SPN/SV Fic: How to Save a Life (3/?)
Title: How to Save a Life
Authors: X_tremeroswellian and Did_It_Once
Disclaimer: Not ours. Don’t sue. Thanks.
Rating: R for language and violence.
Author’s Note: This story follows two others, the first titled, “Everything Will Be…” and the second, “Sweet Sacrifice.” If you haven’t read those, you’ll be lost with this one. The previous can be found here:
Everything Will Be...
One | Two | Three | Four and Five | Six | Conclusion
and:
Sweet Sacrifice--Sequel to Everything Will Be...
One | Two | Three | Four | Five Six-Eight | Conclusion
Author’s Note 2: The title was obviously inspired by the song “How to Save a Life” by the Fray.
Author's Note 3: Uh, yeah. So as I was redoing all the fanfic stuff on my LJ, I realized I never posted anymore of this fic and the damn thing is even done and edited. *headdesk*
Spoiler warnings: Up through and including “Freak” for Smallville and “Born Under a Bad Sign” for Supernatural.
And previous parts of this fic: One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight |
Chapter Three
Chloe parked her VW bug in front of the local animal shelter, a small smile on her face as she glanced sideways at Sam, and then at the boys in the rearview mirror. "Now remember, we're just looking. It doesn't mean we have to pick the first dog we see, okay?"
Both boys nodded excitedly, barely containing their need to hop out of the car.
Suppressing a grin and amused at her own excitement, she climbed from the car and unsnapped Matthew's car seat while Sam helped get Michael out of the other side. She let her youngest son's weight rest on one hip as she carried him toward the building.
Michael looked up at Sam as they walked toward the building, "Can we get a puppy?"
Sam laughed, "We'll see, bud, we'll see."
Chloe grinned at his excited question and slowly lowered Matthew down so he could walk, though she kept hold of his hand. Her nose crinkled at the putrid smell as they walked inside. She led him up toward the counter where a young woman was standing, flipping through a magazine. "Hi there. We'd like to look at the dogs."
She smiled brightly. "Of course, right this way." She led them back toward a door past the desk. The door opened into a long corridor with fences on either side, dogs barking noisily and some jumping up and rattling the gates.
Looking around at all the dogs, Sam shot Chloe a questioning look, "We sure we want to do this?"
She chuckled at his sudden uncertainty. "It's not like we're taking all of them home, Sam."
"Well, I know that." He said, chuckling himself. Crouching down to Michael's level, he grabbed his shoulders, "Alright, go look around with your brother."
Grinning, Michael took off after Matthew eagerly.
Chloe watched them go, her eyes bright. She jumped as a Great Dane leapt up against the fence beside her, barking excitedly. "Whoa, there, Scooby."
He looked down at the huge dog, "I...don't think we want that one."
She smiled as she patted the dog's nose lightly and moved on, tucking some hair behind her ear.
Coming up beside her, he put an arm around her waist, "So what kind of dog would you like?"
"I don't really know much about dogs," she confessed, glancing up at him. "I've never had one."
"Well that makes two of us."
She spotted a medium sized golden retriever a few cages down and moved closer to get a better look.
Sam stood back and watched Chloe pet the dog through the cage, "Cute."
"Mommy! Uncle Sam!" Matthew called excitedly. "Come see!"
Moving away from that cage, he went down to the boys, "What'd you two find?"
"A puppy!" he said, bouncing up and down with a wide, dimpled smile.
Michael nodded, "Yeah!"
Sam raised his eyebrows, "Really? A puppy, huh?"
"Oh, I don't know, guys," Chloe said hesitantly. "Puppies are even more work than grown dogs. They're hyper and they have to be paper-trained and..." She looked down at the little fluffy furball on the ground, eagerly licking Michael's fingers.
"See Mommy? He likes us." Michael said eagerly.
A smile tugged at her lips.
"She, actually," the young woman who'd walked down the corridor with them said with a friendly smile. "She's 12 weeks old, fully paper-trained, and incredibly well-behaved. She's a favorite among our staff."
Michael bounced at the news, "Can we have her? Please Mommy?? Please?"
"Pweeease?" Matthew pleaded, turning his puppy dog eyes on her.
She looked at Sam. "He totally gets that look from you, you realize."
Sam grinned, "And so what if he does?"
Chloe shook her head with vague amusement, looking from the boys back to the puppy. "How much?"
