Two Guys, a Girl and a Chevy Impala: Fic 3: Gno-Man's Land (3/?)
Series: Two Guys, a Girl and a Chevy Impala
Title: Fic 3: Gno-Man’s Land
Authors: Clarksmuse and X_tremeroswellian
Rated: R
Pairings: Chloe/Dean, Sam/Sarah
Chloe's mind was spinning as she slowly made her way up the stairs to Clark's loft, willing herself to keep going. "Clark? Are you here?"
He'd been pacing the loft floor, itching to literally run to Metropolis and see what kind of trouble he could into and out of in the blink of an eye. So when he heard Chloe's voice, he rolled his eyes. "What does SHE want?" he asked in a low growl. "I'm up here, sweetheart."
She made it to the top of the stairs, gazing at him intently. "Hey."
Clark nodded at her absently, his mind a million miles away. "What's up?" he asked with a false smile plastered on his face. Why was she here? What they did yesterday was fun, but... why drag it out?
She forced herself to smile back. "Just thought I'd come say hi. See what you were up to."
His irritation turned into a lazy smile as he slowly let his gaze trail the length of her body. He'd remembered how she reacted to his touch and briefly wondered if she was game for another round. "Oh, I'm doing absolutely nothing," he replied in a slow drawl, a predatory gleam in his eyes.
She clutched her purse a little tighter. "Not even Red-K?" she asked evenly.
"What?" he asked in a mockingly innocent tone. "Can't I have a little bit of fun once in awhile?" He took several steps towards her, towering over her within a split second.
Swallowing hard, a wave of fear hitting her, she started to think this had been a stupid idea. "Is that what this is?" she asked, not looking away from him. "Fun?"
"Of course," he whispered close to her ear. "I wouldn't mind having some more fun with you." He slid his hands over her arms, his high school class ring probably cold against her skin. He felt her shiver and it turned him on immediately.
"I'm sorry, Clark," she whispered almost inaudibly to the normal human ear. Her eyes were sad as she pressed the green rock lightly against his chest, guilt sweeping over her.
He suddenly felt sick, the green rock making his blood boil within his veins. He fell to his knees and curled up into a ball. "Chloe, what... what are... you... doing?" he grunted, every word painfully spoken, as if fire came from his throat.
Tears stung her eyes and she quickly knelt down and pulled the ring off his finger, then tossed the green kryptonite down the stairs, moving back and stomping on the ring, shattering it.
Clark felt like he had been in a haze of pain which suddenly disappeared. And as he looked up and over at Chloe's anguished face, the events of the last couple of days came crashing back on him. "Chloe," he whispered, standing up, sorrow and regret written all over his face. "What have I done?"
She didn't answer, simply gazed at him. Because she couldn't speak.
"Oh no, what happened to me?" he asked hurriedly. "Did I hurt you when....?" Clark couldn't bring himself to say the words outright. He just couldn't believe he'd had sex with his best friend.
"No," she said distantly.
Clark took a step towards her but blinked in surprise when she moved away from him. He followed her. "Please, Chloe... talk to me." His tone was pleading, begging for her to say something. "I'm so sorry for what happened... I didn't mean it."
A bitter smile twisted her lips. "Yeah. I figured that out, Clark." She turned and began to retreat down the stairs, fighting back the urge to start crying.
Clark flew down the stairs after her, grabbing her arm gently. "That's not what I meant. I didn't know what I was doing, because... I was on red-k."
"Let go of me," she whispered, pulling her arm away and not looking at him as she headed out of the barn.
Dean awoke to the feeling of someone struggling against his embrace. Opening his eyes groggily, he saw the light was still on, but Chloe was sleeping, dreaming of something that obviously frightened her. The way she thrashed to get away from him... He sat up and scooted away from her before trying to wake her up.
She woke up with a start, tears in her eyes, her breathing ragged.
"Chloe?" he asked, turning her around to look at her. He saw the tears streaming town her face and swore inwardly. Using the edge of his button-down shirt, he started wiping the tears away.
Embarrassed, she ducked her head. "What time is it?"
"Close to 4AM." Dean pulled away from her, unsettled by her reaction.
She rubbed the back of her neck, drawing in a breath and letting out slowly.
Moving to the side of the bed, Dean swung his legs over and turned his back to her. "Another nightmare?" he asked sleepily.
"I'm sorry I woke you," she whispered, not looking at him.
"It's okay." He ran a hand through his short hair. "I didn't mean... to fall asleep in here."
"Yeah," she murmured, her head aching. She slowly climbed out of bed and headed for the bathroom to get some Tylenol.
Dean kept his eyes on the floor as he listened to her move around the room. He wanted to ask what she had dreamed about but was pretty sure she wouldn't tell him. He stood up and began pacing the room slowly.
She returned a few moments later, her eyes red-rimmed from crying, though it was hard to see in the darkness of the hotel room.
In his movement, he accidentally bumped into her, their bodies brushing together. "Sorry," he said automatically, putting his hands on her arms to steady her. He saw her tear-streaked face and frowned. "Tell me what you dreamed about."
"Home," she whispered almost inaudibly.
Somehow, he had heard her grieved utterance. "Who about at home?" he continued softly, gripping her arms softly.
Chloe shut her eyes, unable to respond to that question. She rested her forehead against his collarbone wordlessly.
Cupping the back of her head, he pulled her into the warmth of his body. He felt her shoulders quake and knew she was trying to stave off the tears she still needed to shed. "It's okay," he whispered, rubbing her sore head gently.
It wasn't okay. Nothing was okay. She wasn't sure it ever would be, but she couldn't bring herself to utter any words, simply leaned against him for support. Because she couldn't handle this by herself right now.
