SPN/SV Fic: How to Save a Life (8/?)
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.
Previous Parts:
One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven |
Chloe lay in her bed later that night, staring blankly at the ceiling. It was nearly Midnight and sleep was nowhere in sight, and neither was Dean. She wondered where he'd gone. And then she wondered if Sam was awake across the hall. Sighing softly she pressed a hand to her face and sat up in bed, a chill washing over her. She glanced around the darkened room, her gaze lingering on the window for a moment. It took that long for it to register that someone was staring in the window at her. Her face grew pale and a shriek escaped her as she scrambled out of bed.
Sam jolted up from his bed as he heard Chloe's scream. He'd also been looking up at the ceiling, thinking of what Chloe had told him earlier. Stumbling from the sheets now, he ran down the hall and all but knocked Chloe's door down. Looking around wildly, he ran over to her, "What's going on?"
"Someone was at the window!" Her body trembled as she gripped onto his arm.
His gaze immediately shot towards the window, but he could see no one. "Go to the boys' room. I'm going to check it out."
Frightened, she grabbed her robe and slid it on as she made her way down the hall to her sons' room. Amazingly enough they were both still asleep.
Going back to his room, Sam grabbed a gun from his closet and headed out the door, gun low, but ready to be fired.
Shivering uncontrollably, Chloe pulled the robe around her more closely, instinctively shifting her gaze to the window and expecting to see someone standing there. But there was no one.
"Whoever that bastard was, he's gone now."
She turned, startled at the sound of Dean's voice, her eyes filling with tears as she threw her arms around him. "Where've you been?" she whispered.
He hugged her tightly, "Making sure he left."
She buried her face against his neck for a moment, then jerked her head up. "Are you sure he's gone? Sam went out there." There was fear in her voice.
"I watched him screaming from the yard." He assured her.
"And you're sure he's okay?" She looked toward the door.
He nodded, "Yeah. But I'll go get him back in here."
At that moment, Sam appeared in the doorway and her face crumpled as she moved over to hug him tightly around the waist.
Sam was surprised when Chloe rushed toward him. Slowly sliding his arms around her, he rubbed her back, "He's gone."
She shut her eyes, exhaling slowly and then looking up at him. "I was worried," she whispered.
He smiled slightly, "Don't need to worry now."
Swallowing hard, she bit her lower lip and looked over at Michael, and then Matthew. "I don't wanna leave them alone in here."
Kissing the top of his head, he walked over to the boys, "I'll take them to your room. They can sleep in your bed with you."
Chloe glanced over at Dean uncertainly, hesitant. When he nodded slightly, she looked at Sam once more. "Will you stay, too?" she whispered.
He blinked in surprise. He had expected her to ask Dean to stay, "Uh...yeah."
"You want some tea? I think I need some," she murmured, moving toward the door.
"Sure...sounds great."
Nodding, she slowly headed down the hallway, still shaken and pale.
Giving his brother one last look, Sam followed her to the kitchen, where he saw Chloe struggling with a kettle, "Here...you sit down. I'll do this."
"Thanks," she whispered, sitting down on one of the stools and resting her head in her hands.
Nodding, he filled it with water and turned on the stove before walking over to her and putting a comforting hand on her back.
Swallowing hard, she looked up at him.
"We'll get this guy." He whispered.
"Promise?" She bit down hard on her lip.
"If it's the last thing I do." He promised.
She flinched. "Don't...don't say that. Please."
He bit his lip, "God, sorry."
"I don't wanna lose you, Sam," she whispered, blinking back tears.
Pulling out a chair, he sat down next to her, "You...you won't."
"Promise me." Her voice was urgent and she gazed into his eyes.
He looked away from her, "Chloe-"
"Sam, please," she whispered, touching his cheek and turning his face back to look at her. "Please promise me."
"I promise you won't lose me to him." He whispered back.
Chloe gave him a pained look, a tear sliding down her cheek and she dropped her gaze to the counter.
