SPN/SV Fic: How to Save a Life (4/?)
Title: How to Save a Life
Authors: X_tremeroswellian and Shadow_One
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.
Author’s Note 2: The title was obviously inspired by the song “How to Save a Life” by the Fray.
Spoiler warnings: Up through and including “Freak” for Smallville and “Born Under a Bad Sign” for Supernatural.
One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight |
Chapter Four
She froze in her tracks, staring in horror. "Sam!" There was alarm in her voice.
Sam watched the glasses move across the table, "Chloe, get the kids, and get out."
Grabbing Michael's hand, she hefted Matthew up onto her hip. "You're coming with us," she said, looking at Sam.
He shook his head, "Just get out."
She set Matthew on his feet once more and turned to look at Michael. "Take your brother outside. Don't look back," she said urgently.
Michael looked up at her with wide, terrified eyes, "Mommy?"
"It's okay, Sweetheart. I promise we'll be right there. Go."
He shook his head, "Don't wanna leave you."
"Michael, go. Now," she said firmly, pointing toward the door.
Tears began to run down his face, and he nodded, grabbing his brother's hand and running out the door.
She whirled around to face Sam, grabbing his arm. "Come on."
He shook his head, "Chloe. Go with the boys."
"Damn it! I already lost one man I love to this insanity! I'm not going to lose another!" Tears welled in her eyes.
"I promise I'll come out, just go." He whispered urgently.
"Yeah. Dean promised that too," she whispered back, her voice breaking as she turned and headed for the door.
When she was out the door, he ran to his bag and grabbed his gun, "I'll come out." He whispered.
She wrapped her arms around her kids as they each buried their faces against one of her shoulders. "It's gonna be okay," she whispered, holding them close.
As Sam watched the cups, gun cocked, they stopped moving. "What the hell..." backing slowly away from the kitchen, he made his way out the door, gun still pointed at the house.
They obviously would not be staying at the house tonight. She pressed a kiss to both of the boys' foreheads. "Boys, I want you to go get in the Impala, okay?"
"What about Jasmine?" Matthew whimpered tearfully. "And Mr. Bean?"
She rose to her feet. "I'll get them. I'll be right back." Raising her chin up, she moved back toward the house.
"Chloe. You are *not* going in there." Sam said, grabbing her arm.
She yanked her arm away from him, giving him a glare that used to scare even Dean. "I'm going to get my dog, and Matthew's bear." Without giving him a chance to argue, she headed up the porch steps and back into the house. Jasmine was barking excitedly and she quickly knelt down and scooped her up into her arms, her body trembling as she headed down the hallway.
As she got to the boys' door, it opened for her.
It was all to familiar of a reminder of that night almost five years ago. She hesitated to step inside the room, her heart pounding heavily in her chest.
Toys moved out of her way as she walked over to Matthew's bed, where his worn teddy bear was lying.
With a shaking hand, she reached out and grabbed Mr. Bean, and then the bear that lay on Michael's bed, as well. Then she headed out into the hallway, a frightened scream escaping her when a figure stepped out of the shadows. "Christ, Sam, are you trying to give me a heart attack?"
"I told you not to come back in here." He said quietly, gun pointed toward the ground.
"And I asked you to come with us, but you didn't." She avoided his eyes as she moved past him, heading toward the door.
Sighing, he followed her out the door, tucking his gun into the back of his jeans, "You know why I didn't leave."
Chloe didn't respond as she walked toward the Impala, moving to get in the passenger side.
Getting into the driver's side, he looked over at her, "Okay, how in trouble am I?"
Tears stung her eyes as she stared out the passenger side window. "Boys, are you buckled in?"
"Yes, Mommy," Matthew said, sniffling. He held his hands out toward her when she passed him his bear.
"Just drive, Sam," she said almost inaudibly.
He nodded and pulled away from the house without another word.
* * *
Chloe lay awake in bed long past Midnight, listening to the sounds of Michael and Matthew's steady breathing. It was peaceful, but not enough to lull her to sleep. Not tonight. Not after what had happened. Beside her, Jasmine stirred on the bed and lifted her little head up to look at Chloe. She absently reached a hand out and petted her gently, freezing when she heard the soft knock on the door.*
"Chloe?" The voice was soft.
