Fic: Don't Go Out Tonight (2/7)
Fic: Don't Go Out Tonight (2/7)
Summary: The group makes a sudden U turn and goes back to the appalachians to hunt something that might be a headless horseman. Sam covertly tries to keep Chloe from shutting them out.
Author: pen37
Beta: Clarksmuse
Fandoms: Smallville/Supernatural
Characters: Chloe, Sam, Dean
Pairing:Chloe/Dean
Rating: Pg (Halloween fun guys!).
Banner by isisizabel
This is a part of the Special Projects series. You can find the rest of the series here.
Written for the Crossovers100 challenge. Prompt #12 Orange. The table is here.
A/N: Pretty Chloe/Dean art here that I commissioned from Bri-chan.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7
As they walked to the car, Sam’s mind was far away from Dean’s idea of breakfast. It was actually on the little blonde reporter who was trying to teach him to use his abilities.
In the past few months, Chloe had grown from a partner to a friend and confidante. And now, with the training she was also a mentor. Sam wanted to thank her for what she was doing for him. The problem is that until recently, he wasn’t sure how. Until now.
Just a few days ago, Chloe had let it slip that she thought of herself as being alone. It was telling to Sam that a girl like Chloe, with a large extended network of family and friends who she spoke with on a weekly basis - even from long distances away - still felt alone.
The only reason that Sam could find for her feelings was that she deliberately isolated herself.
The more he thought about it, the more Sam realized that his suspicions were correct. Whether she realized she was doing it or not, Chloe was always doing little things to hold herself aloof from them. For one thing, she frequently avoided engaging in the two of them as a family if both Sam and Dean were together. If both members of the Winchester family were together - she would either be buried in a book or laptop or pretending to sleep.
Sam didn’t have a problem with her doing this occasionally. Especially if - as she claimed - she was just giving them space. But as often as she pulled back, it smacked of avoidance rather than actual altruism.
Sam really wanted her just to drop that and realize that she was just as much a part of this team - a part of this family really -- as he and Dean was. Because he didn't want to watch Dean self-destruct like he did the last time that they had been apart.
So Sam decided that the running and the feeling alone was going to stop. If she would just accept them, Chloe had a family in him and Dean. But getting her to accept that was going to be difficult. Chloe was, in her own way, as stubborn as a Winchester.
Sam had a feeling that the first step was going to be preventing her from isolating herself. And as Chloe headed for the Impala, Sam thought he saw his first opportunity.
“Hey Chloe?” he called as she opened the rear door to get in. She paused with one foot inside the car to give him a questioning stare. Sam looked from her to Dean to the Impala speculatively. “Why don't you ride up front with us?”
Chloe shrugged. “What's wrong with where I'm at?”
Dean gave Sam a look that clearly said that he wanted to know why the sudden interest in where Chloe was riding. Sam shrugged self-consciously. He didn't really want to voice his motives out loud, even to Dean.
“It's just harder for the three of us to talk when you're in the backseat,” he said. “I'm developing a crick in my neck from turning my head.”
Chloe looked from the backseat, to the middle of the bench in front, and then shrugged. “I guess,” she said. “Just don't wreck.”
“Like I would wreck my baby,” Dean snorted as he climbed behind the wheel and pulled Chloe close to rest against his side. “You have me confused with Samantha over there.”
Sam took the teasing good naturedly. Chloe and Dean had fallen smoothly into his plan, so it was all good. I should have been a criminal mastermind. Oh wait, that's right. I am!
Just then his phone pealed out. He glanced at the screen, and was surprised to note that Ellen was calling. Given that he'd called to let her know that they were headed that way yesterday, he didn't expect to hear from the owner of the roadhouse just yet.
“Ellen,” he said.
Dean wondered why Ellen would call, seeing how they'd checked in last night. Over the years, the roadhouse owner had become like a second mother figure to them. They tended to check in with her regularly, just to keep an ear to the ground and a finger to the wind. And also to keep her from worrying.
They stopped to listen to Sam's end of the conversation expectantly as he spoke to Ellen on the phone.
“We actually haven't been on the road yet . . . Where?”
A doubtful look crossed his face. “Ellen, are you sure that it's not a prank? We are kind of close to Halloween.
Dean sighed. While normally he would be jonesing for a new job - especially given the frustrating holding pattern that he and Chloe were in -- nothing would make him less twitchy than killing something; they avoided taking jobs around Halloween for a reason.
Firstly, the veil between this world and the otherworld was thinner around that time of year. Over the years, they'd put down enough things that they didn't want to re-encounter.
