SPN/SV Fic: The Right Thing (1/1)
Wish Series
Title: The Right Thing (1/1)
Authors: Shadow_One and X_tremeroswellian
Rated: PG-13
Pairing; Dean/Chloe
Disclaimer: Not ours.
Wordcount: 2688
A soft vibrating noise awoke Sam from the light a light sleep. Frowning, he realized it was his brother's phone. Picking it up, he glanced over at Dean's pale sleeping form before answering. "Hello?" he whispered, getting out of bed.
There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Sam?" There was a hint of fear in her voice.
He frowned. "Yeah, Chloe...it's me."
"Why are you answering Dean's phone?" The fear in her voice was more clear now.
He bit his lip. "Hold on," opening the door quietly, he stepped out into the cool night air.
Swallowing hard as she began to pace her living room floor, she waited.
"Okay...things didn't...really go as expected on this hunt."
"Meaning what exactly?"
"Well, despite Dean's thinking that this thing wasn't evil, it was. He went by himself to get it, but it got him instead."
All the color drained from her face and she fell utterly silent, the sound of her heart hammering in her ears.
Sam pinched the bridge of his nose. "I waited a few hours before calling him again, and when he didn't answer, I went to the warehouse where he was supposed to be. Well...when I got there, I found him hanging by his wrists. The djin was...draining the blood out of him."
"Oh my God," her voice was barely audible.
"He looked dead. And --" his voice cracked. "I thought he was. But then he came to, so I got him out of there...after he killed the thing."
"Sam, is he okay?" Her stomach turned over.
"He lost a lot of blood and the stubborn bastard wouldn't let me take him to the hospital."
Feeling ill, she raked a hand through her hair.
"He's sleeping now," Sam said quietly.
"But he's gonna be okay, right?"
"I hope so."
"Where are you?" she asked abruptly. "Exact location."
"Just outside a town called Boody."
"I'm on my way."
"Be careful, okay?"
"I will." She hung up the phone, her face still deathly pale.
Shutting his brother's phone, Sam sighed and headed back in, hoping his brother would be more open to Chloe.
* * *
The drive to Illinois was tense in her small red Yaris, her hands gripping the wheel tightly enough to make her knuckles drain of all color. If she hadn't been clutching on that tightly, her hands would have been shaking.
The last seventy-two hours had been the most terrifying in her life and now that she knew Dean was hurt, possibly badly, it was all she could do to keep from crying. She called Sam when entered a tiny town called Blue Mound, where the people were snobby assholes with holier-than-thou attitudes but the burgers, according to a sign, were the best for at least twenty miles. As soon as she found the exact location he'd given her, she pulled her car into the motel parking lot and climbed out slowly, her heart thudding heavily against her chest as she made her way toward the door of Room 42.
Sam heard her soft knock and jumped up, looking at his brother who was now dozing lightly, propped up against the headboard. Opening the door, he smiled slightly. "Hey Chloe."
She met his eyes for a brief moment then moved past him, pausing as her gaze fell upon the sleeping Winchester.
He put his hands in his pockets. "He's been sleeping a lot."
Nodding, she swallowed hard, not taking her eyes off him.
"Wake him up," he whispered. "I'm gonna go get us some food."
She barely heard Sam leave the room as she slowly moved to Dean's side, remaining silent as she watched him sleep.
Dean sensed something near him. Opening his tired eyes, he waited for his vision to clear. He smiled at who he saw. "Hey beautiful."
"Hey yourself." She reached out and touched his cheek gently.
"What you doin' here?"
"Well, I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd drop in," she said lightly.
He rolled his eyes. "Sure. And I don't hunt."
"Sam told me you got hurt."
"'M not hurt," he said, stifling a yawn.
"You're such a bad liar."
"Do I *look* hurt?"
"You look exhausted."
He shrugged. "But I don't look hurt."
She sighed in exasperation. "Technicalities."
"Make all the difference," he finished.
Chloe shook her head a little. "Well, I’m glad you're okay," she murmured, her eyes a little duller than usual.
