy. He guessed it was kind of a party, but more so just Team Free Will hanging out with Claire, who if Dean was reading right fit in pretty well with their rag tag crew of misfits.

He reclined back in to the chair, flipped the tape deck on to the sound of AC/DC Back in Black as he took a long drink from the beer in his hand and waited for the others to show up.

Comments

[ilikemyscars.livejournal.com]

"Coffee for me, Sam, thanks." Claire smiled up at him, then turned to Castiel.

"Not bad at all, actually. I went to the Solstice party and only had the normal butterflies of the under-socialized, not a full blown panic attack. Don't know if it's the sort of thing I'd care to make a habit of, but it was a nice change. And I'm sleeping better, too."

She glanced over toward Dean and the older men. Some tensions among them, but she thought efforts were being made there. Something to watch, and in the meantime, small talk to smooth it over.

"Adam? Where did you wind up, once the Hat had its say?"

[nerdofthelord.livejournal.com]

"I'm fine, thanks," the angel said to Sam, not interested in anything that might impair his judgement at the moment.

He smiled slightly at Claire's assessment. "That's good. You look good." He paused fractionally, then added a touch too quickly, "Well, I mean. Better rested. I'm glad that I could help."

When she turned her attention elsewhere, he looked away, rethinking that drink and privately adding 'Talking to women' to the ever-growing list of things he just wasn't very good at.

[was-the-bait.livejournal.com]

Adam was thankful for the distraction, but he caught the way Cas was acting and he might only be twenty years old, but Adam was no idiot.

"Gryffindor, haven't gotten out much till today, though." He watched the exchange between Sam and Dean and when the younger of the two went to get drinks, Adam glanced over his shoulder to where Dean stood talking to John.

"Hold on Sam, I'll help, might as well get every one's while we are over there." It was his way of admitting he wouldn't leave, even if John came to join them.

After all Sam had two hands, two drinks would have been easy so his offer meant there would be more.

"Just a second, Castiel, how about some water?" Adam offered, he owed the angel one for healing him that first day as it was and Adam knew that when you were nervous some thing to occupy your hands could help.

[i-shot-a-dick.livejournal.com]

Dean kept an eye on the room from the side of his eye as his head cocked to the side and he fixed his father with a look "He's a Winchester, he'll be fine."

Dean's mouth quirked part of the way in to a grin as he jerked his head towards Adam who had gotten up to follow Sam and help "See, he's not runnin', kid's tougher than he looks." Dean knew that he had watched Adam in those last moments at home, before Michael had taken over his body and in his eyes, Dean had seen that same will that he and Sam had, the Winchester stubbornness, it wasn't going to be easy by any means but Dean figured they would all get the hang of this family thing eventually.

"C'mon, some one has to stop Cas before he chases off the only pretty woman for miles." Dean went with crass humor to try and lighten the mood and coax his father to follow behind him as he turned to walk back in to the bar.

[hunter-returns.livejournal.com]

"Coffee it is," he said, getting to his feet and moving behind the bar, Adam close behind. Sam pulled a fresh beer for himself, Dean and their Dad before hunting around for the soda Adam had requested. "I gotta hand it to the house elves," he murmured. "They keep this place well stocked."

A fresh cup of coffee in hand, the other bearing a small plate with all the necessary fixings for coffee, Sam returned to the table and set it down. With his back somewhat to Claire, he tried to shoot Castiel a supportive glance before wandering back to the bar.

Sam twisted the top off his beer and turned his attention back to the door where Dean and their Dad were still talking. "You good with this?" he said quietly to Adam.

[sgt-hunter.livejournal.com]

John gave his own small smile before falling into step beside his eldest. When it came right down to it, he could never deny Dean. He paused at the bar and accepted the beer Sam slid in his direction. "Thanks Sammy."

John could only give Adam a nod. He was still desperately unsure where he stood with his son, but he was fairly certain that the ground was rocky.

"So why are we all over here, leaving them.." he trailed off, the pieces clicking into place. John looked at Dean, his eyes wide. "Wait. You're setting up an angel?"

[ilikemyscars.livejournal.com]

Claire took a sip of coffee and glanced in Castiel's direction. A flash of color caught her attention.

"Ahhh, you've got a little...something..." She reached out and extracted a small, downy hot-pink feather from under his lapel, and handed it to him.

[nerdofthelord.livejournal.com]

Cas nodded at Adam, not quite sure what the point was, but he was at least observant enough to discern that the young man was trying to be helpful.

He froze for a second when Claire reached toward him, and flushed as he saw what she'd just found. "Um. Thank you." He took the feather carefully from her fingers and stuck it into a pocket, hoping she wouldn't ask where it had come from. But at least it had given him an idea, and he promptly seized onto and ran with it. "I must have...picked it up...at the Yule party. You were there, I believe? Did you have a good time?"

Only then did he glance around and realize that all his friends had left him to sink or swim. He shot Dean a betrayed look over Claire's shoulder before fixing his attention on the conversation again.

[was-the-bait.livejournal.com]

Adam was getting Cas a bottle water, with one eye on the door and John at all times, when Sam actually asked him if he was okay with it, Adam turned and looked at him a little surprised.

Some how he figured they just assumed he would be and he gave a nod with the first hints of an actual smile "Thanks, but I'll be fine." He squared his shoulders, eyes wandering over to the table where Claire and Cas sat trying to act as if he didn't see John and Dean there.

Instinct is all that Adam would blame when he got a chagrined look and pointed at Sam and Dean "Hey, that's these two, I'm just the water boy" He held the bottle up as if to say see look Dad, I am being good. There was even a partial smile on his face, now if only he could rid his eyes of the uncertainty and pain he might actually pull this off.

"Uh.." When he realized how he had just naturally behaved the way a younger brother would when caught by their father doing some thing they shouldn't Adam looked away "I better get this water to Cas, keep his hands busy."

[i-shot-a-dick.livejournal.com]

Dean had his hands full, between watching the interaction between his brothers and their father, which if any one noticed Dean seemed to naturally place himself in the midst of them all, ready to soothe any Winchester mouths that got out of line, funny when Dean was usually the one running his mouth the most.

He did catch Cas and Claire as she removed that feather and the hunter grinned at Cas' response,casting his eyes to the side he pursed his lips and grinned at John "Junkless or not, that guys got somethin' goin' on there." He snorted out as he reached over and took the beer Sam had gotten for him and took a long sip.

"Although, y'know Sammy, maybe we should have talked to him first, after all he isn't a ladies man." Dean chuckled and nodded his head towards the table as Adam walked off

"Kids got the right idea, let's sit down and get drunk, maybe I can get Sammy to let me whip him in some pool."

[hunter-returns.livejournal.com]

Sam watched his brother with a half-smile. Always on guard and always trying to keep things together, even when the world wasn't coming apart at the seams.

"Us? Seriously Dean, considering our track record with women? Hell no." Sam shook his head and nudged their Dad with his elbow. "Dad's the only one who ever managed any success in that respect."

He followed him over to the table. "Pfft. I can still kick your ass at pool."

[sgt-hunter.livejournal.com]

John caught the half smile Adam flashed in his direction and returned it with one of his own. Maybe he could salvage things between them after all. He started to move in Adam's direction when Dean spoke and he coughed into his beer.

He smiled a little at Sam. "I got damn lucky."

He trailed behind the boys, glancing back towards where Adam sat. A part of him wanted to walk over, but he also remembered his promise to not push.