A high pitched whistling stopped any further conversation, and Sam got up quickly to make the tea.
Her shoulders slumped, and then shook slightly as she held back a sob, feeling drained and helpless to stop him from doing something horrible that would cost him his life. Or his soul.
* * *
Chloe lay awake on the side of the room closest to the door, Matthew curled up asleep beside her and Michael snuggled up against Sam, also asleep. She stared at the ceiling, her heart thudding heavily in her chest. "Sam?" she whispered, voice barely audible.
"Yeah?" He whispered.
"Just wondered if you were awake," she murmured.
"Yeah, I'm awake."
She was silent for a moment. "Me too."
Reaching out over Michael, he put his hand on her, "Try to get some sleep. I'll keep a lookout."
"No, it's not that. I feel safe," she whispered, turning her head to look at him.
He frowned, "Then what is it?"
You, she thought sadly, though she didn't say it. "Just...got a lot of things rolling in my head."
"Want to talk?"
She drew in a breath, looking over at him in the darkness once more. His hand still rested on her arm and she covered it with her own.
He smiled slightly as their hands connected, "Come on...talk."
She brushed her fingers over the back of his hand lightly. "Sometimes it seems like that doesn't do any good," she whispered.
"But it usually does..."
She slowly sat up in bed, leaning back against the headboard though she kept hold of his hand. "You keep saying we don't need you," she whispered, staring down at their hands. "So why are you the first person I think of every morning and the last person I think of every night before I fall asleep?"
"Because Dean's not here. But...when he's back, I'll fade from your mind." He whispered.
"But Dean is here," she reminded him softly. "And there's no way I could ever forget you, Sam."
"She's right, Sam."
Tears prickled in her eyes and she turned to see Dean standing beside the bed.
"Whatever Dean." He said flatly, turning away.
She bit her lower lip when he pulled his hand away from her. Feeling defeated, her shoulders slumped and she brushed a tear off her cheek.
Dean came over to her and sat beside her, "Sammy, don't do this."
At that moment, a frightened scream pierced the air and Chloe quickly reached out and flipped on the light as Matthew sobbed in his sleep. "Baby? What is it?" She smoothed the hair back from his eyes and kissed his forehead, her focus immediately shifting to her son.
"Mommy!" He yelled, tossing and turning in his sleep, tears beginning to flow down his face.
"Matthew! Matthew, it's okay, wake up!" She shook him gently and pulled him into her arms.
He woke up and looked around wildly, "Mommy...mommymommy."
"Shh, it's okay, sweetheart. It's okay, I'm right here," she whispered against his ear, rubbing his back gently. "I'm right here, Matthew."
A sob escaped his tiny body and he tried to wrap his arms around her, "Scared."
Growing more worried by the moment, she tightened her arms around him. "You just had a bad dream. You're okay. You're safe."
"No! Mommy...they took you."
Her eyebrows furrowed. "Who did, Matthew?"
"I don't know." He said in a small, frightened voice.
Swallowing hard, she looked over at Sam, her face pale.
Sam swallowed as well, "Can you tell me what you saw bud?"
"There was a bad man," he whispered, burying his face into Chloe's neck, sniffling.
Dean leaned forward and put his hand on his son, "What did he look like, bud?"
"I don't know," he whimpered.
"Shh, it's okay, Matthew." She pressed a kiss to his forehead, thankful Michael was a heavy sleeper. She looked at Dean, and then at Sam. "This is the second time he's dreamt about this."
Both boys shot her identical looks of surprise, "Second time?"
She nodded slightly, hugging him closer and holding Sam's gaze for a long moment, a question beginning to form in the back of her mind.
Sam ran a hand through his hair, "Damn it, he has visions."
Swallowing hard, she shut her eyes and kissed the top of Matthew's head. "So it's hereditary," she whispered almost inaudibly.
Dean shook his head, "Wait, but Sam's the one with the visions. How...?"
She glanced over at him. "Is it possible that...one of your parents had abilities and you didn't know it?"
