I (Won't) Be Home For Christmas (Chloe, Lois, Jo, PG, 5/5)
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 Five
The back of the SUV seemed to be even fuller than it had been when they arrived, and Ellen supposed that was only right. They were leaving not just with the gifts they'd received for Christmas on top of their belongings... They were leaving with Jo as well.
The truth was, as soon as she'd talked to Chloe and discovered that her nieces were planning to road trip it for awhile instead of going back home after Christmas, Ellen had felt that it was only a matter of time before Jo brought up the idea of going with them. Even before Chloe had said that Jo was welcome to go with them, Ellen had somehow known that her daughter would be asked to go, and that Jo would want to. And part of her, of course, had wanted to tell Jo no. But the thing was... Ellen knew, deep down, that she couldn't stop her. Jo was an adult now, twenty years old, going on twenty-one in February. She could do what she wanted, whether Ellen wanted her to or not. On top of that, the girl was incredibly strong-willed, incredibly stubborn, and even if Ellen could have found a way to make her stay, it would have just ended up making them both miserable. She'd known that the best thing was just to bow to the decision gracefully. It wasn't like Jo was running off on a hunt. Yes, Chloe and Lois could occasionally land themselves into worlds of trouble - and that sincerely worried her - but the three of them weren't running off to hunt down monsters. And Jo needed this. She needed to be happy and free and young, if only for a little while. Growing up, her only daughter had often seemed so alone. Surrounded by hunters a lot of the time, yes, but set apart from people her own age. The only ones she'd ever really clicked with were her cousins... Jo liked Sam and Dean Winchester well enough, she knew - Ellen worried that Jo liked Dean more than she should - but that hadn't come along until recently, and once again, they were men. Chloe and Lois were the only female friends that Jo had ever really had.
And now she was heading off with them for who knows how long.
The older woman watched as her daughter and her two nieces packed up the SUV as best they could... It was, Ellen thought, a good thing that Chloe had an SUV this time around because otherwise, there was no way all their stuff would fit inside. They had, of course, their luggage with their bulky winter clothes, but they also had their Christmas presents with them, as well as various things that they probably considered necessities: Chloe's laptop and some other computer equipment, some various things that Lois had most likely snagged from an army base at some time or another, and Ellen was sure that Jo had brought along at least some basic weaponry and items for protection. The girls weren't going off on any sort of a hunt, Ellen knew, but she'd always taught her daughter to be prepared, just in case... Which meant she knew Jo had packed at least a few knives, possibly a gun of some type, and it was highly likely that there was a bag of salt in one of her suitcases. Not to mention a flask of holy water. Again, just in case.
"Looks like you girls are more than prepared," Ellen finally said, watching as Jo and Lois tugged the last bag into place in the back of the vehicle. The older woman nudged what sat next to her with her foot. "This cooler's stocked with soft drinks and bottled water. I made up some sandwiches for you for today, and I've got some cookies and other snacks ready to go, too."
Lois grinned as she turned to look at her aunt. Ellen wasn't exactly Martha Kent in the kitchen, but the woman still knew how to cook. "You're the best," she told her, moving forward to give her aunt a hug, staying close for a moment to speak softly to her. "Thanks for letting Jo come with us."
"You're welcome... But I'm not sure I really had much choice," Ellen reminded her niece, putting her hands on Lois's shoulders to hold her away from her a bit. She shook her head as she looked at the oldest of the girls... Twenty-two and all grown up in some ways, but so young in others. All of them were just kids... Lois having just turned twenty-two, Chloe's twenty-first birthday barely more than a month ago... Jo still almost two months from hers. But they knew more than a lot of girls their age, knew how to take care of themselves better than most, and they deserved this fun. Lord knew they hadn't had the chance to have enough fun in their lives, especially lately. She knew what had caused the pain in Jo's life - it was the same that had caused the pain in her own life - and she knew bits and pieces of Lois and Chloe's lives, things she'd heard, things they'd told her, so she knew they'd had it rough, too. All three of them deserved this trip, and she wasn't about to stand in the way of it.
