Those Three Words (Sixteen/?)
Title: Those Three Words
Authors: xtremeroswellia and clarksmuse
Rating: R to NC-17 for language and sexual scenes
Pairing: Chlean (Chloe/Dean) :D
Characters: multi-fandom -- Smallville, Supernatural, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Disclaimer: Neither of us own these characters. We're just borrowing them, so please don't sue!!
One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten | Eleven | Twelve | Thirteen | Fourteen | Fifteen | Sixteen A | Sixteen B | Seventeen | Eighteen | Cocnlusion
Chloe worked her way through the cemetery in silence, her emotions weighing on her heavily. In particular guilt. Followed closely by anger. Mixed with a healthy dose of confusion and uncertainty. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts she didn't even hear the footfall behind her until a claw swiped painfully at her back, throwing her headlong into a tombstone. She grunted, looking over her shoulder as sick dread settled upon her. The growling, snarling vampire was every bit as ugly as she remembered and she quickly got to her feet, steeling herself for a battle she wasn't sure she was going to win.
Dean had seen Chloe take off into a cemetery and laughed bitterly to himself. He figured she would go where the big evil was, he thought, climbing over the front gate and dropping down. Just in time to see a horrid sight. Chloe being flung like a wet rag across the grounds. "Oh God," he whispered, taking off in a mad dash to get near her, though he sure as hell didn't know if he could fight the thing that was attacking her.
Panting painfully, tears and blood stinging her eyes, she tried to push herself off the muddy ground once more, only to receive a kick to the ribs for her effort. A whimper escaping her, she pressed a hand to her stomach, feeling the blood there too. The vampire lunged down at her, taking flesh from her arm with his claw as she kicked her feet out and knocked him back a few feet. Swallowing hard, Chloe managed to get to her feet though given the pain in her head and in every part of her body, she wasn't sure how long she could remain standing. Weak and dizzy, when the vampire leapt at her again, she smacked her head hard on the ground, her vision blurring.
By the time Dean had gotten to where Chloe lay, she had been beaten nearly to death. He crept down behind a tombstone, stake in his hand, though he realized that it would be no use to him. And as bad as Chloe looked, it would be nothing compared to what would happen to him. It was only then he heard the growl of the thing, turning to duck out of its way before it took a swing at him. Maybe if he could keep its attention off of Chloe, she'd be alright.
Tara smiled at Willow as they walked along the outside gate of the cemetery hand in hand. "It's not so bad here, but it's not Sunnydale." Pausing at a growl, she turned to look across the way, her eyes widening. "Willow, is that--?"
"Yes, I think it is," Willow replied, grabbing Tara and moving swiftly towards Dean, the inert form they assumed to be Chloe, and the vicious vampire thing they had since found out was supposed to be nothing more than a myth.
Dean didn't see the witches coming until he was thrown into their path, having been swiped by those long claws across his chest and thrown away like trash. "Willow? Tara?" he grunted, trying to stand up.
Stammering a few words in Latin that Dean didn't understand, Tara waved one hand in the air and the vampire vanished. "Oh, my God." She quickly moved to Chloe's side.
"What the hell--?" Dean began, but Willow stopped him.
"It's gone for now, so don't worry," Willow said gently, trying to examine his wounds.
"No," he groaned in response, holding his stomach as he got up with her help. "We've gotta get to Chloe. She's hurt... Oh God, she might be..." He couldn't bear to finish that thought as he stumbled over to her, where Tara was looking her over. Chloe looked like she had just gone through a meat grinder, and it was all his damn fault. He couldn't fight the single tear that fell down his cheek.
"We need to get her back," Tara said urgently. "Right now. We have to stop the bleeding. Willow... get Giles."
Muttering a chant in Latin, Willow suddenly disappeared in a poof of smoke. Dean, not paying attention, yanked out his phone and called his brother. "Sammy, get your ass over to the MainStreetCemetery. With the Impala. Now." Not waiting for his brother to answer, he closed his phone and yanked off his jacket, ripping it up to use to stop the bleeding. "Fuck," he mumbled.