"There's a hundred dollar adoption fee, but all of her shots are currently up to date. She'll have more parvo shots coming up this year, but I can get you a schedule of when as well as a list of local vets, if you'd like."
"That'd be great." She pulled her checkbook out of her purse.
Michael looked up with wide eyes, "You mean...we can have the puppy??"
"Yeah, Sweetheart." She smiled at him.
Matthew beamed. "Yay!"
Glad that the boys were happy, he looked at Chloe, "You think you're ready for another animal in the house?"
"I think we can deal with it," she said with a smile. "Besides. It'd be nice to have another girl in the house...even if she is a dog."
He laughed, "Yeah, I guess you're right."
Grinning, she watched as the lady unlocked the cage and picked the puppy up, kissing the top of her head before handing her over to Michael. "Take good care of her. Okay?"
Michael cuddled the small puppy to him, "I'll take care of her like I take care of Matthew. I promise."
The words sounded so much like something Dean would say, unexpected tears prickled at her eyes as she quickly turned to head to the counter to write the check.
Frowning, Sam walked over to her, "You alright?" he asked quietly.
"Yeah, I'm all right," she said softly, looking at him with a small smile though her eyes shone with unshed tears.
"Dean?" he whispered.
She looked down, nodding a little. "Just one of those times, you know?" She swallowed hard.
He nodded and hugged her, sadness welling in his own heart.
Chloe closed her eyes, resting her head against his chest as he held her. Drawing in a slow breath, she blinked back the tears. "Sorry," she whispered.
"You're fine, just fine." He whispered, stroking her back.
Most of the time she was fine. But the five year anniversary was quickly approaching and the closer it got, the harder the days became. She looked up at him with sad eyes.
Sam's heart broke as he saw the pain in her eyes. Just this once, he wished he could make it all go away. He wished he could get Dean back, just so he wouldn't have to see that pain. "Um...when did you want to go, you know...see Dean?"
"I don't know," she whispered, quickly dropping her gaze. Not wanting him to see the truth there. "Soon."
He nodded, not saying more.
She set her checkbook on the countertop and began to make out the check as the woman reappeared with Michael and Matthew behind her, the puppy licking Michael's cheek.
Michael was giggling as the puppy continued, "Mommy, she tickles."
Chloe smiled softly at the sight. Both of the boys looked so happy, so excited. "She needs a name."
"We should name her Jasmine!" He said, bouncing.
"Yeah! Princess Jasmine!" Matthew agreed excitedly.
Sam smiled sadly at the name, "Jasmine sounds good. What do you think Chloe?"
"Yeah Mommy. Do you like it?"
"It's perfect," she said quietly, nodding her approval.
If Michael's smile would've gotten any bigger, his face would have split in two. Looking down at the puppy, he began to pet her with his free hand, "Hiya Jasmine!"
She licked his fingers in response.
"I think she likes it!" Matthew beamed and began to pet her, as well.
Chloe smiled a bit and handed the woman the check she'd made out. "Thanks for everything."
"No problem," she responded, handing over a packet of information on vets, and taking care of puppies.
Taking Chloe's hand, Sam watched as the boys began to walk out the door, "Shall we?"
She looked down at their joined hands, goosebumps cropping up on her skin. "Yeah, let's go."
"I haven't seen those two this excited in a while."
"Me either," she admitted, following them toward her car.
"It's a good sight." He said, smiling slightly.
Chloe glanced up at him, her eyes filled with warmth. "So is that."
He raised an eyebrow, "What?"
"Your smile," she said quietly.
He blushed, and looked away self consciously, "You should do it more often yourself."
She gave his hand a light squeeze. "Come on. Let's go home. "
"Right." He said, opening the driver's side door for her.
"Thanks," Chloe said softly, sliding into the seat and starting the car.
Nodding, he slid into the passenger side and looked back at the boys, who were giggling as the puppy pranced between the two of them. Maybe a dog was really what they needed.
* * *
Chloe sat at her desk in the office of the Herald and Review, chewing on her lower lip as she stared at the screen. When her phone rang, her hand reached out and snatched it up, hoping it was her contact returning her call. "Sullivan," she said formally.
"Hello Chloe..."
She paused, her eyebrows furrowing as she searched her mind to face the voice. "Hello?"
"I know where your children are..."
