Those Three Words (5/?)
Title: Those Three Words
Authors: xtremeroswellia and clarksmuse
Rating: R to NC-17 for language and sexual scenes
Pairing: Chlean (Chloe/Dean) :D
Characters: multi-fandom -- Smallville, Supernatural, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Disclaimer: Neither of us own these characters. We're just borrowing them, so please don't sue!!
One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten | Eleven | Twelve | Thirteen | Fourteen | Fifteen | Sixteen A | Sixteen B | Seventeen | Eighteen | Cocnlusion
Chapter 5
Spike rapped loudly on Chloe Sullivan's doorway shortly before 4 in the morning, a grim expression on his face as he waited for her to answer.
The loud, insistent knocking at the door woke Sam up from a sound sleep. Of course, he would have to sleep on the cot, he thought, jealous of the guest room Dean was sleeping in. Rubbing his eyes and stumbling to the front door, he turned on the light and opened it. A pale yet tall blonde guy stood on the other end, the frown he'd been wearing growing darker at Sam's appearance. "Yes?" Sam asked when the stranger said nothing.
"Let me guess," Spike drawled. "Sam." He moved past him and into the apartment.
"Yes, I'm Sam," he replied, having no choice but to close the door behind him and face the stranger. "More to the point, who are you?"
"Spike," he said flatly, heading for the bedroom.
Spike. Great, Sam thought as he grabbed the other man before he could take another step towards Chloe's room. His arm was icy cold. "Whoa, there. Where the hell are you going and ... what's with your arm being so cold?"
"I'm going to talk to the Slayer. We have trouble." Spike gave him the once over.
"Maybe," Sam retorted, "but I still don't see her being all happy over your waking her up. I'll do it." Sam brushed by Spike, ignoring the look he gave him as he walked down the hall to Chloe's room.
Chloe's sleep was a restless one. Her body was twisted up in the blankets, her breathing more rapid than a person's should be while sleeping. There was a pained expression on her face and her hands gripped tightly onto the pillow.
Sam lightly knocked on the door, hoping that would wake her up, but when he heard nothing, he cracked the door open and saw her in what looked like the middle of a bad dream, "Glad Dean isn't seeing this," he whispered to himself as he gently shook Chloe's shoulder.
"Chloe," he said a little louder. "Wake up. Spike's here."
She sat up quickly, her eyes flying open, a startled expression on her face. "What's wrong?" she asked as she quickly untangled herself from the blankets and got to her feet, immediately on alert.
"I don't know," Sam whispered in response. "But he came walking in here like he owned the place, his face about as happy as someone at a funeral." He thumbed the door. "He's waiting in the main room. I'm going to go wake up Dean. I'm sure he'll want to hear about what Spike's got to say."
Nodding quickly, Chloe headed down the hallway to find Spike looking pissed off as he stood in the middle of her living room. "What's going on?"
He glowered. "You've known them two days and they're living with you?"
She shot him a look that clearly said to shut up.
Sam quickly opened Dean's room without hesitation and kicked the end of the bed. "Wake up, Dean," he said flatly, noticing his brother was twisting in his sleep, as if suffering from the same nightmarish dreams Chloe had.
The bed moving was the last thing Dean expected. He literally jumped out of bed, clad only in a pair of sweats, his fists raised as if to fight. It was then he realized he'd been asleep and Sam was in the room. "Sam?" he said groggily, shaking his head to clear his mind. "What--"
"Spike's here," Sam replied. "Put some clothes on and get your ass out into the front. I think there's trouble." Without hesitating, Dean grabbed a t-shirt and put it on as he followed his brother into the living room.
"About bloody time," Spike complained, glaring at the two guys.
Chloe shot him another look. "What's going on?"
He focused his gaze on her. "Two kids at Bluff Point dead. Looks like it was our buddy Jack," he told her.
She closed her eyes for a moment. "What makes you think it was Jack?"
"Same kind of wounds as..." He motioned to her vaguely.
Dean glared at Spike as if he could stake this guy at any second. "You mean, impalement?" he said sharply.
Sam looked at Dean, then at Chloe and finally at Spike. "Did you see Jack, Spike?" he asked flatly.
Spike's gaze remained focused on Chloe. "Didn't have to."
Chloe drew in a breath and turned to head for her bedroom once more.
"Right," Dean said, watching Chloe leave the room. He knew she was getting ready to go hunt this thing, and he'd be damned if they weren't going along. "Sammy, get dressed. We're going out." Sam nodded silently and headed for the bathroom to change.
Moments later Chloe reappeared in a black shirt, a pair of jeans, and her hair tied back into a ponytail. She was carrying a battle axe in one hand and a flare gun in the other. She tucked the gun into her jeans. "Let's go," she said to Spike.
He nodded, leading the way to the door.
Sam re-appeared in time to grab his weapons and shove them into his jacket, just as Dean had already done. Both their faces looked grim as they followed Chloe and Spike out the door and down the stairs. Though they had been searching for the demon that had killed their mother and had fought way too many kinds of creatures, the fact that this one seemed un-killable was just a little intense for both of them. Though Dean would die before admitting that to anyone.
