Two Guys, a Girl and a Chevy Impala: Fic One: The Demons We Hide
Series: Two Guys, a Girl and a Chevy Impala
Story One: “The Demons We Hide”
Authors: Clarksmuse and X_tremeroswellian
Rated: R
Genre: Smallville/Supernatural crossover
Pairings: Eventual Chloe/Dean, of course
Spoilers: Spoiler speculation for Smallville; up through "No Exit" of Supernatural.
Feedback: Rocks our socks and you guys are awesome with it so thank you!!
Sam pinched the bridge of his nose with two fingers. It had been a very long day, and frankly, he needed to get away. From the computer and from Chloe and Dean, who had been secretly making eyes at each other for the last few hours when they thought the other wasn't looking. He figured something had transpired between them when they snuck into the other room, and though Sam wanted to be happy about it, he couldn't. Not when there was so much wrong with their lives.
Suddenly, his cell went off. Grabbing it, he stood quickly and told the other two he'd be in the next room. Striding through the connecting door, he flipped open the phone. "Hello?"
"Hey Samuel. Got that information you wanted." Ash sounded more than a little smug.
"Don't call me that," he snapped in reply.
"Relax, man." He sat back in his chair.
"Kinda hard to when you're in the middle of hell," Sam grumbled.
"Oh, you're not on a hellmouth, dude...things could be much worse. I mean, Prio Motu's are ugly and nasty but there's worse things."
"Been there, done the Hellmouth, dude," Sam replied under his breath before he realized Ash said something else. "Wait... a Prio Motu?"
"Big, hairy, lots of teeth and claws. Fairly easy to kill."
"Sounds like a lot of fun," he replied thoughtfully. "Though Dean won't like the fact that it's easy to kill." He sat down in the nearest chair and rubbed a hand over his face.
"Wait, isn't easy to kill a good thing?" Ash sounded puzzled. "Less likely to get..." He cut himself off, clearing his throat. "Well anyway, good luck."
"Don't go there, Ash," Sam warned in a low voice. "Gonna tell me how to kill this thing?"
"Gun should do it," he said with a shrug.
"Wait, are you kidding me?" he asked, incredulous. "That's all it takes? The big teeth and all?"
"Well if you're bored you could try paper-cutting it to death," he replied wryly.
Sam snorted in derision. "Funny, you're funny, man." He paused a moment. "Thanks, I appreciate the info."
"No problem. All in a day's work." He smirked.
Laughing softly, he said, "Okay, then. I'll call if we need anything else." Closing his cell phone, Sam stood up and stretched, taking a moment to enjoy the irony of how easy it would be to kill the thing. Taking a deep breath, he stepped into Chloe's room and said, "I have news."
Chloe looked up at him from her computer. "Tell me it's of the good sort."
Looking at Dean, he replied, "I hope so."
Dean, who had been enjoying watching Chloe research way too much, used Sam's news as an excuse to look away from her. "Dude, you gonna spill it or what?"
"That was Ash. He knows how to kill this thing... this... Prio Motu."
Chloe lifted an eyebrow. "So how do you kill it?"
"With a gun."
Dean cocked an eyebrow at his brother. "That's it?"
Sam nodded, waiting for Dean's real reaction to his news.
"Well, that's considerably easier than it is to stop most meteor freaks," she remarked.
"Though it's not as much fun as other hunts we've been on," Dean retored, staring at Sam. "Ash told you this?"
Sam nodded wordlessly, looking over at Chloe with a small shrug, as if to say, Sorry that Dean's about to be a jerk.
Chloe gave Dean a look. "Maybe not but my guess it's a whole lot safer." She emphasized the last word.
Safer wasn't what he wanted. Not after what he'd seen Chloe and Sam go through. It should be a whole lot harder than that. "So, what, we just barge in there, shoot the... whatever the hell this thing is... and leave?"
She glanced between the brothers uncertainly. "I don't think it's gonna be quite that easy. We still have an evil preacher to deal with who conjured the demon to begin with, and a whole lot of brainwashed people."
Sam nodded at Chloe. "Sounds hard, doesn't it? Will that make you happy?" he asked in a low tone.
Dean snorted in derision. "As long as I can pummel and kill the evil preacher, I'm down with that." He glared back at his brother, nearly oblivious to the fact that Chloe was in the room.
"Evil or not...he's still a person." Chloe gazed at Dean intently. "You can't just kill him."
Dean couldn't look at her. "And if he was going after you, Chloe? or after Sam? He'd be worth killing, if that was the case." He wanted that son of a bitch dead.
"Self-defense is one thing, but what you're talking about is premeditated murder." She glanced at Sam, then back at Dean. "I think...we should call the police."
"I agree with her, Dean," Sam replied, giving him a look. "You're not going there, dude. We'll kill the Prio Motu and leave the rest to the cops."
Dean's eyes took on a shimmer of determination. The last thing he wanted was the cops involved. And that bastard preacher would pay for what he did to the people he loved.
That thought hit Dean between the eyes, especially when he thought that about
Chloe, but he kept it buried deep down as he continued to stare at Sam.
"Dean." Her voice was sharp as she stared at him staring hard at his little brother. "I'm serious."
Glancing at her, he said, "We can handle this ourselves."
"You're not God," she said tensely. "You don't get to decide who lives and dies. You can't play judge, jury and executioner just because you think it's okay."
This wasn't the kind of lecture he wanted to hear from anyone right then. Not especially when he was still pissed over Dad just up and dying on him. "When's the door to this underground room open and vulnerable?" he asked Sam.
Shrugging his arms, he said, "I don't know, Dean. Brainwashed, remember?"
Realizing quickly that he was ignoring her at the moment, her jaw tensed a little and she went back to researching on her laptop, tuning both of them out.
"Well, can't you un-brainwash yourself and remember, dammit?" Dean snapped back, unaware of Chloe's change in demeanor.
Ignoring his brother's remark, Sam looked at Chloe, "Have you been able to find anything about this underground place from my vision?" He noticed the grim look on her face and frowned.
Caught up in what she was doing, Chloe didn't hear his question or realize he was even speaking to her.
Sam saw Dean about to snark another comment, so he hit him in the chest lightly. "Dude, I think Chloe's got something," he whispered. "Either that or she's pissed you're ignoring her."
The first hit of regret marred Dean's features as he turned his dark gaze onto Chloe, whose face was hard with what he assumed was concentration. "Chloe?" he asked softly.
She ignored him completely, then glanced over at Sam. "You need something?"
"Aside from Dean apologizing to you for being an ass?" he replied with a smirk. "You remember how to get into that underground room?"
She was silent for a moment. "No, but..."
When she didn't say anything, Dean asked impatiently, "But what?"
Sam hit him again to silence him. "I never got to access the design schematics of the church itself. Did you have luck with that?"