Lois lifted her brows, looking at her expectantly. "Aunt Ellen?"
She shook her head. "Nothing, honey. I was just thinking. I'm glad that, if the three of you are going to be out there, it's going to be together. And I think all three of you need this."
"We'll make sure you have a general idea of where we are," Lois promised, and Jo nodded as she came forward, Chloe with her.
"If I don't get a chance to call every night, I'll at least email or text you, I promise. Or one of us will," Jo told her, reaching out to give her mother a hug. "Thanks, Mom."
"You're an adult now, Jo, whether I like it or not. It's your decision to go on this trip, and I'm going to respect that. Truth is, I'm glad the three of you are spending time together."
"Well, you know you can call us if you need anything, right?" Chloe questioned, the middle of the three girls accepting a hug from her aunt as she spoke.
Ellen laughed softly. "I think that's supposed to be my line, seeing as I'm the adult here." She paused, shaking her head. "Not the only adult anymore, I suppose. But I'm definitely the oldest." She looked at each girl in turn. "You three be careful, and you take care of each other."
"We will, Mom," Jo promised, and the older woman nodded.
"I trust you to do that. I also trust the three of you to get into some sort of trouble at some point," she continued, shaking her head when all three looked like they wanted to protest. "Don't argue with me on that. I know the escapades the three of you have been up to. Or at least I know some of them. Just try to keep the trouble to a minimum," she told them, giving each girl one last hug before she filled their arms with the snacks and the cooler of drinks she'd put together for them, stepping back as she watched them load it up. They were just getting in the car when she called out to them one last time. "Girls?"
"Yeah, Mom?" came Jo's response, and Ellen Harvelle sent her daughter and nieces an assessing look as the three of them climbed in the SUV, preparing to drive away and be gone for who knows how long. She sighed and shook her head slightly, then sent them a smirk.
"Call me if you need bail money."
The End
I'm working on mapping out the second fic in this series, so hopefully it won't be too long before I'm ready to start posting it.
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 Five
The back of the SUV seemed to be even fuller than it had been when they arrived, and Ellen supposed that was only right. They were leaving not just with the gifts they'd received for Christmas on top of their belongings... They were leaving with Jo as well.
The truth was, as soon as she'd talked to Chloe and discovered that her nieces were planning to road trip it for awhile instead of going back home after Christmas, Ellen had felt that it was only a matter of time before Jo brought up the idea of going with them. Even before Chloe had said that Jo was welcome to go with them, Ellen had somehow known that her daughter would be asked to go, and that Jo would want to. And part of her, of course, had wanted to tell Jo no. But the thing was... Ellen knew, deep down, that she couldn't stop her. Jo was an adult now, twenty years old, going on twenty-one in February. She could do what she wanted, whether Ellen wanted her to or not. On top of that, the girl was incredibly strong-willed, incredibly stubborn, and even if Ellen could have found a way to make her stay, it would have just ended up making them both miserable. She'd known that the best thing was just to bow to the decision gracefully. It wasn't like Jo was running off on a hunt. Yes, Chloe and Lois could occasionally land themselves into worlds of trouble - and that sincerely worried her - but the three of them weren't running off to hunt down monsters. And Jo needed this. She needed to be happy and free and young, if only for a little while. Growing up, her only daughter had often seemed so alone. Surrounded by hunters a lot of the time, yes, but set apart from people her own age. The only ones she'd ever really clicked with were her cousins... Jo liked Sam and Dean Winchester well enough, she knew - Ellen worried that Jo liked Dean more than she should - but that hadn't come along until recently, and once again, they were men. Chloe and Lois were the only female friends that Jo had ever really had.
And now she was heading off with them for who knows how long.