"I take it we're heading to where this thing was last seen?" Dean asked Spike, trying to keep his tone even and low.
"He's a bloody genius, that one," Spike said to Chloe wryly.
"Spike." Her voice had a touch of warning.
"Oh, let him gush with the compliments," Dean said casually. "It'll just be that much more fun when I stake his sorry ass."
Sam looked at Spike, slightly shocked by his brother's words. "Wait, you're a vampire? Damn, no wonder you're so cold. Literally. No offense." He looked at Chloe and smiled a little at his words, not wanting to be the focus of Spike's glare, which was on Dean at the moment.
Chloe shot Sam an amused look and shook her head slightly.
"That's right, I'm a vampire," Spike said, smirking. "I'm surprised the poof didn't tell you earlier."
"Poof?" Sam said, looking at Chloe with an equally amused look as he noticed his brother shoot Spike a go to hell look.
"Keep it up, Fang Boy," Dean retorted. "After I'm through smashing this Jack thing to pieces, you'll be lucky if I don't come after you." He glanced sideways at Chloe, who walked beside Spike in what he thought was an amicable pose and sighed in frustration. Damn, he did not need the distraction she created right now, he thought miserably.
"He's British," she told Sam with a wink.
"Gotcha," Sam said in response, having noticed the slang in his voice. "So I guess being called a poof is a bad thing?" He grinned at Dean, having realized he hated the word and thinking how nice it would be to use it in the future.
Spike smirked in response.
Chloe rolled her eyes. All the testosterone was making her wish Lois was there to help balance things out a little. She sighed softly at the thought of her cousin, quickly pushed her from her mind, and focused on the task at hand.
They walked along the sidewalk for several minutes in silence, each seeming to be in their own little world. Sam kept watching Dean, who was watching Chloe and Spike a few paces in front of them, a persistent look of resentment and hated on his face. "Hey, better tone down the jealous look," Sam whispered to Dean. "Now's not the time, man."
"Like I don't know that, dude," Dean retorted softly, letting out a frustrated breath. "What do you think these two have going on, though?" He motioned slightly to Chloe and Spike.
"Uh, nothing, brother," Sam replied, amused Dean would even ask such a question. "They're friends, can't you see that? Oh wait, you're too jealous to bother with friendship."
Dean punched Sam in the arm and said nothing in response. Instead he called out, "How far is this place?"
"About a mile more," Chloe told him, glancing at him sideways and shooting him a questioning look.
Dean didn't miss the look she threw him and hoped she hadn't heard Sam's comments to him. He shrugged and said, "Okay." He resumed the dark look on his face and spoke nothing more.
"So Spike," Sam said, trying to get more information about the demon, "we know this thing can fly. What else can it do? Aside from being really strong?"
"Breathes flames," Spike informed him. "Nasty set of claws and teeth. Isn't scared of..." He glanced at Chloe sideways. "Anything."
She smiled grimly, gripping more tightly onto her axe.
"Great," Dean muttered in response. "Where's my suit of armor? I'll just go change into that to fight this thing."
"Dean, shut up," Sam snapped, his face filled with worry and concern. "This isn't funny. It almost killed Chloe, dude. What do you think it will do to us?"
Dean said nothing in response, because he was thinking the same thing. How could he possibly protect Chloe when he was so vulnerable to this creature's abilities? Maybe Chloe was right. Maybe --
"Damn, should have brought an extra sword or something," Sam muttered to himself. "Don't know if my gun's gonna cut it this time."
"Nothing's going to happen to any of you," Chloe said firmly, walking slightly ahead of the group as they approached Bluff's Point. Feeling slightly ill as she spotted the bodies of the two teens, she held her breath and knelt down on the ground beside them. One was a young female, the other a boy about her age. "Probably came here on a date," she whispered, closing her eyes as the weight of it settled upon her.
"Jesus," Dean swore under his breath. Their bodies had been mangled, like they had been ripped apart. Sam looked like he was going to puke, so he turned his head away, but Dean crouched down for a closer look. "I don't think they were killed here," he said after a moment. "Looks like they might have been dropped here. I mean if the thing can fly..."
"Goddammit," Chloe said under her breath as fury raced through her. Without warning, she flung her axe into the tree where the blade embedded deeply into it. She turned away from everyone, staring out over the Point, trembling slightly.
Spike watched her outburst with silence, having seen similar things with Buffy.
Dean didn't hesitate but moved quickly to Chloe's side, turning her to make her look at him. "Hey, we'll get this thing, okay?" He felt her trembling with hatred, knowing she probably blamed herself for the deaths of these two people. "I'd say it's not your fault, but you're probably going to disagree with me."
Sam, not looking at the bodies, walked over to Spike and whispered, "Does this happen with Slayers a lot?"
He looked at Sam with a grim, smile, his eyes dark with a pain he usually kept hidden away carefully. "Weight of the world," he murmured, watching Chloe.
"I should've been here," she whispered.
"And what?" Dean demanded harshly. "Gotten yourself killed in the process? What would that have served? Besides, even if you were right here, they would already have been dead. Jack killed them somewhere else. There's not enough blood to indicate they were murdered here." He gripped her arms tightly, not letting her go though she struggled against him.