"Yeah. It wasn't hard. I just hacked into the city hall's database. There's schematics for every building in town there." She printed out what she'd found.
"Great," Sam said, taking the printed blueprints from her hand. He gave Dean a heated look. "You're much better at this than I am, Chloe. Thanks for your help."
Dean remained silent, staring at the wall, the muscle in his jaw clenching.
"No problem," she said, still not looking at Dean. "I'm kinda hungry. I think I'm gonna go get something to eat. Want me to bring something back for you guys?" she asked, rising to her feet.
"Sure, Chloe, whatever would be okay," Sam replied, handing her some money and the keys to the Impala. "Here, take the car." He glanced over at Dean, who hadn't noticed that transaction.
She raised her eyebrows as she took the keys. "You sure that's a good idea?"
Looking over at Dean, Sam smiled. "Yeah, you'll be safer in that than a cab. I'll deal with jerkface while you're gone."
Shrugging a little, she wasn't about to turn it down. "All right. I'll be back soon." She headed for the door.
Dean turned just in time to watch Chloe head out the door. Turning to Sam, he asked, "Where's she going?" At the sound of the Impala starting, his confused voice changed to a low growl. "And in MY baby?"
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Forty five minutes later, Chloe returned with a bag of Chinese food for the guys. She strolled into her room, sipping a highly-sugared latte. "Hey." She tossed the keys at Dean, who was sitting on the edge of her bed.
He watched as the keys landed next to him. Frowning, he nevertheless didn't look up at her. "Hey," he repeated in a dull tone. He supposed he should leave, but after the argument he and Sam just had, fighting with her seemed the better of the two options.
"Where's Sam?" she asked, heading over to the table and setting down the bag of food. "I brought Chinese."
Dean pointed to their room, still not looking at her. Though he personally loved Chinese, he made no move to take some of it.
She was silent for a moment, studying him. "I'm guessing you guys fought...again."
"Perceptive," he replied quietly, looking up but at the keys next to him.
"Well, I am...was...a reporter." She folded her arms over her chest.
"Once a reporter..." he began, grabbing the keys and standing up. He knew what he'd done earlier had hurt her, as Sam had been so keen to point out, but he didn't know what to tell her to show how sorry he was.
"True." Chloe studied him. "So what'd you fight about *this* time?"
"You..." He wanted to say, *Again*, but that would bring up way too many questions in her brain. He dared to look up at her, his eyes wary yet regretful.
A surprised expression appeared on her face. "Look, if I'd known borrowing your car was going to be that big of a deal I would've said no."
He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, normally I don't like people driving my girl, but... that's not what I'm talking about."
"Then what are you talking about?" Her shoulders were tense.
Looking up at her, he debated on what to say, how to say it. Then told himself to screw the words and just tell her. "About... earlier."
She was silent for a moment. "Look...I was doing some thinking while I was out and...I think that maybe..."
"You were right," he interrupted her, looking away towards the window.
"I should..." She stopped, staring at him. "What?"
Dean looked back at her. "Killing the preacher... not a good thing. No matter how much I freakin' want to." His face remained emotionless, though his eyes betrayed the depth of the hate he felt for the man who had played with this woman's mind. With his brother's mind.
Chloe's eyes softened. "Oh," she whispered.
Though he stared at her, he felt the air between them thicken with... something. He couldn't put his finger on it. He dared to take a step closer to her, hesitantly. "What were you going to say?" he asked, trying to change the subject.
She looked down at the floor, falling silent again, shaking her head slightly.
He wasn't used to begging, but he wanted to hear her voice again. To have her say anything. "Tell me," he whispered, a hint of desperation in his voice.
She shut her eyes. "I'm just...I'm not sure that...I should be tagging along with you guys," she admitted quietly.
Sighing in frustration, he looked at her in surprise. "I thought we'd already covered this, Chloe."
"I know." Her voice was soft. "It's just..."
"Just what?" he asked, a little insistently. "You think you're going to get in between Sam and me? We're too much for you?" He wished he could hide the note of irritation in his voice.
Chloe glared at him. "You wish."
"Then... WHAT?" he emphasized.
"Maybe I'm too much for you," she retorted, a challenging look in her eyes.
He snorted, taking another step in her direction. "In your dreams, sweetheart," he snapped.
She smirked, lifting her chin a little defiantly. "Now you're really wishing."
He took another step towards her, his anger and frustration rising. "What's your deal? Here I'm trying to apologize and you're... I don't know what the hell you're trying to do." He waved his hand in the air, his tone angry.
"This is you apologizing?" she asked dubiously.
He crossed his arms. "Sure, why not? Not like you're gonna accept it," he snarked in response.
"Whatever." She rolled her eyes, turning away from him and grabbing the bag of food, shoving it against him. "Here. Go eat with your brother."
He grabbed her arms as she tried to pull away from him. "No, you're not going anywhere," he demanded, not caring that their dinner was smushed between them. "I'm trying to tell you something, dammit."
Chloe stared into his eyes, startled at his actions. "Fine. Apology accepted. Now let me go."
"No," he protested, his grip on her tightening just a little. "I want to kill that bastard preacher for what he did to you... to BOTH of you."
Swallowing hard, she trembled involuntarily. She wasn't scared of him and for some reason her mind thought she should be, especially considering his hands were wrapped around her arms in an almost possessive grip. No one had ever spoken to her like that before, had gazed at her with that much intensity.
"Are you getting what I'm trying to tell you, Chloe?" he rasped, pulling her closer to him. He felt like he was being possessed by a force from within that he'd been denying since the day he'd set eyes on this blonde-haired, doe-eyed woman.
She got it loud and clear. That was the problem. "Please let me go," she whispered.
"No," he repeated. He doubted his sanity, his ability to communicate his innermost thoughts to another human being. Particularly one he seemed to feel too much for. His grip loosened on her arms, but he still held her. And suddenly wanted her to understand. To accept. To... NEED.
Her breathing was shallow and she felt like she was starting to unravel at the seams. "I can't give you what you want."
"All I want is for you to know what I'm unable to speak," he whispered, not taking his eyes from her face. A voice in his head told him to back off, to let her go, but he needed that confirmation from her first.
"I know." Her voice was strained.
Nodding, he released her and backed up. "Okay," he whispered, turning away from her and heading for the connecting door. Being with his angry brother was better, he thought.
She watched him go, then slumped back against the table, shaken to the core.
With the bag of food in hand, Dean yanked the connecting door open and slammed it behind him, making Sam jump off his bed, where he had been scanning through the church schematics. "That woman," he muttered, tossing the bag on the table and tearing it open.
"What'd you do to her now?" Sam grumbled.
"Why's it always about me?" he demanded angrily, pulling out the container of fried rice and a spoon, digging into it with angry, frustrated motions.
"Because you're self-involved?" he retorted, grabbing one of the boxes of food.