He shrugged, "I guess it's possible. I guess mom could've..." Dean's eyes widened, "God, Mom."
"What? What is it?" she asked, alarmed by the look on his face.
"I'll...give me a couple hours, okay?"
Nodding, she swallowed hard and watched as he vanished into thin air. She looked over at Sam once more, she bit her lower lip.
Matthew let out a sob and hugged Chloe tighter, "Don't leave me."
Tears watered in her eyes again as she looked at Sam helplessly. "I'm not gonna leave you," she whispered.
"Promise?" He asked in a small voice.
"I promise." Her voice was quiet, determined.
He snuggled against her, "Good."
She met Sam's eyes, her face pale. "Go back to sleep, Matthew. I'm right here, and so is Uncle Sam, okay?"
He nodded, eyes slowly drooping shut.
She was silent til she heard his breathing even out as he fell back asleep in her arms. "Now what?" she whispered.
Sam shook his head, mind still reeling from what had just happened, "I don't know. Guess, wait for Dean."
"You didn't start having visions until you were 22, right?"
He nodded, "Yeah. Right."
Her eyebrows furrowed as she attempted to work it all out in her head.
"It doesn't make sense." He mumbled, "This shouldn't be happening again."
"When's the last time you had a vision?" she whispered, her mind turning.
"Haven't had once since Dean..."
Chloe's face paled. "What?"
He swallowed and nodded shakily, "Yeah..."
She was silent for a moment. "If your mom passed on the visions to you...and Dean passed them onto Matthew..." She raked a hand through her hair. "But they're different, aren't they?" She looked down at her son.
"Well, I guess. My visions only happened when the demon was around. So-"
"They've mutated." She shut her eyes as a thought slammed into her like a truck. "Shit," she whispered.
He looked away from her, "Damn it. God...I'm so sorry Chloe."
She carefully slid Matthew out of her arms and back onto the mattress before rising to her feet as she began to pace the floor. "They've mutated because of me," she said quietly.
"Chloe, that's ridiculous."
"No it's not. Just because I don't have any abilities from being meteor-infected doesn't mean I couldn't have passed something along to Matthew," she whispered, not looking at him as she paced the floor. "Maybe the combination of the two..."
Making sure Michael was still sound asleep, Sam slid off the bed and stopped Chloe, "You can't blame yourself for that."
"I don't know how to help him," she whispered, looking up at him.
"You'll find a way. You and Dean-"
"Stop it!" A sob escaped her.
He jumped slightly at her tone, "It's true. You and Dean will figure something out."
She pressed her hands against his chest and pushed him up against the wall, her green eyes accusing, filled with hurt and anger. "You are such a coward," she whispered.
Sam turned away as the words hit him like a hard slap to the face, "Right." He whispered back, walking out of the room.
She followed him, grabbing his arm and stopping him from going any farther, tears spilling down her cheeks. "You'd rather leave us behind, give up everything...just so you don't feel pain anymore." Her voice broke and she lifted her chin. "But I'll tell you this--if you do what you're planning to do--I will come after you."
"I'm doing this so you can have Dean back!" He shot back, yanking his arm away, "You can hold him, be with him again. The boys will know their dad! Damn it Chloe, why can't you see this from my view?!"
"I can. You're not seeing it from mine," she whispered brokenly. "I can't go through that again. I love you, Sam! Don't you understand that?"
He looked away, "Yeah, I do. But you *really* love Dean. It's who you need."
"I really love you both," she whispered.
"What's the point of me being here if you won't let me close?" His voice began to tremble.
"I'm trying, Sam." She gripped onto his arm tightly, as if he were her lifeline.
He gently pried her fingers off of his arm and headed out the door, "Should've tried five years sooner."
A soft sob escaped her and she slowly slid down to the floor, her back against the wall as she began to cry in earnest.
Walking out the front door, Sam let the cool night air whip across his face. As he went over to the Impala, he slid down the side and put his head in his hands and did the only thing he could do. He cried.
