SPN/SV Fic: How to Save a Life (7/?)
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 | Eight |
How to Save a Life (Seven)
Chloe sat on the sofa, her eyes shut, a feeling of defeat upon her. She knew she hadn't talked Sam out of doing anything, and she had no idea how she was going to be able to. Resting her head in her hands, she let out a slow breath.
Suddenly Dean appeared on the couch next to her, "Still got his mind on it, huh?"
"I don't know how to get through to him," she whispered.
"We'll find something."
"And what if we can't? What's gonna happen, Dean?"
"Nothing good."
"Yeah, I figured that much out." She rubbed her temples.
Putting an arm around her, he pulled her close to him, "Just have to knock some sense into him."
"It wouldn't work, would it?" Her voice was hushed. "It would just get him killed."
"I won't let him get himself killed." Dean said firmly.
She laid her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes.
"So I know he's taking some college classes again...but what kind of classes are they?"
"Psychology," she murmured.
"He's studying to be a shrink?" Dean tried to hold back his laughter, "Oh boy..."
She poked him in the ribs. "Hey, he'll be great at it."
He did laugh that time, "Yeah, because he's Mr. Touchy-Feely. Always knew he'd do something like this."
Chloe shook her head slightly in amusement.
"Maybe I'll tag along to some of his classes..."
She groaned. "Dean."
He gave her an innocent look, "What?"
She sat up and began to run her fingers through his hair. "Hmm. Well I don't *see* any horns..."
"Oh hey, that's mean."
She grinned at him.
His image began to flicker, "I'll just go pout now..."
"Some things never change," she teased.
Stopping the flicker, he did pout, "You're just getting meaner...and meaner..."
"Like I said, some things never change." She smiled at him.
Smiling, he leaned forward and kissed her, "And I'm glad for that."
Chloe returned the kiss and rested her head on his shoulder once more.
After a few minutes of silence passed, Dean looked down at her, "So, you got a dog, huh?"
"The kids wanted one." She paused. "And so did Sam."
"And you had no say in it, I'm sure." He said sarcastically.
A grin tugged at her lips. "Okay, I did too. But look at Jazzy. She's adorable."
He looked over at the puppy, who immediately stopped chewing on her chew toy and growled at him, "Yeah, real adorable."
She poked him in the ribs again. "She's just not used to you."
"Yeah...sure."
"Well you did make cups float in front of her. And throw sandwiches at Sam's head."
"I was trying to help out...and Sam deserved to be sandwiched."
"No, he didn't." Her voice grew quiet. "If anyone did, it was me."
He shook his head, "No you didn't."
"If I'd just...let down my guard a little more.." She swallowed hard.
Putting his hand behind her back, he began to rub it, "You didn't know."
"But I do now and I don't know how to fix it, Dean," she whispered.
"You just need to chip away at the walls he's built up. Like you did with me."
Chloe closed her eyes. "I'm sorry I haven't taken as good of care of him as you did," she murmured.
"But you're doing the best that you know how." He whispered.
"But it's not enough, is it?"
"It will be. It will be."
A tear trickled down her cheek. She just wished she could believe that.
* * *
Chloe tucked some hair behind her ear as she stepped into her office at work the next morning. Casting a sideways glance at Dean, a faint smile tugged at her lips.
Dean whistled as he looked around, "So...you work here?"
"It's not exactly the Daily Planet, but...it's not too bad."
"Well, that's good."
Nodding a little, she sat down at her desk, finding a single rose there. She looked at in in surprise, a smile brightening her face.
Frowning, he picked up the rose, "Who did you get this from?"
"It's not from you?"
"No..."
"Maybe it's from Sam," she murmured, biting her lower lip.
"I guess..." He handed the rose to her, still doubtful.
She took it from him, her eyes filled with uncertainty. "You don't think so?"
He shrugged, "I guess it could be from him."
Looking at him in confusion, she set the rose down once more and turned on her computer.
Sitting on top of her desk, Dean watched the computer boot, "You know, I've missed these..."
"Computers?" she asked, glancing up at him.
"Yeah."
"Really?" Chloe arched an eyebrow. "Missed looking at the porn online?" she teased.
He pouted at that comment, "That's not all I did online..."
"Oh, sorry. I forgot about the cybering." She laughed at his expression.
Putting his face in his palm, he shook his head, "Fine, I don't miss computers."
"You know I'm teasing."
"You better be..."
Chloe smiled at him and shook her head as she went to work on the article she'd been writing.
"So...I'm thinking it's slightly quiet in here..."
"Well, yeah. It's early."
Rolling his eyes, he hopped off the desk and began to walk around the office, "I've decided...I'm bored."
"How can you be bored? We've only been here five minutes."
He shrugged, "What can I say? It's just in my nature to be bored."
A smile on her face, she shook her head a little, focusing on her article as best she could.
A few minutes later found Dean clicking his tongue and sitting in a chair across from Chloe.
She paused, her hands stilling on the keyboard. "Dean."
He raised his eyebrows, "Hmm?"
"That's...making it very hard to concentrate."
Grinning, he continued.
She gave him a look.
He stopped at the look, "You're no fun."
"I'm all kinds of fun. But this is due in an hour."
He coughed, "Procrastinator."
Chloe snorted. "Hey it's not my fault my house was being haunted."
"Well at least it wasn't by Casper the Blood-Thirsty Ghost."