"Not the time for funny, man," Dean growled, stabbing at the rice as if in attempt to kill it. "Nothing about today has been about me."
Sam looked at him skeptically. "Fine. What's it about then?"
"Her." Her and that insane need he had to make her get over that asshole she still loved. He took a bite of his food and munched, avoiding eye contact with Sam.
He was quiet for a moment. "Is she all right?"
"I don't know, Sammy. I don't know anything anymore." He stared at the boxes of food on the table. "Probably should have left some of this for Chloe."
Sam sat back down on his bed, taking a bite of the food. "Maybe she already ate."
Dean just sat there, staring sightlessly at his food. What had he done, except scare her, ignore her, and maybe kill her in the end? His desolation knew no boundaries, and that scared him more than anything he'd hidden since his father had died.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Chloe drew in a deep breath as she stared out the window of the Impala's backseat at the church. "Looks like no one's home but I bet that's a deceptive impression."
"More than likely," Dean replied tonelessly, staring at the dark building. He could only imagine how that demonic preacher kept the Prio Motu at bay.
Turning around to glance at Chloe, Sam whispered, "You ready to do this?"
"Ready as I'll ever be," she said with a wry, albeit nervous smile as she reached for the door handle.
"Be careful," Dean said quietly but solemnly, taking a glance at her. "You better scream the second you're in trouble."
She met his eyes for a brief moment. "I'll scream so loud I won't have even needed the wire," she said grimly, stepping out of the car and slowly heading up toward the church.
Getting back into the car, Sam looked at his brother. "This isn't a good idea, dude, letting her go in there alone."
Staring after her, Dean didn't answer. He knew it was a bad idea, but since he knew she wasn't going to listen to him, he let her go. Because he knew somehow that she could handle it.
Chloe slowly stepped into the church, jumping a little as the heavy door closed behind her, its echo resonating through the building. "Hello?" she called timidly, her heart pounding in her chest.
As though appearing out of thin air, Pastor Frank appeared, just in front of her. "Good evening, Chloe," he said slowly, his eyes piercing into the darkness and settling on her face.
Feeling ill at just the sight of the man, she forced a small smile. "Hello, Pastor Frank. Is this...is this a bad time?"
Coming close to her, he replied smoothly, "Not at all, my child. Just spending some quality time with the Lord Almighty. How can I help you?" He put an arm around her shoulder and ushed her into the church.
"I'm not sure," she admitted, wincing inwardly as he touched her. "I just...can't seem to stay away from this place. It feels like...I need to be here. That probably makes no sense."
Pastor Frank chuckled, a low growling noise that sounded almost animalistic. "It makes perfect sense, Chloe. It's the Lord calling you here. He wants you to be a part of His Ultimate Will. You're here for a reason." As he spoke, he led her down a hallway that seemed to not end.
Feeling a little nauseous the farther they walked, her heart began to pound harder. "I think you're right," she whispered, her head starting to hurt. Her mouth went dry as she walked beside him down a long set of spiralling stairs.
"Of course," he whispered, a snake-like sound emanating from his lips. "Can't you hear our Lord's Will? I know he's speaking to you, telling you of the sins you must cleanse now from your mind and body. Of your sinful past." They headed deeper into the ground's belly, towards the hidden room underground.
Her hand clutched a little more tightly to her purse, keeping it close to her side as the eerily familiar room came into view. "How do I do that?" she murmured, trying to remember the code word to signal trouble.
"You must be filled with His Word, only something I can provide, since I am the leader of His army on earth," the preacher replied, leading her into a room and nodding to the guard, who stood watch over the large creature inside. "You'll find His presence in here. Take comfort in it."
Chloe barely managed to suppress a shudder at his words, something flashing to the forefront of her mind. Praying to God that the wire she wore was functioning underground, she said, "What do you think about *Impala's*?"
"Hear that?" Sam said, his back going ramrod straight. "She's in trouble."
Dean was already out of the car, shotgun in hand, before Sam had a chance to finish his sentence.
"Impalas?" Pastor Frank asked. "They are instruments of Satan, dangerous and deadly." Turning her around, he whispered in her ear, "Listen to the words of God and be cleansed of such things."
At those words, her mind grew fuzzy and she moved sluggishly to a chair, slowly sitting down, a vacant expression in her eyes.
Dean waited only long enough for Sam to catch up before literally kicking in the door.
"Smooth, dude," Sam whispered, peering into the darkness, sensing the hallway despite the blackness of the room. "Down that way."
Nodding, Dean strode in and felt his way down the dark hallway, gun cocked and ready.
Chloe's gaze was locked onto Pastor Frank, unaware there were already two other individuals in the small room while the Prio Motu stood at the front of the room, his eyes glowing.
Pastor Frank spoke slowly and quietly, his words washing over Chloe like water cleansing her. It was only when the Prio Motu growled menacingly that he took notice of two other people in the room.
"Go get her," Dean whispered to Sam. The creature was his. He listened for the heavy breathing and growling. "Come to Daddy," he whispered, aiming his gun in the direction of the sound.
The beast took a menacing step toward him, teeth bared.
Catching a glimpse of light flashing off the creature's teeth, Dean smiled grimly. "There you are," he whispered, aiming his pun at the beast's head and pulling several shots off towards it head.
Sam crept up behind the preacher and shoved him out of the way. Crouching down, he shook Chloe. "Come on, Chloe, wake up!" he yelled.
Flinching as he shouted in her face, she blinked a few times, her mind still fuzzy. "Sam?" she whispered in confusion.
"Chloe," he replied, yanking her onto her feet. "Gotta snap out of it, girl."
Moving across to the room, Dean pelted the demon with a couple more bullets to make sure it was really dead. What he didn't see was Pastor Frank sneaking up behind him, something in his hand gleaming in the barely discernable light.
Blinking again, the image barely registered in Chloe's mind before she moved, grabbing a chair off the floor and swinging it, hitting Pastor Frank with it, hard. The large knife clattered loudly to the floor.
"What the --?" Dean yelled, hearing the noise behind him. Turning, he found Chloe holding a chair and the preacher on the floor, unconscious.
Sam crouched down and looked at Pastor Frank. "Out cold, dude."
Feeling dazed, Chloe's head throbbed painfully and her eyes rolled back in her head as the ground rushed up to meet her.
"Chloe!" Dean shouted, making a rush for her and managing to catch her before she collapsed on the floor. He brushed the hair away from her face. "Sammy, she needs help."
"I'm calling the cops." Sam pulled his cell phone out and quickly dialed 911.
Dean nodded silently as Sam dialed 911 and got the cops and an ambulance to get over to the church. "How's the Evil Pastor Incarnate?" he asked once Sam was off the phone. He held Chloe's unconscious body against his, as if to shield her.
"Still out of it. I'm guessing he will be for awhile." Sam looked down at him, then knelt down beside his brother and Chloe. "Man, I didn't even see him move."