Tara was whispering a few words almost inaudibly, her eyes closed as she rested one hand on Chloe's shoulder.
Dean reached out a hand to touch her bloodied and bruised face and nearly wept. Not again, he thought miserably. It had happened... again. He swore it wouldn't and it did.
Within minutes, both Willow and Giles appeared, armed with healing herbs, and Sam appeared with the Impala, leaping out with bandages and wrappings.
"What the hell happened?" Sam asked, seeing Dean first, the gash across his chest, his face pale as a sheet. "Dean, wha--" It was then he saw Chloe lying unconscious and nearly passed out himself.
Giles immediately kneeled by Tara's side. "How is she?" he asked quietly, worried for not only her but the Winchester brothers, as well. Neither of them looked well.
"Not so good," Tara whispered, her face pale from the exertion of attempting to heal some of Chloe's wounds. "We need to get her inside, Giles. Fast." She glanced up at Sam and Dean. "Sam, can you carry her?"
Sam nodded. "Let's take her back to her place." He gently picked her up, seeing her face just as he had seen in his vision. He prayed to God she didn't die.
"No," Giles replied immediately. "The hotel's closer. We'll take her there. Willow, you ride with them and work on healing her." He stood up, looking at Dean. "What happened?"
"I... I don't..." Dean began to speak but his words faltered. He didn't know what to say, especially since he was getting light-headed.
Tara grabbed his arm to keep him upright. "Don't pass out," she said firmly, gazing at him. "Come on, we need to hurry." She glanced at Giles. "It was that vampire."
Giles nodded, his heart sinking. He grabbed Dean and helped get him to the car with the others.
Sam wasted no time in getting Chloe to the car, putting her in gently and then trying patiently to wait for the rest of the group to get to the Impala and get in the car. He didn't know who he was more worried about, Dean or Chloe. But the car took a beating as he sped to Giles's hotel.
Once they got there and Sam put Chloe on the bed, Giles knelt down and looked at Sam. "Get water, towels, and supplies you have to wrap her up."
Sam nodded and ran to the bathroom.
Dean slid onto the floor, whispering, "She... okay?"
"We're working on it," Tara told him gently, meeting Willow's gaze across the bed. Wordlessly she reached her hands out to her girlfriend, knowing that if they worked together the magic would be more effective and powerful.
"Holy moly," Anya said in horrified disbelief as she and Xander stepped into the room to be greeted by the awful sight.
"I agree," Xander said, cringing at the sight of the Slayer bloodied and beaten. Reminders of the past left buried. He looked at Dean, pale and looking badly himself. "We need to help him," he said.
Sam came out of the bathroom, handed the things to Giles, and moved to his brother. "No, you two see what needs to be done for Chloe. I'll clean Dean up." With that, he helped Dean up and walked him to the bathroom.
Anya hesitated at the foot of the bed. "Giles, what can we do?" she asked uncertainly.
"While Willow and Tara are casting, you two can clean up her lesser wounds, around her face and arms."
Xander nodded, grabbing a towel and dipping it into the water to bathe off the crusty blood that dried off on her arms.
Dean felt Sam rip his shirt from his body, taking some skin with it. Yelping in pain, he grumbled, "Did you have to be so rough?"
"What happened out there, Dean?" Sam asked, shaking his head, his own face pale.
"We... fought," Dean groaned as his brother cleaned out the cuts all over his chest. "And she... left. Ow! I followed..."
Quickly bandaging the wounds, Sam let out a breath. "You should both be in a hospital."
"Tell that to the chanting monks out there," he replied, biting back the pain he felt as Sam wrapped his stomach. "Sammy, is she...?"
"I don't know," he said, voice quiet. "It's pretty bad."
"Don't say that," he whispered, putting his head into his hands and trying not to have a complete meltdown in front of Sam. "It's my fault. All my fault. If she dies, I... I don't know how I can..."
He drew in a breath, not wanting to think about what would happen if Chloe did die. "She won't die. She can't."
He tried to stand but stumbled. "I need to be out there," he said slowly, his words sluggish. Suddenly, he whispered, "What did you tell Clark?"