"Casper the..." She shook her head a little and turned her attention back to her article.
"Hmm...What do you think would happen if I got a computer or two frozen on some...questionable websites?"
"As long as it's not mine, have fun," she responded with a smirk on her face.
He stood up quickly, "Are you serious?"
She chuckled. "See that guy out there? Far side of the room?" She nodded toward him.
Dean nodded, waiting for her to continue.
"Start with him."
Grinning mischeviously, he rubbed his hands together and walked towards the unsuspecting man.
Chloe couldn't help but grin. Okay, so that hadn't been very nice of her, but the guy had always treated her like she wasn't worthy of being there.
Five minutes later, Dean was back over by Chloe's desk with a wide grin on his face.
She smirked at his expression, glancing past him to look at her co-worker, who hadn't yet noticed what was going on.
"I think that might just get him fired..."
"Somehow I don't feel too bad about that."
"Now, why did I think you wouldn't?"
"Because he's a jackass of the highest degree?"
"Hmm...jackass..." He put on a thoughtful face, "I'll...be back."
"What are you gonna do?"
"...Nooothin'"
She raised her eyebrows, watching as he headed out of her office once more. Shaking her head a little, she looked down at her computer, pausing when she heard a knock on the door. Glancing up, she smiled faintly. "David, hi."
David looked at her shyly and smiled, "Hi Chloe."
"How's it going?"
"Good...uh...you?"
She managed a faint smile. "Just trying to finish up an article."
"Oh, that's nice." He looked down at his hands, "So, do you maybe...wanna get lunch...you know, later?"
She froze, more than a little thrown off guard by the question. "Um, actually...I'm meeting a friend for lunch. But thank you for the offer."
He swallowed, "Yeah, sure. I'll see you later."
Chloe felt a moment of guilt wash over her as he headed away, looking utterly rejected. She sighed softly and rubbed the back of her neck.
"Well, I can tell you now, it'll be a while before that dude's employed again."
"What did you do?"
"Things..."
She gave him a look. "Come on, at least let me enjoy the moment to its fullest." *
He smirked, "Lets just say I know some of the, ah, really *good* websites."
Her eyebrows shot up as she heard the commotion in the other room. Already one of the bosses was yelling at the man and she covered her mouth with one hand to suppress her laughter.
"Knew you'd like that."
"Oh man." She sighed, a grin on her face as she sat back in her seat.
"So, there anyone else here you might have some issues with?" Dean asked, grinning wickedly.
Amused, she gazed at him. "Not so far, but are you sure you can't hang around just in case?"
"I'll be here all week." He teased.
"Just this week?" she whispered.
"Chloe...don't."
Tears stung her eyes and she dropped her gaze to her computer once more, swallowing hard.
Coming up behind her, he put his hands on her shoulders and began to rub them, "You gotta remember that I love you."
"I know," she whispered almost in audibly.
"And I *will* always be there for you."
"It's not the same."
Leaning down, he kissed her cheek, "Try not to think of it like that?"
She blew out a breath, closing her eyes against the soft kiss. "I'll try."
He smiled softly, "That's my girl."
Chloe bit her lip and finished up the article she was working on, sending it to her editor via email. "All right. The rest I can do at home."
"Sweet."
She rose to her feet, grabbing her purse from beneath the desk and heading out of her office, literally bumping into David. "God...sorry. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." She offered him an apologetic smile.
"It's...it's okay." Deavid stuttered, moving past her, "Um, I've gotta...yeah, have a good day Chloe.."
"You too." She watched him go, glanced at Dean, and headed for the door.
Dean frowned as he watched the man walk away, "I don't like him."
"David?" She glanced at him in confusion.
He nodded, "Yeah."
"Why?"
"I just don't." He said, shrugging.
"I think he has a little crush on me," Chloe admitted.
"Yeah...I can see that."
A small smile on her face, she led the way out of the newspaper office.
"Still don't like him."
She sighed. "Dean, I'm not going out with him."
"Good." He folded his arms, "It better stay that way."
Chloe shook her head a little. "He's a nice guy, but he's not my type."
"That's because Sam is." He mumbled to himself.
"I heard that."
He looked up at her and blinked innocently, "No ya didn't."
"Trust me. I did."
"Nah."
She snorted and climbed into her car.
Dean appeared next to her, "Well, if you heard me, then you know I'm right."
She was silent for a moment, not starting the car. "I gotta say...having your dead ex appear and tell you to start dating his brother is...slightly bizarre, even for me."
"Well, when you say 'dead ex', I guess that puts it into perspective. Thanks." He said, looking out the window.
"You know what I mean," she whispered, resting her head back against the seat.
"Yeah, I do." He turned his head toward her, "But still..."
She sighed softly and met his gaze.
"You won't be betraying me."
Chloe swallowed hard and turned her head to stare out the windshield.
"Chloe-"
"I know," she whispered.
He put a hand on her shoulder, "Please, give him a chance."
"Dean, I think it may be too late," she murmured.
"It's never too late." He whispered.
"I don't think he believes me." Tears stung her eyes.
"Give him time."
"Do we have that?" she whispered, brushing a tear off her cheek.
"You, Sam, Matthew and Michael have all the time in the world." He said softly.
Chloe bit her lip, closing her eyes. "Not if we can't stop Sam," she whispered.
He sighed and nodded, "We need to show him what he'd be missing out on if he were to leave. Need to show him how much he's loved."