"Chloe..." He raised his hand to touch her arm. "Okay, so maybe...things didn't go all great."
"What happened?"
"The djin got me...and kinda granted my wish."
She blinked. "You wished he'd drain your blood?"
He snorted. "Hell no. That part was gross."
"So what did you wish for?"
"That...my mom had never died," he looked down at his hands.
Her stomach tightened, her eyes sad. "Oh," she whispered, reaching out and resting a hand on his arm.
"It was good though. Sam still had Jess, dad was gone...and, believe it or not, I had you."
Chloe paused. "Why wouldn't I believe it?" Her voice was soft.
He shrugged. "I dunno."
"And you're sure you're okay?"
He gave her a lopsided smile. "Yeah, yeah."
Nodding a little, she slipped her shoes off and slowly moved around to the other side of the bed.
He put his arm out, inviting her to lay against him.
Chloe slowly laid down beside him, resting her head against his chest as she closed her eyes.
Dean took a slow breath as her warm skin contrasted against his chilled body.
She shuddered against him involuntarily, pressing her face against his shirt.
"Sorry," he mumbled.
"You didn't do anything," she whispered.
Worried you...now I'm making you cold."
She shook her head a little, forcing herself to take a deep breath and let it out slowly.
He placed a soft kiss to the top of her head. "How you been?"
Chloe's fingers curled around the material of his shirt involuntarily. "Okay."
"Just...okay?"
Swallowing hard, she fell silent, her heart beating quickly against her chest.
"Chloe."
"No," she admitted in a whisper.
"Hey, what's happened?"
"We can talk about it later," she murmured, her hands still clutching his clothes.
He shook his head. "No...we talk now."
Biting down hard on her lower lip, she sat up very slowly, pain flickering across her face as she moved.
Worry spiked inside of him as he watched her movements. "Tell me what happened so I can go kill the bastard that did it."
"Clark did it, but it's not...it's not like that." She swallowed hard and slowly began to unbutton her shirt.
He watched her undo the top part of her shirt and pull it away. "Then what--?"
She slowly peeled the white gauze away from her collarbone, revealing the blood-soaked pad and the angry red mark.
Dean leaned forward, hand hovering over the wound. "Who the hell did this?"
Chloe swallowed hard, but before she had the chance to respond, the door opened and she turned to see Sam stepping inside with a bag of some kind of fast food in hand.
"Hey I picked up some--"
Dean held up his hand and silenced his brother, still looking at Chloe. "Tell me."
"Lex Luthor's men." Her voice was almost inaudible.
He clenched his hands into tight fists. "Sam, get our stuff, we're leaving."
"No," she said in alarm, her eyes widening with fear.
He ignored her, swinging his legs over the side of the bed, fighting off the sudden dizziness that threatened to put him flat on his back. "Do it Sam."
Knowing his brother wasn't in the mood to argue, Sam began to gather up their things.
"Dean, no." She rose to her feet, catching his arm. "I'm not ready to go back yet."
"You don't have to come. I'm going to go kill them."
She shot Sam a frightened look, then turned her attention back to Dean. "You are *not* going without me."
"Well I don't want you getting any more hurt," he turned to her. "I'll make Sam stay here with you if you want."
Chloe snorted. "Don't you even wanna know the whole story before you go off half-cocked?"
"All I need to know is who I need to kill."
Her stomach tightened and she shifted her gaze away from him, her face paling a little.
He stopped, letting out a frustrated breath. "Fine."
She bit down on her lower lip, holding her shirt closed with one hand.
Closing his eyes, Dean put a hand to his forehead. "Tell me what happened."
"I'm not entirely sure," she murmured, slowly sitting down on Sam's bed, her face still pale. "I don't remember anything."
Sam stared at her, bags in his hands. "God Chloe."
"When I woke up...Clark was putting up missing posters with my picture all over the place," she said quietly.
Dean swallowed. "I'll kill him. I will."
She drew in a slow breath, trying to collect her thoughts. "It was some kind of tracking device."
"He put something in you to track you?" Sam's voice was quiet.