"I didn't. I just left."
"Probably a good thing," he muttered, making his way to the door. "He'd probably kick my ass into next week." And I would totally deserve it, he thought.
Sam followed his brother to the main room where Willow and Tara were standing over Chloe's bed, their hands clasped together as they chanted something softly in Latin, their eyes closed. "What are they doing?" he whispered, staring.
"I think... they're trying to heal her," Dean replied, leaning against the wall for support. "Isn't that what the smelly herbs are for?"
Xander looked at Dean and nodded. "I see that thing didn't take the snark out of you."
"Funny," Dean replied.
A faint whimper escaped Chloe's lips and her head turned to one side though her eyes remained shut and she remained unconscious.
"What happened to the thing that did this to her?" Anya questioned worriedly.
"It just... disappeared," Dean grunted, staring at Tara and Willow, who were fixated on the magics they were performing. He heard his girl whimper, so that had to mean it was working, he told himself.
"Yes, a teleportation spell," Giles said, mixing the herbs for the girls to use when needed.
"So it's still out there somewhere, running around loose." Anya's eyes were still wide. "Which means it could be on its way here right now."
Sam stared at her.
"Unless it was teleported to Timbuktu," Dean replied wryly. "Then the daylight might kill it." His eyes never left Chloe's face while he spoke.
"No, it's still in town," Giles commented calmly. "Who knows where, but it's still out there." He glanced up at Xander. "You have the holy water ready, just in case?"
Xander nodded solemnly.
"Holy water?" Dean rasped. "For what?"
"In case it breaks down the door and decides to try and kill us all," Anya supplied.
"I thought Chloe said vampires needed an invitation to enter a living space," Sam said worriedly.
"Not this kind," she informed him. "This is not your typical bloodsucker. This is evil in its purest form. It doesn't need an invitation to enter a dwelling, a regular stake won't kill it, and it's nearly invincible."
"Wonderful," Dean replied, his head beginning to pound from the beating he'd taken. His eyes still focused on Sam, he said simply, "Go get Clark, Sammy."
Giles looked up, surprised by the unfamiliar name. "Clark?" he asked. "Who is this person?"
"Chloe's friend," Dean replied. "Don't ask."
"I'll call him. He can get a cab. I'm not leaving." Sam moved over to the phone on the bedside table.
Anya eyed the door nervously.
"That's fine," Dean replied, watching Sam make the call. And from the look on his face, Clark didn't sound too happy.
"Oh joy, another happy camper's in town," Xander said, stepping back and helping Giles with the herbs the girls needed.
"You have no idea," Dean replied.
Tara winced, pausing mid-spell for a moment, then continuing, her face pale.
"Giles, what spell are they doing?" Anya asked uncertainly.
"It's a Tibetan healing spell," Giles said, looking at Tara in concern. "It's dangerous and draining, and if they don't say everything exactly right..." He hesitated for a moment, looking at Dean.
"What, Giles?" Dean demanded in a small whisper.
"It won't work and she'll die," Giles said flatly.
"And it won't be good for them either." Anya jumped, startled at the loud knock on the door.
Sam looked toward it in surprise. "Is someone else coming?"
"It's probably Clark, Sammy," Dean replied, finding his feet to shuffle across the room and look through the peephole. Sure enough, big bad ClarkKent stood on the other side, his face stony.
"Hey, don't open that door, Dean!" Xander whined, as afraid as Anya was.
"Chill, Xander, it's just Clark," Dean retorted, swinging the door open and doing the one-over. "Clark."
"What happened?" Clark moved past him, over toward the best where he froze and stared in horror. "Chloe?" he whispered.
"That was fast," Sam commented, staring at Clark in confusion.
"No kidding, Sammy," Dean said, closing the door. "What, did you fly here?"
"This is Clark, I assume?" Giles replied. Dean just nodded his head, turning his gaze back to Chloe.
"Is she all right?" he said, ignoring their comments.
Anya was staring at him with wide eyes. "Holy Greek Gods," she said under her breath.
