Visiting Smallville: 9b/21
Sam helped Dean into the Impala’s backseat, before getting into the driver’s seat. Chloe sat next to him, the map open in front of her.
She caught Dean’s eye through the mirror, noticing the dark lines under his eyes and his feeble smirk, and felt herself on the verge of tears again. Sam pulled away from the motel, trying not to look at his brother.
When they got onto the main route, Chloe folded the map back up and relaxed into her seat. She leant against the seat, feeling uncomfortable in the depressed silence that was shrouding the car.
Dean groaned when he turned, and Chloe watched as Sam seemed to blink back tears. She reached for her phone, noticing Dean’s confused stare as she dialled in a familiar number.
“Hey, Clark?” she whispered, not seeing how Sam tensed, and Dean leaned towards her slightly, trying to hear her conversation. “Where am I? Oh, dad made Sam and Dean babysit me when he went to a week-long seminar.” She paused. “They’re out of Kansas on P.I business, so I needed to be shipped out. You okay?”
Chloe smiled, giggling.
“You know, you can put your phone on speaker if it’s easier.” Sam told her, hoping that something would lighten up the car’s sad atmosphere.
Chloe frowned, but did it anyway. “Have you heard anything about Lana’s meeting with Kwan?”
“Chloe,” Dean frowned as Clark’s voice filled the car. “I’m sure everything will turn out okay.”
“Hey.” Lana’s voice was distant but they could hear it and Chloe tightened her grip on the phone, wishing that Dean wasn’t watching her so closely or that Sam wasn’t pretending not to pay attention.
“How’d it go?” Chloe asked, her eyes wide with worry.
“Well, it’s interesting.” Lana said slowly.
“Bottom line it.” Chloe commanded, her voice wavering as she caught sight of Dean in the mirror. “When can we send out the next issue?”
“Day after tomorrow.” Lana answered promptly, and the brothers guessed they were talking about the Torch.
“Cool.”
“Except…” Lana hesitated and Chloe swallowed, looking away from the brothers and out the window. “Kwan made me the new editor.”
“Okay…uh…rewind.” Chloe demanded, her eyes filling with tears. “I need you to say that last part again.”
“After I made my case, Kwan said that if I had so much passion, I should be in charge.”
“I don’t believe this!” stammered Chloe, blinking as Sam removed one hand from the steering wheel and gripped her hand.
“Chloe, it’s the only way he’d reopen the paper.”
“So what, cheerleader’s not enough?” Chloe sobbed. “Maybe the editor of the school newspaper looks better on a college application.”
“That isn’t it.” Lana sounded slightly angry. “I just figured you could ghost-ride until you were reinstated.”
“Okay, so then, I would work for you?”
“The paper would still be yours.”
Chloe grimaced when Clark’s voice interrupted. “Wait, Chloe, think about it.” He said, trying to calm her down. “It’s not a bad idea.”
Chloe rolled her eyes. “It figures you’d side with her.”
“I’m not taking anyone’s side.”
“Yeah right, Clark.” Snarled Chloe, tightening her grip on Sam’s hand. “You’re completely objective in all things Lana.”
There was a silence on the other end of the phone, Chloe sobbing slightly. “I’ve got to go.” Clark whispered, sounding hurt.
Chloe sniffed. “No, please Clark, stay.” She growled. “Take my desk.”
“Chloe, this isn’t what you think.” Lana said, her voice still calm.
“You know what the weirdest part is?” Chloe cried. “For a second, I almost thought you were my friend.” She hung up, leaning her forehead against the window and slipping her hand from Sam’s. “My god, I’m so sorry.” She whispered, her breath fogging the window up. “I mean, Dean’s dying and I’m crying over a newspaper.”
“It’s alright.” Dean grinned at her. “What’s that…death is but the next great adventure?”
Chloe looked up at him, a wobbly grin on her face. “You’ve read Harry Potter?”
Dean frowned, looking away, embarrassed. “No…”
Sam sniggered.
*
Dean glanced out the window, frowning as Sam drew up to a large white tent. He grimaced, watching as Chloe got out the car, then helped Sam lever him out.
“I got you.” Sam said as Dean grunted in pain, Chloe grimacing.
“I got it.” Dean glanced round, scowling at the number of people. “Man, you’re a lying bastard. Thought you said we were going to see a doctor.”
“I believe he said specialist.” Chloe piped up, and Dean grumbled at her.
“Look, Dean.” Sam whispered. “This guy’s supposed to be the real deal.”