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.
Previous Parts:
One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven |
Chloe lay in her bed later that night, staring blankly at the ceiling. It was nearly Midnight and sleep was nowhere in sight, and neither was Dean. She wondered where he'd gone. And then she wondered if Sam was awake across the hall. Sighing softly she pressed a hand to her face and sat up in bed, a chill washing over her. She glanced around the darkened room, her gaze lingering on the window for a moment. It took that long for it to register that someone was staring in the window at her. Her face grew pale and a shriek escaped her as she scrambled out of bed.
Sam jolted up from his bed as he heard Chloe's scream. He'd also been looking up at the ceiling, thinking of what Chloe had told him earlier. Stumbling from the sheets now, he ran down the hall and all but knocked Chloe's door down. Looking around wildly, he ran over to her, "What's going on?"
"Someone was at the window!" Her body trembled as she gripped onto his arm.
His gaze immediately shot towards the window, but he could see no one. "Go to the boys' room. I'm going to check it out."
Frightened, she grabbed her robe and slid it on as she made her way down the hall to her sons' room. Amazingly enough they were both still asleep.
Going back to his room, Sam grabbed a gun from his closet and headed out the door, gun low, but ready to be fired.
Shivering uncontrollably, Chloe pulled the robe around her more closely, instinctively shifting her gaze to the window and expecting to see someone standing there. But there was no one.
"Whoever that bastard was, he's gone now."
She turned, startled at the sound of Dean's voice, her eyes filling with tears as she threw her arms around him. "Where've you been?" she whispered.
He hugged her tightly, "Making sure he left."
She buried her face against his neck for a moment, then jerked her head up. "Are you sure he's gone? Sam went out there." There was fear in her voice.
"I watched him screaming from the yard." He assured her.
"And you're sure he's okay?" She looked toward the door.
He nodded, "Yeah. But I'll go get him back in here."
At that moment, Sam appeared in the doorway and her face crumpled as she moved over to hug him tightly around the waist.
Sam was surprised when Chloe rushed toward him. Slowly sliding his arms around her, he rubbed her back, "He's gone."
She shut her eyes, exhaling slowly and then looking up at him. "I was worried," she whispered.
He smiled slightly, "Don't need to worry now."
Swallowing hard, she bit her lower lip and looked over at Michael, and then Matthew. "I don't wanna leave them alone in here."
Kissing the top of his head, he walked over to the boys, "I'll take them to your room. They can sleep in your bed with you."
Chloe glanced over at Dean uncertainly, hesitant. When he nodded slightly, she looked at Sam once more. "Will you stay, too?" she whispered.
He blinked in surprise. He had expected her to ask Dean to stay, "Uh...yeah."
"You want some tea? I think I need some," she murmured, moving toward the door.
"Sure...sounds great."
Nodding, she slowly headed down the hallway, still shaken and pale.
Giving his brother one last look, Sam followed her to the kitchen, where he saw Chloe struggling with a kettle, "Here...you sit down. I'll do this."
"Thanks," she whispered, sitting down on one of the stools and resting her head in her hands.
Nodding, he filled it with water and turned on the stove before walking over to her and putting a comforting hand on her back.
Swallowing hard, she looked up at him.
"We'll get this guy." He whispered.
"Promise?" She bit down hard on her lip.
"If it's the last thing I do." He promised.
She flinched. "Don't...don't say that. Please."
He bit his lip, "God, sorry."
"I don't wanna lose you, Sam," she whispered, blinking back tears.
Pulling out a chair, he sat down next to her, "You...you won't."
"Promise me." Her voice was urgent and she gazed into his eyes.
He looked away from her, "Chloe-"
"Sam, please," she whispered, touching his cheek and turning his face back to look at her. "Please promise me."
"I promise you won't lose me to him." He whispered back.
Chloe gave him a pained look, a tear sliding down her cheek and she dropped her gaze to the counter.