Clark was the most massive guy Xander had ever seen, but Anya's open staring at him ticked him off. "Cut it out, An," he replied, moving her away from Clark.
"We don't know yet," Dean replied, leaning back against the wall as the pain in his stomach grew worse. "Just don't interrupt Tara and Willow or there'll be hell to pay."
Clark fell silent, his heart thudding heavily in his chest as he watched the two women do... what he could only assume was some form of magical spell. God, what had Chloe gotten involved in? He didn't understand how this all could've happened in such a short time frame. He swallowed hard.
Sam kept a hand on his brother's shoulder, not sure if it was meant to comfort Dean or himself. It dawned onhim that someone should have contacted Spike.
Dawn bit her lower lip, staying in the far corner of the room, her face drained of all color, memories of her sister's death flooding her mind.
Xander saw the look on Dawn's face and took her in his arms, hugging her and trying to shield her from the horrible scene.
Dean watched Willow and Tara chant, their words making no sense to him, though it seemed to be helping, because he thought he saw Chloe move slightly. Hope arose slightly in his heart, though replaced quickly by the crushing feeling that he had caused all this.
The herbs burning around him, Giles gently moved them around in the patterns he had gotten from the book in front of him, hoping this would help both Tara and Willow maintain their concentration and strength.
Dean glanced sideways at Sam. "Dude, this isn't your fault."
Sam didn't respond, his face almost as pale as Dean's and he hadn't even been attacked by the damn thing. "I should get Spike." He remained motionless.
"Dude, just call him," Dean replied, his gaze moving between Sam and Chloe. "He's got a cell, believe it or not. Here, I found it tacked on Chloe's fridge and put it in my phone." He handed Sam his cell. "You're not going out there, not after what's happened."
"I'll call him," Dawn said very softly, slowly pulling away from Xander, needing to feel useful. She pulled out her own phone and dialed the number with shaking fingers.
Clark held his breath as the two women standing over Chloe let go of each other's hands, seeming to be done with whatever they were doing. "Is she--"
A soft groan escaped Chloe's lips and her eyebrows furrowed a little.
Authors: xtremeroswellia and clarksmuse
Rating: R to NC-17 for language and sexual scenes
Pairing: Chlean (Chloe/Dean) :D
Characters: multi-fandom -- Smallville, Supernatural, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Disclaimer: Neither of us own these characters. We're just borrowing them, so please don't sue!!
One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten | Eleven | Twelve | Thirteen | Fourteen | Fifteen | Sixteen A | Sixteen B | Seventeen | Eighteen | Cocnlusion
Chloe worked her way through the cemetery in silence, her emotions weighing on her heavily. In particular guilt. Followed closely by anger. Mixed with a healthy dose of confusion and uncertainty. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts she didn't even hear the footfall behind her until a claw swiped painfully at her back, throwing her headlong into a tombstone. She grunted, looking over her shoulder as sick dread settled upon her. The growling, snarling vampire was every bit as ugly as she remembered and she quickly got to her feet, steeling herself for a battle she wasn't sure she was going to win.
Dean had seen Chloe take off into a cemetery and laughed bitterly to himself. He figured she would go where the big evil was, he thought, climbing over the front gate and dropping down. Just in time to see a horrid sight. Chloe being flung like a wet rag across the grounds. "Oh God," he whispered, taking off in a mad dash to get near her, though he sure as hell didn't know if he could fight the thing that was attacking her.
Panting painfully, tears and blood stinging her eyes, she tried to push herself off the muddy ground once more, only to receive a kick to the ribs for her effort. A whimper escaping her, she pressed a hand to her stomach, feeling the blood there too. The vampire lunged down at her, taking flesh from her arm with his claw as she kicked her feet out and knocked him back a few feet. Swallowing hard, Chloe managed to get to her feet though given the pain in her head and in every part of her body, she wasn't sure how long she could remain standing. Weak and dizzy, when the vampire leapt at her again, she smacked her head hard on the ground, her vision blurring.