Startled, she pulled the phone away from her ear as if it were a snake about to bite her. "Who the hell is this?" she demanded quietly.
"Someone you'll want to get to know."
Chloe felt anger rise up within her. "And who would that be? "
The voice laughed, "Soon, you will see."
The line went dead and she felt a cold chill run down her spine. She slammed the phone down on the receiver, staring at it.
It was a long time before she regained enough focus back to work on her article.
* * *
"Matthew, don't pull on Jasmine's ears! She doesn't like that!" Michael yelled, slapping his brother.
Matthew's eyes welled with tears. "Mommy!" he screeched.
"Michael...that wasn't nice to do you know."
"Well it wasn't nice for him to pull on Jasmine's ears, either." He glared at Matthew and pulled the puppy into his arms.
"But you shouldn't hit him."
"What's going on?" Chloe asked wearily, appearing in the doorway just as Matthew burst into tears and ran to her, wrapping his arms around her legs.
"He hit me!"
Shocked, she looked at her oldest son. "Did you hit Matthew?"
"He pulled on Jasmine's ears!" Michael protested, hugging the puppy close.
She sighed softly and looked down at Matthew. "Matty...don't pull on Jasmine's ears, okay? It could hurt her. She's very little still."
He nodded tearfully.
"Michael, don't hit your brother again. If there's a problem, you come and get me or Uncle Sam, all right?" She gazed at him sternly.
He put his head down, "Yes Mommy."
Feeling bad at his sad expression, she bit her lip. "Play nicely, boys." She kissed the top of Matthew's head and left the room.
"Yes, play nice."
He sighed. "Okay." Michael reluctantly let Jasmine go and watched as she scampered over to Matthew, licking his face.
"So, you've gotten a dog since the last time we've talked...nice."
"Her name's Jasmine."
"Like the princess on Aladdin?"
He nodded solemnly. "It's me and Matty's favorite movie."
"Cool. Does your mommy like it?"
"It's one of her favorites too. But it makes her cry."
"Now why would it make her cry?"
Michael shrugged. "Cause she's a girl, I guess."
"And that's the only reason?"
"I dunno. Ask her."
"Now you know I can't do that."
He frowned. "But why not?"
"Remember that secret game?"
"Yeah..."
"This is part of it."
"Oh. Okay." He nodded a little, smiling when Jasmine ran back over to him, barking excitedly.
"So you should ask your mommy why she cries in that movie."
"Okay, I will." He petted Jasmine.
"Michael, who are you talking to?" Matthew asked curiously, sticking a finger in his mouth.
"My friend." He replied, continuing to pet the dog, "He says you shouldn't put your finger in your mouth."
"How come?"
He smiled, "Cause he said it'll make your finger fall off."
Matthew stared at him wide-eyed and pulled his finger out of his mouth immediately.
Michael smirked at his younger brother, "I bet it'll fall off anyway now."
"You're a poopie head." He stood up and headed out of the room without looking back.
He followed him out, "Mommy! Matthew's calling me names!"
Lying on her bed, Chloe pressed a hand to her face, her head pounding.
"I think you might wanna leave your mommy alone for a while."
"Why? Is she sick?"
"Something like that. Maybe if you use your soft voices, then you can go in and see her."
Worried now, Michael nodded solemnly. "Okay." He tiptoed down the hall to his mom's room. "Mommy?"
She sat up slowly, forcing a smile. "Yeah, honey?"
"Is you sick?" Matthew asked from behind his brother.
"No, Mommy's just tired." She patted the bed lightly and watched as they both scampered up on it.
Michael kissed her cheek, "Then you should sleep."
"You guys wanna take a nap with me?"
They both nodded with wide smiles.
She smiled faintly and moved over so they could settle in, and she pulled the blankets over them, yawning even as her head pounded. "Sweet dreams, babies," she whispered, closing her eyes.
"Sweet dreams back Mommy." Both of them echoed.
She kissed each of their foreheads before she dozed off into a light, dreamless slumber.
***
Sam yawned as he finally pushed open the front door to the house. Class actually hadn't been that bad today, in fact, he thought he'd learned something to help Chloe. Putting his bag down near the door, and hanging his jacket up, he walked into the front room, only to find Chloe asleep on the couch, Michael and Matthew asleep on the floor beside her. He smiled, it was almost the perfect family picture, the only thing missing was...Dean.
