Those Three Words (Eight/?)
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
It was nearly four AM before Dean and Chloe returned from their hunt, which mostly consisted of dusting a few vamps and a lot of talking. Dean never did find Sam, which secretly worried him, though he said little to Chloe on the subject. Better to not make her worry about more than she should, he thought with a yawn as they walked inside... to find Sam sitting in the dark, alive and alert.
"Sammy?" he asked, moving across the room. "Where the hell have you been?"
"Out, dude, like I said," he replied, not moving in the dark.
Dean sighed, clearly seeing his brother wasn't going to open up anymore for the night. "Fine. I'm getting some shuteye for a little while." He looked back at Chloe for a moment, then headed down the hall to the guest room.
"Goodnight, Dean," Chloe said softly, not bothering to turn on a light. She wasn't even close to being tired enough to sleep right then. She gazed at Sam in the darkness. "You hungry?"
Looking down at his hands, he nodded. When she said nothing, he realized she couldn't see him, so he said flatly, "Yes, I am a little. Need help with making something?"
"Sure, if you want to help out. Or we could order in. Whichever."
Standing, Sam walked into the kitchen and started rummaging through the refrigerator. "Considering me and Dean just bought a ton of food, let's just make something, if that's okay." He grabbed a couple containers of leftover spaghetti, trying to formulate the words he needed to say to her but not knowing how. Finally, he whispered, "I'm... sorry for earlier..."
Chloe glanced at him sideways, nodding slightly. "It's all right."
"No, it's not," Sam replied, dishing out the food onto dishes to stick into the microwave. "It's not my place to question your... friendship with my brother."
She leaned against the counter, gazing at him. "I kinda get the feeling there's more to it than that," she said quietly, not wanting to push him but sensing he needed to talk.
Sighing deeply, Sam decided to tell Chloe about Jess. His lost love. "You're right, Chloe. There is... much more than you know." He pulled his food out of the microwave and put hers in.
"You wanna talk about it?" she asked gently, putting a hand on his arm.
Sam laughed softly but bitterly. "Not really, but I'm going to tell you anyway." He sat down and played with his food for a moment. "I had a girlfriend. Jess. She was..." He took in another deep breath.
She watched him intently, listening as she sat beside him at the small table and waiting for him to continue.
"Jess was my college sweetheart, my life... until she died a year ago today." There, it was out, he thought.
Chloe closed her eyes. "God. I'm so sorry. I didn't... I didn't know."
Shaking his head, Sam replied, "No, you didn't know. It's not a big deal." He shrugged his shoulders, trying to shrug off his melancholy.
"It is a big deal," she whispered, opening her eyes to look at him once more. "How did she..."
"A demon," Sam whispered, shuddering at the memory of seeing her dead body burst into flames on the ceiling. "Some horrible bastard of a demon. The same one that killed my... mother."
Staring at him in shock, Chloe sat back in her chair. "Dean... told me about that," she whispered, feeling sick.
"I figured he did," Sam replied, knowing she and Dean had become very close very quickly. "I'm helping Dean hunt this thing because... well, I want revenge. Badly. And I was hoping that by today... we would have killed it." His appetite suddenly gone, he pushed his plate away from him and looked at Chloe.
Letting out a slow breath, she rested her elbows on the table and held his gaze. "What do you know about this demon?"
Sam tore his gaze away from Chloe's and stared at the ceiling. "You really want to know?"
"Yes," she said without hesitation.
Keeping his gaze on the ceiling, he replied, "Well, it kills pretty brutally. I found Jess on the ceiling... her body bloody... and then she burst into flames. Burned the apartment down." Even as he spoke the words, he smelled the smoke, acid in his nostrils, and shuddered.
"God," she whispered, wrapping her arms around herself. "I'm assuming...it was the same with..." She bit her lip.
Sam nodded, not able to speak about his mother. "I was a baby when... so I don't remember. Dean does, though." He looked at Chloe. "You heard of this thing?"
"No," she admitted softly. "But I'm still pretty new at all this." She lowered her gaze to the table. "What else do you know?"
"I've added this to your database, but..." He paused for a moment, trying to find the words. "It targets certain... types of families... and it usually just kills mothers. It's sick."
"It sounds like you know why it targeted your family," she said, her eyebrows furrowing as she gazed at him.
Nodding, Sam pinched his nose with his fingers, as if to try to delay an oncoming headache. "I have... certain abilities. I see things, Chloe. The future. Things that could happen.... and it's my abilities that attracts this thing. So really it's my fault that Mom and Jess are dead." He sighed, his shoulders slumped in despair.
"Sam," she whispered in shock. "This isn't your fault."
Sam looked at Chloe and saw the concern in her eyes. "It is, Chloe. If I hadn't been born with this gift, Mom'd still be alive. Hell, if I hadn't have left Jess to go with Dean on that one hunt, she'd still be alive."
"Listen to me. You didn't ask for these abilities, Sam," she said, not realizing the irony of her own words. "And demons... don't need a reason to kill and do what they do. It's just their nature. You can't blame yourself for that."
"Yeah, you're right," he replied, smiling at her a little, as if he understood how her words could have applied to her own life. "It doesn't stop me from hating part of who I am, though. I guess... it's something I'll need to accept about me. Maybe. If the thing doesn't kill me first."
"That's not gonna happen," she said without hesitation, her voice firm.
Sighing, Sam stood up and, taking their plates, threw away their uneaten food. "I hope you're right, because Dean and I, we're not going to stop searching for this thing." Suddenly, Sam's idea of asking Chloe to come with them came to mind. Dean'll kill me, he thought, but... "You know, Dean was going to ask you this, but... I don't suppose you'd be willing or able to help us find this thing eventually, would you?"