Chloe nodded silently, not looking at either of them.
Bringing his hand from his forehead, he clenched his hands into fists. "Sam, get the stuff to the car."
Nodding silently, Sam left.
She looked up at him wordlessly.
"I can't believe--That bastard--" Dean shook his head, too angry to get out more than that.
"There's more." Her voice was barely a whisper.
"Tell me."
"There's a reason he took me, Dean."
He stayed silent, waiting for her to tell him.
"I'm one of them."
"Them?"
"A meteor mutant."
He stiffened. "You're meteor infected?"
She flinched at his reaction, wrapping her arms around herself. "Congrats. You're dating a freak," she muttered.
Standing, he walked in front of her, grabbing her arms. Wordlessly, he pulled her to him and kissed her.
A soft sound of surprise escaped her as her body was pulled flush against his, his arms tightening around her possessively as his lips claimed hers.
After a few moments, he pulled away from her. "You're not a freak. I love you."
Tears sparkled in her eyes as she gazed back at him.
"And I'm going to kill the bastard who made you think you were a freak."
"Dean." Her voice was soft, pained. "All the time I've been in Smallville...all the meteor freaks I've encountered...all of them have either gone crazy and wound up in Belle Reeve or ended up dead."
"That's not going to happen to you. You are *not* going to end up...end up crazy," he put his head in his hands as another wave of dizziness crashed into him.
She slid her arms around his waist and guided him to the bed, gently sitting down beside him. "Easy."
"Sorry," he mumbled.
"You need to rest."
He shook his head. "No, I need to go after Lex."
"You can't." Her voice was quiet and she kept a hand on his arm.
"Why not?" His voice was pained as he looked at her.
Chloe leaned her head against his, kissing his lips softly. "Because I can't lose you."
Dean closed his eyes. "You won't."
"Dean, I've gone up against the Luthor's before and I barely got out alive," she whispered.
"It'll be different. I'll get out alive."
"You don't know that." Her voice was quiet and she rose to her feet.
He looked up at her. "I can't not do anything."
"Not even if that's what I want you to do?"
He opened his mouth to protest.
"I know, Dean. But I am begging you." Her voice was barely a whisper.
His eyes softened. "Okay."
Chloe touched his cheek, pressing a kiss to his forehead as she closed her eyes.
Snaking his arms around her, Dean pulled her onto his lap.
She drew in a shuddering breath and rested her face against his shoulder as he held her.
"Don't go back to Smallville."
She shut her eyes. "I have to."
"Please," his voice trembled.
She swallowed hard, hugging him tightly.
He rested his head against her shoulder. "Stay."
For a moment, she imagined how things would be if she did stay. If she just hopped in the Impala with them and traveled around hunting demons and spirits, far away from Smallville and Lex Luthor. Away from Clark. And Lois. And the Daily Planet. Her father.
"Chloe?" His voice was soft. "Gimme an answer."
"I can't, Dean," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "It's not that I don't want to." She slowly pulled away to look at him, her eyes sad.
"We'll go into hiding. Stay under the radar. Hell, we'll go to Canada," his voice was desperate. "You *can't* go back."
Wordlessly she kissed his lips, leaning her forehead against his, her hands resting on his shoulders.
"Please, I'm begging you Chloe. Let me keep you safe."
"If I leave Smallville, Lex wins," she whispered.
"How could you say that? No he doesn't," tone growing hard, he pulled away and looked at her.
"I'll have let him scare me into leaving my life behind and going into hiding."
Dean felt his heart drop into the pit of his stomach and he looked away. "Fine. Go back."
"Come with me." Her voice was quiet.
"You know I can't."
She closed her eyes. "Yeah." Her voice was quiet.
"Guess I'll see you around then," his voice became flat, dull.
She flinched. "Dean."
"I get it, okay?"
Chloe's eyebrows furrowed. "Get what?" she asked in confusion.
"That you have your own shit to work out. I get it, you need to get on with your life."
"That's not what I meant at all," she whispered, hurt.
"Yeah it is," he looked back at her. "You need to defeat Lex yourself. I understand that. I'll stay out of your way."