"Apparently he's a fast little sucker," he replied softly. "And how the hell did Chloe do that thing with the chair?"
"No idea, Dude. One minute she was in la la land and the next she was saving your ass."
"Almost like... she was possessed or something," he murmured, looking down at her. "She going to be okay, Sammy?" His voice was small, the burden of guilt on his shoulders. "I should never have let her do this."
"I think she'll be all right," Sam said quietly, glancing at him. "I don't think she's hurt physically."
"It's her head I'm worried about." He heard the wail of sirens and sighed. "How we gonna explain... that?" He motioned over to the dead demon.
"I think we should get the hell outta here. We can take her to the hospital ourselves."
Nodding, Dean stood and picked Chloe up. Holding her close to him, he whispered, "Dude, lead the way. Get us outta here."
Within minutes they were safely in the Impala, speeding away from the church with Sam behind the wheel.
"What's going on?" Chloe murmured, her eyelids fluttering.
"It's over," he whispered to her, running a hand over her hair. "Taking you to a hospital now."
Sam pressed harder on the gas, pushing the Impala to nearly impossible speeds to find the closest hospital.
"No hospital," she protested weakly, struggling to sit up.
Holding her gently, Dean scooted back against the back seat, trying to make her more comfortable. "Yes, you're not going to argue with me over this. There's something wrong, here. That man had you... spellbound."
"For once, I agree with Dean," Sam replied, making a sharp right turn into the emergency room driveway. "Creepy preacher man had you in his thrall."
"Somehow I don't think a hospital's gonna be equipped to deal with that anyway," she murmured, shutting her eyes.
"Not if you get a psychologist to look at you," Sam muttered under his breath.
"No way," she said, sitting up quickly, her eyes wide with anxiety. "Forget it."
Dean sighed. "Chloe, what...?" He saw her face turn a frighteningly pale shade of white and wondered if this had anything to do with the past she was running from. "Sammy, turn the car around."
"What...? Dude, we're here," he protested, turning around and noticing Chloe's pasty white face. "Chlo, you okay?"
"I'm not going in there and you can't force me," she said vehemently.
"We're not making you," Dean replied, letting her go as she struggled out of his arms. He felt the rejection keenly but kept that emotion firmly at bay.
"Let's just get the hell out of here," she whispered, wrapping her arms around herself.
Dean looked at Sam through the rearview mirror and nodded. He then moved himself to the other side of the Impala, giving Chloe room away from him.
Sam reluctantly started the engine and put the car in gear. They headed back to the hotel in utter, awkward silence.
Within less than an hour all three of them had packed their bags and stuffed them in the trunk of Dean's car. Not hesitating before she climbed in the back, Chloe fastened her seatbelt and stared out the window into the dark night. She didn't know where they were going, and she didn't care. She just wanted to get as far away from Kansas as possible.
Chloe hadn't said a word since the hospital incident, and Dean felt more awkward around her than ever. Slamming the driver's side, he looked at Sam get in on the other side. "Dude, we're getting the hell outta Dodge." Turning on the Impala, he left the hotel parking lot and headed immediately for the interstate.
"Where are we going?" Sam asked, a little concerned for both Dean and Chloe, who had been way too quiet.
"North," was all that came out of Dean's lips before turning on the music. Very loudly.
"North sounds good," Chloe whispered, curling up in the seat and resting her head against the window. Anywhere but home sounded good.
"We'll stop in Omaha," Dean replied to both of them. "Won't take too long to get there."
"Good," Sam replied, scooting back into the seat, his eyes drooping and mind tired.
None of them uttered another word the entire ride.
Epilogue
It had been a long and tense drive for them, but once they'd stopped on the north side of Omaha, Nebraska for the night, Dean had thought a great deal about killing the demon and the preacher, who he hoped was in jail rotting somewhere.
And the fact that Chloe had saved his life.
Taking a deep breath, he knocked on her hotel door, pulling his coat around him. He silently cursed this place for not having a connecting door between rooms, but that didn't matter, since they'd be heading further north in the morning. He stood there, waiting to see if Chloe would answer the door.
A moment later she opened it, a warm robe wrapped tightly around her. Her face was still pale and her eyes spoke of exhaustion that hadn't yet even fully hit her. "Hey."
"Hey," he replied in an even tone, though his eyes darkened with emotion at the look in her tired, weary eyes. "Mind if I come in for a moment?"
"Sure," she murmured, stepping aside to let him in. She shut the door behind him and leaned against it.
Dean stuck his hands in his pants pockets, looking down at her, not knowing how to start. She looked like she could barely stand, so he needed to make it quick. "So... I wanted to thank you."
"Thank me? For what?" Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
He looked up in confusion. "You saved my life from that freaky ass preacher. Don't you remember?" he asked in a quiet voice.
Swallowing hard, she averted her gaze. "Right. That." She wound her arms around herself protectively.
"Yeah." He glanced down at his feet once again, not knowing what else to say to her. "So anyway... thanks for that."
"Sure," she whispered.
Dean wanted to leave, but since she was still blocking the door, he couldn't. Shifting onto his other leg, he looked at her. "So.. I'll see you in the morning," he said, taking a step towards her and the door.
Wordlessly she moved aside, not meeting his eyes.
Grabbing the doorknob, he paused before opening it. Not turning to look at her, he whispered, "I'm glad you're with us, Chloe." He turned around to gaze at her with frank, open eyes.
Chloe swallowed hard. "Goodnight, Dean," she whispered. "Sweet dreams."
She looked so sad, so tired. So alone. His gut told him to do more than just simply thank her, so he took the few strides between them and enveloped her in his arms, leaning her head back and kissing her tenderly on her tired mouth. To prove he wanted her there. To let her know he cared about her, at least.
Her eyes drifted shut as she returned the soft kiss, her forehead leaning against his when it ended. She didn't know what to say, so she simply remained silent, enjoying the moment.
When she didn't immediately move away, Dean held her to him, not making any effort to pull away. He wanted to take her fatigue from her and onto his shoulders. After all, he believed it was his fault she was in her current condition. He didn't speak, not wanting to ruin the moment. He stayed, holding her, hoping she understood that she'd never be alone with him and Sam.
After several long moments, she slowly pulled away, managing a faint, tired smile. "We should get some sleep." Her voice was very soft, barely audible.
Dean nodded, staring at her softly. He regretted the physical separation but knew she needed the sleep more than he did. "Sleep well," he whispered, stepping away from her and towards the door.
"Goodnight," she whispered, watching him go with a heaviness in her heart. And wondering what the hell was happening between them.
Shutting the door behind him, Dean watched his breath puff out in short spurts, wondering what had just happened. And guessing that the road he and Chloe found themselves on would be filled with more potholes and warning signs. With that on his mind, he went back to his room, hoping sleep would find him.