A pang of guilt ran through him, and he tried not to think much of it as he went around to get dinner started.
She murmured in her sleep and woke up with a start, feeling a new presence in the house and relaxing when she saw Sam's bag. She closed her eyes momentarily and then rose to her feet, smiling down at the boys as they lay asleep on the floor, Jasmine curled up between them. She slowly headed into the kitchen.
Hearing a noise from behind him, Sam turned away from the stove, "Hey, you're up."
"Whatcha makin'?" she asked softly, yawning as she sat down at the counter.
"Tacos."
"Sounds good." She offered him a small smile. "How was class?"
"Productive." He said, turning to the stove and stirring the mix he had on.
"Always a good thing." Chloe drew in a breath and glanced toward the silent living room. "Did you lock the door?"
He gave her a puzzled look, "No..."
Feeling a flash of fear, she slid off the stool and quickly headed to the door, turning the both locks and sliding the chain-lock across the door, as well.
"Chloe..." Sam called from the kitchen, "What's going on?"
"Shh," she shushed him, glancing down at the sleeping boys and moving back into the kitchen. Her eyes were worried as she gazed at him. "I had a creepy phone call at work today."
He raised his eyebrow, "What kind of creepy?"
Leaning on the counter, she bit her lip. "He said he knew the kids...asked if I knew where they were."
"...And do you know where the call came from?"
"No. I tried star 69, but...it was blocked. And it wasn't long enough to get a trace." She sighed softly.
"I think you should stay home for a few days then." He said, "I'll skip my classes, and we'll figure it out."
"No. You don't need to skip classes," she said firmly. "It was just somebody's really lame idea of a prank call."
He frowned, "I don't like it Chloe."
"I don't either, though it's oddly familiar."
He raised an eyebrow, "How so?"
"Was from Smallville," she reminded him, looking at the counter.
"Oh, right." He sighed, "Still, I don't want you going anywhere."
"So you think this is something to worry about?" she asked nervously.
"Always better to be cautious." He said, turning off the stove so the food wouldn't burn.
Chloe bit her lower lip, winding her arms around herself. "Right."
Coming around the counter, Sam gathered her in a hug, "We'll figure this out."
"I know," she murmured, sighing softly as she relaxed in his arms.
After a minute of silence, giggling was heard in the front room, and Michael and Matthew were peeking over the back of the couch, "Uncle Sam and Mommy sittin' in a tree..."
Chloe groaned inwardly and looked up at him with a sheepish smile. "Kids."
He chuckled, then let her go, "Think we should get 'em?"
"Definitely." She moved first, swinging Michael up into her arms and blowing kisses on his belly.
Sam grabbed Matthew and swung him around. Stopping, he held him upside down and listened to him squeal with delight, "So what do you think we should do with these boys?"
"I don't know." She tickled Michael, grinning at his laughter. "What do you think, Sam?"
"Hmm...I think we should feed them to that one thing..." He said, grinning at her, mischiveous glint in his eye.
Her eyes widened with mock surprise. "Good idea."
"No!" They both screamed.
Chloe laughed. "No? Are you sure?"
"We'll be goood!" Michael shouted.
"Do you believe them?" she asked Sam with an arched brow.
"I dunno...They're little boys. Pretty hard to believe them..."
"Well, you were a little boy once." Chloe smiled.
"Exactly." He said, grinning.
"Well, I trust you." She looked down at Michael, tickling his ribs. "Should I trust you?"
He giggled loudly, "Yes Mommy!"
She planted a kiss on his nose and set him on his feet. "All right then. Go wash up. Uncle Sam's fixing tacos for dinner."
Sam put Matthew down as well, and he went scampering after his brother, "Tacos!!"
She chuckled, watching the boys head down the hall excitedly. "Hmm...are they excited because it's tacos ore because I'm not cooking?" she teased.
Laughing, Sam shook his head, "I'm sure it's just because it's tacos. Those boys happen to think their mom is the best cook ever."
"They're slightly biased." She grinned.
"Well, that's the way it should be." He said, shrugging.
Chloe gazed at him intently for a moment.
"What? I'm just-" He was cut off by shouting coming from the kitchen, "Uncle Sam! Mommy! Come quick!!"
Chloe's face grew pale with worry as she rushed toward the kitchen. "What happened?"