She shut her eyes, slowly sliding off his lap. "Everything's so black and white to you, isn't it?" Her voice was quiet, sad.
"I just gained some perspective from this last hunt," he looked down at his hands.
Her stomach twisted. "Meaning what exactly?"
He shook his head. "Nothing, nevermind. I'll come by again when I can, okay?"
"I don't wanna leave things like this," she whispered.
He gave her a weak smile. "I love you. Just know that."
Chloe swallowed hard and kissed him softly. "I love you too."
He kissed her back, lifting her hand to stroke her cheek softly.
She shut her eyes tightly as she heard Sam step back in the room.
"Dean? Car's ready..."
Dean pulled back and looked behind Chloe at his brother. "Forget it, dude."
Her eyes were sad as she slowly pulled away from him.
"Promise me you're gonna take care of yourself?" he looked into her deep green eyes.
Chloe nodded wordlessly, holding his gaze.
Standing slowly, he hugged her tightly.
Letting out a shuddering breath, she hugged him back just as tightly.
"Don't forget to call, okay?"
"Ditto." She kissed his neck softly.
Inhaling her scent deeply, he finally released her.
She leaned her head against his for a moment longer, then slowly pulled away, telling herself she was doing the right thing.
Giving her a tight smile, Dean walked her to the door, repeating in his head that he didn't need to go after her. She could handle herself.
"Take care, Sam," she murmured as she headed out the door slowly.
Sam nodded, smiling. "You too."
Chloe turned to look at Dean once more.
He gazed back at her. "Stay out of deep trouble."
"I'll do my best," she said softly.
He gave her a half smile. "Good."
"You do the same."
"I'll try my best."
She managed a faint smile. "Bye," she whispered.
"See ya," he said softly.
She turned and slowly headed toward her Yaris, her heart heavy.
Dean leaned against the door, folding his arms and watching her leave. 'This is the right thing. She'll be okay.'
As she started her car's engine, she lifted a hand to wave at him, then pulled away off into the night, her car swallowed by the darkness.
Title: The Right Thing (1/1)
Authors: Shadow_One and X_tremeroswellian
Rated: PG-13
Pairing; Dean/Chloe
Disclaimer: Not ours.
Wordcount: 2688
A soft vibrating noise awoke Sam from the light a light sleep. Frowning, he realized it was his brother's phone. Picking it up, he glanced over at Dean's pale sleeping form before answering. "Hello?" he whispered, getting out of bed.
There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Sam?" There was a hint of fear in her voice.
He frowned. "Yeah, Chloe...it's me."
"Why are you answering Dean's phone?" The fear in her voice was more clear now.
He bit his lip. "Hold on," opening the door quietly, he stepped out into the cool night air.
Swallowing hard as she began to pace her living room floor, she waited.
"Okay...things didn't...really go as expected on this hunt."
"Meaning what exactly?"
"Well, despite Dean's thinking that this thing wasn't evil, it was. He went by himself to get it, but it got him instead."
All the color drained from her face and she fell utterly silent, the sound of her heart hammering in her ears.
Sam pinched the bridge of his nose. "I waited a few hours before calling him again, and when he didn't answer, I went to the warehouse where he was supposed to be. Well...when I got there, I found him hanging by his wrists. The djin was...draining the blood out of him."
"Oh my God," her voice was barely audible.
"He looked dead. And --" his voice cracked. "I thought he was. But then he came to, so I got him out of there...after he killed the thing."
"Sam, is he okay?" Her stomach turned over.
"He lost a lot of blood and the stubborn bastard wouldn't let me take him to the hospital."
Feeling ill, she raked a hand through her hair.
"He's sleeping now," Sam said quietly.
"But he's gonna be okay, right?"
"I hope so."
"Where are you?" she asked abruptly. "Exact location."
"Just outside a town called Boody."
"I'm on my way."
"Be careful, okay?"
"I will." She hung up the phone, her face still deathly pale.
Shutting his brother's phone, Sam sighed and headed back in, hoping his brother would be more open to Chloe.