When Dean felt Chloe wrap her arms around him, his automatic response was to do the same. She seemed so fragile and weak, and he got the impression that she was anything but that. Hugging her tightly, he whispered, "You need to cry, don't you." It was a statement of fact, though he couldn't believe he actually said that.
"I don't know what I need anymore," she whispered, her eyes still shut. "I'm just...tired."
Clenching his jaw, Dean picked her up and brought her back to the bed, lying her down and pulling the covers over her. "You should sleep," he whispered gently, though his voice betrayed that he thought she was suffering from more than just not sleeping.
"You should too. I don't think this hunt's gonna be as easy as it seems."
"They never are," he admitted, looking down at her. "Goodnight," he whispered, turning to walk back into the next room with a heavy heart.
"Night," she whispered, clutching tightly onto her pillow.
Sighing, he whispered to himself, "I wish I knew how to help you." Though it was on the tip of his tongue to tell her about the stuff Sam had given him, he knew it wasn't the right time. He pulled her door open and shut it behind him softly.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Chloe was still tired the next morning as they headed into the Daniel Blake Auction House, but not quite as much as she had been the night before. She glanced around, a little dazed by all the paintings and mirrors and other pieces of artwork in every direction.
Dean walked up behind her and put an arm around her shoulder, kissing her cheek. "Kinda cluttered, isn't it?" he whispered in her ear.
She smiled faintly. "A little," she admitted, glancing at him sideways.
"Glad to see you're all here," Sarah replied, walking up to Sam with a large smile.
Sam smiled back at her. "Hey," he said softly. "Should we be expecting your dad?" he asked, recalling how the man had reacted to him and Dean last time around.
She frowned and shook her head. "He's not here yet," she said, looking at the other two and smiling. "I didn't want him to know... you guys were here." She looked back at Sam a little sheepishly.
"Good thing," Dean replied with a smirk. "I think he still hates me for that 'Chuckles' remark."
Chloe couldn't help but smirk. "You called Sarah's dad Chuckles?"
"And thought he was a waiter," Sam said, rolling his eyes.
"Yeah, that made him really happy, by the way," Sarah replied with a twinkle in her eye.
Clearing his throat, Dean replied, "So Sammy tells me you two found something last night."
She nodded. "We did, but I wanted to show you those toadstools." She took Sam's hand and led him towards the back of the auction house.
Chloe glanced at Dean once more. "Shall we follow the lovebirds?"
Smirking, Dean teased, "Only if I can keep my arm over your shoulders."
She rolled her eyes, faintly amused. "Whatever floats your boat, Dean."
He wanted HER to float his boat, but he kept that thought to himself and he walked with her behind Sam and Sarah.
At the back of the room, Sarah stopped and gaped. Vaguely aware she had taken Sam's hand and he hadn't let it go, she looked frantically around the bare spot where some paintings had been housed. "Oh no, they're gone," she whispered.
Chloe frowned and looked around. "Mostly anyway..." She knelt down on the floor, grimacing a little at what appeared to be a tiny piece of a mushroom hat. She glanced up. "And that's not all that appears to be missing..." She nodded toward the wall.
Sam followed her gaze to the blank spot. "Uh, was there a painting there last night?"
Letting Sam's hand go, she put both to cover her mouth, her eyes wide with horror. "Yes, there was. A rare Normal Rockwell painting." She looked at Sam.
"They must have taken it," Dean remarked, looking at the thing Chloe held in her hand.
Chloe was silent for a moment, lost in thought.
Sam rubbed the back of his neck and glanced at Dean. "All we really know about gnomes is that they can live in a few different places, that they can turn into toadstools, and that they can vanish at will. Tracking them's not going to be easy."
"Unless..." Chloe glanced up at Sarah. "Sarah, do you guys have those tracking devices in the frames of your artwork?"
Sarah nodded at Chloe. "Oh yeah. most of the things we sell are rare and expensive, so they're equipped with tracking chips. The only problem is..." She breathed in deeply. "My father has the access codes for the tracker."
"Does he keep them on a computer?" she questioned, rising to her feet.
Sarah nodded slowly. "And I can tell you where that is," she whispered with a growing smile. She bet Chloe could somehow break through her father's firewalls.
"Well...then it's not gonna be a problem." She smiled a little and followed Sarah.
Looking at Sam, Dean whispered, "Dude, I think they're bonding." He couldn't help but smile at the thought.
"Looks like." Sam smiled a bit and followed, as well.
Sarah led them upstairs to her father's office. Fortunately she had a key, so she used that instead of the Winchesters' lock picking ability to open the door. Once inside, she shut it back and locked it again. "So we can be warned if Dad gets here early," she said, looking around at everyone.
Nodding, Dean turned to Chloe, who had already sat at the computer and was booting it up.
Sam leaned against the door, gazing at Sarah without thinking about it.
Chloe was focused instantly, growing unaware of everyone's gaze on her. Well, everyone's but Sam's anyway. A faint smile tugged at her lips. Hacking Sarah's dad's computer was going to be a cinch. "This will only take a couple minutes."
"Really?" Sarah said, smiling at the notion that Chloe was probably a master hacker. She turned to look at Sam, whose gaze she'd felt on her for the last several minutes. "Maybe this will be easier than I thought," she said to him hopefully.
"Maybe," he said with a small smile, slightly amazed at the blonde's abilities. Seemed like they were finding out more about her life all the time without her even telling them.
"All right, I'm in..." Chloe said without looking up.
Dean blinked. "Damn, you're good," he whispered, a grin on his face.
"There should be a program labeled 'tracker' or something to that effect," Sarah said, taking her eyes off Sam and moving around to take a look at the computer screen.