"Count me in." Chloe rose to her feet, turning to face him.
"Are you serious?" Sam asked, blinking in surprise. "But what about this Hellmouth? I mean, wouldn't we have to help you destroy that thing first?" And how does that happen? he wondered.
She sighed softly. "The Hellmouth's been here since the beginning of time. It's not going anywhere. That doesn't mean I can't."
Sam turned to Chloe and smiled, the first genuine smile that reached his eyes all day. "Thanks," he said, "You have no idea how much Dean and I appreciate your help... especially Dean." He grinned mischievously at her questioning look.
She gave him a wry smile, but it faded slightly and she looked at the floor, letting out a breath. "We'll find this demon, Sam."
"I really hope we do, Chloe," he replied and enveloped her in a big hug of gratitude. "With your help? I know it'll happen."
She hugged him back, chuckling slightly. "God, I'm short."
Chuckling, he pulled away from her. "Nope, they just grow me tall where I come from. Dean apparently got the short genes." Suddenly his look grew serious. "Oh, by the way, don't tell Dean I've already asked you. I think he was looking forward to asking you himself."
"Oh, it's not just where you come from. But you're even taller than Clark and..." She froze as the name slipped past her lips and she swallowed hard. "Don't worry, I won't tell Dean."
"Good. Thanks... wait, who's Clark?" Sam asked, his mind wanting to ask a million questions just based on Chloe's grim reaction to that name.
She tried to smile and didn't quite manage it. "Someone from my past. No big thing," she said softly, moving around him.
Sam turned her around gently to face him. "Hang on a second," he said, giving her a sad smile. "Sounds like maybe you need to talk about this guy. Who is he?"
She drew in a breath and let it out slowly. "He was... my best friend for years. But things were complicated."
Sam nodded, comprehending much in that simple statement. "Complicated... as in only one of you being in love with the other one and no returned feelings in the end?"
Chloe raised her eyebrows. "Damn. You're good."
"You're as hard headed as my brother," he replied with a shrug, "so that makes you easy to read." Looking down at Chloe's slightly amused face, he asked, "Question is: was it you or him?"
"That didn't return the feelings?" At Sam's slight nod, she managed a faint bitter smile. "Him. What can I say? I'm just not Lana Lang."
"Lana... Lang?" Sam wanted to laugh out loud at the sound of her name. "Sounds like someone from a nursery rhyme or something." Seeing Chloe's crestfallen face, though, made him serious again. "I'm sorry, Chloe. He was a fool. A blind fool if he couldn't see how cool you are."
"Trust me, he wasn't blind. Lana... is one of those insanely pretty girls that all guys fall for. And it's worse because she's so damn sweet, it's hard to hate her."
"But what's sweet and insanely pretty if there isn't strength, power, and independence to back that up?" Sam immediately replied. "Plus you have a kick ass sense of humor, something I know someone in this apartment appreciates. Even if he won't publicly admit it."
A faint, sad smile tugged at her lips. "Maybe," she said softly.
Firmly grasping her shoulders, Sam looked into her eyes. "Yes," he replied. "That's a definite yes. Just... trust me on that. OK?"
"Thanks, Sam," Chloe murmured.
Nodding wordlessly, he noticed Chloe beginning to look really tired. Come to think about it, he was kind of tired too. "I'm glad we talked, but... I think you should probably get some sleep." He suppressed a yawn.
"You too." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "I have a feeling the Scoobies will be back bright and early."
Sam smiled in response to her token of friendship. "They're called the Scoobies?" he laughed gently. "Something tells me I have my work cut out for me, don't I?"
"I think we all do," she said wryly, chuckling.
"Sleep well, my friend," he whispered and hugged her quickly and tightly. "And thanks... for everything."
"You're welcome," she whispered back, hugging him tightly in return. "Get some rest."
Sam nodded, watching her walk to her bedroom and shut the door behind her. Yawning again, he found his blanket and scooted onto the pull-out cot that fit in the living room and instantly fell asleep, dreaming of nothing for once.
&&&
The next morning, Dean was up early enough to take a long hot shower to help ease the pain in his arm, which was healing nicely and was much less painful than yesterday. Grabbing a towel and realizing his clean clothes were in his room, he dried himself off, wrapped the towel around his waist and opened the door... and ran smack into Chloe, who had just padded out of her room.
"Uh, hey," he said, trying to ignore the look in her eyes as she looked at him.
Chloe was only half-awake until she literally ran into him. Involuntarily, her eyes swept over his mostly-naked body and she swallowed hard, waking up very quickly. She lifted her gaze to meet his, her cheeks slightly flushed. "Hey," she said back, aware of the warmth radiating from him.
Dean moved back a little awkwardly, grabbing a hold of his towel as he tried to ignore Chloe’s gaze on his naked chest. "Heh. Awkward much?" he asked, a wry smile on his face. He wasn't supposed to feel shy, he thought with a start. So, why feel that around her?
"Just a little," she said with a wry smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "I hope you didn't use all the hot water," she added, brushing against him as she moved around him and into the small bathroom.
He swallowed hard at the touch of her moving past him. Watching her try to get herself ready for a shower, he laughed a little. "No way, sweetheart," he chucked. "Though, just make sure you don't use all the cold water." He saw her pick up a bottle and threaten to hit him with it, to which he just winked and moved out of the doorway to change in his room.
More bemused than annoyed, Chloe shook her head and shut the door behind him as he left. She leaned against it for a moment, trying to figure out how she'd developed all these inexplicable feelings for him so damn fast. Of course, it hadn't taken her long to fall for Clark Kent either. Apparently she had a thing for hero types. Sighing softly, she moved away from the door and turned the shower on, shedding her clothes and taking a quick hot shower. No time to relax and enjoy it. Not when half of Sunnydale, California, was probably on their way to her apartment right then. She finished in record time, sliding a robe on and tying it at the waist before heading back to her room to get dressed.