"It's weird," she murmured.
Raising an eyebrow, Dean frowned, "What is?"
"How I ended up falling for the two most stubborn men on the planet." A smile tugged at her lips.
He grinned, "Oh how lucky you must feel."
She turned her head to look at him, an amused expression on her face.
"Though, I *am* the more handsome one..."
She grinned and shook her head before starting her car.
"What? No agreement?"
"I'm not touching that with a ten foot pole," she responded with a smirk.
He pouted, "Heeyy."
A soft chuckle escaped her. "You're both very attractive guys."
He held a hand up, "But, I'm *more* attractive."
"And more conceited," she said with a grin, pointing her car toward the house and focusing on the road.
Falling silent, Dean folded his arms and stared out the front window.
"Oh, come on. The pouting is very unbecoming."
"I'll pout all I wanna."
Shaking her head, she shot him an amused sideways glance, not noticing the car that was following her.
Dean noticed it though. Turning around, he furrowed his eyebrow, "So, do you always have cars following you this close to home?"
"What?" She glanced in the rearview window and noticed the maroon colored station wagon following her. The windshield was tinted and she couldn't make out the driver.
"I'm gonna take that as a no..."
Feeling uneasy, she shifted in the driver's seat, driving right by the house and down a different street.
The car seemed to take a different direction after that, "That was...weird."
"Maybe it wasn't really following," she said nervously, glancing in her rearview mirror again. "This is a big neighborhood. Could just be someone else who lives nearby."
Shifting so he was facing forward, Dean still frowned, "Yeah, I guess."
Chloe swallowed hard, gripping the steering wheel tightly, she turned the car back toward her house, quickly pulling it into the attached garage and shutting the door.
"So tell me...what do you usually do when you get home?"
She sat in the car for a long moment, still tense and uneasy. "Play with the boys, clean up the house...whatever needs done."
Dean nodded, then put a hand on her arm, "I'll keep a look out on the house for a while, sound good?"
She turned her head to look at him, swallowing hard. "Thanks," she whispered.
He winked and disappeared, "S'what I'm here for."
Chloe shut her eyes for a moment, then slowly climbed out of the car and headed into the house, which was unusually quiet. Setting her purse on the floor by the kitchen door, she quickly locked it and flipped on the light. "Michael? Matthew? Sam?"
There was hushing and giggling coming from the other room.
A faint smile tugged at her lips. "Guess I've got the house all to myself."
The giggling abruptly stopped.
"Hmm, I wonder what I should do for the rest of the day," she said, the smile on her face widening. "Maybe I should go take a nap..."
More hushing followed by more giggling started up again, and Sam appeared in the kitchen, grinning, "You know, I'm thinking both of us have the house to ourselves."
She couldn't help but smile up at him. "Wonder where those boys went."
"I have no idea. I turned around to find a movie for them, and the next minute, they disappeared."
"Hmm. Guess we'll just have to watch a movie by ourselves."
He smiled, "Yeah, guess so."
Chloe touched his arm lightly, nodding toward the other room with a wink.
Smile growing, he began to walk slowly toward the front room.
Chloe followed him, just catching sight of Michael's head duck behind the sofa. She suppressed a chuckle and moved to sit down.
"So Chloe...what do you think we should watch?" Sam asked loudly, going over to the TV cabinet.
"Hmm, I don't know. Maybe the Lion King. But we can't tell the boys we watched it without them."
"You're right. It'll have to be a secret..."
She heard Matthew giggle and she grinned, her eyes twinkling with amusement.
Popping up from behind the couch, Michael jumped onto his mom's lap, "Noo Mommy, don't watch it without us!"
"There you are!" she said in feigned surprise, wrapping her arms around him.
He giggled and snuggled into his mom as Matthew came up as well, "I'm here too Mommy!"
"Yes you are," Chloe said with a smile, hugging him too. She pressed a kiss to each of their foreheads, then ducked her head and whispered something in their ears.
Giggling, Matthew climbed off the sofa and bounded over to where Sam stood, wrapping his arms around Sam's legs. "Uncle Sammy."
Michael followed his brother and hugged Sam as well.
Sam looked down at the two boys suddenly wrapped around his legs, "Hey boys."
"I wanna play airplane!" Matthew said, tugging on his shirt and lifting his arms up.
He chuckled, "You do, huh?"
He nodded eagerly and reached up for Sam again. "Up, please."
"Well...since you said please..." He picked Matthew up and began running around the room with him.
Chloe watched, her eyes filled with warmth as she watched Sam spin Matthew around while making airplane noises, her son giggling gleefully and holding his arms out as though he was actually flying.
Michael came back over and sat next to her, "Mommy, where's Daddy?"
She kissed his cheek and pulled him close. "He's around here somewhere."
"Oh."
She looked up at Sam once more, caught sight of him looking at her, and offered him a smile.
Taking Matthew in his arms, Sam came over and sat down next to them, "Dean's lurking?"
She nodded slightly, gazing at him intently. I need to talk to you, she thought, hugging Michael a little tighter.
Getting her hint, Sam stood and left Matthew on the couch, "How about I put Lion King on for the two of you so me and your mom can think of something for you two to eat?"
"Okay," Matthew agreed, grinning happily.
Chloe kissed Michael's head and slowly stood up as well, watching as Sam slipped the DVD into the player before turning and heading to the kitchen.
