I (Won't) Be Home For Christmas (Chloe, Lois, etc., PG, 3/5)
Title: I (Won't) Be Home For Christmas
Series: Road Less Traveled
Author: Karen U
Pairing/Character: Chloe, Lois, Jo, Ellen
Disclaimer: No one you recognize belongs to me
Rating: PG
Prompt: #92 Christmas. This is for crossovers100
Summary: a change of scenery for Christmas... and maybe beyond it.
Spoilers: for Smallville, my own version of season 7. A lot of elements of season 7 will show up, but not necessarily in order, and probably with my own twist. For Supernatural, post-season 2. Starts several months after season 2 ended.
Warnings: Nothing, really. There may be some mild language at some point in the fic.
Part Three
"You want to talk about it?"
Chloe Sullivan looked over at the sound of her aunt's voice, the small blonde giving a bit of a shrug. "Talk about what?"
"About the reason you're here for Christmas and not at home. Don't get me wrong, kiddo. I'm happy to see you and Lois. I'm glad you're here. Happiest I've seen Jo for quite some time," Ellen said, turning her head slightly at the sound of laughter from the living room where Lois and Jo were watching some truly terrible home movies from about fifteen years before, back when the girls were barely even in school and all the families were still intact... Before Bill had died on that hunt, before Lois's mother had died... Before Chloe's mom had walked away. Ellen would usually say that at least each girl still had one parent left, but she knew that Sam Lane had been mostly absent in Lois's life, and from what she understood about the past few years, Gabe Sullivan hadn't been around much lately, either.
Chloe let out a breath. "The General is overseas and Dad is basically married to his job these days, so... It was just going to be me and Lois. We decided that it would be more fun if we sought out more family."
"And I'm glad you did. Jo and I both are. But don't you spend most of your holidays with the Kent family?" Ellen asked, gesturing to the pie boxes that were on the counter. They sat alongside the mountain of cookies that she and Jo had made earlier, and Ellen just knew she would each too much of both things.
"We do, but... It just didn't seem right this year." She tucked some hair behind her ear. "Not getting into details about that at the moment, but... We just weren't going there, and... It felt like a good time to get out of town for awhile."
"How long is 'awhile'?" Ellen asked curiously, and Chloe paused for a moment in the process of making a sandwich, which was what was on the menu for the night. Because Lois could even manage to mess that up, Chloe was the one helping her aunt pull a few things together while Lois and Jo watched home movies and managed the finishing touches on the decorations... Not to mention arranging all the gifts beneath the tree.
Chloe sent her aunt a smile. "Don't worry, Ellen. We only plan to stay here for a few days as promised."
"Chloe, I don't mind the two of you staying here for more than those few days. I'm just curious as to whether or not the two of you are going back to Smallville or Metropolis or wherever when you leave here."
The younger woman paused in her movements for a moment, then went back to slicing tomatoes for the sandwiches. "Honestly? We don't really know. I mean... We've both been so stuck in Metropolis and Smallville for so long. We haven't had vacations, any time we've left has been something for work, and... It's just gotten a little suffocating there."
Ellen's brows rose in surprise. Sure, things had been tough on Chloe at first when she'd left Metropolis for Smallville as a young teenager, but over the years, she'd seemed pretty content in the small town, and once she'd finished high school, she'd seemed happy enough splitting her time between the town and the city. Granted, she didn't see her niece all that often, but they did talk on occasion, and Chloe both spoke to Jo and kept in touch with her cousin by email, and Ellen had never thought Chloe was anything but content in Kansas.
"You're not happy?" The words were almost as much of a statement as they were a question.
Chloe sighed. "It's not that... I don't know. I guess we both kind of want a change."
"Does that mean you're thinking about relocating?"
"Not permanently," the blonde girl said, moving one sandwich from the cutting board to a plate and going to work on the next, Ellen forcing herself to get back to work on the fruit and vegetable tray she'd decided to put together as she listened to her niece speak. "I mean, I don't think so. We have ties there. Friends and all. My work is freelance and can be done just about from anywhere, but Lois works at the Inquisitor, so... There's probably only so long that she can email articles in."
"Is that what she's going to be doing?"