~Fini...stay tuned for story II in the series!!
Story One: “The Demons We Hide”
Authors: Clarksmuse and X_tremeroswellian
Rated: R
Genre: Smallville/Supernatural crossover
Pairings: Eventual Chloe/Dean, of course
Spoilers: Spoiler speculation for Smallville; up through "No Exit" of Supernatural.
Feedback: Rocks our socks and you guys are awesome with it so thank you!!
Sam pinched the bridge of his nose with two fingers. It had been a very long day, and frankly, he needed to get away. From the computer and from Chloe and Dean, who had been secretly making eyes at each other for the last few hours when they thought the other wasn't looking. He figured something had transpired between them when they snuck into the other room, and though Sam wanted to be happy about it, he couldn't. Not when there was so much wrong with their lives.
Suddenly, his cell went off. Grabbing it, he stood quickly and told the other two he'd be in the next room. Striding through the connecting door, he flipped open the phone. "Hello?"
"Hey Samuel. Got that information you wanted." Ash sounded more than a little smug.
"Don't call me that," he snapped in reply.
"Relax, man." He sat back in his chair.
"Kinda hard to when you're in the middle of hell," Sam grumbled.
"Oh, you're not on a hellmouth, dude...things could be much worse. I mean, Prio Motu's are ugly and nasty but there's worse things."
"Been there, done the Hellmouth, dude," Sam replied under his breath before he realized Ash said something else. "Wait... a Prio Motu?"
"Big, hairy, lots of teeth and claws. Fairly easy to kill."
"Sounds like a lot of fun," he replied thoughtfully. "Though Dean won't like the fact that it's easy to kill." He sat down in the nearest chair and rubbed a hand over his face.
"Wait, isn't easy to kill a good thing?" Ash sounded puzzled. "Less likely to get..." He cut himself off, clearing his throat. "Well anyway, good luck."
"Don't go there, Ash," Sam warned in a low voice. "Gonna tell me how to kill this thing?"
"Gun should do it," he said with a shrug.
"Wait, are you kidding me?" he asked, incredulous. "That's all it takes? The big teeth and all?"
"Well if you're bored you could try paper-cutting it to death," he replied wryly.
Sam snorted in derision. "Funny, you're funny, man." He paused a moment. "Thanks, I appreciate the info."
"No problem. All in a day's work." He smirked.
Laughing softly, he said, "Okay, then. I'll call if we need anything else." Closing his cell phone, Sam stood up and stretched, taking a moment to enjoy the irony of how easy it would be to kill the thing. Taking a deep breath, he stepped into Chloe's room and said, "I have news."
Chloe looked up at him from her computer. "Tell me it's of the good sort."
Looking at Dean, he replied, "I hope so."
Dean, who had been enjoying watching Chloe research way too much, used Sam's news as an excuse to look away from her. "Dude, you gonna spill it or what?"
"That was Ash. He knows how to kill this thing... this... Prio Motu."
Chloe lifted an eyebrow. "So how do you kill it?"
"With a gun."
Dean cocked an eyebrow at his brother. "That's it?"
Sam nodded, waiting for Dean's real reaction to his news.
"Well, that's considerably easier than it is to stop most meteor freaks," she remarked.
"Though it's not as much fun as other hunts we've been on," Dean retored, staring at Sam. "Ash told you this?"
Sam nodded wordlessly, looking over at Chloe with a small shrug, as if to say, Sorry that Dean's about to be a jerk.
Chloe gave Dean a look. "Maybe not but my guess it's a whole lot safer." She emphasized the last word.
Safer wasn't what he wanted. Not after what he'd seen Chloe and Sam go through. It should be a whole lot harder than that. "So, what, we just barge in there, shoot the... whatever the hell this thing is... and leave?"
She glanced between the brothers uncertainly. "I don't think it's gonna be quite that easy. We still have an evil preacher to deal with who conjured the demon to begin with, and a whole lot of brainwashed people."
Sam nodded at Chloe. "Sounds hard, doesn't it? Will that make you happy?" he asked in a low tone.
Dean snorted in derision. "As long as I can pummel and kill the evil preacher, I'm down with that." He glared back at his brother, nearly oblivious to the fact that Chloe was in the room.
"Evil or not...he's still a person." Chloe gazed at Dean intently. "You can't just kill him."
Dean couldn't look at her. "And if he was going after you, Chloe? or after Sam? He'd be worth killing, if that was the case." He wanted that son of a bitch dead.
"Self-defense is one thing, but what you're talking about is premeditated murder." She glanced at Sam, then back at Dean. "I think...we should call the police."
"I agree with her, Dean," Sam replied, giving him a look. "You're not going there, dude. We'll kill the Prio Motu and leave the rest to the cops."
Dean's eyes took on a shimmer of determination. The last thing he wanted was the cops involved. And that bastard preacher would pay for what he did to the people he loved.
That thought hit Dean between the eyes, especially when he thought that about
Chloe, but he kept it buried deep down as he continued to stare at Sam.
"Dean." Her voice was sharp as she stared at him staring hard at his little brother. "I'm serious."
Glancing at her, he said, "We can handle this ourselves."
"You're not God," she said tensely. "You don't get to decide who lives and dies. You can't play judge, jury and executioner just because you think it's okay."
This wasn't the kind of lecture he wanted to hear from anyone right then. Not especially when he was still pissed over Dad just up and dying on him. "When's the door to this underground room open and vulnerable?" he asked Sam.
Shrugging his arms, he said, "I don't know, Dean. Brainwashed, remember?"
Realizing quickly that he was ignoring her at the moment, her jaw tensed a little and she went back to researching on her laptop, tuning both of them out.
"Well, can't you un-brainwash yourself and remember, dammit?" Dean snapped back, unaware of Chloe's change in demeanor.
Ignoring his brother's remark, Sam looked at Chloe, "Have you been able to find anything about this underground place from my vision?" He noticed the grim look on her face and frowned.
Caught up in what she was doing, Chloe didn't hear his question or realize he was even speaking to her.
Sam saw Dean about to snark another comment, so he hit him in the chest lightly. "Dude, I think Chloe's got something," he whispered. "Either that or she's pissed you're ignoring her."
The first hit of regret marred Dean's features as he turned his dark gaze onto Chloe, whose face was hard with what he assumed was concentration. "Chloe?" he asked softly.
She ignored him completely, then glanced over at Sam. "You need something?"
"Aside from Dean apologizing to you for being an ass?" he replied with a smirk. "You remember how to get into that underground room?"
She was silent for a moment. "No, but..."
When she didn't say anything, Dean asked impatiently, "But what?"
Sam hit him again to silence him. "I never got to access the design schematics of the church itself. Did you have luck with that?"
"Yeah. It wasn't hard. I just hacked into the city hall's database. There's schematics for every building in town there." She printed out what she'd found.