Dean had quickly dressed and gotten up Sam, who looked like he could have slept through the day. "Come on, dude, get a move on," Dean said, hitting the side of the cot until his brother got up.
"Okay, okay," Sam grumbled. "Dean! Stop it, I'm up." He stumbled out of bed and rubbed his eyes over his face. "God, where's the caffeine? I need it today."
"There's the coffee pot, genius," Dean retorted, walking away and heading back down the hall. "Make it yourself." He headed towards his room to grab his jacket and ran into Chloe again. This time clad in nothing but a robe." Jesus," he murmured as he felt her body bump into his.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you did that on purpose," she said with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.
Holding up his hands in mock surrender, he put what he hoped was an innocent look on his face as he met her sparkling eyes. "What? Totally accidental," he replied. "Just had to... get my jacket."
"Uh-huh." Chloe smiled, leaning back against the wall.
His hands itching to pull her into an embrace, Dean reclined against the other side of the hall, directly across from her, and flashed his best grin at her. "OK, so if you don't believe me, then did I do this on purpose?" His eyes gave her the once-over, and he wondered how he had come to care of much for her.
She turned her head and glanced down the hallway. She could hear Sam in the kitchen moving around, but he was nowhere in sight. She knew what she wanted, but she was afraid to make the move. Reminding herself that she'd survived plenty of rejection in the past, she pushed herself away from the wall and moved so she was standing only inches away from him, gazing into his eyes.
Dean froze and wondered at her sudden aggressive motion, closing the gap between them. He hoped Sammy stayed in the kitchen, he thought as he looked into her eyes, which asked her a question he hoped she agreed with. His smile widened as he moved his arms to rest by his side.
Wordlessly, she stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his, sliding her hands up to rest against his chest as she kissed him, her eyes drifting shut and everything bad exiting her mind for the time being.
Wow. That was the only thing that ran through his mind as her sweet kiss nearly knocked him senseless. Kissing her back and letting her take the lead, he gently put his hands on her waist, squeezing her softly.
After a moment, the kiss ended and she rested her forehead against his, drawing in a slow breath. "Good morning," she whispered, then slowly pulled away from him and headed into her bedroom to get dressed.
Dean watched her walk away and shut the door, her eyes meeting his again as she closed herself in. "Damn," he muttered, "I could get used to that." Grinning because he knew she had seen right through him, he turned and walked back into the living room area, where Sam had finished the coffee and poured them each a cup.
"What's got you so happy?" Sam asked with a knowing smirk on his face.
Throwing his brother a look, Dean grabbed his mug and retorted, "What, I can't just be happy in the morning?"
Sam chuckled knowingly and was about to speak when they heard a loud knock on the door. Dean opened it to find Mr. Giles and his groupies on the other side.
"Please tell me there's coffee," Dawn mumbled as she followed the others into the small apartment.
Tara smiled. "I'll get some," she told her, heading for the kitchen, nodding slightly at Dean and then Sam as she moved past them and into the kitchen.
"Where's Spike?" Dawn glanced at Dean.
"Not here, I hope," Xander replied, looking around the room and looking happy at seeing the sunlight streaming into the large living room.
"You're in luck," Dean smirked. "Spike's probably holed up in that comfy crypt, sleeping like a little vampire baby." He shut the door behind the large group and walked down the hall and knocked on Chloe's door. "Chlo?" he asked, chuckling slightly. "Company's here, dear."
She opened the door a moment later, having changed into a black shirt and a pair of jeans. "Dear?" she repeated, a hint of teasing in her voice.
Leaning against the door jam, he cocked his head and grinned. "Well, with the kind of greeting I got this morning, I thought a little payback would be nice," he teased, his eyes twinkling at the memory of her kiss. "You coming? Looks like Mr. Giles has stuff to go through... or something."
She drew in a breath, feeling the seriousness of everything begin to weigh upon her once more. She nodded, touching his arm briefly on her way out the door and down the hall to meet the Scoobies once more. "Morning," she greeted everyone. "There's coffee in the kitchen." She moved over and sat down on the arm of the sofa beside Sam, who was sitting at the far end.
"Hey, Chlo," Sam said, smiling at her and noting the twinkle behind her serious look. "Sleep well?" He looked around at the rest of the people who sat or stood in her now crowded living room. "I was just meeting everyone."
"Slept fine. How about you?" she asked softly, resting a hand on his shoulder and studying him intently.
Smiling, he whispered, "Like a log, thanks to you."
Dean walked into the room and watched Sam and Chloe talking to each other, their postures suggesting some kind of friendship bonding thing. Good, he thought. They're friends. "So," he announced to everyone, rubbing his hands together, "What's up?"
Giles looked over at the eldest Winchester and smiled politely. "Plenty, apparently. I hear things were busy on patrol last night." He looked at Chloe, who had focused on him. "Good morning, Chloe."
"Good morning, Mr. Giles," she said politely, offering him a small smile. "And yeah, patrolling was very busy. Mostly vampires on our end," she said, nodding slightly toward Dean.
Dean nodded in agreement. "Nothing like wailing on vamps to make my night," he said, a contented smile on his face.
Xander looked at Dean, almost in horror. "Whoa, man. Taking your job seriously, are ya?"
Sam looked at Dean, clearly concerned. "Yeah, we're pretty serious about killing demons," he told Xander. "Sorry I wasn't around to help out."
Dean shrugged as if to say don't worry about it.
Standing beside Tara and sipping on her coffee, Willow looked at Chloe. "So, how many vamps did you come across? I think we must have dusted six in the cemetery we were at."