Matthew and Michael both pointed to the glasses on the counter. All four of them were moving.
Authors: X_tremeroswellian and Did_It_Once
Disclaimer: Not ours. Don’t sue. Thanks.
Rating: R for language and violence.
Author’s Note: This story follows two others, the first titled, “Everything Will Be…” and the second, “Sweet Sacrifice.” If you haven’t read those, you’ll be lost with this one. The previous can be found here:
Everything Will Be...
One | Two | Three | Four and Five | Six | Conclusion
and:
Sweet Sacrifice--Sequel to Everything Will Be...
One | Two | Three | Four | Five Six-Eight | Conclusion
Author’s Note 2: The title was obviously inspired by the song “How to Save a Life” by the Fray.
Author's Note 3: Uh, yeah. So as I was redoing all the fanfic stuff on my LJ, I realized I never posted anymore of this fic and the damn thing is even done and edited. *headdesk*
Spoiler warnings: Up through and including “Freak” for Smallville and “Born Under a Bad Sign” for Supernatural.
And previous parts of this fic: One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight |
Chapter Three
Chloe parked her VW bug in front of the local animal shelter, a small smile on her face as she glanced sideways at Sam, and then at the boys in the rearview mirror. "Now remember, we're just looking. It doesn't mean we have to pick the first dog we see, okay?"
Both boys nodded excitedly, barely containing their need to hop out of the car.
Suppressing a grin and amused at her own excitement, she climbed from the car and unsnapped Matthew's car seat while Sam helped get Michael out of the other side. She let her youngest son's weight rest on one hip as she carried him toward the building.
Michael looked up at Sam as they walked toward the building, "Can we get a puppy?"
Sam laughed, "We'll see, bud, we'll see."
Chloe grinned at his excited question and slowly lowered Matthew down so he could walk, though she kept hold of his hand. Her nose crinkled at the putrid smell as they walked inside. She led him up toward the counter where a young woman was standing, flipping through a magazine. "Hi there. We'd like to look at the dogs."
She smiled brightly. "Of course, right this way." She led them back toward a door past the desk. The door opened into a long corridor with fences on either side, dogs barking noisily and some jumping up and rattling the gates.
Looking around at all the dogs, Sam shot Chloe a questioning look, "We sure we want to do this?"
She chuckled at his sudden uncertainty. "It's not like we're taking all of them home, Sam."
"Well, I know that." He said, chuckling himself. Crouching down to Michael's level, he grabbed his shoulders, "Alright, go look around with your brother."
Grinning, Michael took off after Matthew eagerly.
Chloe watched them go, her eyes bright. She jumped as a Great Dane leapt up against the fence beside her, barking excitedly. "Whoa, there, Scooby."
He looked down at the huge dog, "I...don't think we want that one."
She smiled as she patted the dog's nose lightly and moved on, tucking some hair behind her ear.
Coming up beside her, he put an arm around her waist, "So what kind of dog would you like?"
"I don't really know much about dogs," she confessed, glancing up at him. "I've never had one."
"Well that makes two of us."
She spotted a medium sized golden retriever a few cages down and moved closer to get a better look.
Sam stood back and watched Chloe pet the dog through the cage, "Cute."
"Mommy! Uncle Sam!" Matthew called excitedly. "Come see!"
Moving away from that cage, he went down to the boys, "What'd you two find?"
"A puppy!" he said, bouncing up and down with a wide, dimpled smile.
Michael nodded, "Yeah!"
Sam raised his eyebrows, "Really? A puppy, huh?"
"Oh, I don't know, guys," Chloe said hesitantly. "Puppies are even more work than grown dogs. They're hyper and they have to be paper-trained and..." She looked down at the little fluffy furball on the ground, eagerly licking Michael's fingers.
"See Mommy? He likes us." Michael said eagerly.
A smile tugged at her lips.
"She, actually," the young woman who'd walked down the corridor with them said with a friendly smile. "She's 12 weeks old, fully paper-trained, and incredibly well-behaved. She's a favorite among our staff."
Michael bounced at the news, "Can we have her? Please Mommy?? Please?"
"Pweeease?" Matthew pleaded, turning his puppy dog eyes on her.
She looked at Sam. "He totally gets that look from you, you realize."
Sam grinned, "And so what if he does?"
Chloe shook her head with vague amusement, looking from the boys back to the puppy. "How much?"