By the time Dean had gotten to where Chloe lay, she had been beaten nearly to death. He crept down behind a tombstone, stake in his hand, though he realized that it would be no use to him. And as bad as Chloe looked, it would be nothing compared to what would happen to him. It was only then he heard the growl of the thing, turning to duck out of its way before it took a swing at him. Maybe if he could keep its attention off of Chloe, she'd be alright.
Tara smiled at Willow as they walked along the outside gate of the cemetery hand in hand. "It's not so bad here, but it's not Sunnydale." Pausing at a growl, she turned to look across the way, her eyes widening. "Willow, is that--?"
"Yes, I think it is," Willow replied, grabbing Tara and moving swiftly towards Dean, the inert form they assumed to be Chloe, and the vicious vampire thing they had since found out was supposed to be nothing more than a myth.
Dean didn't see the witches coming until he was thrown into their path, having been swiped by those long claws across his chest and thrown away like trash. "Willow? Tara?" he grunted, trying to stand up.
Stammering a few words in Latin that Dean didn't understand, Tara waved one hand in the air and the vampire vanished. "Oh, my God." She quickly moved to Chloe's side.
"What the hell--?" Dean began, but Willow stopped him.
"It's gone for now, so don't worry," Willow said gently, trying to examine his wounds.
"No," he groaned in response, holding his stomach as he got up with her help. "We've gotta get to Chloe. She's hurt... Oh God, she might be..." He couldn't bear to finish that thought as he stumbled over to her, where Tara was looking her over. Chloe looked like she had just gone through a meat grinder, and it was all his damn fault. He couldn't fight the single tear that fell down his cheek.
"We need to get her back," Tara said urgently. "Right now. We have to stop the bleeding. Willow... get Giles."
Muttering a chant in Latin, Willow suddenly disappeared in a poof of smoke. Dean, not paying attention, yanked out his phone and called his brother. "Sammy, get your ass over to the MainStreetCemetery. With the Impala. Now." Not waiting for his brother to answer, he closed his phone and yanked off his jacket, ripping it up to use to stop the bleeding. "Fuck," he mumbled.
Tara was whispering a few words almost inaudibly, her eyes closed as she rested one hand on Chloe's shoulder.
Dean reached out a hand to touch her bloodied and bruised face and nearly wept. Not again, he thought miserably. It had happened... again. He swore it wouldn't and it did.
Within minutes, both Willow and Giles appeared, armed with healing herbs, and Sam appeared with the Impala, leaping out with bandages and wrappings.
"What the hell happened?" Sam asked, seeing Dean first, the gash across his chest, his face pale as a sheet. "Dean, wha--" It was then he saw Chloe lying unconscious and nearly passed out himself.
Giles immediately kneeled by Tara's side. "How is she?" he asked quietly, worried for not only her but the Winchester brothers, as well. Neither of them looked well.
"Not so good," Tara whispered, her face pale from the exertion of attempting to heal some of Chloe's wounds. "We need to get her inside, Giles. Fast." She glanced up at Sam and Dean. "Sam, can you carry her?"
Sam nodded. "Let's take her back to her place." He gently picked her up, seeing her face just as he had seen in his vision. He prayed to God she didn't die.
"No," Giles replied immediately. "The hotel's closer. We'll take her there. Willow, you ride with them and work on healing her." He stood up, looking at Dean. "What happened?"
"I... I don't..." Dean began to speak but his words faltered. He didn't know what to say, especially since he was getting light-headed.
Tara grabbed his arm to keep him upright. "Don't pass out," she said firmly, gazing at him. "Come on, we need to hurry." She glanced at Giles. "It was that vampire."
Giles nodded, his heart sinking. He grabbed Dean and helped get him to the car with the others.
Sam wasted no time in getting Chloe to the car, putting her in gently and then trying patiently to wait for the rest of the group to get to the Impala and get in the car. He didn't know who he was more worried about, Dean or Chloe. But the car took a beating as he sped to Giles's hotel.
Once they got there and Sam put Chloe on the bed, Giles knelt down and looked at Sam. "Get water, towels, and supplies you have to wrap her up."
Sam nodded and ran to the bathroom.