"Yeah, Spike's cemetery," Xander grumbled under his breath.
She glanced a Dean. "I think between the two of us we took out fifteen. Sound about right?"
"Somethin' like that," he replied seriously. "I lost count after ten. Never seen so damn many in my life." He looked at Sam, glad he had come back here safely with all the damage that had been done last night in the vampire community.
"I see," Giles replied solemnly, taking his glasses off and cleaning them. "Nearly twenty killed in one night. Something's going on."
"It's a hellmouth. Isn't there always something going on?" Dawn asked, shaking her head and eyeing Chloe warily.
"She's not wrong there," Chloe murmured in response.
"Yes, but clearly the forces of evil are gathering en masse here. I've not heard of vampires out in such large numbers in a long time." Not since the Master, he thought grimly. "Has there been any major killings you've done lately?" he asked Chloe.
Dean answered for her. "Oh yeah, Chloe and I killed that Jack thing two nights ago. Got the bleeding to show for it." He raised his bandaged arm.
"Jack thing?" Tara repeated uncertainly, glancing at Giles and shaking her head slightly.
"Springheel Jack," Chloe clarified. "Big flying demon, breathed fire, claws of steel."
"Oh," Willow said quietly, then got anxious suddenly. "Oh! They must know that the Slayer's in town. Why else would they gang up on her like they did?"
"Hey, if I recall, we were pretty ganged up on ourselves," Xander reminded her, making Tara smile a little.
"Yes, yes, we know all about the vampire that nearly ate you," Giles reminded him sternly, trying to get him to shut up.
Dean and Sam looked at each other, both of them amused at Giles's comment.
"They're testing her," Tara murmured, glancing at Chloe.
"Well, I've always done pretty well on tests," she joked feebly, ignoring the brief shot of fear that ran through her at the thought.
Dawn gazed at her silently, her brown eyes unreadable.
Feeling Chloe's fear, Dean's back went ramrod straight. "You tellin' me that this might happen for awhile?"
Willow looked at Dean, then Giles, uncertain on how to answer him.
Looking grim, Giles shook his head slightly. "It's a good possibility," he replied. "Best if we use whatever resources at hand to research ways to get through this."
"Tell me about the other hellmouth," Chloe said suddenly, surprising herself.
Giles took his glasses off his face again, this time leaving them off as he looked in Chloe's direction.
Sam looked at Xander and whispered, "Does he always take his glasses off?"
"Only when we're in trouble," Xander whispered back, wondering how Giles was going to explain Sunnydale to Chloe.
Giles gave the two young men a hard look before clearing his throat. "Yes, the Hellmouth. Well, it's much like the one here, only larger. It tends to attract really big evil. The kind of evil that wants to destroy the world... and the Slayer."
"Oh. Something to look forward to," Chloe mumbled. "Goodie." She let out a breath.
"Yes, living in Sunnydale has been a great deal of fun. Except for all those times we've all almost been killed by demons and vampires and each other," Anya said sarcastically.
"An, honey," Xander replied, squeezing her hand he'd been holding just a little tighter. "Shut up."
"Like I said," Giles replied, trying to reassure Chloe, "the Hellmouth here is smaller, so I don't think things will be as bad... here."
"So, we just go out and kill whatever evil's out there nightly until, what, we're all dead?" Dean replied with a hint of hardness in his voice.
"That's what a Slayer does," Dawn said, winding her arms around herself and turning to stare out the window.
Resting a hand on Dean's arm lightly, Chloe looked at Giles. "Is there a way to close it?"
Putting his glasses back on, Giles looked at Chloe seriously and shook his head. "Not that I know of. But that is something we can research," he replied, looking around at the people who'd come with him.
"Maybe Tara and I could find some kind of spell or ritual to close it," Willow said, looking over at Tara.
Tara nodded slightly, trying to look hopeful though she had her doubts.
"Why here?" Anya asked, looking at Chloe.
"I'm sorry?" She shook her head in confusion.
"There are Hellmouth's all over the US. Why did you choose to come to this one?" Off Xander's look, she pulled her hand away. "It's a valid question."
"But not necessarily one she wants to answer, hon," Xander replied, trying to give his fiancée a stern look.
Dean looked at Chloe, whose face had become quite pale at Anya's pointed, blatant question. He touched her arm gently in comfort, though sneaking an annoyed glare in Anya's direction.
"No, it's... it's a good question," Chloe said quietly, gazing at Anya. "Because it was farther from Kansas than the other Hellmouth's I knew about."
"You're from Kansas?" Tara offered her a small smile, attempting to divert the tenseness to a more relaxed atmosphere once more. "My mom was from Kansas."
She managed a faint smile.
"What part of Kansas?" Sam asked, wanting to help lighten the mood. "Me and Dean are from there."
Dean squeezed Chloe closer to him, silently telling her that her choice to come to Cleveland was fine.
"Topeka," Tara told him, smiling at him. "What about you?"
"Lawrence," Sam replied with a sad smile. "Haven't been there --."
"Yes, well, that's all very interesting," Giles suddenly interrupted, "but let's get back to the situation at hand, shall we?" He saw the look of surprise on Sam's face but ignored it. Best these two stay in ignorance of their roots, he thought, looking back to Chloe.
Curious, Xander suddenly asked, "So you basically chose Cleveland because it was... closer?"
"Farther," Chloe corrected him, not meeting his gaze. She knew after this, Dean was going to have questions. About why she wanted to get so far away from home. And she knew she owed him those answers. But it wasn't something she was looking forward to.
Dean felt Chloe stiffen beside him, and a myriad of questions ran through his mind. What was she running from? he wondered. Or was it a who? He hoped he would get to ask her his questions soon, but definitely not when all eyes were on her.