“I can’t believe you brought me here to see some guy who heals out of a tent.” Dean mumbled.
An older woman overheard them, turning towards them and smiling. “Reverend LeGrange is a great man.” She told them.
“Yeah, that’s nice.” Dean snarled, and she turned away, shaking her head at them.
Chloe looked round, feeling depressed because she could see so many ill people in one place. She spotted one man waving his arms around frantically as he shouted at the Sheriff.
“I have a right to protest!” he yelled. “This guy’s a fraud. And he’s conning all these people out of their hard-earned money.”
The Sheriff groaned, holding his hand up in attempt to make the man stop speaking. “Sir, this is a place of worship. Let’s go.”
Dean sniggered. “I take it he’s not part of the flock.”
“But when people see something they can’t explain, there’s controversy.” Sam said, hoping to convince his brother.
“Come on, Sam, a faith healer?” Dean stared at him, eyes wide.
“Maybe it’s time to have a little faith, Dean.”
“You know what I’ve got faith in. Reality.” Dean said harshly. “Knowing what’s really going on.”
“How can you be a sceptic, with the things we see every day?”
“Exactly.” Dean answered. “We see them, we know they’re real.”
“But you know evil’s out there, how can you not believe good’s out there too?” Sam wondered, talking quietly.
“Because I’ve seen what evil does to good people.”
Chloe nudged Sam as a blonde woman approached them, clearly wondering what they were doing there. Sam pointed her out to Dean who grinned.
“Maybe God works in mysterious ways.” She said, and her voice reminded Chloe of Lana, causing a scowl to flit across her face.
Dean looked her up and down, smirking. “Maybe he does.” Sam rolled his eyes. “I think you just turned me around on the subject.”
“Yeah, I’m sure.” She laughed.
“I’m Dean, this is Sam and Chloe.”
Dean held his hand out and she shook it gently, smiling. “Layla. So if you’re not a believer than why are you here?”
“Well, apparently my…” Dean quickly glanced from Chloe to Sam before staring intently at Layla. “My siblings, here, believe enough for the three of us.”
An older woman approached, laying her hand on Layla’s shoulder.
“Come on Layla.” The woman whispered. “It’s about to start.”
As Layla walked away, Dean turned to Sam, leering. “Well, I’ll bet you she can work in mysterious ways.”
Chloe gagged.
*
“Yeah, peace, love and trust all over.” Dean growled, gesturing over at the security camera’s lining the tent.
He grimaced, slouching over towards the back but Chloe grabbed his arm. “Come on.”
“What are you doing?” Dean sighed. “Let’s sit here.”
“No, we’re sitting up front.” Sam ordered.
“What?” Dean groaned. “Why?”
Chloe rolled her eyes. “Just come on.”
“Oh come on.” Dean shook his head, upset as Sam and Chloe helped (Dean would say forced) him to the front of the room. “This is ridiculous.” He shrugged his arm free from Chloe’s grip, stumbling slightly. “I’m good, dude, get off me.”
Chloe grinned, pointing towards three seats behind Layla. “Perfect?” she asked.
Another lecherous smirk covered Dean’s face, but it wasn’t the same as the one Sam was used to seeing. “Perfect...”
Sam rolled his eyes, but pushed Chloe gently towards the seat. “You’re by the aisle.” He told Dean, sliding in next to Chloe.
Dean sat down, watching as the old reverend walked up on the stage. Dean could tell her was blind, even with the dark sunglasses covering his eyes.
LeGrange smiled at the crowd before raising his hands into the air. “Each morning, my wife, Sue Ann, reads me the news. Never seems good, does it?” The crowd murmured in agreement. “Seems like there’s always someone doing some immoral, unspeakable act.”
Sam looked round the tent as the preacher continued to speak. He frowned, focussing on a table covered with old wooden crosses and other religious objects. One cross had an older cross inside a circle on the top of it. He frowned, paying attention to the reverend.
“But I say to you, God is watching.” LeGrange continues. “God rewards the good, and He punishes the corrupt.” The crowd responded by lots of cheering and he smiled. “Who does the healing look here, friends? The Lord who guides me into choosing who to heal by helping me see into people’s hearts.”
The crowd murmured but Dean rolled his eyes. “Yeah...” he whispered. “Or into their wallets.”
“You think so, young man?” The Reverend look towards Dean, who grimaced, embarrassed.
“Sorry.” Dean said, watching as Chloe buried her face in her hands, also embarrassed.