"If I'm not saving lives then why the hell was I chosen for this?" she demanded harshly, tears stinging her eyes.
Dean understood her question and despair all too well. He looked back at Sam, standing beside Spike, whose life he had saved more often than he could count. And even though they had lost innocent people along the way, he knew that what they did had a purpose of some kind. Chloe had just not realized that yet. "You were chosen to fight the demons that do this," he replied, nodding to the bodies. "There's going to be causalities along the way, Chloe. Sam and I have seen that in our hunts."
Sam nodded in agreement. "He's right, Chloe. Listen to him for a change. Might never happen again." Sam smirked, noticing Spike smile at his jab at Dean. Dean just glared at Sam for a moment.
"It's different for Slayers, isn't it, Pet?" Spike's voice was quiet. "But they're right. You can't save everyone. No one can."
Dean looked sideways at Spike. "Billy Idol over there is right," he said softly, hating the fact that he agreed with Spike. "It's part of the job. I hope you can learn to accept that in time." The urge to kiss her was very strong, to the point where he wouldn’t have cared who looked on. He backed up and let her go, knowing if he didn't, he wouldn't be responsible for his actions.
Chloe shut her eyes for a long moment, then opened them once more, moving to the tree and yanking the axe from the bark effortlessly. "I'm gonna kill this thing," she whispered with a fiery determination in her eyes. Without waiting for a response, she headed back the way they'd come.
Dean wordlessly followed her, not sure where she was headed but determined to follow her wherever she was headed.
Sam stood with Spike, watching the two of them take off. "You think she's going to try to backtrack to where the demon came from?" he asked uncertainly. He understood too well the helplessness that came with knowing there's nothing you can do sometimes.
"She's going back to her apartment," Spike told him.
"Great," Sam said as they began to retrace their steps. "She can beat herself up more at home. That's good," he said sarcastically.
Meanwhile, Dean was actually having a hard time keeping up with Chloe's fast-paced walk. "You looking for a fight? I'm sure we can find something for you to take your self-loathing out on before sunrise."
"I'm fine," she said tensely, not looking at him.
Spike kept pace with Sam a few feet behind Dean and Chloe, lighting a cigarette and putting it to his lips and taking a long drag off it. "She's going to consult her database to track it." Exhaling the smoke, he looked at Sam. "Her research skills are top-notch. Almost as good as her Slaying skills."
"Yeah, I've taken a look at the database she created to track the demons she comes across," Sam replied, keeping pace with Spike. "It's quite impressive. I've spent a lot of time adding the mountain of information our father gave us, and I'm beginning to see a pattern between the two sources of information." He saw Spike look at him in a little surprise and shrugged. "It's just that, we all seem to be killing similar creatures in similar places...." Sam stopped talking as an idea came to him.
Ahead of his brother, Dean glared at Chloe as they barreled back to her apartment. "Bullshit, you're not. I can read it all over you," he snapped back, wanting to strangle her for being so damned testy.
"All I want is to find this thing and put it six feet under," she said through clenched teeth.
"What is it?" Spike asked, glancing sideways at Sam.
"I know that," Dean retorted hotly, "but you got an idea on how you're going to do that if you don't even know where it was or is going?" She kept her fast pace, making him feel like they were running a marathon.
A look of realization came over Sam's face as he looked at Spike. "I think I know why Dad sent us here. It's to help her." He motioned his hand to the quickly retreating figure before him, with his brother right beside her.
&&&&&&&
"Tell me again why he's staying here?" Dean demanded, watching Spike make himself way too comfortable on the couch, the blinds closed to keep out the sun.
"Dean, chill man," Sammy replied with a yawn. "Vampire, remember? He can't be out in the sun."
"Like I'm any happier about bein' here around you," Spike retorted, turning on the TV. "Now shut up, Passions is about to start."
Dean rolled his eyes. "Passions? You watch... a soap opera?" he snickered, trying hard not to laugh loudly. He looked over at Chloe, who once again was glaring at him. "What'd I do?" he asked mockingly.
"Shut up. Both of you. I'm trying to work," she snapped, glaring at both of them before turning back to her computer, her shoulders rigid.
Spike smirked at Dean and remained silent.
"Fine," Dean snapped back. "Sam and I are going out for supplies. If we're going to stay here, we'll eat you out of house and home." He looked at Sam, who looked tired but amused. "You're coming with me, Sammy."
"Uh, okay," Sam replied, realizing he needed to talk to his brother anyway. "Chloe, we'll be back, ok? Make sure she gets some sleep," he said as he looked at Spike.
Spike nodded slightly but didn't look away from the television screen.
Not looking at Chloe or Spike, Dean stormed out of the apartment and raced down the stairs. He was waiting in the car for Sam, as he followed slowly behind, giving his brother some breathing room before he completely exploded.
"Sam, what the hell are we doing here?" Dean demanded as soon as Sam got into the passenger side. "This whole thing is just... insane."
"Actually, I think I have an answer to that," Sam admitted, glancing sideways at his brother. "I think Dad sent us here...to help Chloe."