"That it?" Chloe asked, glancing up at Sarah briefly. When the other woman nodded, she clicked on it. "Ohh...so all I have to do is click on this button...and this one...these are the two that are missing, right?"
"That's it, exactly," she replied with a triumphant smile. "And based on the coordinates, I'd say they're hidden in the same place." She pointed at the numbers listed beneath the painting names.
Dean grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. "Is there some way we can determine if they're gonna be on the move or not?" He jotted the numbers down and handed them to Sam. "Dude, we'll need the GPS."
Sarah nodded. "Actually, there's handheld device that we can upload the information to use to track." She turned around and walked to the large closet to look for it.
Chloe's eyes twinkled as she waited for Sarah to find the device.
Sam scratched his neck. "Hate to rain on the parade, but...how are we gonna kill these things? If...they're evil, I mean," he added quickly from Chloe's look.
"Why wouldn't they be evil?" Dean asked, staring at his brother steadily though he'd rested his hands on Chloe's shoulders. "They're stealing stuff. And one of them stole my beer, man. And they're ugly and fast. Makes them evil to me."
Having located the hand-held tracking device, Sarah handed it to Chloe and looked at Dean. "Don't you steal, and pick locks, and break into things, Dean?" she innocently.
Sam smirked. "She's got a point there."
"Yeah, but Dean's not ugly," Chloe responded without thinking about it, focusing on the computer once more.
Dean grinned and squeezed her shoulders. 'That's my girl,' he thought to himself as he gave Sam a look. "You're missing the point, Sammy."
Moving over to stand next to Sam, Sarah crossed her arms. "And what point would that be?" She cocked an eyebrow at Dean.
"That... they're just evil, okay?" he grumbled, looking down at Chloe, who was totally focused on uploading the tracking program onto the handheld device.
"Got it," she said a moment later. "And...they might not be evil per say so much as mischevious...but Dean's right about one thing...they are ugly little suckers." She rose to her feet, studying the device. "The paintings aren't far from here. Maybe two blocks."
"Good, then it won't be too hard getting the stuff back," Dean said, moving towards the door. When he heard something in the lock, however, he froze. "Is that your father?" he whispered frantically to Sarah.
"Crap," she swore under her breath. "It probably is." She looked around for hiding places. "Quick, you guys... hide somewhere." Grabbing Sam's hand, she headed for the closet at the back of the room.
Sam quickly ducked into the closet with Sarah, shutting the door quietly and leaving Chloe and Dean to stare at each other in alarm.
"Shit," she whispered, yanking him by the arm and crawling under the desk.
Dean dove under the desk and straight into Chloe's lap just as the door opened and shut. Their faces close, he looked at her, willing her to remain still and quiet. As much as he wanted her close to him, these weren't the idea circumstances, he thought, listening to the shuffling noises on top of the desk. What was weird, though, was that he hadn't noticed any legs belonging to a human appear around the desk.
Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest and she rested a hand on Dean's shoulder, ducking her head just a little to peer under the desk. She met his eyes with raised brows. "Not human," she mouthed.
Looking at her in confusion, he suddenly realized that the scratching noises on the desk sounded more like... feet. Frowning, he gave her a look that told her to stay put and got ouf from under the desk to look up. Sure enough, he saw five ugly gnomes scurrying around, taking everything in sight. "Sammy!" he yelled, standing up and whipping out his gun.
Ignoring Dean's look, Chloe quickly rose to her feet as well, not hesitating to reach out and grab one of them in her hands. It glared at her and she glared right back. "Stop stealing!"
"Stop talking to them!" Dean shouted, pointing his gun at one of them, only to have it taken away brutally. The little gnarled gnome that took it cackled and disappeared in a poof of smoke.
Hearing the commotion out in the office, Sarah opened the door suddenly. "What the hell?" she asked out loud.
"Don't yell at me," Chloe said, scowling at him as she held onto the gnome tightly and it struggled in her grip.
Sam's eyes were wide as he appeared. "Uh, why don't you give that here, Chlo?"
"That thing stole my gun!" Dean yelled, snatching another gnome up and screaming in pain as it bit him hard. He dropped the thing on the floor and tried to stomp on it; the gnome, however, had disappeared.
Sarah watched as Chloe tried to keep the third and final gnome in her grasp, but the thing was quite slick. "Here, let me help," she said, moving over to the blonde.
"Grab his legs," Chloe said, holding onto its arms firmly. "You bite me and I bite back," she warned the ugly thing. "And I'm not even kidding."
Sam stared at the girls wide-eyed.
"Tell him, Chloe," Sarah replied with a smile as she grabbed its legs and held it firmly between her hands. The gnome, obviously infuriated, squirmed while suspended in the air, muttering what she assumed was curses at them for not letting him go.
Dean watched in amusement as the girls managed to catch the little ugly thing. Holding hid hurt hand, he said, "So you two have it strung up... now
what?"
Chloe shot him a glare. "Well, we're not killing it. Unless it doesn't behave." The gnome stopped struggling, as though it understood what she'd said. She gave Sarah a satisfied smirk. "I think he understands English."
"Clearly." Sam looked puzzled. "But uh...what *are* we going to do with him? And why the hell isn't he just doing that vanishing act?"
"Good question," Sarah replied, studying the gnome closely. She noticed it resumed trying to free itself, specifically an arm and leg. "Hold still, you little monster," she growled at it. The tiny brute stopped and looked at her, glaring in defiance.
"Maybe no one can be touching it for it to pull a Houdini," Chloe mused aloud, studying it.
"So...we're just gonna hold onto it forever?" Sam asked with raised brows.