After making sure the movie was playing, Sam followed, "What's up?"
She turned to look at him with uncertainty in her eyes. "I think someone's following me," she whispered.
"Following you?" He whispered back, surprised.
Chloe nodded, casting a glance toward the living room to make sure the boys were occupied with the movie. "Home from work. A maroon station wagon, tinted windows." She swallowed hard.
He ran a hand through his hair, "Great."
"I didn't even notice it til Dean mentioned something." Something else occurred to her. "Sam?"
"Yeah?"
"You didn't by chance...leave a rose on my desk at work, did you?"
Frowning, he shook his head, "No...why?"
Growing more uneasy with each passing moment, she slowly started to pace the floor. "Because there was one on my desk this morning. And if you didn't leave it and Dean didn't leave it..."
He swallowed, "Are you thinking...it's the same guy?"
"Seems like too big of a coincidence for it not to be," she murmured.
Sighing, he sat down on a bar stool, "Maybe you should stay home for a few days."
Chloe was silent for a moment, feeling deja vu wash over her. "Or not," she whispered.
"What?"
"If someone is following me..." She glanced toward the living room again, her heart sinking. "The boys could be in danger."
He followed her gaze, "You're right. Damn it."
She slowly wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm gonna pack a bag," she said, her voice barely audible.
"Okay...I'll go pack a few things for the boys."
"What?" She looked at him in confusion.
"They're going with you. I'll make sure no one follows you, but if you leave, there's no way they'll be happy without you."
"It's not safe, Sam," she whispered, pained. Already a plan was beginning to form in the back of her mind and she swallowed hard, turning away.
"Fine." He folded his arms, "Then you get to go tell them you're leaving."
Chloe winced a little. "Hopefully it will only be for a couple of days."
"I don't like this."
She bit her lip, still faced away from him. It had been a very long time since Smallville. A very long time since she'd played the bait in a trap that was dangerous. She slowly turned to look at him. "It'll be okay."
"Sam, I swear to god, if you let her go off by herself, it'll be the last thing you do."
Sam jumped at his brother's voice, "What?"
Dean stepped into the kitchen, arms folded, "You are *not* going to play bait."
"God! Would you chill with the Casper routine? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"
"Well, considering the Casper routine is basically the only thing I'm about anymore..."
She rubbed the back of her neck, closing her eyes. "Dean--"
"No."
"It's not safe for me to stay here with the boys if some maniac's after me," she whispered tensely.
"Well, it's not safe for you to be by yourself if some maniac's after you either." He replied, eyes narrowing.
She gave him a look. "It's the boys that I'm worried about."
"I know you are. But separating yourself from them won't make it any better."
"It'll keep them safe," she whispered.
"And what about you?" He asked.
Chloe fell silent, looking away.
"They already...don't have me." He said, trying to catch her eye, "They don't deserve to lose you too."
"They won't." Her voice was strained and she avoided his gaze, as well as Sam's.
"Chloe. A mad man may be after you. And you want to isolate yourself so you're an easier target?"
"It wouldn't be the first time," she tried to joke.
"This is different and you know it." Dean said firmly.
She let out a nervous breath. "Fine. Then tell me what I'm supposed to do."
"You need to figure out who you know who could possibly be after you."
"Are you kidding me? Some of the articles I've written in the last few years--it could be anyone, Dean!"
"Yeah, and someone that wants to kill you would so leave you a rose on your desk." He said sarcastically.
Chloe shot him a look. "Hello, when Angelus was stalking Buffy he left *her* a dozen roses."
The lights flickered as Dean's temper rose, "That was a show. You're going to compare this to a fucking TV show?"
She glared at him. "Lower your voice," she hissed, motioning toward the living room. "And it's not unusual for stalkers to leave gifts for their victims. It happens all the time, Dean!"
He clenched his jaw, "Don't do anything drastic. I'll be back."
"Dean, what--" She threw her hands in the air in frustration when he vanished.
Sam sighed as he watched his brother leave. Turning to Chloe, he put his hands in his pockets, "He's right. You shouldn't leave."
She closed her eyes. "I'm just trying to keep them safe, Sam," she whispered.
"But you need to keep yourself safe in the process." He said, taking her hand in his.
Swallowing hard, she slid her fingers through his and slowly opened her eyes to gaze at him.
"You know, this is even more reason for Dean to be here instead of me. He knows what to do." He said, looking down at their hands.
"Sam, please don't," she whispered, shifting closer to him and winding her arms around his waist.
"You know it's true."
"And we both know if Dean hadn't been here, you wouldn't have let me take off alone either." Her voice was quiet.
He didn't respond to her, just looked ahead.
"You know it's true, Sam." She slowly pulled away and looked up at him, her eyes filled with sadness.
"Yeah, but I still don't know what else to do." He said, still averting his gaze.
"Well, neither do I." She looked down at the floor, her eyes pooling with tears.
"Dean will know though." He whispered.
"And if he wasn't here, we'd figure something out. We always do." Her voice was strained.
"Sure."
A tear slipped down her face. "You know it's funny," she whispered, pausing as she started to head out of the kitchen.
He his gaze followed her, "What is?"
She met his gaze. "I've never stopped believing in you. Not for a minute. When did you stop believing in me?" Her voice was quiet. She didn't give him a chance to answer before she headed out of the room and down the hall to her bedroom, shutting the door behind her.