“No, no. Don’t be.” Smiled LeGrange. “Just watch what you say around a blind man. We’ve got real sharp ears.” The crowd laughed. “What’s your name, son?”
Dean glanced round, still mortified. “Dean.”
“Dean, I want you to come up here with me.” LeGrange said, and his wife got on the stage, ready to welcome Dean.
The crowd cheered, but Layla and her mother looked down, sad.
“No, that’s okay.” Dean looked down.
Sam gazed at him in shock, while Chloe glanced from Dean to Layla, her mouth falling open as she realised why he was hesitating. “What are you doing?” Sam hissed.
“You’ve come here to be healed, haven’t you?” LeGrange seemed confused.
“Well, yeah, but...” Dean was interrupted by the cheering crowd. “No, maybe you should pick someone else.”
The congregation clapped loudly. “No, I didn’t pick you Dean, the Lord did.”
The crowd encouraged him, screaming and cheering. Sam turned to Dean, grinning. “Get up there!”
Dean stood up slowly, slouching over to the stage, glancing round, reluctant.
“You ready?”
“Look, no disrespect...” Dean said, looking away from the many eyes fixed on him. “But, I’m not exactly a believer.”
“You will be, son. You will be. Pray with me, friends.” The crowd lifted their arms up, joining hands.
LeGrange lifted one hand up and placed the other on Dean’s shoulder. Dean caught his brother’s eyes, both nervous. The reverend smiled, moving his hand to Dean’s forehead. Dean suddenly felt calm.
“Alright now.”
Sam watched as his brother paled, his eyes closing. Sam gulped, reaching for Chloe’s hand. He gripped it, not noticing how she was watching Dean with a mix of fear and anxiety. Dean fell to his knees, then collapsed onto the floor.
Sam leapt up, dropping Chloe’s hand and running to the stage. “Dean?” he panicked, shaking his brother by the shoulders. He gasped when Dean sat up, eyes wide as he gasped for breath. “Say something.”
Dean glanced over Sam’s shoulder, seeing a withered, pale man on the stage next to the reverend. He was wearing the sort of black suit you would wear if you were going for a funeral, and he had the white hair. He looked at Dean, then vanished.
*
“So, you really feel okay?” Sam asked his brother, nervous.
Dean rolled his eyes. “I feel fine, Sam.”
Dean’s gaze flicked up as a female nurse strode into the room, reading paperwork, and he smirked at Sam.
The nurse glanced up, smiling at the brothers. “Well, according to your tests, there’s nothing wrong with your heart.” She read. “No sign there ever was.”
Dean frowned, confused, while Sam grinned at his brother.
“Not that a man your age should be having heart trouble.” She muttered. “But still, it’s strange it does happen.”
“What do you mean, strange?” asked Dean.
“Well, just yesterday, a young guy like you, twenty four, athletic. Out of nowhere, heart attack.”
Dean looked concerned, sharing a worried look with his younger brother. “Thanks.” He sighed.
“No problem.”
Dean watched her leave, then turned to Sam, eyebrows furrowed. “That’s odd.”
“Maybe it’s a coincidence.” Sam said, slowly, not even believing himself. “People’s hearts give out all the time.”
“No, they don’t.”
“Look, Dean, do we really have to look this one in the mouth? Why can’t we just be thankful that the guy saved your life and move on?”
“Because I can’t shake this feeling, that’s why.”
“What feeling?” Sam asked, gazing intently at his brother.
“When I was healed - I just, I felt wrong. I felt cold. And for a second, I saw someone. This old man.” Dean shook his head, annoyed. “And I’m telling you, it was a spirit.”
“But if there was something there, Dean, I would have seen it.” Sam protested. “I mean, I’ve been seeing an awful lot of things lately.”
Dean frowned at the admission. “Well, excuse me, psychic wonder. But you’re gonna need a little faith on this one. Sam, I’ve been hunting long enough to know a feeling like this.”
Sam nodded slowly. “I know, but, we’re supposed to be looking after Chloe. We can’t just take her on a hunt with us.”
Dean grimaced. “We’re here now Sam.” Then he grinned. “And come on, she lives in Smallville. I’m sure she’s seen worse.”
Sam doubted it, but nodded his agreement. “Yeah, alright. So what do you want to do?”
“I want you to go check out the heart-attack guy. I’m gonna get Chloe and visit the reverend.”
*
“I feel great.” Dean smiled at the reverend. “Just trying to, you know, make sense of what happened.”
The reverend’s wife reached for her husband’s hand, then smiled condescendingly at Dean. “A miracle is what happened. Well, miracles come often around Roy.”