"There's a hundred dollar adoption fee, but all of her shots are currently up to date. She'll have more parvo shots coming up this year, but I can get you a schedule of when as well as a list of local vets, if you'd like."
"That'd be great." She pulled her checkbook out of her purse.
Michael looked up with wide eyes, "You mean...we can have the puppy??"
"Yeah, Sweetheart." She smiled at him.
Matthew beamed. "Yay!"
Glad that the boys were happy, he looked at Chloe, "You think you're ready for another animal in the house?"
"I think we can deal with it," she said with a smile. "Besides. It'd be nice to have another girl in the house...even if she is a dog."
He laughed, "Yeah, I guess you're right."
Grinning, she watched as the lady unlocked the cage and picked the puppy up, kissing the top of her head before handing her over to Michael. "Take good care of her. Okay?"
Michael cuddled the small puppy to him, "I'll take care of her like I take care of Matthew. I promise."
The words sounded so much like something Dean would say, unexpected tears prickled at her eyes as she quickly turned to head to the counter to write the check.
Frowning, Sam walked over to her, "You alright?" he asked quietly.
"Yeah, I'm all right," she said softly, looking at him with a small smile though her eyes shone with unshed tears.
"Dean?" he whispered.
She looked down, nodding a little. "Just one of those times, you know?" She swallowed hard.
He nodded and hugged her, sadness welling in his own heart.
Chloe closed her eyes, resting her head against his chest as he held her. Drawing in a slow breath, she blinked back the tears. "Sorry," she whispered.
"You're fine, just fine." He whispered, stroking her back.
Most of the time she was fine. But the five year anniversary was quickly approaching and the closer it got, the harder the days became. She looked up at him with sad eyes.
Sam's heart broke as he saw the pain in her eyes. Just this once, he wished he could make it all go away. He wished he could get Dean back, just so he wouldn't have to see that pain. "Um...when did you want to go, you know...see Dean?"
"I don't know," she whispered, quickly dropping her gaze. Not wanting him to see the truth there. "Soon."
He nodded, not saying more.
She set her checkbook on the countertop and began to make out the check as the woman reappeared with Michael and Matthew behind her, the puppy licking Michael's cheek.
Michael was giggling as the puppy continued, "Mommy, she tickles."
Chloe smiled softly at the sight. Both of the boys looked so happy, so excited. "She needs a name."
"We should name her Jasmine!" He said, bouncing.
"Yeah! Princess Jasmine!" Matthew agreed excitedly.
Sam smiled sadly at the name, "Jasmine sounds good. What do you think Chloe?"
"Yeah Mommy. Do you like it?"
"It's perfect," she said quietly, nodding her approval.
If Michael's smile would've gotten any bigger, his face would have split in two. Looking down at the puppy, he began to pet her with his free hand, "Hiya Jasmine!"
She licked his fingers in response.
"I think she likes it!" Matthew beamed and began to pet her, as well.
Chloe smiled a bit and handed the woman the check she'd made out. "Thanks for everything."
"No problem," she responded, handing over a packet of information on vets, and taking care of puppies.
Taking Chloe's hand, Sam watched as the boys began to walk out the door, "Shall we?"
She looked down at their joined hands, goosebumps cropping up on her skin. "Yeah, let's go."
"I haven't seen those two this excited in a while."
"Me either," she admitted, following them toward her car.
"It's a good sight." He said, smiling slightly.
Chloe glanced up at him, her eyes filled with warmth. "So is that."
He raised an eyebrow, "What?"
"Your smile," she said quietly.
He blushed, and looked away self consciously, "You should do it more often yourself."
She gave his hand a light squeeze. "Come on. Let's go home. "
"Right." He said, opening the driver's side door for her.
"Thanks," Chloe said softly, sliding into the seat and starting the car.
Nodding, he slid into the passenger side and looked back at the boys, who were giggling as the puppy pranced between the two of them. Maybe a dog was really what they needed.
* * *
Chloe sat at her desk in the office of the Herald and Review, chewing on her lower lip as she stared at the screen. When her phone rang, her hand reached out and snatched it up, hoping it was her contact returning her call. "Sullivan," she said formally.
"Hello Chloe..."
She paused, her eyebrows furrowing as she searched her mind to face the voice. "Hello?"
"I know where your children are..."