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 | Eight |
How to Save a Life (Seven)
Chloe sat on the sofa, her eyes shut, a feeling of defeat upon her. She knew she hadn't talked Sam out of doing anything, and she had no idea how she was going to be able to. Resting her head in her hands, she let out a slow breath.
Suddenly Dean appeared on the couch next to her, "Still got his mind on it, huh?"
"I don't know how to get through to him," she whispered.
"We'll find something."
"And what if we can't? What's gonna happen, Dean?"
"Nothing good."
"Yeah, I figured that much out." She rubbed her temples.
Putting an arm around her, he pulled her close to him, "Just have to knock some sense into him."
"It wouldn't work, would it?" Her voice was hushed. "It would just get him killed."
"I won't let him get himself killed." Dean said firmly.
She laid her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes.
"So I know he's taking some college classes again...but what kind of classes are they?"
"Psychology," she murmured.
"He's studying to be a shrink?" Dean tried to hold back his laughter, "Oh boy..."
She poked him in the ribs. "Hey, he'll be great at it."
He did laugh that time, "Yeah, because he's Mr. Touchy-Feely. Always knew he'd do something like this."
Chloe shook her head slightly in amusement.
"Maybe I'll tag along to some of his classes..."
She groaned. "Dean."
He gave her an innocent look, "What?"
She sat up and began to run her fingers through his hair. "Hmm. Well I don't *see* any horns..."
"Oh hey, that's mean."
She grinned at him.
His image began to flicker, "I'll just go pout now..."
"Some things never change," she teased.
Stopping the flicker, he did pout, "You're just getting meaner...and meaner..."
"Like I said, some things never change." She smiled at him.
Smiling, he leaned forward and kissed her, "And I'm glad for that."
Chloe returned the kiss and rested her head on his shoulder once more.
After a few minutes of silence passed, Dean looked down at her, "So, you got a dog, huh?"
"The kids wanted one." She paused. "And so did Sam."
"And you had no say in it, I'm sure." He said sarcastically.
A grin tugged at her lips. "Okay, I did too. But look at Jazzy. She's adorable."
He looked over at the puppy, who immediately stopped chewing on her chew toy and growled at him, "Yeah, real adorable."
She poked him in the ribs again. "She's just not used to you."
"Yeah...sure."
"Well you did make cups float in front of her. And throw sandwiches at Sam's head."
"I was trying to help out...and Sam deserved to be sandwiched."
"No, he didn't." Her voice grew quiet. "If anyone did, it was me."
He shook his head, "No you didn't."
"If I'd just...let down my guard a little more.." She swallowed hard.
Putting his hand behind her back, he began to rub it, "You didn't know."
"But I do now and I don't know how to fix it, Dean," she whispered.
"You just need to chip away at the walls he's built up. Like you did with me."
Chloe closed her eyes. "I'm sorry I haven't taken as good of care of him as you did," she murmured.
"But you're doing the best that you know how." He whispered.
"But it's not enough, is it?"
"It will be. It will be."
A tear trickled down her cheek. She just wished she could believe that.
* * *
Chloe tucked some hair behind her ear as she stepped into her office at work the next morning. Casting a sideways glance at Dean, a faint smile tugged at her lips.
Dean whistled as he looked around, "So...you work here?"
"It's not exactly the Daily Planet, but...it's not too bad."
"Well, that's good."
Nodding a little, she sat down at her desk, finding a single rose there. She looked at in in surprise, a smile brightening her face.
Frowning, he picked up the rose, "Who did you get this from?"
"It's not from you?"
"No..."
"Maybe it's from Sam," she murmured, biting her lower lip.
"I guess..." He handed the rose to her, still doubtful.
She took it from him, her eyes filled with uncertainty. "You don't think so?"
He shrugged, "I guess it could be from him."
Looking at him in confusion, she set the rose down once more and turned on her computer.
Sitting on top of her desk, Dean watched the computer boot, "You know, I've missed these..."
"Computers?" she asked, glancing up at him.
"Yeah."
"Really?" Chloe arched an eyebrow. "Missed looking at the porn online?" she teased.
He pouted at that comment, "That's not all I did online..."
"Oh, sorry. I forgot about the cybering." She laughed at his expression.
Putting his face in his palm, he shook his head, "Fine, I don't miss computers."
"You know I'm teasing."
"You better be..."
Chloe smiled at him and shook her head as she went to work on the article she'd been writing.
"So...I'm thinking it's slightly quiet in here..."
"Well, yeah. It's early."
Rolling his eyes, he hopped off the desk and began to walk around the office, "I've decided...I'm bored."
"How can you be bored? We've only been here five minutes."
He shrugged, "What can I say? It's just in my nature to be bored."
A smile on her face, she shook her head a little, focusing on her article as best she could.
A few minutes later found Dean clicking his tongue and sitting in a chair across from Chloe.
She paused, her hands stilling on the keyboard. "Dean."
He raised his eyebrows, "Hmm?"
"That's...making it very hard to concentrate."
Grinning, he continued.
She gave him a look.
He stopped at the look, "You're no fun."
"I'm all kinds of fun. But this is due in an hour."
He coughed, "Procrastinator."
Chloe snorted. "Hey it's not my fault my house was being haunted."
"Well at least it wasn't by Casper the Blood-Thirsty Ghost."