Dean slid onto the floor, whispering, "She... okay?"
"We're working on it," Tara told him gently, meeting Willow's gaze across the bed. Wordlessly she reached her hands out to her girlfriend, knowing that if they worked together the magic would be more effective and powerful.
"Holy moly," Anya said in horrified disbelief as she and Xander stepped into the room to be greeted by the awful sight.
"I agree," Xander said, cringing at the sight of the Slayer bloodied and beaten. Reminders of the past left buried. He looked at Dean, pale and looking badly himself. "We need to help him," he said.
Sam came out of the bathroom, handed the things to Giles, and moved to his brother. "No, you two see what needs to be done for Chloe. I'll clean Dean up." With that, he helped Dean up and walked him to the bathroom.
Anya hesitated at the foot of the bed. "Giles, what can we do?" she asked uncertainly.
"While Willow and Tara are casting, you two can clean up her lesser wounds, around her face and arms."
Xander nodded, grabbing a towel and dipping it into the water to bathe off the crusty blood that dried off on her arms.
Dean felt Sam rip his shirt from his body, taking some skin with it. Yelping in pain, he grumbled, "Did you have to be so rough?"
"What happened out there, Dean?" Sam asked, shaking his head, his own face pale.
"We... fought," Dean groaned as his brother cleaned out the cuts all over his chest. "And she... left. Ow! I followed..."
Quickly bandaging the wounds, Sam let out a breath. "You should both be in a hospital."
"Tell that to the chanting monks out there," he replied, biting back the pain he felt as Sam wrapped his stomach. "Sammy, is she...?"
"I don't know," he said, voice quiet. "It's pretty bad."
"Don't say that," he whispered, putting his head into his hands and trying not to have a complete meltdown in front of Sam. "It's my fault. All my fault. If she dies, I... I don't know how I can..."
He drew in a breath, not wanting to think about what would happen if Chloe did die. "She won't die. She can't."
He tried to stand but stumbled. "I need to be out there," he said slowly, his words sluggish. Suddenly, he whispered, "What did you tell Clark?"
"I didn't. I just left."
"Probably a good thing," he muttered, making his way to the door. "He'd probably kick my ass into next week." And I would totally deserve it, he thought.
Sam followed his brother to the main room where Willow and Tara were standing over Chloe's bed, their hands clasped together as they chanted something softly in Latin, their eyes closed. "What are they doing?" he whispered, staring.
"I think... they're trying to heal her," Dean replied, leaning against the wall for support. "Isn't that what the smelly herbs are for?"
Xander looked at Dean and nodded. "I see that thing didn't take the snark out of you."
"Funny," Dean replied.
A faint whimper escaped Chloe's lips and her head turned to one side though her eyes remained shut and she remained unconscious.
"What happened to the thing that did this to her?" Anya questioned worriedly.
"It just... disappeared," Dean grunted, staring at Tara and Willow, who were fixated on the magics they were performing. He heard his girl whimper, so that had to mean it was working, he told himself.
"Yes, a teleportation spell," Giles said, mixing the herbs for the girls to use when needed.
"So it's still out there somewhere, running around loose." Anya's eyes were still wide. "Which means it could be on its way here right now."
Sam stared at her.
"Unless it was teleported to Timbuktu," Dean replied wryly. "Then the daylight might kill it." His eyes never left Chloe's face while he spoke.
"No, it's still in town," Giles commented calmly. "Who knows where, but it's still out there." He glanced up at Xander. "You have the holy water ready, just in case?"
Xander nodded solemnly.
"Holy water?" Dean rasped. "For what?"
"In case it breaks down the door and decides to try and kill us all," Anya supplied.
"I thought Chloe said vampires needed an invitation to enter a living space," Sam said worriedly.
"Not this kind," she informed him. "This is not your typical bloodsucker. This is evil in its purest form. It doesn't need an invitation to enter a dwelling, a regular stake won't kill it, and it's nearly invincible."
"Wonderful," Dean replied, his head beginning to pound from the beating he'd taken. His eyes still focused on Sam, he said simply, "Go get Clark, Sammy."