If it was possible to be tense and relax all at once, that's what hearing Sam's voice did to her at that moment. Casting a glance at her sons, she slowly climbed out of bed and moved toward the door, pulling it open. Her expression was wary, her eyes unreadable. "What?"
"Can we talk?"
She blew out a breath. "The boys are asleep."
"Please?" His voice was almost begging.
Chloe shut her eyes for a moment, glanced back at the boys over her shoulder and slowly slipped outside onto the balcony with him in the semi-darkness.
Taking a breath, he tried to figure out a way to start the conversation, "Did you mean what you said earlier?"
"What I said earlier?" she repeated in confusion, shaking her head a little.
He bit his lip, "That you...loved me."
Chloe stared at him, her face paling. Had she said that? Her heart sank as she realized she did, recalling the words that had slipped out uncontrollably. She swallowed hard, looking down at the concrete beneath their feet, her heart thudding in her chest.
"You know what, I shouldn't have said anything." He said, putting his hands in his pockets and turning to go.
"Sam, wait," she whispered, pained at the sound of the hurt in his voice.
He stopped and turned around.
Drawing in a breath, she met his eyes and was silent for a moment. "It wasn't a lie," she admitted in a whisper.
"It...wasn't?"
"No." Her voice was quiet and she looked down again. "The truth is...I think...some part of me's always loved you, Sam. But..."
"But you think you'd be betraying Dean." He finished softly, "It's okay, I get it."
She leaned against the railing heavily, rubbing her face with both hands wearily, feeling like she'd aged a couple decades in the past five years. "The thought of losing you too..." Her voice was strained. "It hurts so bad. I just..."
He pulled her into a hug, "I won't leave you."
Closing her eyes, she rested her head against his collarbone. "This isn't fair to you."
He frowned, "What do you mean?"
"I mean...you should be with someone who...can be with you back," she whispered, blinking back tears.
"If I did that, who would be there for you and the boys?" he asked quietly.
"Sam, you could still be there for us. I wouldn't...I would never keep the boys from you."
"I know, but..." He bit his lip, "I just don't want to leave you guys alone."
Chloe looked at the ground. "Dean would have wanted you to have a normal life. To have a wife and kids of your own," she whispered.
Grabbing her chin, Sam gently lifted it so she was looking at him, "Dean also would want you three taken care of."
She swallowed hard at the look in his eyes. "I know," she whispered.
"So I think this is perfectly fair." He whispered back.
Wordlessly, she slid her arms around his waist, closing her eyes. "Sam?"
"Yeah?"
"What are we gonna do about the house?"
"Exorcism, I think."
"So you think it's a demon? Or...an evil spirit of some kind?" She pulled away and looked up at him worriedly.
He nodded silently.
Chloe swallowed hard, her heart heavy for another reason. "Why our house, Sam? Do you think it's because..." She didn't dare finish that thought.
He shook his head, "I don't know."
She rubbed the back of her neck and looked out over the dark parking lot.
"Look, I'll get an exorcism from my dad's journal tonight, and we'll get it out tomorrow, sound good?"
Chloe nodded slightly. "I'll drop the kids off at Janna's," she murmured. On very rare occasions, Janna Caulfield babysat for Michael and Matthew when neither she nor Sam could be with them.
"Alright." Leaning forward, Sam kissed her gently on the forehead, "Get some sleep."
"You, too." She paused at the door, turning to look at him again. "Hey, Sam?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm sorry about earlier." Her voice was quiet and she met his gaze.
He smiled at her, "It's all good."
"But for the record, if you scare me like that again, I reserve the right to smack you." A smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
He chuckled and nodded, "I'll remember that."
Chloe smiled at him and then disappeared into her room.
After Chloe was safely back in her room, Sam walked down to his own room. Entering the room and falling down onto the bed, thoughts swimming in his head about him, Chloe, and the future.
* * *
Sam was the first one to walk back into the house the next day after they'd dropped off the kids at the babysitter's house. Opening up his book to the exorcism he'd found, he motioned for Chloe to follow him in, "Alright...got everything we need?"
Chloe drew in a breath, stepping into the house nervously. "Yeah." She carried the bag of candles and rock salt over her shoulder. "This is weird," she whispered. "I don't feel anything here."