"Casper the..." She shook her head a little and turned her attention back to her article.
"Hmm...What do you think would happen if I got a computer or two frozen on some...questionable websites?"
"As long as it's not mine, have fun," she responded with a smirk on her face.
He stood up quickly, "Are you serious?"
She chuckled. "See that guy out there? Far side of the room?" She nodded toward him.
Dean nodded, waiting for her to continue.
"Start with him."
Grinning mischeviously, he rubbed his hands together and walked towards the unsuspecting man.
Chloe couldn't help but grin. Okay, so that hadn't been very nice of her, but the guy had always treated her like she wasn't worthy of being there.
Five minutes later, Dean was back over by Chloe's desk with a wide grin on his face.
She smirked at his expression, glancing past him to look at her co-worker, who hadn't yet noticed what was going on.
"I think that might just get him fired..."
"Somehow I don't feel too bad about that."
"Now, why did I think you wouldn't?"
"Because he's a jackass of the highest degree?"
"Hmm...jackass..." He put on a thoughtful face, "I'll...be back."
"What are you gonna do?"
"...Nooothin'"
She raised her eyebrows, watching as he headed out of her office once more. Shaking her head a little, she looked down at her computer, pausing when she heard a knock on the door. Glancing up, she smiled faintly. "David, hi."
David looked at her shyly and smiled, "Hi Chloe."
"How's it going?"
"Good...uh...you?"
She managed a faint smile. "Just trying to finish up an article."
"Oh, that's nice." He looked down at his hands, "So, do you maybe...wanna get lunch...you know, later?"
She froze, more than a little thrown off guard by the question. "Um, actually...I'm meeting a friend for lunch. But thank you for the offer."
He swallowed, "Yeah, sure. I'll see you later."
Chloe felt a moment of guilt wash over her as he headed away, looking utterly rejected. She sighed softly and rubbed the back of her neck.
"Well, I can tell you now, it'll be a while before that dude's employed again."
"What did you do?"
"Things..."
She gave him a look. "Come on, at least let me enjoy the moment to its fullest." *
He smirked, "Lets just say I know some of the, ah, really *good* websites."
Her eyebrows shot up as she heard the commotion in the other room. Already one of the bosses was yelling at the man and she covered her mouth with one hand to suppress her laughter.
"Knew you'd like that."
"Oh man." She sighed, a grin on her face as she sat back in her seat.
"So, there anyone else here you might have some issues with?" Dean asked, grinning wickedly.
Amused, she gazed at him. "Not so far, but are you sure you can't hang around just in case?"
"I'll be here all week." He teased.
"Just this week?" she whispered.
"Chloe...don't."
Tears stung her eyes and she dropped her gaze to her computer once more, swallowing hard.
Coming up behind her, he put his hands on her shoulders and began to rub them, "You gotta remember that I love you."
"I know," she whispered almost in audibly.
"And I *will* always be there for you."
"It's not the same."
Leaning down, he kissed her cheek, "Try not to think of it like that?"
She blew out a breath, closing her eyes against the soft kiss. "I'll try."
He smiled softly, "That's my girl."
Chloe bit her lip and finished up the article she was working on, sending it to her editor via email. "All right. The rest I can do at home."
"Sweet."
She rose to her feet, grabbing her purse from beneath the desk and heading out of her office, literally bumping into David. "God...sorry. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." She offered him an apologetic smile.
"It's...it's okay." Deavid stuttered, moving past her, "Um, I've gotta...yeah, have a good day Chloe.."
"You too." She watched him go, glanced at Dean, and headed for the door.
Dean frowned as he watched the man walk away, "I don't like him."
"David?" She glanced at him in confusion.
He nodded, "Yeah."
"Why?"
"I just don't." He said, shrugging.
"I think he has a little crush on me," Chloe admitted.
"Yeah...I can see that."
A small smile on her face, she led the way out of the newspaper office.
"Still don't like him."
She sighed. "Dean, I'm not going out with him."
"Good." He folded his arms, "It better stay that way."
Chloe shook her head a little. "He's a nice guy, but he's not my type."
"That's because Sam is." He mumbled to himself.
"I heard that."
He looked up at her and blinked innocently, "No ya didn't."
"Trust me. I did."
"Nah."
She snorted and climbed into her car.
Dean appeared next to her, "Well, if you heard me, then you know I'm right."
She was silent for a moment, not starting the car. "I gotta say...having your dead ex appear and tell you to start dating his brother is...slightly bizarre, even for me."
"Well, when you say 'dead ex', I guess that puts it into perspective. Thanks." He said, looking out the window.
"You know what I mean," she whispered, resting her head back against the seat.
"Yeah, I do." He turned his head toward her, "But still..."
She sighed softly and met his gaze.
"You won't be betraying me."
Chloe swallowed hard and turned her head to stare out the windshield.
"Chloe-"
"I know," she whispered.
He put a hand on her shoulder, "Please, give him a chance."
"Dean, I think it may be too late," she murmured.
"It's never too late." He whispered.
"I don't think he believes me." Tears stung her eyes.
"Give him time."
"Do we have that?" she whispered, brushing a tear off her cheek.
"You, Sam, Matthew and Michael have all the time in the world." He said softly.
Chloe bit her lip, closing her eyes. "Not if we can't stop Sam," she whispered.
He sighed and nodded, "We need to show him what he'd be missing out on if he were to leave. Need to show him how much he's loved."