"Great," Sam said, taking the printed blueprints from her hand. He gave Dean a heated look. "You're much better at this than I am, Chloe. Thanks for your help."
Dean remained silent, staring at the wall, the muscle in his jaw clenching.
"No problem," she said, still not looking at Dean. "I'm kinda hungry. I think I'm gonna go get something to eat. Want me to bring something back for you guys?" she asked, rising to her feet.
"Sure, Chloe, whatever would be okay," Sam replied, handing her some money and the keys to the Impala. "Here, take the car." He glanced over at Dean, who hadn't noticed that transaction.
She raised her eyebrows as she took the keys. "You sure that's a good idea?"
Looking over at Dean, Sam smiled. "Yeah, you'll be safer in that than a cab. I'll deal with jerkface while you're gone."
Shrugging a little, she wasn't about to turn it down. "All right. I'll be back soon." She headed for the door.
Dean turned just in time to watch Chloe head out the door. Turning to Sam, he asked, "Where's she going?" At the sound of the Impala starting, his confused voice changed to a low growl. "And in MY baby?"
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Forty five minutes later, Chloe returned with a bag of Chinese food for the guys. She strolled into her room, sipping a highly-sugared latte. "Hey." She tossed the keys at Dean, who was sitting on the edge of her bed.
He watched as the keys landed next to him. Frowning, he nevertheless didn't look up at her. "Hey," he repeated in a dull tone. He supposed he should leave, but after the argument he and Sam just had, fighting with her seemed the better of the two options.
"Where's Sam?" she asked, heading over to the table and setting down the bag of food. "I brought Chinese."
Dean pointed to their room, still not looking at her. Though he personally loved Chinese, he made no move to take some of it.
She was silent for a moment, studying him. "I'm guessing you guys fought...again."
"Perceptive," he replied quietly, looking up but at the keys next to him.
"Well, I am...was...a reporter." She folded her arms over her chest.
"Once a reporter..." he began, grabbing the keys and standing up. He knew what he'd done earlier had hurt her, as Sam had been so keen to point out, but he didn't know what to tell her to show how sorry he was.
"True." Chloe studied him. "So what'd you fight about *this* time?"
"You..." He wanted to say, *Again*, but that would bring up way too many questions in her brain. He dared to look up at her, his eyes wary yet regretful.
A surprised expression appeared on her face. "Look, if I'd known borrowing your car was going to be that big of a deal I would've said no."
He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, normally I don't like people driving my girl, but... that's not what I'm talking about."
"Then what are you talking about?" Her shoulders were tense.
Looking up at her, he debated on what to say, how to say it. Then told himself to screw the words and just tell her. "About... earlier."
She was silent for a moment. "Look...I was doing some thinking while I was out and...I think that maybe..."
"You were right," he interrupted her, looking away towards the window.
"I should..." She stopped, staring at him. "What?"
Dean looked back at her. "Killing the preacher... not a good thing. No matter how much I freakin' want to." His face remained emotionless, though his eyes betrayed the depth of the hate he felt for the man who had played with this woman's mind. With his brother's mind.
Chloe's eyes softened. "Oh," she whispered.
Though he stared at her, he felt the air between them thicken with... something. He couldn't put his finger on it. He dared to take a step closer to her, hesitantly. "What were you going to say?" he asked, trying to change the subject.
She looked down at the floor, falling silent again, shaking her head slightly.
He wasn't used to begging, but he wanted to hear her voice again. To have her say anything. "Tell me," he whispered, a hint of desperation in his voice.
She shut her eyes. "I'm just...I'm not sure that...I should be tagging along with you guys," she admitted quietly.
Sighing in frustration, he looked at her in surprise. "I thought we'd already covered this, Chloe."
"I know." Her voice was soft. "It's just..."
"Just what?" he asked, a little insistently. "You think you're going to get in between Sam and me? We're too much for you?" He wished he could hide the note of irritation in his voice.
Chloe glared at him. "You wish."
"Then... WHAT?" he emphasized.
"Maybe I'm too much for you," she retorted, a challenging look in her eyes.
He snorted, taking another step in her direction. "In your dreams, sweetheart," he snapped.
She smirked, lifting her chin a little defiantly. "Now you're really wishing."
He took another step towards her, his anger and frustration rising. "What's your deal? Here I'm trying to apologize and you're... I don't know what the hell you're trying to do." He waved his hand in the air, his tone angry.
"This is you apologizing?" she asked dubiously.
He crossed his arms. "Sure, why not? Not like you're gonna accept it," he snarked in response.
"Whatever." She rolled her eyes, turning away from him and grabbing the bag of food, shoving it against him. "Here. Go eat with your brother."
He grabbed her arms as she tried to pull away from him. "No, you're not going anywhere," he demanded, not caring that their dinner was smushed between them. "I'm trying to tell you something, dammit."
Chloe stared into his eyes, startled at his actions. "Fine. Apology accepted. Now let me go."
"No," he protested, his grip on her tightening just a little. "I want to kill that bastard preacher for what he did to you... to BOTH of you."
Swallowing hard, she trembled involuntarily. She wasn't scared of him and for some reason her mind thought she should be, especially considering his hands were wrapped around her arms in an almost possessive grip. No one had ever spoken to her like that before, had gazed at her with that much intensity.
"Are you getting what I'm trying to tell you, Chloe?" he rasped, pulling her closer to him. He felt like he was being possessed by a force from within that he'd been denying since the day he'd set eyes on this blonde-haired, doe-eyed woman.
She got it loud and clear. That was the problem. "Please let me go," she whispered.
"No," he repeated. He doubted his sanity, his ability to communicate his innermost thoughts to another human being. Particularly one he seemed to feel too much for. His grip loosened on her arms, but he still held her. And suddenly wanted her to understand. To accept. To... NEED.
Her breathing was shallow and she felt like she was starting to unravel at the seams. "I can't give you what you want."
"All I want is for you to know what I'm unable to speak," he whispered, not taking his eyes from her face. A voice in his head told him to back off, to let her go, but he needed that confirmation from her first.
"I know." Her voice was strained.
Nodding, he released her and backed up. "Okay," he whispered, turning away from her and heading for the connecting door. Being with his angry brother was better, he thought.
She watched him go, then slumped back against the table, shaken to the core.
With the bag of food in hand, Dean yanked the connecting door open and slammed it behind him, making Sam jump off his bed, where he had been scanning through the church schematics. "That woman," he muttered, tossing the bag on the table and tearing it open.
"What'd you do to her now?" Sam grumbled.
"Why's it always about me?" he demanded angrily, pulling out the container of fried rice and a spoon, digging into it with angry, frustrated motions.
"Because you're self-involved?" he retorted, grabbing one of the boxes of food.
"Not the time for funny, man," Dean growled, stabbing at the rice as if in attempt to kill it. "Nothing about today has been about me."