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
It was nearly four AM before Dean and Chloe returned from their hunt, which mostly consisted of dusting a few vamps and a lot of talking. Dean never did find Sam, which secretly worried him, though he said little to Chloe on the subject. Better to not make her worry about more than she should, he thought with a yawn as they walked inside... to find Sam sitting in the dark, alive and alert.
"Sammy?" he asked, moving across the room. "Where the hell have you been?"
"Out, dude, like I said," he replied, not moving in the dark.
Dean sighed, clearly seeing his brother wasn't going to open up anymore for the night. "Fine. I'm getting some shuteye for a little while." He looked back at Chloe for a moment, then headed down the hall to the guest room.
"Goodnight, Dean," Chloe said softly, not bothering to turn on a light. She wasn't even close to being tired enough to sleep right then. She gazed at Sam in the darkness. "You hungry?"
Looking down at his hands, he nodded. When she said nothing, he realized she couldn't see him, so he said flatly, "Yes, I am a little. Need help with making something?"
"Sure, if you want to help out. Or we could order in. Whichever."
Standing, Sam walked into the kitchen and started rummaging through the refrigerator. "Considering me and Dean just bought a ton of food, let's just make something, if that's okay." He grabbed a couple containers of leftover spaghetti, trying to formulate the words he needed to say to her but not knowing how. Finally, he whispered, "I'm... sorry for earlier..."
Chloe glanced at him sideways, nodding slightly. "It's all right."
"No, it's not," Sam replied, dishing out the food onto dishes to stick into the microwave. "It's not my place to question your... friendship with my brother."
She leaned against the counter, gazing at him. "I kinda get the feeling there's more to it than that," she said quietly, not wanting to push him but sensing he needed to talk.
Sighing deeply, Sam decided to tell Chloe about Jess. His lost love. "You're right, Chloe. There is... much more than you know." He pulled his food out of the microwave and put hers in.
"You wanna talk about it?" she asked gently, putting a hand on his arm.
Sam laughed softly but bitterly. "Not really, but I'm going to tell you anyway." He sat down and played with his food for a moment. "I had a girlfriend. Jess. She was..." He took in another deep breath.
She watched him intently, listening as she sat beside him at the small table and waiting for him to continue.
"Jess was my college sweetheart, my life... until she died a year ago today." There, it was out, he thought.
Chloe closed her eyes. "God. I'm so sorry. I didn't... I didn't know."
Shaking his head, Sam replied, "No, you didn't know. It's not a big deal." He shrugged his shoulders, trying to shrug off his melancholy.
"It is a big deal," she whispered, opening her eyes to look at him once more. "How did she..."
"A demon," Sam whispered, shuddering at the memory of seeing her dead body burst into flames on the ceiling. "Some horrible bastard of a demon. The same one that killed my... mother."
Staring at him in shock, Chloe sat back in her chair. "Dean... told me about that," she whispered, feeling sick.
"I figured he did," Sam replied, knowing she and Dean had become very close very quickly. "I'm helping Dean hunt this thing because... well, I want revenge. Badly. And I was hoping that by today... we would have killed it." His appetite suddenly gone, he pushed his plate away from him and looked at Chloe.
Letting out a slow breath, she rested her elbows on the table and held his gaze. "What do you know about this demon?"
Sam tore his gaze away from Chloe's and stared at the ceiling. "You really want to know?"
"Yes," she said without hesitation.
Keeping his gaze on the ceiling, he replied, "Well, it kills pretty brutally. I found Jess on the ceiling... her body bloody... and then she burst into flames. Burned the apartment down." Even as he spoke the words, he smelled the smoke, acid in his nostrils, and shuddered.
"God," she whispered, wrapping her arms around herself. "I'm assuming...it was the same with..." She bit her lip.
Sam nodded, not able to speak about his mother. "I was a baby when... so I don't remember. Dean does, though." He looked at Chloe. "You heard of this thing?"
"No," she admitted softly. "But I'm still pretty new at all this." She lowered her gaze to the table. "What else do you know?"
"I've added this to your database, but..." He paused for a moment, trying to find the words. "It targets certain... types of families... and it usually just kills mothers. It's sick."
"It sounds like you know why it targeted your family," she said, her eyebrows furrowing as she gazed at him.
Nodding, Sam pinched his nose with his fingers, as if to try to delay an oncoming headache. "I have... certain abilities. I see things, Chloe. The future. Things that could happen.... and it's my abilities that attracts this thing. So really it's my fault that Mom and Jess are dead." He sighed, his shoulders slumped in despair.
"Sam," she whispered in shock. "This isn't your fault."
Sam looked at Chloe and saw the concern in her eyes. "It is, Chloe. If I hadn't been born with this gift, Mom'd still be alive. Hell, if I hadn't have left Jess to go with Dean on that one hunt, she'd still be alive."
"Listen to me. You didn't ask for these abilities, Sam," she said, not realizing the irony of her own words. "And demons... don't need a reason to kill and do what they do. It's just their nature. You can't blame yourself for that."
"Yeah, you're right," he replied, smiling at her a little, as if he understood how her words could have applied to her own life. "It doesn't stop me from hating part of who I am, though. I guess... it's something I'll need to accept about me. Maybe. If the thing doesn't kill me first."
"That's not gonna happen," she said without hesitation, her voice firm.
Sighing, Sam stood up and, taking their plates, threw away their uneaten food. "I hope you're right, because Dean and I, we're not going to stop searching for this thing." Suddenly, Sam's idea of asking Chloe to come with them came to mind. Dean'll kill me, he thought, but... "You know, Dean was going to ask you this, but... I don't suppose you'd be willing or able to help us find this thing eventually, would you?"