"Until we get back there, yeah. I've got all the freelance stuff I was planning to do for the next few weeks finished and sent in, and if I need to do anything else, I've got my laptop with me, so... I'm kind of all set."
"I'm guessing you're all set for awhile, from what I saw of your luggage. I know that can't all be gifts, and even winter clothes don't take up that much room. Not three or four days' worth of them, anyway." The older woman tilted her head, giving her niece a sidelong look, taking in the sad expression in her eyes that Chloe probably thought she was hiding. And maybe some people wouldn't see it, wouldn't notice the sadness, but Ellen wasn't some people, and Jo got the same look in her eyes sometimes. More than sometimes lately, it seemed.
"I've got a couple of weeks' worth, probably," Chloe admitted. "Maybe more."
"Chloe, honey, if you're unhappy where you are... Why don't you think about relocating? You can even stay here longer if you want," Ellen said, and the younger woman sighed.
"I... There are things that, eventually, will pull me back to Kansas," she said softly. "This is... Just a break. And I really appreciate the option of staying longer... We might end up doing that, but... A road trip just really appealed to us," Chloe told her aunt, then looked toward the door at the sound of laughter in the other room. "It is really good to see you and Jo, though."
"And Jo and I are happy to see the two of you," Ellen told her. "In fact... Jo's been as unsettled around here as it seems you and Lois have been in Kansas. The idea of the two of you coming here for Christmas made her happier than I'd seen in awhile. She's always clicked with you and Lois better than she has any other girls she knows. Don't know if it's because you're related or what, but..."
"None of us ever felt like we totally fit in when we were growing up," Chloe said. "It kind of made us go well together, even if we're still different, even from each other." She eyed her aunt as she finished putting together the last of the sandwiches. "You know... Lois and I wouldn't mind the company on our road trip. Obviously you're busy with the Roadhouse and everything, and I understand if you want Jo to stay here, but... She's welcome to come with me and Lois, if she wants."
"Well, that would be up to Jo," Ellen said. "But between you and me? I think she'd take you two up on that offer. Now, come on. Let's get these sandwiches out there before those two get to the *really* embarrassing home movies."
Chloe grinned. "Like the one from the Christmas when Jo was about five and you-"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Ellen broke in, trying to look stern.
And then she grinned.
end part three
Series: Road Less Traveled
Author: Karen U
Pairing/Character: Chloe, Lois, Jo, Ellen
Disclaimer: No one you recognize belongs to me
Rating: PG
Prompt: #92 Christmas. This is for crossovers100
Summary: a change of scenery for Christmas... and maybe beyond it.
Spoilers: for Smallville, my own version of season 7. A lot of elements of season 7 will show up, but not necessarily in order, and probably with my own twist. For Supernatural, post-season 2. Starts several months after season 2 ended.
Warnings: Nothing, really. There may be some mild language at some point in the fic.
Part Three
"You want to talk about it?"
Chloe Sullivan looked over at the sound of her aunt's voice, the small blonde giving a bit of a shrug. "Talk about what?"
"About the reason you're here for Christmas and not at home. Don't get me wrong, kiddo. I'm happy to see you and Lois. I'm glad you're here. Happiest I've seen Jo for quite some time," Ellen said, turning her head slightly at the sound of laughter from the living room where Lois and Jo were watching some truly terrible home movies from about fifteen years before, back when the girls were barely even in school and all the families were still intact... Before Bill had died on that hunt, before Lois's mother had died... Before Chloe's mom had walked away. Ellen would usually say that at least each girl still had one parent left, but she knew that Sam Lane had been mostly absent in Lois's life, and from what she understood about the past few years, Gabe Sullivan hadn't been around much lately, either.
Chloe let out a breath. "The General is overseas and Dad is basically married to his job these days, so... It was just going to be me and Lois. We decided that it would be more fun if we sought out more family."
"And I'm glad you did. Jo and I both are. But don't you spend most of your holidays with the Kent family?" Ellen asked, gesturing to the pie boxes that were on the counter. They sat alongside the mountain of cookies that she and Jo had made earlier, and Ellen just knew she would each too much of both things.
"We do, but... It just didn't seem right this year." She tucked some hair behind her ear. "Not getting into details about that at the moment, but... We just weren't going there, and... It felt like a good time to get out of town for awhile."
