"Are you ever going to go back to Sam and Dean?" Claire asks. "I mean, I've been pissed at them before — well, pissed at Dean, usually — and things always seem to work out in the end."

"I'm not the one who's upset," Castiel says. "Our situations aren't quite comparable."

"Okay, but maybe that means Dean will cheer up and ask you to come back," Claire says.

"I doubt that very much," Castiel says. "And even if he did, I wouldn't go back. He and Sam have their own mess to clean up, and I'm beginning to think I may be safe from it for once."

"Oh god, what are they doing this time?" Claire asks.

"God seems to be very upset with them right now," Castiel says.

Claire scoffs. "When is He not?"

"Oh, no, He actually used to like them," Castiel says. "But when Dean refused to kill Jack, Chuck — God — got mad and killed him, and then He opened the gates of Hell and let all the souls out. We — or Rowena, mostly — fixed that, but it doesn't look like He's given up yet."

"You're shitting me."

Castiel looks over his shoulder immediately, though he would recognize Emma's voice any day. She and James are standing in the doorway to the dining room, Alex right behind them. Emma's eyes look slightly red and puffy, but if she had been crying over something, she's definitely over it now, if her shocked expression is anything to go by.

"I asked you to wait outside," Castiel says with a frown.

"Oh, so you did know them," Alex says. "I thought they were just waiting out there to jump you or something."

"No, just waiting to get dinner," Emma says. "Since someone —" She glares pointedly at James. "— didn't want to leave Castiel here alone."

"So Alex was suspicious of you and you were suspicious of us," Claire says. "This must be the most love Cas has felt in months."

Castiel chuckles. "Unfortunately, you're not wrong." He really does appreciate that they wanted to make sure he was safe, even if he'd rather keep both groups separate.

"But now I actually have to go to work," Alex says. "See you tomorrow."

"Unfortunately," Claire says teasingly before Alex walks away. Turning her attention to Emma and James, she asks, "So, who are you?"

"Hunters," James says, at the same time that Emma says, "Friends of Castiel's."

"You just summed up my whole life right there," Claire says.

"I thought you said we weren't leaving Hannah with a bunch of hunters!" Emma hisses at Castiel. "That literally defeats the entire purpose of giving her away!"

"Claire's a hunter," Castiel says. "Alex and Jody are not."

"I'm Jody, by the way," the sheriff says, standing up to shake their hands. "I'm starting to think we're all going to be here for a while, so feel free to grab a bite to eat."

"Fuck yeah," Emma whispers, running out of the dining room.

"Are you sure?" James asks. "I don't want to impose."

"Don't worry about it," Jody says. "There's enough food for all of us."

"Clearly, you've never seen Emma eat."

Once everyone is seated and introductions are made, the real conversation begins.

"Did you say you're fighting God?" Emma asks Castiel. "Like, big ol' capital-G God?"

"No, the Winchesters are," Castiel says. "I don't think He really cares about me."

"What, and I cannot stress this enough, the fuck are they thinking?" Emma asks. "They're going to die, and I know I've basically said I want them dead every day since we've met, but this is not what I had in mind."

"When God has it out for you specifically, you can't escape Him," Castiel says.

"You did, by the looks of it," Jody says.

"Which, for the record, is the biggest power move I have ever heard of," Claire asks.

"He only cares about the Winchesters," Castiel says. "Usually I'd try to help them, but they don't seem to want my help."

"Well, sucks to suck," Emma says with a shrug.

"Seriously?" Claire raises an eyebrow. "God has a personal vendetta against them, and you're just gonna shrug it off?"

"Not a fan," Emma says simply. "If this is how they die, that's on them."

"What have you been telling them that you haven't told us?" Claire asks Castiel.

"Nothing," he says.

"Just that the Winchesters are fucking dicks and can go jump off a cliff for all I care," Emma says.

"Which, to be fair," James adds, "was our interpretation of it. Castiel still insists they're good people."

"Even though everything he says about them goes against it," Emma adds. "Even when he tries to prove they're good people, he just proves that they suck."

"Well then," Claire says. "I can't argue with that."

"Are you three hunting together now?" Jody asks, and though Castiel is sure everyone else noticed her purposely change the subject, no one points it out.

"Damn right," Emma says. "Have you ever hunted with an angel? Because it is fan-fucking-tastic."

"Ignore her," James says. "She's high on sleep deprivation."

"When am I not?" Emma counters. "Seriously, though, Castiel's the coolest person I have ever met in my life, and he does magic. How do you top that?"

Claire chuckles. "Look at you, Cas, getting that ego boost."

"It's what he deserves," Emma says. "Even if the Winchesters disagree."

"I think that's enough complaining about the Winchesters for today," James says.

"Why?" Emma whines. "They deserve it!"

"Because Castiel looks like he'd rather jump out a window than listen to you keep talking about them," James says.

Emma looks over at Castiel for confirmation, and he gives a small shrug. He didn't want to say it himself, but he's glad someone else noticed.

"Duly noted," Emma says.

"How did you guys meet?" Jody asks. "It didn't seem like Cas had been gone too long when Sam called."

"I accidentally shot him and now here we are," Emma says.

Claire bursts out laughing at that. "No one will top that."

"I hope not," Emma says. "Unless someone's planning on straight-up stabbing him when they meet, I don't think it can be topped."

Castiel must admit, Dean's face when he stabbed him for the first time was priceless. Maybe no one can top that. But that's probably the last thing he should be thinking about right now.

"Also," Emma says, "this is the best fried chicken I have ever eaten in my life, and I have eaten a lot of fried chicken."

Jody laughs. "I'm glad someone appreciates my cooking."

"When was the last time you had a home-cooked meal?" Claire asks.

"I don't know, like, Christmas?" Emma asks. "It's hard to have home cooked meals when you don't actually have a home, so..."

"See?" Claire says, looking at Jody triumphantly. "She doesn't like it because it's good. She's just eaten nothing but fast food for months."

"That's not at all what I meant," Emma says.

"No, it is, but you're more than welcome to lie for Jody's sake."