Sam looked at him skeptically. "Fine. What's it about then?"
"Her." Her and that insane need he had to make her get over that asshole she still loved. He took a bite of his food and munched, avoiding eye contact with Sam.
He was quiet for a moment. "Is she all right?"
"I don't know, Sammy. I don't know anything anymore." He stared at the boxes of food on the table. "Probably should have left some of this for Chloe."
Sam sat back down on his bed, taking a bite of the food. "Maybe she already ate."
Dean just sat there, staring sightlessly at his food. What had he done, except scare her, ignore her, and maybe kill her in the end? His desolation knew no boundaries, and that scared him more than anything he'd hidden since his father had died.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Chloe drew in a deep breath as she stared out the window of the Impala's backseat at the church. "Looks like no one's home but I bet that's a deceptive impression."
"More than likely," Dean replied tonelessly, staring at the dark building. He could only imagine how that demonic preacher kept the Prio Motu at bay.
Turning around to glance at Chloe, Sam whispered, "You ready to do this?"
"Ready as I'll ever be," she said with a wry, albeit nervous smile as she reached for the door handle.
"Be careful," Dean said quietly but solemnly, taking a glance at her. "You better scream the second you're in trouble."
She met his eyes for a brief moment. "I'll scream so loud I won't have even needed the wire," she said grimly, stepping out of the car and slowly heading up toward the church.
Getting back into the car, Sam looked at his brother. "This isn't a good idea, dude, letting her go in there alone."
Staring after her, Dean didn't answer. He knew it was a bad idea, but since he knew she wasn't going to listen to him, he let her go. Because he knew somehow that she could handle it.
Chloe slowly stepped into the church, jumping a little as the heavy door closed behind her, its echo resonating through the building. "Hello?" she called timidly, her heart pounding in her chest.
As though appearing out of thin air, Pastor Frank appeared, just in front of her. "Good evening, Chloe," he said slowly, his eyes piercing into the darkness and settling on her face.
Feeling ill at just the sight of the man, she forced a small smile. "Hello, Pastor Frank. Is this...is this a bad time?"
Coming close to her, he replied smoothly, "Not at all, my child. Just spending some quality time with the Lord Almighty. How can I help you?" He put an arm around her shoulder and ushed her into the church.
"I'm not sure," she admitted, wincing inwardly as he touched her. "I just...can't seem to stay away from this place. It feels like...I need to be here. That probably makes no sense."
Pastor Frank chuckled, a low growling noise that sounded almost animalistic. "It makes perfect sense, Chloe. It's the Lord calling you here. He wants you to be a part of His Ultimate Will. You're here for a reason." As he spoke, he led her down a hallway that seemed to not end.
Feeling a little nauseous the farther they walked, her heart began to pound harder. "I think you're right," she whispered, her head starting to hurt. Her mouth went dry as she walked beside him down a long set of spiralling stairs.
"Of course," he whispered, a snake-like sound emanating from his lips. "Can't you hear our Lord's Will? I know he's speaking to you, telling you of the sins you must cleanse now from your mind and body. Of your sinful past." They headed deeper into the ground's belly, towards the hidden room underground.
Her hand clutched a little more tightly to her purse, keeping it close to her side as the eerily familiar room came into view. "How do I do that?" she murmured, trying to remember the code word to signal trouble.
"You must be filled with His Word, only something I can provide, since I am the leader of His army on earth," the preacher replied, leading her into a room and nodding to the guard, who stood watch over the large creature inside. "You'll find His presence in here. Take comfort in it."
Chloe barely managed to suppress a shudder at his words, something flashing to the forefront of her mind. Praying to God that the wire she wore was functioning underground, she said, "What do you think about *Impala's*?"
"Hear that?" Sam said, his back going ramrod straight. "She's in trouble."
Dean was already out of the car, shotgun in hand, before Sam had a chance to finish his sentence.
"Impalas?" Pastor Frank asked. "They are instruments of Satan, dangerous and deadly." Turning her around, he whispered in her ear, "Listen to the words of God and be cleansed of such things."
At those words, her mind grew fuzzy and she moved sluggishly to a chair, slowly sitting down, a vacant expression in her eyes.
Dean waited only long enough for Sam to catch up before literally kicking in the door.
"Smooth, dude," Sam whispered, peering into the darkness, sensing the hallway despite the blackness of the room. "Down that way."
Nodding, Dean strode in and felt his way down the dark hallway, gun cocked and ready.
Chloe's gaze was locked onto Pastor Frank, unaware there were already two other individuals in the small room while the Prio Motu stood at the front of the room, his eyes glowing.
Pastor Frank spoke slowly and quietly, his words washing over Chloe like water cleansing her. It was only when the Prio Motu growled menacingly that he took notice of two other people in the room.
"Go get her," Dean whispered to Sam. The creature was his. He listened for the heavy breathing and growling. "Come to Daddy," he whispered, aiming his gun in the direction of the sound.
The beast took a menacing step toward him, teeth bared.
Catching a glimpse of light flashing off the creature's teeth, Dean smiled grimly. "There you are," he whispered, aiming his pun at the beast's head and pulling several shots off towards it head.
Sam crept up behind the preacher and shoved him out of the way. Crouching down, he shook Chloe. "Come on, Chloe, wake up!" he yelled.
Flinching as he shouted in her face, she blinked a few times, her mind still fuzzy. "Sam?" she whispered in confusion.
"Chloe," he replied, yanking her onto her feet. "Gotta snap out of it, girl."
Moving across to the room, Dean pelted the demon with a couple more bullets to make sure it was really dead. What he didn't see was Pastor Frank sneaking up behind him, something in his hand gleaming in the barely discernable light.
Blinking again, the image barely registered in Chloe's mind before she moved, grabbing a chair off the floor and swinging it, hitting Pastor Frank with it, hard. The large knife clattered loudly to the floor.
"What the --?" Dean yelled, hearing the noise behind him. Turning, he found Chloe holding a chair and the preacher on the floor, unconscious.
Sam crouched down and looked at Pastor Frank. "Out cold, dude."
Feeling dazed, Chloe's head throbbed painfully and her eyes rolled back in her head as the ground rushed up to meet her.
"Chloe!" Dean shouted, making a rush for her and managing to catch her before she collapsed on the floor. He brushed the hair away from her face. "Sammy, she needs help."
"I'm calling the cops." Sam pulled his cell phone out and quickly dialed 911.
Dean nodded silently as Sam dialed 911 and got the cops and an ambulance to get over to the church. "How's the Evil Pastor Incarnate?" he asked once Sam was off the phone. He held Chloe's unconscious body against his, as if to shield her.
"Still out of it. I'm guessing he will be for awhile." Sam looked down at him, then knelt down beside his brother and Chloe. "Man, I didn't even see him move."