Startled, she pulled the phone away from her ear as if it were a snake about to bite her. "Who the hell is this?" she demanded quietly.
"Someone you'll want to get to know."
Chloe felt anger rise up within her. "And who would that be? "
The voice laughed, "Soon, you will see."
The line went dead and she felt a cold chill run down her spine. She slammed the phone down on the receiver, staring at it.
It was a long time before she regained enough focus back to work on her article.
* * *
"Matthew, don't pull on Jasmine's ears! She doesn't like that!" Michael yelled, slapping his brother.
Matthew's eyes welled with tears. "Mommy!" he screeched.
"Michael...that wasn't nice to do you know."
"Well it wasn't nice for him to pull on Jasmine's ears, either." He glared at Matthew and pulled the puppy into his arms.
"But you shouldn't hit him."
"What's going on?" Chloe asked wearily, appearing in the doorway just as Matthew burst into tears and ran to her, wrapping his arms around her legs.
"He hit me!"
Shocked, she looked at her oldest son. "Did you hit Matthew?"
"He pulled on Jasmine's ears!" Michael protested, hugging the puppy close.
She sighed softly and looked down at Matthew. "Matty...don't pull on Jasmine's ears, okay? It could hurt her. She's very little still."
He nodded tearfully.
"Michael, don't hit your brother again. If there's a problem, you come and get me or Uncle Sam, all right?" She gazed at him sternly.
He put his head down, "Yes Mommy."
Feeling bad at his sad expression, she bit her lip. "Play nicely, boys." She kissed the top of Matthew's head and left the room.
"Yes, play nice."
He sighed. "Okay." Michael reluctantly let Jasmine go and watched as she scampered over to Matthew, licking his face.
"So, you've gotten a dog since the last time we've talked...nice."
"Her name's Jasmine."
"Like the princess on Aladdin?"
He nodded solemnly. "It's me and Matty's favorite movie."
"Cool. Does your mommy like it?"
"It's one of her favorites too. But it makes her cry."
"Now why would it make her cry?"
Michael shrugged. "Cause she's a girl, I guess."
"And that's the only reason?"
"I dunno. Ask her."
"Now you know I can't do that."
He frowned. "But why not?"
"Remember that secret game?"
"Yeah..."
"This is part of it."
"Oh. Okay." He nodded a little, smiling when Jasmine ran back over to him, barking excitedly.
"So you should ask your mommy why she cries in that movie."
"Okay, I will." He petted Jasmine.
"Michael, who are you talking to?" Matthew asked curiously, sticking a finger in his mouth.
"My friend." He replied, continuing to pet the dog, "He says you shouldn't put your finger in your mouth."
"How come?"
He smiled, "Cause he said it'll make your finger fall off."
Matthew stared at him wide-eyed and pulled his finger out of his mouth immediately.
Michael smirked at his younger brother, "I bet it'll fall off anyway now."
"You're a poopie head." He stood up and headed out of the room without looking back.
He followed him out, "Mommy! Matthew's calling me names!"
Lying on her bed, Chloe pressed a hand to her face, her head pounding.
"I think you might wanna leave your mommy alone for a while."
"Why? Is she sick?"
"Something like that. Maybe if you use your soft voices, then you can go in and see her."
Worried now, Michael nodded solemnly. "Okay." He tiptoed down the hall to his mom's room. "Mommy?"
She sat up slowly, forcing a smile. "Yeah, honey?"
"Is you sick?" Matthew asked from behind his brother.
"No, Mommy's just tired." She patted the bed lightly and watched as they both scampered up on it.
Michael kissed her cheek, "Then you should sleep."
"You guys wanna take a nap with me?"
They both nodded with wide smiles.
She smiled faintly and moved over so they could settle in, and she pulled the blankets over them, yawning even as her head pounded. "Sweet dreams, babies," she whispered, closing her eyes.
"Sweet dreams back Mommy." Both of them echoed.
She kissed each of their foreheads before she dozed off into a light, dreamless slumber.
***
Sam yawned as he finally pushed open the front door to the house. Class actually hadn't been that bad today, in fact, he thought he'd learned something to help Chloe. Putting his bag down near the door, and hanging his jacket up, he walked into the front room, only to find Chloe asleep on the couch, Michael and Matthew asleep on the floor beside her. He smiled, it was almost the perfect family picture, the only thing missing was...Dean.