Throwing the car into gear, they took off down the road to find a grocery store, Dean looked sideways at Sam. "Oh really? Help Blondie? Why, since she has such strong help already." He knew the harshness of his voice could've been heard a mile away, but he couldn't help it.
"Dude, would you knock it off already?" Sam rolled his eyes. "The jealous routine is already getting old, Dean."
"Jealous?" Dean snorted. "I'm not jealous. I just hate Spike..." Lame ass excuse, he realized, knowing his brother would see right through that.
"Riiiight. And that has nothing to do with the fact that he knows Chloe better than you do and he's back at her place right now while you're here in a car with me."
Dean sighed, turning into the nearest grocery store parking lot. He turned off the engine and sat back and sighed. "So how am I supposed to help her when... I like her, Sammy?" he asked softly.
Sam glanced at him. "That's your motivation to help her, Dean," he said just as softly.
"My motivation?" he asked, turning to look at his brother. "Oh, I'm motivated, alright... but for all the wrong reasons."
"So you're saying this is just a sex thing?" Sam challenged, raising his eyebrows.
"No, of course not," Dean snapped in response, surprising himself with his words. "It's much more than that, dammit. The way I feel about her..." He couldn't finish his statement, because he wasn't sure how deeply he felt about her.
"So you care about her, you like her...and you don't want her to get hurt, right?"
Dean nodded mutely in response, not trusting his voice to make anything other than un-manly sounding noises. Yes, he cared about Chloe more than he cared to admit. And so quickly, too... which scared him even more.
"Then your motivation to help her isn't wrong."
"Ok, whatever you say, little brother." Dean couldn't believe he was getting romance advice from Sammy, but shook his head and got out of the car. "Dude, you gonna help me get some stuff for Chloe's place?"
"And here I thought you just wanted to spend some quality time with me," he said mockingly as he climbed out of the car.
"This IS quality time," Dean snapped back. "Can't have that ... Spike there with Chloe and have quality time." With that, he headed into the store, hoping Sam would follow.
Sam rolled his eyes. When sarcasm was lost on his brother, he knew Dean was a goner.
Thirty minutes and five full bags later, Dean and Sam left the store, put the stuff in the back seat, and got into the Impala for Chloe's apartment. Dean screeched out of the parking lot, laughing at his ability to do that and not kill the tires. "So Sammy, you mentioned something about Dad sending us here to help Chloe?"
"That was a slow response time, even for you," he said with a smirk. Then he grew serious. "Well, it makes sense, doesn't it? I mean Dad's journal mentioned the Hellmouth and the Slayer..."
Dean threw a hateful look at Sam but nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it did, but how does that mean we're here to help her? And for how long? Maybe we need to help her catch this Jack character," he wondered.
"I don't know, Dean," he said, looking out the window. "I mean...there's a lot of trouble here. Can't you feel it, man?"
"Yes, I can," he replied solemnly. "Too much evil here. I have a feeling we'll be here for awhile." That thought made him smile a little too widely in response, just as they pulled into Chloe's apartment complex parking lot.
Sam couldn't help but smile at his brother's realization and he shook his head slightly before grabbing three of the bags and heading toward the building.
Dean saw the look on Sam's face and grimaced. He didn't know what was going to happen between Chloe and him, but he couldn't wait to find out. He practically bounded up the stairs to her apartment, Sam following behind him, though his entrance into her apartment was more subdued.
Chloe was nowhere to be seen when they entered, though Spike was still sitting on the sofa, flipping through the channels with boredom.
"Why, Spike," Dean said mockingly, "enjoyed your soap? Can't sleep? DO vamps get insomnia?" He put down the bags and looked around for Chloe, worried.
Sam rolled his eyes at his brother's remark and turned to Spike. "Where's Chloe? She sleeping?"
"She went out," he answered, ignoring Dean completely.
"Out?" Dean said, concerned and shocked. "Where did she go?" He looked at Sam, knowing she had gone out looking for Jack.
Spike didn't look up from the television. "To talk to people and try to track our pal Jack."
"Dammit, I knew she'd pull something like this," Dean muttered, wanting to punch a hole in the wall. "Sam, can you stay here and get as much information on Jack as you can? I'm going to look for her." Standing in front of the television, Dean stared at Spike. "Where'd she go, Spike? I know she told you something."
"Actually she didn't," he retorted.
Moving towards the door, Dean muttered, "Some Watcher you are, man."
Sam stopped Dean before he left. "Dude, you need to slow down and think for a second. She'll come back, okay?"
"You don't know that," Dean replied harshly, "and if Dad's right, she needs me out there. So LET ME GO."
Hearing the determination in his brother's voice, Sam let him go. "Ok, but if something happens, you better call me, ok?"
Nodding, he smiled slightly and went out the door, slamming it behind him. Sam grimaced but knew if anyone would help Chloe, it'd be Dean.
"He's an annoying poof," Spike grumbled.
Sam laughed a little. "You have no idea, man," he said as he put away the stuff they'd gotten from the store. "What is a poof, by the way?"