Chloe gave him a look. "Actually I kinda thought we'd hold it for ransom while you two go retrieve the paintings."
Dean paused. "Wait, you're kidding, right?" He looked at Chloe, a little shocked at her suggestion. No way did he want to leave her there with that... thing.
"Well either that or you two can hold it while Sarah and I go find the paintings," she responded, giving him a look.
Looking at Sarah, Dean said, "You mind?" He moved to stand next to her and held out his hands to grab the creature's legs from her.
Smiling, Sarah moved out of the way. "Knock yourself out." She turned to Sam. "Looks like you and me are going to get the paintings, Sammy," she said with a twinkle in her eyes.
Sam grinned at her, more than happy to be going somewhere alone with her. "We'll be back soon," he told them, heading for the door.
Watching Sarah and Sam leave, Dean shook his head at his brother. "Damn, that boy needs come lovin'," he said to himself before realizing he was alone with Chloe. Alone and holding a wriggling, ugly thing between them.
"Hold still," Chloe hissed, glaring at it. "Do not make me kick your ass."
Dean stifled a laugh as he watched it glare at her and then resume its muttering and wriggling. "Hey, you'd better listen to her. I'm pretty sure she could kick your little ass," he told it with a deep laugh. He looked up at her and smiled.
She smiled back at him and then glared at the gnome. "I have mace. If you don't know what that is, it's painful when it's in your eyes. Could blind you."
The thing suddenly cackled evilly, which made Dean frown. "Do they normally do that?" he asked out loud, seconds before he heard a loud BOOM. Within moments, the room was practically crawling with gnomes: the walls, floor, the desk. It seemed they were trying to get their kidnapped brother back, because they were all making a beeline for both Chloe and Dean.
Chloe coughed as the gnome they were holding suddenly blew in her face, some kind of dust seeping into her nose. She looked around in alarm. "Oh, crap."
Letting go of the gnome and grabbing her hand, he shouted, "Come on, Chloe!" He made for the closet where Sam and Sarah had hidden only moments before and managed to get he and Chloe into it and shut the door behind them before the gnomes got to them. It was pitch dark in there, and it was small and crowded, but at least they were safe. "Hey, you okay?" he asked softly.
"Fine..what happens if they all teleport in *here*?" she asked nervously, looking around pointlessly.
Hearing the commotion out in the office, Dean swallowed hard. "I have no idea, but can we cross that bridge when we get there?" he asked her, keeping a firm hold on the doorknob until he could turn the lock. "I just wonder how long they're gonna --" He stopped when he felt a hand on his chest.
"It's really dark in here," she whispered, suddenly feeling overwhelmed.
Pulling her to him, Dean grinned softly. "Hey, I'm here. The dark won't get you." He wrapped his arms around her and hoped the door would hold against the pounding he still heard outside it.
"I'm going to hell." The words left her mouth of their own volition, tears prickling at her eyes.
His smile fell immediately. Tugging at her, he replied, "No you're not. No way." He once again felt her tremble against him and wondered what made her think that.
"Yes I am," she whispered, her head pounding as she slunk back to lean against the door, her breath coming in shuddering gasps.
"No you're not," he insisted, his ears focused more on her shortness of breath than the commotion doing on outside. "Why are you doing this?"
She was sitting on the floor, her head in her hands. "I shouldn't have been so stupid," she whispered, almost like she didn't realize he was there. "I shouldn't believed him. I shouldn't have..."
Crouching down with her, he took her face in his hands. "Who, Chloe? Shouldn't have believed... who?" Even as he spoke the words, Dean had a feeling she was talking about Clark. That miserable son of a bitch who had somehow broken her into pieces. He wasn't sure, though, so he waited and hoped she'd finally tell him.
"Clark." Tears streaked down her face and a soft sob escaped her. "I was so stupid..."
"Dammit," he replied, pulling her onto his lap and into his arms. "Damn him, damn him," he muttered under his breath as he held her, listening to her sobs, feeling her shoulders quake. And wishing he could put Clark six feet under. He kissed the top of her head gently in reassurance.
"I should've known better. How could he love me? I'm not lovable," she whispered brokenly, her mind recalling the words Pastor Frank had told her over and over.
Dean visibly winced at her words, spoken out loud finally and breaking his heart at the same time. "You are too loveable," he replied softly, wiping the tears streaming down her face. "He was a stupid, blind idiot for not loving you."
"No, I'm not. I'm not." She shuddered, another soft sob escaping her.
Despite the darkness of the closet, Dean groped for her chin and pulled her face close to his. "You are, too, Chloe... I love you," he whispered before leaning down and kissing her gently.
She cried softly but didn't pull away from his kiss, reaching up with one hand to touch his cheek. If she'd been in the right frame of mind, she would have been thankful it was dark since she undoubtedly looked like hell.
Dean sighed inwardly, knowing she at least hadn't completely rejected what he'd finally confessed. He gently wiped the tears from her face as he continued to kiss her, their mouths melting into each other.
Chloe shifted closer to him, needing to feel him even though the doubt in the back of her mind was ever-present. This is a bad idea, she thought, though she pushed it away for the time being, tears drying on her cheeks as he cradled her head in his hands, his mouth exploring hers slowly.
Dean was urged on by Chloe's arms curling around his, pulling him closer to her. She tasted like heaven, he thought blindly as he continued his gentle kisses against her full, lush lips. He sensed, however, that she was teetering on desperation, and while he would have loved nothing better than to continue this non-verbal conversation, he didn't want her hating herself later on. Reluctantly, he pulled his mouth off hers, though he kept her face between in hands. Breathing in deeply, he touched his forehead against hers. "See?" he rasped with emotion. "You're totally loveable."