A pang of guilt ran through him, and he tried not to think much of it as he went around to get dinner started.
She murmured in her sleep and woke up with a start, feeling a new presence in the house and relaxing when she saw Sam's bag. She closed her eyes momentarily and then rose to her feet, smiling down at the boys as they lay asleep on the floor, Jasmine curled up between them. She slowly headed into the kitchen.
Hearing a noise from behind him, Sam turned away from the stove, "Hey, you're up."
"Whatcha makin'?" she asked softly, yawning as she sat down at the counter.
"Tacos."
"Sounds good." She offered him a small smile. "How was class?"
"Productive." He said, turning to the stove and stirring the mix he had on.
"Always a good thing." Chloe drew in a breath and glanced toward the silent living room. "Did you lock the door?"
He gave her a puzzled look, "No..."
Feeling a flash of fear, she slid off the stool and quickly headed to the door, turning the both locks and sliding the chain-lock across the door, as well.
"Chloe..." Sam called from the kitchen, "What's going on?"
"Shh," she shushed him, glancing down at the sleeping boys and moving back into the kitchen. Her eyes were worried as she gazed at him. "I had a creepy phone call at work today."
He raised his eyebrow, "What kind of creepy?"
Leaning on the counter, she bit her lip. "He said he knew the kids...asked if I knew where they were."
"...And do you know where the call came from?"
"No. I tried star 69, but...it was blocked. And it wasn't long enough to get a trace." She sighed softly.
"I think you should stay home for a few days then." He said, "I'll skip my classes, and we'll figure it out."
"No. You don't need to skip classes," she said firmly. "It was just somebody's really lame idea of a prank call."
He frowned, "I don't like it Chloe."
"I don't either, though it's oddly familiar."
He raised an eyebrow, "How so?"
"Was from Smallville," she reminded him, looking at the counter.
"Oh, right." He sighed, "Still, I don't want you going anywhere."
"So you think this is something to worry about?" she asked nervously.
"Always better to be cautious." He said, turning off the stove so the food wouldn't burn.
Chloe bit her lower lip, winding her arms around herself. "Right."
Coming around the counter, Sam gathered her in a hug, "We'll figure this out."
"I know," she murmured, sighing softly as she relaxed in his arms.
After a minute of silence, giggling was heard in the front room, and Michael and Matthew were peeking over the back of the couch, "Uncle Sam and Mommy sittin' in a tree..."
Chloe groaned inwardly and looked up at him with a sheepish smile. "Kids."
He chuckled, then let her go, "Think we should get 'em?"
"Definitely." She moved first, swinging Michael up into her arms and blowing kisses on his belly.
Sam grabbed Matthew and swung him around. Stopping, he held him upside down and listened to him squeal with delight, "So what do you think we should do with these boys?"
"I don't know." She tickled Michael, grinning at his laughter. "What do you think, Sam?"
"Hmm...I think we should feed them to that one thing..." He said, grinning at her, mischiveous glint in his eye.
Her eyes widened with mock surprise. "Good idea."
"No!" They both screamed.
Chloe laughed. "No? Are you sure?"
"We'll be goood!" Michael shouted.
"Do you believe them?" she asked Sam with an arched brow.
"I dunno...They're little boys. Pretty hard to believe them..."
"Well, you were a little boy once." Chloe smiled.
"Exactly." He said, grinning.
"Well, I trust you." She looked down at Michael, tickling his ribs. "Should I trust you?"
He giggled loudly, "Yes Mommy!"
She planted a kiss on his nose and set him on his feet. "All right then. Go wash up. Uncle Sam's fixing tacos for dinner."
Sam put Matthew down as well, and he went scampering after his brother, "Tacos!!"
She chuckled, watching the boys head down the hall excitedly. "Hmm...are they excited because it's tacos ore because I'm not cooking?" she teased.
Laughing, Sam shook his head, "I'm sure it's just because it's tacos. Those boys happen to think their mom is the best cook ever."
"They're slightly biased." She grinned.
"Well, that's the way it should be." He said, shrugging.
Chloe gazed at him intently for a moment.
"What? I'm just-" He was cut off by shouting coming from the kitchen, "Uncle Sam! Mommy! Come quick!!"
Chloe's face grew pale with worry as she rushed toward the kitchen. "What happened?"
Matthew and Michael both pointed to the glasses on the counter. All four of them were moving.