"Yeah...neither do I..." He mumbled, looking around the house.
She was silent for a moment, suddenly having second thoughts. She bit her lower lip, looking at the four glasses that had been floating the night before, now sitting firmly on the countertop. "Well, if you guys hadn't seen it, I'd probably think I was going crazy."
Smiling slightly, Sam reached for the bag she was carrying, "Good thing we saw it then."
She handed it to him. "What if it wasn't a spirit or a demon?" she asked hesitantly.
"Then I guess...we'll find another way to get rid of it."
"That's not what I meant."
"What do you mean then?" He asked, taking things out of the bag they'd need for the exorcism.
Chloe bit her lip. "Well...we know I'm meteor-infected," she said in a barely audible voice.
He stopped, "Chloe, I seriously doubt this has anything to do with that."
She looked uncertain. "Maybe not."
He put a hand on her shoulder, "It doesn't."
Meeting his eyes, she nodded slightly. "Okay." He looked so certain she couldn't help but believe him.
Making sure everything was in place, Sam stood and grabbed the journal, "Ready for this?"
"Ready as I'll ever be," she said wryly, looking around.
Nodding, he began to recite the exorcism.
Chloe held her breath, waiting for the moment when things began to fly around the room. That moment never came. Sam finished the Latin verses uninterrupted and her eyebrows furrowed as she looked at him. "Okay..."
He closed the book and frowned, "That was...anti-climactic..."
"No kidding. Has something like this ever happened before?"
"Uh, no."
"What do you think's going on?" she asked anxiously.
He shrugged and shook his head, "I don't know anymore."
She bit her lower lip. "Do you think whatever it is...is gone now?"
He looked around, "I guess we'll just have to see."
"Sam, I don't wanna bring the kids back here if there's any chance..."
"Well, if there was something in here, this exorcism would be sure to take it out." Sam said, tucking the book under his arm.
"Yeah, I guess so." She gazed at him.
Pulling her into a hug, "I'll make sure nothing happens to you or the boys."
"Or you," she said quietly.
"That too." He whispered.
"Promise?" Chloe pulled away and looked up at him.
"Promise."
She swallowed hard, nodding. "You know..." She paused and looked toward the hallway. "When I came back in here after Jasmine and Mr. Bean..."
"What happened?"
Chloe looked at him. "The kids' door opened for me...all the toys moved out of the way. Almost like..."
He blinked, "Like it was helping you?" he finished.
"Yes," she whispered.
"That's...huh..."
"I know." She wound her arms around herself. "Is there a such thing as a...you know, benevolent spirit?"
He scratched his head, "Well, I suppose it's possible...but since those never get reported..."
"This is weird."
"You can say that again."
Chloe glanced at him. "Well, I guess whatever it was...is gone now."
"Yeah." He ran a hand through his hair, "Want me to go get the boys?"
"Yeah, if you don't mind."
Nodding, he walked toward the door, "I'll be back in five."
She watched him leave the house before she turned around in a circle, as though waiting for something to float across the room. When nothing did, she slowly sat down on the sofa, her gaze resting upon the picture frame on the coffee table. It was a picture of Dean holding Michael. She slowly picked it up, gazing at it for a long moment. Suddenly feeling anxious, she rose to her feet, scribbled Sam a note, and headed out the door.
* * *
As promised, Sam was back five minutes later with Matthew in his arms and Michael beside him with Jasmine struggling in his arms, "Chloe, we're back!"
When he didn't get a response, he walked into the kitchen and saw the note on the counter telling him that she'd be back soon. Putting it down, he walked over to the couch and put Matthew down, "So, your mom's gone, what do you guys want for dinner?"
"Cheeseburgers!" Matthew said, standing up.
Sam smiled, "Cheeseburgers it is."
Michael set Jasmine down on the floor, heading toward their room.
"Hey, you came back. I got bored."
"Me too," he said, flopping down onto his bed. "Mommy was freaked out."
"Aw, what for?"
"These glasses started floating in the air."
"I see..."
"I think she thinks our house is haunted," Michael said with a frown.
"Really now."
He nodded. "And she got really upset with Uncle Sam."
"Now why would she do that?"
"Well, he didn't wanna leave when we did."
"Why not?"
"I dunno." Michael shrugged.
"Maybe you should ask that too."