She swallowed hard, one hand resting over his heart. Neither of them realized that the pounding on the door had long since stopped.
Title: Fic 3: Gno-Man’s Land
Authors: Clarksmuse and X_tremeroswellian
Rated: R
Pairings: Chloe/Dean, Sam/Sarah
Chloe's mind was spinning as she slowly made her way up the stairs to Clark's loft, willing herself to keep going. "Clark? Are you here?"
He'd been pacing the loft floor, itching to literally run to Metropolis and see what kind of trouble he could into and out of in the blink of an eye. So when he heard Chloe's voice, he rolled his eyes. "What does SHE want?" he asked in a low growl. "I'm up here, sweetheart."
She made it to the top of the stairs, gazing at him intently. "Hey."
Clark nodded at her absently, his mind a million miles away. "What's up?" he asked with a false smile plastered on his face. Why was she here? What they did yesterday was fun, but... why drag it out?
She forced herself to smile back. "Just thought I'd come say hi. See what you were up to."
His irritation turned into a lazy smile as he slowly let his gaze trail the length of her body. He'd remembered how she reacted to his touch and briefly wondered if she was game for another round. "Oh, I'm doing absolutely nothing," he replied in a slow drawl, a predatory gleam in his eyes.
She clutched her purse a little tighter. "Not even Red-K?" she asked evenly.
"What?" he asked in a mockingly innocent tone. "Can't I have a little bit of fun once in awhile?" He took several steps towards her, towering over her within a split second.
Swallowing hard, a wave of fear hitting her, she started to think this had been a stupid idea. "Is that what this is?" she asked, not looking away from him. "Fun?"
"Of course," he whispered close to her ear. "I wouldn't mind having some more fun with you." He slid his hands over her arms, his high school class ring probably cold against her skin. He felt her shiver and it turned him on immediately.
"I'm sorry, Clark," she whispered almost inaudibly to the normal human ear. Her eyes were sad as she pressed the green rock lightly against his chest, guilt sweeping over her.
He suddenly felt sick, the green rock making his blood boil within his veins. He fell to his knees and curled up into a ball. "Chloe, what... what are... you... doing?" he grunted, every word painfully spoken, as if fire came from his throat.
Tears stung her eyes and she quickly knelt down and pulled the ring off his finger, then tossed the green kryptonite down the stairs, moving back and stomping on the ring, shattering it.
Clark felt like he had been in a haze of pain which suddenly disappeared. And as he looked up and over at Chloe's anguished face, the events of the last couple of days came crashing back on him. "Chloe," he whispered, standing up, sorrow and regret written all over his face. "What have I done?"
She didn't answer, simply gazed at him. Because she couldn't speak.
"Oh no, what happened to me?" he asked hurriedly. "Did I hurt you when....?" Clark couldn't bring himself to say the words outright. He just couldn't believe he'd had sex with his best friend.
"No," she said distantly.
Clark took a step towards her but blinked in surprise when she moved away from him. He followed her. "Please, Chloe... talk to me." His tone was pleading, begging for her to say something. "I'm so sorry for what happened... I didn't mean it."
A bitter smile twisted her lips. "Yeah. I figured that out, Clark." She turned and began to retreat down the stairs, fighting back the urge to start crying.
Clark flew down the stairs after her, grabbing her arm gently. "That's not what I meant. I didn't know what I was doing, because... I was on red-k."
"Let go of me," she whispered, pulling her arm away and not looking at him as she headed out of the barn.
Dean awoke to the feeling of someone struggling against his embrace. Opening his eyes groggily, he saw the light was still on, but Chloe was sleeping, dreaming of something that obviously frightened her. The way she thrashed to get away from him... He sat up and scooted away from her before trying to wake her up.
She woke up with a start, tears in her eyes, her breathing ragged.
"Chloe?" he asked, turning her around to look at her. He saw the tears streaming town her face and swore inwardly. Using the edge of his button-down shirt, he started wiping the tears away.
Embarrassed, she ducked her head. "What time is it?"
"Close to 4AM." Dean pulled away from her, unsettled by her reaction.
She rubbed the back of her neck, drawing in a breath and letting out slowly.
Moving to the side of the bed, Dean swung his legs over and turned his back to her. "Another nightmare?" he asked sleepily.
"I'm sorry I woke you," she whispered, not looking at him.
"It's okay." He ran a hand through his short hair. "I didn't mean... to fall asleep in here."
"Yeah," she murmured, her head aching. She slowly climbed out of bed and headed for the bathroom to get some Tylenol.
Dean kept his eyes on the floor as he listened to her move around the room. He wanted to ask what she had dreamed about but was pretty sure she wouldn't tell him. He stood up and began pacing the room slowly.
She returned a few moments later, her eyes red-rimmed from crying, though it was hard to see in the darkness of the hotel room.
In his movement, he accidentally bumped into her, their bodies brushing together. "Sorry," he said automatically, putting his hands on her arms to steady her. He saw her tear-streaked face and frowned. "Tell me what you dreamed about."
"Home," she whispered almost inaudibly.
Somehow, he had heard her grieved utterance. "Who about at home?" he continued softly, gripping her arms softly.
Chloe shut her eyes, unable to respond to that question. She rested her forehead against his collarbone wordlessly.
Cupping the back of her head, he pulled her into the warmth of his body. He felt her shoulders quake and knew she was trying to stave off the tears she still needed to shed. "It's okay," he whispered, rubbing her sore head gently.
It wasn't okay. Nothing was okay. She wasn't sure it ever would be, but she couldn't bring herself to utter any words, simply leaned against him for support. Because she couldn't handle this by herself right now.
