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There's a hole in her stomach. A full on hole. Claire is trying not to look at it. The copious amounts of blood are making her queasy. Or maybe it's the blood loss? Who knows.She's laying in the back of the Impala. Her back is resting over Castiel's lap as he tries to heal the hole. That shotgun the monster used definitely had some power behind it. That thought almost makes her giggle. Searing pain and that reminder of approaching death pull Claire out of it.Her eyes are lolling around in her skull. Cas notices, gripping her shoulder. "Claire, come on. Stay with us. I'm trying, just-just hold on." White-blue light glows from his hand that hovers above where half of her stomach should be. His grace is taking too long. It's healing too slowly, not fast enough for Claire to survive by a long shot.The edges of her vision are getting blurry and dark. Claire can't feel her legs or the hole or her hands anymore. Everything's getting duller as the seconds pass. She reaches down, touching the leather car seat. When she holds her hand in front of her, it's drenched in blood. Claire's arm falls to her side, fingers touching the Impala's dirty floor.Castiel's face morphs from determination and anguish to something she doesn't think she's ever seen- morbid acceptance. "Jody," he mumbles. Claire can barely hear it.Jody turns around in her seat next to Sam, who's still hopelessly flooring it across the interstate. When she sees Claire's face, the stress lines on her forehead melt away. They're replaced with tears welling in her eyes. She knows it now, too.Jody reaches for Claire's hand, rescuing it from the floor. She holds it in both of her hands, squeezing lightly. Then she kisses it. Jody doesn't seem to care about the blood right now. "I'm so sorry, Claire," she says. That catches Sam's attention. He glances in the rear view mirror, seeing Claire barely hanging on. The car starts to slow.Claire responds to Jody in ragged breaths, which makes Jody shut her eyes tight. Tears fall down her cheeks. Sam can't watch, trying to keep his eyes straight ahead as the Impala pulls to a full stop in the middle of the road. At last, he can't bare it, turning around to look Claire in the eye."We love you, baby," Jody says. Claire's eyes lazily wander from her face to Sam, then up at Castiel. They all have the same devastated expression; helpless in the middle of nowhere, nothing they can do but watch as their family- as their daughter dies.Claire isn't sad, though. She went out the way she's always wanted to, doing what she loved. Keeping the world a safer place. A tear falls down her cheek as her vision is consumed by black.Claire Novak dies with her eyes open, looking at the people she loves. At first, there's an overwhelming white light. It dissipates slowly, making way to actually see things. Claire's sitting on a porch, looking out over a wide, grassy field. The sun is shining faintly through a pack of clouds in the sky. She squints, looking out at the field. A figure stands in the tall grass, back turned. They look familiar. Too familiar.Claire gets up from the porch steps, walking out into the field. Slowly, the figure turns around. When Claire finally sees who it is, she lets out a breath of surprise. She starts running as fast as she can. Her body collides with the other, pulling them both to the ground."Whoa there," the person laughs."Kaia," Claire says. A wide smile stretches across her face."I've been waiting for you. Didn't take as long as I expected.""Let's just say, sometimes I can be a bit of a dumbass," Claire explains. Then she kisses Kaia, still laying in the long grass. Kaia kisses her back, holding her. Eventually they break apart. "I'm so glad you're here.""Where else would I be?" Kaia asks.