His eyebrows furrowed. "Really?"
"Well, if you don't know something, don't you think you should find out about it?"
“I guess so."
"So...what are you waiting for?"
"You want me to ask Uncle Sam now?"
"Why not? Got anywhere else to be?"
"No," he admitted, sliding off his bed and heading out of the room, down the hall and into the kitchen. He watched his uncle as he cooked burgers for them. "Uncle Sam?"
Sam turned around, "Yeah buddy?"
"How come you didn't leave with us last night when Mommy wanted you to?"
He furrowed his eyebrows at his nephew's question, "Why do you want to know?"
Michael shrugged a little. "I just wanna know."
Turning around, he flipped the burgers and bit his lip, "Well buddy, I had to make sure everyone was out of the house, and that things were safe."
He frowned and climbed up onto one of the stools, his elbows on the
counter. "Safe from what? The ghost?"
Sam stopped at that comment, "What do you mean ghost?"
"Well, isn't that why those cups were moving by themselves?" he asked uncertainly.
He smiled at Michael, he was quick, just like Dean, "Well, something like that."
"Is it gone now?"
"Yeah bud. It's gone."
He nodded a little, satisfied. "How come Mommy was so upset that you wouldn't come with us?"
"She was just...scared."
"Of the ghost?"
He nodded, "Yeah. That."
"I didn't think Mommy got scared." His eyebrows furrowed.
Turning off the stove so the burgers wouldn't burn, Sam walked over to where Michael was sitting, "Well, sometimes when scary things like that happen, Mommy's get scared."
"Oh." He nodded a little.
"Why don't you go get your brother and wash up? Dinner's ready."
"Okay." He slowly slid down off the stool and headed toward the hallway, pausing and turning around. "Uncle Sam? Are you and Mommy gonna get married?"
Sam fumbled at the answer, "Uh...I don't know bud. I- who knows."
“But you want to marry her, right?" he asked innocently.
"Just go wash up." He said quietly, forcing a smile. *
Michael frowned a litle bit, but headed away without argument.
Turning back to the burgers, Sam let out a sigh. He really wished he could've answered his nephew's question, but right now, he didn't know if him and Chloe would ever be anything more.
Authors: X_tremeroswellian and Shadow_One
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.
Author’s Note 2: The title was obviously inspired by the song “How to Save a Life” by the Fray.
Spoiler warnings: Up through and including “Freak” for Smallville and “Born Under a Bad Sign” for Supernatural.
One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight |
Chapter Four
She froze in her tracks, staring in horror. "Sam!" There was alarm in her voice.
Sam watched the glasses move across the table, "Chloe, get the kids, and get out."
Grabbing Michael's hand, she hefted Matthew up onto her hip. "You're coming with us," she said, looking at Sam.
He shook his head, "Just get out."
She set Matthew on his feet once more and turned to look at Michael. "Take your brother outside. Don't look back," she said urgently.
Michael looked up at her with wide, terrified eyes, "Mommy?"
"It's okay, Sweetheart. I promise we'll be right there. Go."
He shook his head, "Don't wanna leave you."
"Michael, go. Now," she said firmly, pointing toward the door.
Tears began to run down his face, and he nodded, grabbing his brother's hand and running out the door.
She whirled around to face Sam, grabbing his arm. "Come on."
He shook his head, "Chloe. Go with the boys."
"Damn it! I already lost one man I love to this insanity! I'm not going to lose another!" Tears welled in her eyes.
"I promise I'll come out, just go." He whispered urgently.
"Yeah. Dean promised that too," she whispered back, her voice breaking as she turned and headed for the door.
When she was out the door, he ran to his bag and grabbed his gun, "I'll come out." He whispered.
She wrapped her arms around her kids as they each buried their faces against one of her shoulders. "It's gonna be okay," she whispered, holding them close.
As Sam watched the cups, gun cocked, they stopped moving. "What the hell..." backing slowly away from the kitchen, he made his way out the door, gun still pointed at the house.
They obviously would not be staying at the house tonight. She pressed a kiss to both of the boys' foreheads. "Boys, I want you to go get in the Impala, okay?"
"What about Jasmine?" Matthew whimpered tearfully. "And Mr. Bean?"
She rose to her feet. "I'll get them. I'll be right back." Raising her chin up, she moved back toward the house.