The soul-clad vampire simply laughed.
Authors: xtremeroswellia and clarksmuse
Rating: R to NC-17 for language and sexual scenes
Pairing: Chlean (Chloe/Dean) :D
Characters: multi-fandom -- Smallville, Supernatural, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Disclaimer: Neither of us own these characters. We're just borrowing them, so please don't sue!!
One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten | Eleven | Twelve | Thirteen | Fourteen | Fifteen | Sixteen A | Sixteen B | Seventeen | Eighteen | Cocnlusion
Chapter 5
Spike rapped loudly on Chloe Sullivan's doorway shortly before 4 in the morning, a grim expression on his face as he waited for her to answer.
The loud, insistent knocking at the door woke Sam up from a sound sleep. Of course, he would have to sleep on the cot, he thought, jealous of the guest room Dean was sleeping in. Rubbing his eyes and stumbling to the front door, he turned on the light and opened it. A pale yet tall blonde guy stood on the other end, the frown he'd been wearing growing darker at Sam's appearance. "Yes?" Sam asked when the stranger said nothing.
"Let me guess," Spike drawled. "Sam." He moved past him and into the apartment.
"Yes, I'm Sam," he replied, having no choice but to close the door behind him and face the stranger. "More to the point, who are you?"
"Spike," he said flatly, heading for the bedroom.
Spike. Great, Sam thought as he grabbed the other man before he could take another step towards Chloe's room. His arm was icy cold. "Whoa, there. Where the hell are you going and ... what's with your arm being so cold?"
"I'm going to talk to the Slayer. We have trouble." Spike gave him the once over.
"Maybe," Sam retorted, "but I still don't see her being all happy over your waking her up. I'll do it." Sam brushed by Spike, ignoring the look he gave him as he walked down the hall to Chloe's room.
Chloe's sleep was a restless one. Her body was twisted up in the blankets, her breathing more rapid than a person's should be while sleeping. There was a pained expression on her face and her hands gripped tightly onto the pillow.
Sam lightly knocked on the door, hoping that would wake her up, but when he heard nothing, he cracked the door open and saw her in what looked like the middle of a bad dream, "Glad Dean isn't seeing this," he whispered to himself as he gently shook Chloe's shoulder.
"Chloe," he said a little louder. "Wake up. Spike's here."
She sat up quickly, her eyes flying open, a startled expression on her face. "What's wrong?" she asked as she quickly untangled herself from the blankets and got to her feet, immediately on alert.
"I don't know," Sam whispered in response. "But he came walking in here like he owned the place, his face about as happy as someone at a funeral." He thumbed the door. "He's waiting in the main room. I'm going to go wake up Dean. I'm sure he'll want to hear about what Spike's got to say."
Nodding quickly, Chloe headed down the hallway to find Spike looking pissed off as he stood in the middle of her living room. "What's going on?"
He glowered. "You've known them two days and they're living with you?"
She shot him a look that clearly said to shut up.
Sam quickly opened Dean's room without hesitation and kicked the end of the bed. "Wake up, Dean," he said flatly, noticing his brother was twisting in his sleep, as if suffering from the same nightmarish dreams Chloe had.
The bed moving was the last thing Dean expected. He literally jumped out of bed, clad only in a pair of sweats, his fists raised as if to fight. It was then he realized he'd been asleep and Sam was in the room. "Sam?" he said groggily, shaking his head to clear his mind. "What--"
"Spike's here," Sam replied. "Put some clothes on and get your ass out into the front. I think there's trouble." Without hesitating, Dean grabbed a t-shirt and put it on as he followed his brother into the living room.
"About bloody time," Spike complained, glaring at the two guys.
Chloe shot him another look. "What's going on?"
He focused his gaze on her. "Two kids at Bluff Point dead. Looks like it was our buddy Jack," he told her.
She closed her eyes for a moment. "What makes you think it was Jack?"
"Same kind of wounds as..." He motioned to her vaguely.
Dean glared at Spike as if he could stake this guy at any second. "You mean, impalement?" he said sharply.
Sam looked at Dean, then at Chloe and finally at Spike. "Did you see Jack, Spike?" he asked flatly.
Spike's gaze remained focused on Chloe. "Didn't have to."
Chloe drew in a breath and turned to head for her bedroom once more.
"Right," Dean said, watching Chloe leave the room. He knew she was getting ready to go hunt this thing, and he'd be damned if they weren't going along. "Sammy, get dressed. We're going out." Sam nodded silently and headed for the bathroom to change.
Moments later Chloe reappeared in a black shirt, a pair of jeans, and her hair tied back into a ponytail. She was carrying a battle axe in one hand and a flare gun in the other. She tucked the gun into her jeans. "Let's go," she said to Spike.
He nodded, leading the way to the door.
Sam re-appeared in time to grab his weapons and shove them into his jacket, just as Dean had already done. Both their faces looked grim as they followed Chloe and Spike out the door and down the stairs. Though they had been searching for the demon that had killed their mother and had fought way too many kinds of creatures, the fact that this one seemed un-killable was just a little intense for both of them. Though Dean would die before admitting that to anyone.