"It's weird," she murmured.
Raising an eyebrow, Dean frowned, "What is?"
"How I ended up falling for the two most stubborn men on the planet." A smile tugged at her lips.
He grinned, "Oh how lucky you must feel."
She turned her head to look at him, an amused expression on her face.
"Though, I *am* the more handsome one..."
She grinned and shook her head before starting her car.
"What? No agreement?"
"I'm not touching that with a ten foot pole," she responded with a smirk.
He pouted, "Heeyy."
A soft chuckle escaped her. "You're both very attractive guys."
He held a hand up, "But, I'm *more* attractive."
"And more conceited," she said with a grin, pointing her car toward the house and focusing on the road.
Falling silent, Dean folded his arms and stared out the front window.
"Oh, come on. The pouting is very unbecoming."
"I'll pout all I wanna."
Shaking her head, she shot him an amused sideways glance, not noticing the car that was following her.
Dean noticed it though. Turning around, he furrowed his eyebrow, "So, do you always have cars following you this close to home?"
"What?" She glanced in the rearview window and noticed the maroon colored station wagon following her. The windshield was tinted and she couldn't make out the driver.
"I'm gonna take that as a no..."
Feeling uneasy, she shifted in the driver's seat, driving right by the house and down a different street.
The car seemed to take a different direction after that, "That was...weird."
"Maybe it wasn't really following," she said nervously, glancing in her rearview mirror again. "This is a big neighborhood. Could just be someone else who lives nearby."
Shifting so he was facing forward, Dean still frowned, "Yeah, I guess."
Chloe swallowed hard, gripping the steering wheel tightly, she turned the car back toward her house, quickly pulling it into the attached garage and shutting the door.
"So tell me...what do you usually do when you get home?"
She sat in the car for a long moment, still tense and uneasy. "Play with the boys, clean up the house...whatever needs done."
Dean nodded, then put a hand on her arm, "I'll keep a look out on the house for a while, sound good?"
She turned her head to look at him, swallowing hard. "Thanks," she whispered.
He winked and disappeared, "S'what I'm here for."
Chloe shut her eyes for a moment, then slowly climbed out of the car and headed into the house, which was unusually quiet. Setting her purse on the floor by the kitchen door, she quickly locked it and flipped on the light. "Michael? Matthew? Sam?"
There was hushing and giggling coming from the other room.
A faint smile tugged at her lips. "Guess I've got the house all to myself."
The giggling abruptly stopped.
"Hmm, I wonder what I should do for the rest of the day," she said, the smile on her face widening. "Maybe I should go take a nap..."
More hushing followed by more giggling started up again, and Sam appeared in the kitchen, grinning, "You know, I'm thinking both of us have the house to ourselves."
She couldn't help but smile up at him. "Wonder where those boys went."
"I have no idea. I turned around to find a movie for them, and the next minute, they disappeared."
"Hmm. Guess we'll just have to watch a movie by ourselves."
He smiled, "Yeah, guess so."
Chloe touched his arm lightly, nodding toward the other room with a wink.
Smile growing, he began to walk slowly toward the front room.
Chloe followed him, just catching sight of Michael's head duck behind the sofa. She suppressed a chuckle and moved to sit down.
"So Chloe...what do you think we should watch?" Sam asked loudly, going over to the TV cabinet.
"Hmm, I don't know. Maybe the Lion King. But we can't tell the boys we watched it without them."
"You're right. It'll have to be a secret..."
She heard Matthew giggle and she grinned, her eyes twinkling with amusement.
Popping up from behind the couch, Michael jumped onto his mom's lap, "Noo Mommy, don't watch it without us!"
"There you are!" she said in feigned surprise, wrapping her arms around him.
He giggled and snuggled into his mom as Matthew came up as well, "I'm here too Mommy!"
"Yes you are," Chloe said with a smile, hugging him too. She pressed a kiss to each of their foreheads, then ducked her head and whispered something in their ears.
Giggling, Matthew climbed off the sofa and bounded over to where Sam stood, wrapping his arms around Sam's legs. "Uncle Sammy."
Michael followed his brother and hugged Sam as well.
Sam looked down at the two boys suddenly wrapped around his legs, "Hey boys."
"I wanna play airplane!" Matthew said, tugging on his shirt and lifting his arms up.
He chuckled, "You do, huh?"
He nodded eagerly and reached up for Sam again. "Up, please."
"Well...since you said please..." He picked Matthew up and began running around the room with him.
Chloe watched, her eyes filled with warmth as she watched Sam spin Matthew around while making airplane noises, her son giggling gleefully and holding his arms out as though he was actually flying.
Michael came back over and sat next to her, "Mommy, where's Daddy?"
She kissed his cheek and pulled him close. "He's around here somewhere."
"Oh."
She looked up at Sam once more, caught sight of him looking at her, and offered him a smile.
Taking Matthew in his arms, Sam came over and sat down next to them, "Dean's lurking?"
She nodded slightly, gazing at him intently. I need to talk to you, she thought, hugging Michael a little tighter.
Getting her hint, Sam stood and left Matthew on the couch, "How about I put Lion King on for the two of you so me and your mom can think of something for you two to eat?"
"Okay," Matthew agreed, grinning happily.
Chloe kissed Michael's head and slowly stood up as well, watching as Sam slipped the DVD into the player before turning and heading to the kitchen.