"Chloe. You are *not* going in there." Sam said, grabbing her arm.
She yanked her arm away from him, giving him a glare that used to scare even Dean. "I'm going to get my dog, and Matthew's bear." Without giving him a chance to argue, she headed up the porch steps and back into the house. Jasmine was barking excitedly and she quickly knelt down and scooped her up into her arms, her body trembling as she headed down the hallway.
As she got to the boys' door, it opened for her.
It was all to familiar of a reminder of that night almost five years ago. She hesitated to step inside the room, her heart pounding heavily in her chest.
Toys moved out of her way as she walked over to Matthew's bed, where his worn teddy bear was lying.
With a shaking hand, she reached out and grabbed Mr. Bean, and then the bear that lay on Michael's bed, as well. Then she headed out into the hallway, a frightened scream escaping her when a figure stepped out of the shadows. "Christ, Sam, are you trying to give me a heart attack?"
"I told you not to come back in here." He said quietly, gun pointed toward the ground.
"And I asked you to come with us, but you didn't." She avoided his eyes as she moved past him, heading toward the door.
Sighing, he followed her out the door, tucking his gun into the back of his jeans, "You know why I didn't leave."
Chloe didn't respond as she walked toward the Impala, moving to get in the passenger side.
Getting into the driver's side, he looked over at her, "Okay, how in trouble am I?"
Tears stung her eyes as she stared out the passenger side window. "Boys, are you buckled in?"
"Yes, Mommy," Matthew said, sniffling. He held his hands out toward her when she passed him his bear.
"Just drive, Sam," she said almost inaudibly.
He nodded and pulled away from the house without another word.
* * *
Chloe lay awake in bed long past Midnight, listening to the sounds of Michael and Matthew's steady breathing. It was peaceful, but not enough to lull her to sleep. Not tonight. Not after what had happened. Beside her, Jasmine stirred on the bed and lifted her little head up to look at Chloe. She absently reached a hand out and petted her gently, freezing when she heard the soft knock on the door.*
"Chloe?" The voice was soft.
If it was possible to be tense and relax all at once, that's what hearing Sam's voice did to her at that moment. Casting a glance at her sons, she slowly climbed out of bed and moved toward the door, pulling it open. Her expression was wary, her eyes unreadable. "What?"
"Can we talk?"
She blew out a breath. "The boys are asleep."
"Please?" His voice was almost begging.
Chloe shut her eyes for a moment, glanced back at the boys over her shoulder and slowly slipped outside onto the balcony with him in the semi-darkness.
Taking a breath, he tried to figure out a way to start the conversation, "Did you mean what you said earlier?"
"What I said earlier?" she repeated in confusion, shaking her head a little.
He bit his lip, "That you...loved me."
Chloe stared at him, her face paling. Had she said that? Her heart sank as she realized she did, recalling the words that had slipped out uncontrollably. She swallowed hard, looking down at the concrete beneath their feet, her heart thudding in her chest.
"You know what, I shouldn't have said anything." He said, putting his hands in his pockets and turning to go.
"Sam, wait," she whispered, pained at the sound of the hurt in his voice.
He stopped and turned around.
Drawing in a breath, she met his eyes and was silent for a moment. "It wasn't a lie," she admitted in a whisper.
"It...wasn't?"
"No." Her voice was quiet and she looked down again. "The truth is...I think...some part of me's always loved you, Sam. But..."
"But you think you'd be betraying Dean." He finished softly, "It's okay, I get it."
She leaned against the railing heavily, rubbing her face with both hands wearily, feeling like she'd aged a couple decades in the past five years. "The thought of losing you too..." Her voice was strained. "It hurts so bad. I just..."
He pulled her into a hug, "I won't leave you."
Closing her eyes, she rested her head against his collarbone. "This isn't fair to you."
He frowned, "What do you mean?"
"I mean...you should be with someone who...can be with you back," she whispered, blinking back tears.
"If I did that, who would be there for you and the boys?" he asked quietly.
"Sam, you could still be there for us. I wouldn't...I would never keep the boys from you."
"I know, but..." He bit his lip, "I just don't want to leave you guys alone."
Chloe looked at the ground. "Dean would have wanted you to have a normal life. To have a wife and kids of your own," she whispered.