Secondly, there were too many civilians dressed up as things they hunted. And the costumes were getting better and better. The last thing they wanted was to mistakenly kill some teenager because he had a convincing set of contacts and dental-quality fang-caps.
Thirdly - Halloween was just too full of tourists. It was hard on them to see civilians walk through haunted houses and dress like ghosts and pretend to get cared and laugh and basically make light of their life's work.
Fourthly - after Jess had died, Dean liked to hole up around this time of year and just - be prepared. Just in case something else decided that this time of year was a good time to go gunning for them.
Sam's face took on a contrite expression as he listened to what Ellen had to say. “I'll check with the others. We could double-back. Okay. I'll call you and let you know.”
His expression told Dean that he didn't want to take any job this time of year any more than Dean did. Which probably meant that it was important, since he didn't look like he could say no. Dean gave him a look that said that they would take the job if they had to - albeit reluctantly.
“How would you guys feel about going to Ohio?”
“What's in Ohio?” Chloe asked. Her own expression was one of trepidation. In the time she'd been with them, she was starting to pick up on their non-verbal communication.
“Probably nothing,” Sam tucked his hands in his pockets and shrugged before slumping in his customary posture. “But there have been a couple of sightings of a headless horseman.”
“Headless horseman?” Dean snorted. “That's got to be some kind of prank. I thought that the headless horseman was fictional.”
“It's supposed to be,” Sam nodded. “Washington Irving made it up for The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”
“So all we have are witness sightings?” Dean asked. “No bodies or anything?”
“Basically,” Sam said. “For all we know, it could be a bad case of mass hysteria. But we've got to check it out anyways. Because you never know: it could be another tulpa.”
Chloe quirked an eyebrow. “Tulpa?”
“Thought golem,” Sam explained. “We encountered on a few years back. They're created out of belief.”
“That's possible?” Chloe's face twisted in a horrified expression.
“Unfortunately,” Sam nodded.
“Just great,” Dean scowled. “So because a bunch of people believe in it - we could be hunting the zombified corpse of a long-dead Hessian soldier in search of his head. And the kicker is - it's not even real.”
“Basically? Yeah.” Sam said. His mouth twisted in a rueful grimace.
“Lovely,” Dean said. “You know where we need to go?”
“Where?” Sam asked.
“Back to Hollywood,” Dean said. “We need to find Tim Burton and hunt that little bitch down.”
Summary: The group makes a sudden U turn and goes back to the appalachians to hunt something that might be a headless horseman. Sam covertly tries to keep Chloe from shutting them out.
Author: pen37
Beta: Clarksmuse
Fandoms: Smallville/Supernatural
Characters: Chloe, Sam, Dean
Pairing:Chloe/Dean
Rating: Pg (Halloween fun guys!).
Banner by isisizabel
This is a part of the Special Projects series. You can find the rest of the series here.
Written for the Crossovers100 challenge. Prompt #12 Orange. The table is here.
A/N: Pretty Chloe/Dean art here that I commissioned from Bri-chan.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7
As they walked to the car, Sam’s mind was far away from Dean’s idea of breakfast. It was actually on the little blonde reporter who was trying to teach him to use his abilities.
In the past few months, Chloe had grown from a partner to a friend and confidante. And now, with the training she was also a mentor. Sam wanted to thank her for what she was doing for him. The problem is that until recently, he wasn’t sure how. Until now.
Just a few days ago, Chloe had let it slip that she thought of herself as being alone. It was telling to Sam that a girl like Chloe, with a large extended network of family and friends who she spoke with on a weekly basis - even from long distances away - still felt alone.
The only reason that Sam could find for her feelings was that she deliberately isolated herself.
The more he thought about it, the more Sam realized that his suspicions were correct. Whether she realized she was doing it or not, Chloe was always doing little things to hold herself aloof from them. For one thing, she frequently avoided engaging in the two of them as a family if both Sam and Dean were together. If both members of the Winchester family were together - she would either be buried in a book or laptop or pretending to sleep.
Sam didn’t have a problem with her doing this occasionally. Especially if - as she claimed - she was just giving them space. But as often as she pulled back, it smacked of avoidance rather than actual altruism.
Sam really wanted her just to drop that and realize that she was just as much a part of this team - a part of this family really -- as he and Dean was. Because he didn't want to watch Dean self-destruct like he did the last time that they had been apart.
So Sam decided that the running and the feeling alone was going to stop. If she would just accept them, Chloe had a family in him and Dean. But getting her to accept that was going to be difficult. Chloe was, in her own way, as stubborn as a Winchester.