"Count me in." Chloe rose to her feet, turning to face him.
"Are you serious?" Sam asked, blinking in surprise. "But what about this Hellmouth? I mean, wouldn't we have to help you destroy that thing first?" And how does that happen? he wondered.
She sighed softly. "The Hellmouth's been here since the beginning of time. It's not going anywhere. That doesn't mean I can't."
Sam turned to Chloe and smiled, the first genuine smile that reached his eyes all day. "Thanks," he said, "You have no idea how much Dean and I appreciate your help... especially Dean." He grinned mischievously at her questioning look.
She gave him a wry smile, but it faded slightly and she looked at the floor, letting out a breath. "We'll find this demon, Sam."
"I really hope we do, Chloe," he replied and enveloped her in a big hug of gratitude. "With your help? I know it'll happen."
She hugged him back, chuckling slightly. "God, I'm short."
Chuckling, he pulled away from her. "Nope, they just grow me tall where I come from. Dean apparently got the short genes." Suddenly his look grew serious. "Oh, by the way, don't tell Dean I've already asked you. I think he was looking forward to asking you himself."
"Oh, it's not just where you come from. But you're even taller than Clark and..." She froze as the name slipped past her lips and she swallowed hard. "Don't worry, I won't tell Dean."
"Good. Thanks... wait, who's Clark?" Sam asked, his mind wanting to ask a million questions just based on Chloe's grim reaction to that name.
She tried to smile and didn't quite manage it. "Someone from my past. No big thing," she said softly, moving around him.
Sam turned her around gently to face him. "Hang on a second," he said, giving her a sad smile. "Sounds like maybe you need to talk about this guy. Who is he?"
She drew in a breath and let it out slowly. "He was... my best friend for years. But things were complicated."
Sam nodded, comprehending much in that simple statement. "Complicated... as in only one of you being in love with the other one and no returned feelings in the end?"
Chloe raised her eyebrows. "Damn. You're good."
"You're as hard headed as my brother," he replied with a shrug, "so that makes you easy to read." Looking down at Chloe's slightly amused face, he asked, "Question is: was it you or him?"
"That didn't return the feelings?" At Sam's slight nod, she managed a faint bitter smile. "Him. What can I say? I'm just not Lana Lang."
"Lana... Lang?" Sam wanted to laugh out loud at the sound of her name. "Sounds like someone from a nursery rhyme or something." Seeing Chloe's crestfallen face, though, made him serious again. "I'm sorry, Chloe. He was a fool. A blind fool if he couldn't see how cool you are."
"Trust me, he wasn't blind. Lana... is one of those insanely pretty girls that all guys fall for. And it's worse because she's so damn sweet, it's hard to hate her."
"But what's sweet and insanely pretty if there isn't strength, power, and independence to back that up?" Sam immediately replied. "Plus you have a kick ass sense of humor, something I know someone in this apartment appreciates. Even if he won't publicly admit it."
A faint, sad smile tugged at her lips. "Maybe," she said softly.
Firmly grasping her shoulders, Sam looked into her eyes. "Yes," he replied. "That's a definite yes. Just... trust me on that. OK?"
"Thanks, Sam," Chloe murmured.
Nodding wordlessly, he noticed Chloe beginning to look really tired. Come to think about it, he was kind of tired too. "I'm glad we talked, but... I think you should probably get some sleep." He suppressed a yawn.
"You too." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "I have a feeling the Scoobies will be back bright and early."
Sam smiled in response to her token of friendship. "They're called the Scoobies?" he laughed gently. "Something tells me I have my work cut out for me, don't I?"
"I think we all do," she said wryly, chuckling.
"Sleep well, my friend," he whispered and hugged her quickly and tightly. "And thanks... for everything."
"You're welcome," she whispered back, hugging him tightly in return. "Get some rest."
Sam nodded, watching her walk to her bedroom and shut the door behind her. Yawning again, he found his blanket and scooted onto the pull-out cot that fit in the living room and instantly fell asleep, dreaming of nothing for once.
&&&
The next morning, Dean was up early enough to take a long hot shower to help ease the pain in his arm, which was healing nicely and was much less painful than yesterday. Grabbing a towel and realizing his clean clothes were in his room, he dried himself off, wrapped the towel around his waist and opened the door... and ran smack into Chloe, who had just padded out of her room.
"Uh, hey," he said, trying to ignore the look in her eyes as she looked at him.
Chloe was only half-awake until she literally ran into him. Involuntarily, her eyes swept over his mostly-naked body and she swallowed hard, waking up very quickly. She lifted her gaze to meet his, her cheeks slightly flushed. "Hey," she said back, aware of the warmth radiating from him.
Dean moved back a little awkwardly, grabbing a hold of his towel as he tried to ignore Chloe’s gaze on his naked chest. "Heh. Awkward much?" he asked, a wry smile on his face. He wasn't supposed to feel shy, he thought with a start. So, why feel that around her?
"Just a little," she said with a wry smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "I hope you didn't use all the hot water," she added, brushing against him as she moved around him and into the small bathroom.
He swallowed hard at the touch of her moving past him. Watching her try to get herself ready for a shower, he laughed a little. "No way, sweetheart," he chucked. "Though, just make sure you don't use all the cold water." He saw her pick up a bottle and threaten to hit him with it, to which he just winked and moved out of the doorway to change in his room.
More bemused than annoyed, Chloe shook her head and shut the door behind him as he left. She leaned against it for a moment, trying to figure out how she'd developed all these inexplicable feelings for him so damn fast. Of course, it hadn't taken her long to fall for Clark Kent either. Apparently she had a thing for hero types. Sighing softly, she moved away from the door and turned the shower on, shedding her clothes and taking a quick hot shower. No time to relax and enjoy it. Not when half of Sunnydale, California, was probably on their way to her apartment right then. She finished in record time, sliding a robe on and tying it at the waist before heading back to her room to get dressed.