Grabbing her chin, Sam gently lifted it so she was looking at him, "Dean also would want you three taken care of."
She swallowed hard at the look in his eyes. "I know," she whispered.
"So I think this is perfectly fair." He whispered back.
Wordlessly, she slid her arms around his waist, closing her eyes. "Sam?"
"Yeah?"
"What are we gonna do about the house?"
"Exorcism, I think."
"So you think it's a demon? Or...an evil spirit of some kind?" She pulled away and looked up at him worriedly.
He nodded silently.
Chloe swallowed hard, her heart heavy for another reason. "Why our house, Sam? Do you think it's because..." She didn't dare finish that thought.
He shook his head, "I don't know."
She rubbed the back of her neck and looked out over the dark parking lot.
"Look, I'll get an exorcism from my dad's journal tonight, and we'll get it out tomorrow, sound good?"
Chloe nodded slightly. "I'll drop the kids off at Janna's," she murmured. On very rare occasions, Janna Caulfield babysat for Michael and Matthew when neither she nor Sam could be with them.
"Alright." Leaning forward, Sam kissed her gently on the forehead, "Get some sleep."
"You, too." She paused at the door, turning to look at him again. "Hey, Sam?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm sorry about earlier." Her voice was quiet and she met his gaze.
He smiled at her, "It's all good."
"But for the record, if you scare me like that again, I reserve the right to smack you." A smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
He chuckled and nodded, "I'll remember that."
Chloe smiled at him and then disappeared into her room.
After Chloe was safely back in her room, Sam walked down to his own room. Entering the room and falling down onto the bed, thoughts swimming in his head about him, Chloe, and the future.
* * *
Sam was the first one to walk back into the house the next day after they'd dropped off the kids at the babysitter's house. Opening up his book to the exorcism he'd found, he motioned for Chloe to follow him in, "Alright...got everything we need?"
Chloe drew in a breath, stepping into the house nervously. "Yeah." She carried the bag of candles and rock salt over her shoulder. "This is weird," she whispered. "I don't feel anything here."
"Yeah...neither do I..." He mumbled, looking around the house.
She was silent for a moment, suddenly having second thoughts. She bit her lower lip, looking at the four glasses that had been floating the night before, now sitting firmly on the countertop. "Well, if you guys hadn't seen it, I'd probably think I was going crazy."
Smiling slightly, Sam reached for the bag she was carrying, "Good thing we saw it then."
She handed it to him. "What if it wasn't a spirit or a demon?" she asked hesitantly.
"Then I guess...we'll find another way to get rid of it."
"That's not what I meant."
"What do you mean then?" He asked, taking things out of the bag they'd need for the exorcism.
Chloe bit her lip. "Well...we know I'm meteor-infected," she said in a barely audible voice.
He stopped, "Chloe, I seriously doubt this has anything to do with that."
She looked uncertain. "Maybe not."
He put a hand on her shoulder, "It doesn't."
Meeting his eyes, she nodded slightly. "Okay." He looked so certain she couldn't help but believe him.
Making sure everything was in place, Sam stood and grabbed the journal, "Ready for this?"
"Ready as I'll ever be," she said wryly, looking around.
Nodding, he began to recite the exorcism.
Chloe held her breath, waiting for the moment when things began to fly around the room. That moment never came. Sam finished the Latin verses uninterrupted and her eyebrows furrowed as she looked at him. "Okay..."
He closed the book and frowned, "That was...anti-climactic..."
"No kidding. Has something like this ever happened before?"
"Uh, no."
"What do you think's going on?" she asked anxiously.
He shrugged and shook his head, "I don't know anymore."
She bit her lower lip. "Do you think whatever it is...is gone now?"
He looked around, "I guess we'll just have to see."
"Sam, I don't wanna bring the kids back here if there's any chance..."
"Well, if there was something in here, this exorcism would be sure to take it out." Sam said, tucking the book under his arm.
"Yeah, I guess so." She gazed at him.
Pulling her into a hug, "I'll make sure nothing happens to you or the boys."
"Or you," she said quietly.
"That too." He whispered.
"Promise?" Chloe pulled away and looked up at him.
"Promise."
She swallowed hard, nodding. "You know..." She paused and looked toward the hallway. "When I came back in here after Jasmine and Mr. Bean..."