* * *
The drive to Illinois was tense in her small red Yaris, her hands gripping the wheel tightly enough to make her knuckles drain of all color. If she hadn't been clutching on that tightly, her hands would have been shaking.
The last seventy-two hours had been the most terrifying in her life and now that she knew Dean was hurt, possibly badly, it was all she could do to keep from crying. She called Sam when entered a tiny town called Blue Mound, where the people were snobby assholes with holier-than-thou attitudes but the burgers, according to a sign, were the best for at least twenty miles. As soon as she found the exact location he'd given her, she pulled her car into the motel parking lot and climbed out slowly, her heart thudding heavily against her chest as she made her way toward the door of Room 42.
Sam heard her soft knock and jumped up, looking at his brother who was now dozing lightly, propped up against the headboard. Opening the door, he smiled slightly. "Hey Chloe."
She met his eyes for a brief moment then moved past him, pausing as her gaze fell upon the sleeping Winchester.
He put his hands in his pockets. "He's been sleeping a lot."
Nodding, she swallowed hard, not taking her eyes off him.
"Wake him up," he whispered. "I'm gonna go get us some food."
She barely heard Sam leave the room as she slowly moved to Dean's side, remaining silent as she watched him sleep.
Dean sensed something near him. Opening his tired eyes, he waited for his vision to clear. He smiled at who he saw. "Hey beautiful."
"Hey yourself." She reached out and touched his cheek gently.
"What you doin' here?"
"Well, I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd drop in," she said lightly.
He rolled his eyes. "Sure. And I don't hunt."
"Sam told me you got hurt."
"'M not hurt," he said, stifling a yawn.
"You're such a bad liar."
"Do I *look* hurt?"
"You look exhausted."
He shrugged. "But I don't look hurt."
She sighed in exasperation. "Technicalities."
"Make all the difference," he finished.
Chloe shook her head a little. "Well, I’m glad you're okay," she murmured, her eyes a little duller than usual.
"Chloe..." He raised his hand to touch her arm. "Okay, so maybe...things didn't go all great."
"What happened?"
"The djin got me...and kinda granted my wish."
She blinked. "You wished he'd drain your blood?"
He snorted. "Hell no. That part was gross."
"So what did you wish for?"
"That...my mom had never died," he looked down at his hands.
Her stomach tightened, her eyes sad. "Oh," she whispered, reaching out and resting a hand on his arm.
"It was good though. Sam still had Jess, dad was gone...and, believe it or not, I had you."
Chloe paused. "Why wouldn't I believe it?" Her voice was soft.
He shrugged. "I dunno."
"And you're sure you're okay?"
He gave her a lopsided smile. "Yeah, yeah."
Nodding a little, she slipped her shoes off and slowly moved around to the other side of the bed.
He put his arm out, inviting her to lay against him.
Chloe slowly laid down beside him, resting her head against his chest as she closed her eyes.
Dean took a slow breath as her warm skin contrasted against his chilled body.
She shuddered against him involuntarily, pressing her face against his shirt.
"Sorry," he mumbled.
"You didn't do anything," she whispered.
Worried you...now I'm making you cold."
She shook her head a little, forcing herself to take a deep breath and let it out slowly.
He placed a soft kiss to the top of her head. "How you been?"
Chloe's fingers curled around the material of his shirt involuntarily. "Okay."
"Just...okay?"
Swallowing hard, she fell silent, her heart beating quickly against her chest.
"Chloe."
"No," she admitted in a whisper.
"Hey, what's happened?"
"We can talk about it later," she murmured, her hands still clutching his clothes.
He shook his head. "No...we talk now."
Biting down hard on her lower lip, she sat up very slowly, pain flickering across her face as she moved.
Worry spiked inside of him as he watched her movements. "Tell me what happened so I can go kill the bastard that did it."
"Clark did it, but it's not...it's not like that." She swallowed hard and slowly began to unbutton her shirt.
He watched her undo the top part of her shirt and pull it away. "Then what--?"