A high pitched whistling stopped any further conversation, and Sam got up quickly to make the tea.
Her shoulders slumped, and then shook slightly as she held back a sob, feeling drained and helpless to stop him from doing something horrible that would cost him his life. Or his soul.
* * *
Chloe lay awake on the side of the room closest to the door, Matthew curled up asleep beside her and Michael snuggled up against Sam, also asleep. She stared at the ceiling, her heart thudding heavily in her chest. "Sam?" she whispered, voice barely audible.
"Yeah?" He whispered.
"Just wondered if you were awake," she murmured.
"Yeah, I'm awake."
She was silent for a moment. "Me too."
Reaching out over Michael, he put his hand on her, "Try to get some sleep. I'll keep a lookout."
"No, it's not that. I feel safe," she whispered, turning her head to look at him.
He frowned, "Then what is it?"
You, she thought sadly, though she didn't say it. "Just...got a lot of things rolling in my head."
"Want to talk?"
She drew in a breath, looking over at him in the darkness once more. His hand still rested on her arm and she covered it with her own.
He smiled slightly as their hands connected, "Come on...talk."
She brushed her fingers over the back of his hand lightly. "Sometimes it seems like that doesn't do any good," she whispered.
"But it usually does..."
She slowly sat up in bed, leaning back against the headboard though she kept hold of his hand. "You keep saying we don't need you," she whispered, staring down at their hands. "So why are you the first person I think of every morning and the last person I think of every night before I fall asleep?"
"Because Dean's not here. But...when he's back, I'll fade from your mind." He whispered.
"But Dean is here," she reminded him softly. "And there's no way I could ever forget you, Sam."
"She's right, Sam."
Tears prickled in her eyes and she turned to see Dean standing beside the bed.
"Whatever Dean." He said flatly, turning away.
She bit her lower lip when he pulled his hand away from her. Feeling defeated, her shoulders slumped and she brushed a tear off her cheek.
Dean came over to her and sat beside her, "Sammy, don't do this."
At that moment, a frightened scream pierced the air and Chloe quickly reached out and flipped on the light as Matthew sobbed in his sleep. "Baby? What is it?" She smoothed the hair back from his eyes and kissed his forehead, her focus immediately shifting to her son.
"Mommy!" He yelled, tossing and turning in his sleep, tears beginning to flow down his face.
"Matthew! Matthew, it's okay, wake up!" She shook him gently and pulled him into her arms.
He woke up and looked around wildly, "Mommy...mommymommy."
"Shh, it's okay, sweetheart. It's okay, I'm right here," she whispered against his ear, rubbing his back gently. "I'm right here, Matthew."
A sob escaped his tiny body and he tried to wrap his arms around her, "Scared."
Growing more worried by the moment, she tightened her arms around him. "You just had a bad dream. You're okay. You're safe."
"No! Mommy...they took you."
Her eyebrows furrowed. "Who did, Matthew?"
"I don't know." He said in a small, frightened voice.
Swallowing hard, she looked over at Sam, her face pale.
Sam swallowed as well, "Can you tell me what you saw bud?"
"There was a bad man," he whispered, burying his face into Chloe's neck, sniffling.
Dean leaned forward and put his hand on his son, "What did he look like, bud?"
"I don't know," he whimpered.
"Shh, it's okay, Matthew." She pressed a kiss to his forehead, thankful Michael was a heavy sleeper. She looked at Dean, and then at Sam. "This is the second time he's dreamt about this."
Both boys shot her identical looks of surprise, "Second time?"
She nodded slightly, hugging him closer and holding Sam's gaze for a long moment, a question beginning to form in the back of her mind.
Sam ran a hand through his hair, "Damn it, he has visions."
Swallowing hard, she shut her eyes and kissed the top of Matthew's head. "So it's hereditary," she whispered almost inaudibly.
Dean shook his head, "Wait, but Sam's the one with the visions. How...?"
She glanced over at him. "Is it possible that...one of your parents had abilities and you didn't know it?"