Chloe smiled at the couple, leaning forward. “So, the miracles?” she asked, calm as Sue-Ann’s eyes flicked instantly over to her. “When did they start?”
“Woke up one morning, stone blind.” The reverend replied, tightening his grip on his wife’s hand. “Doctors figured out I had cancer. Told me I had maybe a month. So we prayed for a miracle. Now, I was weak, but I told Sue Ann ‘You just keep on praying’. I went into a coma. Doctors said I wouldn’t wake up, but I did. And the cancer was gone.” He took his sunglasses off, staring in Chloe’s direction and she looked away, feeling awkward. “If it wasn’t for these eyes, no one would ever believe I’d had it.”
“And suddenly you could…what? Heal people?” Chloe questioned.
“I discovered it afterwards, yes.” He smiled upwards. “Gods blessed me in so many ways.”
“And his flock just swelled overnight.” Sue Ann cast a proud look at her husband. “And this is just the beginning.”
Chloe nodded, getting ready to leave, but Dean grabbed her arm, stopping her. “Can I ask just one last question?”
The reverend turned towards Dean. “Of course you can.”
“Why? Why me?” Dean wondered. “Out of all the sick people, why save me?”
“Well, like I said before, the Lord guides me. I looked into your heart and you stood out from all the rest.”
Chloe grinned at Dean, who looked confused. “What did you see in my heart?”
“A young man with an important purpose.” Roy said, staring directly at Dean. “A job to do. And it isn’t finished.”
*
“Man, he seemed healthy.” Sighed the man, leaning over to stretch. Sam smiled, awkward. “Swam every day, didn’t smoke. So, a heart attack seemed kind of bizarre.”
“And you said he was running, right before he collapsed?” Sam asked, frowning as the man nodded.
“Yeah, he was freaking out. He said that, uh, something was after him.”
“Did he say what?”
“Well, thin air is what.” Sam raised an eyebrow. “I mean, it wasn’t anything.”
Sam concentrated, thinking for a few seconds. “Alright, thanks.” He sighed, starting to leave but noticing the clock on the wall was at the wrong time. “Hey, your clock’s busted.”
“Oh yeah, we, uh, can’t get it working.” The man grimaced. “It’s stuck at 4.17”
Sam paused, glancing round the gym and then back at the clock. “Is that the time Marshall died?”
“How did you know?”
*
Chloe climbed into the Impala, grinning when she saw Layla and her mother approaching the house. She nudged Dean, pointing to them. Dean smirked, closing the Impala door and stalking towards them.
“Hey, Dean.” Layla greeted, blushing.
“Hey.” Dean replied, grinning.
“How are you feeling?”
“I feel good.” Dean answered, glancing up and down her body. “Cured, I guess. What are you doing here?”
“You know, my mom, she wanted to talk to the reverend.”
Layla pointed as her mother walked past them and knocked on the door of LeGrange’s house. His wife opened the door. “Layla?” she called, and Layla looked at her.
“Yes, I’m here again!”
“Well, I’m sorry...” Sue Ann whispered. “But Roy is resting, and he won’t be seeing anyone else right now.”
Layla’s mother looked down, visibly upset. “Sue Ann, please. This is our sixth time. He’s got to see us.”
Sue Ann smiled. “Roy is well aware of Layla’s situation. And he very much wants to help her just as soon as the Lord allows. Have faith, Mrs Rourke.”
Sue Ann closed the door, locking it. Layla’s mother turned, spotting Dean and blinking furiously. Dean tried to pretend not to notice the tears in her eyes. “Why are you still even here?” she snarled. “You got what you wanted.”
“Mom. Stop.” Layla whispered, laying a hand on Dean’s arm.
“No Layla, this is too much. We’ve been to every single service.” She choked. “If Roy would stop choosing these strangers over you. Strangers who don’t even believe. I just can’t pray any harder.”
“Layla?” Dean turned to stare into her eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“I...” Layla stuttered. “I have this thing...”
“It’s a brain tumour.” Layla’s mother told her. “It’s inoperable. In six months, the doctors say...”
“I’m sorry.” Dean whispered, shocked.
“It’s okay.” Layla sighed.
“No, it isn’t.” Layla’s mother growled. “Why do you deserve to live more than my daughter?”
She walked away, crying as Layla followed her. Dean grimaced, turning round and walking back to the Impala, slumping into the front seat. Chloe glanced over at him, watching as he pulled away from the reverend’s house.