"What happened?"
Chloe looked at him. "The kids' door opened for me...all the toys moved out of the way. Almost like..."
He blinked, "Like it was helping you?" he finished.
"Yes," she whispered.
"That's...huh..."
"I know." She wound her arms around herself. "Is there a such thing as a...you know, benevolent spirit?"
He scratched his head, "Well, I suppose it's possible...but since those never get reported..."
"This is weird."
"You can say that again."
Chloe glanced at him. "Well, I guess whatever it was...is gone now."
"Yeah." He ran a hand through his hair, "Want me to go get the boys?"
"Yeah, if you don't mind."
Nodding, he walked toward the door, "I'll be back in five."
She watched him leave the house before she turned around in a circle, as though waiting for something to float across the room. When nothing did, she slowly sat down on the sofa, her gaze resting upon the picture frame on the coffee table. It was a picture of Dean holding Michael. She slowly picked it up, gazing at it for a long moment. Suddenly feeling anxious, she rose to her feet, scribbled Sam a note, and headed out the door.
* * *
As promised, Sam was back five minutes later with Matthew in his arms and Michael beside him with Jasmine struggling in his arms, "Chloe, we're back!"
When he didn't get a response, he walked into the kitchen and saw the note on the counter telling him that she'd be back soon. Putting it down, he walked over to the couch and put Matthew down, "So, your mom's gone, what do you guys want for dinner?"
"Cheeseburgers!" Matthew said, standing up.
Sam smiled, "Cheeseburgers it is."
Michael set Jasmine down on the floor, heading toward their room.
"Hey, you came back. I got bored."
"Me too," he said, flopping down onto his bed. "Mommy was freaked out."
"Aw, what for?"
"These glasses started floating in the air."
"I see..."
"I think she thinks our house is haunted," Michael said with a frown.
"Really now."
He nodded. "And she got really upset with Uncle Sam."
"Now why would she do that?"
"Well, he didn't wanna leave when we did."
"Why not?"
"I dunno." Michael shrugged.
"Maybe you should ask that too."
His eyebrows furrowed. "Really?"
"Well, if you don't know something, don't you think you should find out about it?"
“I guess so."
"So...what are you waiting for?"
"You want me to ask Uncle Sam now?"
"Why not? Got anywhere else to be?"
"No," he admitted, sliding off his bed and heading out of the room, down the hall and into the kitchen. He watched his uncle as he cooked burgers for them. "Uncle Sam?"
Sam turned around, "Yeah buddy?"
"How come you didn't leave with us last night when Mommy wanted you to?"
He furrowed his eyebrows at his nephew's question, "Why do you want to know?"
Michael shrugged a little. "I just wanna know."
Turning around, he flipped the burgers and bit his lip, "Well buddy, I had to make sure everyone was out of the house, and that things were safe."
He frowned and climbed up onto one of the stools, his elbows on the
counter. "Safe from what? The ghost?"
Sam stopped at that comment, "What do you mean ghost?"
"Well, isn't that why those cups were moving by themselves?" he asked uncertainly.
He smiled at Michael, he was quick, just like Dean, "Well, something like that."
"Is it gone now?"
"Yeah bud. It's gone."
He nodded a little, satisfied. "How come Mommy was so upset that you wouldn't come with us?"
"She was just...scared."
"Of the ghost?"
He nodded, "Yeah. That."
"I didn't think Mommy got scared." His eyebrows furrowed.
Turning off the stove so the burgers wouldn't burn, Sam walked over to where Michael was sitting, "Well, sometimes when scary things like that happen, Mommy's get scared."
"Oh." He nodded a little.
"Why don't you go get your brother and wash up? Dinner's ready."
"Okay." He slowly slid down off the stool and headed toward the hallway, pausing and turning around. "Uncle Sam? Are you and Mommy gonna get married?"
Sam fumbled at the answer, "Uh...I don't know bud. I- who knows."
“But you want to marry her, right?" he asked innocently.
"Just go wash up." He said quietly, forcing a smile. *
Michael frowned a litle bit, but headed away without argument.
Turning back to the burgers, Sam let out a sigh. He really wished he could've answered his nephew's question, but right now, he didn't know if him and Chloe would ever be anything more.