He shrugged, "I guess it's possible. I guess mom could've..." Dean's eyes widened, "God, Mom."
"What? What is it?" she asked, alarmed by the look on his face.
"I'll...give me a couple hours, okay?"
Nodding, she swallowed hard and watched as he vanished into thin air. She looked over at Sam once more, she bit her lower lip.
Matthew let out a sob and hugged Chloe tighter, "Don't leave me."
Tears watered in her eyes again as she looked at Sam helplessly. "I'm not gonna leave you," she whispered.
"Promise?" He asked in a small voice.
"I promise." Her voice was quiet, determined.
He snuggled against her, "Good."
She met Sam's eyes, her face pale. "Go back to sleep, Matthew. I'm right here, and so is Uncle Sam, okay?"
He nodded, eyes slowly drooping shut.
She was silent til she heard his breathing even out as he fell back asleep in her arms. "Now what?" she whispered.
Sam shook his head, mind still reeling from what had just happened, "I don't know. Guess, wait for Dean."
"You didn't start having visions until you were 22, right?"
He nodded, "Yeah. Right."
Her eyebrows furrowed as she attempted to work it all out in her head.
"It doesn't make sense." He mumbled, "This shouldn't be happening again."
"When's the last time you had a vision?" she whispered, her mind turning.
"Haven't had once since Dean..."
Chloe's face paled. "What?"
He swallowed and nodded shakily, "Yeah..."
She was silent for a moment. "If your mom passed on the visions to you...and Dean passed them onto Matthew..." She raked a hand through her hair. "But they're different, aren't they?" She looked down at her son.
"Well, I guess. My visions only happened when the demon was around. So-"
"They've mutated." She shut her eyes as a thought slammed into her like a truck. "Shit," she whispered.
He looked away from her, "Damn it. God...I'm so sorry Chloe."
She carefully slid Matthew out of her arms and back onto the mattress before rising to her feet as she began to pace the floor. "They've mutated because of me," she said quietly.
"Chloe, that's ridiculous."
"No it's not. Just because I don't have any abilities from being meteor-infected doesn't mean I couldn't have passed something along to Matthew," she whispered, not looking at him as she paced the floor. "Maybe the combination of the two..."
Making sure Michael was still sound asleep, Sam slid off the bed and stopped Chloe, "You can't blame yourself for that."
"I don't know how to help him," she whispered, looking up at him.
"You'll find a way. You and Dean-"
"Stop it!" A sob escaped her.
He jumped slightly at her tone, "It's true. You and Dean will figure something out."
She pressed her hands against his chest and pushed him up against the wall, her green eyes accusing, filled with hurt and anger. "You are such a coward," she whispered.
Sam turned away as the words hit him like a hard slap to the face, "Right." He whispered back, walking out of the room.
She followed him, grabbing his arm and stopping him from going any farther, tears spilling down her cheeks. "You'd rather leave us behind, give up everything...just so you don't feel pain anymore." Her voice broke and she lifted her chin. "But I'll tell you this--if you do what you're planning to do--I will come after you."
"I'm doing this so you can have Dean back!" He shot back, yanking his arm away, "You can hold him, be with him again. The boys will know their dad! Damn it Chloe, why can't you see this from my view?!"
"I can. You're not seeing it from mine," she whispered brokenly. "I can't go through that again. I love you, Sam! Don't you understand that?"
He looked away, "Yeah, I do. But you *really* love Dean. It's who you need."
"I really love you both," she whispered.
"What's the point of me being here if you won't let me close?" His voice began to tremble.
"I'm trying, Sam." She gripped onto his arm tightly, as if he were her lifeline.
He gently pried her fingers off of his arm and headed out the door, "Should've tried five years sooner."
A soft sob escaped her and she slowly slid down to the floor, her back against the wall as she began to cry in earnest.
Walking out the front door, Sam let the cool night air whip across his face. As he went over to the Impala, he slid down the side and put his head in his hands and did the only thing he could do. He cried.