She slowly peeled the white gauze away from her collarbone, revealing the blood-soaked pad and the angry red mark.
Dean leaned forward, hand hovering over the wound. "Who the hell did this?"
Chloe swallowed hard, but before she had the chance to respond, the door opened and she turned to see Sam stepping inside with a bag of some kind of fast food in hand.
"Hey I picked up some--"
Dean held up his hand and silenced his brother, still looking at Chloe. "Tell me."
"Lex Luthor's men." Her voice was almost inaudible.
He clenched his hands into tight fists. "Sam, get our stuff, we're leaving."
"No," she said in alarm, her eyes widening with fear.
He ignored her, swinging his legs over the side of the bed, fighting off the sudden dizziness that threatened to put him flat on his back. "Do it Sam."
Knowing his brother wasn't in the mood to argue, Sam began to gather up their things.
"Dean, no." She rose to her feet, catching his arm. "I'm not ready to go back yet."
"You don't have to come. I'm going to go kill them."
She shot Sam a frightened look, then turned her attention back to Dean. "You are *not* going without me."
"Well I don't want you getting any more hurt," he turned to her. "I'll make Sam stay here with you if you want."
Chloe snorted. "Don't you even wanna know the whole story before you go off half-cocked?"
"All I need to know is who I need to kill."
Her stomach tightened and she shifted her gaze away from him, her face paling a little.
He stopped, letting out a frustrated breath. "Fine."
She bit down on her lower lip, holding her shirt closed with one hand.
Closing his eyes, Dean put a hand to his forehead. "Tell me what happened."
"I'm not entirely sure," she murmured, slowly sitting down on Sam's bed, her face still pale. "I don't remember anything."
Sam stared at her, bags in his hands. "God Chloe."
"When I woke up...Clark was putting up missing posters with my picture all over the place," she said quietly.
Dean swallowed. "I'll kill him. I will."
She drew in a slow breath, trying to collect her thoughts. "It was some kind of tracking device."
"He put something in you to track you?" Sam's voice was quiet.
Chloe nodded silently, not looking at either of them.
Bringing his hand from his forehead, he clenched his hands into fists. "Sam, get the stuff to the car."
Nodding silently, Sam left.
She looked up at him wordlessly.
"I can't believe--That bastard--" Dean shook his head, too angry to get out more than that.
"There's more." Her voice was barely a whisper.
"Tell me."
"There's a reason he took me, Dean."
He stayed silent, waiting for her to tell him.
"I'm one of them."
"Them?"
"A meteor mutant."
He stiffened. "You're meteor infected?"
She flinched at his reaction, wrapping her arms around herself. "Congrats. You're dating a freak," she muttered.
Standing, he walked in front of her, grabbing her arms. Wordlessly, he pulled her to him and kissed her.
A soft sound of surprise escaped her as her body was pulled flush against his, his arms tightening around her possessively as his lips claimed hers.
After a few moments, he pulled away from her. "You're not a freak. I love you."
Tears sparkled in her eyes as she gazed back at him.
"And I'm going to kill the bastard who made you think you were a freak."
"Dean." Her voice was soft, pained. "All the time I've been in Smallville...all the meteor freaks I've encountered...all of them have either gone crazy and wound up in Belle Reeve or ended up dead."
"That's not going to happen to you. You are *not* going to end up...end up crazy," he put his head in his hands as another wave of dizziness crashed into him.
She slid her arms around his waist and guided him to the bed, gently sitting down beside him. "Easy."
"Sorry," he mumbled.
"You need to rest."
He shook his head. "No, I need to go after Lex."
"You can't." Her voice was quiet and she kept a hand on his arm.
"Why not?" His voice was pained as he looked at her.
Chloe leaned her head against his, kissing his lips softly. "Because I can't lose you."
Dean closed his eyes. "You won't."
"Dean, I've gone up against the Luthor's before and I barely got out alive," she whispered.
"It'll be different. I'll get out alive."
"You don't know that." Her voice was quiet and she rose to her feet.
He looked up at her. "I can't not do anything."
"Not even if that's what I want you to do?"