"Apparently he's a fast little sucker," he replied softly. "And how the hell did Chloe do that thing with the chair?"
"No idea, Dude. One minute she was in la la land and the next she was saving your ass."
"Almost like... she was possessed or something," he murmured, looking down at her. "She going to be okay, Sammy?" His voice was small, the burden of guilt on his shoulders. "I should never have let her do this."
"I think she'll be all right," Sam said quietly, glancing at him. "I don't think she's hurt physically."
"It's her head I'm worried about." He heard the wail of sirens and sighed. "How we gonna explain... that?" He motioned over to the dead demon.
"I think we should get the hell outta here. We can take her to the hospital ourselves."
Nodding, Dean stood and picked Chloe up. Holding her close to him, he whispered, "Dude, lead the way. Get us outta here."
Within minutes they were safely in the Impala, speeding away from the church with Sam behind the wheel.
"What's going on?" Chloe murmured, her eyelids fluttering.
"It's over," he whispered to her, running a hand over her hair. "Taking you to a hospital now."
Sam pressed harder on the gas, pushing the Impala to nearly impossible speeds to find the closest hospital.
"No hospital," she protested weakly, struggling to sit up.
Holding her gently, Dean scooted back against the back seat, trying to make her more comfortable. "Yes, you're not going to argue with me over this. There's something wrong, here. That man had you... spellbound."
"For once, I agree with Dean," Sam replied, making a sharp right turn into the emergency room driveway. "Creepy preacher man had you in his thrall."
"Somehow I don't think a hospital's gonna be equipped to deal with that anyway," she murmured, shutting her eyes.
"Not if you get a psychologist to look at you," Sam muttered under his breath.
"No way," she said, sitting up quickly, her eyes wide with anxiety. "Forget it."
Dean sighed. "Chloe, what...?" He saw her face turn a frighteningly pale shade of white and wondered if this had anything to do with the past she was running from. "Sammy, turn the car around."
"What...? Dude, we're here," he protested, turning around and noticing Chloe's pasty white face. "Chlo, you okay?"
"I'm not going in there and you can't force me," she said vehemently.
"We're not making you," Dean replied, letting her go as she struggled out of his arms. He felt the rejection keenly but kept that emotion firmly at bay.
"Let's just get the hell out of here," she whispered, wrapping her arms around herself.
Dean looked at Sam through the rearview mirror and nodded. He then moved himself to the other side of the Impala, giving Chloe room away from him.
Sam reluctantly started the engine and put the car in gear. They headed back to the hotel in utter, awkward silence.
Within less than an hour all three of them had packed their bags and stuffed them in the trunk of Dean's car. Not hesitating before she climbed in the back, Chloe fastened her seatbelt and stared out the window into the dark night. She didn't know where they were going, and she didn't care. She just wanted to get as far away from Kansas as possible.
Chloe hadn't said a word since the hospital incident, and Dean felt more awkward around her than ever. Slamming the driver's side, he looked at Sam get in on the other side. "Dude, we're getting the hell outta Dodge." Turning on the Impala, he left the hotel parking lot and headed immediately for the interstate.
"Where are we going?" Sam asked, a little concerned for both Dean and Chloe, who had been way too quiet.
"North," was all that came out of Dean's lips before turning on the music. Very loudly.
"North sounds good," Chloe whispered, curling up in the seat and resting her head against the window. Anywhere but home sounded good.
"We'll stop in Omaha," Dean replied to both of them. "Won't take too long to get there."
"Good," Sam replied, scooting back into the seat, his eyes drooping and mind tired.
None of them uttered another word the entire ride.
Epilogue
It had been a long and tense drive for them, but once they'd stopped on the north side of Omaha, Nebraska for the night, Dean had thought a great deal about killing the demon and the preacher, who he hoped was in jail rotting somewhere.
And the fact that Chloe had saved his life.
Taking a deep breath, he knocked on her hotel door, pulling his coat around him. He silently cursed this place for not having a connecting door between rooms, but that didn't matter, since they'd be heading further north in the morning. He stood there, waiting to see if Chloe would answer the door.
A moment later she opened it, a warm robe wrapped tightly around her. Her face was still pale and her eyes spoke of exhaustion that hadn't yet even fully hit her. "Hey."
"Hey," he replied in an even tone, though his eyes darkened with emotion at the look in her tired, weary eyes. "Mind if I come in for a moment?"
"Sure," she murmured, stepping aside to let him in. She shut the door behind him and leaned against it.
Dean stuck his hands in his pants pockets, looking down at her, not knowing how to start. She looked like she could barely stand, so he needed to make it quick. "So... I wanted to thank you."
"Thank me? For what?" Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
He looked up in confusion. "You saved my life from that freaky ass preacher. Don't you remember?" he asked in a quiet voice.
Swallowing hard, she averted her gaze. "Right. That." She wound her arms around herself protectively.
"Yeah." He glanced down at his feet once again, not knowing what else to say to her. "So anyway... thanks for that."
"Sure," she whispered.
Dean wanted to leave, but since she was still blocking the door, he couldn't. Shifting onto his other leg, he looked at her. "So.. I'll see you in the morning," he said, taking a step towards her and the door.
Wordlessly she moved aside, not meeting his eyes.
Grabbing the doorknob, he paused before opening it. Not turning to look at her, he whispered, "I'm glad you're with us, Chloe." He turned around to gaze at her with frank, open eyes.
Chloe swallowed hard. "Goodnight, Dean," she whispered. "Sweet dreams."
She looked so sad, so tired. So alone. His gut told him to do more than just simply thank her, so he took the few strides between them and enveloped her in his arms, leaning her head back and kissing her tenderly on her tired mouth. To prove he wanted her there. To let her know he cared about her, at least.
Her eyes drifted shut as she returned the soft kiss, her forehead leaning against his when it ended. She didn't know what to say, so she simply remained silent, enjoying the moment.
When she didn't immediately move away, Dean held her to him, not making any effort to pull away. He wanted to take her fatigue from her and onto his shoulders. After all, he believed it was his fault she was in her current condition. He didn't speak, not wanting to ruin the moment. He stayed, holding her, hoping she understood that she'd never be alone with him and Sam.
After several long moments, she slowly pulled away, managing a faint, tired smile. "We should get some sleep." Her voice was very soft, barely audible.
Dean nodded, staring at her softly. He regretted the physical separation but knew she needed the sleep more than he did. "Sleep well," he whispered, stepping away from her and towards the door.
"Goodnight," she whispered, watching him go with a heaviness in her heart. And wondering what the hell was happening between them.
Shutting the door behind him, Dean watched his breath puff out in short spurts, wondering what had just happened. And guessing that the road he and Chloe found themselves on would be filled with more potholes and warning signs. With that on his mind, he went back to his room, hoping sleep would find him.
~Fini...stay tuned for story II in the series!!