Dean had quickly dressed and gotten up Sam, who looked like he could have slept through the day. "Come on, dude, get a move on," Dean said, hitting the side of the cot until his brother got up.
"Okay, okay," Sam grumbled. "Dean! Stop it, I'm up." He stumbled out of bed and rubbed his eyes over his face. "God, where's the caffeine? I need it today."
"There's the coffee pot, genius," Dean retorted, walking away and heading back down the hall. "Make it yourself." He headed towards his room to grab his jacket and ran into Chloe again. This time clad in nothing but a robe." Jesus," he murmured as he felt her body bump into his.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you did that on purpose," she said with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.
Holding up his hands in mock surrender, he put what he hoped was an innocent look on his face as he met her sparkling eyes. "What? Totally accidental," he replied. "Just had to... get my jacket."
"Uh-huh." Chloe smiled, leaning back against the wall.
His hands itching to pull her into an embrace, Dean reclined against the other side of the hall, directly across from her, and flashed his best grin at her. "OK, so if you don't believe me, then did I do this on purpose?" His eyes gave her the once-over, and he wondered how he had come to care of much for her.
She turned her head and glanced down the hallway. She could hear Sam in the kitchen moving around, but he was nowhere in sight. She knew what she wanted, but she was afraid to make the move. Reminding herself that she'd survived plenty of rejection in the past, she pushed herself away from the wall and moved so she was standing only inches away from him, gazing into his eyes.
Dean froze and wondered at her sudden aggressive motion, closing the gap between them. He hoped Sammy stayed in the kitchen, he thought as he looked into her eyes, which asked her a question he hoped she agreed with. His smile widened as he moved his arms to rest by his side.
Wordlessly, she stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his, sliding her hands up to rest against his chest as she kissed him, her eyes drifting shut and everything bad exiting her mind for the time being.
Wow. That was the only thing that ran through his mind as her sweet kiss nearly knocked him senseless. Kissing her back and letting her take the lead, he gently put his hands on her waist, squeezing her softly.
After a moment, the kiss ended and she rested her forehead against his, drawing in a slow breath. "Good morning," she whispered, then slowly pulled away from him and headed into her bedroom to get dressed.
Dean watched her walk away and shut the door, her eyes meeting his again as she closed herself in. "Damn," he muttered, "I could get used to that." Grinning because he knew she had seen right through him, he turned and walked back into the living room area, where Sam had finished the coffee and poured them each a cup.
"What's got you so happy?" Sam asked with a knowing smirk on his face.
Throwing his brother a look, Dean grabbed his mug and retorted, "What, I can't just be happy in the morning?"
Sam chuckled knowingly and was about to speak when they heard a loud knock on the door. Dean opened it to find Mr. Giles and his groupies on the other side.
"Please tell me there's coffee," Dawn mumbled as she followed the others into the small apartment.
Tara smiled. "I'll get some," she told her, heading for the kitchen, nodding slightly at Dean and then Sam as she moved past them and into the kitchen.
"Where's Spike?" Dawn glanced at Dean.
"Not here, I hope," Xander replied, looking around the room and looking happy at seeing the sunlight streaming into the large living room.
"You're in luck," Dean smirked. "Spike's probably holed up in that comfy crypt, sleeping like a little vampire baby." He shut the door behind the large group and walked down the hall and knocked on Chloe's door. "Chlo?" he asked, chuckling slightly. "Company's here, dear."
She opened the door a moment later, having changed into a black shirt and a pair of jeans. "Dear?" she repeated, a hint of teasing in her voice.
Leaning against the door jam, he cocked his head and grinned. "Well, with the kind of greeting I got this morning, I thought a little payback would be nice," he teased, his eyes twinkling at the memory of her kiss. "You coming? Looks like Mr. Giles has stuff to go through... or something."
She drew in a breath, feeling the seriousness of everything begin to weigh upon her once more. She nodded, touching his arm briefly on her way out the door and down the hall to meet the Scoobies once more. "Morning," she greeted everyone. "There's coffee in the kitchen." She moved over and sat down on the arm of the sofa beside Sam, who was sitting at the far end.
"Hey, Chlo," Sam said, smiling at her and noting the twinkle behind her serious look. "Sleep well?" He looked around at the rest of the people who sat or stood in her now crowded living room. "I was just meeting everyone."
"Slept fine. How about you?" she asked softly, resting a hand on his shoulder and studying him intently.
Smiling, he whispered, "Like a log, thanks to you."
Dean walked into the room and watched Sam and Chloe talking to each other, their postures suggesting some kind of friendship bonding thing. Good, he thought. They're friends. "So," he announced to everyone, rubbing his hands together, "What's up?"
Giles looked over at the eldest Winchester and smiled politely. "Plenty, apparently. I hear things were busy on patrol last night." He looked at Chloe, who had focused on him. "Good morning, Chloe."
"Good morning, Mr. Giles," she said politely, offering him a small smile. "And yeah, patrolling was very busy. Mostly vampires on our end," she said, nodding slightly toward Dean.
Dean nodded in agreement. "Nothing like wailing on vamps to make my night," he said, a contented smile on his face.
Xander looked at Dean, almost in horror. "Whoa, man. Taking your job seriously, are ya?"
Sam looked at Dean, clearly concerned. "Yeah, we're pretty serious about killing demons," he told Xander. "Sorry I wasn't around to help out."
Dean shrugged as if to say don't worry about it.
Standing beside Tara and sipping on her coffee, Willow looked at Chloe. "So, how many vamps did you come across? I think we must have dusted six in the cemetery we were at."