When Dean felt Chloe wrap her arms around him, his automatic response was to do the same. She seemed so fragile and weak, and he got the impression that she was anything but that. Hugging her tightly, he whispered, "You need to cry, don't you." It was a statement of fact, though he couldn't believe he actually said that.
"I don't know what I need anymore," she whispered, her eyes still shut. "I'm just...tired."
Clenching his jaw, Dean picked her up and brought her back to the bed, lying her down and pulling the covers over her. "You should sleep," he whispered gently, though his voice betrayed that he thought she was suffering from more than just not sleeping.
"You should too. I don't think this hunt's gonna be as easy as it seems."
"They never are," he admitted, looking down at her. "Goodnight," he whispered, turning to walk back into the next room with a heavy heart.
"Night," she whispered, clutching tightly onto her pillow.
Sighing, he whispered to himself, "I wish I knew how to help you." Though it was on the tip of his tongue to tell her about the stuff Sam had given him, he knew it wasn't the right time. He pulled her door open and shut it behind him softly.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Chloe was still tired the next morning as they headed into the Daniel Blake Auction House, but not quite as much as she had been the night before. She glanced around, a little dazed by all the paintings and mirrors and other pieces of artwork in every direction.
Dean walked up behind her and put an arm around her shoulder, kissing her cheek. "Kinda cluttered, isn't it?" he whispered in her ear.
She smiled faintly. "A little," she admitted, glancing at him sideways.
"Glad to see you're all here," Sarah replied, walking up to Sam with a large smile.
Sam smiled back at her. "Hey," he said softly. "Should we be expecting your dad?" he asked, recalling how the man had reacted to him and Dean last time around.
She frowned and shook her head. "He's not here yet," she said, looking at the other two and smiling. "I didn't want him to know... you guys were here." She looked back at Sam a little sheepishly.
"Good thing," Dean replied with a smirk. "I think he still hates me for that 'Chuckles' remark."
Chloe couldn't help but smirk. "You called Sarah's dad Chuckles?"
"And thought he was a waiter," Sam said, rolling his eyes.
"Yeah, that made him really happy, by the way," Sarah replied with a twinkle in her eye.
Clearing his throat, Dean replied, "So Sammy tells me you two found something last night."
She nodded. "We did, but I wanted to show you those toadstools." She took Sam's hand and led him towards the back of the auction house.
Chloe glanced at Dean once more. "Shall we follow the lovebirds?"
Smirking, Dean teased, "Only if I can keep my arm over your shoulders."
She rolled her eyes, faintly amused. "Whatever floats your boat, Dean."
He wanted HER to float his boat, but he kept that thought to himself and he walked with her behind Sam and Sarah.
At the back of the room, Sarah stopped and gaped. Vaguely aware she had taken Sam's hand and he hadn't let it go, she looked frantically around the bare spot where some paintings had been housed. "Oh no, they're gone," she whispered.
Chloe frowned and looked around. "Mostly anyway..." She knelt down on the floor, grimacing a little at what appeared to be a tiny piece of a mushroom hat. She glanced up. "And that's not all that appears to be missing..." She nodded toward the wall.
Sam followed her gaze to the blank spot. "Uh, was there a painting there last night?"
Letting Sam's hand go, she put both to cover her mouth, her eyes wide with horror. "Yes, there was. A rare Normal Rockwell painting." She looked at Sam.
"They must have taken it," Dean remarked, looking at the thing Chloe held in her hand.
Chloe was silent for a moment, lost in thought.
Sam rubbed the back of his neck and glanced at Dean. "All we really know about gnomes is that they can live in a few different places, that they can turn into toadstools, and that they can vanish at will. Tracking them's not going to be easy."
"Unless..." Chloe glanced up at Sarah. "Sarah, do you guys have those tracking devices in the frames of your artwork?"
Sarah nodded at Chloe. "Oh yeah. most of the things we sell are rare and expensive, so they're equipped with tracking chips. The only problem is..." She breathed in deeply. "My father has the access codes for the tracker."
"Does he keep them on a computer?" she questioned, rising to her feet.
Sarah nodded slowly. "And I can tell you where that is," she whispered with a growing smile. She bet Chloe could somehow break through her father's firewalls.
"Well...then it's not gonna be a problem." She smiled a little and followed Sarah.
Looking at Sam, Dean whispered, "Dude, I think they're bonding." He couldn't help but smile at the thought.
"Looks like." Sam smiled a bit and followed, as well.
Sarah led them upstairs to her father's office. Fortunately she had a key, so she used that instead of the Winchesters' lock picking ability to open the door. Once inside, she shut it back and locked it again. "So we can be warned if Dad gets here early," she said, looking around at everyone.
Nodding, Dean turned to Chloe, who had already sat at the computer and was booting it up.
Sam leaned against the door, gazing at Sarah without thinking about it.
Chloe was focused instantly, growing unaware of everyone's gaze on her. Well, everyone's but Sam's anyway. A faint smile tugged at her lips. Hacking Sarah's dad's computer was going to be a cinch. "This will only take a couple minutes."
"Really?" Sarah said, smiling at the notion that Chloe was probably a master hacker. She turned to look at Sam, whose gaze she'd felt on her for the last several minutes. "Maybe this will be easier than I thought," she said to him hopefully.
"Maybe," he said with a small smile, slightly amazed at the blonde's abilities. Seemed like they were finding out more about her life all the time without her even telling them.
"All right, I'm in..." Chloe said without looking up.
Dean blinked. "Damn, you're good," he whispered, a grin on his face.
"There should be a program labeled 'tracker' or something to that effect," Sarah said, taking her eyes off Sam and moving around to take a look at the computer screen.