"I take it we're heading to where this thing was last seen?" Dean asked Spike, trying to keep his tone even and low.
"He's a bloody genius, that one," Spike said to Chloe wryly.
"Spike." Her voice had a touch of warning.
"Oh, let him gush with the compliments," Dean said casually. "It'll just be that much more fun when I stake his sorry ass."
Sam looked at Spike, slightly shocked by his brother's words. "Wait, you're a vampire? Damn, no wonder you're so cold. Literally. No offense." He looked at Chloe and smiled a little at his words, not wanting to be the focus of Spike's glare, which was on Dean at the moment.
Chloe shot Sam an amused look and shook her head slightly.
"That's right, I'm a vampire," Spike said, smirking. "I'm surprised the poof didn't tell you earlier."
"Poof?" Sam said, looking at Chloe with an equally amused look as he noticed his brother shoot Spike a go to hell look.
"Keep it up, Fang Boy," Dean retorted. "After I'm through smashing this Jack thing to pieces, you'll be lucky if I don't come after you." He glanced sideways at Chloe, who walked beside Spike in what he thought was an amicable pose and sighed in frustration. Damn, he did not need the distraction she created right now, he thought miserably.
"He's British," she told Sam with a wink.
"Gotcha," Sam said in response, having noticed the slang in his voice. "So I guess being called a poof is a bad thing?" He grinned at Dean, having realized he hated the word and thinking how nice it would be to use it in the future.
Spike smirked in response.
Chloe rolled her eyes. All the testosterone was making her wish Lois was there to help balance things out a little. She sighed softly at the thought of her cousin, quickly pushed her from her mind, and focused on the task at hand.
They walked along the sidewalk for several minutes in silence, each seeming to be in their own little world. Sam kept watching Dean, who was watching Chloe and Spike a few paces in front of them, a persistent look of resentment and hated on his face. "Hey, better tone down the jealous look," Sam whispered to Dean. "Now's not the time, man."
"Like I don't know that, dude," Dean retorted softly, letting out a frustrated breath. "What do you think these two have going on, though?" He motioned slightly to Chloe and Spike.
"Uh, nothing, brother," Sam replied, amused Dean would even ask such a question. "They're friends, can't you see that? Oh wait, you're too jealous to bother with friendship."
Dean punched Sam in the arm and said nothing in response. Instead he called out, "How far is this place?"
"About a mile more," Chloe told him, glancing at him sideways and shooting him a questioning look.
Dean didn't miss the look she threw him and hoped she hadn't heard Sam's comments to him. He shrugged and said, "Okay." He resumed the dark look on his face and spoke nothing more.
"So Spike," Sam said, trying to get more information about the demon, "we know this thing can fly. What else can it do? Aside from being really strong?"
"Breathes flames," Spike informed him. "Nasty set of claws and teeth. Isn't scared of..." He glanced at Chloe sideways. "Anything."
She smiled grimly, gripping more tightly onto her axe.
"Great," Dean muttered in response. "Where's my suit of armor? I'll just go change into that to fight this thing."
"Dean, shut up," Sam snapped, his face filled with worry and concern. "This isn't funny. It almost killed Chloe, dude. What do you think it will do to us?"
Dean said nothing in response, because he was thinking the same thing. How could he possibly protect Chloe when he was so vulnerable to this creature's abilities? Maybe Chloe was right. Maybe --
"Damn, should have brought an extra sword or something," Sam muttered to himself. "Don't know if my gun's gonna cut it this time."
"Nothing's going to happen to any of you," Chloe said firmly, walking slightly ahead of the group as they approached Bluff's Point. Feeling slightly ill as she spotted the bodies of the two teens, she held her breath and knelt down on the ground beside them. One was a young female, the other a boy about her age. "Probably came here on a date," she whispered, closing her eyes as the weight of it settled upon her.
"Jesus," Dean swore under his breath. Their bodies had been mangled, like they had been ripped apart. Sam looked like he was going to puke, so he turned his head away, but Dean crouched down for a closer look. "I don't think they were killed here," he said after a moment. "Looks like they might have been dropped here. I mean if the thing can fly..."
"Goddammit," Chloe said under her breath as fury raced through her. Without warning, she flung her axe into the tree where the blade embedded deeply into it. She turned away from everyone, staring out over the Point, trembling slightly.
Spike watched her outburst with silence, having seen similar things with Buffy.
Dean didn't hesitate but moved quickly to Chloe's side, turning her to make her look at him. "Hey, we'll get this thing, okay?" He felt her trembling with hatred, knowing she probably blamed herself for the deaths of these two people. "I'd say it's not your fault, but you're probably going to disagree with me."
Sam, not looking at the bodies, walked over to Spike and whispered, "Does this happen with Slayers a lot?"
He looked at Sam with a grim, smile, his eyes dark with a pain he usually kept hidden away carefully. "Weight of the world," he murmured, watching Chloe.
"I should've been here," she whispered.
"And what?" Dean demanded harshly. "Gotten yourself killed in the process? What would that have served? Besides, even if you were right here, they would already have been dead. Jack killed them somewhere else. There's not enough blood to indicate they were murdered here." He gripped her arms tightly, not letting her go though she struggled against him.