*
Sam glanced up as Dean led Chloe into the motel room. Sam frowned, glancing back down at his laptop. Dean slumped down onto his bed, Chloe looking round for a spare seat. She frowned, before sitting next to Sam, leaning against as she tried to read over his shoulder.
“What d’you find out?” Dean asked.
“I’m sorry.” Sam whispered, looking up at Dean, eyes wide and apologetic. “Marshall Hall died at exactly 4.17.”
“The exact time Dean was cured?” Chloe asked and Sam tensed, noticing how close Chloe was.
“Yeah. So I put a list of everyone Roy’s healed, six people over the past year, and I cross-checked them with the local obits.” Sam said, passing a pile of papers to Chloe who turned to him, impressed. “Every time someone was healed, someone else died. And each time the victim died of the same symptom LeGrange was healing.”
“Someone’s healed of cancer, someone dies of cancer?” Chloe asked, reading through the mass of paper.
“Somehow. LeGrange - he’s trading one life for another.”
“Wait, wait, wait.” Dean interrupted, gesturing for Chloe to hand over the sheets. “Are you saying Marshall Hall died to save me?”
“Dean, the guy probably would’ve died anyway. And someone else would have been healed.”
“You never should’ve brought me here.”
“But Sam, some guy is dead now because of me.”
“He didn’t know.” Chloe interrupted, not wanting them to get into a fight. “How is Roy doing it? He’s trading a life for a life?”
“Oh he’s not doing it.” Dean said suddenly. “Something else is doing it for him.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, leaning away from Sam and closer to Dean with interest.
“The old man I saw on stage.” Dean said slowly. “I didn’t want to believe it but deep down I knew it.”
“You knew what? What are you talking about?” Sam asked, confused.
“There’s only one thing that can give or take life like that.” Dean told them, smirking when his brother exchanged a confused glance with Chloe. “It’s a reaper.”
“A what?” Chloe asked.
“It’s bad.” Dean told her.
“What? I’m actually on this hunt with you and you won’t tell me anything?” Chloe asked, shocked. “Maybe I’m considering being a hunter.” Sam shot a worried look at Chloe, shaking his head. “I mean, my reporting career seems to have ended already.” There was an awkward silence. “So you really think it’s the grim reaper?” Chloe changed the subject, smiling. “Like angel of death, collect your soul, the whole deal?”
“No. Not the grim reaper, a reaper.” Dean answered. “There’s reaper lore in pretty much every culture on earth. Go by a hundred different names. It’s possible that there’s more than one of them.”
“What did you see?” Chloe asked, finally leaning back into Sam.
“A dude in a suit.” Dean grimaced. “You said it yourself that the clock stopped, right?” He rifled through the papers, handing a picture of a reaper to Chloe. She showed it to Sam, who scowled. “Reapers stop time. And you only see them when they’re coming at you, which is why I could see it and you couldn’t.”
“Maybe.” Sam nodded, turning away from the laptop to face Dean and slipping an arm around Chloe’s shoulder.
Dean smirked. “There’s nothing else it could be, Sam. The question is how Roy’s controlling the thing.”
“That cross.”
“What?”
“There was this cross. I noticed it in the church tent. I knew I had seen it before.” Sam pulled a pack of tarot cards from his pocket and started to shuffle through it. He drew one card, handing it to Chloe. She glanced at it, frowning at the picture of a skeleton with a crown on its head, a cross in the corner. “Here.”
Chloe passed it over to Dean, who dubiously raised an eyebrow. “A tarot?”
“It makes sense.” Sam protested and Chloe nodded.
“Tarot dates back to the early Christian era, right?” she asked.
Sam grinned at Chloe. “When some priests were still using magic. A few of them veered into the dark stuff. Necromancy and how to push death away, how to cause it.”
“So Roy’s using black magic to bind the reaper?” Dean asked.
“If he is, he’s riding the whirlwind. It’s like putting a dog leash on a Great White.”
“Okay, then we stop Roy.”
“How?”
“You know how.”
“Wait, what the hell are you talking about, Dean?” Sam said, shocked. “We can’t kill Roy.”
“Sam, the guy’s playing God, he’s deciding who lives or dies, that’s a monster in my book.”
“No.” Sam commanded. “We are not going to kill a human being, Dean. If we do that, we’re no better than he is.”
“Okay, so we can’t kill Roy, we can’t kill death. Any bright ideas?”
“If Roy is using some kind of black magic,” Chloe said, hesitantly. “We’ve got to figure out what it is and then we can work out how to break it.”
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