He opened his mouth to protest.
"I know, Dean. But I am begging you." Her voice was barely a whisper.
His eyes softened. "Okay."
Chloe touched his cheek, pressing a kiss to his forehead as she closed her eyes.
Snaking his arms around her, Dean pulled her onto his lap.
She drew in a shuddering breath and rested her face against his shoulder as he held her.
"Don't go back to Smallville."
She shut her eyes. "I have to."
"Please," his voice trembled.
She swallowed hard, hugging him tightly.
He rested his head against her shoulder. "Stay."
For a moment, she imagined how things would be if she did stay. If she just hopped in the Impala with them and traveled around hunting demons and spirits, far away from Smallville and Lex Luthor. Away from Clark. And Lois. And the Daily Planet. Her father.
"Chloe?" His voice was soft. "Gimme an answer."
"I can't, Dean," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "It's not that I don't want to." She slowly pulled away to look at him, her eyes sad.
"We'll go into hiding. Stay under the radar. Hell, we'll go to Canada," his voice was desperate. "You *can't* go back."
Wordlessly she kissed his lips, leaning her forehead against his, her hands resting on his shoulders.
"Please, I'm begging you Chloe. Let me keep you safe."
"If I leave Smallville, Lex wins," she whispered.
"How could you say that? No he doesn't," tone growing hard, he pulled away and looked at her.
"I'll have let him scare me into leaving my life behind and going into hiding."
Dean felt his heart drop into the pit of his stomach and he looked away. "Fine. Go back."
"Come with me." Her voice was quiet.
"You know I can't."
She closed her eyes. "Yeah." Her voice was quiet.
"Guess I'll see you around then," his voice became flat, dull.
She flinched. "Dean."
"I get it, okay?"
Chloe's eyebrows furrowed. "Get what?" she asked in confusion.
"That you have your own shit to work out. I get it, you need to get on with your life."
"That's not what I meant at all," she whispered, hurt.
"Yeah it is," he looked back at her. "You need to defeat Lex yourself. I understand that. I'll stay out of your way."
She shut her eyes, slowly sliding off his lap. "Everything's so black and white to you, isn't it?" Her voice was quiet, sad.
"I just gained some perspective from this last hunt," he looked down at his hands.
Her stomach twisted. "Meaning what exactly?"
He shook his head. "Nothing, nevermind. I'll come by again when I can, okay?"
"I don't wanna leave things like this," she whispered.
He gave her a weak smile. "I love you. Just know that."
Chloe swallowed hard and kissed him softly. "I love you too."
He kissed her back, lifting her hand to stroke her cheek softly.
She shut her eyes tightly as she heard Sam step back in the room.
"Dean? Car's ready..."
Dean pulled back and looked behind Chloe at his brother. "Forget it, dude."
Her eyes were sad as she slowly pulled away from him.
"Promise me you're gonna take care of yourself?" he looked into her deep green eyes.
Chloe nodded wordlessly, holding his gaze.
Standing slowly, he hugged her tightly.
Letting out a shuddering breath, she hugged him back just as tightly.
"Don't forget to call, okay?"
"Ditto." She kissed his neck softly.
Inhaling her scent deeply, he finally released her.
She leaned her head against his for a moment longer, then slowly pulled away, telling herself she was doing the right thing.
Giving her a tight smile, Dean walked her to the door, repeating in his head that he didn't need to go after her. She could handle herself.
"Take care, Sam," she murmured as she headed out the door slowly.
Sam nodded, smiling. "You too."
Chloe turned to look at Dean once more.
He gazed back at her. "Stay out of deep trouble."
"I'll do my best," she said softly.
He gave her a half smile. "Good."
"You do the same."
"I'll try my best."
She managed a faint smile. "Bye," she whispered.
"See ya," he said softly.
She turned and slowly headed toward her Yaris, her heart heavy.
Dean leaned against the door, folding his arms and watching her leave. 'This is the right thing. She'll be okay.'
As she started her car's engine, she lifted a hand to wave at him, then pulled away off into the night, her car swallowed by the darkness.