"If I'm not saving lives then why the hell was I chosen for this?" she demanded harshly, tears stinging her eyes.
Dean understood her question and despair all too well. He looked back at Sam, standing beside Spike, whose life he had saved more often than he could count. And even though they had lost innocent people along the way, he knew that what they did had a purpose of some kind. Chloe had just not realized that yet. "You were chosen to fight the demons that do this," he replied, nodding to the bodies. "There's going to be causalities along the way, Chloe. Sam and I have seen that in our hunts."
Sam nodded in agreement. "He's right, Chloe. Listen to him for a change. Might never happen again." Sam smirked, noticing Spike smile at his jab at Dean. Dean just glared at Sam for a moment.
"It's different for Slayers, isn't it, Pet?" Spike's voice was quiet. "But they're right. You can't save everyone. No one can."
Dean looked sideways at Spike. "Billy Idol over there is right," he said softly, hating the fact that he agreed with Spike. "It's part of the job. I hope you can learn to accept that in time." The urge to kiss her was very strong, to the point where he wouldn’t have cared who looked on. He backed up and let her go, knowing if he didn't, he wouldn't be responsible for his actions.
Chloe shut her eyes for a long moment, then opened them once more, moving to the tree and yanking the axe from the bark effortlessly. "I'm gonna kill this thing," she whispered with a fiery determination in her eyes. Without waiting for a response, she headed back the way they'd come.
Dean wordlessly followed her, not sure where she was headed but determined to follow her wherever she was headed.
Sam stood with Spike, watching the two of them take off. "You think she's going to try to backtrack to where the demon came from?" he asked uncertainly. He understood too well the helplessness that came with knowing there's nothing you can do sometimes.
"She's going back to her apartment," Spike told him.
"Great," Sam said as they began to retrace their steps. "She can beat herself up more at home. That's good," he said sarcastically.
Meanwhile, Dean was actually having a hard time keeping up with Chloe's fast-paced walk. "You looking for a fight? I'm sure we can find something for you to take your self-loathing out on before sunrise."
"I'm fine," she said tensely, not looking at him.
Spike kept pace with Sam a few feet behind Dean and Chloe, lighting a cigarette and putting it to his lips and taking a long drag off it. "She's going to consult her database to track it." Exhaling the smoke, he looked at Sam. "Her research skills are top-notch. Almost as good as her Slaying skills."
"Yeah, I've taken a look at the database she created to track the demons she comes across," Sam replied, keeping pace with Spike. "It's quite impressive. I've spent a lot of time adding the mountain of information our father gave us, and I'm beginning to see a pattern between the two sources of information." He saw Spike look at him in a little surprise and shrugged. "It's just that, we all seem to be killing similar creatures in similar places...." Sam stopped talking as an idea came to him.
Ahead of his brother, Dean glared at Chloe as they barreled back to her apartment. "Bullshit, you're not. I can read it all over you," he snapped back, wanting to strangle her for being so damned testy.
"All I want is to find this thing and put it six feet under," she said through clenched teeth.
"What is it?" Spike asked, glancing sideways at Sam.
"I know that," Dean retorted hotly, "but you got an idea on how you're going to do that if you don't even know where it was or is going?" She kept her fast pace, making him feel like they were running a marathon.
A look of realization came over Sam's face as he looked at Spike. "I think I know why Dad sent us here. It's to help her." He motioned his hand to the quickly retreating figure before him, with his brother right beside her.
&&&&&&&
"Tell me again why he's staying here?" Dean demanded, watching Spike make himself way too comfortable on the couch, the blinds closed to keep out the sun.
"Dean, chill man," Sammy replied with a yawn. "Vampire, remember? He can't be out in the sun."
"Like I'm any happier about bein' here around you," Spike retorted, turning on the TV. "Now shut up, Passions is about to start."
Dean rolled his eyes. "Passions? You watch... a soap opera?" he snickered, trying hard not to laugh loudly. He looked over at Chloe, who once again was glaring at him. "What'd I do?" he asked mockingly.
"Shut up. Both of you. I'm trying to work," she snapped, glaring at both of them before turning back to her computer, her shoulders rigid.
Spike smirked at Dean and remained silent.
"Fine," Dean snapped back. "Sam and I are going out for supplies. If we're going to stay here, we'll eat you out of house and home." He looked at Sam, who looked tired but amused. "You're coming with me, Sammy."
"Uh, okay," Sam replied, realizing he needed to talk to his brother anyway. "Chloe, we'll be back, ok? Make sure she gets some sleep," he said as he looked at Spike.
Spike nodded slightly but didn't look away from the television screen.
Not looking at Chloe or Spike, Dean stormed out of the apartment and raced down the stairs. He was waiting in the car for Sam, as he followed slowly behind, giving his brother some breathing room before he completely exploded.
"Sam, what the hell are we doing here?" Dean demanded as soon as Sam got into the passenger side. "This whole thing is just... insane."
"Actually, I think I have an answer to that," Sam admitted, glancing sideways at his brother. "I think Dad sent us here...to help Chloe."