"How long is 'awhile'?" Ellen asked curiously, and Chloe paused for a moment in the process of making a sandwich, which was what was on the menu for the night. Because Lois could even manage to mess that up, Chloe was the one helping her aunt pull a few things together while Lois and Jo watched home movies and managed the finishing touches on the decorations... Not to mention arranging all the gifts beneath the tree.
Chloe sent her aunt a smile. "Don't worry, Ellen. We only plan to stay here for a few days as promised."
"Chloe, I don't mind the two of you staying here for more than those few days. I'm just curious as to whether or not the two of you are going back to Smallville or Metropolis or wherever when you leave here."
The younger woman paused in her movements for a moment, then went back to slicing tomatoes for the sandwiches. "Honestly? We don't really know. I mean... We've both been so stuck in Metropolis and Smallville for so long. We haven't had vacations, any time we've left has been something for work, and... It's just gotten a little suffocating there."
Ellen's brows rose in surprise. Sure, things had been tough on Chloe at first when she'd left Metropolis for Smallville as a young teenager, but over the years, she'd seemed pretty content in the small town, and once she'd finished high school, she'd seemed happy enough splitting her time between the town and the city. Granted, she didn't see her niece all that often, but they did talk on occasion, and Chloe both spoke to Jo and kept in touch with her cousin by email, and Ellen had never thought Chloe was anything but content in Kansas.
"You're not happy?" The words were almost as much of a statement as they were a question.
Chloe sighed. "It's not that... I don't know. I guess we both kind of want a change."
"Does that mean you're thinking about relocating?"
"Not permanently," the blonde girl said, moving one sandwich from the cutting board to a plate and going to work on the next, Ellen forcing herself to get back to work on the fruit and vegetable tray she'd decided to put together as she listened to her niece speak. "I mean, I don't think so. We have ties there. Friends and all. My work is freelance and can be done just about from anywhere, but Lois works at the Inquisitor, so... There's probably only so long that she can email articles in."
"Is that what she's going to be doing?"
"Until we get back there, yeah. I've got all the freelance stuff I was planning to do for the next few weeks finished and sent in, and if I need to do anything else, I've got my laptop with me, so... I'm kind of all set."
"I'm guessing you're all set for awhile, from what I saw of your luggage. I know that can't all be gifts, and even winter clothes don't take up that much room. Not three or four days' worth of them, anyway." The older woman tilted her head, giving her niece a sidelong look, taking in the sad expression in her eyes that Chloe probably thought she was hiding. And maybe some people wouldn't see it, wouldn't notice the sadness, but Ellen wasn't some people, and Jo got the same look in her eyes sometimes. More than sometimes lately, it seemed.
"I've got a couple of weeks' worth, probably," Chloe admitted. "Maybe more."
"Chloe, honey, if you're unhappy where you are... Why don't you think about relocating? You can even stay here longer if you want," Ellen said, and the younger woman sighed.
"I... There are things that, eventually, will pull me back to Kansas," she said softly. "This is... Just a break. And I really appreciate the option of staying longer... We might end up doing that, but... A road trip just really appealed to us," Chloe told her aunt, then looked toward the door at the sound of laughter in the other room. "It is really good to see you and Jo, though."
"And Jo and I are happy to see the two of you," Ellen told her. "In fact... Jo's been as unsettled around here as it seems you and Lois have been in Kansas. The idea of the two of you coming here for Christmas made her happier than I'd seen in awhile. She's always clicked with you and Lois better than she has any other girls she knows. Don't know if it's because you're related or what, but..."
"None of us ever felt like we totally fit in when we were growing up," Chloe said. "It kind of made us go well together, even if we're still different, even from each other." She eyed her aunt as she finished putting together the last of the sandwiches. "You know... Lois and I wouldn't mind the company on our road trip. Obviously you're busy with the Roadhouse and everything, and I understand if you want Jo to stay here, but... She's welcome to come with me and Lois, if she wants."
"Well, that would be up to Jo," Ellen said. "But between you and me? I think she'd take you two up on that offer. Now, come on. Let's get these sandwiches out there before those two get to the *really* embarrassing home movies."
Chloe grinned. "Like the one from the Christmas when Jo was about five and you-"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Ellen broke in, trying to look stern.
And then she grinned.
end part three