After making sure the movie was playing, Sam followed, "What's up?"
She turned to look at him with uncertainty in her eyes. "I think someone's following me," she whispered.
"Following you?" He whispered back, surprised.
Chloe nodded, casting a glance toward the living room to make sure the boys were occupied with the movie. "Home from work. A maroon station wagon, tinted windows." She swallowed hard.
He ran a hand through his hair, "Great."
"I didn't even notice it til Dean mentioned something." Something else occurred to her. "Sam?"
"Yeah?"
"You didn't by chance...leave a rose on my desk at work, did you?"
Frowning, he shook his head, "No...why?"
Growing more uneasy with each passing moment, she slowly started to pace the floor. "Because there was one on my desk this morning. And if you didn't leave it and Dean didn't leave it..."
He swallowed, "Are you thinking...it's the same guy?"
"Seems like too big of a coincidence for it not to be," she murmured.
Sighing, he sat down on a bar stool, "Maybe you should stay home for a few days."
Chloe was silent for a moment, feeling deja vu wash over her. "Or not," she whispered.
"What?"
"If someone is following me..." She glanced toward the living room again, her heart sinking. "The boys could be in danger."
He followed her gaze, "You're right. Damn it."
She slowly wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm gonna pack a bag," she said, her voice barely audible.
"Okay...I'll go pack a few things for the boys."
"What?" She looked at him in confusion.
"They're going with you. I'll make sure no one follows you, but if you leave, there's no way they'll be happy without you."
"It's not safe, Sam," she whispered, pained. Already a plan was beginning to form in the back of her mind and she swallowed hard, turning away.
"Fine." He folded his arms, "Then you get to go tell them you're leaving."
Chloe winced a little. "Hopefully it will only be for a couple of days."
"I don't like this."
She bit her lip, still faced away from him. It had been a very long time since Smallville. A very long time since she'd played the bait in a trap that was dangerous. She slowly turned to look at him. "It'll be okay."
"Sam, I swear to god, if you let her go off by herself, it'll be the last thing you do."
Sam jumped at his brother's voice, "What?"
Dean stepped into the kitchen, arms folded, "You are *not* going to play bait."
"God! Would you chill with the Casper routine? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"
"Well, considering the Casper routine is basically the only thing I'm about anymore..."
She rubbed the back of her neck, closing her eyes. "Dean--"
"No."
"It's not safe for me to stay here with the boys if some maniac's after me," she whispered tensely.
"Well, it's not safe for you to be by yourself if some maniac's after you either." He replied, eyes narrowing.
She gave him a look. "It's the boys that I'm worried about."
"I know you are. But separating yourself from them won't make it any better."
"It'll keep them safe," she whispered.
"And what about you?" He asked.
Chloe fell silent, looking away.
"They already...don't have me." He said, trying to catch her eye, "They don't deserve to lose you too."
"They won't." Her voice was strained and she avoided his gaze, as well as Sam's.
"Chloe. A mad man may be after you. And you want to isolate yourself so you're an easier target?"
"It wouldn't be the first time," she tried to joke.
"This is different and you know it." Dean said firmly.
She let out a nervous breath. "Fine. Then tell me what I'm supposed to do."
"You need to figure out who you know who could possibly be after you."
"Are you kidding me? Some of the articles I've written in the last few years--it could be anyone, Dean!"
"Yeah, and someone that wants to kill you would so leave you a rose on your desk." He said sarcastically.
Chloe shot him a look. "Hello, when Angelus was stalking Buffy he left *her* a dozen roses."
The lights flickered as Dean's temper rose, "That was a show. You're going to compare this to a fucking TV show?"
She glared at him. "Lower your voice," she hissed, motioning toward the living room. "And it's not unusual for stalkers to leave gifts for their victims. It happens all the time, Dean!"
He clenched his jaw, "Don't do anything drastic. I'll be back."
"Dean, what--" She threw her hands in the air in frustration when he vanished.
Sam sighed as he watched his brother leave. Turning to Chloe, he put his hands in his pockets, "He's right. You shouldn't leave."
She closed her eyes. "I'm just trying to keep them safe, Sam," she whispered.
"But you need to keep yourself safe in the process." He said, taking her hand in his.
Swallowing hard, she slid her fingers through his and slowly opened her eyes to gaze at him.
"You know, this is even more reason for Dean to be here instead of me. He knows what to do." He said, looking down at their hands.
"Sam, please don't," she whispered, shifting closer to him and winding her arms around his waist.
"You know it's true."
"And we both know if Dean hadn't been here, you wouldn't have let me take off alone either." Her voice was quiet.
He didn't respond to her, just looked ahead.
"You know it's true, Sam." She slowly pulled away and looked up at him, her eyes filled with sadness.
"Yeah, but I still don't know what else to do." He said, still averting his gaze.
"Well, neither do I." She looked down at the floor, her eyes pooling with tears.
"Dean will know though." He whispered.
"And if he wasn't here, we'd figure something out. We always do." Her voice was strained.
"Sure."
A tear slipped down her face. "You know it's funny," she whispered, pausing as she started to head out of the kitchen.
He his gaze followed her, "What is?"
She met his gaze. "I've never stopped believing in you. Not for a minute. When did you stop believing in me?" Her voice was quiet. She didn't give him a chance to answer before she headed out of the room and down the hall to her bedroom, shutting the door behind her.