Sam had a feeling that the first step was going to be preventing her from isolating herself. And as Chloe headed for the Impala, Sam thought he saw his first opportunity.
“Hey Chloe?” he called as she opened the rear door to get in. She paused with one foot inside the car to give him a questioning stare. Sam looked from her to Dean to the Impala speculatively. “Why don't you ride up front with us?”
Chloe shrugged. “What's wrong with where I'm at?”
Dean gave Sam a look that clearly said that he wanted to know why the sudden interest in where Chloe was riding. Sam shrugged self-consciously. He didn't really want to voice his motives out loud, even to Dean.
“It's just harder for the three of us to talk when you're in the backseat,” he said. “I'm developing a crick in my neck from turning my head.”
Chloe looked from the backseat, to the middle of the bench in front, and then shrugged. “I guess,” she said. “Just don't wreck.”
“Like I would wreck my baby,” Dean snorted as he climbed behind the wheel and pulled Chloe close to rest against his side. “You have me confused with Samantha over there.”
Sam took the teasing good naturedly. Chloe and Dean had fallen smoothly into his plan, so it was all good. I should have been a criminal mastermind. Oh wait, that's right. I am!
Just then his phone pealed out. He glanced at the screen, and was surprised to note that Ellen was calling. Given that he'd called to let her know that they were headed that way yesterday, he didn't expect to hear from the owner of the roadhouse just yet.
“Ellen,” he said.
Dean wondered why Ellen would call, seeing how they'd checked in last night. Over the years, the roadhouse owner had become like a second mother figure to them. They tended to check in with her regularly, just to keep an ear to the ground and a finger to the wind. And also to keep her from worrying.
They stopped to listen to Sam's end of the conversation expectantly as he spoke to Ellen on the phone.
“We actually haven't been on the road yet . . . Where?”
A doubtful look crossed his face. “Ellen, are you sure that it's not a prank? We are kind of close to Halloween.
Dean sighed. While normally he would be jonesing for a new job - especially given the frustrating holding pattern that he and Chloe were in -- nothing would make him less twitchy than killing something; they avoided taking jobs around Halloween for a reason.
Firstly, the veil between this world and the otherworld was thinner around that time of year. Over the years, they'd put down enough things that they didn't want to re-encounter.
Secondly, there were too many civilians dressed up as things they hunted. And the costumes were getting better and better. The last thing they wanted was to mistakenly kill some teenager because he had a convincing set of contacts and dental-quality fang-caps.
Thirdly - Halloween was just too full of tourists. It was hard on them to see civilians walk through haunted houses and dress like ghosts and pretend to get cared and laugh and basically make light of their life's work.
Fourthly - after Jess had died, Dean liked to hole up around this time of year and just - be prepared. Just in case something else decided that this time of year was a good time to go gunning for them.
Sam's face took on a contrite expression as he listened to what Ellen had to say. “I'll check with the others. We could double-back. Okay. I'll call you and let you know.”
His expression told Dean that he didn't want to take any job this time of year any more than Dean did. Which probably meant that it was important, since he didn't look like he could say no. Dean gave him a look that said that they would take the job if they had to - albeit reluctantly.
“How would you guys feel about going to Ohio?”
“What's in Ohio?” Chloe asked. Her own expression was one of trepidation. In the time she'd been with them, she was starting to pick up on their non-verbal communication.
“Probably nothing,” Sam tucked his hands in his pockets and shrugged before slumping in his customary posture. “But there have been a couple of sightings of a headless horseman.”
“Headless horseman?” Dean snorted. “That's got to be some kind of prank. I thought that the headless horseman was fictional.”
“It's supposed to be,” Sam nodded. “Washington Irving made it up for The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”
“So all we have are witness sightings?” Dean asked. “No bodies or anything?”
“Basically,” Sam said. “For all we know, it could be a bad case of mass hysteria. But we've got to check it out anyways. Because you never know: it could be another tulpa.”
Chloe quirked an eyebrow. “Tulpa?”
“Thought golem,” Sam explained. “We encountered on a few years back. They're created out of belief.”
“That's possible?” Chloe's face twisted in a horrified expression.
“Unfortunately,” Sam nodded.
“Just great,” Dean scowled. “So because a bunch of people believe in it - we could be hunting the zombified corpse of a long-dead Hessian soldier in search of his head. And the kicker is - it's not even real.”
“Basically? Yeah.” Sam said. His mouth twisted in a rueful grimace.
“Lovely,” Dean said. “You know where we need to go?”
“Where?” Sam asked.
“Back to Hollywood,” Dean said. “We need to find Tim Burton and hunt that little bitch down.”