The older woman watched as her daughter and her two nieces packed up the SUV as best they could... It was, Ellen thought, a good thing that Chloe had an SUV this time around because otherwise, there was no way all their stuff would fit inside. They had, of course, their luggage with their bulky winter clothes, but they also had their Christmas presents with them, as well as various things that they probably considered necessities: Chloe's laptop and some other computer equipment, some various things that Lois had most likely snagged from an army base at some time or another, and Ellen was sure that Jo had brought along at least some basic weaponry and items for protection. The girls weren't going off on any sort of a hunt, Ellen knew, but she'd always taught her daughter to be prepared, just in case... Which meant she knew Jo had packed at least a few knives, possibly a gun of some type, and it was highly likely that there was a bag of salt in one of her suitcases. Not to mention a flask of holy water. Again, just in case.
"Looks like you girls are more than prepared," Ellen finally said, watching as Jo and Lois tugged the last bag into place in the back of the vehicle. The older woman nudged what sat next to her with her foot. "This cooler's stocked with soft drinks and bottled water. I made up some sandwiches for you for today, and I've got some cookies and other snacks ready to go, too."
Lois grinned as she turned to look at her aunt. Ellen wasn't exactly Martha Kent in the kitchen, but the woman still knew how to cook. "You're the best," she told her, moving forward to give her aunt a hug, staying close for a moment to speak softly to her. "Thanks for letting Jo come with us."
"You're welcome... But I'm not sure I really had much choice," Ellen reminded her niece, putting her hands on Lois's shoulders to hold her away from her a bit. She shook her head as she looked at the oldest of the girls... Twenty-two and all grown up in some ways, but so young in others. All of them were just kids... Lois having just turned twenty-two, Chloe's twenty-first birthday barely more than a month ago... Jo still almost two months from hers. But they knew more than a lot of girls their age, knew how to take care of themselves better than most, and they deserved this fun. Lord knew they hadn't had the chance to have enough fun in their lives, especially lately. She knew what had caused the pain in Jo's life - it was the same that had caused the pain in her own life - and she knew bits and pieces of Lois and Chloe's lives, things she'd heard, things they'd told her, so she knew they'd had it rough, too. All three of them deserved this trip, and she wasn't about to stand in the way of it.
Lois lifted her brows, looking at her expectantly. "Aunt Ellen?"
She shook her head. "Nothing, honey. I was just thinking. I'm glad that, if the three of you are going to be out there, it's going to be together. And I think all three of you need this."
"We'll make sure you have a general idea of where we are," Lois promised, and Jo nodded as she came forward, Chloe with her.
"If I don't get a chance to call every night, I'll at least email or text you, I promise. Or one of us will," Jo told her, reaching out to give her mother a hug. "Thanks, Mom."
"You're an adult now, Jo, whether I like it or not. It's your decision to go on this trip, and I'm going to respect that. Truth is, I'm glad the three of you are spending time together."
"Well, you know you can call us if you need anything, right?" Chloe questioned, the middle of the three girls accepting a hug from her aunt as she spoke.
Ellen laughed softly. "I think that's supposed to be my line, seeing as I'm the adult here." She paused, shaking her head. "Not the only adult anymore, I suppose. But I'm definitely the oldest." She looked at each girl in turn. "You three be careful, and you take care of each other."
"We will, Mom," Jo promised, and the older woman nodded.
"I trust you to do that. I also trust the three of you to get into some sort of trouble at some point," she continued, shaking her head when all three looked like they wanted to protest. "Don't argue with me on that. I know the escapades the three of you have been up to. Or at least I know some of them. Just try to keep the trouble to a minimum," she told them, giving each girl one last hug before she filled their arms with the snacks and the cooler of drinks she'd put together for them, stepping back as she watched them load it up. They were just getting in the car when she called out to them one last time. "Girls?"
"Yeah, Mom?" came Jo's response, and Ellen Harvelle sent her daughter and nieces an assessing look as the three of them climbed in the SUV, preparing to drive away and be gone for who knows how long. She sighed and shook her head slightly, then sent them a smirk.
"Call me if you need bail money."
The End
I'm working on mapping out the second fic in this series, so hopefully it won't be too long before I'm ready to start posting it.