"Yeah, Spike's cemetery," Xander grumbled under his breath.
She glanced a Dean. "I think between the two of us we took out fifteen. Sound about right?"
"Somethin' like that," he replied seriously. "I lost count after ten. Never seen so damn many in my life." He looked at Sam, glad he had come back here safely with all the damage that had been done last night in the vampire community.
"I see," Giles replied solemnly, taking his glasses off and cleaning them. "Nearly twenty killed in one night. Something's going on."
"It's a hellmouth. Isn't there always something going on?" Dawn asked, shaking her head and eyeing Chloe warily.
"She's not wrong there," Chloe murmured in response.
"Yes, but clearly the forces of evil are gathering en masse here. I've not heard of vampires out in such large numbers in a long time." Not since the Master, he thought grimly. "Has there been any major killings you've done lately?" he asked Chloe.
Dean answered for her. "Oh yeah, Chloe and I killed that Jack thing two nights ago. Got the bleeding to show for it." He raised his bandaged arm.
"Jack thing?" Tara repeated uncertainly, glancing at Giles and shaking her head slightly.
"Springheel Jack," Chloe clarified. "Big flying demon, breathed fire, claws of steel."
"Oh," Willow said quietly, then got anxious suddenly. "Oh! They must know that the Slayer's in town. Why else would they gang up on her like they did?"
"Hey, if I recall, we were pretty ganged up on ourselves," Xander reminded her, making Tara smile a little.
"Yes, yes, we know all about the vampire that nearly ate you," Giles reminded him sternly, trying to get him to shut up.
Dean and Sam looked at each other, both of them amused at Giles's comment.
"They're testing her," Tara murmured, glancing at Chloe.
"Well, I've always done pretty well on tests," she joked feebly, ignoring the brief shot of fear that ran through her at the thought.
Dawn gazed at her silently, her brown eyes unreadable.
Feeling Chloe's fear, Dean's back went ramrod straight. "You tellin' me that this might happen for awhile?"
Willow looked at Dean, then Giles, uncertain on how to answer him.
Looking grim, Giles shook his head slightly. "It's a good possibility," he replied. "Best if we use whatever resources at hand to research ways to get through this."
"Tell me about the other hellmouth," Chloe said suddenly, surprising herself.
Giles took his glasses off his face again, this time leaving them off as he looked in Chloe's direction.
Sam looked at Xander and whispered, "Does he always take his glasses off?"
"Only when we're in trouble," Xander whispered back, wondering how Giles was going to explain Sunnydale to Chloe.
Giles gave the two young men a hard look before clearing his throat. "Yes, the Hellmouth. Well, it's much like the one here, only larger. It tends to attract really big evil. The kind of evil that wants to destroy the world... and the Slayer."
"Oh. Something to look forward to," Chloe mumbled. "Goodie." She let out a breath.
"Yes, living in Sunnydale has been a great deal of fun. Except for all those times we've all almost been killed by demons and vampires and each other," Anya said sarcastically.
"An, honey," Xander replied, squeezing her hand he'd been holding just a little tighter. "Shut up."
"Like I said," Giles replied, trying to reassure Chloe, "the Hellmouth here is smaller, so I don't think things will be as bad... here."
"So, we just go out and kill whatever evil's out there nightly until, what, we're all dead?" Dean replied with a hint of hardness in his voice.
"That's what a Slayer does," Dawn said, winding her arms around herself and turning to stare out the window.
Resting a hand on Dean's arm lightly, Chloe looked at Giles. "Is there a way to close it?"
Putting his glasses back on, Giles looked at Chloe seriously and shook his head. "Not that I know of. But that is something we can research," he replied, looking around at the people who'd come with him.
"Maybe Tara and I could find some kind of spell or ritual to close it," Willow said, looking over at Tara.
Tara nodded slightly, trying to look hopeful though she had her doubts.
"Why here?" Anya asked, looking at Chloe.
"I'm sorry?" She shook her head in confusion.
"There are Hellmouth's all over the US. Why did you choose to come to this one?" Off Xander's look, she pulled her hand away. "It's a valid question."
"But not necessarily one she wants to answer, hon," Xander replied, trying to give his fiancée a stern look.
Dean looked at Chloe, whose face had become quite pale at Anya's pointed, blatant question. He touched her arm gently in comfort, though sneaking an annoyed glare in Anya's direction.
"No, it's... it's a good question," Chloe said quietly, gazing at Anya. "Because it was farther from Kansas than the other Hellmouth's I knew about."
"You're from Kansas?" Tara offered her a small smile, attempting to divert the tenseness to a more relaxed atmosphere once more. "My mom was from Kansas."
She managed a faint smile.
"What part of Kansas?" Sam asked, wanting to help lighten the mood. "Me and Dean are from there."
Dean squeezed Chloe closer to him, silently telling her that her choice to come to Cleveland was fine.
"Topeka," Tara told him, smiling at him. "What about you?"
"Lawrence," Sam replied with a sad smile. "Haven't been there --."
"Yes, well, that's all very interesting," Giles suddenly interrupted, "but let's get back to the situation at hand, shall we?" He saw the look of surprise on Sam's face but ignored it. Best these two stay in ignorance of their roots, he thought, looking back to Chloe.
Curious, Xander suddenly asked, "So you basically chose Cleveland because it was... closer?"
"Farther," Chloe corrected him, not meeting his gaze. She knew after this, Dean was going to have questions. About why she wanted to get so far away from home. And she knew she owed him those answers. But it wasn't something she was looking forward to.
Dean felt Chloe stiffen beside him, and a myriad of questions ran through his mind. What was she running from? he wondered. Or was it a who? He hoped he would get to ask her his questions soon, but definitely not when all eyes were on her.