Throwing the car into gear, they took off down the road to find a grocery store, Dean looked sideways at Sam. "Oh really? Help Blondie? Why, since she has such strong help already." He knew the harshness of his voice could've been heard a mile away, but he couldn't help it.
"Dude, would you knock it off already?" Sam rolled his eyes. "The jealous routine is already getting old, Dean."
"Jealous?" Dean snorted. "I'm not jealous. I just hate Spike..." Lame ass excuse, he realized, knowing his brother would see right through that.
"Riiiight. And that has nothing to do with the fact that he knows Chloe better than you do and he's back at her place right now while you're here in a car with me."
Dean sighed, turning into the nearest grocery store parking lot. He turned off the engine and sat back and sighed. "So how am I supposed to help her when... I like her, Sammy?" he asked softly.
Sam glanced at him. "That's your motivation to help her, Dean," he said just as softly.
"My motivation?" he asked, turning to look at his brother. "Oh, I'm motivated, alright... but for all the wrong reasons."
"So you're saying this is just a sex thing?" Sam challenged, raising his eyebrows.
"No, of course not," Dean snapped in response, surprising himself with his words. "It's much more than that, dammit. The way I feel about her..." He couldn't finish his statement, because he wasn't sure how deeply he felt about her.
"So you care about her, you like her...and you don't want her to get hurt, right?"
Dean nodded mutely in response, not trusting his voice to make anything other than un-manly sounding noises. Yes, he cared about Chloe more than he cared to admit. And so quickly, too... which scared him even more.
"Then your motivation to help her isn't wrong."
"Ok, whatever you say, little brother." Dean couldn't believe he was getting romance advice from Sammy, but shook his head and got out of the car. "Dude, you gonna help me get some stuff for Chloe's place?"
"And here I thought you just wanted to spend some quality time with me," he said mockingly as he climbed out of the car.
"This IS quality time," Dean snapped back. "Can't have that ... Spike there with Chloe and have quality time." With that, he headed into the store, hoping Sam would follow.
Sam rolled his eyes. When sarcasm was lost on his brother, he knew Dean was a goner.
Thirty minutes and five full bags later, Dean and Sam left the store, put the stuff in the back seat, and got into the Impala for Chloe's apartment. Dean screeched out of the parking lot, laughing at his ability to do that and not kill the tires. "So Sammy, you mentioned something about Dad sending us here to help Chloe?"
"That was a slow response time, even for you," he said with a smirk. Then he grew serious. "Well, it makes sense, doesn't it? I mean Dad's journal mentioned the Hellmouth and the Slayer..."
Dean threw a hateful look at Sam but nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it did, but how does that mean we're here to help her? And for how long? Maybe we need to help her catch this Jack character," he wondered.
"I don't know, Dean," he said, looking out the window. "I mean...there's a lot of trouble here. Can't you feel it, man?"
"Yes, I can," he replied solemnly. "Too much evil here. I have a feeling we'll be here for awhile." That thought made him smile a little too widely in response, just as they pulled into Chloe's apartment complex parking lot.
Sam couldn't help but smile at his brother's realization and he shook his head slightly before grabbing three of the bags and heading toward the building.
Dean saw the look on Sam's face and grimaced. He didn't know what was going to happen between Chloe and him, but he couldn't wait to find out. He practically bounded up the stairs to her apartment, Sam following behind him, though his entrance into her apartment was more subdued.
Chloe was nowhere to be seen when they entered, though Spike was still sitting on the sofa, flipping through the channels with boredom.
"Why, Spike," Dean said mockingly, "enjoyed your soap? Can't sleep? DO vamps get insomnia?" He put down the bags and looked around for Chloe, worried.
Sam rolled his eyes at his brother's remark and turned to Spike. "Where's Chloe? She sleeping?"
"She went out," he answered, ignoring Dean completely.
"Out?" Dean said, concerned and shocked. "Where did she go?" He looked at Sam, knowing she had gone out looking for Jack.
Spike didn't look up from the television. "To talk to people and try to track our pal Jack."
"Dammit, I knew she'd pull something like this," Dean muttered, wanting to punch a hole in the wall. "Sam, can you stay here and get as much information on Jack as you can? I'm going to look for her." Standing in front of the television, Dean stared at Spike. "Where'd she go, Spike? I know she told you something."
"Actually she didn't," he retorted.
Moving towards the door, Dean muttered, "Some Watcher you are, man."
Sam stopped Dean before he left. "Dude, you need to slow down and think for a second. She'll come back, okay?"
"You don't know that," Dean replied harshly, "and if Dad's right, she needs me out there. So LET ME GO."
Hearing the determination in his brother's voice, Sam let him go. "Ok, but if something happens, you better call me, ok?"
Nodding, he smiled slightly and went out the door, slamming it behind him. Sam grimaced but knew if anyone would help Chloe, it'd be Dean.
"He's an annoying poof," Spike grumbled.
Sam laughed a little. "You have no idea, man," he said as he put away the stuff they'd gotten from the store. "What is a poof, by the way?"
The soul-clad vampire simply laughed.