"That it?" Chloe asked, glancing up at Sarah briefly. When the other woman nodded, she clicked on it. "Ohh...so all I have to do is click on this button...and this one...these are the two that are missing, right?"
"That's it, exactly," she replied with a triumphant smile. "And based on the coordinates, I'd say they're hidden in the same place." She pointed at the numbers listed beneath the painting names.
Dean grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. "Is there some way we can determine if they're gonna be on the move or not?" He jotted the numbers down and handed them to Sam. "Dude, we'll need the GPS."
Sarah nodded. "Actually, there's handheld device that we can upload the information to use to track." She turned around and walked to the large closet to look for it.
Chloe's eyes twinkled as she waited for Sarah to find the device.
Sam scratched his neck. "Hate to rain on the parade, but...how are we gonna kill these things? If...they're evil, I mean," he added quickly from Chloe's look.
"Why wouldn't they be evil?" Dean asked, staring at his brother steadily though he'd rested his hands on Chloe's shoulders. "They're stealing stuff. And one of them stole my beer, man. And they're ugly and fast. Makes them evil to me."
Having located the hand-held tracking device, Sarah handed it to Chloe and looked at Dean. "Don't you steal, and pick locks, and break into things, Dean?" she innocently.
Sam smirked. "She's got a point there."
"Yeah, but Dean's not ugly," Chloe responded without thinking about it, focusing on the computer once more.
Dean grinned and squeezed her shoulders. 'That's my girl,' he thought to himself as he gave Sam a look. "You're missing the point, Sammy."
Moving over to stand next to Sam, Sarah crossed her arms. "And what point would that be?" She cocked an eyebrow at Dean.
"That... they're just evil, okay?" he grumbled, looking down at Chloe, who was totally focused on uploading the tracking program onto the handheld device.
"Got it," she said a moment later. "And...they might not be evil per say so much as mischevious...but Dean's right about one thing...they are ugly little suckers." She rose to her feet, studying the device. "The paintings aren't far from here. Maybe two blocks."
"Good, then it won't be too hard getting the stuff back," Dean said, moving towards the door. When he heard something in the lock, however, he froze. "Is that your father?" he whispered frantically to Sarah.
"Crap," she swore under her breath. "It probably is." She looked around for hiding places. "Quick, you guys... hide somewhere." Grabbing Sam's hand, she headed for the closet at the back of the room.
Sam quickly ducked into the closet with Sarah, shutting the door quietly and leaving Chloe and Dean to stare at each other in alarm.
"Shit," she whispered, yanking him by the arm and crawling under the desk.
Dean dove under the desk and straight into Chloe's lap just as the door opened and shut. Their faces close, he looked at her, willing her to remain still and quiet. As much as he wanted her close to him, these weren't the idea circumstances, he thought, listening to the shuffling noises on top of the desk. What was weird, though, was that he hadn't noticed any legs belonging to a human appear around the desk.
Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest and she rested a hand on Dean's shoulder, ducking her head just a little to peer under the desk. She met his eyes with raised brows. "Not human," she mouthed.
Looking at her in confusion, he suddenly realized that the scratching noises on the desk sounded more like... feet. Frowning, he gave her a look that told her to stay put and got ouf from under the desk to look up. Sure enough, he saw five ugly gnomes scurrying around, taking everything in sight. "Sammy!" he yelled, standing up and whipping out his gun.
Ignoring Dean's look, Chloe quickly rose to her feet as well, not hesitating to reach out and grab one of them in her hands. It glared at her and she glared right back. "Stop stealing!"
"Stop talking to them!" Dean shouted, pointing his gun at one of them, only to have it taken away brutally. The little gnarled gnome that took it cackled and disappeared in a poof of smoke.
Hearing the commotion out in the office, Sarah opened the door suddenly. "What the hell?" she asked out loud.
"Don't yell at me," Chloe said, scowling at him as she held onto the gnome tightly and it struggled in her grip.
Sam's eyes were wide as he appeared. "Uh, why don't you give that here, Chlo?"
"That thing stole my gun!" Dean yelled, snatching another gnome up and screaming in pain as it bit him hard. He dropped the thing on the floor and tried to stomp on it; the gnome, however, had disappeared.
Sarah watched as Chloe tried to keep the third and final gnome in her grasp, but the thing was quite slick. "Here, let me help," she said, moving over to the blonde.
"Grab his legs," Chloe said, holding onto its arms firmly. "You bite me and I bite back," she warned the ugly thing. "And I'm not even kidding."
Sam stared at the girls wide-eyed.
"Tell him, Chloe," Sarah replied with a smile as she grabbed its legs and held it firmly between her hands. The gnome, obviously infuriated, squirmed while suspended in the air, muttering what she assumed was curses at them for not letting him go.
Dean watched in amusement as the girls managed to catch the little ugly thing. Holding hid hurt hand, he said, "So you two have it strung up... now
what?"
Chloe shot him a glare. "Well, we're not killing it. Unless it doesn't behave." The gnome stopped struggling, as though it understood what she'd said. She gave Sarah a satisfied smirk. "I think he understands English."
"Clearly." Sam looked puzzled. "But uh...what *are* we going to do with him? And why the hell isn't he just doing that vanishing act?"
"Good question," Sarah replied, studying the gnome closely. She noticed it resumed trying to free itself, specifically an arm and leg. "Hold still, you little monster," she growled at it. The tiny brute stopped and looked at her, glaring in defiance.
"Maybe no one can be touching it for it to pull a Houdini," Chloe mused aloud, studying it.
"So...we're just gonna hold onto it forever?" Sam asked with raised brows.
Chloe gave him a look. "Actually I kinda thought we'd hold it for ransom while you two go retrieve the paintings."