Giles looked up, surprised by the unfamiliar name. "Clark?" he asked. "Who is this person?"
"Chloe's friend," Dean replied. "Don't ask."
"I'll call him. He can get a cab. I'm not leaving." Sam moved over to the phone on the bedside table.
Anya eyed the door nervously.
"That's fine," Dean replied, watching Sam make the call. And from the look on his face, Clark didn't sound too happy.
"Oh joy, another happy camper's in town," Xander said, stepping back and helping Giles with the herbs the girls needed.
"You have no idea," Dean replied.
Tara winced, pausing mid-spell for a moment, then continuing, her face pale.
"Giles, what spell are they doing?" Anya asked uncertainly.
"It's a Tibetan healing spell," Giles said, looking at Tara in concern. "It's dangerous and draining, and if they don't say everything exactly right..." He hesitated for a moment, looking at Dean.
"What, Giles?" Dean demanded in a small whisper.
"It won't work and she'll die," Giles said flatly.
"And it won't be good for them either." Anya jumped, startled at the loud knock on the door.
Sam looked toward it in surprise. "Is someone else coming?"
"It's probably Clark, Sammy," Dean replied, finding his feet to shuffle across the room and look through the peephole. Sure enough, big bad ClarkKent stood on the other side, his face stony.
"Hey, don't open that door, Dean!" Xander whined, as afraid as Anya was.
"Chill, Xander, it's just Clark," Dean retorted, swinging the door open and doing the one-over. "Clark."
"What happened?" Clark moved past him, over toward the best where he froze and stared in horror. "Chloe?" he whispered.
"That was fast," Sam commented, staring at Clark in confusion.
"No kidding, Sammy," Dean said, closing the door. "What, did you fly here?"
"This is Clark, I assume?" Giles replied. Dean just nodded his head, turning his gaze back to Chloe.
"Is she all right?" he said, ignoring their comments.
Anya was staring at him with wide eyes. "Holy Greek Gods," she said under her breath.
Clark was the most massive guy Xander had ever seen, but Anya's open staring at him ticked him off. "Cut it out, An," he replied, moving her away from Clark.
"We don't know yet," Dean replied, leaning back against the wall as the pain in his stomach grew worse. "Just don't interrupt Tara and Willow or there'll be hell to pay."
Clark fell silent, his heart thudding heavily in his chest as he watched the two women do... what he could only assume was some form of magical spell. God, what had Chloe gotten involved in? He didn't understand how this all could've happened in such a short time frame. He swallowed hard.
Sam kept a hand on his brother's shoulder, not sure if it was meant to comfort Dean or himself. It dawned onhim that someone should have contacted Spike.
Dawn bit her lower lip, staying in the far corner of the room, her face drained of all color, memories of her sister's death flooding her mind.
Xander saw the look on Dawn's face and took her in his arms, hugging her and trying to shield her from the horrible scene.
Dean watched Willow and Tara chant, their words making no sense to him, though it seemed to be helping, because he thought he saw Chloe move slightly. Hope arose slightly in his heart, though replaced quickly by the crushing feeling that he had caused all this.
The herbs burning around him, Giles gently moved them around in the patterns he had gotten from the book in front of him, hoping this would help both Tara and Willow maintain their concentration and strength.
Dean glanced sideways at Sam. "Dude, this isn't your fault."
Sam didn't respond, his face almost as pale as Dean's and he hadn't even been attacked by the damn thing. "I should get Spike." He remained motionless.
"Dude, just call him," Dean replied, his gaze moving between Sam and Chloe. "He's got a cell, believe it or not. Here, I found it tacked on Chloe's fridge and put it in my phone." He handed Sam his cell. "You're not going out there, not after what's happened."
"I'll call him," Dawn said very softly, slowly pulling away from Xander, needing to feel useful. She pulled out her own phone and dialed the number with shaking fingers.
Clark held his breath as the two women standing over Chloe let go of each other's hands, seeming to be done with whatever they were doing. "Is she--"
A soft groan escaped Chloe's lips and her eyebrows furrowed a little.