Dean paused. "Wait, you're kidding, right?" He looked at Chloe, a little shocked at her suggestion. No way did he want to leave her there with that... thing.
"Well either that or you two can hold it while Sarah and I go find the paintings," she responded, giving him a look.
Looking at Sarah, Dean said, "You mind?" He moved to stand next to her and held out his hands to grab the creature's legs from her.
Smiling, Sarah moved out of the way. "Knock yourself out." She turned to Sam. "Looks like you and me are going to get the paintings, Sammy," she said with a twinkle in her eyes.
Sam grinned at her, more than happy to be going somewhere alone with her. "We'll be back soon," he told them, heading for the door.
Watching Sarah and Sam leave, Dean shook his head at his brother. "Damn, that boy needs come lovin'," he said to himself before realizing he was alone with Chloe. Alone and holding a wriggling, ugly thing between them.
"Hold still," Chloe hissed, glaring at it. "Do not make me kick your ass."
Dean stifled a laugh as he watched it glare at her and then resume its muttering and wriggling. "Hey, you'd better listen to her. I'm pretty sure she could kick your little ass," he told it with a deep laugh. He looked up at her and smiled.
She smiled back at him and then glared at the gnome. "I have mace. If you don't know what that is, it's painful when it's in your eyes. Could blind you."
The thing suddenly cackled evilly, which made Dean frown. "Do they normally do that?" he asked out loud, seconds before he heard a loud BOOM. Within moments, the room was practically crawling with gnomes: the walls, floor, the desk. It seemed they were trying to get their kidnapped brother back, because they were all making a beeline for both Chloe and Dean.
Chloe coughed as the gnome they were holding suddenly blew in her face, some kind of dust seeping into her nose. She looked around in alarm. "Oh, crap."
Letting go of the gnome and grabbing her hand, he shouted, "Come on, Chloe!" He made for the closet where Sam and Sarah had hidden only moments before and managed to get he and Chloe into it and shut the door behind them before the gnomes got to them. It was pitch dark in there, and it was small and crowded, but at least they were safe. "Hey, you okay?" he asked softly.
"Fine..what happens if they all teleport in *here*?" she asked nervously, looking around pointlessly.
Hearing the commotion out in the office, Dean swallowed hard. "I have no idea, but can we cross that bridge when we get there?" he asked her, keeping a firm hold on the doorknob until he could turn the lock. "I just wonder how long they're gonna --" He stopped when he felt a hand on his chest.
"It's really dark in here," she whispered, suddenly feeling overwhelmed.
Pulling her to him, Dean grinned softly. "Hey, I'm here. The dark won't get you." He wrapped his arms around her and hoped the door would hold against the pounding he still heard outside it.
"I'm going to hell." The words left her mouth of their own volition, tears prickling at her eyes.
His smile fell immediately. Tugging at her, he replied, "No you're not. No way." He once again felt her tremble against him and wondered what made her think that.
"Yes I am," she whispered, her head pounding as she slunk back to lean against the door, her breath coming in shuddering gasps.
"No you're not," he insisted, his ears focused more on her shortness of breath than the commotion doing on outside. "Why are you doing this?"
She was sitting on the floor, her head in her hands. "I shouldn't have been so stupid," she whispered, almost like she didn't realize he was there. "I shouldn't believed him. I shouldn't have..."
Crouching down with her, he took her face in his hands. "Who, Chloe? Shouldn't have believed... who?" Even as he spoke the words, Dean had a feeling she was talking about Clark. That miserable son of a bitch who had somehow broken her into pieces. He wasn't sure, though, so he waited and hoped she'd finally tell him.
"Clark." Tears streaked down her face and a soft sob escaped her. "I was so stupid..."
"Dammit," he replied, pulling her onto his lap and into his arms. "Damn him, damn him," he muttered under his breath as he held her, listening to her sobs, feeling her shoulders quake. And wishing he could put Clark six feet under. He kissed the top of her head gently in reassurance.
"I should've known better. How could he love me? I'm not lovable," she whispered brokenly, her mind recalling the words Pastor Frank had told her over and over.
Dean visibly winced at her words, spoken out loud finally and breaking his heart at the same time. "You are too loveable," he replied softly, wiping the tears streaming down her face. "He was a stupid, blind idiot for not loving you."
"No, I'm not. I'm not." She shuddered, another soft sob escaping her.
Despite the darkness of the closet, Dean groped for her chin and pulled her face close to his. "You are, too, Chloe... I love you," he whispered before leaning down and kissing her gently.
She cried softly but didn't pull away from his kiss, reaching up with one hand to touch his cheek. If she'd been in the right frame of mind, she would have been thankful it was dark since she undoubtedly looked like hell.
Dean sighed inwardly, knowing she at least hadn't completely rejected what he'd finally confessed. He gently wiped the tears from her face as he continued to kiss her, their mouths melting into each other.
Chloe shifted closer to him, needing to feel him even though the doubt in the back of her mind was ever-present. This is a bad idea, she thought, though she pushed it away for the time being, tears drying on her cheeks as he cradled her head in his hands, his mouth exploring hers slowly.
Dean was urged on by Chloe's arms curling around his, pulling him closer to her. She tasted like heaven, he thought blindly as he continued his gentle kisses against her full, lush lips. He sensed, however, that she was teetering on desperation, and while he would have loved nothing better than to continue this non-verbal conversation, he didn't want her hating herself later on. Reluctantly, he pulled his mouth off hers, though he kept her face between in hands. Breathing in deeply, he touched his forehead against hers. "See?" he rasped with emotion. "You're totally loveable."
She swallowed hard, one hand resting over his heart. Neither of them realized that the pounding on the door had long since stopped.